Ch10: A new beginning (Epilogue)
After defeating Morgana, the environment felt strange, it was a very tense feeling of peace, everything was over, but still the tension remained for a while.
Knowing that the sea witch was gone for sure, and that Melody was safe now Ariel decided it was time to be a human again, obviously with the help of her father, he even used his trident to repair Eric´s ship in order to let the family return to their home together.
When all of crowd were on board, he told them that they´ll meet at the surface in a matter of hours.
The trip began and the family had some time to bond with each other, Ariel and Eric finally could be themselves with Melody and Edward and don´t behave like the overprotective parents the children knew from a lifetime, at least not a lot.
"Edward, could you please get away from the edge of the ship?, you could fall into the water." Ariel told the boy, who was trying to have a better look of the ocean.
"But mom, it´s not so dangerous, plus, if I fall I just use my ring." Melody who had joined her mother watched her brother and giggled because of his fair argument.
"Hey, don´t support him, he never have traveled in a ship before, he could get hurt," Ariel said to the girl giving her a semi stern look.
Looking how his son wasn´t obeying Ariel, Eric had the idea of giving Edward a chance of driving the ship.
"Hey buddy, come here," Edward gave his father a curious look and joined him. "So, did you put attention when I told you how to drive the ship?
"Do you mean how to use the ship wheel?" the tiny boy raised his head to answer to his father,
"Yes," Eric said to Edward, "Come on," he let the boy get close to the ship wheel and he stood in front of him.
"So, where does a sailor need to direct the wheel when the captain say larboard?" Edward stood for a few seconds trying to remember, he was very smart, but he wasn´t giving Eric his full attention because of the excitement when they sailed from their home.
"Left? Yeah left, and starboard is when you have to turn to the right." Eric smiled at his son; he clearly wanted to use the wheel.
"Eddie, right now you don´t have to use the wheel, we´re on the right direction," the kid gave him a sad look, but then Eric told him that when they´ll have to use the wheel he will be there.
Ariel saw with cuteness that tender moment of father and son, what she reminded to ask Melody about her decision, she turned to her daughter who was watching the ocean "So, what is your idea?"
"My what?"
"Your idea, the choice that you told your grandfather." Ariel stood silent for a moment; it was strange telling something to Melody related to her past as a mermaid, but it felt nice and normal, she thought that she will have to get used to it. And of course, the curiosity of that stubborn little mermaid remained there, maybe not as strong as before, but Ariel was still Ariel.
"Oh…um, it´s a surprise, but trust me mother, you will love it...or not." Maybe she could get mad at me for destroying a wall that took at least a year to be built, or she could be happy knowing that land and sea will be together again and that finally we can interact with our family under the sea sometimes, if grandfather doesn´t mind of course.
The ship arrived near the castle, and as Eric promised he let Edward help with the ship wheel, obviously helping him too, in fact Eric did the entire job, Edward wasn´t strong enough to move the ship, he just thought he did. King Triton arrived almost at the same time with Sebastian, Flounder and Finic. Ariel, Eric and Edward get inside the castle while Melody stayed outside with her grandfather.
"So, are you sure this is your choice? I could turn you into a mermaid for a while if you want." King Triton told Melody who was standing in a rock.
"Yeah, besides, after all of these events, I don´t know if I could be very welcomed with the merfolk," I mean, I stole the trident from their king Melody thought to herself.
"But you didn´t stole it because you had bad intentions, you were a victim of a witch, you don´t have to blame yourself," Melody gave him a shy smile.
"Grandfather, can I ask you a question?"
"Anything my dear."
"Um well, when I was climbing Morgana´s throne I saw that she was feeling weak, was she sick or something, because she didn´t seemed to be like that when we met or when she trapped me?"
The old merman rubbed his beard and trying to answer to his granddaughter with an understandable explanation."Well Melody, it was because of the Trident," he saw the confused expression in the girl´s face and continued, "The trident itself is a living being, he can´t get hurt or something but he can have decisions, the most important is when the trident choose the next heir to the throne."
"So, the trident worked for Morgana because it wanted to?" Melody continued. She seemed to be very curious about that, if the trident had like a mind by its own, why it worked with the witch?
"No my girl, it didn´t want, it was being used against its will, it was fighting against her too, but it wasn´t easy, so it started showing less power each time she used it."
"Oh…so what you mean is that the trident it´s on our side? I mean the good ones?"
"If you want to see it that way, yes," the old merman answered to the girl, he remembered on that moment that she still hadn´t asked for her choice, "So, are you ready?"
"Like never before."
With that the old king raised the trident and shoot to the wall, when it was fully gone Melody could see that from the other side, her family and people from the town were waiting outside the castle.
Edward who was being carried by his mother shared the same smile like the rest of the family, both kingdoms were in the party, the union between land and sea for good, merfolk and humans interacting with each other, Ariel giving her daughter her lost necklace, and Edward playing with Finic.
The rest of the day was fulfilled with laughs and jokes, eventually humans and merpersons started to go back to their homes, leaving the royal family and its closest friends alone.
Ariel and Eric were talking to King Triton, Flounder and Sebastian while Melody, Edward and Finic were having a fun time with Max.
"Oh daddy, I loved Melody´s idea, that wall was hated by all, I´m glad that we´re a family again." The former mermaid said full of joy to her father.
"Yes Ariel, we´re all together at last, now you have to promise that you will come to visit once for a while, like normal families, like twice a month or something," Triton saw Ariel´s happy face and looked at his son in law, "and that instruction goes for you too, Eric, you have never come to my kingdom, I´m waiting for the day you join us."
Eric turned to see Ariel who was biting her lip containing her emotion. "I would love to dad, thank you."
"Oh Ariel by the way we can relive the good old days when you come." Flounder told to his friend embracing Sebastian with a fin. The old crab immediately spoke to the grown fish.
"You mean the good old days for you two, their weren´t good for me."
Ariel giggled facing that Sebastian was telling the truth, Flounder and her always put Sebastian out of his limits with their adventures.
"Oh I would love that, thank you."
On the other side of the beach Finic didn´t seemed to be enjoying the time with his new friends. Edward noticed that and he tried to know what happened.
"Finic? Are you ok?"
"Uh, yeah I´m fine, it´s just that what about now?" Edward was confused with the guppy´s statement. "You will go to you castle, I will go to my home, and yeah, we will still seeing each other but…"
Edward knew what Finic was trying to say, they maybe hadn´t met years ago, but both of them needed a friend, and now that they had deal with a sea witch they could have a lot of adventures together.
"Hey, I know what you want to say; actually I was going to ask my grandfather something about that."
Flounder, Sebastian and Finic returned to their respective homes, but before leaving Edward told Finic to no worry about that, that his plan will work, when King Triton was about to leave Edward called him.
"Grandfather…?"
"Yes Edward." The boy took out his ring and went to his parents´ side, in order to give him permission to stay the whole summer in Atlantica.
"About the choice, well, I like my life as a human…but I don´t know if I could, spend some time on your kingdom."
Ariel and Eric turned to their son astonished with his petition; I thought Melody was going to ask that instead of Edward, said Eric to himself.
"Eddie, honey, I don´t know if that could be possible, maybe a few days, but not the whole summer honey, your grandfather is very busy with a whole kingdom." Ariel said to her boy.
Triton kept looking at Ariel, How much did I miss? When she became like me with those two kids? Would I´ll be ready for kids at the palace again, I´m not strong like before, the king thought to himself.
He knew that maybe he wasn´t a young father when Ariel was little, but still was stronger that now, part of him missed that sense of worry that Ariel and his other daughters made him feel some years ago.
"Nonsense Ariel," the king spoke, everyone looked surprised at the merman before he continued "I may not be as strong as before and I have a kingdom to rule, but that didn´t stopped you when you ran away, twice," Ariel blushed when Eric and her children turned to her.
"I was younger daddy and plus, Edward is very stubborn too." Ariel said trying to make everyone forget her father´s comment.
"You ran away mom?" Melody asked Ariel.
"It´s a long story sweetie," Ariel answered to her "I´d tell you another day."
"So…Can I go mom? Please." Edward asked while he was trying to make a puppy face.
"For me there´s no problem buddy," Eric told to his boy rubbing his hair, "What do you say Ariel, going there could be good for him."
"Fine," Edward smiled when his mother finally agreed to let him go, "but with some conditions, one, you will never go anywhere alone, and two, you can´t stay up all night, I don´t want you to move your schedule," the boy nodded at Ariel, "ok, go and have some fun honey."
Edward was so excited that he didn´t replied when Ariel planted a kiss on his cheek. He said goodbye to Eric and Melody and put his ring in his index finger, splashing in the water.
"Melody, the offer goes for you too," the proud grandfather tried to convince Melody.
"Thank you grandfather, but I will prefer stay here, I want to talk to my parents about some things, but don´t worry I will be visiting constantly." She answered as she was being embraced by Ariel.
"Oh, I almost forgot it," he asked for Melody´s necklace and using his trident a yellow shining illuminated the scene. Melody was curious about what her grandfather have done with her beloved present.
"There you go, now it has the same function like your brother´s ring, each time you want to become a mermaid, just open the necklace, the magic will do the rest."
Melody smiled at Triton and gave him a warm hug. "Thank you grandfather. See you soon Eddie, we´ll find out who´s the fastest of the two of us."
"You bet Mel."
"See you soon daddy." Ariel said to her father. Triton and Eric then shared a handshake.
"Be a good boy ok" Ariel told to Edward, she wasn´t so sure about her decision, but Eric was right, maybe staying there could be good for him, having his own adventures, he needed that.
"Yup, see you soon guys." Edward said to his family before starting his way to Atlantica with his grandfather. A summer full of adventures were waiting for the whole family, just they didn´t know that on that moment.
Ok guys, this is the last chapter, but don´t worry, I´m working on 5 one shots based on Edward´s summer in Atlantica, with new characters, and after that a whole new story, making a crossover, this upcoming story is very special for me because it won´t be a "re-telling" story like this one, it will have some aspects of TLM 3, but this will be a new story, plus it will have songs. Stay tuned for the upcoming stories and don´t forget to R&R. Thank you.
