She couldn't remember the rest of the ball. She hardly remembered the rest of the week.

Someone took her to her chambers and removed her gown. Her hair was combed out and plaited. Her face was washed, her hands perfumed. She was tucked into bed, and a fire was lit in the hearth. She lay awake long past dawn, her cheeks raw from the tears that streamed steadily onto her pillow. In the morning she was bathed and dressed, her hair brushed again. Someone - was it Carlotta? - offered her suggestions on gowns to wear, but her heart was so hollow and bruised that she couldn't find the strength to answer. Eventually someone took pity and chose for her, and led her to the dining hall. She sat between Eric and her father and stared dumbly at the food before her.

For days it was the norm. Her aunt kept to her room, terrified and practically grief stricken. Her cousin and his bride had returned home. Her grandparents lingered as well, consoling both of their children who'd been so wounded by curses. Her grandfather gave her strange glances; it looked like he wasn't sure whether to pity her or step alongside and say that he knew how she felt. Her father avoided her, as usual, this time out of despair. He'd failed her in the one thing he'd set out to do. Her grandmother tried bringing her to the library, to the garden. She walked with her and talked to her, but could do nothing to bring the Princess out of her despair.

Otherwise she sat, without hunger or thirst, and stared out at the sea. As much as Ursula's loss was a terrible weight, the sight of the ocean was enough to drive her mad.

She would never again skip through the surf, or feel the waves swelling at her waist. Never again would she swim or dive or float. On the twelfth, over an untouched bowl of oats, honey, strawberries and thick cream she suddenly pushed back her chair and bolted for the doors. Panic seized her chest. Eric and her father leaped to their feet, while her grandmother clutched her grandfather's hand, and Aunt Rose made a little strangled sound in the back of her throat.

"Ursula was lying!" She cried when she felt strong, steady arms wrap around her waist. Tears choked her, and her breath was more of a gasp than an inhale. "I know she hates me now, but she must have been lying! She wouldn't take all of the sea from me!" The figure clutching her grasped her shoulders and turned her, so that she was looking up into Eric's concerned face. The Prince slowly released her, but opened his arms. "E-eric she...she wouldn't...she..." Without further encouragement she threw herself into his embrace, and pressed her face against his chest. Ariella sobbed against him. He let her grieve, and when she finally pulled away she realized the others had left them alone.

"Ariella, will you come speak with me in private a moment? Somewhere you'll enjoy," He crooked his elbow, and she curiously threaded their arms together. "We'll go to the gardens. I haven't shown you their full expanse,"

He took her a way she hadn't gone before, through both the kitchen and impressive servant's gardens and courtyard, and through a freshly painted, white wooden door. The silver latch clicked as he ushered them in, and at once her tears began to ebb. This was the heart of the royal gardens. Tropical flowers in millions of colors surrounded them on all sides, bathing them in their heavy, exotic perfume. Enormous, fruiting trees shaded them from the harsh morning sun, and although she could hear the waves crashing into the breakers, it was impossible to see them with the high stone wall that surrounded them. It felt similar to home - blocked away from the world in one form or another, and surrounded by beauty.

"It's beautiful," She admitted, finally loosing her hold on his arm. Ariella stepped toward a Bird of Paradise and ran her fingers down the thick, dark leaves.

"It would be yours, if you would have it," Eric stood stiffly nearby. She glanced toward him and saw just how nervous he suddenly was. "Ariella, when I first came to your island it was in the hopes of winning your heart. You're clever and kind, and you see more than others realize there is to see. I grew to care for you, and thought that by accepting my invitation here you'd finally grown to care for me in equal measure," He swallowed. She froze. "I...I can see now that you had already given your heart away. I should have seen it before, but I was blinded by your beauty and my own desire. So I would," He looked down at his shoes and lowered his voice. "I would settle for your hand,"

The princess stood frozen to the spot, her fingers on the plant as if she meant to keep it as a lifeline. Was this...was this a formal proposal? Was there supposed to be more fanfare than this? The only engagement she'd had was with - again she couldn't find the air to breathe, and he seemed to either sense or see her distress, as he came quickly to her side and took her arm, which he used to guide her toward a low, wooden bench. Her heart hammered behind her ribs.

"I know what I ask is not easy, but I can keep you safe. You would not want for anything, and our kingdoms would be united and strengthened. We would live here, so you won't have to board a ship and risk touching the sea, and it would not surround you any longer. We could make the walls higher, and our rooms would not overlook the sea. Anything you ask of me, I would give you," He took both of her hands, so that she was forced to stop fidgeting and meet his eyes.

"We would...our marriage would need to be legal," The words came haltingly, for in truth they frightened her. What would it be like to share his bed? "I would need to give you a son,"

"Or a daughter, yes," He said quickly. "An heir would be expected. It would be all I ask in return. You do not mind making me your husband?" He quirked a smile, though it did not meet his eyes.

"No, Eric, I do not mind," She felt his strong hands tighten around her own. Perhaps that was what stopped the trembling. "You are a kind and generous friend, and I should do well to enjoy your company as your wife. You...you do not mind that I cannot give you my heart?"

"I do not mind,"

So it was decided.

Their engagement was quietly announced and, although preparations began at once, Ariella found herself entirely disinterested. Invitations were sent out, menus were crafted. She found herself wandering the halls and rooms without much sense to any of it. Meals were attended with a polite smile and a nod, and her family left for their own Kingdoms. It was her Aunt that left first, a nervous flutter of a woman whose smile didn't quite meet her eyes. It was such a stark difference from the tall, graceful woman who'd first arrived that Ariella found herself shrinking against Eric's steady grip. Her Uncle Phillip kissed her lightly on either cheek.

"You must understand, when your Aunt fell under her sleeping curse she...she knew what was happening to her. She was aware of what was happening. Spells and curses seem to push her back into that moment. It's terribly frightening for her," He turned to look at his wife, who'd sequestered herself in their carriage without a word. "We...your cousin...we kept his identity a secret well until he was wed. It was the only way we could think to keep him safe. It's a reason we never had other children. We were terrified to invite any of the fae, even for a godmother for him, and couldn't handle the stress for another child,"

"How could you keep from having children?" She asked quietly, when Eric stepped away to speak with her father. "Is that...possible? I'm frightened that she might come back," Not a complete lie, at least.

Her Uncle pressed his lips so tightly together that Ariella wondered if she'd angered him. Then, he leaned close and whispered in her ear. The Princess's eyes widened. Was it truly so easy? He kissed her once more on her cheek, said his goodbyes and the carriage lurched away. Eric and her father went back into the castle to continue with the wedding plans, this time to discuss the security for the event. Ariella clasped her hands tightly in front of her gown and shivered. A simple tea made from a plant she already knew grew in the garden? That could keep her from having children with Eric? She lifted her skirts and hurried through the castle to her private sanctuary to think, her heart a little pounding thing inside her chest.

"Only for a little while," She promised herself. "Only until I'm ready to have children,"

The ceremony took place precisely four months, six days and twelve hours since her heart had been shattered.

Eric did a splendid job of picking up the pieces of what was left of it, even if she hadn't a clue as to what could repair it. She'd been drinking the tea her Uncle told her about for nearly three months, and she didn't feel any different. Things still seemed to come as they should, but hopefully a child wouldn't. She stood trembling in her exquisite, white gown and tried very, very hard not to think about all the people watching her. Carlotta and a team of women had worked carefully together to convince her hair into curling just right, and they'd braided a new white-gold tiara into it.

Her wedding gown was certainly impressive: it reminded her of the gown she'd first met Eric in. Rather than the pink however, she was bathed in iridescent white. Even the puffed sleeves and scooped neckline were a similar match. As she'd been preparing that morning, Carlotta brought out a necklace she thought would go well, and Ariella thought for a moment the ground had given way beneath her feet. The little pink pearl strung on a delicate silver chain was an almost welcome reminder of all she'd lost.

Now she touched it, her fingers searching for the reassuring and familiar as Eric vowed to stand always at her side, and care for and love her. She echoed his words, her lips trying to form the lies clearly, and thankfully no one expected her to be entirely dry eyed as her new husband slid a wedding band onto her finger. They kissed, tentative and unsure, and the gathered nobles and villagers cheered. The noise crashed over her like the waves, and she clung to Eric's arm as he led her to the carriage that would take them to the banquet back in the castle.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" Eric asked as they made their way through the streets. Those who hadn't been able to attend the formal ceremony and wouldn't be permitted to the banquet lined the streets to throw roses and gifts to them. Some of them made it into the open windows of the carriage, and Ariella shook her head while she admired a small bouquet of peonies that landed squarely on her lap.

"No, it...it wasn't," The ceremony never concerned her. It was what was meant to come later that night that twisted her stomach into knots.

"Ariella, might I...might I kiss you again?"

She looked toward him and tried to quell the trembling in her hands. "I suppose it should look more natural,"

He leaned forward and gently cupped her chin, and she closed her eyes as he drew close. Unlike the quick kiss of the ceremony, she could feel him studying her. His thumb traced her nose and lips, until finally he closed the distance and pressed their lips together. It was warm, and her mouth found itself giving in to the questioning pressure of his. Her body was responding at least, her hands found themselves wrapping around his neck to pull him closer, and she wondered if it was the desire for intimacy or the panic of needing to fill a hollow. By the time they'd parted, both breathless and a little dizzy, the carriage was pulling up in the courtyard.

When the footman opened the door, Eric stepped out first and then held out his hand. "We're in this together now," He murmured as she slipped her hand into his. Her stomach fluttered somewhat nervously at the thought. They were _together_ now. For better or worse, she had agreed to this marriage for...protection? Fear? A way to get over the hurdle that was her grief? Once inside the grand ballroom, which was elaborately decorated in their honor, she did her best to enjoy the moment. Her father would be returning to the island soon, and the rest of her family would slowly go back to their own kingdoms. Ariella smiled and laughed with all of them, and allowed the ladies of the court to pay her every compliment.

The candles dripped low as they feasted on soups and seafood, roasted mutton and fowl, and enough desserts to make her teeth ache. When it was finally time to retire, she followed Eric to his...to their room.

Perhaps one day I'll love him, She thought as his hands became familiar with her body. Maybe one day I'll finally be glad for this, and I'll want a child with him. Perhaps one day I'll regret not admiring my wedding day a little more, Yet as the distant, mournful wails of the seals was carried in on the wind, and she and Eric were fully wedded in the eyes of the law, she wondered if it was all simply wishful thinking.