Author's Note: I watched The Little Mermaid last night and I had the weirdest desire to write something about Eric being under the enchantment of Ursula. I like it, sort of, hopefully you do too.

Update: fixed minor problems, though the biggest for some people is that he wouldn't recall mermaid!ariel as a redhead due to the silhouette of the sun. One reviewer made the comment, another said it was easy to assume he was mixing up mute!ariel with his dreamgirl, so we'll just go with that.


He can see her hair isn't right.

It sits on her shoulders in fine coal waves, bounces when she steps lightly and gracefully, flows and dances when she tilts her head coyly. It frames her noble, porcelain face and when she is acting particularly shy she tucks dark strands of it behind her small ears.

But it isn't right.

His thoughts are heavy with her, or at least, that was how the enchantment was supposed to work. He, of course, doesn't know he is enchanted. He just thinks he met the girl, why else would she be in every waking thought of his? The problem though, is that it's only his waking thoughts that she invades him so.

When he dreams, her hair is never like coal.

It is always screaming red, so bright that even the sun cries in vain. So when he wakes up, and she is gliding her index finger down his chest, he briefly feels a deep sense of wrong in his bones, because she is much too dark. Dark eyes, dark hair, dark and knowing smile, and it gives him chills.

Until she hums, a sweet and light sound that doesn't fit her dark look, and now every thought is: "Marry her. I must, or surely I will die. Kiss her. Love her. Her her her. Drown your fingers in those dark curls, her curls. Her dark, dark, beautiful curls. Marry her."

Though these are his primary thoughts throughout the day, as wedding planners rush from all over town to ready the ship for guests, there is always a moment where he pauses to think about "Drowning his fingers in her hair" and all he can think of is, didn't he almost drown recently?

Didn't she save him? That is why he loves her, right? Because she is the one, she existed.

But didn't the one have eyes blue as the sea?

And didn't she have coils of another color tumbling over her shoulders? Something so bright, it was like a halo of light erupting about her countenance.

But then she is purring into his ear sweet nothings and it's back to, "Marrymarrymarrymarry"

So, he will, because she has convinced him with her soft hum, that the girl of his dreams is just that.

Just a dream.