This chapter is dedicated to the influence the wonderful film "Titanic" had in my creating of this couple. Weird, huh. There are a few little references, anyway. And no, Sebastian is not singing "Kiss the Girl". That would be too confusing ;P To see his song, go to "Extra Bit".
CHAPTER 10
"Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave"
Ariel stood in front of the full length mirror, checking herself over for the umpteenth time. "I'm starting to think this wasn't such a good idea," she muttered nervously, clumsily gathering up a portion of her hair to fasten with a clip. "I'm not so sure I can go through with this."
"Sure you can," Tip, who was standing on a nearby table, encouraged her. "It'll be a piece of coral."
"Oh, really?" Ariel asked in a skeptical tone, now frantically searching for the clip that matched the one she had just pinned hair with.
"Sure," Tip continued. "After the dinner, with its elegant table flanked by romantic candlelight, you say: 'Crazy Human Girl, I think you're swell.'"
Ariel paused for a brief moment to stare at the penguin. Finally she joked, through a slightly quaky voice tinged with nervousness: "I don't think Belle will appreciate it if I call her 'Crazy Human Girl'."
"Well its better than 'stupid know-it-all human," Tip smirked back at her, placing a fin on his chin in a relaxed manner.
Blushing mildly, Ariel shot a silly grin at him. "Shut up. That was a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure she's forgotten all about it."
Tip shrugged whilst continuing to smirk, and Ariel turned away from him, ready to begin a frantic search for the next accessory. In an instant flash, Tip suddenly remembered that there was something else he wished to say.
"Oh yeah, Sebastian has written a song especially for the occasion."
Ariel froze in her tracks. "He has? Oh no…" This only stirred her nerves more so. I know he was once a great court composer, but he could've chosen a better time to make a musical comeback… With a sigh, she began to fiddle with her hair once more, returning her gaze to the mirror.
"Chill, princess," Tip began calmly. "Crazy Human Girl… erm, I mean Crazy Belle Girl… Grrr! No, I mean Crazy Human Belle… Oh geez. Belle… likes you. She wouldn't have stayed here this long if she didn't. I don't think she's still here because of the dramatic balcony views, or the crappy statues in the garden."
"It doesn't mean that she loves me," Ariel stated simply, her voice and expression becoming cheerless and full of doubt.
"Ooooo, the L word," Tip playfully teased, hoping a flippant comment would help Ariel lighten up. But Ariel's anxious expression relaxed none, so Tip continued with more seriousness: "That's why you gotta tell her how you feel, 'cos it gives her the opportunity to say something in return, and you'll know for sure."
"I guess," Ariel half-heartedly agreed, turning back to face Tip. After letting out a heavy sigh, she turned back toward the mirror and caught glimpse of herself. With a groan, she became unsure again. "No… I… I can't." She cast her eyes downward, losing all confidence. "I don't believe I actually thought I could do this! My stomach is tying itself in knots, how am I supposed to even eat dinner? I'm so dumb."
Despite her negative opinions of herself, Ariel did, in truth, look stunning. She wore a full length sky blue dress, which had no sleeves, revealing her dainty shoulders. The dress glittered with hundreds of sparkles whenever the light directly caught it, and she had perfectly fitting three quarter gloves to match. Not to mention a pair of drop diamond earrings that sparkled even more spectacularly than her shimmering gown. The hue of her expressive sapphire eyes was only enhanced, as was her practically flawless near-porcelain complexion. Her hair, of course, was magical as always, the luxurious auburn cascades reaching fully down her back despite the clips that were in place, and her lips were a flushed red, almost matching the colour of her hair.
She was a vision; breathtaking. But Ariel saw none of it.
With another sigh, she began to needlessly adjust her three quarter gloves. Tip knew it was paramount to build her self esteem up as much and as quickly as possible—the dinner's scheduled start was only moments away.
"You can do it," the loyal penguin began. "No one else is going to do it for you. Not me, not Dash, and not that fluff-ball thing that's always following Belle around. This is your night… but only if you make it yours. If you want to be a coward and lock yourself in your room, that's your choice, but you'll be disappointing all of us. Especially Belle."
Quite amazed at Tip's speech, Ariel stared at him for a moment. Then she asked him in a quiet voice: "You really think everything will be OK?"
"Of course!" Tip instantly proclaimed, puffing out his chest. "It should be a whole lot better than OK! For starters, princess, just look at you. You look gorgeous. Sensational, even!"
Ariel rolled her eyes at the penguin, but she couldn't help flickering a smile. "Whatever."
They were both suddenly distracted by the floor shaking-lumbering that signalled Dash's entrance to the room. "Ahem, princess," he announced importantly with a beaming smile upon his face, "everything is ready."
"So it's definitely too late to back out of this?" Ariel asked sheepishly, her voice small.
In unison, Tip and Dash scolded her: "Yes!"
"Damn."
By the time Ariel had made it to one of the grand dining hall's entrances, being a top of a stairwell conjoined to a ledge that ran horizontally across one wall, with another set of stairs leading out from the ledge toward the shining tiles of the dining hall's floor, Belle was already waiting. She stood at the bottom of the flight of stairs that were directly opposite Ariel's point of entry, her eyes looking toward the grand dining hall, one hand resting upon the railing of the stairs in a relatively casual manner. I hope she likes the dinner…
When she first sensed Ariel in her peripheral vision, Belle turned her head, gazed up and smiled. Straightening her posture, she then locked both hands together in front of herself.
Ariel felt herself freeze; the nerves were becoming unbearable again. Part of her wished to dash off to her room in the west wing and lock herself up in there, much like she had when she first encountered her human intruder. Though now, her desire to run away was based on entirely different reasons.
Instead, Ariel could only stare, unblinking, as she remained at the top of the stairs, rigid as a statue.
Apart from her obvious anxiousness, Ariel was also stunned by Belle's incredible natural beauty. Elegant in a pink and purple pastel shaded strapless dress, Belle needed neither jewellery nor anything but the most minimal amount of make-up to enhance her lovely features. Her usually untied, thick and wavy medium-long chocolate brown hair tonight featured a single, rather cute pink bow at the back, tying up a single ponytail in the midst of free-flowing hair that curled over her sculptured but feminine shoulders. She looked up at Ariel with her dreamy, bronze-coloured eyes and smiled with her soft, full lips, tiny but noticeable dimples forming when she did so.
After a mutual gaze that seemed to last forever, that time appeared to stand still for, Ariel was snapped out of her enamoured trance by a sudden gentle shove from Tip, who was standing just behind her, upon the staircase's railing. Ariel's eyes sharply darted back at him, and Tip grinned confidently at her, whispering: "Just be yourself—how could she resist?" He then held up his fins, gesturing with them in a 'two thumbs up'-like manner.
Turning back toward Belle, Ariel took a deep breath and slowly began to descend the stairs. Belle's eyes were fixed on her the entire time, her coy smile remaining, and when Ariel at last met Belle at the bottom of the first set of stairs, Belle gently took Ariel's gloved right hand and tenderly kissed it.
Ariel could only manage a sweet, but nervous, smile. Please stomach, untie yourself… now.
"Good evening, your Majesty." Belle's voice was smooth, tinged with goose-bump inducing sultriness.
Ariel could only stutter in reply, "I, uhhh… hi," before groaning inwardly as she shut her eyes tightly, disappointed in her pathetic greeting. I AM AN IDIOT.
Obviously Belle didn't agree with Ariel's self-demeaning thoughts, as she then smiled warmly and held out her arm. Trying to control a blush she could feel flooding towards her face, Ariel avoided eye contact as she silently took Belle's arm.
As they then walked down the next flight of stairs together, Cheeky bounded up to greet them. He nuzzled Belle's legs affectionately, then Ariel's. Already purring, his purring only became louder once Ariel bent down to offer him a loving pat. The distraction Cheeky provided aided them in relaxing somewhat, Ariel even letting escape a slight laugh.
Ambling behind the couple as they strode arm-in-arm toward the meal that awaited them upon the grandly decorated dinner table, the curious cat sniffed the air and purred some more. Belle smiled down at him, shaking her head slightly. "You've already been fed, Cheeky."
"Well, it does look delicious," Ariel complimented. "I can see you went to a lot of trouble."
Belle shrugged her shoulders with dismissive modesty. "Not really. There's still a fair amount of supplies in the kitchen here, and hey, someone's got to use them."
Ariel smiled at the dinner. "I wish I knew how to cook."
"I'd be happy to teach you."
While Ariel and Belle began to share the sumptuous meal, Cheeky sat close by, watching, waiting for Belle to offer him a tasty morsel. At last, she relented, giving him a portion of warm buttered croissant. "I think I shall henceforth rename him 'Foodbag'," Belle, with mock haughtiness in her voice, joked to Ariel, who had by now mastered the fine art of eating food with a fork, and did so delicately at this time as she enjoyed her dinner.
Tip and Dash sat some distance away, as did Sebastian and Scuttle—though in a different area to the walrus and penguin—all of them watching intently.
Glancing at a centred plate full of what she guessed was dessert, Ariel, now finished her main, curiously asked: "What are they?"
Belle plucked one round, chocolate and coconut covered morsel off the plate. "Why, they're snowballs. Remember, the 'Celebration of Snow'?" With a silly grin, she then took a bite. With a giggle, Ariel then reached for her own snowball.
Once she began to eat it, she and Belle remained sitting in an awkward silence for some time. Sebastian decided now was the opportune time to begin the performance of the beautiful love song he had composed himself, specifically for this evening.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat, gaining the girls' attention. "I would like to dedicate this to our esteemed Princess, Ariel of Atlantica, and her human companion."
Ariel blushed and placed a gloved hand upon her face, quite embarrassed. Oh no. He's going to sing.
Sebastian opened his mouth to begin… but was interrupted by the off-key squawking of a certain seagull, determined to have a solo in the song.
Ariel spread the fingers of her hand to cover her face as much as possible, feeling herself turn crimson.
Sebastian was growing crimson too, but out of anger rather than embarrassment. Belle however, found the situation to be quite amusing. "Hey, we're being serenaded," she said to Ariel, who was still hiding her face.
"If you could call it that," Ariel muttered in reply.
Thankfully, the cringe worthy warbling of Scuttle was abruptly halted by a well timed nuzzle from Cheeky, the gentle cat himself also expressing the wish: Please be quiet.
Sebastian was now free to continue, as Scuttle was frozen in terror by the fact that the cat had touched him.
The crab cleared his throat once more, before beginning his song, his voice rich and deep.
Belle, upon hearing the melodious tune and meaningful lyrics, soon began fantasising about how the song might sound on her violin, and she momentarily became lost in her own thoughts as the inner musician within her stirred.
Upon hearing Ariel whisper the words: "Yes, Sebastian, this couldn't be more humiliating," Belle soon forgot these thoughts, realising that this was not a night to be pondering chords and key signatures.
Inspired by Ariel's charming, innocent beauty, Belle stood up with a nervous sigh and walked to the opposite end of the table.
"Dance with me?" Belle softly inquired, outstretching a hand to the still seated Ariel.
Ariel stuttered in reply: "I… I don't know how."
"Which is why I'll teach you."
Slowly standing up as she tentatively took Belle's hand, Ariel at last answered, her voice almost a squeak: "Ummm… OK."
"Well, it's got to be more fun than sitting here whilst your face slowly turns the colour of your hair."
Shyly, but confidently at the same time, Belle then led Ariel to the ballroom, where they soon assumed a dance position, Ariel standing back somewhat, a little awkwardly.
"We're going to have to get a little bit closer," Belle told her, pulling Ariel nearer with a gentle but firm hand.
In the soft but ample candlelight that shone from several well placed candles around the room, Ariel felt her heart race and her cheeks flush as Belle held her closely. Not only due to the intimate physicality of the pose, but also in part because Ariel had no idea what she was supposed to do, and didn't wish to make a complete fool of herself.
Of course, Belle knew this, and she was eager to teach, just as had she been regarding the many human traits and pastimes that Ariel had never experienced, over the course of the past few weeks. Indeed Belle was nervous also, but she had become more adept at hiding her feelings.
With a gallant smile and wink, Belle took Ariel's left hand with her right, and after a soulful, lingering glance passed between them, slowly, Belle began to demonstrate the steps of the dance.
"Remember when I taught you how to ice-skate? Well, it's a little like that. It's all about timing and poise," Belle instructed as she gazed at Ariel, who would keep glancing down at her feet, and back up again.
"Hopefully I won't fall over," Ariel nervously joked as she began to count in her head as she had done when she first strapped on a pair of ice-skates.
It was a slow, easy waltz, and due to Ariel's experience in the world of music and her innate sense of rhythm, she picked up the pace very quickly.
In relative silence, the only sound being that of the last phrases of Sebastian's singing, they soon swept gracefully across the dance floor, the whole time being watched by the four sea creatures as well as the softly purring Cheeky, who had sat beside Scuttle, the seagull still rigid since Cheeky had surprised him with a nuzzle.
Not long after the completion of Sebastian's ballad, Ariel and Belle decided to venture out onto the balcony that was adjoined to the ballroom for a little fresh air, as well as for some privacy.
A little breathless from dancing and laughing, they were both a little taken aback by the cool night air that rushed at them as they stepped outside, but they soon grew used to it.
As their breathing became normal and they acclimatised to the chill of the night air, Ariel and Belle slowly walked towards the balcony railing, hand-in-hand. There, they sat down, extremely close to one another, their bodies turned inward, their closest leg just touching.
Belle looked up at the night sky and smiled. The stars were twinkling in their thousands, and at this moment it seemed as if they were shining only for herself and Ariel.
An avid stargazer from an early age, Belle sighed at the sudden recollection of a memory that involved her father and herself gazing up dreamily at the stars when she was still a child.
Ariel, too, was distracted by her own thoughts. Smiling to herself, she let out a small giggle as she recalled Tip's suggested words for her to say: "Crazy Human Girl, I think you're swell."
Distracted, Belle glanced back at Ariel, a smile forming upon her face also. "What's so funny?"
"Huh?" Ariel's smile disappeared as she became nervous once more. "Oh, nothing. It was just something Tip said earlier, that's all."
"You're not going to let me in on the joke?"
"Erm… well… we were kind of talking about… you."
Belle raised an eyebrow, but continued to smile. "I can only imagine what Tip must say about me when I'm not in the room."
Ariel's smile returned, and she laughed gently. After a long pause, as her smile gradually disappeared again, Ariel timidly took Belle's hands. She knew this was the perfect moment to reveal the truth in her heart—the dinner, the dancing and now the enchanting starlight—had all led to this, and had set the moment up flawlessly.
Wanting to be certain that Belle would take her seriously, Ariel looked deeply into Belle's eyes as she softly said the words: "Belle, I… There's something I want to tell you."
"Yes?" Belle said, her voice equally as soft.
Ariel swallowed hard. "I'm happy that you're here."
"I'm happy too."
Ariel searched for the right words to explain, but it wasn't easy for her. Her voice seemed to become shakier with every nervous, just audible sentence. "I mean, I wasn't at first, but you understand about all that. At least I hope you do…"
"I understand."
"You risked your life for me, you've taught me so much… I… I owe you so much."
"You don't owe me anything."
"I just want you to know… that I'm so happy that I met you. Happy that you're here. I… I hope you're happy, too."
Belle flickered a smile. "I just said that I was."
Ariel seemed surprised. "Oh."
Belle's smile widened. Her eyes remained fixed on Ariel's for some time, but then, to Ariel's alarm, Belle averted her gaze, her smile disappearing. Her eyes were cast downward now, a hint of sadness evident in them. Her memory of stargazing with her father had prompted a rush of guilt and concern for Maurice, despite her desire to share this special evening with Ariel.
"What's wrong?" Ariel asked, suddenly concerned.
Belle glanced back up, trying to smile again. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking of my father, that's all. I love living here with you, and I want to stay… But… I feel terrible. I told Papa I'd only be gone for a couple of days, and… well, you know that I've been here a couple of weeks."
Understanding, Ariel nodded knowingly. If only she could see her own father again... She listened with caring concern as Belle continued: "I can't help but worry about him. All alone… and he's not young anymore. And what if he's concerned that something has happened to me? So much has happened…"
Belle then returned Ariel's deep gaze as she quietly finished: "But... I don't want to leave you."
Ariel broke the gaze, becoming saddened by thoughts of her own father. Shaking her head slightly, she then met Belle's gaze again. She could see, in Belle's expression, how much this tore her apart—Ariel had had no idea that Belle had been harbouring such thoughts. Of course, she did not want Belle to leave either, not even for a day. But she did want to alleviate Belle's fear and worry—she did want, more than anything, just for Belle to be happy.
After a long, sombre silence, a sudden idea struck Ariel. How could I have not thought of it sooner?
Quietly, with a kind smile, she said: "I know how you can see your father."
Without another word, Ariel led Belle to her room in the west wing. Doing her best to ignore the wilted state of her enchanted sea-rose, Ariel plucked her magical seashell encrusted hand mirror from upon the simple wooden table and handed it to Belle.
"This mirror has the power to let you see anything," Ariel explained. "Anything in the world that you desire to see." It's the only way I can see my father now...
Belle stared at the mirror in shock as she grasped it, not entirely sure of its authenticity. "Really? Anything…?"
She then held the hand mirror up to her face and peered curiously into it. In a voice that was very nearly a whisper, she asked of the mirror: "I would like to see my father… Maurice Cartier… please."
Instantly, the mirror glowed with a mystical light. Slowly, Belle's reflection began to change into the desired image. When it became clear, Belle gasped in fright; her eyes widened, becoming full of panic.
Maurice was collapsed on the cold, hard floor of his basement workshop, his breathing shallow and erratic. He was semi-conscious, his lungs wheezing, his face frightfully pale.
"No! It… it can't be!"
"What? What's wrong?" Ariel's voice was just about as panic-stricken as Belle's—she could feel the pain that was ripping Belle apart, a pain that was evident on Belle's face, as if it were her very own.
"He's… he's sick! Alone, in the basement… no one is there to find him… what if he's dying? Papa…"
Belle's sentences were rapid, and she could feel a lump of fear growing in her throat and tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "I… I shouldn't have left him alone… for so long…"
Ariel could only gape in shock for a moment—tears welling up within her eyes also.
"You have to go—now!" She then suddenly blurted out upon snapping back to reality.
Belle stifled her tears—she was trying to convince herself to remain strong. "I know, but…"
Ariel glanced away. She didn't want to be having this conversation. She could not bear to say goodbye. And as she focused on her sea-rose, a sudden, horrible thought dawned upon her; it would be goodbye—forever.
The past few weeks spent with Belle had distracted her from her morose thoughts, the realisation that her time as a human was almost over—and, subsequently, her life. In a lightening quick flash, these maudlin thoughts filled her head once more as she felt herself being dragged back down into the depths of despair.
However, the feeling was not quite the same—she cared not that she would soon face death, but she could not even begin to accommodate the thought of never seeing Belle again. For if Belle was to leave now, as no doubt she must, then Ariel was almost certain that by the time she returned, if indeed she did, it would be too late. And she knew she could share none of these feelings with Belle—it would not be fair, and she could never do such a thing to the one she loved.
Struggling with herself, Ariel shut her eyes tightly and simply nodded. "It's OK. Your father needs you… You have to hurry!" She said, slowly and evenly.
Moving forward, Belle placed her hands upon Ariel's shoulders. "Ariel, I… as soon as Papa is better, as soon as I nurse him back to health… I'll come back."
Ariel could say nothing. She just stared forlornly at the ground.
"I promise," Belle insisted, tenderly touching Ariel's cheek with the hand that wasn't grasping the mirror.
With a bittersweet smile, she then turned to leave—only she stopped when she realised she was still in possession of the seashell encrusted hand mirror. She began to place it into Ariel's hands, but Ariel rejected it, gently pushing the mirror back towards Belle.
"You keep it—you'll be able to check on your father's condition while you're still returning home." Still, Ariel spoke evenly and seemingly without emotion, but her eyes were becoming more and more visibly teary.
"Thank you," Belle began gently as she clutched the mirror to her chest. "Afterwards, I'll use to find the quickest route back here."
She leaned forward and softly kissed Ariel on the cheek, Ariel's downcast eyes closing from the contact, her heart skipping a beat.
When she opened her eyes once more, Belle was already rushing out of the room, the eerie echo of her footsteps the only sound that could be heard.
Ariel remained stationary for quite some time, her hand still upon her cheek, her eyes still fighting back tears. Eventually her gaze fixed upon her enchanted sea-rose once more, and she slowly walked over to it. Placing a gloved hand absent-mindedly upon the glass of the protective bell jar, she slumped her shoulders and bowed her head deeply, her plentiful fringe flopping over her face, half covering it.
After what seemed like only moments to Ariel, but was in fact quite a while, an inquisitive Sebastian entered. "Hello, Ariel. How are things? Did you like my song? I hope it helped you find the right words to express your feelings…"
The crab had been smiling, but once he noticed that Ariel was slumped miserably over her sea-rose's bell jar, his face grew sad and serious.
Before he even had the chance to utter 'What's the matter?', Ariel told him, without turning around or even straightening her posture at all: "She's gone, Sebastian." Her voice was shaky; her hand slid a little down the glass as she spoke.
Sebastian's eyes grew wide. "What? But… but why?"
"Because… she's a wonderful daughter." Unlike me.
"Huh?" Sebastian scowled at the vague explanation. "But… Ariel, how could you… why would she… I'm confused outta my shell here."
With a sigh, Ariel simply shrugged, her back still to Sebastian. Without another word, the loyal crab then scurried back out of the room, his pincers folded in front of him in a sombre manner.
After another moment that seemed to pass a lot quicker than it did in reality, Ariel was distracted by a faint noise outside. She rushed over to the window, paused briefly, then stepped out onto the balcony.
She assumed the sound had been that of Belle leaving the castle, and she was correct.
Dressed now in the clothes she had arrived with, including her hooded cloak, Belle wielded an axe, no doubt for protection against any wild animals of the forest, most likely wolves, that dare approach her in the blackness of night. Cheeky followed, close to Belle's heels, his fur bristling a little on end.
As the glint of the moon caused Belle's silken hair to shimmer, and the shadows cast by her and Cheeky to be long and distorted, Ariel watched silently as Belle walked bristly from the castle's front entrance to the rusting gate that stood between her and the mist-riddled forest.
Almost as if she could sense that she was being watched, Belle stopped dead in her tracks, spun around and looked up, searching for Ariel.
Belle spotted her almost instantly, standing on her balcony, her hands upon the railing, a slight breeze flowing through her hair, moving it almost in a mesmerising fashion. Smiling the same bittersweet smile that she had for Ariel earlier in the west wing bedroom, Belle gave a little wave.
Smiling the tiniest flicker of a smile in return, Ariel lifted one hand off the railing and bent her fingers only once, signalling her own goodbye.
Belle remained gazing at her for a long moment, reluctant to leave. But she knew she must leave, and soon enough she had departed the castle grounds and sprinted off into the frost-bitten pitch of night.
Ariel followed with her gaze until Belle was completely out of view.
"I love you, Belle," she then whispered to herself in the darkness, her only reply that of the faint whistling of the weak frigid breeze.
Heartbroken, Ariel folded her arms across the balcony railing and buried her head upon them, unable to hold back the tears any longer.