"Now place your left hand on my shoulder," Eric instructed.

Ariel reached out, doing as he told her.

The two of them were standing face-to-face in middle of the empty ballroom, their right hands entwined. Eric had apparently meant it when he said that he would teach her how to dance before the ball he was insisting on holding in her honor. She felt her face heat up slightly as he placed his left hand in the small of her back, the warmth of his skin seeping through the fabric of her dress. It was a ridiculous reaction. Marsious had touched her in far more intimate places. This wasn't something new to her.

"Now we dance," Eric murmured.

"There's no music," Ariel replied.

"That's not true," Eric said. He turned his head toward the door. "Ernest!" he bellowed, startling Ariel.

A small man poked his head through the door. He was young and had wild orange hair that stuck up in all directions. "Y-yes, Your Highness?"

"We're ready for you," Eric said.

The man came bounding through the door, pushing his spectacles up with one hand and clutching a fiddle in his other.

Eric turned back to Ariel, smiling. "You ready to learn how to dance?" he asked.

She nodded uncertainly. She had danced before, but she was sure that it was much different up here on land. In the ocean, they simply held onto each other and whirled around. But up here she had to worry about fancy footwork and making sure she didn't step all over her partner's toes.

"Don't worry," Eric said, as if he could read her mind. "Waltzing is easy. Even Andy can do it and he's been known to trip over air while walking."


Andy hadn't expected to run into Virginia Ashworth again when he went into town that morning. But sure enough, he did. She was in the small circular park near the middle of town, sitting on bench near the statue of Andy's great grandfather, twirling her pink parasol around in her hand as she leaned in toward Timothy Dewitt and giggled at something he had said. He felt a twinge of jealousy as he stared at the two of them. Perhaps it made him sound like an arrogant prick, but he wasn't used to being ignored. He had kissed Ginny. Why was she still interested in Timothy Dewitt? Timothy was one of Clarissa's neighbors and Andy had met him several times. He didn't seem particularly bright or intelligent or talented. He was rich, yes. But Andy was richer.

Normally Andy might have just walked away, but the whiskey in his system seemed to be urging him toward them. He wandered over, clearing his throat. The lovebirds glanced up. Virginia's face immediately broke into a smile, which Timothy immediately noticed. He glared at Andy, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to look threatening.

"Hello, Ginny," Andy said brightly. "Hello, Dewitt."

"Hello, Andy!" Virginia replied enthusiastically. "Would you care to join us?"

Timothy shot her a look of protest, but she ignored him, scooting over so that Andy could sit down between the two of them.

"I had such a nice time walking you home from the dress shop the other day, Ginny," Andy said, giving her his most charming smile. "I hope I can see a lot more of you."

He felt Timothy stiffen beside him, which only made Andy want to piss him off more.

"I really enjoyed kissing you too," he added.

Ginny's eyes widened for a moment, and Andy hoped that he hadn't angered her too. But then she gave him a small smile. "It was quite nice," she murmured.

Timothy let out a strangled-sounding yelp and jumped to his feet, looking wildly back and forth between the two of them. "What the hell were you doing kissing him, Ginny? You're courting me! Our parents want us to marry!"

Andy smiled smugly. "Sorry, mate. She didn't mention you till after I kissed her."

Timothy turned to look at Virginia. "Is that true?"

"Yes, but—"

He held up a hand, cutting her off. "I don't want to hear it, Ginny. I get it, I do. He's a prince. I'm not. You've always been the girl who wants the best. I don't doubt you'll work your way up even higher than Prince Andrew of Reissa someday. I'm sure you'll eventually manage to snag a future king. Hell, maybe you'll find a way to sink your claws into Prince Eric. I hope he and Andy don't mind sharing."

Virginia's eyes widened. She looked like she was holding back tears.

"You need to leave, Dewitt," Andy growled.

"Don't worry, I am," Timothy replied, as he began to back away. "Have fun with her while it lasts, Your Highness. She'll move on soon enough."

"Sorry about that," Andy said, after Timothy had disappeared. "I probably shouldn't have…done that. I obviously ruined things between the two of you."

Virginia shrugged, her gaze focused on the nearby statue. "He was rather dull. I'm actually kind of glad to be rid of him."

Andy scooted closer to her, covering her hand with his own. "I like to think that I'm not dull," he murmured.

She turned her head, peering up at him from under her eyelashes. "Oh, believe me, Andy, I know you're not."

He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned away at the last minute and his lips brushed against her cheek.

"Andy," she said, nervously picking at the lace on her gloves, "I think perhaps I'm not the kind of girl you want. I'm not going to…you know. I may be a flirt, but that's all I am."

Andy shrugged. He didn't really mind. There was still a part of him that believed that he and Clarissa could still be each other's firsts. It was stupid, but God help him if he still didn't love with all his heart. He just needed something to distract from the pain in his heart and he liked Virginia well enough.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "Of course you're the kind of girl I want."

"Would you like to come to dinner at my house on Sunday?" she asked. "You'll have to meet my parents if you want to court me."

Virginia's father, General Ashworth, was an intimidating man. Despite the fact that he was nearing fifty, he was still in better shape than most other men twenty or thirty years his junior. He was tall and permanently seemed to be scowling. Andy was not looking forward to sitting through dinner with him, especially since he knew how protective the general was of his little girl.

"I've already met them," Andy mumbled. "Are you sure that's necessary?"

She giggled. "Of course it's necessary, Andy. You're going to be courting me."

He shifted nervously, running his hand through his black hair. "I've never had to meet a girl's parents like this before."

She titled her head to the side, looking confused. "Didn't you court Clarissa Dufresne for two years?"

"Well," he said, wondering how she knew about that. "I wouldn't say we courted. It was a…secret relationship. Our parents didn't know. I spent a lot of time sneaking into her bedroom window."

Virginia's eyes widened. "You've been in her bedroom?" she whispered, scandalized. "In her bed?"

"Er, yeah," he replied.

"What is she to do now?" Virginia asked. "Who will marry her now that you aren't going to? No man wants a lady whose virtue is no longer intact."

Andy's eyes narrowed. "I assure you, Ginny, Clarissa's virtue is still very much intact." He wondered if what he was saying was true. There was, after all, still a possibility that she'd slept with his brother.

"Did you love her?" Virginia asked.

Andy nodded. "I still do," he admitted. "Desperately."

Virginia smiled wistfully. "I've never been in love. Is it nice?"

"It's incredible," Andy murmured. "But when they leave you, it hurts worse than anything else."

She leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll see you on Sunday," she said, standing up. "Be there at 7 pm sharp. My father hates tardiness."

Andy groaned. He was not looking forward to his upcoming interrogation from General Ashworth.


After their dance lesson, Eric suggested that they go take a walk down on the beach. To his delight, Ariel agreed. The more time they spent alone together, the easier and quicker it would be for him to woo her.

It was evening and the sun was setting. He watched as Ariel stared out the horizon, her eyes filled with awe as she took in the pink and orange sky.

"You look like you've never seen a sunset before," Eric teased, knowing full well that she probably hadn't.

Ariel spun around to face him, her eyes wide as if she thought he'd discovered her secret. But when she realized he'd been kidding, her expression relaxed. "Just because I've seen it before doesn't mean I can't admire it," she said. "It's a sad day when you examine at the world around you and no longer see any of its beauty."

"I see plenty of beauty right now," Eric said, focusing his eyes on hers.

She blushed, dropping her gaze. Eric held back a sigh. It was clear she was enamored by him, but she was so damn timid all the time. Any time he gave her any attention, she started blushing and stumbling over her words. He wouldn't be surprised if the girl had never been kissed before, honestly. He really hoped that she livened up once she got to know him and got used to being on land. Because he wasn't sure if he could deal being married to someone who was so goddamn dull.

There was a long pause that neither of them seemed to know how to fill. Eric watched her carefully as she stared out at the water, wondering how he could best go about tearing down her walls. Finally he decided he might as well just ask.

"What makes you happy, Ariel?" he asked softly.

She turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"What is it that you want out of life? I mean, this is our one shot, right? We don't get multiple chances at life. So what is it that you want to spend this one doing?"

He expected her to shrug, to mumble something incoherent while staring down at the ground. But that wasn't what happened.

She seemed to stand up straighter, looking him directly in the eye. "I want to see everything," she responded, a blazing look present in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

This time it was his turn to ask what she meant.

"I want to travel the whole world. I want to go everywhere and see everything. I've never been anywhere before. Only here and my home. I know there's got to be more and I want to experience it. That's why I ran away."

"I can show you the world, Ariel," Eric replied, hoping that the smile he gave her was a sincere-looking one.

Whenever Eric most wanted to come across as likeable and charming, he just thought about what Andy might do in that given situation and tried to imitate that. It usually worked. Andy could probably charm the dress off any woman he desired, but for some reason the idiot chose not to.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Oh really?" she said. "Well, then let's start now."

"Now?"

She nodded. "I've been here for a week now and all I've seen is your castle and this beach. I want to see the rest of your kingdom, Eric."

"It's getting late, Ariel," he said. "How about I take you up on your request tomorrow morning? We'll spend the day touring the kingdom. I'll show you everything."

"I suppose I can wait until tomorrow," she said, smiling. "After all, I've waited my whole life, haven't I?"

He held out his arm. "C'mon. I'll walk you back to the castle."


The next morning, Ariel couldn't keep the grin off her face as she and Eric headed into town. They took a small, two-person carriage and she watched him with fascination as Eric somehow managed to get the horse to move and stay on track with only the reins in his hands. Horses were beautiful creatures and much bigger than the seahorses she was familiar with. Eric had promised her that he would teach her how to ride one.

It was a warm July morning and the town was bustling with people and activity. Ariel stood in the town square and looked around in delight. There was so much to see! A car full of squawking, feathered animals in cages passed by. Ariel was pretty sure they were called chickens, which was what they had or dinner the first night after she came ashore. She ran over to the fountain in the very center of the town square, watching the kids inside as they splashed around. They looked so happy, so carefree. What would it have been like to grow up in a place like this? She felt Eric place his hand in the small of her back and she spun around to face him.

"Would you like to go to the market?" he asked.

She nodded enthusiastically, grabbing his hand. "Which way?" she asked, looking around wildly.

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards and he pointed down one of the streets. She took off in that direction, pulling him along with her.

The market stretched on for an entire block, with vendors on both sides of the street hawking their wares. There were fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, flowers, handmade jewelry, clothing, and so much more. She watched in awe as a man carved a small animal out of wood. The tiny details were so intricate. It didn't seem possible. She felt a little guilty that Eric bought her nearly everything that she stared at for longer than a minute, but she didn't put up too much of a fight. He had the money after all.

They spent the whole day in town and then, as the sun began to set, they got back in the carriage because there was somewhere else he said he simply had to show her before they headed back to the castle. He let her drive for a little while, but eventually snatched the reins back when she nearly sent them flying right off a cliff.

The place he wanted to show her turned out to be a lagoon, surrounded by willow trees and bathed in moonlight.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, as he helped her into a small rowboat.

He began to row and she tilted her head up, gazing at the stars. They filled the sky, too many to even begin to count. And all around them, fireflies glided through the air, almost as if some of the stars had fallen down to earth and learned to fly.


Eric watched as Ariel reached out of the boat, letting her fingers skim through the water. It had actually been a pretty enjoyable day. He had discovered that Ariel's earlier timid behavior was merely an effect of being in such a strange, new environment. But her true personality had shown through today. She wasn't dull at all. She was actually an exceptionally outgoing, feisty girl. She laughed louder than any girl he'd ever met, clearly not afraid to draw the attention of others. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind either. He could tell she was the kind of girl who would put a man in his place. Although he was glad that he wouldn't be stuck married to someone lifeless and boring, he also hoped that she would eventually learn which one of them was in charge. He was firm in his belief that women were subservient to men. He hoped she didn't end up being too hard to control.

"Did you have fun today?" he asked.

She glanced up from the water, grinning happily. "Oh yes!" she exclaimed. "It was delightful!"

"I'm glad," he replied softly.

They both fell silent, but a strange tension hung in the air as they continued to stare at each other. Eric wondered if he should try to kiss her. He still wasn't sure how much experience she had when it came to the opposite sex. She seemed a bit naïve. He still thought there was a good chance she'd never even been kissed. Perhaps it would be better if he waited a little longer.

To his surprise, Ariel was the one who leaned in instead. Her lips pressed against his and they began to kiss softly. He lifted the oars out of the water and set them inside the boat. He cupped her face in his hands, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. It soon became highly evident that she was more experienced than he had thought. She had most definitely been kissed before. Still, he was surprised when climbed into his lap and wrapped her legs around his waist. Girls like her weren't usually this forward. He cupped her breast over her dress and she didn't push his hand away. Instead, she let out a low moan as he nipped at her neck.

Suddenly, the boat tipped over and they went tumbling into the water. They both popped up at the same time and he laughed at the shocked expression on her face.

"Oops," she said, giggling.

"Come on," he said, holding out his hand. "We should be getting back to the castle."


"Have you found her, Your Majesty?" Marsious asked, as he sank into a bow. "The one who can help us?"

King Triton nodded, peering down at Marsious from atop his throne. "She has been found."

Marsious straightened up. "Good! When shall I go to her?"

The king shook his head, his face grave. "She has not yet agreed to help us. She…does not trust me."

"But I thought you said that she would help," Marsious said, unable to hide his disappointment.

"I still think she will," the king replied. "She just needs some more convincing."

"But sir, Ariel needs our help as soon as possible."

"You think I don't know that?" the king snapped, silencing Marsious with the furious look in his eyes.

Marsious backed away nervously. "Sorry," he muttered.

King Triton's face softened. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I lost my temper with you when you have done absolutely nothing wrong. You are willing to go to great lengths to save my daughter and for that I am grateful beyond words."

Marsious shrugged. "I love her," he said simply.

"I can see that," said the king. "My frustration had nothing to do with you and everything to do with the fact that I cannot save my daughter myself. I must negotiate with someone else while the fate of my youngest daughter and the entire kingdom hangs in the balance. If only my powers worked on land. Then I could go and bring her back myself right now."

"We'll save Ariel and the kingdom," Marsious assured him. "We have no other choice."


Did you guys catch my Aladdin reference?

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