Chapter 3: A Makeover
It was her worst nightmare, and she had no one to blame but herself. What idiot forgets their birthday?
Melody had never swum so fast in her life, just barely managing to get through the courtyard unseen. Wrapped in her black robe, she hid in the shadows of the castle walls.
To her utter horror, her mother entered the courtyard, and she was looking for Melody.
"Melody! Melody where are you?" Her mother's shouting voice was all too familiar to her. Melody didn't dare breathe as her mother passed just feet from where she was hiding.
"I do not have time for this nonsense today."
Melody could already hear the disappointment in her mother's voice, even when her mom didn't realize she was there to hear it.
She also instantly knew everything was going to be a lot harder, everyone was probably looking for her now. All she could do now was get to her bedroom on the top floor of the castle, she could figure everything else out from there.
An entire life of slinking around in the shadows had paid off for something because she did get back to her room. Barely slipping by all the castle staff out looking for her.
As anyone who commits an offense, Melody scrambled to hide the evidence of her crime. She threw everything from the ocean into her locked chest, slamming the closet doors shut and stashing the key. Tripping over her own feet in the process, Melody frantically changed into the closest nightgown. The door to her room busted open only a second after she got the dress on.
"Melody! Where on earth have you been? Everyone has been looking for you all morning." Her mother strode into her room, followed by a bunch of young women Melody had never seen before.
"I'm sorry mom, I couldn't sleep last night. I went for a walk this morning to clear my head…"
Ariel instantly softened, "Oh darling, just be careful from now on. Try not to go anywhere without your guards ok? I was worried about you…"
Melody used her most innocent voice, "I will mom, I'd hate to worry you."
Ariel smiled and gently took her daughter's hand before pausing and touching Melody's wet hair.
"Melody… why do you smell like saltwater, and why is your hair wet?" Ariel's eyes narrowed instantly.
"During my walk, I went to our private beach, it was pretty dark and I accidentally went a little deeper than I should…" It was a pretty pathetic explanation, but Ariel didn't have time to question.
"You know how I feel about the water love, it's not safe. But it doesn't matter now, you're going to wash off soon anyway. Which reminds me, I have a birthday surprise for you."
She pulled Melody across the room to the small group of impeccably dressed women. Melody instantly felt self-conscious, her hair wet, dressed in a random nightgown she grabbed off the floor. Meanwhile, all these girls had beautiful silk dresses, hair done up in wonderful ribbons, gems, and bows. Their faces appeared flawless.
"You're an adult now, and every royal woman needs a group of ladies in waiting by her side. Your father and I carefully picked these lovely young women from all the noble families in the land. They are eligible maidens just like yourself, and I know you're going to make such good friends with them." Her mother seemed so excited but Melody wanted to jump out the window. Now they hand-picked her friends out for her too?
"Their first job is to get you ready for the big day. I promise you will look radiant." The queen introduced the five young ladies to her, before kissing her daughter on the head and rushing off to begin greeting the guests.
As soon as the queen left, the air changed completely. A mix of disgust and superiority washed over their faces as they inspected her.
"Um hi?" The young princess awkwardly attempted to break the heavy silence.
"Ugh, you reek like fish." One pinched her nose in disgust. Another circled like a shark.
"Oh my, look! There is seaweed in her hair." They all broke out into giggles.
A different girl groaned, "We have our work cut out for us, don't we ladies?"
"We sure do!" Another agreed way too enthusiastically.
They didn't wait for her to speak, everything became a whirlwind. She was whisked to the royal washroom and shoved into the luxurious giant bathtub. The girls chatted amongst themselves as they worked like they had been friends for years, leaving her out of the conversations.
They were rude and stuck up, but they knew what they were doing. The girls had spent their lives learning beauty tricks, and their skills were well beyond anything Melody could do.
Her skin was scrubbed thoroughly, erasing the smell of the ocean off of her. They put all sorts of different oils, conditioners, and intoxicatingly sweet shampoos in her hair, making it softer and shinier than she ever would have thought possible. They rounded her nails and painted them a soft pink, a color she wouldn't have picked herself.
After the bath, the girls began bringing out dozens of beauty products, all of them scented with perfume. There was a complex science to what they were doing, but it was all beyond her.
The gown for the day was chosen mostly without her input. Aj incredibly detailed ball gown, mostly white with bright coral detailing. An off-the-shoulder neckline sleeves a gorgeous sheer and sparkling coral fabric. At the center of her chest where the sleeves met, was a small pale green bow.
She was squeezed into white lace corset, which the girls tied as tightly as humanly possible. Nearly suffocating the princess, but creating the slender figure they desired. Then the large hoop skirt of the ball gown was wrapped around her tiny waist, layers, and layers of fabric weighing heavily on her hips. Each layer of the dress was trimmed and intricately embroidered with sparkling coral fabric. A matching pink satin sash was wrapped over where the skirt met the corset, tied off into an obnoxiously large bow behind her back. The look was completed by pink pump heels, which Melody struggled to walk in.
Her hair was brushed into a half up half down look, two perfect small braids leading to the back of her head. A bright diamond-covered tiara was placed on her head, a stark contrast from her black locks. Like magic they fluffed her hair, making it seem more voluminous and luscious than she had ever seen.
The girl took an hour putting makeup on her face. Every imperfection on her skin erased, lips stained coral, black pencil lined her eyes, and dark gunk applied to her lashes which tripled their length. The final step was a sparkling gold cream, which radiated like diamonds in the light. They painted it over her eyelids, cheekbones, and the bridge of her nose.
When Melody saw herself in the mirror, she genuinely did not recognize who she saw. The gold paint contoured her face into a completely new shape, her eyes suddenly look like they belong to a vixen. The gown created a dramatic and shapely silhouette out of her body that she never knew she had.
"Well ladies, I'd say this was our most drastic makeover session yet. She has a good chance of snagging a prince now." One of the women proclaimed the rest agreed.
"I sort of see her a little bit of the queen's radiance in her now." Another carefully examined Melody's face.
Before she could reply, the door to the room opened. All of the women immediately went silent and dropped into a curtsy.
In the doorway stood Melody's father, King Eric.
Hi everyone, thank you for reading my AU of The Little Mermaid 2, with Melody at 19 and not 12. I originally posted this FanFiction on Deviantart, and it is updated there every 1st and 15th of the month. I will be adding chapters to this story every Monday till it's caught up to the deviant art version.
If you would like to read ahead or check out my Disney fan edits here is my deviantart profile name:
mermaidmelodyedits
You can also check out my Disney fan edits on Instagram:
mermaid_melody_edits
I'd super appreciate if you guys could leave me your thoughts in the comments! Critique, comments, discussion, etc. I want to hear it all!
Chapter 3 deals with the bulling Melody went through in the movie, and her getting ready for the party. There were some tweaks here, I made Melody getting ready a bigger deal, and her dress isn't the one from the movie. It's based on a fan art of Melody as an adult in a redesigned version of her baby dress (which is so freakin cute). The dress she wears in the movie is such a boring design and supposed to reference Ariel's pink dress but I really don't like it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and please leave me your thoughts!