Chapter 14: Partners in Crime
Atlantica was a city that had easily been around for centuries, and thus was full of secrets, forgotten passageways and subtle sea caves with no clear destination. Best of all, there was an expansive illicit underground as the very bedrock of it all. It was even better than Melody's little anti authority heart could have ever imagined.
Of course, just like her best friend, Lily had spent her whole life trespassing, breaking rules, and going anywhere she was ever told not to. As such she knew how to go anywhere in the city completely unseen, including Atlanticas grand golden castle. The structure actually had so many passageways, entrances, exits, and chambers that no one person had a complete knowledge of its architecture. Various maps of the building over time had many discrepancies between them, and official counts on everything from the number of windows, halls, and chambers varied wildly. Even the great king didn't know all the secrets his home held.
The glittering palace was so massive it could be seen for miles around, but now as she hovered just feet from its walls Melody truly took in how massive it was. The shimmering fortress's size was unfathomable to the princess, but it easily dwarfed her father's castle into a pathetic joke. No matter how she strained her eyes Melody couldn't make out the tops of the towers before her.
Lily's mint green fin tapped Melody's arm and pulled the princess out of her awestruck trance. The fish guided her into a nearby hidden sea cave, although it was more fish sized then mermaid. Melody was cramped, but the secrecy was much more appealing than comfort at the moment.
"Listen close Melody, we are going to sneak in as servants. I've done it a hundred times, no one important in the castle pays attention to the servants. We can go anywhere, all we have to do is look the part." Lily spoke in hurried hushed tones.
"Every worker in the castle is in a strict dress code, you have to be in formal wear… basically you need accessories. That's what these are for." With a gleeful flick of her tail Lily pulled a netted bag from yet another unseen crevice. But now she had the biggest grin Melody had ever seen
"I'm so excited, I've always wanted to give you a makeover!"
The two girls had lost track of time completely, quietly giggling in their little cave as they prettied themselves up. Melody had hung out with Lily a hundred times before, but it was so different now. No sneaking around, no paranoia of someone spotting them, no princess titles or castle guards, no more hiding their friendship. Also not going up to breathe every 10 minutes was felt amazing. They finally could just be two silly, sarcastic, and rebellious teens.
Lily was a trendy Atlantica teen, and as such she had only the best of all the fashions of the last few years at her disposable. Initially Melody had assumed all there was to Atlantica fashion was the shell top, but it went a thousand leagues deeper than that. She had been too awestruck by the details of the city to take in the latest fashions of the mer folk, but Lily was there now to give her a proper education on the subject.
They began with a gossip filled pamper session, using products and procedures no human would ever recognize. It began with a lotion of crushed gems on their scales, making them radiate and glint in the light. Then they painted each other's eyelids with a thick white cream which shimmered like vibrant abalone. Lily made sure a thick layer of it was dusted onto Melody's shoulders. Mascara and hair brushing were the only things relatively the same under the sea.
Clothing options had been much more of a fierce debate than the makeup color selection had been. For starters, seaweed was a very vital topic that was as complex as dresses are to humans. Dozens of different species, each with their own leaf styles, flowers, and they all came in any color you could imagine. Although you had to pay attention to whether the seaweed was naturally colored (a traditional style), or if it had been dyed (a casual or modern style).
Finally the girls settled on their selection, a vibrant green species of flora with mini pink flowers budding and blooming all across it. Lily showed Melody how to braid the vines together, weave them through her shell top, and tie them off at her back in an adorable little bow. Melody kept her hair tied back into a ponytail with her green ribbon, but had weaved in the flowering seaweed throughout her hair.
"So…Are you going to tell me about the merboy who gave you that flower?" Lily couldn't contain her giggles as she saw her best friend turn crimson.
Melody wasn't expecting to feel so flustered when explaining, "I… I ran into him around the ice fields, and um, he was already heading to Atlantica…I think? Anyway, we just sort of traveled together, that's all. It's not like we did anything . It was only like 3 days …"
Lily's eyes went big as Melody spoke, "You spent multiple nights with this guy?! Did he try anything? Was he flirting the whole time?! Because he sure looked like he was when I showed up."
"What?! No! Of course not, we just swam and talked. You got it all wrong, he was just being nice. He would have done that for anyone…"
"Poor boy, he was totally pulling everything he had on you, and I bet you didn't even notice!" Lily lightly teased through giggles.
Melody stuck out her tongue and teased back, "Oh shut up, I know for a fact you don't have that much experience yourself."
When they both finished giggling Lily spoke again, "Ok but seriously, you said you met him out in the ice fields? It's super forbidden for mer people to be there, only the fish and other aquatic animals are allowed…" Her words trailed off only for a moment before she smiled again.
"I guess your dating a bad boy… but he is smart. That flower he gave you would have gotten you into the castle even if you had snuck in without me."
Melody furrowed her brows, "What? What do you mean?"
"Well that purple flower can only be found in the palace royal gardens, you can't buy them… usually. People would definitely think you're a servant girl with that flower and you would meet the dress code, not as well as you do now, but still. Did you tell him about your quest for the trident?"
Melody had more questions than anything now, how did Alex get this flower? Did he know this we he gave it to her? "No, I only have told you the truth. I just told him I needed to get here. Also, what do you mean you can't buy them usually?"
Now it was Lily's turn to blush, and she pulled a matching flower from her net bag. "Well I may or may not take a few and sell them… illegally…but I only sell it to my other fish friends. I've never sold any to merfolk, let alone a merman. I hang out with mer people, but I'm not really close to any, except you, now anyway." Lily spoke as the mermaid helped her secure the matching purple flower to her head. "He could have only got it from the castle himself or through a girl working there."
Lily realized a bit too late that she probably shouldn't have pondered so much out loud. Melody already had so many questions about everything around her, she hadn't expected so many to pile up around Alex. Where did he get that flower? Why did he even give it to her? Was it a coincidence that the flower helped disguise her? Who was that mermaid she saw when she was leaving? Why did she have the same flower?
Lily lightly tugged on Melody's pony, something she often did to tease the princess.
"Snap out of it, I see you overthinking things and it's pointless. Boys are just simpler creatures than us. Understanding their actions is impossible, because they are impossible." Lily waved her fins like she was waving all of Melody's worries away.
"Either way, what's important right now is we have a trident to steal! Am I right?!"
The mermaid laughed and scooped her fishy friend into a tight hug. There were always so many questions in Melody's life, but she always had her best friend by her side through it.
"Of course you're right! There isn't anything we can't do together. Including this!"
Chapter 14: Partners in Crime
Atlantica was a city that had easily been around for centuries, and thus was full of secrets, forgotten passageways and subtle sea caves with no clear destination. Best of all, there was an expansive illicit underground as the very bedrock of it all. It was even better than Melody's little anti authority heart could have ever imagined.
Of course, just like her best friend, Lily had spent her whole life trespassing, breaking rules, and going anywhere she was ever told not to. As such she knew how to go anywhere in the city completely unseen, including Atlanticas grand golden castle. The structure actually had so many passageways, entrances, exits, and chambers that no one person had a complete knowledge of its architecture. Various maps of the building over time had many discrepancies between them, and official counts on everything from the number of windows, halls, and chambers varied wildly. Even the great king didn't know all the secrets his home held.
The glittering palace was so massive it could be seen for miles around, but now as she hovered just feet from its walls Melody truly took in how massive it was. The shimmering fortress's size was unfathomable to the princess, but it easily dwarfed her father's castle into a pathetic joke. No matter how she strained her eyes Melody couldn't make out the tops of the towers before her.
Lily's mint green fin tapped Melody's arm and pulled the princess out of her awestruck trance. The fish guided her into a nearby hidden sea cave, although it was more fish sized then mermaid. Melody was cramped, but the secrecy was much more appealing than comfort at the moment.
"Listen close Melody, we are going to sneak in as servants. I've done it a hundred times, no one important in the castle pays attention to the servants. We can go anywhere, all we have to do is look the part." Lily spoke in hurried hushed tones.
"Every worker in the castle is in a strict dress code, you have to be in formal wear… basically you need accessories. That's what these are for." With a gleeful flick of her tail Lily pulled a netted bag from yet another unseen crevice. But now she had the biggest grin Melody had ever seen
"I'm so excited, I've always wanted to give you a makeover!"
The two girls had lost track of time completely, quietly giggling in their little cave as they prettied themselves up. Melody had hung out with Lily a hundred times before, but it was so different now. No sneaking around, no paranoia of someone spotting them, no princess titles or castle guards, no more hiding their friendship. Also not going up to breathe every 10 minutes was felt amazing. They finally could just be two silly, sarcastic, and rebellious teens.
Lily was a trendy Atlantica teen, and as such she had only the best of all the fashions of the last few years at her disposable. Initially Melody had assumed all there was to Atlantica fashion was the shell top, but it went a thousand leagues deeper than that. She had been too awestruck by the details of the city to take in the latest fashions of the mer folk, but Lily was there now to give her a proper education on the subject.
They began with a gossip filled pamper session, using products and procedures no human would ever recognize. It began with a lotion of crushed gems on their scales, making them radiate and glint in the light. Then they painted each other's eyelids with a thick white cream which shimmered like vibrant abalone. Lily made sure a thick layer of it was dusted onto Melody's shoulders. Mascara and hair brushing were the only things relatively the same under the sea.
Clothing options had been much more of a fierce debate than the makeup color selection had been. For starters, seaweed was a very vital topic that was as complex as dresses are to humans. Dozens of different species, each with their own leaf styles, flowers, and they all came in any color you could imagine. Although you had to pay attention to whether the seaweed was naturally colored (a traditional style), or if it had been dyed (a casual or modern style).
Finally the girls settled on their selection, a vibrant green species of flora with mini pink flowers budding and blooming all across it. Lily showed Melody how to braid the vines together, weave them through her shell top, and tie them off at her back in an adorable little bow. Melody kept her hair tied back into a ponytail with her green ribbon, but had weaved in the flowering seaweed throughout her hair.
"So…Are you going to tell me about the merboy who gave you that flower?" Lily couldn't contain her giggles as she saw her best friend turn crimson.
Melody wasn't expecting to feel so flustered when explaining, "I… I ran into him around the ice fields, and um, he was already heading to Atlantica…I think? Anyway, we just sort of traveled together, that's all. It's not like we did anything . It was only like 3 days …"
Lily's eyes went big as Melody spoke, "You spent multiple nights with this guy?! Did he try anything? Was he flirting the whole time?! Because he sure looked like he was when I showed up."
"What?! No! Of course not, we just swam and talked. You got it all wrong, he was just being nice. He would have done that for anyone…"
"Poor boy, he was totally pulling everything he had on you, and I bet you didn't even notice!" Lily lightly teased through giggles.
Melody stuck out her tongue and teased back, "Oh shut up, I know for a fact you don't have that much experience yourself."
When they both finished giggling Lily spoke again, "Ok but seriously, you said you met him out in the ice fields? It's super forbidden for mer people to be there, only the fish and other aquatic animals are allowed…" Her words trailed off only for a moment before she smiled again.
"I guess your dating a bad boy… but he is smart. That flower he gave you would have gotten you into the castle even if you had snuck in without me."
Melody furrowed her brows, "What? What do you mean?"
"Well that purple flower can only be found in the palace royal gardens, you can't buy them… usually. People would definitely think you're a servant girl with that flower and you would meet the dress code, not as well as you do now, but still. Did you tell him about your quest for the trident?"
Melody had more questions than anything now, how did Alex get this flower? Did he know this we he gave it to her? "No, I only have told you the truth. I just told him I needed to get here. Also, what do you mean you can't buy them usually?"
Now it was Lily's turn to blush, and she pulled a matching flower from her net bag. "Well I may or may not take a few and sell them… illegally…but I only sell it to my other fish friends. I've never sold any to merfolk, let alone a merman. I hang out with mer people, but I'm not really close to any, except you, now anyway." Lily spoke as the mermaid helped her secure the matching purple flower to her head. "He could have only got it from the castle himself or through a girl working there."
Lily realized a bit too late that she probably shouldn't have pondered so much out loud. Melody already had so many questions about everything around her, she hadn't expected so many to pile up around Alex. Where did he get that flower? Why did he even give it to her? Was it a coincidence that the flower helped disguise her? Who was that mermaid she saw when she was leaving? Why did she have the same flower?
Lily lightly tugged on Melody's pony, something she often did to tease the princess.
"Snap out of it, I see you overthinking things and it's pointless. Boys are just simpler creatures than us. Understanding their actions is impossible, because they are impossible." Lily waved her fins like she was waving all of Melody's worries away.
"Either way, what's important right now is we have a trident to steal! Am I right?!"
The mermaid laughed and scooped her fishy friend into a tight hug. There were always so many questions in Melody's life, but she always had her best friend by her side through it.
"Of course you're right! There isn't anything we can't do together. Including this!"
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 link:
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! Feel free to also message me if you have any questions or want to chat!
Lily 🐠and Melody are back together! I wish I reunited 💕them sooner, but at the same time it was nice to have Melody be alone with Alex for awhile... I had fun doing another makeover💅 scene, and coming up with fantastical✨ trends for Atlantica. I have really been enjoying world building Atlantica🌊 and filling in the details the movies🎬 leave out. Plus I wanted this scene to be a foil for the previous make over scene, where Melody had no say, didn't know the girls, and the makeover wasn't as fantastical. These two are going to start getting into real trouble from here on out! 😈