"Who is there? Who are you?" Ariel shouted at the sound of movement in the dark shadows of the dusty room in which she was captive. Earlier she had watched through the crack of the wooden trunk as the coach went down the road to town's docks, then a group of men loaded her trunk up the ramp of a ship. She thought if she were anywhere near water, she'd be safe. But then remembered she was no longer a mermaid.

They carried her down to the ship's brig, where prisoners were normally kept, and tied her arms behind her back around a beam that was holding up the sides of the ship. She had been there for nearly an hour and just a few moments prior a man came in to cut off her gag. She tried to plead to the man, but he didn't say a word and quickly left her there again, alone and in the dark.

The sound of footsteps from outside the brig grew louder and the shuffling she had been hearing from inside the brig had stopped. She looked up attentively although she could not see very much. A small high window from behind her beamed a ray of light at the wall directly across from her. The footsteps stopped at her door, followed by the metal clanking of a turning key. The door creaked open slowly and a very large shadowy figure stood at the doorway. The figure took careful steps inside, not breathing a word.

"What do you want?!" Ariel exclaimed with much anger in her voice. The figure stood still a moment, then stiffly walked toward Ariel, towering above her into the light. Ariel could only see the top of the figure's body. It wore a dark cloak and seemed very tall from her angle. "Please," Ariel pleaded, "Why are you doing this?" The figure removed its hood and Ariel's eyes widened in utter shock.

"Carlotta, have you seen Ariel?" Eric asked in the kitchen.

"No, not since breakfast this morning," Carlotta responded. "I'm sure she's around here somewhere."

"I haven't seen her since this morning either. I just went in to town and she wasn't in any of the shops. I've really messed things up."

"Oh, no," Carlotta reassured him, "I'm sure everything's alright. She'll turn up soon, it's almost dinner time. I don't think she has eaten anything all day. She barely touched her breakfast and skipped her lunch."

"Ask around for me, would you?" Eric knew this wasn't a good sign. He continued to search throughout the castle, asking every person he came across. No one had seen her. He didn't think Adam would be around, he was typically outdoors the majority of the day, but his door was slightly opened and a dim candle's light was flickering against the wall.

"Adam?" Eric called out, pushing the door open gently. "Are you in here?" The large room was mostly dark and the curtains were drawn. He heard rustling noises coming from the bed. "Adam?"

"Yeah, what's going on? Is it dinner time?" Adam finally responded from under the covers, a little shook up.

"Have you seen Ariel? What were you doing?" Eric interrogated him, walking closer to the head of Adam's bed.

"I was taking a nap. Well, before you rudely barged in."

"You don't take naps," Eric doubted. He noticed a pink silk robe on the floor and picked it up, he knew who the robe belonged to. In one swift movement, Eric pulled back the covers of Adam's bed exposing his bare lower half. He pulled the covers back more, revealing Greta's curled up nude body. Eric scoffed loudly at Adam in disgust.

"Hello, Prince Eric," Greta said politely.

"Greta," Eric started, "Here, put something on." He draped the robe around Greta's shoulders and helped her out of Adam's bed.

"Come on! I wasn't even finished!" Adam exclaimed.

"Greta, what's on your face?"

"It's quite alright, Prince," Greta answered turning her face away. She stood silently, looking down at the floor. Eric had a look of concern in his eyes, he placed a hand on Greta's shoulder and rubbed it gently.

"It's alright. You can go now, Greta," Eric said softly. Greta nodded and walked out of the bedroom, leaving the two brothers behind.

"I don't want you to touch Greta anymore," Eric commanded.

"Why the hell not?" Adam fussed, pulling his pants back up.

"Did you see what you did to her face? Don't touch her!"

"You want to keep her as your own personal plaything and I can't have any fun?"

"I don't have time for this. Have you seen Ariel since breakfast this morning?" Eric asked once more.

"Ariel? Why? What's wrong?" Adam sat up quickly, his tone completely different.

"No one has seen her. I've looked everywhere. I don't know where she could be."

"I didn't think she was serious. Didn't know she would actually go through with it," Adam muttered hopping out of bed.

"What? Go through with what?" Eric demanded.

"The stables. She was in the stables crying about leaving or going home or something. She was talking to that skinny white horse as if he were answering. I thought she was just being dramatic-" Adam stated, he started to put his boots on.

"The stables? I was there earlier. When was this?" Eric asked in a panic.

"Some time before noon," Adam replied. Eric raced out of the room, to the long corridor and down the long steps.

The stables were very calm that evening, considering the racket going on outside.

"Jacques," Eric called out to the horse. He ran his hand down Jacques' nose and stared into his face. "Look, I know Ariel speaks to you. And I know you can understand her." Jacques stared back with a blank look on his face. Eric was at a loss of words. "I am Eric, I am the prince here," Eric said slowly and loudly. Jacques did not react. "Can you even understand me?" Eric asked to himself. Jacques nodded his head. "You can!" Eric knew Jacques was his only hope. "Can I understand you?" he asked. Jacques neighed, but it was no use. "I guess not. Jacques, was Ariel in here today?". Jacque nodded his head yes. "Yes?! Do you know where she is now?" he shouted, a little excited. Jacques shook his head no. Eric sighed, "She is missing, Jacques. I have to find her."

The thought of Ariel being missing worried Jacques. She was his only friend there and she was the human that saved him. Jacques picked up a hair clip from the hay with his teeth and placed it in Eric's hand.

"This is hers," Eric looked at the clip solemnly. Jacques smelled the clip several times and then motioned toward the door. "What is it, boy?" Jacques became excited and nudged Eric from behind to the door. "Do you think you can find her?" Eric asked. Jacques nodded his head yes over and over and pulled the saddle, that was lying in a corner of the stable, with his teeth. "This is great, let's find her. I'll ride you!" Eric lifted the saddle off the ground and tried to place it on Jacques back.

Suddenly, Cleo whined and darted in between the two.

"Stop it, girl!" Eric yelled, trying to go around her. But Cleo reared her front legs up. "Cleo!" he scolded her. Cleo rubbed her head against the saddle. That's when Eric realized, she was jealous. "Alright, Cleo. I'll ride you. But we have to follow Jacques." Cleo stood proudly as her master placed her saddle on her. Eric led both horses out the stable and mounted Cleo.

"I'm going with you, brother" Adam appeared from out of nowhere, already on Rothbart.

"Adam? Why?" Eric asked in disbelief.

"I just want to make sure she's safe," Adam said.

"Why do you care?"

"I don't really," Adam muttered arrogantly.

"Yes, you do. You care for her. Why?" Eric demanded, "Are you in love with her?"

"Heavens, no! You're so ridiculous, little brother. She's yours."

"Then why do you care about her?"

"It's just-" Adam tried to find the words. "The way she jumped in front of that whip to save that horse. It's really stuck with me. I would kill the man who would dare lay a finger on Rothbart!" he exclaimed, looking down at his prized Clydesdale.

"Yet, you'd hit a woman?" Eric jabbed. Adam rolled his eyes. Jacques neighed loudly from up the road. Eric had forgotten for a moment he was supposed to be following him. "Let's go!"

Ariel looked up at the unhooded person in fear, having no idea what they were capable of doing.

"You look really pretty now, mermaid," Queen Eleanora said with a sinister smile. Ariel didn't speak, she hung her head down in shame. "It's good to finally be rid of you. My son was perfectly fine before you came along and cast your spell on him. I don't know what your little ploy was but you're going away to a place where you can be with your kind." The queen bent over and lifted Ariel's chin with her hand, "Nothing to say? Or have you gone mute again?" Ariel glared at the queen angrily, but still did not say a word.

A man's voice called out from above and the ship had started to move.

"Wait!" the queen shouted behind her at the men in the corridor, "Why is this moving? I am not going anywhere! Let me off this wretched thing!"

"Sorry, your highness," one man mocked and pushed her against the door frame. Another man placed shackles on Eleanora's wrists. Ariel recognized him- it was Claude, the ringmaster from the festival who whipped Jacques.

"Unhand me!" The queen screamed, "I will have all of your heads for this! You have no right!" The men sat the queen directly in front of Ariel and chained the shackles to a metal hook. The queen tried to set herself free by trying to pull on the shackles, but it was useless. "Let me go, you vermin! You will all pay!"

"Shut her up," Claude ordered. The shorter, dirtier man slapped the queen hard across the face. A few strands from her neat updo came undone. She breathed very heavily, almost as if she were to cry.

"I barely felt that," the queen hissed. The man looked at Claude, who nodded, and hit her other cheek even harder with the back of his hand. Blood had started dripping down her chin from her lip. The man pulled the queen's hair back to lift her head.

"Did you like that one?" he jeered, inches from her nose. The queen looked the man square in the eyes with hatred and spat blood right in his face. The man wiped his face and raised his fist up in the air, "You crazy old-"

"Stop!" Ariel pleaded. "Please. Don't!" The man looked behind him and laughed.

"Don't you know she put you here? You stupid girl!" he roared.

"Come on," Claude commanded, "Let's go." The two men locked the door as the ship pulled away from shore.

By the time they had reached the town the sun had set completely and the air was a bit breezy. Jacques followed Ariel's scent through the center of town and to the loading dock. He stopped and sniffed around some more.

"What's wrong, boy? Can you you smell her?" Eric searched around for where she could be. Jacques ran to the end of the dock and pointed his nose up in the air.

"If you're looking for the ship, it pulled out hours ago," A fisherman who was on the shipwreck a week prior shouted at Eric.

"What ship?" Adam asked, still mounted on Rothbart.

"The last of the circus ships, your majesty," the man replied, "There was a lot of commotion on there from the sounds of it. I'm glad they're all gone."

"They have her," Eric said to Adam. "We have to go after her. Get some ships ready."

"Woah, hold on," Adam advised, "You're not even sure they have her. Besides, it's too late to set sail now."

"He's right, Prince. You best wait 'til mornin'" the fisherman agreed. Eric couldn't bare the thought of Ariel being alone on that ship all night. But he begrudgingly rode back to the castle, formulating a strategy plan on how to rescue her in the morning.

Upon arriving the castle, Carlotta was crying in the foyer and Grimsby consoling her.

"What's going on?" Eric rushed over to Carlotta.

"The queen! She's been- kidnapped!" she bawled.

"There was a Ransom note left at the palace door this afternoon. A young boy in town said he was paid to deliver it," Grimsby added.

"Eric, what are we going to do?!" Carlotta was hysterical.

"Get every ship ready. We'll set sail at dawn," Adam announced.

Later that evening in his chambers, Eric couldn't sleep. He lined out every possible direction in which the ship could be headed on a large map on his table. Grimsby had lead many ship attacks in the past and Adam knew many different war and combat tactics. He himself had been sailing since he was a young boy, so he was somewhat certain they were able to stop the ship. He looked over the routes again and compared them to the currents in the ocean. The ships had an 18 hour advantage, there was a chance they could not reach them in time.

"Eric?" a female voice said from the door. Eric looked up hopefully.

"Greta, it's late," he said before looking down at his map again.

"Do you think we'll be able to find Ariel?" she asked sincerely.

"I sure do hope so," he said without looking up from his battle plan.

"So do I. I hope nothing bad happens to her," Greta didn't ease Eric's thoughts one bit. She walked over to him quietly from behind and started to gently rub his back. "You should get some rest, Eric. So that you're refreshed in the morning to bring her back."

"I can't sleep right now, Greta," Eric muttered. She moved her hands up from his back to his shoulders, working her fingers in deeply over the fabric of his shirt. She pushed his shoulders down, getting him to sit in the chair behind him. "I'm not in the mood for this," he uttered, almost a lie. Greta sat on Eric's lap and wrapped her legs around his torso as she continued to massage his shoulders and arms.

"Get some rest, Prince. Please," she pleaded with a sultry sound in her voice.

"Your hair," he noticed, "It's down!"

"Do you like it?" she asked with a bashful smile.

"It looks great. It's so long," Eric took a hand and ran it down her long dark hair. It felt different from Ariel's, it was thinner and flat. Greta even smelled great, like lavender and fresh cotton. But he loved the faint powdery smell of the ocean on a warm day on Ariel. He then realized, no woman could ever replace her in his life. Not in his bed, not in his heart. Eric stood up abruptly and walked to the door.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I think you're right, I should probably rest," he replied cooly. Greta walked quietly to the door and smiled at him. "Oh and Greta, don't let Adam lay a hand on you ever again."

"You're a sweet Prince," she said and walked out the room. He closed the door behind her.

Eric waited a few moments before opening the door again. He had spent a good while in Ariel's room earlier, looking through her things and laying on her bed. He had even taken one of the pillows over to his room. But he decided to go once more. As soon as he opened the door, he noticed a small little creature moving about her bed. It very much resembled the shape of a crab.

"Sebastian?" he wondered out loud. The creature jumped off the bed and scurried underneath it. "Sebastian! Stop! It's about Ariel," Eric chased him underneath the bed.

"Ariel?" Sebastian responded in his caribbean accent.

"You can speak!" Eric was shocked. He had never been spoken to by an animal before.

"Oh, mon," Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Where is Ariel?!"

"She was taken, I need your help."

"Taken? Where? By whom?!" Sebastian exclaimed.

"I think I know how to get her back. I just need to ask a favor of you," Eric explained.

"Anything."

"I need to see King Triton, now."

As much as Ariel tried to stay awake found herself becoming weary a few hours past midnight. She closed her eyes for a moment, being lulled by the sounds of the ocean against the ship.

"Wake up, mermaid!" Eleanora howled, still shackled to the ground across from Ariel. Ariel opened her eyes again. "You need to be alert."

Ariel had spitefully not said a word to the queen all afternoon and evening. Instead she listened to the queen go through many moods of rage. She insulted Ariel constantly, telling her it was her fault for putting them in that situation. She claimed none of it would have happened if Ariel had stayed in the ocean where she belonged. She would sometimes run out of insults and would begin to talk about random memories of Eric, Adam and the King. Ariel pretended not to listen. Although the queen treated her terribly, part of her felt sorry for the queen- to have so much bitterness in ones heart must have a strong reason behind it.

Ariel heard it again, the shuffling noise from earlier that day. The queen heard it as well and stopped talking.

"Who is that?" Ariel broke her silence. "I won't hurt you, whatever you are."

"What are you doing? You stupid girl," the queen remarked, a bit unsure herself. Ariel ignored her. A tiny little mouse appeared from out of the corner, causing the queen to shriek in fright. The mouse scurried away back into a small crack in the wooden floor.

"No, no! It's ok," Ariel said with a smile, "You can come out now." The mouse poked his head out slowly. "See? I won't hurt you. What is your name?"

"Gus," the little mouse said in a quiet stuffy voice.

"Gus? That's a good name! I am Ariel," she replied.

"Are you absolutely insane? You're talking to a mouse? Keep that thing away from me!" the queen cried, curling up her legs as close to her body as possible.

"They have you tied up?" the mouse asked curiously as he walked over to Ariel. He appeared to be very young.

"Yes. We were captured, Gus. I may need your help," Ariel pleaded.

"I can help!" Gus said eagerly, jumping on to Ariel's lap.

"That is disgusting! That thing isn't even talking!" Eleanora grimaced at the mouse.

"She is so loud," Gus remarked.

"Gus, do you think you can chew through these ropes around my wrists?" Ariel asked, moving her body to the side.

"I chew rope all the time!" The queen watched in disbelief as Gus jumped off Ariel's lap and behind her. She couldn't see, but she knew the mouse was chewing on something.

"That's impossible! How did you tell that rodent what to do? You can't keep ignoring me mermaid!" Eleanora yelled with her eyes finally meeting Ariel's for the first time in a long time.

"What's going on in there!" A man shouted from the hall. He unlocked the big metal door and stomped inside the dusty room. Both women were silent a moment.

"I have to use the bathroom, that's what!" the queen wailed, "And I haven't yet been fed!" The dirty man looked around and looked at Ariel, who seemed to be watching him attentively. She had never looked at him before and he found her behavior odd. He walked over to her slowly, he could barely see her from the light of a lantern he carried.

"What's wrong with ya, little miss? What is it you're doing there?" He walked in a little closer. "You're a pretty one, aren't you. The one they call mermaid princess. Go on, sing me a song then Siren." The man laughed, his crotch just a foot away from Ariel's face.

"All done Ariel!" Gus popped out from behind her.

"A mouse!" The scruffy man bellowed. Gus darted across the creaking floor, the man following after him. Ariel loosened herself from the rope and quickly, but quietly, ran out of the room, through the metal door. After Gus escaped through the crack, the man turned to find strands of rope where Ariel had been. "Where did she go?!" he roared and rushed to the door. The queen extended her leg as he passed tripped the man to the ground. She kicked him several times more as he tried to get up again. Ariel rushed into the room with a shovel in her hands and hit the man across the head.

"Do it again!" the queen ordered, with a rush in her voice. Ariel did, knocking the man unconscious. Ariel and the queen huffed deeply as they looked at each other. "Don't just stand there, mermaid. Free me!"

Gus appeared again from underneath the floorboards.

"Gus! Are you ok?" Ariel asked, bending down to speak to him.

"Sure, am Ariel!" he cheered happily. He ran into the unconscious man's pants and took out a large skeleton key, "Look!"

"What a clever little rat," the queen jeered. Gus and Ariel looked at each other, almost as if deciding whether or not to free her. "Hello?!" she shouted impatiently. Ariel took the key from Gus and looked at it and then at the queen.

"If I unlock you, you will need to remain quiet. I don't want to hear any more nasty remarks from you about me or anyone. Or else, everyone will know what you tried to do to me. Eric would never forgive you. If something were to happen to me, my father will know of it. You would never be able to even look at an ocean without having ten thousand leagues of water taking you under and drowning your pathetic human body," Ariel's eyes were stern and serious. The queen glared at Ariel in contempt. For the first time she had nothing to say.

"Fine!" Eleanora snapped. Ariel moved behind her quickly and turned the key into the shackles.

"Ariel, take me with you?" Gus pleaded as Ariel freed the queen.

"Are you sure?" Ariel asked, "We may not be safe for a long time."

"It's ok! I will help you!"

"Alright, little friend," she said, picking him up and stuffing him into her bodice.

The queen rubbed her sore wrists that were bright red with minor cuts. She tried to stand up slowly, getting used to being on her feet again. Ariel reached for her arm in assistance, but the queen snapped it away proudly wanting to do it on her own. They heard footsteps moving around from the level above them. Ariel ran out of the room again, with shovel in hand and the queen holding the lantern behind her.

Eric waited at the end of the pier where he said he'd be. He hadn't slept all night, how could he? The woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and his mother were both missing and time was wasting. He watched the queen's men and a few sailors prepare the ship for sail in the darkness. He looked out to sea with his pocket telescope, there was no sign of Triton. The sky started to change colors above the ocean as the sun grew closer to make its appearance. He would set sail with or without his help, he decided. As he began to walk away Eric felt the wind pick up behind him, he turned to find himself face to face with a large wave over three times his height about to crash against the pier. As the wave hit, it pushed him hard against the wood.

"Where is my daughter?!" Triton howled, floating on a stream of water coming out of the ocean with a trident in hand. Eric coughed as he crawled to pick himself up to his feet, his clothes were drenched. "Where is she?!" Triton sent another wave over the young man's body. Eric tried to shield himself, but the wave was too powerful.

"King Triton," Eric coughed, "Please, I want to help find her." Triton looked at him angrily and started forming another wave. "No! I need to find her, I need your help!" Eric watched as the wave came closer to the pier. "I love her!" he shouted, before being hit once more.

Triton lowered his water stream down closer to the pier. Eric lied still a moment and then worked his way to his hands and feet, coughing out the saltwater from his lungs.

"Where is she?" Triton asked once more.

"She was kidnapped with my mother, the queen. She's on a ship, somewhere less than 100 miles north. We have a ship getting ready for the rescue, but we need your help to get us there or we'll never catch up in time. Please, I don't want them to hurt her," Eric pleaded, out of breath and clutching his chest. Triton noticed the sincerity in Eric's eyes.

"If I help you, you must let her go forever," Triton said with a serious look in his eyes.

"What? No, I can't do that. I love her."

"Look what you let happen to her. You can't protect her like I can. She belongs with me, under the sea," Triton explained.

"We were supposed to get married," Eric said solemnly, looked out at the sun beginning to rise and knew he had no time to waste.

"If you really love her, you would let her go," Triton added. Eric felt a heavy weight on his chest, Triton was right. It was his fault Ariel was missing, he should have been protecting her.

"King Triton," Eric stood up straight, "I am sorry, but I have to respectfully decline your assistance. I'm not giving Ariel up, I'll do it on my own." Still in his wet clothing, Eric turned and began to walk away from the merman.

"If I find her first," King Triton started, "I'm taking her home with me- to Atlantica." Eric stopped a moment with his back to the King and stood perfectly still. He turned his head and torso and bent his body in a polite bow.

"Your Majesty," he said politely and continued to walk away. He thought Triton would be on his side, but he had just made matters worse.

Ariel and Queen Eleanora moved as quickly and quietly as they could, stopping to listen every couple dozen steps. They were not sure how big the ship was or what level they were on, but it seemed as if most of the people on the ship were asleep. Their goal was to find steps and get as far up as they could. Ariel used Gus as a guide through the maze of the old wooden ship.

Then Ariel saw it- sunlight from the top of the stairs. This was the last level before the deck, she didn't know who or what would be up there. She gripped the shovel tightly and walked up the stairs cautiously, listening for any sounds. She poked her head out above the last step, there appeared to be no one on deck and signaled for the queen to wait a moment. But the queen shook her head no. Ariel sighed and took her first step on deck, screening the area for any humans. She wasn't sure what she'd do, she had no set plan.

"We haven't moved much in the last couple hours. The currents, it's like they've all stopped!" One man told the other above in the captain's bridge.

"What? Let me see that!" a deep commanding voice barked.

"The winds, they've stopped too! I don't understand, sir."

Ariel and the queen tiptoed across the deck and hid behind some cargo boxes.

"It smells over here," Ariel said to the queen.

"Gunpowder," she responded. But Ariel wasn't sure what that was. "It's from the east," the queen added after observing Ariel's confused expression. A barrel of gunpowder fell off its ledge and rolled down the deck.

"Who is that?! Ring the bells!" the captain ordered. The thinner, younger man rang a bell that was connected to several other bells on the ship. The captain tried to run down to stop them, but soon four more men appeared from below. The queen followed Ariel to the ledge of the ship. Ariel looked down at the water and at the queen again.

"What are you doing? Are crazy? We are in the middle of the ocean!" the queen panicked, watching the men run closer to them. Ariel threw the shovel overboard and pulled herself up on the ledge. She helped the queen up onto the ledge as well.

"Get rid of that," Ariel said, looking at the lantern in the queen's hands. The queen took the lantern and threw it at the men, missing them and shattering it into pieces. The flame from the candle began a small fire on the ship. Ariel took a hold of Eleanora's hand. "Jump!" she shouted and both women went over the ledge into the cold ocean water. A small explosion went off on the ship behind them, releasing a puff of black smoke into the air. There was commotion on the ship, the men on it could barely see in front of them.

Ariel did not let go of the queen, who was frantically kicking and screaming from the cold water.

"You have to remain calm," Ariel advised, draping the queen's arm around her shoulder. "There is land this way. We can swim twice as fast if we work together."

"I don't see any land. This water is freezing! We should go back, I can drown out here!"

"I know these waters. There is land a few miles from here," Ariel began swimming with one arm with the queen on the other. Gus popped out of her bodice and onto her shoulder where he sat comfortably. "Hold on to me."

Triton gathered his men who were under the sea near the castle, awaiting his command.

"The ship is 100 leagues north. We can make it within a few hours with the Delfins. I have stopped any and all currents in that area. Let's go!" he commanded, riding his seashell sleigh pulled by Delfins. The Delfins were a group of armored dolphins trained for speed and combat.

After a few minutes, the King stopped a moment as the small Atlantic Army went on. He swam up to shore to find Eric's ship sailing far off in the distance behind him. The quicker he moved, the more Eric's ship became a little spec. Triton sighed to himself. Setting the trident across the water, he conjured a gust of wind from the sky and a strong current from the sea. He watched as the ship picked up speed before his very eyes. He would definitely reach Ariel first, but knew the relentless Prince would now not be too far off behind him.

After a couple hours, the King's army stood at attention below the ship. They attached giant starfish seaweed rope to it, anchoring it to the ground. Triton decided, he was better off unseen, for the protection of his people. Eric and his ship were only a couple miles behind behind. He sent Sebastian to inform Eric of his plan to sink the ship once Ariel and the queen were safely off.

"So, he changed his mind?" Eric asked Sebastian, a little puzzled.

"Da sea king is not as bad as he seems, mon" Sebastian told him, "How else do ya tink ya got here so quickly?"

"Prince Eric!" a sailor called out, "Look!" Eric looked through his telescope straight ahead at a cloud of dark smoke hovering over a ship in the middle of the sea.

"Is that them?" Eric asked himself, "Come on! There may be a fire."

When Eric reached the ship, there was no fire. But the deck was charred black and the air smelled of burning wood .

"This is the Royal Guard. Release the queen and princess or we will be forced to attack!" Grimsby spoke into a large metal megaphone. The men looked alarmed as they tried to scurry below deck.

"They ain't 'ere!" one man shouted. Eric waited for the ships to be closer together before placing several planks between the two. Sailors and swordsmen followed after him as he led the way. Adam was also there, blood thirsty and looking to kill anyone who he could get his hands on. The men stormed every level of the ship, capturing prisoners and as many valuables as they could find. Eric could care less about the valuables, instead searched for the ship's brig. He had finally found it; instead of being locked the door was wide open and had a man lying on the ground groaning.

"What happened here? Are you alright?" Eric asked with feigned concern and holding the man's head up.

"They escaped! They hit me, took my key and escaped," the man grunted. Eric let the man's head fall back against the wood. Adam, who was listening at the doorway, came into the room as Eric walked out. Eric heard the man scream as Adam began beating him mercilessly. Walking back on deck, Eric found his men awaiting his orders with about a dozen or so men captured and on their knees.

"Do any of you know the whereabouts of the queen and princess?" Eric asked loudly as he looked into the eyes of the captured men; no one said a word. "Answer me and I'll spare you." He recognized Claude's lanky body, looking down to the ground as if not wanting to be recognized. "You! Why did you do this?" Eric stormed over and struck Claude hard in the face. His face had already badly bruised from Adam's beating a couple days prior.

"The queen," Claude explained, "She paid me to get rid of the mermaid."

"He's lying!" Grimsby shouted from the plank.

"Of course he's lying," Eric stared at the man.

"It's true. He was there too!" the man said, motioning toward Grimsby. "We were going to sell her. But I figured we'd get more money for both of them." Eric kicked the man in the stomach, making him cower in pain.

"Where is Ariel!" Eric commanded.

"She escaped," Claude huffed, "They both did."

"It's true!" the captain interjected. "They nearly burned down my ship. Set fire to a barrel of gunpowder like devils- made a big explosion. Then they jumped off into the water. Can't you see the smoke? We couldn't see or hear anything for a good while."

Eric looked down at the water in search of them. "How long ago?"

"Half- hour, maximum. But I'm sure the fall must've killed them," the captain added. Eric clenched his fists in anger, the thought of them being dead had crossed his mind several times. But they couldn't be, Ariel was a tough young woman, he reminded himself. "Will you still spare us, Prince?" the captain asked.

Eric ordered the men to all be placed in the brig together and locked away. He then took his group of sailors and sailed away from the miscreant ship.

"Why are we leaving them alive?" Adam asked Eric as they watched the ship get smaller. Suddenly giant starfish tied to seaweed ropes flew out of the air and over the pirate ship, sinking it down into the ocean like a giant octopus.

"I promised I'd spare them. But King Triton did not."

"John... John," Eleanora mumbled in her sleep. She slept on a giant leaf at the base of a tree under the warm shade. Her dress was off and drying in the sun on the beach; she wore her long undergarments. Her hair was wavy, brown and loosely draped over her chest and shoulders as she slept on her side. The queen suddenly woke up, confused and disoriented. "Ariel? Ariel?!" she sat up, looking around frantically.

"I'm right here," Ariel responded from behind her. The queen sighed in relief. "Did you have a nice rest?"

"How can I? I am on the ground like a peasant," Eleanora complained.

"And it hasn't killed you, has it?"

"Nearly enough," the queen retorted. "How was it you were able to speak to that whale that helped us to shore? And that mouse?"

"I've already told you," Ariel said patiently. "Mermaids can speak with all sea animals- and some land animals, apparently."

"But why can't you turn into a mermaid now? How did you find my son?" Queen Eleanora asked curiously. Ariel walked over to the queen, who was quietly observing her every move, and sat beside her.

"I watched Eric on a ship, playing with Max. I didn't know what happened, but something hit me. I felt something I never had before. I was fine with just staring and daydreaming of him, but then their ship caught fire. Everyone else made it off safely because of him. He even turned around to save Max," Ariel recounted.

"Yes, he would do that," the queen interjected, rolling her eyes and then looked at Ariel again to continue.

"I searched for him in the wreck. There were pieces of wood everywhere, smoke, flames. I saw him- finally, unconscious and sinking. I pulled him up to shore and laid him on the sand. He wasn't awake but he was breathing, thankfully. I sang to him, touched his face, listened to his heartbeat. For the first time I knew I wanted to be with Eric more than any other person in the world," Ariel stopped a moment and stared out at the late morning sun.

"So you turned yourself into a human?" the queen asked, hanging on her every word.

"No," Ariel smiled, "I don't have that power. For the next couple days I couldn't stop thinking about Eric. I thought about him every second of every day and night. I even dreamed about him finding me while he went out for a swim. My good friend, Flounder, surprised me with a statue of Eric that was lost from the shipwreck."

"That was my gift to him for his birthday!" the queen said proudly.

"It was a very nice gift," Ariel reassured her. "But my father found me talking to it- just pretending. He destroyed it."

"But, why?"

"He wants nothing to do with humans. He hates that I go up to shore. When he found out I saved a human it infuriated him. He destroyed all my treasures."

"What treasures?" the queen sat up and listened attentively.

"Human things from shipwrecks," Ariel answered.

"Gold?"

"No, not gold," Ariel laughed. "We have plenty gold. Paintings, silverware, shoes, a globe- my favorite was a music box with a dancer inside. And of course, Eric's statue."

"Oh," Eleanora said, a little amused at what Ariel considered to be treasure. "So, he turned you into a human?"

"No, no. An evil sea witch did," Ariel explained.

"Oh, right." Eleanora remembered, "Eric told me about that. You traded your voice to be human. But how would you be able to talk to Eric?"

"I don't know," Ariel said looking down at the ground, "I was stupid to make that deal. I've left my home, my family- for nothing. Only bad things have happened since I have arrived."

Eleanora suddenly felt terribly. The only bad things that had happened had been since her own arrival at Eric's castle.

"I don't know" Eleanora started, "If you ask me, having one of the two most handsome princes in all the kingdom fall in love with you whilst being a mute is a pretty big accomplishment. Eric has had women after him all his life." Ariel became suddenly jealous, she hated the thought of Eric with any other woman.

"Oh."

"Yes. The princess of Glauerhaven is a beautiful one. The prettiest of them all and, luckily, not much younger than he. He just- didn't feel anything, he says. Eric is much of a romantic, like his father. Except, his father didn't know how to have only one woman," Eleanora added bitterly.

"Didn't? Did he pass?"

"He is ill. Bedridden. Who knows how much longer he'll have to live. Which is why we need our men married off as soon as possible. Getting Adam to wed will be a much harder task," she stated.

"I can see why," Ariel mumbled. The queen sneered at her.

"Adam is best fit for king. He is older and has seen several wars. He is quick tempered, but a strong leader," the queen added in her son's defense.

"Eric is also strong and kind and passionate. He would make a very just king," Ariel said, thinking of her sweet prince.

"Eric's head has always been in the clouds. He loves sailing the ocean and being cooped up in that pathetic castle. It was his father's favorite," the queen's eyes glazed up as if she were to cry, but she didn't.

"His name is John?" Ariel asked.

"John?"

"Yes, is that the king's name? You were calling for John just a moment ago in your sleep," Ariel told her. The queen became nervous and rose to her feet.

"Oh, who knows. Silly dreams- who can understand them?" the queen laughed as she walked over to the beach to check on her dress.

"I'll try to find us some more berries and things to eat," Ariel shouted. Little Gus, who was there the whole time, followed her into the wooded area.

Prince Eric worried for Ariel and queen's safety as he paced the bridge.

"We'll find 'em, Prince," the old captain reassured him. After sinking the pirate ship, Triton pointed them in the direction of a nearby island- the closest piece of land for miles. He said he'd search the seas while Eric searched the lands. For the short distance they traveled in set of the island, Eric knew for sure there was no way the two women could have swam the distance so quickly.

"Land ho!" a sailor shouted from the ship's mast. There was a small island straight ahead, just like Triton had told him.

"What now?" said the captain, "We can't dock, there is no pier."

"We'll take rowboats," the Prince responded eagerly. He jumped from the second level down to the first and ordered some sailors to prepare the small boats. They would get as close to shore as possible; Eric and Adam would take two boats with a couple sailors to find the women.

The queen watched Ariel disappear into the woods. She felt crazy for believing her outlandish story but her intuition told her Ariel was sincere. Ariel seemed like a doe eyed young girl but, much to the queen's surprise, was much tougher than she looked. She was shaking the sand off her dress when she saw a ship approach in the distance. She watched a moment, making sure it wasn't the ship they were just on. But then noticed the red trim on the royal sails.

"Help! Help! Over here!" The queen jumped and flailed her arms. Two small boats appeared to get closer to shore. The queen recognized her boys anywhere. Eric stood and waved his arms. He looked through his telescope and saw his mother seemed fine. But there was no sign of Ariel. His heart raced knowing he was possibly a bit closer to her. It wasn't long before the men on the boats reached the shore. The princes jumped out and each took a turn hugging their mother. "Thank heavens!" the queen cried, "It was so horrible what they did to me! Oh, Adam! We should have them all hunted and killed!"

"It's alright, mother," Adam comforted her, mockingly. "They're all dead."

"Good!"

"Mother, where is Ariel?" Eric asked, too anxious to contain himself, "Is she alright?"

"Yes, yes. She's fine. Picking berries or singing or something back there," she waved her hand off behind her toward the woods carelessly. Eric ran into the forest hurriedly looking for the petite redhead woman. "I however am starving! And in the mood for a proper meal, gentlemen," she said to the sailors. "And don't you dare place your eyes where they needn't belong," she warned them, placing an arm across her chest over her long undergarment.

Ariel picked some berries from a bush as hummed to herself softly. She was glad to finally be on good terms with the queen, it was less of a burden to have to deal with. She wondered what Eric was doing and if he had even realized she was missing, or even cared. They weren't on the best of terms the last time they saw each other. Maybe he had changed his mind about everything, she thought.

She used the top layer of her dress to hold berries, she wasn't sure how long they could live off berries before needing something of more substance. She turned around with a lap full of the small delicious fruit, holding the fabric in her hands. She froze almost instantly at the sight of what stood in front of her. A wild boar stood angrily and stared her down. It squealed loudly and charged forward toward Ariel.

"Stop!" she tried to yell, sticking her hand out, but the boar could not understand her. She let go of her skirt, dropping all the berries to the ground. There was nowhere for her to run, she was cornered between the bushes and what seemed to be the side of a small mountain rock. She searched frantically for a way to escape. Realizing there was nowhere to go, she lifted her skirt slightly and grabbed a hold of the side of the rock, pulling her body onto a ledge that jut out about 4 feet off the ground.

The hog squealed and whined at her feet, trying to reach her but couldn't. Suddenly, an arrow spiraled through the sky, piercing the boar in the neck and causing it to shriek in agony.

"No!" Ariel cried, it pained her to see an animal hurt. She jumped off the ledge and placed a hand on the wild animal's head. She didn't know how to feel for the animal who had just tried to attack her as it clung to the last moments of its life. She heard footsteps approaching in her direction, who or what was on the island could very well be after her as well.

Ariel lifted a large stick from the dirt, standing her ground ready for the whoever it was that shot the arrow. The thing moved closer to her, rustling behind some trees. Finally, Ariel stared in disbelief at what stood before her. It was Eric, looking more handsome, cleaner and more serious than ever. Eric didn't know what to do, her blank reaction sent him mixed signals.

"Hi," was all he could muster with a small grin. Ariel's heart pulsed heavily, the last twenty four hours had seemed like weeks since she had last seen him. She let her stick drop to the ground and ran to her prince, embracing him tightly. Eric wrapped his arms around her, cupping the back of her head and holding it close to his chest. He let out a sigh of relief, glad that she was finally safe. Ariel's body began trembling and her breath became staggered as she let out small sobs.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked a little confused.

"I'm so sorry," she cried with her head buried into his shirt.

"Hey, it's ok," he consoled her, rubbing her back. It broke his heart to see her cry. "It's my fault, I couldn't protect you. I'm the one that should be sorry. But it's ok. You're safe now, you're with me."

"I've missed you so much," she squeezed him more tightly.

"I missed you. I would have searched forever until I found you again," Eric breathed into her ear, placing a light kiss on her cheek. Ariel realized how much she missed his kisses as well as his touch. She lifted her head off his chest and met his blue eyes with hers, parted her lips- inviting him in. He kissed her so desperately it was difficult to tell who was kissing harder. Ariel moaned softly, tossing her arms around his thick neck.

Kissing Ariel would always made Eric become aroused almost instantly. He placed his hands at her waist and down her back, pushing her body closer to his. Lifting her off the ground, he wrapped her legs around his hips. They never ceased to kiss as he carried her lithe body toward the giant rock and pressed her back against it with his body.

Her partially exposed thighs, squeezing the sides of his body, were smooth to the touch as Eric moved his hands up to her posterior and over her underwear. She could feel the firm bulge forming in his pants while pressing her pelvis against his. Ariel reached down and grabbed it firmly. She watched Eric's face wince in pleasure, she had never touched him there before- he never allowed it when she tried.

"Ohh," Eric grunted breathlessly. "We should stop," he murmured into her lips.

"Don't," she pleaded softly as Eric kissed her neck.

"Mhh, you don't know what you do to me," he huffed with a teasing smile. Ariel sighed deeply and a little frustrated. "Tomorrow is our wedding day," Eric touched his forehead with hers, lightly brushing noses, "That is- if you'll still have me." Ariel's smile was wide with glee. She didn't know why, after all the things that had happened to come between them, he still wanted her.

"I love you," she said in a sweet, tender voice. Eric kissed her once more, setting her down on the ground gently.

"We should get going," he led her by the hand. Eric almost tripped on the large boar that laid dead on the ground. "What happened?"

"You killed her," Ariel mumbled shamefully.

"I didn't kill her. How do you know it's a her?" he began to gather the hog by its hind legs.

"What are you doing?" Ariel stopped him, grabbing his arm.

"Taking it back to the ship. It will make a great feast for tonight's celebration dinner."

"No," she exclaimed firmly.

"No?"

"No. Leave her in peace. Let's just go," Ariel extended her arm to her prince, who was taking a long hard look at the hog.

"Alright," he rose and took her hand. "We should get going anyway. Your father is worried sick." Ariel's face turned white and stopped in her tracks.

"M- my father?"