Chapter 8 – Three Months Ago
WARNING – Non-Con – In the very last scene of the chapter, Chad is sexually assaulted. It isn't graphic or maliciously intended, but it does happen. Please see endnotes for more details.
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3 Months Ago
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"Are you sure about this?" Chad asked for what might have been the dozenth time, trying not to doubt Uma but overcome by the lingering anxiety that demanded he keep her safe. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."
Uma cut him a side eyed look as she swam through the deep waters of the ocean, Chad tucked safely close to her chest by a few of her tentacles as they dived deeper, towards Atlantica. "For the last time, yes, I'm sure."
"Okay." Chad tucked his head closer to her shoulder under the guise of being more aerodynamic, but mostly it was so he could take comfort in her presence. Being in the ocean was weird, in that he was constantly surrounded by the cold stimulus of water, though Uma's water breathing spell helped fight off the worst of the chill.
Though Chad was nervous for Uma, he felt significantly better about this trip than he had the last one, when he'd come by himself. Queen Rapunzel had been forced to request the aid of an Atlantian ship just to get Chad close to the mermaid kingdom, but he'd been forced to swim from the outskirts by himself with just his flippers and Uma's enchantment, and then he'd had to deal with the semi-hostility that came from merpeople who did not often see humans.
Still, he'd managed to get to King Triton and give his pitch, using the tactics kindly suggested to him by Queen Ariel. Traditionally Atlantica did not vote in regular Auradon Council events, but when it did, King Triton passed along a signed copy of his vote to his daughter to turn in, allowing her to represent the kingdom she was born to on his behalf.
It had been an unspeakable relief when Chad had gotten the okay from King Triton, his hands shaking almost the entire trip back to Westerly, where he had handed off the official approval to vote. He'd been worried, but it turned out, that had been the easy part, because it was during their parting words that King Triton requested an audience with his niece, Uma.
Chad may have gone on about her a lot during the trip.
He couldn't help it. So many Atlantica citizens said awful things about Ursula and tried to extend those bad comments to her daughter without ever getting to know her – of course Chad had to stand up to her. Had to explain she was strong and hardworking and kind. That she was the one that helped create the legislature to help the Isle kids. Uma was more valuable to their cause than he would be any day, and somewhere in all that gushing, Chad suspected he might have won the king over.
Thus, the second trip to Atlantica.
And while Uma might not show it, Chad could tell she was slightly worried. She'd admitted that her mother had explained that there weren't really any squid-maids, such as herself. That came from the corruption of dark magic, and while Uma had never dabbled in such things, her mother had, and she bore the mark of it in her very lovely tentacles. It was the reason so many mercitizens stopped to stare at them as Uma swam by, though she dutifully ignored them, curling Chad just a little bit closer as they swam towards the palace.
As per traditional Atlantica dresscode, Chad was only wearing a pair of wetsuit pants, flippers, a weight belt, and the shell necklace he was to protect at all times. He had a bag tucked against his back with extra wetclothes, along with a few items Queen Ariel had suggested, but otherwise Chad felt just the slightest bit awkward being shirtless and very close to Uma, even though it obviously wasn't a big deal. Also, they had a meeting they had to focus on. Now was not the time to get caught up in his own stupidity.
Uma stopped them just as they got into the grand foyer of the palace, the captain staring up at the tall, vaulted ceilings.
"…Uma?" he asked after a few moments of silence, her shoulders giving just the slightest shiver of tension.
"What the fuck am I doing?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "No one's going to want me here."
"Sure, they do," Chad said, resting a hand on her shoulder. Above water, Uma preferred to be the one to initiate contact, though for whatever reason underwater, she liked Chad to have a point of contact with her at all times. And, to be honest, Chad preferred that too. "His majesty wouldn't have invited you here if you weren't wanted."
"He wants to inspect me, maybe," she allowed, her hands curling into fists against her tentacles. "See how strong I am."
"Of um- character," Chad said.
That got him a blank look.
"…he wants to see your strength of character," Chad elaborated, feeling bashful. "Since I told him how amazing you are."
"Blondie," Uma sighed. "You're a pretty great dude, but he's not just going to take your word on it." Chad got lost for a few seconds at being called 'a great dude' because he was pretty sure she hadn't been sarcastic. Audrey definitely would have been sarcastic. "He'll probably think I'm evil, or so corrupted by my mom that there's no hope for me."
"That is hardly the case, Captain." The new voice – King Triton's voice – floated down from above them, and Uma tensed when the king swam down to meet them, his signature triton held in one hand. "Your mother never would have been able to part with that necklace," he said, motioning to the shell around Chad's neck. "But you willingly did so to aid your cause. You did so for Prince Chadwick's protection, and for the benefit of every child on that Isle."
He drifted closer to them, until they were finally at eye level.
"It is that, and the very fact that Prince Chadwick seems to feel safer in your hold than he ever was alone, that help me know you are good," the king explained. "And while I shall forever regret being unable to help my sister before she was wooed away by the lure of dark magic, I am grateful she had you." He offered Uma a careful smile. "You seem like a remarkable woman, Uma. I'm proud to have you be a part of my family."
Throughout the course of his monologue, Chad had been watching Uma, whose face had become more and more impassive, sort of like she did when Queen Rapunzel was being especially kind and loving.
"Did you even see what I did at Cotillion?" Uma snapped, her shoulders hunching defensively.
The king hummed. "I saw you retreat before anyone could get hurt," he said. "I saw you try to free your friends. I saw you bewitch a king but never use that power to do any kind of permanent damage to him." He tilted his head to the side, thoughtful. "I will not lie, your tactics were not the best ones, but they were the best you knew to use, and if King Benjamin is willing to pardon you, I can hardly hold a grudge myself. So." He held out an arm to her. "If it is alright with you, could we go for a swim? I would like to get to know the niece I didn't know I had."
Uma considered his arm for a long moment, then looked at Chad.
"Prince Chadwick, of course, is invited as well," the king rumbled, and while Chad had been almost certain that Uma's look had been one of dismissal, the captain seemed relieved, curling one of her tentacles around Chad's waist as she gently tugged him through the ocean currents.
They started with a tour outside the palace, the structure entirely carved from preexisting ocean rocks, taking advantage of the natural protection offered by the ocean's waves. Just like last time, Chad found himself entranced by the colorful views of Atlantica, of the fish that seemed to swim in choreographed groups, the brilliant variety of merpeople – scales and tail shapes diverted from many different kinds of fish. It was comforting, to hear King Triton explain his kingdom – Uma's kingdom, to the captain, offering gentle but informative explanations that didn't criticize Uma for being unfamiliar with her home. While Chad had never been bold enough to ask about Uma's past – knowing it was none of his business – the few times it had been mentioned he got the feeling that Ursula was not a particularly caring mother, and certainly not one that had any sort of fondness for her home kingdom.
It was better now that Uma got to do this with the king herself, perfectly at home in her natural habitat, a small but distinct smile curled on her lips.
"And now," the king said as he guided them towards an open sort of area of the sea floor, closer towards the Atlantica City proper rather than the palace itself. "I thought perhaps we could do some training? My own granddaughters are not proficient with the use of magic, but Prince Chadwick has boasted greatly of your skills."
Chad felt a warm flush spread across his cheeks when Uma quirked a brow at him, but he couldn't help it. To a non-magical human like him, Uma's abilities were wonders that should be celebrated.
"I know you have not been allowed the opportunity to practice your magic under the barrier," the king continued. "But our gifts were passed down by the merfolk that came before us, and as such, I might be able to help you come to a better understanding of your abilities."
"You want to help me get better?" Uma asked, not seeming to believe the offer. "Me?"
She motioned to her tentacles, as though that explained everything.
The king was not put off. "I have already felt your magic, my dear," he said, motioning to Chad, likely referring to the water-breathing spell. "My sister misused that shell for her own gains, but there is no corruption to your magic. It's as pure as you are."
Chad likely imagined it, between the water and Uma's dark skin, but he was almost certain that a small flush dusted those tan cheeks in the wake of that statement.
"You're damaging my rep," Uma grumbled, not really looking at either of them. "Fine, we can practice."
Chad nodded, allowing his fingers to curl around the shell necklace to pass it over, but Uma waved him off. "I can use it from a distance," she said. "Just stay close. But a safe close."
Chad wasn't sure why she said these things like he was purposefully un-safe. He wasn't King Eugene, or Ruby. The only risks he took were perfectly acceptable.
"Okay," he said, deciding not to bring it up. "I'll just um- be by those boulders, okay?" They were located near the edge of their clearing, closer to the city, and Chad was pretty sure he could hook his dive belt onto something so he wouldn't have to worry about floating away.
"Safe close," Uma simply repeated, and it was kind of touching that she cared that much. Granted, it was likely because it would provide way more problems for her should he manage to injure himself, but still, her dedication was nice.
It felt weird swimming over to the boulders without the protective curl of Uma's tentacles, but it was still nice to know that she was nearby. He could shout and she'd probably come swimming – that was better than nothing.
He wouldn't, obviously, because then he'd be a nuisance (Audrey didn't like it when he was a nuisance), but the point remained the same.
He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice he had company until he had actually gotten to the boulders, and then there was a fun moment where he and a gaggle of young merchildren stared at each other in open confusion, the children hidden behind the shelter of the rocks as they spied on the king and his niece from a distance.
"Um…" It took Chad a moment to remember he was a prince, and therefore, supposed to be charming. "Hello?"
"You're a human!" one of the little girls exclaimed, her purple hair pulled back in two braids that floated behind her.
"Yes," Chad said, anchoring himself into the boulder so he wouldn't have to worry about floating away. "That's me."
"You're the prince, right?" Another little mer-girl asked. She had orange hair that floated around her like liquid fire. "The one that came to talk to the king?"
"I'm Prince Chadwick James," Chad introduced, to substantially more appreciation and fanfare than he normally would have received. "Of Sardinia." At their blank looks, he elaborated. "My mother was Queen Ella."
"The one with the shoes!" the purple-haired girl cheered. She shoved her hands against her mouth, attempting to restrain a giggle. "Can you imagine that? Wearing something on your fins."
"You don't need to," Chad said, smiling. "Because your fins are hardy and strong." The kids seemed to puff up with pride at that, especially the small merboys, who seemed torn between paying Chad attention and watching the king just beyond them. "But human feet have to withstand a lot more direct contact with the ground, more pressure, and they hold more direct weight, so we have to wear shoes to protect ourselves."
"Weird," one of the boys said. "Why did you come down here, anyway?"
"Well…" Technically, the reason was supposed to be a secret, but news didn't really travel out of Atlantica, since they didn't use electronics so much. They were one of the few kingdoms that had exemptions for the use of magic, mostly because King Triton refused to accept anything less. "I came to help my friend Uma pass a piece of legislature that's going to help all the kids on the Isle of the Lost."
Of all those things, the orange-haired girl decided to focus on- "You're friends with Uma?" She shared a concerned look with the others. "But isn't she scary?"
One of the boys frowned. "My dad says only bad mermaids have squid tentacles."
"She isn't scary," Chad said, deciding to address the issues one at a time. "Her mom is. And her mom used dark magic – which was why she had tentacles. Uma has never used dark magic, but she has tentacles because her mom did. Like…" He gestured to the purple-haired girl. "One of your parents has purple hair, right?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "My dad."
"And that's why you have purple hair, that's biology," Chad explained. "Uma never used dark magic, but because her mom's biology changed, Uma has tentacles instead of a tail."
"Are they scary?" a small girl asked, her hair a pretty mint green. "They look scary."
"They are not." Chad shook his head. "In fact, I feel like it's one of the safest places to be."
"You do?" a boy said. "But what if she squishes you?"
"She won't squish me," Chad insisted. "Uma's always really careful not to hold on too tight because she doesn't want to hurt anyone. Just like she's always careful with her magic."
"She has magic?" the orange haired girl said. "Like Ursula?"
"Like King Triton," Chad said. "Her magic is warm and safe and good. See?" He motioned to the shell around his neck that began to glow, the shell producing a gentle warmth that carefully heated him down to his core.
"Whoa," the red-haired boy said. "Is that her shell?"
"It is." Chad nodded. "She trusts me to take care of it."
"She must trust you a whole lot."
"Of course she trusts him," the purple haired girl sniffed. "He's a prince."
"If he's a prince, where's his crown?" the green haired girl said. "Aren't princes supposed to have crowns?"
Chad tensed, because while he technically had a crown, his grandfather wouldn't let him wear it, hadn't in years, claiming that Chad hadn't earned such a privilege. It was discouraging, and Chad always felt small after he attended a formal event without the familiar weight on his head. He tried to boast that crowns were 'out of style' to play it off with the press, but his grandfather knew.
There was no hiding that shame.
Luckily, Chad was underwater, and as such had a perfect excuse. "My crown isn't waterproof," he said, to awed sounds of consolation. "So I can't wear it down here."
"That's too bad," a small boy cooed.
"We could make you a shell crown!" a girl exclaimed. "We do that sometimes during recess."
"Do what, sometimes?" came the familiar rumble of King Triton's voice just over Chad's shoulder, and the response was lost in an echo delighted cheers.
"King Triton!" the orange haired girl said, swimming so that she was eye-level with the king. "Did you know Prince Chad's crown isn't waterproof? You should magic him one!"
Chad felt himself blush. "That isn't really necessary-"
"Princess Uma?" the purple haired girl interrupted, hovering near the captain that had followed King Triton over. "Could I have a tentacle hug, please?" At Uma's weird look, she added, "Prince Chad said they're very nice."
At that, Uma turned her look over to Chad, seeming forever exasperated despite the fact she was smiling. "You gotta stop talking about me."
"I can't help it." Chad grinned, gratefully leaning into the tentacle she curled around him with a feeling of distinct comfort. "You're pretty great."
"I am not," she said, but she also wrapped a careful tentacle around the small mergirl, who hugged onto it with an open adoration that was unquestionably cute.
The purple haired girl hummed. "You're right. I do feel safe."
"Me next! Me next!" one of the boys chirped, only adding a soft, "Please" when one of the other kids elbowed him.
Uma ended up giving all the kids tentacle hugs, and they took turns asking about her captainship (which she preferred to princess because she'd earned it, and all the little girls agreed this was the superior title), about her magic and her tentacles and her friendship with Chad, which made the blond blush even further, because he hadn't expected that claim to make it back to her. They weren't really friends, they were just good associates, but the kids seemed to really latch onto that last part despite Chad's efforts to play it down.
And, in a crowning triumph of true embarrassment, the afternoon ended with Uma and King Triton working together to make Chad a crown – though really it was closer to a diadem, but Chad-
He could have cared less what it was because Uma had made it for him. It was comprised of an assortment of blue shells that the mergirls insisted 'brought out his eyes', and the kids all took turns admiring and complimenting it.
It was all very nice but distinctly overwhelming, though it seemed to get better when Uma wrapped a tentacle around his waist in a comforting squeeze.
"You know he's a prince whether he has a crown or not?" Uma said sometime later.
"Yeah," the orange haired girl agreed. "But he's a nice prince, so he deserves presents."
Uma may or may not have spent the rest of the afternoon laughing at Chad's blush, and she never let up teasing him about how nice he was, even if he wished she really would. Because it wasn't true, just a simple misunderstanding, but-
It was a nice lie.
And Uma seemed okay with it, so maybe they could let it be, just this once.
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They spent the next few days like that, King Triton showing Chad and Uma around the different areas of Atlantica during the mornings before ending the afternoons in what had become their practice field, where King Triton taught Uma how to conjure and transfigure and summon, how to terraform and – Uma's favorite of all, how to heal.
They might have practiced the last one on Chad, who spent those afternoons entertaining different gaggles of merfolk that came to linger on the outside of the field. After the first day, the kids brought their elder siblings, who in turn brought their friends, and then sometimes it was the odd adult or grandparent – all who had their own questions about humanity and Auradon and, more pressingly, Uma, and while Chad didn't feel like a proper authority on any of those subjects, he did his best to answer them.
The merfolk were wary of Uma at first, but her actions spoke for themselves, as did King Triton's genuinely given trust. He wouldn't be training someone he didn't believe in, and Uma would have never given Chad her shell if she was truly evil.
Eventually the novelty died down, but the kids kept coming, likely out of habit, and that was when Chad got to learn mer-games. He was, expectedly, terrible at most of them because he couldn't swim nearly as fast as the children, even with his flippers, but despite this he was almost always the first selected for any teams. He suspected he had become somewhat of a mascot, or that they were interested in bonding with a prince when Atlantica only had princesses, but he never managed to courage to ask them. There was a good chance the answer was obvious and he had just missed it due to his lack of social graces.
Chad was terrible at tag, but the kids took turns dragging him through the water, sometimes working in teams to pull him. Unlike Uma, the kids weren't accustomed to watching after someone else's welfare when doing such a thing, so a lot of times Chad got scraped up when he'd been dragged too close to a rocky outcrop, or he was bruised by enthusiastic hands, or flung into a boulder when they took a turn too quickly. Still, what was a little roughhousing in the name of fun? Chad was having a good time, and so were they. It was fine.
Uma disagreed with this assessment.
"He is fragile," she would lecture to the kids when her brow furrowed in concentration, her hands glowing a familiar shade of gold as she pressed them against his wounds. "He isn't good at knowing his limits-"
"Uma," Chad moaned, hopelessly embarrassed by the gaggle of merchildren and teenagers that were listening to every word Uma said with rapt attention.
"-so you have to know them for him," she continued as though she hadn't heard him speak. "So watch your surroundings and your grip, because humans are good at a lot of things, but swimming through the ocean is not one of them."
"So romantic," one of the little girls whispered, and Chad gave up then and there, hiding his face in his hands while Uma healed his back, King Triton watching on with an expression of pride that could not be doubted.
They got other kinds of visitors too. Royal kinds. Kinds that Chad hadn't realized the importance of until the usual teens that hung out with him froze up and swam a respectable distance away, huddling together to trade furious whispers.
Chad wondered what that was about for all of two seconds before a brown-haired girl with a red shell crown swam up to him. "So you're the prince."
"And you're the princess," Chad said, hoping he'd gotten that right and was relieved when it earned him a smile.
"Aclina," she introduced. "Daughter of Attina, crown princess of Atlantica."
"Chadwick James," Chad said, doing his best to imitate the formal merperson bow. "Crown prince of Sardinia."
"The place with the slippers," Aclina said, because somewhere along the way Chad's entire kingdom had gotten reduced to a single pair of shoes in the public's collective interest.
"The one and the same."
"So, Chadwick." She floated closer to him, letting a hand fall on his bare bicep in what he hoped was a welcoming gesture. "What do you think of Atlantica?"
Merfolk didn't generally do casual touch outside their immediate family, and they definitely didn't do it without permission. Chad had gone his entire first visit without a single point of contact, which wasn't all that odd for him in particular, it just made it weird when she did it now. Maybe she was trying to emulate human culture? Attempting to find a middle ground, dusting off her diplomacy skills as crown princess just for him.
Chad pushed what was no doubt superb over-analyzation on his part aside and focused on the conversation, answering honestly. "It's beautiful, and so unique from any other kingdom in Auradon."
All kingdoms had their own small offerings to make them stand apart from each other, but there was no question that Atlantic was a bit special in that particular regard.
A large smile spread across her face. "I'm glad to hear that." She seemed to drift a little bit closer, though Chad was sure that was a result of the ocean currents more than anything else. "You know, we have a story in Atlantica-"
"Prince Chadwick!" Another mermaid darted into view, curling close to Chad's other side as she blinked at him with wide, purple eyes. "So glad to finally meet you. I'm Agneta, daughter of Andrina."
"My cousin," Aclina said, smiling even though her voice seemed a bit tense.
"I never thought I'd get to see a human in person," Agneta said, dragging a hand across Chad's shoulder, settling it on his other bicep. "Grandfather was so wary of your last visit that we weren't allowed to properly meet. But now that you've come back-"
"We wanted to introduce ourselves," Aclina cut in, voice hard. "I already said that much, Agneta."
"You're so thoughtful, Aclina," Agneta said, her smile seeming a little tight, and it made Chad wonder if there was another conversation going on. That happened a lot with Audrey. It always made Chad feel especially dumb.
"I do my best," the brown-haired princess said, seeming to puff up in something like pride. She turned her attention back to Chad. "I actually came here to invite you for a swim? The coral reef is especially pretty this time of day."
"Um…" That had not been what Chad was expecting. "I actually need to stay close by," he explained. "Uma channels her magic through her shell, and I need to stay near so she can use it."
"So that's the shell, huh?" Agenta said, narrowing her purple eyes at the glowing necklace. "How can you stand wearing such a horrid thing?"
"It's not horrid," Chad said, feeling defensive. "This shell is an heirloom that's been a part of your family for generations." He cradled the familiar warmth between his hands. "Yes, it can be misused to do horrible things, like what your great aunt did, but Uma uses it for good."
"Good," Agneta scoffed. "How good can she be? She enchanted a king."
"King Ben didn't press any charges against her," Chad said. "And if he's willing to believe in Uma and your grandfather's willing to believe in her-"
"And you're willing to believe in her?" Aclina said, almost like a challenge.
Chad would know, he got them from Audrey a lot.
"I do believe in Uma," Chad said, even though he knew his support was ultimately meaningless. "I believe in her cause. I believe in the children of the Isle."
Aclina drifted closer, her hand sliding over the back of his shoulders until she essentially had an arm around his neck. "You've got a very kind heart, Prince Chadwick."
"That… is the way of Sardinia," he said eventually. "To have courage and kindness."
It was his mother's way, at least, and Chad thought that counted for far more than the standard Sardinian rules.
Agenta perked up. "You are very brave," she said, her lilac hair curling around her shoulders. "To come all the way down here, into a habitat that could very well kill you. Tell me…" Her fingers drifted forward, caressing the shell dangling against his chest. She brushed against his pectoral by accident, and Chad shivered, unused to that kind of contact. "…is it Uma's magic that keeps you safe?"
"…yes," Chad said, beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.
"You must trust her very much," Aclina cut in, blinking large, blue eyes at him.
"I do," Chad said. "Without question."
"Huh," Agenta said, and that seemed to be the end of that conversation.
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"Does Audrey need to be worried?" Uma teased later that night, when Chad was settling into the protective curl of her tentacles as Uma dragged them down into the confines of their kelp bed. "Those second cousins of mine or whatever seemed real interested in you."
Chad felt his face heat with embarrassment. "I'm just a novelty," he tried to explain. "Merroway Cove is so far away, so they don't really see any other royals-"
"Or they think you're cute," Uma countered, pulling him close to her chest. "But whatever, you're obviously not going to act on it."
"Of course not," Chad said, mildly scandalized.
He had Audrey. He was pretty sure he had gotten her to like him again, at the very least for the dresses he bought her. That was something.
"So devoted," Uma hummed, but then she was stroking her fingers through his curls like a kind of apology, so Chad figured it was okay.
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The second day of the festival (there was a festival, and Chad didn't know the details, only that it gave Uma a chance to shine), Uma got ready for the ball early so she could meet with Sabastian at his request, finally giving into the crab's bid to 'share her talent' with the populous of Atlantica.
Chad himself was very excited to hear Uma sing. He knew she had a pretty voice from the snippets he heard her hum in the shower, or sometimes, when she thought he was asleep, she would sing a quiet tune while petting a hand through his curls. It was one of Chad's very favorite things, though he made an effort not to tell her about it for fear that it might be taken away. He realized that this could partially be considered as taking advantage of the captain, but he thought this fell into King Eugene's category of 'what they don't know, doesn't hurt them' way of thinking.
Because Uma had already left (allowing Chad to help her with the gown King Triton had commissioned for her, and braid an assortment of shells into her hair), Chad was forced to get ready by himself, not that he minded. While he did feel more at ease with Uma around when they were underwater, he knew from Audrey that his presence could be stifling, and he didn't want to hold Uma back from enjoying her moment. She deserved space and freedom and all the other things Audrey also deserved, so Chad didn't mind that he wouldn't get to see her rehearsal. He'd see her sing soon enough, and besides, it wasn't all that hard to put on the weird, toga-like robe thing made of light blue, billowy material. It was designed to go over one of his shoulders, leaving the other bare while it tied with a gold, shell-studded strap, and Chad would get to finish the look with his crown and the jewelry the children of Atlantica had made for him.
It was the first time he'd ever been excited to prep for a ball. Instead of worrying about making a fool of himself, he got to look forward to Uma and the merpeople that seemed to like him. He got to further their cause and swim-dance badly, and he knew at the end of the night that no matter what happened, they would be okay.
He'd just changed into a new set of wetsuit pants (dark blue, so they sort of matched his outfit) when he heard the brown-haired princess's voice (Aclina, maybe?) drift through his door. "Prince Chad, are you in there?"
"Yes, your highness," Chad said, swimming over towards the kelp curtain that acted as a separator between the room and the hallway. He pushed it open carefully, and found all six of the princesses floating outside the room. "Can I help you?"
"More like, can we help you?" the blue-haired one gushed, seeming unable to contain herself.
"We want to help you get ready for the ball!" green hair chirped, pumping her fist into the air excitedly. "You know, the mermaid way."
"We thought you deserved the experience," Aclina declared with a nod of her head.
"And besides," pink hair whispered. "We've never seen a human-"
"Shut up, Adara," Agneta hissed, and then they were all just sort of looking at Chad expectantly.
It was, honestly, the first time he'd ever been offered anything like this, and he was sort of touched. Definitely caught off guard, but still touched. He knew a lot of the merpeople found him fascinating because he was, for many of them, the first human they'd ever seen up close, and that was likely no different with the princesses. So he was likely extended this invitation because he was a novelty for them, but that didn't mean he should turn it down. There was no point in being rude, and besides, it was always a chance to network.
"Um…" Chad let his fingers curl around Uma's shell, the action childish, but still strangely grounding. "Thank you. I'd be honored."
"'Honored', he says," the orange haired one giggled, and then Chad found himself being dragged along by a group of excited mer-princesses towards what he guessed was their primping area, all of them seeming to talk over one another.
"We know you have a problem with floating," Agneta said, guiding him towards an alcove that seemed to be carved out of the stone entirely. "So we figured out a way to solve that problem and help you get ready – sort of like a two-in-one. See-" She dragged him low, where there was a bed of kelp was floating harmlessly up towards the ceiling, though it seemed to be a different color than any other he'd seen. "This is exfoliating kelp," she explained, wrapping his hands and wrists in it. "Ten minutes in this and then your skin will be nice and smooth."
"Like ours!" Adara-of-pink-hair cheered, wiggling her fingers at him.
"Um." Chad tugged at the kelp tentatively, realizing that the way she'd wrapped the kelp sort of trapped his hands. "So I just wait, then?"
"No need," blue hair dismissed with a wave of her hand. "There's six of us. You just float and we'll take care of you, okay?"
"O…kay," Chad said, and he didn't realize the implications of her statement until the orange haired one was dragging his ankles upwards, until he was more or less upside down, being buoyed down by the kelp.
Thankfully, Uma's spell kept the blood from rushing to his head, but it was still kind of odd.
"Don't worry," Aclina soothed, turning so that she was also floating upside down to stare him in the eye, her brown hair curled close to her head. "We won't touch your torso."
"Just your fins!" green hair cheered. "And maybe your hair? Oh, we could do a nice seaweed mask."
"They're legs, Airlia," Lilac – Agneta – tutted.
"Right." Green hair grinned. "It's like two fins."
"Let's just get to work," Aclina sighed, and then they all sort of descended upon him. Two worked on his head, like they'd mentioned before, one lathering some sort of gel through his curls while another applied that seaweed mask that felt kind of refreshing. Those two were harmless enough, but Chad couldn't help but be distracted by the four that seemed to be working on his legs, lathering his wetsuit pants with a thick layer of foam that wouldn't be a problem, if they didn't seem dedicated to get everywhere.
"This will get your scales all nice and gleaming," pink hair explained, scrubbing at his inner thigh. "…though yours are sort of weird. All soft and squishy."
"How do you get them to change color?" another one asked, straying dangerously close to Chad's butt. She pinched the material between her fingers. "Do humans have camouflage?"
"You know they don't," Agneta sighed, but then she was scrubbing at Chad's groin and that was- that was a very big problem. "I think this is a covering, just like our shells."
"Y-Yeah, that's- that's right," Chad breathed, cheeks feeling warm. "But um, could you stop-?"
"Ugh, we're so stupid," orange hair huffed. "We're supposed to be cleaning him, not his shells. How do we get this thing off?"
Chad's pulse immediately skyrocketed, his hands tensing in the kelp. "You don't have to- I mean, you don't need to-"
"We said we'd help you," the one working on his hair tutted, and that was all the warning he got before one of them released a sound of triumph.
"Got it!" pink hair chirped, tugging at the waist of his pants. "We just have to pull these down-"
"Please don't," Chad said, tugging against the kelp. "I would prefer if you didn't-"
"There's no need to be shy," one of them tutted, and then Chad had to deal with the very real fact that four princesses were working together to tug his pants off, rolling them down (up?) his legs until they were gathered around his ankles.
"Wow," one of them breathed, the water shifting around Chad's bare groin so that one of them might be staring at him. "Is that-?"
"Of course not," Brown hair huffed. "Those only appear on mermen when they're ready for sex. Prince Chad obviously isn't ready for that."
"So it's something else then?" orange hair asked, and then there was a hand between Chad's legs, fondling him and angling him every which way, and it was a level of direct contact he hadn't felt in a while because Audrey preferred to be the one um- receiving attention rather than touching Chad- which was fine, though it was less fine because this princess was touching and pumping him and his face was getting unbearably hot.
"Another fin?" Pink hair breathed. "A hidden one?"
"S-Stop," Chad stuttered, trying to shift his hips out of her grasp, only to be met by the waiting hands of another curious princess who also wanted to touch, inspecting him while yet another toyed with the curve of his butt. "That's um- human reproductive organs don't retract-"
"Look how red it's getting!" One of them cheered. "And full too."
"Yeah," another one said, joining the hands on Chad's groin. "It feels kind of heavy."
"I bet he needs to be milked!" orange hair gushed. "Like the salmon? See, his egg sack's full."
"That's not-" Chad's breath caught when they started fondling his testicles, and even though he was trying very hard not to get turned on there was also a lot of people touching him and he really wanted them to stop touching him and what would Audrey think?
Worse, what would Uma think?
"Awww, poor boy," one of them cooed, pumping him in earnest, making his thighs shake. "You're fit to burst, aren't you?"
"N-no, no." Chad shook his head desperately, trying to rediscover his equilibrium. "I'm fine. Please, stop-"
"You don't have to be embarrassed," brown hair tutted. "We know humans have different needs than merpeople-"
"I think he's close!" one of the ones pumping him said. Another was steadily squeezing his sack, making rivulets of arousal burst through his torso.
"Ah-" It was like Chad couldn't breathe, couldn't catch his breath, he was so overwhelmed and caught off guard. "P-Please-"
"What's this?" Delicate hands parted his cheeks, and he could hear at least two of them marvel at that tight ring of muscle. "Does this need to be cleaned?"
"It might be where he excretes things," the other mused. "Weird that it's kind of just out all the time, but-"
"Yeah, we should clean that," the first one said, and then there was a squishy sponge carefully rubbing at Chad's entrance while he was very much getting a handjob.
"He's leaking!" the one teasing his tip chirped, and Chad was very much glad he was upside down so he couldn't see it happening, even though he could feel it.
"That's good," brown hair said. The six of them now appeared to be exclusively focused on Chad's legs.
"I need a longer sponge," one behind him said, and that was all the warning he got before he felt something soft and squishy slowly get pressed inside him.
It freaked Chad out, enough that he was frozen still, because he and Jay had awkwardly talked about maybe doing something like that, but Chad had always gotten too embarrassed for Jay to get past the 'feeling' point, let alone push something inside and now there was something that was both more and less substantial than one of Jay's fingers, that squished in but seemed to expand and stroke and rub until he was shivering and moaning instead of keening in pain.
"Huh," the one behind him hummed before she started shifting the sponge in and out of him in small, quick movements that should be horrific but instead Chad felt good, and then humiliated by that response because his groin was throbbing in the princesses' hands.
"Whatever you're doing, keep doing it," brown hair decided, scrubbing at Chad's hip while she watched the proceedings with a keen eye.
"So it would seem that male humans derive enjoyment from having their excretion holes cleaned," Lilac hair noted, and when it was put that clinically Chad could feel nothing but shame, a deep heat that spread larger in his chest the more sponge was urged into him. "Fascinating."
"T-That's not-" Chad was having trouble taking deep breaths, teetering close to the edge of a panic attack, but like, a sexually charged one and he didn't even know what that was. "P-Please don't-"
"Oooh, are you not supposed to like it?" she asked, the sponge seeming to move more intentionally.
"Aww, don't care what other people think," pink hair chirped. "If you enjoy it, you do you."
"Go deeper," another one urged, and that was the warning Chad got before the sponge scraped against unchecked territory that left Chad writhing, embarrassed and hard and hot and he didn't know what to do. He couldn't get his hands free and they weren't listening and he was pretty sure this wasn't helping him get untainted but he also didn't want to be rude when they were trying so very hard to help.
"He likes it!" the one with a hand between his legs cheered. "Keep moving it in and out."
"Maybe we should add another one?"
A distinct heat built behind Chad's eyes when the sponge was slowly dragged out of him, making him know how much he truly hate himself because it had been long, and then they were sliding in two together, and it should hurt – Jay had said it would hurt – but they were slippery waited to expand until they were inside Chad and the feel of himself stretching around them ached but also felt good and Audrey had said they weren't supposed to do this kind of stuff.
"S-Stop, please," Chad whispered, voice barely audible. "Ah- ah-"
He was going to fall apart in front of six princesses which seemed on a basic level the last thing he should do. He was going to fall apart in front of six princesses and maybe that would make King Triton retract his support, because Chad was a pervert and Chad was a slut and Chad was a weirdo who enjoyed people messing with his butt and he wanted it to stop, just- wanted to go back to hiding in his room but these princesses he barely knew were trying so hard to help him and he was rude enough to take that for granted and he just really wanted Uma despite the fact she should never see him like this.
"Hey," one of the princesses said, her voice flittering past Chad's ears because his eyes were squeezed shut in an effort to keep his fracturing emotions in check. "Why's it glowing?"
When Chad risked opening his eyes, he noticed a soft flare of light that hadn't been there before, and distantly registered a stir of warmth around his neck. It was Uma's shell necklace, though he wasn't sure how he had made it start glowing. Maybe she was looking for him? Or-
"Is it doing anything?" another asked, drifting closer to Chad's neck. "Looks like it's just lighting up."
"Like your own glow stone!" the pink one chirped. "Aww, that's sweet. You don't ever have to be afraid of the dark."
"Yeah," the one behind him said as she pushed the sponges deeper than before. "It's real romantic."
"Oh hush, Agneta," a different one tutted. "Green is not a good color on you-"
"Get away from him!" A voice – Uma's voice – roared, seeming to reverberate through the cavern and resonate deep in Chad's bones. He could feel the water shift around him, mermaids being swept away by the current with a few shocked cries.
Chad should be horrified but mostly he was glad, even as he floated there somewhat uselessly, hard and naked and very, very dumb.
"We were just helping him," the brown haired one bristled. "You don't have to get all territorial-"
"Shut up," Uma snapped, closer now, and only then did Chad risk opening his eyes again.
She had her tentacles curled around him, blocking him from view, and a lazy sweep of her hand had Chad's hands free from the kelp. Immediately, he moved to turn himself back upright, feeling stupid with his pants down and that stuff still on his face and in his hair and he was so very aroused.
"What is the meaning of this?" King Triton's voice rumbled, and that was when Chad felt his stomach drop completely, made him freeze in the protected curl of Uma's arms.
"We were just helping-"
"You psycho granddaughters were molesting Chad," Uma snarled, holding Chad closer, which he normally enjoyed but his groin was brushing against her dress and he was pretty sure he was still leaking and the sponges were still inside him-
"We are not-" the Aclina one cut off with a sputter. "We didn't molest him!"
"How many times did he ask you to stop?" Uma growled, and only then did the mermaids seem to freeze, sharing looks with each other.
"We just thought he was being shy," the pink haired one admitted.
Chad couldn't stop shaking, painfully aware of the looks he was getting, the renewed attention, and he'd just wanted to be polite and not mess things up and in doing so it seemed like he'd messed up everything.
"…Chadwick?" the king said softly.
"I'm sorry," Chad gasped, squeezing his eyes shut as tears gathered and floated away in the ocean waters. "I'm sorry. I- p-please just- just forget this- please-"
"It's okay, sweetheart," Uma urged, wrapping an arm around his waist, and even now Chad could still find a way to perceive that as appealing rather than show some kind of restraint. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Uma," the king said, his voice still so very gentle. "Could you take Prince Chadwick back to your room?"
"Certainly," Uma said, her tone shifting from calm to that of a sure and steady leader. "But you'd better take care of this."
"It will be done," the king said, entirely solemn, and that was all Uma seemed to need. She urged the wetsuit back up with one of her tentacles before tucking Chad close to her body and swimming back to their room in the blink of an eye, muttering low curses all the way.
"U-Uma," Chad gasped as she settled them down on the kelp bed – friendly kelp that didn't trap him, that was just as gentle as Uma's tentacles. "I'm so sorry-"
"I meant what I said earlier," she soothed, rubbing carefully at his cheeks even though there weren't any tear tracks, clearing the seaweed mask off. "Now tell me what you need."
"I- I-" Chad felt so shaky. "They- they put um- these- s-sponges in-" He cut off with a sharp gasp as his breaths seemed to come faster. "-inside and I- I liked-"
"That's okay," Uma said instead of dismissing him, instead of villainizing him the way Audrey would have. "It's okay if it felt good, blondie, it's supposed to feel good."
"B-But Audrey doesn't- doesn't like it when-" Chad swallowed. "And they're still- still inside and-"
Uma didn't say anything, merely tucked Chad close to her chest, holding him in her lap as she eased the back of his pants down. That time when Chad's breath caught, it was from a growing sort of anticipation because he was greedy, but he couldn't find the energy to hate himself when Uma's fingers curled between his cheeks, slipping inside-
"Ah-" Chad moaned when she dragged the sponges out, seeming to move especially slow. "Uma."
"Do you like that?" she asked, seeming genuinely interested and not at all disgusted as she- she teased a finger against that ring of muscle.
"I-" It felt like a trap, but Chad was so overwhelmed he couldn't lie. "It's b-better with you."
That seemed to make her tense, though she immediately relaxed herself. "Of course it is. You trust me to take care of you."
The statement made Chad flush all the way down to his toes. "B-Because we're allies?"
"…yeah, baby," she murmured, lips brushing against his curls. "Do you want me to finish taking care of you?"
"I-" The idea made his breath catch. "I couldn't ask that of you-"
"I'm offering, slick," she said, carding a hand through his hair. The hand behind him pulled away and was replaced by something more substantial, slippery and firm but fluid, a strange dichotomy that had him moaning as it stretched him wide.
"Uma," he gasped, his groin throbbing viciously. "Is- is that-?"
"Let's just say my tentacles are useful for more than swimming," Uma hummed, and then Chad had to live with the knowledge that Uma was using one of her tentacles to tease him, pumping in and out of him in slow curls that made him feel entirely lost.
"I'm gonna-" he said, fumbling with the waist of his wetsuit pants on reflex before stilling his hand. "Uma, I-"
"Do you want me to see?" she asked, a seemingly innocent question that Chad should say no to but instead his mouth said-
"Yes."
Needy. Horribly needy and Audrey hated it, but Uma just- teased his pants down for him, revealing his groin with a low whistle of appreciation that made Chad shiver.
"Isn't that a lovely sight?" she cooed, and she didn't even seem to be joking, her dark fingers curling around him and giving a deliberate pump that left Chad mewling. "Can't wait to show this to the boys."
"Uma," Chad said, the very idea making his chest hurt.
"They appreciate pretty things," Uma continued like she hadn't just casually offered a thing that wasn't done. "And you're so very pretty. I'd have to make Harry sit on his hands just to keep him from ravishing you."
Chad shuddered, knowing the words weren't true, were just a kind story because Uma was feeling generous, but the thought of it made Chad moan.
"I'd let Gil help you," Uma continued blithely. "He likes being helpful. And honestly, he's not the most skilled, but he's got a lot of enthusiasm to make up for it."
Chad wanted to tell her that any amount of attention would rock his world, but that seemed like a disservice to the picture she was painting, even if it was getting harder to focus on it the faster that tentacle pumped in and out of him. The suckers were catching on him- making him stretch wider at odd moments that made him twitch and shake, but Uma was there to guide him through all of it, telling him how pretty he was, how good he felt.
"And after my boys were done with you, after you'd put on the prettiest show and thought you had no more to give, I would work you up again so they could have an encore performance. And they'd touch themselves watching you get so wet-"
"Uma," Chad moaned, because no one would do that. Jay had sort of done that, but that was like, an exception, not the rule.
"Fuck," Uma hissed, pulling her hand off him. "Fuck it."
She pulled her hand away from his length and flicked it in a quick circle, summoning what seemed to be some kind of forcefield around it that didn't hurt. It seemed to move with him, accommodating for each pulse with a relentless hum of warmth, and Chad got lost focusing on that for a second, enough so that he didn't realize Uma had more in store until she was moving. She guided him forward up against the core of her tentacles, and he shuddered at the press of slick, squishy flesh before it almost seemed to- to part around him, taking him inside- like-
"Yes," Uma breathed, her head falling back as the tentacle pushing into Chad rutted him deeper into her warmth.
"Uma, Uma- are we-?" Chad could hardly believe it, hardly think over the tentacle inside him and the tight warmth around him and this was so much, too much.
"Why?" Uma asked, eyes half lidded and lips parted as she took in needy gulps of water. "You grossed out?"
"No," Chad gasped when she drew him close again, started working him in and out of her the same way the tentacle pumped in and out of him. "S-Should I be?"
Oh no, maybe he should be. Maybe he liked butt stuff and mermaid sex and those were all broken, taboo things and this had all been some grand test that he had failed.
But Uma was grinning at him, that wicked, self-satisfied thing as she squeezed around him. "Nope," she drawled, letting the word trail off with a sigh. "Fuck, this feels so much better. We're going to do this for now on."
"Uma." She shouldn't say stuff like that, mostly because Chad didn't really know what they were doing and also he had to win over Audrey and Uma had her crew to think of and maybe he was just the best – or only – thing available to her- "Uma. Uma."
"That's it," she coaxed, cupping the base of his neck as she urged him faster. "What's my name?"
"Uma," Chad gasped, and he fell apart with a ferocity he had only ever rivaled with Jay, arousal ripping through him like a bolt of lightning. He could feel himself unload into that forcefield, feel the way she responded to it, seeming to tighten ferociously before she was moaning too, this gooey sort of wetness spurting out of her and smearing against Chad's pelvis until they were both kind of a mess.
They stayed like that for a few moments, trying to catch their breaths, before Uma eventually pulled her tentacle out of Chad, curling it around his waist to pull him out of her, and he knew he shouldn't watch but he couldn't help but catch that shiny opening seem to disappear (or retract? The mermaids had mentioned something about that) as though it had never been there at all.
The forcefield vanished next, taking Chad's release with it, until it was just the two of them trying to catch their breath.
The collapsed next to each other curled up in the kelp, Uma's tentacles hugging Chad close. He nuzzled into them on reflex, and it was both overwhelming and a relief when Uma curled her arms around him, dragging him close in a way she normally wouldn't indulge.
"So… maybe that wasn't the best way to handle what happened," Uma allowed, and while Chad had been expecting her to come to her senses, he just hadn't thought it would be so fast. "But… are you okay?"
Chad swallowed, decided to go for broke and curled against her shoulder. "I'm okay. Thank you, Uma. For…" He flushed, wishing he was actually, in any way, charming. "For everything," he settled on.
She let out a low hum, something that seemed to rumble through her chest in a comforting purr. "It was my pleasure, slick."
Speaking of, he still had some smeared against his-
"Let's go get cleaned up," she said with a regretful sigh, tugging him towards their private bathroom-equivalent while she undid the back of her gown. "We've got a whirlpool with our names on it."
"But um- what about the ball?" Chad asked, allowing himself to be gently tugged along.
"There will be other balls," Uma dismissed. "The only ones I'm interested in now though, are yours."
"Uma." Chad pressed a hand against his face, forever embarrassed by her cackles, but then she was guiding his clothes the rest of the way off with a gentleness the other princesses could never manage, cuddling him in the safe confines of her tentacles in the swirling waters of their whirlpool.
"Yeah…" she trailed off with a laugh. "Harry's not going to know what to do with you."
Chad had a feeling that would be entirely mutual. But if it kept Uma as his ally, well…
It was worth it. Period.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Endnotes:
I saw a fanart comic that demonstrated Ursula's corruption via the misuse of magic in an attempt to bring her father back to life – that was where I drew inspiration from for the whole squid-maid thing.
Also, let's assume that Uma's water breathing spell also helped Chad see in the dark and protected his eyes from the salt water. Let's just go ahead and pretend that was included ;)
Merroway Cove is a kingdom from the show Sophia the First, and while I don't know much about it, I do know that it has mermaids.
All of King Triton's granddaughters are entirely made up. I can't remember who belongs to who or where I even found the names (curse you, lack of notes), but hey, if you need random mermaid OCs, feel free to use them. Just give me a shoutout in the endnotes :)
For reference – Aclina (brown hair), Agneta (lilac hair), Adara (pink hair), Airlia (green hair)
Shoutout to the obligatory 'what's my name?' ;P
Magic condoms for the win ;D
WARNING – Non-con – Basically, Chad gets assaulted by a bunch of mermaids in the last scene of the chapter. It is framed as a gross cultural misunderstanding, at least that's what Chad sees it as, but the six are very much aware of what they are doing. If you would prefer to skip all mentions of this, look for:
"You know they don't," Agneta sighed, but then she was scrubbing at Chad's groin and that was- that was a very big problem. "I think this is a covering, just like our shells."
You can jump back in at:
"…Chadwick?" the king said softly.
This will get you to Uma taking care of Chad in the aftermath, where things get a bit heated. If you would like to skip that as well, you can jump back in at:
"So… maybe that wasn't the best way to handle what happened," Uma allowed, and while Chad had been expecting her to come to her senses, he just hadn't thought it would be so fast. "But… are you okay?"
Until next time