A/N: It says "The End" at the end of this chapter but I might add a special chapter because I told my friend Gladesista Emma that this story would have at least two more chapters to it. So if I have anymore creativity inside of me I will write one more chapter and dedicate it to her. Happy Emma? I sure hope so. In this chapter people's thoughts are in italics and that's pretty much all you need to know. I really don't know what else to say except…let's move on to the disclaimer!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Little Mermaid…I just borrow it for my own amusement. And obviously if I did own it Flounder and Ariel would be more than friends and Eric would marry me instead. Or Emma, hehe. Anyway on with the story!
Chapter 11: Feelings and Explanations
Flounder stayed quiet waiting for a response.
When 5 long minutes passed and she stayed silent, the guppy finally spoke up.
"Well? A-aren't you gonna s-say something?"
He stumbled over his words nervously, stuttering every now and then.
The mergirl blinked slowly, sluggishly, and then squinted at him as if seeing the boy for the first time.
"F-flounder? Wha-I don't understand…"
"Well then allow me to explain…"
And he did explain. He told the entire story from when he first asked King Triton for permission to see her, up until he entered the palace and saw her again after what seemed like forever.
The Princess stayed uncharacteristically quiet throughout his tale, making the poor fish-boy more uneasy by the second. When he finally finished he stared at her waiting for a reaction, any reaction.
To his relief the girl broke out into a pleased grin.
"Wow you did all of that for me? I can't believe it! I would have liked it if you told me who you were though instead of me thinking you were a "helper boy.'
She made a face and then giggled lightly to show that she was playing with him.
He laughed too.
"It's okay, I really didn't mind helping out. I'd do anything for you Ariel."
"Aww Flounder…thank you."
They hugged fondly for a few seconds and then stared at each other with an air of familiarity.
"I knew there was something familiar about you. I'm glad I know what it is now."
"Yeah well…I'm kind of surprised you didn't see through my lie and figure out it was me. I never was too good at telling fibs."
"Ah but you must be a little good at it because you sure fooled me!"
He smiled at the compliment.
Ariel frowned suddenly as if trying to understand something.
"Flounder why exactly did you want to see me so badly?"
Not expecting that question the poor guppy was caught off guard.
"Uh…well, you see…I guess I just, really missed you. It's not so fun or lively when your not around and I miss the games we used to play and the adventures we would have. It's just not the same with you gone."
This both saddened and flattered the Princess.
"Oh Flounder I'm really sorry. I should have thought about your feelings before I took off like that. All I was thinking about was myself, I never once considered anyone else's feelings. I'm so selfish."
He could see she was about to cry, and he hated it when she cried, so he tried his best to comfort her and undo the damage he did.
"It's okay Ariel. How were you supposed to know how I felt if I didn't tell you? I put up an act and tried to be strong but…I really can't do anything without you. I need you Ariel. And so does everyone else in Atlantica. You're the glue that holds everyone together. Your joy and laughter keeps every sea creature and Merperson happy. Your continuous optimism and bubbly personality keeps everyone from being sad or depressed. Your songs makes dead flowers bloom and tremulous waves calm down. Your just…a bright ray of sunshine and…just…really amazing Ariel. That's why everyone loves you and wants you to come back home. Back to Atlantica."
Flounder's words touched Ariel in a way no other compliment ever could. Tears came to her eyes and her lip trembled dangerously.
"F-flounder…"
Slowly one tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek. Scared that she was about to start crying the guppy smiled softly and leaned forward, cautiously wiping the lone tear away with his finger.
"Sorry if I said too much. But it's all true. Ariel…please come back with me. We can have fun like we used to. It will be perfect; we'll…"
But even as he spoke he saw her shake her head sadly.
"Sorry Flounder I just can't. I have a new life here with Eric and I can't just throw it all away and run off to the sea. I'm really, truly sorry."
Though he felt anger bubbling up from her saying the name of the guy he most disliked right then, Flounder refused to show displeasure or hostility in her presence.
Instead he forced a tiny smile and said in a soft whisper,
"Very well then. I guess I'll just go back alone."
Although she should have expected them, his words sent a strong flood of unexplainable panic coursing through her.
"W-wait a second, your leaving? Why? You don't have to go right now. I know daddy probably wants you to come back soon but…you don't have to leave right this minute. You can stay until morning at least and then go at dawn. That's a good plan right?"
Even her words, she realized, came out sounding heavy and broken.
She didn't want him to go. She really didn't. And in her heart of hearts she knew just why she didn't. But she couldn't say it – couldn't even think it. Because it was prohibited to have these kinds of feelings for anyone other than the one she loved. And she didn't love Flounder…did she? She admitted once a long time ago that she had a small crush on him, and in time that crush slowly grew into something more. But then, he came along, and that long time infatuation was quickly forgotten. She had thought it was for the best that she leave him in case those buried emotions were unearthed with time…but she never considered that he might follow her. Never. It wasn't part of her plans. And now that he was here in front of her, telling her that he had to go, to leave her like she left him not more than a day ago, She felt those same feelings blooming in her bosom once again.
But she was…married now. And perhaps it was for the best that he leave. Yes, that was an excellent plan. And leave as soon as possible at that. After all their feelings for each other would only complicate things. And possibly ruin their friendship on top of that.
With these thoughts floating through her head she was almost visibly relieved when he answered her.
"Fine. I guess I can wait until morning. But as soon as the sun rises I'm out of here. Okay?"
"Okay. After all it's for the best."
He didn't disagree with her.
___________________________________________________________________________
He tossed and turned restlessly not being able to comfort body or mind. His head was pounding furiously and his thoughts were swirling around ceaselessly. Finally he realized that there was no way he was getting any sleep so he slowly climbed out of bed and slipped into the hall.
Walking around in no particular direction he came across the mergirl's room.
Feeling like he needed to see her one last time before he left – as it was getting pretty early and he wanted to leave soon – he quietly entered her room and noiselessly closed the door. By the light of the slow rising sun he found her bed and walked over to it. Standing there, gazing at her, he thought about how truly lovely she was. Lids closed over her eyes hiding her bright blue orbs from his sight. Her cheeks seemed even whiter than usual when he saw the long dark lashes that settled on them. Her hair, glowing ethereally in the golden light, framed her face and fell lightly around her shoulders. Not
realizing what he was doing, he reached his hand out and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.
She shifted slightly and he held his breath hoping against hope that she wouldn't wake up. When she stilled he exhaled noiselessly feeling his heart thumping in his chest.
"That was a close one."
He decided to leave before he accidentally woke her up.
Before he departed he made a silent promise to himself.
He would tell Ariel how he felt and then, if she didn't return his feelings, he'd take his leave back to the sea where he belonged.
As he closed the door behind himself he whispered to the slumbering angel that had long ago stolen his heart,
"Sweet dreams Ariel. I hope your happy with your Prince and don't worry about me too much."
And then he left.
___________________________________________________________________________
Ariel opened her eyes sluggishly and let out a yawn. It was morning. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and Flounder was-
Wait a sec…the sun was shining!
It was way past dawn, why didn't somebody wake her? She was sure that Flounder had left by now… oh what was she going to do now?
Her heart sinking steadily she climbed quickly out of bed and ran out of her room. Streaking down the hall she burst into Eric's room to find that he wasn't there. Disappointed, she closed his door and trekked to the Grand Hall. She wasn't surprised to spot Eric there talking to someone who was of little importance to her at that moment. Striding over to him the Princess politely interrupted the conversation.
"Excuse me Eric, can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Of course. Reginald can you hold on for a sec?"
His friend gave him a nod and the Prince took his wife over to a mostly secluded part of the room to talk.
Knowing Ariel as well as anyone he knew not to beat around the bush when he saw her worried expression.
"Ariel, what's wrong?"
"Where's…James?"
"I don't know; I haven't seen him around today. Maybe he's working outside. He could possibly have slept in though what with all the excitement and energy he must have burnt out at the party last night."
Ariel wasn't so certain but all she said was,
"Okay; I'll look for him."
She looked everywhere and didn't come across the lad. Finally she had to admit what she had been trying to delude herself about all day:
Flounder was gone. He'd left her and there was nothing she could do about it.
Realizing that made her feel like she'd been kicked in the stomach. She felt worse than terrible; she felt like she wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep until the world ended.
But she knew she couldn't. As she had told Flounder before she had a life here that she had to live. She couldn't become depressed now and throw everything away just because she felt bad that he'd left. And besides he'd want her to be strong. After all he'd been strong when she'd turned his offer to return to the sea down. She should be strong as well.
Thinking too much was dangerous though because her emotions were scattered about all over the place. It was best to just not think about the situation at all. Just become comatose until she got over it. But try as she might she couldn't get her mind off of him. There was only one thing that would calm her down right now – the ocean.
And so she went outside and walked to the beach.
Making her way over to the foamy waves, she was surprised to see the person whom she'd been looking for sitting on the golden sand with his feet dipped in the cool water.
Blinking a few times to make sure that he was really there, she made her way over to him.
Sitting down next to him she waited for him to speak. To explain what he was doing out here when she had been inside the palace and out in the stables looking for him.
But he didn't say a word. Just sat there staring into space thinking about who-knows-what with an unreadable expression on his face.
For a few seconds they just sat there staring into the sky. Finally Flounder answered her unspoken question in a timid, yet strong and sure voice.
"I waited here for you all morning. I wanted to say goodbye before I left."
He paused, seeming to be choosing his words carefully.
"Ariel…I know we've been friends for a long time; since we were kids in fact. And…I know my feelings though I'm not really sure what yours are. You may have always thought of me as a faithful friend who you could tell anything to, a funny looking guppy who gets scared easily but still stays by your side no matter what. But…maybe you've once thought of me as something more? I'm not sure, and I know it's not my place to ask. But…still…even if I don't know your feelings I can tell you mine. Even if it might ruin what we've had together and tear us apart."
Once more he stopped, gauging her expression. She looked a bit scared of what he might say, but she didn't look confused. Rather she looked apprehensive as if she already knew what was coming and didn't want to know.
He took a deep breath and continued.
"This really isn't easy for me to say…but I'm going to be brave for once in my life and say it anyway. Ariel, I…I…I l-love you!."
He had ducked his head before he said the words because he didn't want to see the expression in her eyes. But he still heard the surprise and slight dread in her voice when she responded.
"You…what?!"
Oh no…was that…anger?
He slowly lifted his eyes up to her own and saw in them fear, unsureness, and more than a bit of sadness.
But no anger. So…what had he heard? The fear? The uncertainty? The sorrow?
All of them, he decided. But…where was the happiness and joy he'd been expecting? Had he really thought that she'd be glad to hear those words? How could he be so stupid! Of course she wouldn't return his feelings; she already had someone that she loved. He was just interfering with something that he had no business messing with.
He knew what he had to do now.
"S-sorry, I shouldn't have told you that. I guess I should go now."
Hs voice trembled with sadness and he felt the pang of rejection in his heart.
As he started to stand up, he felt a pair of smooth hands pulling him down again.
He refused to look at her least he break down when he gazed into her lucid eyes.
Her voice was gentle and understanding though and he felt himself being soothed by it.
"Flounder wait – I-I didn't mean to make you feel bad. It's just that…you know I can't return your feelings. It's just not possible now. Maybe if you told me sooner…but there's no room for what-if's are there? I don't know what I can say that will make you feel better except that…I've always had a huge crush on you, always liked you a lot. I was just too shy to tell you. If I'd known that you felt the same way that I do…Oh Flounder I'm so mixed up! What should I do now? Go with you and leave everything behind or stay here and let you go? No, no, I shouldn't be asking you, I should already know. I feel so…ugh!"
Flounder stared at Ariel in shock as she held her head in her hands, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.
Now this was unusual. Usually Ariel was so sure, so steadfast and ready. Now she was practically breaking down because of him. He knew he should have kept his big mouth shut! Now he wanted to tell her to forget about everything he'd said. To let him go and continue on with her life. But something kept him from doing that. He felt as if there was still a slim chance for him and her if he played his cards right.
He hated adding anymore stress on her when she was clearly on edge already, but he had to do this. He just had to. He had to make sure that this life on land is what she really wanted. He wanted to know if she really wanted to stay with the Prince, wanted to make absolutely sure that there was no doubt in her mind at all that this life is what she really, truly wanted.
And thus he leaned close to her and whispered,
"What do you really want? Think about it carefully. What would make you happy for the rest of your life. What's the best choice. What's best for you?"
Ariel was absolutely still. Even her breathing seemed quieter. She was thinking about what he had said. What did she really want? What was the right choice?
She thought very long and hard about it. She dearly loved Prince Eric and she cherished her life on land. Everyone was so nice to her here and Eric adored her and took care of her every whim. Staying was obviously the best choice. But…in the sea was where she belonged. In her heart she knew that. Even while she yearned for land she knew where her real home was. The place she'd grown up, met Flounder, played and fought with her sister's, argued with her father, irritated Sebastian…was in the sea. Even her songs sounded better there. And Flounder…he was a true, dear friend to her. He was always there when she needed him, he looked after her and she protected him when it was necessary. He stood up for her when her father had yelled at her for missing her singing recital again. He went into the dark scary ship with her even though he knew it was dangerous. He had helped her get to the Prince before he married the disguised Ursula. He'd gone on countless adventures with her and listened to her complain when she was unhappy and had comforted her when she was sad. Not to mention he was the one she told all of her secrets to. He was her loyal friend and confident. …He was everything to her. And he'd be torn up and broken if they were kept apart forever.
And she knew she would too.
And just like that, she made her decision.
Lifting her head up, she gave her childhood friend and crush a small, sure grin.
"I'm going with you Flounder."
___________________________________________________________________________
Before she left she knew she'd have to let Eric know. The question was: How was she going to do it?
There was no simple way to go about doing this. How do you tell the person who your married to that your leaving them?
"Ugh…this is so frustrating!."
The mergirl had been pacing the floor for about an hour, trying to figure out how she would break the news to her husband.
She'd thought about just leaving without letting him know, but that would be unthinkably cruel. No, she absolutely had to do this.
If only she could figure out how.
As she was feverishly burning a hole in her floor – hypothetically of course – she came across a sudden idea that was so simple she could have kicked herself for not thinking about it earlier.
Walking to Eric's room she prepared what she would say to him in her head. She was really nervous and wondered if he would even buy it. But since it was halfway true she didn't know why she was worrying about it.
Standing in front of his door she took a deep breath before knocking timidly.
After a moment the door opened and she was face to face with Eric.
Not giving him a chance to talk she said hastily,
"Eric I have to talk to you."
Confused and a bit rattled, he ushered her inside and closed the door. Settling himself on the bed he patted the spot next to him, but Ariel shook her head too anxious to sit.
Too nervous to speak the girl just stood there with her heart thumping loudly and the poor Prince was left feeling extremely uneasy.
Finally, no longer able to stay silent, Ariel blurted out,
"Eric I have to go home."
Startled out of his mind the man blinked at her once and tried to piece together what she had just said.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I want to go home. Back to Atlantica."
Suddenly she felt like she was going to burst into tears. Metaphorically she was being torn in two. One part of her really wanted to stay with him forever and be his Princess. But another part of her wanted to go back to the sea where she belonged.
Seeing her internal struggle, Eric stood up and put a hand lightly on her shoulder wanting to comfort her but not overwhelm her when her nerves were already shaken.
"Oh Ariel. You know you can go back there whenever you want to. It is your home after all."
She knew she should be overjoyed by his words but instead she felt like a misleading traitor.
"But…what if I wanted to go back…forever? W-would you let…me…."
She stopped, wanting to disappear when the look on his face changed noticeably.
"Oh…so that's what you meant."
"Oh Eric I'm so sorry. I knew this would hurt you but…I had to let you know what I was going to do before I…before I left."
"I see. So you've been thinking about this for awhile huh?"
She hung her head and didn't respond.
After a moment Eric spoke up again.
"Of course I would be heartbroken if you left. I mean your everything I could ever want. You mean everything to me."
Ariel flinched when she heard her own thoughts about Flounder coming from his mouth.
"But if it's what you want then I can't say no to you. I want you to be happy and if going home will make you happy then go."
Shocked that he agreed so easily, Ariel lifted her head and gazed at him with emotion filled eyes.
He laughed softly at her reaction.
"It's okay, really. I honestly don't mind. So stop looking at me like that and get going already."
His tone was light and playful and Ariel thanked him with tears in her eyes for being so understanding.
Before she left the room though, he did something that brought the guilt flooding to her cheeks in a flush of red color.
"He whispered to her tenderly,
"Don't forget about me, Ariel. I know I won't forget you. You were something wonderful in my life and I'll miss you always."
And then with emotion shining in his eyes he added,
"I love you."
That just about broke her completely.
She had to tell him the complete truth. Absolutely had to!
So, with a heavy heart, she told him the other reason she had to leave.
"Eric I think you should know that…I'm i-in love with someone else."
Okay now her traitorous heart was being squeezed and stomped on – and she wasn't even the one being shot the news that her husband was in love with another woman! In fact it was the other way around so it must be that infernal guilt's fault. Oh how she hated this!
Eric stood there staring at her in outright shock.
"Okay now comes the anger."
But no…there was no anger on his face. Only shock and disbelief.
"Okay well, I'd better start explaining before the anger does come."
And that's just what she did.
"You see there's this friend of mine that happens to be a fish and we've been friends for, like, forever and I've suddenly realized that I've had strong feelings for him for a really long time and…well…I wanted to break it to you gently but I guess I kind of screwed that up huh?"
Boy that was the understatement of the century.
The poor Prince was trying hard to digest all of what she had just said. After awhile his expression once again changed. But it wasn't anger that was painted so clearly on his face like black on a white sheep, it was understanding and acceptance.
Suddenly a bright smile broke out on his face and he put a gentle hand on her cheek.
"Like I said Ariel, I want you to be happy and if you've found someone else…well I respect that. If your happy then I'm happy. Understand?"
Once again his tone was soft and playful and Ariel found another flood of tears blurring her vision as her emotions spiraled out of control with happiness.
"Oh Eric, thank you!"
Her arms flew around him and she embraced him with all the strength she had in her. (A/N: *Winces* Yikes that a lot of strength!) He hugged her back with equal passion and then slowly they parted.
"Oh Eric, I'll never ever forget you. Thank you for understanding that I have to do this."
And with those words she left before she could change her mind.
___________________________________________________________________________
Flounder was waiting for her again. He was standing in front of the ocean gazing into the water almost longingly.
He turned around when he heard a familiar voice call his name.
He saw Ariel rushing toward him with unimaginable speed and gulped fearfully thinking that she would knock him down. Instead though, she merely wrapped her arms around him tightly and hugged him as hard as she could.
In her excitement she cried out,
"Oh Flounder! I love you so much!"
Hugging her back he responded happily,
"I love you too Ariel."
They parted, and then, holding hands, they jumped into the sea.
King Triton knew what was going on, as he had been watching Ariel all this time through Ursula's old crystal ball.
He wasn't ashamed to admit that he had stolen it from her lair in case he should ever need it. Now he was glad he had because he was able to shoot some magic from his triton up to the two of them, where it struck them turning them back into a fish and a mermaid. (A/N: Yup, that was the best I could do. Go ahead and sue me for it you won't get a penny. I admit I was lazy but don't bite my head off for it.) As they adjusted to their original bodies, Ariel cried out,
"Race you to Atlantica!"
Zooming ahead of him she laughed playfully as she left in her bubbles.
Not one to turn down a challenge Flounder raced after her laughing as well.
"No fair you got a head start!"
"Too bad. Gotta swim faster if you wanna win!"
At long last they both made it back to Atlantica – Ariel not surprisingly winning the race – and greeted the King.
When she learned he'd been spying on her the whole time Ariel at first felt violated, but quickly got over it. She was just happy to see her Father again.
Her sisters all rushed to greet her and she hugged and greeted all of them.
Sebastian – who'd watched the two of them along with King Triton – wasn't at all surprised that they were a couple. But her sister's were shocked when she shyly mentioned it, and they wouldn't stop making fun of her for going out with a guppy. Flounder was insulted and Ariel just laughed good-naturedly at the playful taunts.
As soon as they could slip away from everybody, the new couple swam to their favorite place in the sea: Ariel's grotto.
Ariel's father had restored all of her items when she left – which is why Flounder could see all of them before – and she looked at and reminisced over all of them. All of the objects contained Flounder and Ariel's memories and they cherished every single artifact.
After a long time they finally settled down.
Ariel laid on her back on the sand and Flounder rested beside her. Both of them were fully content and relaxed. Ariel began singing a low sweet song and Flounder listened to each word with utter enjoyment.
Everything was right in their world…but what about Eric?
Ah you may have thought I'd forgotten about the lonely Prince but I didn't. I have lots of love in my heart for him so I'll tell you what happened. He met a Princess named Tatiana – that's my name! Hehe – and he fell in love with her and, in time, married her. She loved him with all of her heart and he lavished her with the utmost affection.
In the end they lived happily ever after, as most fairytale people do, until the end of their days.
The End.
