When Adrien opened his eyes, he was confused to see himself on a boat. Why wasn't he back home? Hadn't he and Marinette completed the fairy tale?
Did- Did they have to live through another one?
He tried to rack his brain. Was there a fairy tale that started on a boat? He couldn't remember.
"Du- I mean, sir!" Nino, who was dressed like a pirate, came up to him, looking worried. "What are you doing up here? We're in the middle of a storm, you need to get down to safety!"
Waves started rocking the boat, making the two of them unsteady on their feet. Nino grabbed his arm, trying to lead him to safety, when another wave hit, knocking them on the floor.
The boat rocked back and forth, throwing the two of them around the boat.
One last, huge wave tipped the boat. Nino grip on Adrien's arm released, sending the blond overboard.
He heard a distinctive, "Dude!" cry out as he hit the cold water.
Adrien thrashed around in the water, trying to find which way was up. He tried swimming to the surface, but his lungs were burning with a desperate need for oxygen.
The pressure in his head built up the more he stayed under, causing black spots to fill his vision.
He heard a tiny gasp nearby when he blacked out.
Adrien awoke on a beach, very confused.
He wasn't dead? How was that even possible? He could've sworn he had drowned.
Though, Adrien definitely was not complaining. He liked being alive, thank you very much.
He stood up and caught something moving out of the corner of his eye.
"Hello?" He called out. "I- Is someone there?"
He heard a squeak, and a splash of water. He ran over to the direction of the sound, and saw a long red tail going underwater.
It looked like the tail of a mermaid, and Adrien had a thought that made his eyes widen.
Oh no.
Adrien eventually made it to the castle he had seen from the beach. Based off of his outfit, and the fact that he was the Prince when they lived through Cinderella, he figured he should go there first.
He was hoping that he would find Marinette there, but that was probably wishful thinking.
When he arrived at the gates, one of the guards gasped, "Prince Adrien? You're alive! Your parents have been terribly worried. Follow me."
The guard turned and went inside the castle, leading him to a library in the massive castle.
He inhaled deeply when he saw who was there.
At the noise, his mom turned around. "Adrien?!" She gasped, then wrapped him in a hug. "Nino had said you were sent overboard! I was so worried!"
Adrien returned her hug warmly. He was still in shock that she was here.
"Oh, honey, you're soaking wet! Why don't you clean up in your room, we don't want you catching a cold," Emilie said, then ushered him off with the guard. "I'm so glad he's okay," Adrien heard her say to his father.
As the guard led him to his room, Adrien relived the warm hug from his mom. He... He knew it wasn't real. It was just because of the akuma's powers. But it felt so real. He missed seeing her every day. He missed seeing his father's happy smile when he looked at his family.
He missed all of it.
So you'd be mistaken if he wasn't going to enjoy the short amount of time he had with them while trying to get back home.
He was having an extremely fancy dinner with his parents when the guards roughly opened the door.
His father frowned at them. "What is going on here?"
In response, the guards shoved the person they'd brought with them to the floor. Adrien heard a grunt from the person as they hit the floor.
His mother gasped, "There is no need for such violence!" She went over to where the group was standing and helped the person up from their spot on the floor.
Adrien caught a glimpse of their face, and his eyes widened.
"Marinette?" He called out, and ran over to her.
His mother looked over at him. "Do you know her?"
"Well, yeah, she's my friend!" He exclaimed, looking at Marinette. He paused for a moment.
W- Why was she in a towel?
"Well, any friend of Adrien's is welcomed here! Adrien, why don't you lead her to a room so she can get cleaned up," Emilie said. "She can join us for dinner once she's done."
Adrien took Marinette's hand and led her through a hallway.
"What was that all about?" He asked her as they walked.
Marinette opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. She frowned, then made a gesture of zipping her mouth shut.
"You... You can't talk?" He guessed. She nodded. "Why?"
Marinette paused, then motioned writing something down.
"There's probably paper in the room," Adrien said, then stopped in front of a set of doors. He pushed them open, revealing a large pink-themed room.
Marinette immediately rushed over to the vanity, finding a pad of paper and a quill almost immediately. She scribbled something down, then showed Adrien.
Ursula
Adrien frowned. "Who?"
Marinette shot a confused look at him, then started writing again.
Giant octopus/squid lady?
"I still don't know what you're talking about."
Marinette gave an exasperated sigh and continued writing once more.
Ursula? The one who took Ariel's voice in the movie?
The name Ariel rung a bell in Adrien's head.
"Oh! Oh no!" Adrien exclaimed.
Marinette shot another confused look at him.
Adrien hesitated. "Is- Is this a bad time to mention that I've never seen The Little Mermaid?"
I am on a writing spree, holy cow. This is the second chapter I'm posting today! Inspiration struck me hard, I guess.
Did anyone enjoy the cliffhanger? Just me?
Anyways, hope you enjoyed!
-Ali