I know it has been a while since I updated, so I wanted to upload a short chapter so you would not think that the story had been abandoned.
After Carlotta escorted Ariel back to her room later that evening, Eric and Grimsby remained behind in the dining room.
"What do you make of our guest, Eric?" his advisor asked him.
"She is a very unique, pretty and interesting girl. Although I can scarcely understand how she did not recognize a fork…" Eric said, shaking his head.
"Oh Eric. I am afraid that despite our efforts to give you a broad education, you are still too sheltered in this palace. There are people in this world who are barely able to afford food, let alone the utensils to eat it with."
"Do you mean to say that you think that Ariel has been very poor all her life?" Eric asked, horror seeping into his countenance as he pictured the lovely girl destitute.
"Have you a better explanation for her quirks? She keeps staring at objects in the palace as if she never saw them before. She does not know what a fork is used for. And she is one of the thinnest girls I ever saw. Carlotta said that she did not have any money in the pockets of her dress. Yes, it is quite possible that she has been used to much different circumstances than she finds herself in now." Taking a long and hard look at Eric's face, Grimsby continued, "You like her, do you not?"
Flushing, Eric could do nothing but nod his head.
"Well, if I am to be perfectly frank I would have preferred that you marry a princess, but as Ariel is the only woman whom you have looked at twice she will have to do. She is a loveable creature. And it may not be such a bad idea to have a Queen who looks at the kingdom with a fresh set of eyes. She may be able to see injustices and problems which you and I do not."
"I have your approval, then, Grim?"
"Indeed you do."
Eric broke into a big smile.
"Thank you, Grim."
…...
Ariel stood on her room's balcony and gazed at the waves crashing into the sand below. She was learning that she liked the sea a good deal better from this perspective. Carlotta had attired her in a comfortable nightgown and had bid her goodnight. Thus, the former mermaid was all alone with Sebastian.
"He would ask me what life was like under the sea and release me back into the water," the girl mused aloud. "How wrong Daddy was!"
"Yes, indeed he was," the court composer murmured. Realizing what he had just said, the crab's red face suddenly paled. "If the King knew how many times I had committed treason today…"
"But he does not know," the girl replied, coming in from the balcony and shutting the door. "And as for me, he always said that I would have to obey his rules as long as I lived under his ocean." Her slender hand gestured toward the elaborate ceiling. "It appears I no longer live under his ocean!"
"Not so hasty, if you please! You are just a visitor here until that boy marries you." Ariel climbed into bed. "Now, we need to make a plan to have him propose to you. When he takes you into that village tomorrow, you must look your best." The redhead's eyes began to close. "You must smile at him, like this."
Sebastian noticed that his audience was asleep. Blowing out the candle, he joined her in dreamland.