Synopsis: A bonus continuation of the first alternate ending of "The Real Poor Unfortunate Soul." It is up to the reader whether they accept this as part of the "official" fanfic or not.
Ursula barely managed to bury herself deep within her conch-shell before she collapsed onto her bed, her body heaving with painful sobs. Flotsam and Jetsam swam off nearby, keeping their distance. They were familiar enough with their mistress to know when she did not want or need their company. Still the events they had just witnessed were just as unexpected and shocking for them as they were to the sea witch, and they were left wondering what was going to happen next. So they waited, as loyal as ever, for their mistresses' instructions. Ursula did not leave her conch-shell for days.
Two weeks went by, and a strange event occurred that no one in Atlantica could explain. One day dozens upon dozens of lost merpeople found themselves outside the borders of the kingdom, not one of them having any idea how they ended up in that situation. This mystery could have blown up into a full-on panic had these merfolk showed any signs of trauma or injury but they did not thank goodness. The only person who suspected some funny magic business on Ursula's part in the merfolk's disappearance was Triton, but seeing as they all returned safe and sound, other than their shared amnesia and remembering his daughter's newly found compassion for the sea-witch he decided not to take further action. Triton's gut feelings were correct. It turns out that about a few hours earlier, Ursula, tormented by the polyps' woeful cries, had decided to free them from their bondage to her, but not before she performed a memory curse on them. She could not risk them revealing all of her secrets and dealings that they had witnessed inside her lair; Ursula may have been spared more damnation from Triton thanks to Ariel's intervention, but she did not forget that she was still considered an enemy of Atlantica.
Triton himself was at a loss on what to do with these new developments. One being that his biggest enemy has found herself an "ally" in his daughter. The contents he had read in the contract Ursula had drawn up for Ariel had shaken him to his core; he had underestimated how far the sea-witch would go to enact her revenge. From what Ariel had confided to him regarding what happened, Ursula's feelings for her seemed genuine and she did not mean her any harm, which further complicated matters when it came to keeping her at bay. Triton knew his daughter well enough by now that if he forbade her from visiting the sea-witch, she would automatically disobey him, as was her nature. The most he could do at the moment was be a supportive father while giving her enough space to process her emotions.
Later that evening, Ursula sat huddled inside the shell, feeling too restless and agitated to go to sleep. All the anguish and tears had been flushed out and what remained was a dull emptiness. Ursula wasn't sure she even knew who she was anymore. That passionate anger that had kept her going all these years has now been extinguished, and in its place was bottomless shame. I have truly gone mad! She had gotten used to being met with fear, revulsion, hatred everywhere she went in fact, she had begun to revel in her infamy. But whatever that was that happened between her and Ariel...the princess accepting her sacrifice...those large beautiful eyes gazing up at her with such kindness...honestly Ursula would have preferred to be struck by lightening via Triton. That wretched mermaid has ruined me! And yet through all the emotional turmoil the sea-witch went through, she did not regret her decision to destroy Ariel's contract to her and her impending servitude. It was just as well that no customers came to call at her lair during this time so she could be alone with her thoughts.
It was after midnight, the ocean an unusually chilly temperature despite it being a summer night. Suddenly without warning, Flotsam and Jetsam poked their heads through the shell's opening, startling the sea-witch.
"Mistress, you have a visitor."
A visitor? At this hour? Who could it be? Ursula did not need to wonder for long, for floating near the entrance of the lair was Ariel. She's back! Ursula thought with a pleasant surprise. But something was wrong. The mermaid's face was deathly pale, with dark bags underneath her eyes which were downcast. Even her hair which was usually shiny and voluminous looked stringy and unkempt. The sea-witch emerged out of her shell to greet her.
"What's wrong princess?"
"I...I can't sleep."
A long pause followed these words. Neither can I was one of Ursula's first thoughts. Ariel kept her head down, pulling at her fingers.
"Why aren't you with your prince?"
Finally Ariel looked up, her eyes red.
"Eric is gone."
Gone? What on earth did she mean by gone?
"Or at least I think he is. I haven't seen him since the "wedding." Every day I would go up to the surface, and wait for him near the beach. But he never came." Ariel sighed. "I guess my mermaid form must have scared him off." As she said this her bottom lip wobbled and Ariel buried her face in her hands.
Seeing the mermaid in such distress broke Ursula's heart all over again. This was all her fault! Once again she had contributed to Ariel's unhappiness. If it wasn't for her and her trickery, Ariel and Eric would be together right now, happy and in love.
"Come here child." Ursula cooed, opening her arms. Breaking out into sobs, Ariel swam into them. As soon as their skin made contact, Ursula gasped with shock. Mother of Poseidon! The mermaid was cold to the touch! This won't do. Still holding Ariel in her arms, the sea-witch used her tentacles to reach for a few jars on her shelves and to open up her cauldron. Once she had done so, she poured some of the jars' contents into the void, which resulted in a faux bonfire emerging, casting a rosy glow all around the cave. The air began to feel warm and comfortable and Ariel's sobs subsided. She finally broke away from the sea-witch so she could bask in the "fire" to calm her mind.
"These past few days I could not feel anything. My father and sisters tried everything they could to cheer me up, but nothing worked. There were moments when I even considered...well...stopping the pain...forever." Ursula's eyes widened at the implication.
"But then I thought...no I cannot do this to my family. All because of a human I barely knew. I just need to talk to someone who understands."
More silence followed. Ursula was torn between feeling happy that the mermaid of her dreams had a reason to come back to her, and feeling overwhelming guilt that she played a part in Ariel's predicament. One way or another she was going to make things right for her. Finally she swam beside Ariel.
"You don't know that Princey is gone forever." Ursula said, her voice dropping an octave lower. "Why would he run away from such a sweet girl like you? He's probably just in shock. Nothing that a small supply of smelling-salts couldn't fix. We gave him and his friends quite a good scare didn't we?"
Ursula started to laugh as she remembered the day of her sham wedding to Eric, when the sun finally set and she shed her human-Vanessa skin, and revealed her true form to the wedding guests who started screaming with terror. Oh that was thrilling! She was nudged out of her daydream when she realised Ariel was giving her a dirty look. Oops, wrong thing to say. Ursula awkwardly cleared her throat.
"I may have just the thing that could help you find your boyfriend." The sea-witch rummaged under her dressing table to take out a small box that was shaped like a clam. She opened it and it revealed a mirror-like substance with a rippling surface.
"Does it really work?" Ariel asked suspiciously.
"I am offering you a chance to talk to him and you still don't trust me?" Ursula pretended to pout. "Watch this." She lowered her face over the clam box.
"King Triton." she hissed, barely able to keep the contempt out her voice.
The rippling mirror began to smoothen, showing a clear vision of Triton asleep in his bed. Somehow, something in the room must have alerted him to the box's magic because he began to wake up and his gaze landed directly where Ursula faced him. Ariel gasped.
"W-w-what...what are you doing here? How...GUUUUUAARRDDS!" Ursula immediately slammed the clam-box shut, giggling like a mischievous school girl. In spite of herself, Ariel began to laugh too.
Her heart swelling at seeing the beautiful smile on Ariel's face, Ursula pushed the box into her hands.
"It's yours."
Ariel hesitated. "Thanks but...but..."
"But what?"
"I...I don't know. I feel so confused." Ariel's expression was crestfallen as she turned away from the sea-witch and towards the cauldron, leaning towards the heat.
"I don't even know if I want to see him again."
Another bout of silence followed. Ariel rested against the cauldron, her elbows on the edges, her hands holding her face while the sea-witch watched her. She stared into the flames in a melancholy trance for about a minute, until suddenly a thought crossed her mind and she stood up.
"I must go home." Ariel said, her voice sounding strangely reluctant. "Father doesn't know I'm here. What if he-?"
"Nonsense, child!" Ursula interrupted sharply. "You're not swimming back out there in the dark on your own. Quite a few sharks are prowling about at this time of night."
"I'm not afraid of sharks!" Ariel responded, slightly irritably.
Ursula laughed heartily as she put the clam-box back in its place. "Of course you aren't."
By now, the room's temperature had reached sauna-like levels, making both of them feel a little drowsy. Ariel hesitated.
"It's really late." Again, her words did not match the tone of her voice.
"You can spend the night with me." Ursula smiled. "I have plenty of room."
"I don't want to burden you." Ariel replied. She was not making eye-contact with the sea-witch. "Father will be furious if he found out I was here."
Ariel's self-esteem must have taken a severe beating since that blasted human prince "abandoned" her. Ursula thought to herself. She never used to worry about disobeying her father before.
"Forget about what Daddy will think." she interrupted. Ursula swam up to the mermaid, tilting Ariel's face towards her so that their eyes met.
"What do you want child?"
Ariel started to blush. "I...I just wanted to see you." And then in an almost inaudible whisper. "I missed you."
A full minute passed. The only sounds that could be heard were the frothing bubbles erupting from the cauldron. Meanwhile Ursula's heart was beating violently. Initially she did not wish to speak, for she feared that if she said a single word, it would all turn out to be a cruel dream and she would wake up. But...Ariel's skin felt real under her touch.
"I missed you too my dear." she finally replied, cupping Ariel's face, her thumbs massaging under the mermaid's eyes which were still swollen with tears. One tentacle wrapped around Ariel's shoulders drawing her closer until both their chests were pressed together.
"I am so glad you came to see me tonight." Ursula purred lustfully before she lowered her face to plant a soft kiss near Ariel's upper lip. The mermaid's eyes closed with pleasure.
"Stay with me. If Daddy comes knocking, I will deal with him myself." the sea-witch whispered in her ear. Ariel nodded, her eyes shining and her cheeks flushed pink.
Another kiss. This time fully on the mouth. Ariel began to gain confidence, letting her hands explore the sea-witch's body. Extinguishing the "fire" from the cauldron, Ursula pulled herself and Ariel up inside the conch-shell where they remained locked in each other's embrace for several hours. After a period of lonely misery, the mermaid and the sea-witch finally found comfort and fulfilment in each other's company.