The sun had just shone over the horizon gently waking on the people in Altantica with its warm rays. Ariel and her sisters had just woken up ready to start another day as did King Triton. The girls made sure that they were primped and went about their daily routines. Ariel however left the palace just outside of Atlantica in search of one of her closest friends, so she could play. She swam and looked around. Then she heard a voice calling her name.
"Ariel! Ariel!"
There frantically swimming towards her was the yellow fish with the blue stripes and fins. She waved to the fish smiling.
"Hey Flounder!" she called. "What's up?"
Flounder swam up Ariel panting from frantically swimming. "Ariel! Trouble! Outside! Whirlpool! merboy! Needs help!"
"Flounder! Take it easy," said Ariel trying to calm him down. "Listen. I want you to take a deep breath and the tell me what's going on."
Flounder did what Ariel told him and then he calmed down a little, he then spoke to Ariel. "Ariel. You're not gonna believe this, but I was swimming heading back to Atlantica when this bright green light shone out of nowhere and then a whirlpool came out! And then after that, a merboy came out of the whirlpool and then it disappeared after that. The merboy fell the bottom of the floor and I think he's needs help!"
"What? A merboy? Unconscious?" wondered Ariel sounding a bit concerned. "Flounder are you sure?"
"Yes Ariel! I saw it with my own two eyes," said Flounder. "I'd never lie to you."
"I know you wouldn't," said Ariel. "But it sounds kinda of crazy. We should go tell my father about this. Come on. Let's go!"
Inside the palace, King Triton was going about his daily duties as king. He sat on his throne awaiting his royal herald with Sebastian by his side as his assistant and confidant. Unknown to him, Ariel and Flounder has just arrived hiding above him from outside. Soon enough three fish that were lean with long noses that looked like trumpets blasted a royal fanfare right next to him. Then a small orange seahorse with a purple ruff around his neck appeared next to him holding a scroll. He then unraveled the scroll and spoke in a loud and clear voice.
"Hear ye, hear ye!" he said. "I will now address the first item on the royal agenda! The first item is..."
However, before the herald could finish, he was interrupted by a frantic voice.
"Your majesty! Your majesty!"
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Just then, Ariel and Flounder came swimming into the room.
"Ariel? Flounder? What's da meaning of dis?" demanded Sebastian. "You know it's rude to-"
"Never mind that Sebastian," interrupted Ariel. "We might have a possible emergency on our hands!"
"What seems to be the problem Ariel?" asked King Triton.
"Flounder just told me that he's spotted a merboy just outside of the Atlantica and that he might need help," explained Ariel.
"Yeah! He appeared out of nowhere from a giant whirlpool in a bright oval from green light!" added Flounder.
"A merboy? Appearing from out of nowhere in a whirlpool? Dat's the craziest ting I've ever heard," said Sebastian.
"But it's true!" said Flounder. "I know it sounds crazy Sebastian, but it's true! I saw it with my own eyes!"
King Triton then stood up from his throne now looking concerned. "Flounder. Are you sure you saw this merboy?" he asked.
"Yes. I know I did your majesty," said Flounder. "I know I did."
"Do you remember where you saw him?" he continued.
"Yes, I do," replied Flounder.
"Then I want you to lead us to him," said King Triton as he got up from his throne. "If there is someone injured, it's my duty as king to make sure that he's alright." He turned to his faithful crustacean. "Sebastian, I want to you to prepare the dolphins with my chariot. We're going to need a means of a transport to carry the boy if he is injured."
"If dis merboy even exist in da first place," muttered Sebastian.
King Triton looked at Sebastian sternly. "What was that?"
"Nothing sire! I'll get those dolphins right away sire!" squeaked Sebastian as he hurriedly swam away.
After the dolphins were readied along with a chariot, King Triton along with Ariel and Sebastian riding along following Flounder as he led them outside of Atlantica. As they rode along, Sebastian was still grumbling.
"I still find it ridiculous," he muttered. "Merpeople don't just randomly appear out of da blue."
"Well Flounder says he saw one that did and he's not liar," said Ariel. "Is it that hard to believe?"
"Regardless of how crazy it sounds," said King Triton. "We're investigating this matter just in case. So, make sure you keep an eye out for anything you two."
As the continued to search the couldn't see anything, but the beautiful coral reefs and the many different creatures that swam about. Then Flounder looked downwards and called out to King Triton.
"Your majesty! It's just down here," he said as he swam downwards towards the floor.
King Triton then stopped his chariot and he along with Ariel and Sebastian followed Flounder to the bottom of the floor. Then they saw the boy lying on the floor with Flounder hovering over him. When King Triton, Ariel, and Sebastian saw him, they were surprised.
"My word..." said King Triton.
"Well what do you know," said Sebastian. "A merboy plain as day."
"See? I told you," said Flounder.
Ariel swam over and inspected the boy as did King Triton. The boy was still in the same state as Flounder had found him, still sleeping peacefully. King Triton the gently lifted the boy in his arms.
"Is he OK?" asked Ariel worriedly.
"He's fine Ariel," reassured King Triton. "He's just unconscious. Although he does seem rather... peculiar."
"I'll say he is," said Sebastian. "Most strangest ting I've ever seen."
Ariel then saw his unusual colored tail and was amazed.
"Oh wow... Daddy. Look as his tail," she murmured. "Have you ever seen such colors on a merpeson before?"
"I... don't think I have," said King Triton. "Out of all the tail colors I've seen, this is the first time I've seen such colors."
"That's what I thought too," said Flounder. "One things for sure, he's definitely not from around here.
"So, what should we do with him Daddy?" asked Ariel.
"For the moment, let's take this boy back to Atlantica and back to the palace," said King Triton. "Hopefully when he wakes up he'll be able to tell us where he came from."
"I don't mean to question you your majesty," said Sebastian as he crawled on top of the unconscious boy. "But dis boy seems a tad suspicious and not just cuz of dat tail. I mean look at dat ting on his chest. What is dat? Looks like some strange article of... uh... something or other."
"Now Sebastian," said King Triton. "This boy doesn't seem suspicious at all, but I will admit that this... article he has is a bit unusual. I'll arrange for it to be taken off. Until then let us go back to the palace and we'll have the boy stay in one of our rooms until he recovers. Ariel, could you help hold on to the boy as we go back?"
"Sure Daddy," said Ariel.
Sebastian still felt suspicious, but he didn't dare go against his king. And so, they all headed back to Atlantica. As they rode along, Ariel couldn't help but look at the boy feeling her curiosity peaking.
"I wonder where this boy came from?" she thought to herself. "Hopefully we'll find out when he wakes up."
Eventually the four of them had returned to Atlantica and had arrived back at the palace. As they swam into the palace searching for a room for the boy to lie down with, the rest of the family happened to see them. Feeling a little curious themselves, they followed until they came to an empty room. The room was quite spacious and there was a large bed perfect for someone to lie down in. King Triton then gently laid the boy down on the bed and at the same time removed the garment off the boy's body leaving him bare chested.
"There we go," said King Triton. "Now he can rest in here until he wakes up. I should probably fetch a doctor just in case. Until then I'll need someone to keep an eye on him."
"Daddy? Can me and Flounder watch over him until he wakes up?" asked Ariel. "That way you can go get the doctor and you won't have to worry."
King Triton hummed in thought and then he nodded. "Very well Ariel," he said. "If and when he does wake up come find me right away. Until then, make sure he's welcome and comfortable and if there's anything wrong, don't hesitate to call me or your sisters for help."
"I will Daddy," replied Ariel.
"Sebastian, you watch over him as well," continued the king.
"As you command your majesty," said Sebastian.
And with that, King Triton swam out of the room. Then Ariel's sisters came into the room. They all saw the boy lying on the bed and when they saw him, they couldn't help but stare in curiosity and wonder.
"Who in the world is that boy?" asked Alana.
"I don't know," said Ariel. "Flounder just found him this morning and Daddy brought him here."
"He certainly doesn't look like anyone we know from Altantica," said Attina. "Maybe he's a foreigner?"
"One things for sure, this boy's cute!" said Adella.
"There you go checking out a boy again Adella," said Aquata. "But I will agree that this boy does look... unique."
"Yeah. Just look at his tail," said Arista. "It's red just like mine, but it fades to black at the end."
"I wonder where he comes from?" wondered Andrina.
As the girls gathered around looking at the boy, Sebastian shooed them away.
"Now come on girls," he said. "Dere's nothing ta see here. Now run along. Don't you all need to practice for da upcoming concert?"
"Oh, come on Sebastian," pouted Andrina.
"We just want to see if he's okay," said Alana.
"If by see you mean gawk," said Sebastian. "Now go on. Shoo! De only people that should be in dis room are Ariel, Flounder, and me."
And so, feeling a little disappointed, the six girls left the room leaving Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder by themselves with the boy.
"Whew. I don't understand why these girls are so interested in dis kid," muttered Sebastian. "I mean looks just like any other merman only with a different color of tail fin."
"I wonder when he'll wake up?" wondered Flounder.
"Me too Flounder. But for now, we'll have to wait until he wakes up," said Ariel. "I hope he does soon. There's no many things I wanna ask him."
Then the boy began to stir and groan a little causing Ariel and Flounder to look at him.
"Hey, you guys, he's coming around."
"Be careful man."
"Hey there... can you hear us?"
Garret was still feeling out of it as he slowly started to wake up. He felt the coolness of water all over his body making it seem a little cold. He also heard a trio of voice. One belonging to a young girl and the other two belong to two boys, an older one and a younger one.
Garret groaned as he slowly sat up rubbing his head. "Geez... what happened to me?"
His vision was a little blurry at first, but it then came clearer. Garret's eyes blinked open and then he saw something that didn't fully register in his mind at first, but then his eyes widened. Before him was a young girl with red hair with a fish tail whom he recognized as a mermaid and a yellow tropical fish with blue fins and stripes. Then the fish swam up to him and did the unthinkable. It spoke.
"Um... excuse me sir," said the fish. "Are you OK?"
Garret stared at the fish and the girl then...
"WAAAAAHHH!"
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
Garret screamed in alarm and Flounder screamed back just as alarmed. Flounder quickly hid behind Ariel's hair while Garret quickly hid under the covers of the bed. He slowly peeked out from behind the sheets and Flounder peeked out from Ariel's hair.
"A f-f-f-fish just talked to me!" he stammered his blue eyes wide with shock and his face slightly paled. "And-and-and there's a mermaid too!?"
"What's da matter with you man?" said a voice. "You never seen a talking fish and a mermaid before?"
Garret then looked down and he saw Sebastian next to him on his right which didn't make things any less freaky for him.
"Wha!? A talking crab too?! What's going on here!?" he cried. "Not to mention how am I breathing underwater?! How did I get here?!"
Garret was now feeling his heart beating like a jackhammer. Then when he scooted back, he was expecting his legs to help push him back, but then he felt something thrash around beneath him helplessly. Garret whipped off the covers and his eyes went wide again with shock even more so than before. There where his legs should be was a red and black tail fin attached to his body.
"What the heck is this!?" he cried. "What happened to my legs!?"
"Da poor kid!" cried Sebastian. "He's so loopy in da head dat he tinks he's a human!"
A million questions darted through Garret's mind. Where was he? How did he get here? And why did he now have a tail like a merman instead of his legs? He felt like he was about to lose his mind and have a panic attack, but then Ariel calmly placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to look at her.
"It's OK. There's no need to be frightened," she said. "Try to take a few deep breaths and calm down."
Garret did as Ariel asked and took a few deep breaths. After that, he felt himself calm down a little and his heart rate ease up.
"Feeling better now?" asked Ariel.
"Yeah. I'm OK," said Garret. "Although... I have a lot of questions running through my mind right now."
"Maybe you can answer some of ours first," said Flounder.
"Dat's right! Like who are you? What's your name?" demanded Sebastian. "And what did you mean when you said something about your legs? Are you a human in disguise?"
"Sebastian come on. You're being paranoid," Ariel scolded. Then she turned back to Garret. "Pay no attention to him. He tends to be a worry wort sometimes. Anyway, what's your name?"
"My name is Garret," the boy answered. "What about you guys?"
"My name's Ariel," replied the mermaid. "These is my best friend Flounder and the crabby crab over there is Sebastian."
"Hey! I am not crabby!" snapped Sebastian.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," said Garret. "By the way, where am I exactly? I know that I'm underwater, but... where is this?"
"You're in Atlantica inside the palace," said Ariel. "Flounder found you just outside of the kingdom and then me and Daddy carried you back to Atlantica."
"I see..." said Garret. He then looked back at his red and black gradient tail. "And... did you find me... like this?"
"Yes. You also had some strange white thing on your chest," said Ariel. "But Daddy took it off."
"Oh, I see," said Garret.
"That explains why I'm bare chested right now," he thought. "I must admit... I feel a little awkward like this."
He then sat up from the bed was about to stand up, but then he saw the new tail fin. He knew that he couldn't stand like a human due to him not having his legs anymore, but he had to try and get up. He then tried swimming upright using his arms, but that didn't help very much. All he did was go up a couple feet.
"What are you doing man?" asked Sebastian.
"Trying to get up," said Garret.
"Den why don't you use dat tail fin of yours?" asked Sebastian. "It's dere for a reason."
Garret looked down at his tail. He didn't know anything about how to use it. But he didn't want to look silly so he thought he could at least try to use it. He moved his tail fin making it flop around as he used his arms to try and go forward, but then due to him not being used to his tail, when he tried to go forward he ended up losing his balance and ended up falling flat on his face. Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian were surprised, and Garret rubbed his nose in pain
"Are you OK?" asked Ariel helping him to back to the bed.
"Yeah. Just... not used to this tail that's all," said Garret sheepishly. "This is the first time I've used it."
"You mean you don't know how to use your tail fin?" asked Flounder. "I thought all mermaids knew how to use their tail fins."
"Apparently not him," said Sebastian. "Dat's a shocker."
Just then, someone came into the room causing them to turn their attention towards the doorway. There stood a large blue squid which was probably taller than Garret himself.
"Hello there," said the squid. "I was told by his majesty that there was a merman in need and I take it must be this lad."
"Are you the doctor that his majesty sent?" asked Flounder.
"Indeed, I am," said the squid. "His majesty had to take care of his royal duties and he sent me to make sure this boy was alright."
Garret couldn't help but feel a little bit frightened once again. "Um... are... you really a doctor?" he asked nervously.
The squid smiled kindly. "Yes. There's no need to be afraid of me young man," he said. "I'm just here to make sure that everything is all right with your body."
"Don't worry," said Ariel to Garret. "This doctor knows what he's doing. My father always takes me and my sisters to see him. We be right outside if you need us."
Then she, Flounder, and Sebastian swam out of the room while the doctor began examining Garret making sure that he was healthy. When the three made sure that they were out of the room they spoke to each other.
"Well that seemed a bit unusual," said Ariel.
"You're telling me," said Sebastian. "What kind of mermaid doesn't know how ta swim? Well... a new born probably. But not a grown boy like dat!"
"Maybe he forgot how to swim," said Flounder. "Maybe he has... amnesia or something."
"Who knows," said Ariel. "Hopefully when the doctor finishes, he'll be able to tell us a little more about himself. Until then it looks like we gained a new friend."
"I still find something suspicious about dis boy," said Sebastian. "Ariel. You and Flounder had better stay on your guard with dis one."
"Oh Sebastian, you're worrying too much," said Flounder. "He seems to be a good person. Right Ariel?"
"Of course, Flounder, but weren't you scared of him a moment ago?" chuckled Ariel.
Flounder felt sheepish. "Well... I was a moment ago... but not anymore."
"Well until the doctor's finished, we should wait for him to be done," said Ariel.
Then the three waited outside of the room and waited for the doctor to be done.