Chapter 5
Ariel buried her head in her pillows. She would groan in dismay if she could. Cadet Hawkins kissed her. Given he was trying to save her life, but his lips still touched hers! And she wasn't even awake to experience it! Eric almost kissed her, but that never happened because the boat somehow tipped over. She would be human permanently now if it weren't for that. And now that she knows that her lips have met Cadet Hawkins's lips, her heart will be pulled more towards him! Actually, it was already being pulled.
She slapped her pillow. I'm going to miss the deadline! We just have one more day!
She shot up out of bed, startling Sebastian who was near her on the blanket. No! I'm not going to miss the deadline. Eric almost kissed me, so he will be compelled to do it again. And this time, there will be no water, overturned boats and handsome guards! I'll try to stay away from Cadet Hawkins as much as possible.
"Ariel, what did I tell you?" Sebastian asked. "I said you should be careful, and now look what has happened. Dat boy has done what Prince Eric was suppose to do."
She turned away from her crustacean friend, not wanting to listen because she knew he was right. She will just do everything in her power to get Eric alone with her. Again. In the village, and as she and Eric were dancing, she heard some people near them talk about a lake, and she had the clever idea to go out on a boat with Eric, alone. That idea failed, obviously. She will just keep trying.
Ariel lay back against her feather-filled pillows and drifted off to sleep. The sun shining into her bedroom awoke her the next morning, warming her eyelids. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Sebastian on the pillow, sleeping right in front of her face. Not wanting to wake him, she slowly climbed out of bed, and put on one of her more pretty dresses. She pulled out the pink one, the first dress that Eric saw her in. He had stared at her and said that she looked wonderful. No man has stared at her like that before.
It was decided. She put it on, minus that horrendous contraption that nearly suffocated her. The day before, she wore it, and that caused her to nearly drown since it confined her enough that she couldn't swim to the surface. How embarrassing it was... a mermaid almost drowning.
She thought of Cadet Hawkins' life-saving procedure and touched her lips, imagining his lips on hers. She smirked and giggled. What did he think about it?
She gasped at her imaginings and shook her head. No. She shouldn't think about it when she's determined to receive a kiss from Eric and remain a human permanently.
Once Ariel was ready, she made it to the stairs, but stopped at the top when she saw, down below, Cadet Hawkins talking with another man in uniform, only the man was far older and had on a light-colored uniform. She watched as the two talked, and a couple minutes later, the older of he two left. Cadet Hawkins began walking near the stairs. His gaze happened to land on her. He stropped and stared at her for a moment with those blue eyes of his. Ariel pursed her lips. She might as well thank him for saving her life. That would do no harm, would it?
She stepped down the huge staircase, and Cadet Hawkins continued to stare at her until she stepped off the stairs and stood in front of him. He blinked several times, as if snapping out of some reverie. He cleared his throat. "Good morning, Miss Ariel."
"Good morning, Cadet Hawkins." She pointed to her chest. "You can just call me Ariel."
He nodded. "As you wish—Ariel."
Her heart jumped. How come her name had to sound so sweet in his masculine voice? "I would like to tell you something."
"Alright. Go ahead."
Was it her imagination, or were the cheeks on his handsome face turning a bit pink? "I want to thank you for saving my life yesterday. I should have thanked you."
He didn't answer right away and it looked as if he was staring at her mouth. Did he not catch what she said? She about repeated when he cleared his throat again, and his cheeks noticeably turned more pink. "Um... yes. You're welcome. I'm glad that you're alright."
The two stood there for a moment in the massive and empty entry corridor. Cadet Hawkins said, "Well, I should be getting to my post. Have a good day, Ariel."
He promptly left her presence and disappeared into the hallway to the left of the staircase. Ariel just stood there. He seemed embarrassed. And flustered. Because of her? Of course it was because of her! Ariel's lips curved into a smile, but then it immediately disappeared. She can't let his reaction to her just now affect her. She needs to focus. She needs to find Eric.
He was a complete moron. All he could do when he encountered Ariel was stare at her mouth. Of course, he had to so he could understand what she was trying to tell him... tell him something that was rather serious and important. And he couldn't keep his head on straight! Is was bad enough that he almost asked to be sent home when he was speaking to Lieutenant McHillen earlier, but knew it was best to finish his test, no matter what is happening.
"This girl is seriously going to be my undoing, Morph," Jim said as his pink blob friend floated next to him as he walked through a hallway, the right wall to which was a window viewing the gardens to the palace. He gazed out of the window at the bushes, flowers, trees... there was a streak of red. He stopped and saw Ariel in that attractive pink dress walk up to Eric as he was playing fetch with Max. Eric smiled and Ariel started waving her arms, probably attempting to tell him something. Jim's heart jumped when Eric stood close to Ariel, so close that he could...
He looked away. He shouldn't be spying on them. "C'mon, Morph." The blob didn't move and Jim looked back him. Morph stared out the window with his jaw hanging open. Curious, Jim looked out the window and saw that Eric had his hands on Ariel's shoulders and was leaning in. He huffed and said more sternly, "C'mon, Morph. No more spying on them." He turned and Morph gasped. Defeated, Jim looked out the window again and saw Eric walking away from Ariel, leaving her with a sad look on her face.
"What happened?" He looked to Morph, and the blob gave him a look that said 'but you didn't want to know'. "Just tell me."
Morph suddenly turned into Eric and Ariel, with Eric leaning in like Jim saw earlier, but then Eric suddenly leaned back. The two stared for one another for a moment, then Eric walked away. Jim shook his head as Morph turned back to normal. "Eric's crazy about that girl, yet he's too shy to plant one on her." Morph turned into him, Eric and Ariel, with him pushing Eric to Ariel. Morph changed back. "Wait, you want me to push them together? Like some sort of matchmaker? No way, Morph."
Morph turned into Ariel's head, and sad tears fell from her eyes. Jim leaned against the window. "Morph, no..." Ariel's mouth puckered, begging him. "No, Morph!" Morph changed into Ariel dressed in that old sail and washed up on the beach. "What are you trying to say?" Morph changed back and let out a massive sigh and shook his blob head. He changed into a pen and paper and wrote out a message—Jim's brows rose because Morph only did that when Jim just wasn't getting it. The message read, There may be more to Ariel than you think. Why is she throwing herself at Eric?
Ariel was throwing herself at Eric? "Are you sure, Morph?" Morph changed into Ariel and Eric in the boat on the lake the day before. Ariel did insist that they go to the lake, and to have only Eric ride with her. "Maybe you have point, Morph, but I don't want to bud into their business." Morph turned into the pen and paper again. Aren't you curious? "Yeah, I guess so, but still..."
Morph changed back to normal and huffed again, making an irritated face, which Jim thought really cute. He chuckled. "That's not why I'm here, Morph, but... I am really curious as to what Ariel's story is." Morph's expression didn't change. "Okay, fine. But I'm not playing matchmaker."
Morph cheered and licked Jim's cheek. Why was the blob so happy that he agreed to this? "Alright, let's get to the throne room," Jim said, and Morph went into his pocket.
He had to find Ariel. And this time, he's not going to leave her until he gets her story. It may be nothing, or it may be something pretty serious. And it had to do with Eric.
The sun was high in the sky, and Jim's stomach rumbled. He had skipped lunch because his companion at the throne room doors had gotten sick from some kind of fish he ate for breakfast, and he had to cover for him. He checked his pocket watch. It was already passed three. His stomach growled angrily again, and that's when he spotted Lieutenant McHillen walking up to him. Jim stood straight and at attention as his boss approached him.
"Cadet Hawkins," the gruff man addressed him, and Jim saluted.
"Yes, Lieutenant."
"You haven't taken a lunch break, have you?"
"No—Sir! I am covering for O'Brighten who was taken ill—Sir!"
"I know, since I was the one who had to clean up my shoes after he got sick all over them," he said with annoyance. "The boy was speaking with me, and suddenly... we had to call Colatta to clean the floor."
Jim didn't know this bit of information. He tried hard not to smirk, but it escaped anyway. Lieutenant McHillen rose a brow. Jim cleared his throat. "I am so sorry, Sir."
"Yeah, you would be," he said in a disbelieving tone, and Jim heard Morph snicker from his pocket. He coughed just to cover up the sound. "Well," the Lieutenant continued, "I will get Johanson here to cover for you, and Hanley as well. There never should be one guard to a door, especially this one. You know that."
"Yes—Sir!" And Jim did know that. But what could he do? He couldn't leave his post.
Lieutenant Mchillen left, and promptly came back a few minutes later with the other guards. "Off you go now, Cadet," his boss said to him. "Just be back here by four sharp."
"Yes—Sir!"
Jim left his boss's presence, and as he did so, he thought he heard 'silver' being muttered behind him. He turned and saw Lieutenant McHillan still standing there. Was he hearing things? He missed Silver, but did he miss him enough to hear his name in thin air?
He shrugged it off and walked down the same hallway he did earlier, where the gardens were in view from the window. He gazed out at the gardens, and stopped mid-step to see that familiar spec of red. Ariel was down there. Again? Or, did she even leave? She was sitting on a bench under a cotton-wood tree. Jim was too far away to see any facial expression, but... she was alone. Could this be his chance? He needs to find out her story so he can sound an alarm if he needs to. He needs to find out the mystery that is Ariel... does she even have a last name?
He briskly began walking down the hallway, and took a left down another one that led to the massive back corridor of the castle. He came to a set of double doors and exited them. He walked across the terrace and down some stone steps into the garden. His gaze on the tree, he went in that direction. His heart jumped when he saw Ariel's red hair. Should he really do this? He looked back at the castle and thought of Eric. Yes, he should. This had to do with him, he was sure of it.
Jim slowly walked up to the bench where Ariel sat. She was leaned back in the bench, a sad look on her face. He didn't blame her—after being rejected in the way that she had, of course she would be down. Jim momentarily wondered what the heck Eric was thinking, not taking the opportunity to kiss Ariel. He could understand the lake incident, but earlier? Eric was indeed shy. Or just out of his mind.
Ariel suddenly turned her head towards him and she sat up in alarm. Her blue eyes widened wider than he has ever seen on any human. "Hello, Ariel," he said. "I apologize for startling you." He saw something red scurry across her lap and hide in her dress skirts. "Wait, was that a... crab?" She shook her head, but Jim didn't believe it. "You don't have to lie about having a pet crab. I actually saw it yesterday at the lake."
She pursed her lips and looked at her skirts. She looked as if she was debating on whether to show him her little sea friend. Sea friend...
"Um, Ariel, there's something I want to talk to you about," Jim said, and Ariel shot up from her seat. She pointed to the castle, not mouthing anything, and started walking away through the grass and passed some rose bushes. Jim shouldn't let her get away that easily. "Ariel, wait." She stopped, but didn't turn around. "Ariel, I just... I want to know your story. As Prince Eric's guard, as well as their Royal Highness' as well, I feel like I should be informed of who this mysterious girl is that happened to wash up on the beach and is staying in the castle with them." He took a step up to her. "Or did you just wash up on the beach?"
He noticed her form start to shake a little, and alarm pulsed through him. He didn't sound harsh, did he? Was he scaring her? "Ariel, I don't mean to trouble you, but... we should really know who you are."
She turned around, and Jim was surprised to see tears in her eyes. She shook her head. "I can't tell you."
"Why?" She pursed her lips and looked off at the pink and red roses next to them. Jim recalled the little conversation with Morph earlier. He fought it, but the words just slipped out... "Maybe I can help you. If this has to do with Eric... maybe I can do something about it. He and I are friends, as crazy as that is."
Her gaze met his, and they stood there staring at each other as a warm, salty sea breeze whirled through the air. Jim could almost see the gears moving in Ariel's head. His nerves tingled and his heart beat heavily as he waited for her response. After a couple minutes of silence, and him standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, she nodded. Jim's muscles relaxed.
"I'll tell you, but promise me you will not tell Eric," she mouthed. "Please. He can't know."
Jim figured he didn't have much choice here. She was willing to tell him everything, which is what he wanted. Better to just play by her terms. "Alright. I won't say anything."
She nodded, and then reached down into her skirts and pulled off that little crab that was as red as her hair. It shrank under Jim's intrigued stare, and sat in a ball in Ariel's hands. "This is my friend Sebastian. He is from the sea. Like me."
"Like you? What do you mean? Did he somehow get onto the ship you were on?"
"No, I wasn't on a ship. I really came from the sea. Under it."
The crab's little head looked in Ariel's direction, and Jim swore that its little eyes were glaring at her. "I'm not following."
She took a breath and set the crab down in the grass. It stayed where it was set. Ariel looked back at Jim and asked a question that he wasn't expecting... "Cadet Hawkins, do you believe in mermaids?"
Mermaids? Why would she ask that? "I suppose it's possible that they're real. Why?"
"Because... I am one. A mermaid. I was just transformed into a human."
Ariel has never seen such a look of confusion before. Cadet Hawkins stared at her as if she had turned into a mermaid right in front of him. Honestly, she never expected, or even wanted, to reveal her true self and what she has gone through during these three days, but she sensed that Cadet Hawkins was not going to leave her alone until she said something. He and Eric are friends, as he said, and as such, he may feel obligated to protect his friend from a strange girl who just "washed up" on the beach. She felt like he needs to know that Eric isn't really in any danger, and she felt like she could trust him. Why, she didn't know.
"It's a long story," she mouthed, "and all of it is the truth. Mermaids are real, and I was one of them until I decided to become a human. I... made a deal with Ursula, the sea witch, and she took my voice as payment for turning me human."
Cadet Hawkins stood there, hands behind his back, and giving Ariel a hard look. She waited, her heart hammering with anticipation for his response. He huffed air out of his nose. "Well... I guess I wasn't expecting that one. A mermaid turning into a human..."
She needs to tell him the rest of the story. "Do you remember the horrible storm a few days ago? Eric's ship sunk." He nodded. "Well..." She took a breath before she revealed, "I was the girl who rescued Eric. I first saw him on his ship and I fell in love with him instantly. After saving him, I vowed to be with him somehow."
Cadet Hawkins stood there, sheer surprise in his handsome features. "You were the girl who rescued him? It has been you all this time?"
"Yes. But my voice was taken from me. My father found out about my love for Eric, and destroyed every human artifact that I collected, including a statue of Eric. Angry and hurt, I went to the sea witch Ursula. She told me I could be human permanently if traded my voice and... if I could make Eric fall in love with me in tree days. But only if he kissed me by sunset on the third day. Which is today."
Cadet Hawkins ran a hand down his face and started to walk around in the grass. Ariel could tell that he was shocked. Anyone would be after finding out her story. She waited, and he stopped pacing and planted his hands on his hips, a furrow in his brow.
"I guess it makes sense now," he finally said. "You not knowing anything about things here, and you were so pushy in town, with the boat and everything..." He met her gaze. "So that's what this is all about? You're here so you can become human permanently?"
Her eyed widened and her mouth dropped open. "You believe me?"
"In a matter of speaking. Either your tale is true, or you're really good at making up stories." He looked to Sebastian sitting by the bottom hem of her pink dress. "I guess this explains the crab as well."
She nodded. "Everything I said is true. I'm really here because of Eric."
"I figured as much. So he has to kiss you so you can become a human permanently?"
"True love's kiss—it has to mean something. And I don't have much time. He was about to kiss me earlier, but he suddenly left. I was so close..."
Ariel hadn't realized just how desperate she was for Eric to kiss her. Before, she was so love-struck and longed to feel his lips on hers, but... now, there was a sense of urgency. She just wanted him to kiss her so her legs can stay legs forever, and she could prove to her father that she was serious about the humans. Has it really come to this? She knew that the handsome cadet in front of her had something to do with her change of feelings. If not something, then everything.
Said cadet was silent for a moment as he stood there under the limbs of the cottonwood tree, and he stared at Ariel with that crease in his brow. His next utterance shocked her to her fin-turned legs. "Alright. I'll help you out. I'll make sure you permanently become a human by tonight."