Eric strode from the wood and mounted his horse quickly, hardly pausing at Philip's call.
"Wait, I'll come with you."
Eric looked back then, "You can't do that."
Philip swung onto his own horse and nudged it towards Eric, "You can't tell me, doesn't mean I can't follow you. Ariel may be in danger, and you might need my help."
Seeing he wasn't going to deter Philip, and honestly not really wanting to, Eric turned his horse and led the way to a tower far on the outskirts of this land.
Ariel whirled as the hinges of the door creaked, relief painting her features. She blinked when she saw no one there in the doorway.
"Eric?" she mouthed, taking a few steps forward.
"Ah, my dear, still silent I see."
Ariel whirled, tripping over her skirts, she fell hard backwards, gaping at the Enchantress who stood against the wall. The woman looked at her coolly as fear combated with anger and she struggled to stand. The woman flicked her wrist and Ariel collapsed back down as if hit by a blow.
"Perhaps you thought, with all your time spent together, perhaps your guard has come to care for you?" The Enchantress idly walked the perimeter of the room, sniffing disdainfully at the things Ariel had laid out in little piles, "But if that were true, if you'd won. his. heart." she spoke each word with subtle distinction as if driving in a blade, "You would have found your voice, wouldn't you?"
Ariel glowered at the woman furiously, struggling against invisible bonds on the floor as her face heated with anger, shame and embarrassment.
"And now he's out there, disturbing my plans when he should be here, guarding you. You should know," The Enchantress turned and walked slowly toward Ariel, still trapped on the floor, "If he had been here, this never would have happened. If he had just done what he was supposed to," The Enchantress reached her and stooped almost consolingly, her finger running the length of Ariel's hair. She frowned almost sadly, then stood, and Ariel watched her hair slip through her fingers. "But he didn't." She flicked the hair away with a disinterested sniff.
"Mermaids are troubling things," She said, voice suddenly low and almost earnest, "I can't destroy something that is tied to the energy of the sea, but that doesn't mean I can't let it die." The Enchantress stretched out a hand, and light began to pulse around Ariel, "You better hope your guard returns soon," It was uttered like a threat, and Ariel felt panic build as the lights pulsed faster and faster and everything began to change.
Aurora laughed, watching the girl's eyes light up as she dangled a ribbon before her. It was such a simple thing, but the baby was delighted by it. They played for a few minutes more, when a sharper breeze came through the little window. Aurora stood, and lifted the shawl Belle had given her, draping it around the baby. It covered the girl's head and hung all around her like a red cloak, and Aurora smiled a little as she gathered her close.
It was coming on evening, and Aurora's thoughts drifted as she rocked the young girl, staring out the little window to the shadowed trees.
At the edge of the wood, where tree was dense and shadow dark, a beast walked. Its fur was mangy and dark, covering a body that was long and sunken like a sickly wolf, yet it moved with strength. The magic of this wood pulsed erratically around it. It recognized their king, yet could not know this form, aware of the dark magic that engulfed him. Fairie and nymph held, frightened of his passing, watching it go with wide, hesitant eyes.
It stalked, slowly, like a thick creeping shadow with no concern for haste because it knew it would soon consume all, toward a little cabin in the wood.
Aurora hummed, missing the weight of her amulet about her neck, unable to see the ped suddenly tense in alarm, to hear the chatter of fairie in the air, she hummed, unaware that the beast stalked closer.
The baby in her arms began to cry, and she stood, trying to soothe it, but nothing would work. The baby's cries built and Aurora ducked out of the little cabin, thinking perhaps a look at the sky would calm the child.
The clearing was eerily silent, and Aurora looked about, thinking it must be not hearing the sounds of magic that made it feel so wrong, but as she glanced toward the little path into the tree, Aurora froze in horrified surprise.
The beast stepped out of the forest's shadow, a dying sunlight falling across its inky black fur. Its back was hunched and a growl emitted low from its chest as it stalked forward with glittering eyes.
Aurora swallowed, clutching the baby tighter, taking a stumbling step back toward the home. She told herself that there was nothing to be afraid of, that this was just a creature she hadn't met yet. She shouldn't be afraid. If it was dangerous the ped would be stopping it, the forest would not have let it pass. But she could not erase her fear as the beast stalked closer, unimpeded.
The child's cries fell abruptly away as her eyes fell on the dark monster, and the magic from the amulet spun. She saw the glittering fairie light, gathering close but not too close as the beast passed by.
They could sense still their king but they could feel that this was wrong, so very wrong, and each began to inch closer, uncertain of what they should do.
The child's hands waved once, and the beast tensed suddenly, eyes finding the girl covered in the brilliant red of her cape. Its shoulders began to roll as it hunched low to the earth, and Aurora fumbled backward now for the door, as with a deep snarl the beast launched itself into the air.
Aurora screamed, turning to hide the child with herself, stumbling to get away.
Her scream broke the magic around her from their hesitant hold. This may be their king but he had tasked them with the protection of Aurora above all else, and they would see nothing harm her.
Ped and fairy flew forward, crashing into the dark monstrous thing. Aurora watched as the beast roared in sudden rage and was knocked bodily to the ground. She was frozen just a moment in fear, then she ran, the red of the cloak whipping wildly as she clutched the child, she ran past the terrible wolf like beast and into the trees.
Her mind spun as her feet pounded. She still wore the armour, though she could not see it, and it could protect her enough for her to find Marcus, to tell him of the beast that wanted her and this child. She ran through dark and twisting woods, knowing each rise and fall of this earth, wishing desperately that she had the light of the amulet to see by. She could hear snarls and roars behind her as the beast and her guardians fought. She had thought they would have conquered it by now, how many were the forces of this enchanted wood. She did not know these creatures fought their king, and though they would stop him from harming her, they could not kill him.
She stumbled into a darker, less familiar edge of the wood, closer to the magical border. There was a sudden crashing of sound to her right and Aurora screamed as a figure burst from the wood onto the path before her. It was a stag, tall and lean, and its breath came in clouds from exertion as it came closer and dipped its head. Aurora could not see the fairie that perched on its antlers, each watching the path behind her and waving her to hurry on. She hesitated only a second before scrambling forward, and as the stag knelt, she climbed atop its back.
She held the child tightly, one hand on the babe, one hand gripped in the fur, as the stag rose and carried her quickly through the trees, out into unprotected land towards a castle that stood in the distance.
Philip squinted up at the dilapidated tower as Eric dismounted and ran for the door at its base. This was where he had been kept all this time? He scrambled down and sprinted after his friend, taking the ever winding stairs up and up and up. They reached the top and Philip stood gasping, staring at a barred door that stood open. Eric swore when he saw it, and darted forward, Philip following just behind.
He rounded the door and came to a complete stop. There, lying on a hard-stone floor was, was-
"ARIEL'S A MERMAID?"
Philip's incredulous question echoed in the small space as Eric stared in horror. Ariel lay motionless, her long red hair tangled across her body. Her dress had been torn, beneath it hard scale shone. Gone were her legs she had bargained everything for, in their place lay a mermaid's tale, completely still.
Eric came forward almost numbly, falling to his knees beside her, he lifted a hand to rest it against her cheek, feeling a hollow emptiness take place inside.
"Ariel." It was a distracted whisper, and he watched in amazement as her eyes fluttered at the sound.
"Ariel!" He gripped her shoulders, shaking her as she blinked awake. She started, staring frantically about her, before her eyes landed on Eric and sharp relief covered her features. She was crying, and Eric gathered her against him, trembling with relief.
Philip looked away, standing awkwardly in the back, mind racing to remember if anyone had ever bothered to mention that Ariel wasn't human. He crossed to corner of the room, trying to pretend like he wasn't there, and looked with some interest at the papers lying there. There were drawing of different things, scattered over every page, when one caught his eye. Philip lifted it, frowning at it. It was a depiction of a woman, horribly done really, but there were drawings of different jewelry and symbols surrounding the face in much better detail.
"What is this?" Philip demanded, turning to the pair on the floor, he held up the paper.
Eric looked up, the head of the mermaid still resting against his chest, his look questioning why Philip would care. He squinted at the paper.
"Um, that's the Enchantress, in the other form that Ariel saw."
Philip's gaze flew back to the paper. "This is? This woman? What are these? The jewelry, the symbols?" He pointed aggressively at them.
Eric was frowning at him, "Ariel saw them with the Enchantress. Why?"
"Because." Philip was staring him, "These are Andrianna's crests."
Eric started, "Are you certain?"
"Yes." Philip said. Now that she was ruler she hardly wore them, but he was certain these were it. But he didn't understand. Why would the Enchantress have Andrianna's crests?
Ariel was stirring, more revived now, looking at them in the question. Eric waved at a mirror sitting on the desk.
"The mirror, bring it here."
Philip quickly handed it over and Eric spoke into it. "Show me Andrianna."
Philip watched as the mirror shimmered and his step mother appeared, before Eric turned the mirror to show the mermaid. She started back, her eyes widening, and she turned to Eric, nodding and pointing to the woman in the mirror.
"This is her? This is the woman you saw as the Enchantress?"
Ariel nodded.
"You're absolutely certain?"
Ariel kept nodding, almost frantically now, and Eric looked up at Philip. Confusion was warring with disbelief. "No, she-" A dangerous anger was coming over the blonde's features, and Eric went to speak, but Philip cut him off.
"She murdered. My father." It was spoken low, but held a tremulous edge, and Ariel's eyes widened, before looking at Eric, pointing between the mirror and the blond man.
"Andrianna is Philip's step mother," he told her quietly, and Philip's hands fisted at the words. Ariel gasped, horror and compassion in her eyes as she stared at Philip in shock.
Philip was pacing, thoughts a storm as he sought to work everything out. All along, her speaking of his father, how she missed him, how sad it was Aurora had been sent away, she had done that too!
She would pay for this.
She would pay.
Eric watched his friend spiraling. He tried to go to him, when Ariel suddenly seized in his arm. Her face contorted as if in pain, then she lay panting, covered in a film of sweat.
"What has happened, what's wrong?" Eric demanded, shifting her so he could better look at her, his heart leaping with fear.
She gripped his arms, terror in her eyes, before she began to wave her hands frantically.
"The sea," Eric recognized the gesture, "You need sea water?"
Ariel shook her head adamantly, Philip watched with distracted interest as she repeated the motion with one hand and pointed at herself with the other.
"You need to go to the sea?"
She nodded frantically, and her hands gripped his shirt as she mouthed "Now."
"What's going on?"
"I don't think she can be on land in this form."
"You mean she wasn't before?"
"No," Eric said worriedly, "The Enchantress must had changed her back."
He looked up as he said it, and something flashed in his eye. He heard the Enchantress's words those many months ago. "If she escapes to her sea, you will have broken the covenant, and your heart will stop."
If he did this he would die.
"Let's go then," Philip said, coming forward.
"No." Eric said sharply, and Philip stopped. "You need to ride to Marcus, tell him about the Enchantress." He looked down at the mermaid in his arms, "I will do this" he spoke softly. Then he looked up.
"It was an honour serving you and your kingdom, Prince Philip, I know that you will lead it well."
Phillip paused at Eric's words, and the captain of the guard watched worried suspicion cross the Prince's face.
"Go, Philip," he urged, as Ariel turned in new pain in his arms.
Philip came forward, laying his hand on the man's shoulder. For a brief moment he looked into Ariel's face, then he stepped away.
"We'll meet at the docks, at dusk, once she's safe." Philip said, and Eric looked up at him with a sharp grin that didn't reach his eyes.
"Don't be late," he quipped, and Philip turned and made his way down the stairs.
Eric stood, gathering Ariel gently to him. "It's alright," he told her softly, "We're going to the sea. You'll be home soon. I promise."
