Ariel lay shivering, hot and cold and shaking uncontrollably as it felt like her lungs were burning, drying out and crumbling away. Eric held her against him as he rode, wind flying by them that carried with it the faintest taste of the sea. She could not feel him shuddering in his own silent pain the closer they drew to the shore, could not feel the weakness overtaking him and the stubborn held he kept retightening on the veins, she could not feel him dying as she slipped further and further away.

They broke onto the beach and Eric did not stop, riding his mount straight into the water. The waves leapt at them, and together they fell from the saddle into the sea.

Ariel tumbled beneath the waves, feeling life flood into her and she burst through the surface, strength returning, and caught sight of Eric.

He was on his knees, rocked by waves. His face was pale, and his lips were touched with white as he smiled almost ghostly at her. Ariel didn't understand. She surged forward on a wave, catching him as he fell forward.

"Eric!" the name flew from her lips, full of panic and sound and she scarcely noticed as she clutched him, "Eric what is wrong!"

But the mermaid had been returned to the sea, the covenant was broken, and Eric's heart was giving out.

Ariel did not understand, she did not know of the consequence of breaking the covenant, did not know that when the Enchantress had formed her own curse that the woman would never have let it be broken just for love. It required a heart to be given, and Eric's final beats had been for her.

She held him, and felt the life draining from him. Frantically, with no other way before her, Ariel gripped him and plunged into the sea.

She sang into the waves, calling on the water, the ocean, the magic within to rise up and help her. She saw the sea come alive with shimmering light, responding to her call, as she pulled him deeper, further into the sea. The light swarmed around her, pulsing and spinning, the perfect energy of life, and she gave Eric to it, for it to hold, for it to keep and preserve. It could not heal him, but it could keep him there, on the brink of life, until she found some way to help him. She gathered him there, pale and floating in a deep sleep, and let herself sink to the sand of the bottom, and her tears floated upward through the sea towards the sun shimmering high above.


Aurora stared at the door, listening to the awful sounds below, she heard Belle scream, and wanted more than anything to go help her. But she knew they must above all else keep the child safe, and Belle meant to led the beast far away.

The noise fell silent from below, and Aurora moved forward. Had the beast left the castle, or had it...

There was a scrape outside the hall, and Aurora started, gripping the shawl, praying the children below were still safe.

Footsteps sounded, heavy and something sharp clicked on stone.

She had bolted the door as best as she could, and jumped when something thumped against it. There was no loud banging, no repeated slams, she just watched as something began to strain continuously against the door, and slowly the bar began to bend and warp before falling away and the door swung open.

The beast stood there, large, and dark and staring at her with direct, narrowed eyes. She swallowed, stumbling backwards, looking around for something, anything to use. She missed her ped, her fairie, the protection of magic all around her.

The beast came forward slowly, in no hurry, cornering her back until she bumped into the little table, almost knocking over the crystal. The beast's eyes turned at the movement, locking on the rose. Its eyes flashed, and its stance shifted, a darker, dangerous edge, and Aurora gasped.

She had seen that, felt that change a hundred times before. The flash of unnatural light behind the eye, that subtle, animalistic edge that came over his stance. It used to frighten her, long ago, before she had grown accustomed to Lord Marcus, until she had grown used to seeing him access his magic.

She stared at the rose and at the beast, horror battling with reason.

This couldn't be Marcus. It couldn't be.

The beast crept closer, each heavy foot coming down, and on instinct Aurora reached out and plucked the rose from its place.

Again his eyes flashed, definitely now! His stance shifted just slightly, and Aurora gasped in horrified disbelief.

"Marcus?"

The beast didn't seem to respond, when from behind it came sudden footsteps and Belle came crashing into the room. She held a long walking stick, and swung it at the beast wildly.

"Get away from her!" she shouted, her dress was torn and there was blood seeping through her side and she looked angrier than Aurora had ever seen anyone.

The beast turned with a snarl on Belle, closing in.

"No! Wait!" Aurora's voice rose, and Belle looked at her as the beast shifted at the sound, its beady eyes turning to lock on to her.

Aurora held the rose in shaking hand, staring at her friend and her king, transformed by this horrible curse, and thinking it could be their only chance, their only hope, Aurora snapped the rose in two.

There came a tiny gasp, Belle looked at her in mute confusion as Aurora stared at her finger.

One tiny thorn at the bottom of the stem had slipped through her armour, and left a tiny puncture on her skin. She watched in almost fascination as a drop of blood began to well from beneath the surface and fall to the ground below.

"Oh," she gasped, overcome with a sudden weakness, she blinked heavier each time, then Aurora fell to the floor, lost to a cursed sleep.

"No!" Belle gasped, starting toward her friend, when the beast shuddered in front of her. She drew back as it fell heavily to the floor, convulsing and shifting, changing before Belle's eyes. The claws receded, its spine cracked and shrunk and Belle stumbled backwards against the door as this monster snapped and groaned until there no monster left and a man lay there, covered in tattered rags.

"Ma-Marcus?" Belle stammered, "How, what?"

He groaned and sat up, hand going to his head as Belle came forward. He looked past her to the place Aurora lay slumped on the ground.

"No." It was a mumbled curse and he moved, still trying to orient himself.

"No, Aurora." He crawled to her side and Belle watched as he gathered to him with incredible gentleness.

"What happened?" he demanded, looking horror-struck at Belle.

"You, uh, don't remember?"

He shook his head, there were bits, pieces, flashes of fear.

"She broke your rose. You, you had been turned into some kind of beast, and she broke your rose, and you changed back."

It was a sentence Marcus took with remarkable calm. Belle was still processing the words. Marcus's hand brushed Aurora's cheek, his eyes going to her arm and he lifted it, spying the stain of blood.

"She pricked her finger," he murmured, "It activated her curse."

"But I don't understand," Belle came forward to kneel beside Aurora, lifting the broken pieces of rose, "How did breaking this break your curse."

"It didn't." Marcus said, taking his gaze from Aurora just long enough to frown at the rose. "The Enchantress cursed us both, when she activated her curse on what held mine, it must have overpowered it, like the Enchantress casting a second curse would have done. My curse only broke because she fell under hers."

There came frantic shouts from below, Betty and Andrew, other voices as well had returned and saw the destruction below.

"Go," Marcus commanded, "Let them know we're alright. The child," he said suddenly remembering why he had been changed, "Where is it?"

"It's hidden," Belle assured him, "She's safe."

She went to the door, to go below, but paused and looked back. She saw Marcus, with movements full of such care, lift the sleeping Aurora into his arms as he stood, and followed her down the stair.


Philip strode through the hall, staring at the destruction around, sick with anger and worry and disbelief. Betty was hurrying around, calling frantically for anyone to answer. He had come to the castle just as they returned and they had entered together.

"We're here," a voice called in response to Betty's cries, and Philip turned as someone stepped from

the stair.

"Belle!" He said in surprise, coming forward, his eyes swept over her, torn dress and scratches, the blood at her side, "You're injured!"

She accepted his hand leaving the bottom stair, favoring her side.

"It's nothing serious," she smiled through a grimace, and Philip went to respond when he saw Marcus descend behind her, Aurora limp in his arms.

"Aurora!" he surged forward, and Marcus frowned deeply.

"Her curse, it has taken her."

"No." Philip argued, shaking his head, "No, how, why is she even out here? What HAPPENED."

He waved his arm at the broken glass, at the destruction around. "No," he shook his head again, "She will pay for this, Marcus, Andrianna will pay."

Belle had met Betty, telling her again and again she was alright, had been telling Andrew to go quickly into the cellar, and as he moved off to do it, she heard Philip's words and turned as Marcus stared, not understanding.

"Andrianna?" he repeated, and Philip's expression cooled to steel.

"Yes. Andrianna is the Enchantress."


Ariel drifted in the wave, arms still clasped around Eric, lost and unsure of what to do. A sound floated through the tides, voices calling her name, and she whirled about as mermaids swam into view

"Ariel," They wore the bright silver armor of her father's guard, and they bowed as they saw her, real relief on their faces.

The one in the center came forward, "We have searched the seas for you for months, your father will be overjoyed that you've returned."

He stopped abruptly when he saw the human beside Ariel, wrapped in preserving magic, and he drew back, weapons raising.

"No!" Ariel quickly swam between them and Eric, "This human saved me, and needs to be taken to my father immediately, please." she added, staring them down, trying to look the part of the sea king's daughter. They exchanged weary glances, but then the main bowed.

"With us," They said, reaching for her, and Eric and Ariel were pulled into their back, and spun quickly through the currents deep into the sea where her father's kingdom lay.