AN: I know that there are people who hate prince parents showing up (unless it's in like Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty where the king is shown) so hopefully the last part isn't too annoying for you. I hope you enjoy.
Chapter Two – Ethical Pearls
Sunset.
Eric sat down on the beach, staring at the coastline. He had arrived her nearly an hour ago but he didn't care. He turned to Max, gently rubbing his belly. "You think she'll come, right, Max?" he asked and Max barked happily. Eric looked down at a jewelry box in his hand wrapped in gold colored foil. He turned it in his hand wondering if it was the right gift for her. "Do you think she'll like it, boy?" he asked before hearing the sound of the waves and looked up.
"Ariel," he whispered as he ran forwards and knelt down so the water was at his waist. "You came."
"Of course, I came, Eric," she smiled to him and he pulled her into his arms again. "I'm happy that you came too, that you weren't scared. That thinking about my tai-"
"Only reminded me how much I love you," he told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder and then held the gift with the other. "I bought you something, I don't know if it's the right type of gift but if you can't take it, I understand. I just wanted to…"
"You chose a gift for me," Ariel smiled and Eric handed her the box. "Oh, it's so beautiful. I love how gold it is," she said as she pulled it to her chest and Eric's eyes widened but he laughed, bowing his head and shaking it.
"I'm sorry to laugh," he apologized, "I…I didn't mean to…I'm sorry," he said and Ariel handed it back to him.
"Oh, this is…this isn't for me?" she asked and Eric paused before taking her hand in his and put the box in her hand. He kissed her cheek.
"It's inside the box," he told her trying to be sensitive and understanding. Maybe Ariel had never received this type of gift. Their worlds were very different after all. He saw her cheeks turn red and he felt terrible for laughing, he touched her cheek, gently tucking her hair behind her ear. "I only laugh because of how adorable you are," he tried to explain. "Will you open it for me?"
Ariel smiled trying to get over her embarrassment before opening the box slowly. Her eyes widened as she saw that inside of a very soft box, there was a pearl necklace. She let her finger run over it. "Eric, it's beautiful," she whispered with tears in her eyes as it glistened in the sunset.
Eric pointed to a label on the inside of the box. "I made sure that they were ethically sourced," he told her and Ariel blinked. "I don't know how this type of gift is thought of by other merfolk but I'll find something else. If you can't take it, I understand. Our cultures are very different, I just thought that it was beautiful, like you."
Ariel looked at him with tears in her eyes and threw her arms around him. "It's perfect," she said and Eric smiled feeling glad that he hadn't insulted her with the gift.
Eric took it from the box and held it up to Ariel at level with her neck. "May I?" he asked and Ariel lifted up her hair. He gently placed it on her, making sure it wasn't too tight but it was secure and wouldn't get washed away.
Ariel was holding back tears, "How does it look?" she asked as she touched it delicately and Eric beamed at her.
"Beautiful," he said before his eyes met hers, "but not even close to how beautiful you are."
Ariel placed a hand to her chest just under the necklace. "It will be my treasure," she said as he looked at her so lovingly. She wished that she could be with him closer, she wished that she had legs so that they could truly be seen as a couple but this was as much as they could do. "The most precious part though, is how it came from you."
Eric held her close again, kissing her forehead before they both heard footsteps and Eric wrapped his arms around Ariel protectively.
"I have to…. I have to go," she panicked and Eric kissed her forehead, holding onto her shoulders.
"I love you," he said to her, "I won't let them place a finger on you," he said and Ariel kissed his cheek before swimming away. Eric turned around to see one of the best fishermen in his kingdom and felt his protective side appear. He looked at the man's eyes as he stared into the ocean and Max ran over to Eric.
"Did you see that?" he asked astonished and Eric's back straightened. His eyes narrowed as he stood barefoot on the sand. He watched the fisherman suspiciously.
"What do you think you saw?" Eric asked, not able to stop anger in his tone.
The man pointed. "That gigantic fish tail, there's something living out there. It would be a sin for me not to try to catch the fish it belongs to. I could hang it up on the tavern wall," he said and Eric stared at him, his body shaking. "Prize like that, it'll get me free beer for life."
"You are not to go near her," Eric yelled at him and the man stared at him confused. "You are not to touch her. That's a royal order," he said as his eyes narrowed. "If you dare to hurt her, I will have you locked up for the rest of your life." He threatened, the fire burning in his eyes and the fisherman raised his hands taking a couple of steps back.
"Didn't know that it was so important to you," he said quickly and Eric looked at him with a darkened expression on his face.
"Go," he ordered, petting Max's head to relieve some of his anger.
The fisherman studied him again but found that there was no chance of Eric backing down from whatever he thought that he was doing. The man paused and then nodded with a bow. "As you wish, Your Highness," he said before leaving. Eric sighed painfully as he sat back down on the sand. Would she ever come back? Had she been scared off for good? Eric reached out for the box he had given to her as it washed up onto the beach.
He turned it in his hands. He hadn't meant any harm to her. He had been trying to give her love but it had turned out this way. He wanted to prove that he would protect her but he could understand if she didn't trust him and wouldn't trust him again. As he sat down he heard Max barking and looked up at where Ariel had come back, her body trembling. Eric immediately rushed towards her, noticing how she was shaking due to her anxiety.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about that," he whispered as he held her in his arms. "Are you okay? I promise you that I will never ever let anyone harm you," he tried to assure her as he wrapped her up closer to him. Ariel grabbed to her shirt and as he felt her hand touching him just above his chest, he pulled her closer, allowing her to rest her forehead on his shoulder.
"He…he wouldn't hurt me, right?" Ariel asked and Eric watched her cautiously. He wasn't sure. He hated to say it but he was terrified of what might have happened had she been alone.
"I would never let him hurt you," Eric said as he held her protectively in his arms. "Even if he caught you alone and I wasn't here to protect you, I am the first-born prince. I am heir to this kingdom. I have ways to make sure he never harms you." Eric kissed her passionately.
"I won't end up in a fish tank?" Ariel asked nervously and Eric looked horrified by that question. He understood it was a possibility but he hated to imagine such a thing. He pulled her to him, gently kissing her and letting his fingers run through her red hair.
"I wouldn't let them do that to you," he told her and Ariel started to cry from the fear. Eric held her close. Was he exposing her and putting her in too much danger and being too selfish about wanting to be with her? "I understand you need your home, we're not able to be together in that way, but I don't want anyone else, I want you and so I'll be here each and every day.
"I want you too, Eric," Ariel said before kissing him again, she pulled back and smiled as he cupped her cheek affectionately. "I have to go back now," she told him and Eric nodded. He let his fingers go to the pearl necklace. "I love you, Eric," Ariel said quickly so that she could be the one to say it first.
Eric kissed her again and grinned, "I love you too," he replied before seeing her swim off in the distance. He wished that he could go after her and be with her but he could only hold his breath for a certain amount of time. He couldn't safely live under the sea but he felt that he would – for her.
….
….
As Eric arrived back at the castle, he knew it was late and people would be worried about him especially since the previous few days had had so many weird occurrences. He hated for them to be concerned about him but he could probably explain. He could explain how this young woman had saved him more than once and he couldn't breathe without her, didn't think that he'd be happy without her. He hummed to himself quietly as he opened the door and then paled.
Grimsby was of course there, as he had been there for him since before Eric could remember. However, he hadn't expected to see his mother standing there as well. He opened his mouth to speak to her but then saw the way she was looking at his outfit.
"Darling," she whispered as she approached him, "Where have you been? I arrived a few hours ago and I was told you went out and you come back completely soaked. I mean, I'm thinking that with all this gossip I've been hearing, we may need a doctor to take a loo-" the queen said and Eric turned to her.
"What do you….mean by that?" he asked and she sighed.
"Eric, I know that now you're another year older you must be trying to prove your manhood and I hope this isn't about you rebelling that we weren't with you on your birthday but…getting married in less than a day, not telling your mother and all these people talking about a sea octopus or sea witch or something…I mean, I had to come back and see if you were in at least moderate health."
Eric paused and rubbed the back of his neck. He honestly had been under the curse of this sea witch when he had said that he was going to get married to someone he didn't know. He had also given everyone less than a day to prepare and never contacted his family. It wasn't right for a prince to do. Eric sighed, it wasn't right for anyone to do but he hadn't done it. He hadn't chosen to do it anyway.
"I was cursed. I wouldn't meet a girl and marry her on the same day," he said before smiling as he thought about Ariel. No. He would propose to her and then they would plan to get married but it wouldn't be within the span of a day. He did want to marry her though, he just didn't know how it would work. Would they only be able to be together certain hours of the day. That marriage would be lonely but at least he could be her husband.
"And yet you went out and got soaked?" the queen asked as Eric gestured for Max to sit by the entrance way.
"I have met a girl," Eric told her with a smile. "She's most likely not the type of girl who you would have chosen for me, yes, but she's one I've fallen in love with. She's…she's a princess, I mean, she's not first in line for the throne, I think, but her father is a king." Grimsby handed Eric a towel which he took with a smile and a nod, getting the water from the back of his neck and his face first.
"A princess?" the queen asked with a raised eyebrow, "Which kingdom? I believed that you had been introduced to all of the princesses from the nearby kingdoms."
"She's…." Eric said slowly, turning to Grimsby who nodded, they were both aware of the truth. They had both seen Ariel transform on the boat and how Eric had gone after her. "She's a mermaid," he tried to explain as the queen looked at him as if he had gone insane.
"A mermaid…" the queen repeated the words slowly.
"She is, saw it myself," Grimsby added as he straightened his jacket and the queen looked Eric over.
She turned to the head of staff, "Don't encourage him," she said before looking at her son. "I don't wish to hear that the reason that you're soaked is that you were meeting with this mermaid girl. I don't want you to tell me that she has a tail instead of legs, that she lives under the water. Such things are absurdities that only children would believe."
"I've seen it myself, Your Majesty," Grimsby commented. "Anyone at the wedding would have seen her."
"Then we'll get a large tank for her, invite her to the kingdom," the queen said as she started to plan it inside of her head but Eric shook his own head. He stood in front of his mother and looked at her in a very protective manner although he did have a pleading in his eyes like the loving son he was.
"Don't turn her into an oddity," Eric said defensively. "I won't let you. Ariel's culture is very different from ours. Even if those in the castle are okay with her, there are those in the kingdom who wouldn't be as kind. I don't want her to be in any danger. I don't want the merfolk to be in any danger. They haven't made contact with us because most likely, many of them are afraid of us. They have good reason. I would rather give my life to save her, to spare her from that fate. I will not allow you to hurt her."
"You truly love this woman don't you?" the queen asked and Eric nodded.
"So much so that I will not allow you to turn her into one of your puppets, your living dolls. I have never met a more spectacular woman. I've never felt such love for another person. She saved my life."
"Then I'll meet her tomorrow night," the queen said and Eric's jaw dropped, his eyes widened and he tried to argue but before he could speak his mother raised a hand. "Either I'll come with you to meet her tomorrow night or I'll have two guards bring her here where I can meet her here. Don't mess around with me, Eric," she said and he paused.
"How about the night follow tomorrow? I don't wish to scare her. I'd like to give her at least a day to prepare herself," Eric requested and the queen raised an eyebrow.
"The next day at sunrise, I will meet with her to see if she is a suitable young lady," the queen told him and Eric knew it wasn't worth arguing with her. He only hoped that Ariel would agree to do so. The last thing he wanted was for her to be seen as some kind of oddity. He would never see her as a freak. He just saw her as beautiful.
End of Chapter Two
Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated
Thank you to marati2011 for reviewing Chapter One
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