AN: Wow! I am so incredibly honored by all of you who reviewed and those that mentioned this story in their videos/artwork. Dsimpleton and kbsrep you guys are like wow. Thank you to all of the other artists who were gracious enough to mention this story. I will continue to give shout outs with each chapter so don't worry. If you've done any jim ariel art lemme know! Oh so sorry that this chapter is short and late but college is straight up ridiculous so pls enjoy and review.
Time's up
"What in the seven seas were you two thinking?" King Triton bellowed. It was a tense scene in the throne room at present. King Triton had not been pleased in the least bit when he found out Finn and Jim had been brought before him on accounts of battery and endangering a public place. And so it was a very uncomfortable in the throne room as he continued to scold them.
King Triton sat on his throne, the perfect picture of irritation what with his tail swishing slightly back and forth. Sebastian hovered in the water beside his face his claws crossed over his tiny chest while Jim and Finn were bowing before him their heads bent in shame.
"Definitely not 'tinking" Sebastian wore an equally disapproving scowl.
"Almost getting arrested for battery and disturbing the peace? I cannot believe this!" Scorching stormy blue eyes focused on Jim's submissive form.
"Young man, I do not care if my daughter has given you her favor or not. I will not tolerate such insolent behavior." That was Jim's last straw. While Finn's head was bowed in respect, Jim's down turned face had been concealing his anger, the way blues hardened and how his jaw clenched. The only visible sign of his raging emotion was how his hands were balled into tight fists.
This was ridiculous. Why should he be put on trial for acting and protecting, as his instincts were screaming at him to do? Even in the present moment, he still thought that his actions were justifiable and no sea king or anyone else would convince him otherwise. He would always protect Ariel, no matter the consequences. So when King Triton had declared the last outrageous statement, Jim's boiling anger spewed forth. His body shot up defiantly, his voice an angry shout.
"And what? I'm just supposed to sit back and let my mate get raped!" Triton's eyes flew open in shock more than anything else.
"Hawkins!" Finn shouted looking at Jim like "what the heck do you think you're doing?" But Jim wasn't intimidated in the least.
"What! Didn't you say that Ariel was like a sister to you? How can you expect me to sit back and watch her get manhandled like that? She'll probably have bruises from that…that thing!"
"Young man, what did you just say?" King Triton was suddenly very calm and it threw everyone. In fact, Sebastian was already visibly cringing while Finn rubbed his temples to alleviate the headache that was coming on. Jim found his resolve to be recklessly brave against the sea king quickly dissipating.
"I said that she was probably going to have bruises…"
"No, before that. Did you say that my daughter Ariel was your mate?" Jim felt like ice water was suddenly poured and replaced the blood in his veins. His eyes widened. What do I tell him? His mind had gone blank except for the continuous mantra of, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!
"It's true your highness. He is Ariel's mate. I tested him myself." Jim looked up in surprise at the elder boy. He had never anticipated Finn sticking up for him like this. Finn looked strong and confident under the king's careful scrutiny. This caused Jim to look away. He didn't want to see the disappointment reflected in her father's eyes.
"And everything he said about tonight is true?"
"Yes, sir." There was a long pause and Jim prepared himself for a lecture of how he couldn't possibly be supposed to be with Ariel because…
"Did you give him a good right hook?" Jim looked up in surprise clearly perplexed at the question. Sebastian appeared to be just as confused while King Triton and Finn were smirking.
"Yeah, Hawkins is quite the slugger. He took the creep out in one punch, and the guy was easily twice his size." A slow smirk spread on Jim's lips as King Triton grinned. Finn swam over and gave Jim a slap on the back before ruffling his hair and Jim tried squirming away.
"Hey! Cut it out Finn!" Jim protested as he laughed.
"Yeah, Sparky's got a good one in Hawkins here." Now even king Triton laughed.
"Alright, Alright. Finn I trust you know where to take him in the treasury." Finn bowed slightly calming down a bit to show his respect.
"Yes, your majesty." Jim was smiling happy to be accepted.
"Oh and Jim?"
"Yes, your majesty?" King Triton's expression was kind but now his tone was serious.
"I know those instincts are near impossible to ignore, but I don't want to hear about any more incidents." Jim flushed in embarrassment.
"Yes, your majesty."
"Good. Oh and by the way Jim…welcome to the family." Jim paused smiling softly as warmth filled him. He was accepted. He hadn't been rejected like he thought.
"Thank you, Sir." he replied sincerely. Finn rolled his eyes.
"Alright slugger, let's go." Finn called and with a flick of his tail, Jim was quick to join him.
Sebastian had yet to recover from his heart attack related to shock…
~!#$%^&*()(*&^%$#!~!#$%$%^^&*()(*&^%$%$#!~
A long sigh escaped the youngest daughter of Triton as she sat in her father's private garden. It used to be the place where her mother and father spent all of their time. Now the garden with the statue of her parents served as a safe-haven from all the noise.
She couldn't take listening to her sisters overanalyze, comfort or speculate any more about the night's events. She needed time to be alone with her thoughts and emotions.
A frown marred her features as her reflection began. She abhorred violence and never supported it as a solution. However…one of the most frightening moments of her life had been that evening when that creepy offender had assaulted her like that. She had never felt so small and helpless as she did in that moment. It was a nightmare made reality and real terror had filled her entire being. Unconsciously, she fingered the forming bruise on her wrist.
So when, from out of nowhere, Jim appeared like her own personal knight throwing him off her, she was surprised ,yes, but she wasn't at all opposed. She had watched in morbid fascination as Jim's fist flew into the assailant's face.
He was her knight: fierce and fearless, and so she was grateful. She was also proud of her boyfriend. He was strong and a fighter, and proved in that situation that he was a worthy protector. Maybe that was why she wanted to scream out in protest when Jim had been "escorted away" by the police. She hadn't seen Jim since; her father's guards adamantly refused to give her access to the throne room.
Oh Jim, I hope you're okay…She really wouldn't know what to do if he wasn't. Oh…this is all my fault. If I had just stayed with Jim then none of this would have happened.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her whole body twisted around to see Jim floating there, a shy smile on his face.
"Hey." Ariel's eyes widened and she threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Oh Jim!" In response, his arms wrapped around her; his hands massaged her back to give her comfort.
"Oh Jim! I was so worried!" She pulled back just enough to lock gazes with him.
"Are you alright? My father didn't yell at you too much did he? Did you explain to him what happened? He can be so stubborn sometimes. And he has a bit of a temper…"A bit! Jim thought for a moment before dismissing it.
"He was fine. You silly girl, don't worry about me. The question is, 'Are you okay?" Immediately, he shifted into the ideal image of a concerned boyfriend. He looked her over for anything out of the ordinary and a deep frown formed when he noticed the angry bruises that were forming on her wrist.
"He hurt you." It was a statement saturated in contempt. But it was clear that her attacker wasn't the only one he was loathing at the moment. Ariel shook her head, her eyes imploring him to see how ridiculous he was being. No such luck. Behind stormy blues, the mermaid princess could see the hurt.
"I should've been there…" Ariel scowled. This unnecessary masochism was going to stop now. So in an uncharacteristic show of aggression, she roughly broke free of his hold.
"Now you listen to me. I don't know where you got the silly idea that all of this was somehow your fault, but I don't want to hear another word of it!"
It was very tempting to just let his mouth hang open in shock. His little firecracker proved again that she could be quite the spitfire. And as much as he wanted to be swayed, he couldn't help the sad smile that still adorned his features.
"But it's my job as your…" He wanted to say mate but in order not to scare her, the word, "boyfriend" was on his lips instead. Still, the pause and close contact was enough.
It was easy to see the golden band that encircled his bicep snugly and the sight of it stole the breath from her lips. Just as he was saying the word, boyfriend, she had uttered "mate" in awe, lifting her fingers to gently touch the band. She knew very well what the significance of what that piece of jewelry meant. She was the youngest of seven daughters and so when each new boyfriend turned into a future mate, it was a big deal around the castle. She would never forget the day when she realized that someday Finn would be by law her brother.
Secretly, she always wondered if and when she would meet her future mate, the slight fear of not having one nagging at the back of her mind. And so now, she felt a myriad of emotions when she saw Jim wearing the piece of jewelry that stated that he was her future mate. She was both elated and completely overwhelmed at this information, while another part of her was terrified. I'm only sixteen…But most of all, she was overcome by this quiet joy that was spreading throughout her entire being. Her tone was reverent, awestruck, and then she looked at him as though she was seeing him for the very first time.
"You are…my mate."
Jim didn't know what to say or do…What did one say to a statement like that, especially when he couldn't read the expression on her face. To be honest, he was afraid. Did she not want to be his mate?
So as her fingertips ghosted up the side of his arm to finally cup the side of his face, he remained silent and tried not to shiver under her ministrations. The most beautiful pink dusted her cheeks and a small smile was born.
"I would have no other."
Jim felt his spirit soar, but instead of grinning like the silly fool that he felt like, he slowly pulled her forward until she was lightly pressed against him. With both hands cradling her face gently, he leaned down and claimed the lips that were ordained to be his. Instead of expected fiery passion, their lips met softly as if to say, I'm so glad. I've finally found you…I'm happy. It wasn't that there wasn't any heat lacking as they finally parted. But the main emotion that was shared as they rested their foreheads against each other, gazes locked, was blissful contentment…
The next morning, Jim found himself waking up with a smile on his face. Last night had to be the best night of his life. Ariel actually wanted and was happy to be his mate.
Not to mention the fact that he got to make out with her in the shallows as she was bidding him goodbye. The tension that had been building from that first kiss had finally reached its peak. He had been lost in the haze and couldn't really remember but somehow they had ended up in the shallowest part of the surf. Ariel had looked ravishing underneath him with her fire red hair fanned out beneath her like a halo, and her blue eyes hooded with desire.
They must have made quite the picture, two merpeople locked in an embrace their scales and fins glittering in the moonlight while tiny waves pooled about them. It was easy to get carried away with Ariel. It wasn't until, on instinct his tail started to wrap around hers that she blushed and looked away giving a gentle push on his chest. Message received. It was going too far.
Being the gentleman he was, he immediately acquiesced to her request. He wouldn't lie; it put a real strain on his control to stop like that. He was male after all. But after resting his face against her neck and taking a few deep breaths, he was able to compose himself. She looked completely adorable looking all concerned like that. To quell her fears, he leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her nose.
It made him feel good to know that she was concerned about his welfare in this particular situation. He had been anxious that she would judge him to be some ever hormonal, lust driven male. And while she did bring out that side of him, he was confident that she understood that he wasn't solely attached to her for physical purposes. Ariel was turning out to have an increasing amount of loveable qualities.
Jim paused as he was getting dressed. Loveable? The word loveable would imply that he loved Ariel. The realization was staggering. Do I love Ariel? Did he? Surely, he couldn't possibly, not when he had known her less than a week. Still, a small voice whispered that quantities of time do not determine the presence or validity of love. Regardless of whether he did love her, he certainly wasn't ready to tell her. If and when he was ready, he would tell.
And that would be that, he decided as he latched the final strap on his boots. For now, he had a shopping date with Giselle…Jim groaned. He knew for a fact that at least he really liked Ariel, because otherwise he would keep a 100 meter distance away from that over-energetic singing prince obsessing flower shop owner. He knew he shouldn't judge her like that, especially when she was being so generous as to help him out like this but…yeah…
As he made his way through the castle he tried to mentally motivate himself and not see this as some type of torture. He was at the castle gates when he heard his name being called. A smirk was born when he saw this it was Eric. There was only one reason why the elder teen was coming out to see him in such a rush, and that reason's name was Giselle.
"Jim! Jim there you are! I'd thought you'd already left." Jim remained silent letting his smug smirk to tell him to elaborate. Eric realized this and struggled for words as pink tinted his cheeks.
"So, uh…you're going to be spending a lot of time with Giselle today." Jim's brow quirked as the smirk widened fractionally.
"Yeah, what of it?" Eric was idly kicking up dust with his boot.
"Well uh…could you uh…tell me if she says anything about me?" Jim had to fight to keep his composure and not snort out his laughter.
"Alright, man, I will." A look of embarrassed, relief was evident.
"Thank you." Jim rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"No prob." With a parting nod, Jim mounted his horse, his shoulders slumping in defeat once he was out of Eric's line of vision.
Four hours and every female clothing shop in Eric's entire kingdom…
Dark circles under eyes, frayed hair; a stance of a wounded soldier and this was Jim's appearance when he returned back to the castle. He was finally able to part company with Giselle. He had survived. Correction: Giselle had survived, because really, if she had dragged him into just one more boutique, he would have been forced to kill her. A man can only endure so much.
But…in the end, he was victorious. Strapped onto the back of his trusty steed was a package. It had only taken Giselle to look at every dress in the entire kingdom before he finally put his foot down and made a decision. Every dress was, "lovely," or "wonderful." With the exception of learning the sizes, the girl was really no help at all. The icing on the cake was that every fifteen minutes or if she found a particularly favorable dress, she would burst out into song. There was also the creepy fact that small animals seemed to follow her wherever she went. It was a bit unsettling.
But…he succeeded and had obtained a suitable dress with words of "see you tonight," to Giselle. His weary legs carried him and his package through the castle and up to his room. Thank goodness Eric was too paranoid about the upcoming night to see that he had returned. He really couldn't handle playing another round of, "let's ask a million questions about Giselle."
He gave a deep sigh of relief when he finally reached his bedroom. Once the door was locked, he let the package drop as he collapsed on the bed without giving any regard to Delbert.
"Doc, don't let me ever go shopping again." Jim was expecting some sort of agreement surely one of Delbert's ridiculously drawn out stories. When no response was given and a heavy silence ensued, the young space surfer cracked an eye opening in confusion.
His old friend was in his true form, but his countenance was dark and forlorn. Jim sat up on his bed. Delbert's expression was a real call for concern. Over anxiety was normal, paranoid was normal, hysterics even were normal, but this…this seriousness this look of despair…What had happened in his absence? Jim tried humor to make light of the situation.
"What is it Delbert? Tell me you're not mad about Ariel coming to dinner, tonight? I'm sure Ariel would love to come and meet…"
"The crew contacted me today." Jim felt his words and heart drop in an instant. In the abscess a dull rising panic was put in its place.
"An intergalactic navy ship is on its way here to pick us up." Even Delbert knew that any words related to "rescue" would be severely inappropriate. Jim's heart felt like it had stopped and fallen out of his chest leaving an empty hollow in its wake.
"And how…I mean…when are they…"
"Tonight." Jim's eyes flew open wide.
"Tonight?!" Jim practically yelled. Delbert remained calm, nodding solemnly."
"Yes, tonight at midnight." Suddenly, it was getting very hard to breathe. The teen struggled to speak.
"But what…I…Ariel." Jim's head dropped into his hands. He felt the urge to throw up. Delbert felt his own heart break when he saw the devastation on Jim's face. Delbert had no idea what to say. What did one say in a situation such as this? But…
"Jim I…I don't understand. You knew this was coming…You knew we wouldn't be staying here forever. I mean, I know you're a little down, but it's not like you fell in love with this girl, right?" When Jim lifted his head to reveal eyes full of anguish, Delbert's hand slowly rose to cover his mouth. Good gracious, the boy has fallen in love.
"Jim, I'm so sorry. What…are you going to tell her?" The heartbroken teen didn't answer and laid back burying his face into his pillow. In that moment, he and Delbert were emotionally a million miles apart.
Hours past in silence, and Delbert watched helplessly as Jim exited the room with a spare dress. It was a single layer and was only meant to act as a covering until she reached the castle. His footsteps were heavy. He could swear his boots were filled with lead.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this. He was supposed to get more time. He was supposed to be able to invent something that would allow him and Ariel to be together. He had wanted this fairytale to keep on playing out. Their story was not supposed to end like this: premature and tragic.
But the bigger question, he thought as he finally came to stand on the beach was, how am I going to tell Ariel? How do I tell her that it's over? How do I justify breaking both of our hearts?
Twilight outlined the horizon and Jim wished fervently that time could stop for the sole fact that he wouldn't have to hurt Ariel. The wind whipped though his clothes and hair mercilessly. No one would notice, surely not Ariel as she swam closer to shore, the pair of crystalline tears that were swept away by the breeze or the way his hand rested on his bicep where a golden arm band lay hidden underneath his shirt. The unsuspecting mermaid princess had no idea of what lay in store for her.
"I'm sorry Ariel…for what I'm about to do…"
Oh dang, I guess the climax of this story right? To be honest I'd say there are like five more chapters until this fic is complete. Oh by the way, if you can draw I would love to see more Jim Ariel artwork. Consider this my humble request. Any scenes from this fic are fair game and I would absolutely love to see them!!!! Funny pics and romantics pics are my absolute fav. Absolute kudos shoutouts whatever, so let me know…kay?
Please review, all of your comments have been amazing! Later days….