Thank you so much for all the support! I'm sorry for my long absence; I was busy obsessing about Pride and Prejudice fanfiction instead…to be exact, about a recently-published novel called Wickham's Second Attempt. But without further ado, back to The Little Mermaid…
Carlotta dressed Ariel in a robe and wrapped her hair in a towel. She suggested that the girl rest while her locks dried completely, and excused herself to tend to some important housekeeping matters downstairs.
There was no way on earth, however, that the inquisitive former mermaid could sleep amidst so many treasures. She bent down and crawled around on the floor, exploring the rug. She stood up again and ran her fingers over the mantlepiece, eyeing the items on it. She could not figure out the uses of a majority of them, and dearly wished that Scuttle could be present to explain all these novelties to her. A few hours must have passed before Carlotta returned, but it only seemed like a few minutes to the curious girl who felt everything in the room was worth exploring.
Ariel stood still as Carlotta draped her figure in a lovely pink dress. It was much more formal and elaborate than the one the trident had given her, and she ran her palms over the smooth silk. She had never felt so beautiful! The older woman placed two white clips in her hair, and then helped her into something she called 'high heels'. Once she stood up after putting them on, Ariel found, to her surprise, that she had become somewhat taller. Her footsteps suddenly became much louder as the 'high heels' struck the ground. And, again, for the third time that day, she had to learn how to walk.
Pleased with the outcome, Carlotta gave her a smile, taking her hand, led her from the bedroom through the corridors of the palace. After a few minutes, Ariel's heart skipped a beat. Eric's voice could be heard, coming from a room nearby – she would soon see him again!
Indeed, Carlotta guided her to the threshold and released her hand, saying,
"Come now, don't be shy," as she gestured for her to advance and join Eric and Grimsby, who were standing in the large room.
Ariel glided into the room, her 'high heels' clicking against the floor and producing pleasant sounds. The sound of them attracted Eric's eyes to her advancing form, and he instantly stood straighter and then seemed to freeze as he stared at her, overcome with admiration.
"Oh, Eric, isn't she a vision?" Grimsby gushed as he came forward to meet the girl.
After another moment, Eric finally managed to regain his tongue.
"You look wonderful!" he exclaimed.
"Thank you," Ariel replied, bowing her head slightly, blushing.
Grimsby, seeing that Eric was not equal to remembering his manners yet, reached for the maiden and escorted her to the table, remarking that she must be famished. The Prince finally became reanimated and hurried after them, and arrived in time to help Ariel with her chair.
As she sat down, Ariel's eyes widened as she saw a dinglehopper laying on the table. Finally, a human object which she recognized! Carlotta had already fixed her locks before dressing her, but it appeared that humans straightened their hair right before eating. Eager to please Eric by following the customs of his world, she reached for the dinglehopper and began running it through her red tresses, smiling proudly at her beloved all the while.
In return, he stared at her with confusion. Then he asked,
"Ariel, what are you doing?" in a perplexed tone.
The maiden stopped pulling the metal object through her hair and held it up uncertainly.
"Isn't this a dinglehopper?" she replied uneasily.
"No," Eric said, looking at her with restrained amazement. "It is a fork."
"Oh, I thought it was a dinglehopper," Ariel murmured, flushing with embarrassment, "to straighten my hair with."
"No, young lady," Grimsby interjected as the girl replaced the item back on the table. "It is a fork, to eat with."
Ariel nodded, and sat back. She sat abashed for a moment, watching the old man pull out a snarfblat. She debated reaching for it and showing off her musical talent, but at last decided against it. If she had been wrong about the dinglehopper, it was all too possible that she could be wrong about the snarfblat, too. Indeed, she watched Grimsby use the object over the next several minutes and it never made a sound. Disillusioned with Scuttle's instructions, she sat silently, grateful that she had not made a fool out of herself again.
Carlotta came into the room. Grimsby accosted her, asking what was for dinner.
"Chef is making his specialty – stuffed crab!"
Horrified, Ariel let out a little gasp.
"What is the matter?" Eric asked, looking at her with concern. "You are not fond of crab?"
"No…I mean, I like crabs when they are alive…but I do not like to eat anything which use to live in the sea," Ariel stammered. She studied Eric's face nervously. Was this an inappropriate admission to make in the human world?
To her great relief, Eric smiled at her comfortingly.
"Do not worry. A lot of people do not like seafood." He looked over at Carlotta. "Can Chef Louis make anything else?"
"I think he also had a batch of cheese soufflé in the oven," Carlotta replied.
"Excellent!" Eric exclaimed. "We will have that."
The dishes were brought and placed before them. Ariel watched as Eric picked up their 'forks' and used them to bring food from the plates to their mouths. Emulating them, she began to eat her dinner. The soufflé melted in her mouth. She was stunned at how delicious it was. Human food was clearly superior to plankton!
Grimsby was the only one who did much talking during the meal – Ariel was too preoccupied with the handling of her utensils and enjoying the food and Eric was too busy staring at her dreamily to speak much. The adviser suggested to the two young lovebirds that they spend the morrow touring the kingdom, a plan they readily agreed to. It was only after the meal was completed and they were sipping a delicious drink called 'coffee' when Ariel had the opportunity to truly look around the dining chamber.
"Why, that is a picture of a mermaid!" she exclaimed, looking at a framed mural on the wall opposite her.
"Yes, it is," Eric readily agreed. "If you look around the palace you will notice many sea-creatures included in its décor. My great-great-grandfather, who built this palace, loved the sea so much that he insisted on living near it and on surrounding himself with pictures and sculptures of its inhabitants. I am very glad he did."
"What do you know of mermaids?" Ariel asked hesitantly. Did humans know about Atlantica? Could she speak openly about her past?
It was Grimsby, not Eric, who groaned.
"Here we go again," the old man muttered.
Eric burst out laughing.
"Poor Grim!" Seeing the confusion on Ariel's face, he explained with a smile, "Every time I go sailing, the sailors tell me tales of merpeople, and of their ruler King Triton. Grim cannot stand it, and calls it all 'nautical nonsense'".
"And what do you think about it?" Ariel persisted.
Eric shrugged.
"I don't know. The ocean is very large, and I suppose it is possible that it harbors creatures we know nothing about. But no one has ever seen a mermaid, and even the sailors who insist that they exist have never offered me any proof of their claims."
"And if they did exist, what would you do if you caught one?" Ariel asked with bated breath, her father's constant accusations about 'fish-eating barbarians' reverberating through her thoughts. She had to know if Eric could possibly be that cruel.
The Prince considered for a moment, and then said,
"I suppose I would try to talk to her and ask her what life was like under the sea. And then I would release her back into the water."
"Is that all?" Ariel asked, stunned.
"Yes, what else should I do with her? If she had a tail she could not get around well on land, and I presume she would have a family in the ocean who would miss her if I kept her with me."
Ariel nodded, her heart singing. Just as she had presumed, Eric was wonderful.
At that moment, Grimsby, who had no interest in mermaids, changed the subject.