ARIEL shivered and gritted her teeth as she clutched at the edges of her chair until her knuckles were tight and white as she tried to ignore the scrutiny of the Prince's curious gaze on her, though she was steadily becoming quite distracted by the strange large creature under the table, the dog he had called it, Max, letting out a low whine and begging for a morsel of the bacon strip she held in her hands, not hungry but wanting to supplicate the Prince somewhat and nibbled on the bacon strip tentatively.
Ariel felt her heartstrings give a little tug and she slipped the animal her bite of bacon, not at all hungry, and hoped Eric did not see how easily she had caved. A low chuckle from across the table told him that he had seen it, however, and she flushed in embarrassment and looked up at him in surprise and alarm.
He was smiling at her, his elbows propped up onto the table in a rather casual and relaxed manner, not at all the way a Prince ought to behave, she knew that much.
Though there was a part of her that found she enjoyed seeing this side of the man. She suspected few had the privilege to see him this way and would cherish the moment, however long it was to last.
"Only the one bite, Ariel, or he'll never leave you alone the next time you eat," he teased her, his cheeks reddening maddeningly as he watched as Ariel recoiled slightly in her chair, confused and looking taken aback by the Prince's words. He frowned, surprised by the shift. "What is it? H-Have I said something to offend you?" he asked, suddenly looking worried. The Prince's eyebrows receded so far up onto his forehead that they almost disappeared into his hairline. "What's wrong?"
"Do you…" she hesitated and bit down on her bottom lip. She was unsure whether or not to ask and it was at that moment that she heard a man's voice, deep and baritone, at the back of her mind, one that she did not recognize and yet, had the faintest twinges of familiarity it, like a distant fond memory she could not remember, scolding her for asking foolish questions.
She had trouble shaking the memory away and rested a hand on her stomach as a sudden twinge of irritation shot through her midsection. It hurt, though she ignored the pain and looked up at Eric, the question just burning on the tip of her tongue, begging to be asked.
"Do you want to see me again, Eric?" she asked, blurting the question seemingly out of the void. "Why? Why do you want to see me? For what purpose? Why do you want to spend time with me so badly?" she questioned, furrowing her thin brows into a frown as the edges of her mouth turned down in a frown.
She could tell her question had caught him off guard, that of all the things the Prince had perhaps mentally prepared himself for the questions she would pose to him, this one was not one of them.
Eric tried to hide his shock, though it was already too late.
Ariel could only grimace and watch, all but squirming in her chair as all the color drained from the young man's face, leaving the Prince looking as pale as a ghost.
"I…uh…b-because the alternative is unthinkable," he stammered, with a run of his hand through his inky black hair. Ariel drew in a sharp breath at Eric's words and held it. She did not admittedly know what she had been hoping the Prince would say, but this was admittedly…not it.
His words uttered to her just now was poetry.
No one her age, no man, at least, had ever spoken to her in this manner.
A hesitant smile tugged at the edges of her lips as she let loose a crooked little half-grin.
"Okay," she grinned, her voice escaping her sounding rather breathless, and for a moment, she was.
And to think, she had almost dismissed the Prince's obvious attraction towards her simply due to her own fears and insecurities of not feeling good enough. Not just for him, but for anyone.
Encouraged and feeling a little bold, she spoke up.
"If you're so keen on spending time with me, then…what did you have in mind?" Ariel paused and looked curiously toward the crystal window behind Eric's shoulder and her expression brightened. "Perhaps a walk on the beach before that storm comes? I-it's such a lovely morning so far, though it won't last, a-and we should go if we want to avoid the rain, th-that is, i-if your master, Master Grimsby, will let you," she blurted out. Out of a fit of growing anxiety, Ariel took a lock of her red hair in between her thumb and forefinger to twirl it as she nibbled at the wall of her mouth as her eyes grew three times the size. She did not know where she had acquired the guts to speak so forwardly, and to the land's Prince.
A twinkling sheen appeared in the mischievous Prince's deep blue eyes, a look Ariel decided right off the bat she liked more and wanted to see again.
"Oh, he will," he reassured her, a mocking lilt to his tone that was meant in jest. "I have pull when it comes to your new position, my lady, believe it or not. I'll put in a good word for you, Carlotta especially will be like clay in my hands once she learns of this, though expect Grims not to be too thrilled about it."
Her smile widened, enjoying the banter and how relaxed and at ease she was becoming around Eric.
It felt…natural. She wished she had a better word for it. It felt surreal, almost in a way, to be sharing such a connection with him.
She nodded, eagerly. "When?" she asked, trying not to sound too earnest as she rose to her feet, surprised to find her legs a bit wobbly, as though she had forgotten how to use them.
The unexpected jolt caused her to stagger backward. She groped for the back of the chair she had previously occupied and would have fallen onto her rump clumsily too, had Eric not darted forward with alarmingly fast speed that surprised even him, and wound his hands around her waist and righted her carefully, studying her guardedly, as though he feared Ariel might faint.
"An hour," he answered as if he'd already given his idea thought. "Tell Molly, I have a feeling she'll, er….be sympathetic and willing to cover for you if anyone asks. Let me worry about Grimsby," he told her and made no move to relinquish his hold on her. No longer thinking nor caring how it would look if a servant or Grimsby or Carlotta were to waltz into the dining room unannounced and find them here in an intimate moment that was most forward, Eric took hold of Ariel's hand and pulled her closer, almost so that the young redhead he was steadily growing smitten with was flush against his chest. He smiled to himself as he thought he heard her squeak in surprise but managed to keep the laugh that threatened to escape at the back of his throat to himself. "Meet me outside, by the Courtyard," he told Ariel solemnly. Ariel looked up at him then and the Prince was taken aback by the mermaid's gaze.
He hoped his eyes were not playing tricks on him and showing him what he merely wished to see, but he thought he saw the beginnings of understanding within her eyes. Without any semblance of hesitation, he stared right back. Their gazes held each other for perhaps longer than should have been comfortable, but neither one wanted to break away as if looking away would steal something precious that they knew neither of them would ever have again. Something far too precious for them to take so lightly.
Ariel felt her body lean further into him, surprising even herself with her unexpected boldness.
She wanted to feel his lips move in sync with hers in a kiss. She almost felt the man's hands begin to caress her body. She did not shy away in hesitation. She wanted it. Wanted him.
Her brain felt like it was reeling, trying to determine when it might have formed within her that she could harbor such an interest in a young man that was so close in age to her.
For perhaps the first time, Ariel felt the beginnings of hope swell in her chest the longer she stared into the Prince's deep fathomless blue eyes of which there was no end. She wondered if there was a chance for her to be truly happy with Eric if the man would even consider courting her, if the laws of the realm would allow such a match. If so, she could give herself up to him freely.
Ariel felt shocked by how much she wanted that. Though at the same time her heart was pounding relentlessly against her chest with new and exciting possibilities, there was a part of her mind that chimed a warning bell at the back of her mind, urging Ariel to be cautious.
The man was a Prince, for goodness sake. And she had already allowed herself to behave too vulnerably and candidly around a man she hardly knew. She did not want to make such a fool of herself.
As Ariel came back to her senses, she shook her head to herself and let out a tired sigh, reluctantly pulling apart from Eric and taking a step backward, smoothing the skirts of her dress a bit.
"I—I will be there," she promised him, unable to quell the excitement or hope in her voice. But she still tried to tell herself that she would be cautious, for now, until she could learn of Eric's true intentions.
Eric looked momentarily taken aback by the shift in her attitude, his expression almost looking disappointed, Ariel thought, but he did not protest nor try to reach for Ariel again.
He hoped she would come to him when she was good and ready, and he'd not force her.
"You should be going, then. Carlotta, er, is probably wondering where you are. I-I will see you in an hour?" he chuckled nervously as he rubbed at the back of his neck gingerly and tried to laugh, though thanks to his growing nerves, it sounded like a fitful sigh.
Ariel smiled shyly and turned her head to the left so the Prince would not see her blush.
She shuffled towards the door, grateful her back was paraded to the Prince so he wouldn't see her crestfallen expression. She wished she could have summoned up the courage to kiss him, even if it was on the cheek, as a way to say thanks to him for saving her life.
But her courage had failed her in the end. And it was too soon. Not yet, she tried to tell herself. When the moment was right, she thought she would know it. Elise had said so. Hopefully very soon.
"In an hour then, Eric," she whispered, turning to eye him out of the corner of her bashfully lowered gaze.
"An hour," he repeated in a soft, husky tone.
He did not see Ariel smile to herself as she turned around to fully face the door and disappeared quietly out of the dining room, closing the door gingerly behind her, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
She thought as she practically fled the hallway to disappear to the sanctuary of the kitchens and assist Molly with whatever she could in suffering Chef Louis's company, her mind already running away with her as she allowed herself to become lost in the happy fantasies of spending an hour in the Prince's company when the appointed time.
It was a struggle to get through the last hour, and as she went about the remainder of her day, the memory of the Prince's blue eyes seemed to burn themselves in her retinas. Somewhere, deep down, she prayed to the gods that while on their walk, the Prince would tell her a little about herself and answer at least a few of her questions, simply so that she could get answers to a few of them.