ut to look.

"They never come in this close," Philip muttered, half embarrassed, half amused at himself as he sheathed his sword.

"No, they don't" the voice came from behind them, and Philip whirled.

"Eric!" Belle cried out in delight, she rushed forward to hug the man who stood quite smugly behind them on the dock, even Chip grinned and ran forward, recognizing the man that had helped save him.

Belle threw her arms around him, then sputtered backwards in surprise, "Why on earth or you wet?" she gasped.

He was completely soaked, and Eric laughed heartily. It was a deep, happy sound, and Philip pushed forward, swallowing shock and relief, as he extended a hand to his friend, almost unable to speak.

Eric ignored it and pulled him into a hug, laughing at Philip's grimace when he stepped away slightly damp.

"He there, Bash," Eric nodded down at the boy they called Bashful, "You keeping Snow safe for us?"

The boy nodded seriously, and Eric grinned at him before looking back at Philip.

"Eric, I thought," Philip shook his head, brow furrowed in confusion, "I'm glad I was wrong."

"You weren't exactly wrong my friend," he said, guessing Philip's line of thought, at their looks he waved them both forward, and took a seat at the end of the dock, feet dangling towards the water.

He could feel the air moving against the water on his skin, making each little drop come alive. He could feel that the air held the slightest chill, but he was not cold. It had taken a few days to be strong enough to breach the water, and he knew he would not have much time on the surface. Once he strengthened, he could leave the sea for longer, but now he needed the life and magic in the waves to sustain him. He knew Ariel was perched beneath the dock, carefully listening in in case he grew too weak, and he splashed a little with his foot as if to say hello.

The movement drew Belle's attention and she frowned, "Eric, where are your shoes?"

He chuckled a moment at that, before Philip waved a hand, "Never mind that," he said, earning a scowl from Belle," what happened to you, where's Ariel, is she safe?"

There was an answering splash from beneath the dock, and Belle jumped a little in surprise.

"She's well, she's here actually, she would come to the surface but," he sent a look at the people still milling about further down the docks.

Belle had leaned forward some, peering down into the water, wanting to meet her former pupil and friend. She was surprised when Philip's hand settled on her arm, almost as if he was afraid she would lean too far in and fall. She sent him a curious glance, and he released her arm.

Eric drew in a breath, and began telling them best he could what had happened, the breaking of Ariel's curse and how he had been given a piece of the heart of the sea. Chip and Belle were staring at him with almost identical faces of wonder, Philip gaping in blank faced surprised.

"But I thought mermaids were evil," he sputtered out. He had seen Eric's frantic concern for Ariel, suspected the man had come to care for her, but had not been able to shake that thought from his head. There was a loud, answering splash from below and Belle laughed as Eric's smiled, imagining Ariel's face at hearing that.

"I was wrong, my friend, very wrong." He told them more, of his own tie to the sea, how his stay must be brief, but he wanted them to know he was safe. He asked what had happened since he had left, and what was being done about the Enchantress.

Belle spoke first, summarizing as well she could all that had happened with the beast, and Snow. She told him of Aurora's curse, and heard Philip's low growl beside her. "As for the Enchantress..." she sighed, looking at Philip. Marcus told her much, but the prince would know more.

Philip spoke low, and quickly, and it surprised Belle a moment how different he sounded now then the night they had talked at the Ball. He had been bright and carefree then, laughing easily. Now his tone was weighed down with anger and responsibility.

"It doesn't look good," he admitted. He filled him in on the kingdoms who wouldn't join, "Even Marcus, his kingdom my not be able to stand."

From below Ariel listened, her heart growing sad at the frustrated hopelessness in Philip's voice. She remembered when she had first seen him, so weighed down. She understood now that his father had just passed then, and that the woman who had killed him was standing unopposed. She began to think furiously, listening to Philip share Marcus's concerns about the energy being drained from his kingdom, the threat of losing his magic.

As Eric bid his goodbyes some minutes later, and Ariel waited for him to join her beneath the surface, she knew what she had to do.


"Absolutely not," King Poseidon stared down his nose at his daughter, the court watching from around, always enjoying Ariel's visits lately. She had a way of stirring up trouble that half of the old merfolk secretly liked. "Getting involved in a war of the surface dwellers is not an option."

"He's right," Sebastian, captain of the seagaurd spoke up, "We can't afford to get entangled in human troubles, they never stop having them," he looked at the human standing entirely too comfortably beside him, "No offense," he sniffed, and the human grinned just a little sharply,

"None taken"

Ariel sent the pair a disapproving glance for interrupting before turning back to her father, "But Father, those humans saved me, a mermaid, when all they knew were the worst stories of our kind. There are good people up there, though we often only hear of the worst, and they need our help."

"I'm sorry, Ariel," the sea king said, shaking his head, voice reverberating through court, "But we can not help them."

Ariel nodded smally, though tears filled her eyes. She blinked them back, not wanting to seem weak before the court, and bowed slightly before swimming away.

Eric caught up with her.

"I thought they would understand," she whispered, and Eric nodded, swallowing his own disappointment. Her father had an entire sea of life he was responsible for. Ariel sighed, If the land kings themselves were hesitant when facing a foe of their own, surely it was reasonable that her father did not want to get involved.

Ariel led him down a small current into the darker sea, past the shelf to a little cove she loved visiting as a child. She had told him of it, even attempted to draw it, so he could ask the mirror to show it to her, but she had not been there since they had been back, and she wanted him to see.

He darted after her as she spun about rocks and reefs, chuckling a little as she purposefully sped up, wanting him to push himself as he learned everything his new life here was capable of. They finally reached the place, and Ariel drew up short.

"I, what's-" she gasped, staring around. Eric looked about in confusion. They were floating by a reef, its plant-life waving in the gentle current as fish darted about.

"What's wrong he asked?"

Mutely, Ariel reached out a hand, it trembled at it touched his arm, and Eric blinked. He could feel she was sharing the connection with him, but nothing was happening, the sea around him looked perfectly normal, just as it had to the naked eye.

"I don't see anything." he said, confused, and Ariel nodded tremulously, "That's because there isn't anything. The magic is gone."

She turned and darted back the way they had come, Eric truly struggling to keep up now. She burst back through the coral walls of her father's castle and entered the now empty throne room. Court had adjourned, and only her father sat before her.

He surged up from his throne when he saw her, alarmed.

"Father!" she gasped, the words hardly intelligible as she poured out what she had seen. Eric came up from behind, to support but not interrupt, as the king shook his head sadly.

"I did not want to worry you yet, with what has happened these past days, but what you have seen has been happening across our sea, Ariel, the pockets of magic are receding, and we do not know why. We are doing everything we can to maintain them, and I'm sure we will find the reason soon."

Ariel had pulled back in alarm, bumping into Eric, who wrapped an arm about her to steady her, now she pushed away, beginning to dart back in forth, pacing in thought.

"But father, oh, of course, father," she turned on him in sudden realization. Marcus had said every magic had to be pulled from somewhere, and he had to be careful not to drain the power of his own kingdom. The Enchantress did not live in a magical kingdom. She lived in Aberlene. She had to have gotten her power from somewhere.

Ariel had met her in the sea, she had been kept in the Enchantress's hidden cave by its shores. She remembered suddenly the darkness of that harbor. She had thought it merely outside of the borders of the sea's natural pockets of magic, but there should have been some light, some life. What if the Enchantress had drained it of its energy?

She remembered the spell she had been a part of, how foolishly and readily she believed the Enchantress pulled from some other magic, that the surface worked differently, but Marcus had said that wasn't true, magic there worked the same as it did here, and her face lit with glowing anger.

"She is doing this," anger shook her words and they trembled as they passed in a wave. "She is pulling from our sea. She is using our magic to hurt their world, Father! she has to be stopped!"

King Poseidon regarded his daughter solemnly, before raising his voice.

"Call the courts," he spoke to an outer guard, if his daughter was right, they had much to discuss.