Ariel's eyes fluttered open. She felt something coarse sticking to her sides. When she sat up, she realized she had been lying in the sand. She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering how she wasn't dehydrated from being on land.
How long was I asleep?
After a moment, she gathered enough strength to sit up. She brushed her bangs back and squinted her eyes to adjust to the bright sun.
Ariel shifted her body into a more comfortable position.
She froze.
Slowly, almost afraid to look, she lowered her gaze. Where there should've been a mermaid's tail, there were…
Legs!
A few feet away, sitting in the water, was a rather-tired looking Flounder. He perked up at the sight of Ariel's bright smile, "You're awake!"
She beamed.
Although the little fish was sad at the thought that Ariel couldn't return to water, he couldn't stop smiling at how happy she looked. He quietly said, "Sebastian went to go find Jim, I think they'll be back soon."
Almost like it was timed perfectly, Ariel heard a very familiar voice shout her name.
She turned to see Jim racing across the sand. He skidded to a stop just before her.
Jim's eyes widened, "Uh.. Ariel. You look... different." His cheeks were slowly turning to the color of a lobster.
Ariel beamed. When she tried to ask if he liked it, there was no sound. Her smile slowly faded as she remembered the cold hand wrapping around her neck as the other reached down her throat and stole her voice. She shivered, remembering the chill that ran throughout her body when she saw the golden light of her voice being encased in Ursula's shell.
Jim's face fell as well, "What did you do..?"
She knew there was no way for her to explain, so she merely tried to convey it with her expression.
Flounder helpfully filled Jim in, "She went to the sea witch, and traded her voice for legs and a soul. She's a human now."
Ariel shrugged and winced.
"For how long?"
Sometimes she really wished Jim wasn't so annoyingly smart.
With a sigh, she held up two fingers.
"Two days?" Jim gasped.
Ariel gave him a look and shook her head, holding up seven fingers.
"Two weeks?"
This time she nodded.
"Flounder, what does she have to do to make it permanent? And what happens if she doesn't?"
"Well.. She has to find true love. And she also isn't allowed to return to the ocean at all before... unless she's giving up," Flounder looked sad as he said this. "Which would then mean she's Ursula's slave for all eternity."
Jim glared at the no-longer-a-mermaid, "How could you do this? Didn't you think this through?"
She glared right back and flailed her arms around as she mouthed an angry response.
He huffed and rubbed his forehead, "Even when you can't speak, you still manage to be the most frustrating person I know."
She pouted and looked away.
"I'm probably going to regret this, but I'm still going to help you. I did promise, after all," Jim sighed. "All right, Ariel. Have you tried standing?"
Ariel shook her head nervously.
He gently took her elbows and-after waiting for her to get a sturdy grip on his arms-helped pull her to her feet.
She gasped. The new human's legs buckled beneath her. She desperately tried to grasp Jim's shirt as she fell.
Jim quickly wrapped an arm around her, catching her and holding her close to his chest.
Every step you take will feel as though you are walking across knives.
Ariel's heart pounded. Although that first step hadn't quite felt like knives, it had still sent a sharp pain through her legs, making her wish she had her voice so she could've screamed. Maybe it was better that she couldn't, she could just picture Jim's irritated expression as he found out that Ariel really was the most impulsive and brainless girl he would ever know.
"Are you okay?" Jim asked, eyes filled with concern.
She gulped and nodded. With shaking arms, she pushed herself off of Jim and tried to center her weight on her legs properly. The sharp pain was gone, now it was only tiny prickles in her toes. It wasn't the most comfortable, but she could live with it. Although, her new legs were extremely unsteady.
"You know," Jim frowned the way he did when deep in thought. "I think it'd be easier if you just leaned on me for now, just until we get somewhere you can rest and begin to adjust to the legs thing." As if he sensed her protest, he added, "You know how big of a worrier I am. You're totally capable of learning how to walk by yourself, I just would feel a lot better knowing I can catch you."
With a sigh, Ariel nodded.
Jim's face turned red again, "Also... I think we should get you some clothes before we head to my mom's inn."
Ariel felt her own face grew warm. It hadn't even occurred to her that perhaps it wasn't normal to be walking around exposed like this. But, upon seeing Jim's expression, she suddenly felt ashamed, even though she didn't completely understand what was so bad about it.
Gently, he guided her over to a rock and helped her to sit.
Jim gulped. The only modesty Ariel had at the moment were the fiery locks of hair draping over most of her upper body.
Oh c'mon... he thought to himself as Ariel pulled her hair to one side and began to finger-comb it.
He swallowed hard and told himself how rude it was to stare, even if she didn't particularly seem to mind.
Ariel couldn't help but to stare at Jim as he tugged his shirt over his head. His torso was exposed to her, and she noticed some strange markings covering part of it.
"Here," he said. "Lift your arms."
She obeyed without question, and he gently slipped the shirt on. She shivered as his hand accidentally brushed her sides.
He helped her back to her feet and looked her up and down, "I think this will work for now."
Luckily, the shirt was over-sized even for him, so on Ariel's petite body it fell to her thighs.
When he was about to suggest they begin to walk, Ariel touched a slender finger to one of the tattoos on his chest. She looked up at him with a questioning expression.
"They're just some crappy souvenirs from my pirating days," Jim shrugged. "It's a long story, I don't want to get into it now."
Ariel frowned, but nodded.
"C'mon, the inn isn't too far from here."
After walking along the beach for a short while, they came upon a small cliff, upon which stood a quaint little house. Ariel looked up at it in delight, but her excitement turned into concern. She looked at Jim with furrowed eyebrows. She pointed up at it and then half shrugged, asking how they were supposed to get up to the house.
"Don't worry, there are some stairs to get us up," he pointed.
Ariel looked at where he was pointing and saw pieces of driftwood smushed into the dirt, each one higher and higher as the earth got taller. Her excitement quickly returned, and she nodded enthusiastically
Jim frowned thoughtfully as he looked down at her bare feet, "I think I'll carry you up the steps. It's kind of tiring, even for people who have walked their entire lives. And I don't want you to accidentally step on anything sharp, okay?"
Ariel shrugged and nodded reluctantly. Secretly, however, she was incredibly relieved that she didn't have to keep walking.
Without any hesitation, Jim scooped her up in his arms and began to walk.
While he carried her, Ariel's mind began to race. She wondered what Jim's mother looked like, what she sounded like. She grew curious thinking about Jim's soul, wondering if it had grown so strong from his mother. It must've if Jim's father wasn't around… His mother must be incredible.
What if she doesn't like me?
Jim sensed the shift in Ariel's mood and glanced at her, "Are you okay?"
She nodded quickly.
He didn't totally believe her, but there wasn't much time to interpret hand gestures and facial expressions anyway.
When they made it to the front door of the Benbow Inn, Jim rather ungracefully kicked the door open.
Sarah Hawkins's voice immediately cried out, "Jim!" as the door slammed open. Her angry expression faded, however, as she focused on the girl in her son's arms.
The poor girl's long, tangled red hair was dripping water onto the floor, and she was naked other than Jim's oversized shirt.
Jim carefully set the girl down, but she immediately lost her balance and he had to quickly grab ahold of her again.
"Jim?" Sarah rushed over to the couple. "Who is this? What on earth is going on?"
"Hi, Mom," Jim said, sheepishly. "This is Ariel… I found her on the beach."
"Oh my goodness, you poor thing," Sarah gently touched a comforting hand to Ariel's face. "What happened to you?"
Ariel furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Jim for help.
"She can't speak, Mom," Jim answered. "I don't know what happened to her. But we have to help her."
Sarah glanced over her shoulder nervously at the other patrons looking over curiously, "Well, let's take you upstairs. We can get you cleaned up and in some fresh clothes."
Jim stepped back as his mother put her arm around Ariel protectively and began to lead her towards the stairs. He could feel eyes staring at his bare torso, at the tattoos marking him, so he quickly followed his mom.
Sarah led Ariel into the bathroom and gently set her on the closed toilet.
"Draw the bath, okay?" Sarah ordered, hearing Jim's boots stomping behind her. To Ariel, she softly said, "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Ariel hesitated before shaking her head.
"Are you sure?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Why did you hesitate?"
Ariel shrugged helplessly.
"There weren't any obvious injuries," Jim informed his mother. "No cuts or bruises or anything."
"What about her legs?" Sarah asked. Her forehead was creased with worry, "Dear, why can't you walk?"
"I don't think bothering her with questions is going to help…" Jim said, placing his hand protectively on Ariel's arm. "She just needs to relax now."
"Okay," Sarah sighed. "I'll go find some clothes for her to wear, you help her get cleaned up, okay?"
"Yes, Mom," Jim nodded. After his mother had left, Jim quietly asked, "You're allowed to get in bathwater, right? It's just the ocean and saltwater you have to avoid?"
Ariel nodded.
Jim took a deep breath and nodded. He knelt over the tub and swirled his hand in the water, checking to make sure it was warm enough. When he turned back, he saw Ariel struggling to pull the shirt off over her head. Fighting back a laugh, Jim gently helped straighten her out.
"Okay, let's get you in," he said. He lifted her into his arms and placed her carefully in the warm water. "If you want it warmer or cooler just let me know."
Ariel let out a small sigh of relief and sunk deeper into the water, a smile gracing her lips. She noticed something sitting on the side of the tub; a bright yellow bird made out of some… squishy material. She picked it up, eyes shining with curiosity. She looked up at Jim expectantly.
He grinned, "That's just a rubber duck. It's for kids mainly, to make bathtime more fun."
She blushed, embarrassed that she didn't even know the function of a rubber duck.
He rested his chin against the side of the tub, suddenly feeling exhausted, "Ariel?"
Her blink was the only indication she could give to show she was listening.
"Why did you do this?"
She dropped her gaze and shrugged.
"I know you wanted to be a human, but… This just seems so dangerous."
Unable to respond, she simply continued to stare down at her legs through the water.
"I'll take care of you though…" he continued, so quietly it almost seemed to be to himself. "I promise."
