Hello Again
Ariel moved her wet hair out of her face as she breathed, the sea water from her lungs releasing. She leaned against the rock she, Sebastian, and Flounder, had found by the beach, her mind blurry. She looked down to see two fair legs bent in front of her. Legs? Her eyes widened as she moved one, amazed at just the fact that she could. She lifted one leg, amazed at how it looked in the sunlight. She saw feet with toes, like other humans. She wiggled them and if she had her voice, she would laugh. She had legs! She was a human now!
"Well, look at what the catfish dragged in!" Ariel smiled at the sound of Scuttle's voice. Could he see her legs?
"Look at ya! Look at ya! There's something different," He told her as he landed on her raised leg. "Don't tell me - I got it. It's your hairdo, right? You've been using the dinglehopper, right?"
Ariel thought of telling him that dinglehoppers weren't used for hair, but remembering she had no voice, just smiled and shook her leg to get his attention.
"No? No huh, well let me see. New . . . seashells? No new seashells. I gotta admit I can't put my foot on it right now, but if I just stand here long enough I know that I'll -" Scuttle was cut off by Sebastian, who had grown frustrated.
"She's got legs, you idiot!" He yelled, causing Scuttle to fly off of Ariel's legs and look at them in awe. "She traded her voice to the sea witch and got legs. Jeez, man."
Ariel placed her foot on the wet sand below her, loving the way it felt between her toes. She smiled. She had toes now! But how was she going to get to the palace? She mentally cursed herself. She had to walk, obviously.
She placed her hands on the sand to push herself up, her legs wobbling. This was going to be harder than she thought. She stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth as she attempted to stand tall. She looked down, confused at the red hair below her stomach. What was that? She was going to have to ask Belle.
Suddenly, her wobbling legs gave out on her and she fell into the ocean. She had to this, she just had to.
Belle had left the library and was now walking through the palace halls. When she was younger, she used to be amazed at how grand the halls were compared to her old home. However, at her age now, it just felt like she was trapped. Everytime she entered or left the library, people would look at her and talk about her. Some would even call her odd or even a freak to her face. She remembered how one rude guard had actually destroyed one of her favorite books, which led to him getting fired. Each step she took, she could see the face of the people.
She remembered wanting more than her provincial life when she lived in the village. When she found out she was living in a palace, she thought it was the start to a new adventure. So far, not much has changed except for the dukes, duchesses, kings, and queens, coming to the palace and making her want to retreat to her bedroom every chance she got.
She passed by a window that overlooked the ocean and she stopped in her tracks, looking out the window. The sun was still shining over the sea and she was reminded of Ariel's shining eyes. She looked down at the sea, wondering if Ariel was swimming past other sea creatures and going on with her day. She smiled at the thought of Ariel smiling as she did so. How was she doing?
Ariel looked down at the outfit Scuttle had made for her out of a ship's sail and some rope. She didn't know much about fashion, but Scuttle told her it was to cover up her lady parts, whatever that meant. She smiled, wondering how Eric would react when he saw her. What about Belle? She was supposed to meet Belle that night.
The sound of a bark caught everyone's attention and Ariel nearly fell over her feet as a big, gray animal came running after her. She climbed on top of a rock, her stomach heating up at the animal. He looked familiar, though she didn't know why. The beast jumped up and licked her on her cheek and she recalled how a similar animal did it to her the day before. Could it be?
"Max!" Ariel's heart started to race as a figure rounded the corner. It was him. Eric. He looked like a God, with the way the sun shined down on him. Even if she didn't have her voice, she wasn't sure she would be able to talk. He looked perfect.
He looked up and their eyes met and Ariel felt her face flush. He stepped closer towards her and she brushed hair over to one side. She remembered Alana telling her that boys would be more attracted to her if all her hair was to one side. She hoped it would work.
"Sorry, this knucklehead scared you," Eric told her, rubbing his animal's head. "He's harmless, really-"
Their eyes met again and Ariel smiled. He had to recognize her, he looked like he did. His eyes shined and Ariel felt like she was flying into the sky as she stared at them.
"You seem very familiar to me." He said, rubbing his chin. "Have we met?"
Ariel nodded. He remembered! He knew it was her. This was her chance.
"We have met!" He smiled and Ariel felt blinded by his shining white teeth. He grabbed her hands with his and Ariel felt her body heat up at the contact, though she didn't feel her spine tingle like it did with Belle. He was closer now and if Ariel wasn't careful, she could kiss him right then.
"You're the one!" He told her and it seemed like Ariel could've melted when he called her the one. "The one I've been looking for. What's your name?"
Ariel said her name, but no sound came out. The memories of what happened in Ursula's lair came back and she placed a hand to her throat, frowning.
"What's wrong? What is it?" He looked at her with a concerned expression and Ariel tapped her throat to tell him. "You can't speak? Then, you couldn't have been who I thought."
Ariel blew her bangs out of her face at his sentence. If she hadn't have gave up her voice! How else could she tell him about herself? Signals? She remembered seeing other deaf-mute merpeople using sign language to communicate. Although she forgot some of it, maybe she could use something like it.
She waved her hands to get his attention and then attempted to show him her voice leaving her, though he just looked more confused. Okay, think, Ariel. She moved her arm like a wave, but without her arms holding onto the rock, she lost her balance. She fell and thought for sure she was going to hit the ground, but was shocked to find strong arms circling around her.
She looked up, Eric's face close enough for her to kiss him. His eyes looked at her with something she couldn't quite put her finger on and she could feel every breath he took against his chest.
"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll help you." He told her, placing one arm around her shoulders as he helped her along the beach.
Seven days she had. Only seven days.
Belle heard about the beautiful girl Eric had dragged in from the beach, shipwrecked she was. She wasn't surprised at Eric's hospitality, considering how he convinced the staff to let her and her father stay with them. Although, sometimes she worried for her friend. His kindness, she knew, could get him into trouble someday.
"Belle!" Belle turned at the sound of said friend walking up to her, his hand waving to get her attention. She paused in her steps, allowing him to catch up with her. Once he did, the two broke into a smile.
"What's this I hear about you letting a shipwrecked girl stay with us?" She asked as the two walked towards the dinner hall. Eric shook his head with a low chuckle.
"What was I supposed to do?" He asked. "She couldn't speak and she could barely stand on her own legs. I would've felt terrible if I didn't help her."
Belle nodded, considering his words. The two walked in silence for a while, a comfortable silence that neither minded.
"Also," Eric spoke up, his voice soft and wishful. "I thought she was the one."
That caught Belle's attention and she stopped in her tracks, turning to face him. How could he possibly think that girl was Ariel? Ariel didn't even have legs, plus she could speak. Maybe it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.
"Why would you think that?" She asked him, tilting her head to the side.
"It was the look in her eyes," He explained. "They were so bright and beautiful and when she smiled, it felt like I was opening my eyes again to see that beautiful angel looking down at me."
Could she? No, Belle shook her head. It couldn't be. There was no way that girl was Ariel.
"I'm sure you'll find her one day," Belle assured him, patting her hand on his shoulder. He gave her a weak smile and the two walked into the dinner hall.
Ariel held the helpful maid's hand tightly as she led her towards where she was supposed to have dinner with the prince. It was still hard getting used to her new legs and even harder to walk in these...shoes they had put on her feet. Ariel grimaced as she remembered the process of them dressing her. The thing they had put on her torso was so tight she could barely breathe, and the dress was awkward to walk around in without her tripping or stumbling at least once every few steps.
The maid named Carlotta was kind to her when Eric brought her in, helping her to wash in a bathtub. It wasn't anything like the water back home, but when Carlotta had poured some liquid into the water and bubbles started to form, Ariel felt like a child as she brought the bubbles up with her hand and blew them, watching them float and pop in the air. The human world was different, strange, and Ariel loved every second of it.
However, she was expecting to see Belle. She remembered Belle telling her about how she and her father lived in the palace, but so far she hadn't seen the brunette. She wanted to show off her new legs to the girl. She wondered how Belle would react if she did see her. Would she like her legs or would she prefer her as a mermaid instead? What about her voice? She couldn't exactly tell Belle what happened. Ariel pouted at the memory of the green hand taking her voice from her.
"Come on," Carlotta told her as they approached two large doors. Ariel felt her stomach twist and her face flush as she was pushed into the room. She focused her eyes on Eric, who was standing by the window. With small steps she walked towards the prince, her hands tying themselves together. Did he like how she looked? Why was he looking at her with such wide eyes and an opened mouth? Should she be worried?
An old man she recalled seeing stepped up next to him and Ariel felt smaller at the thought of two humans judging her this time.
"Ah, Eric," He spoke. "Isn't she a vision?"
"You look wonderful," Eric complimented her. Ariel bowed her head to hide her blushing face, before shyly looking up to meet his blue eyes. She was swimming with joy at the fact that he just complimented her. He thinks she looks pretty. That's a good point, isn't it?
The old man escorted her to the table and she nearly jumped back at how Eric rushed to pull out her chair. Adella used to tell her that was a sign of a gentleman. As Ariel sat, she wondered how her sisters would react to Eric. He wasn't bad. He brought her into his home, complimented her, and pulled her chair out for her. No, he wasn't bad.
Ariel's eyes caught a glance of the dinglehopper in front of her and remembering what Scuttle told her, began combing her hair with it. That's what humans like to do, right? However, when she looked at Eric, she was met with a cocked eyebrow and a strange expression. The memory of Belle telling her that it was a fork and something that was used to eat with came back and she quickly placed the fork down. How could she be so stupid to trust a seagull about human things? Now Eric thought she was crazy and she probably lost all chances of being with him.
The sound of something flickering caused her to look up and she saw the old man put a snorfblat to his mouth. Music!
At the sight of her smile, the old man offered it to her, which she happily took. It couldn't be much different that any other instrument under the sea right. She put it to her lips and blew. However, instead of any form of music coming out, something black sprayed out onto the old man's face. Oh no.
Ariel wanted to bang her head against the table. How many times can she make herself look like a fool in front of them? She should've stayed under water, she thought to herself as she looked down at the object in her hands before sliding it over to it's owner.
Suddenly, the sound of something delightful and full caught her hearing and she looked to see Eric laughing. Was he laughing at her? Arista told her that guys liked girls who can make them laugh, but what if they were laughing at her?
"Oh Eric, that's the first time I've seen you smile in weeks," Carlotta told him, causing Ariel to smile. That meant he was happy. She made him happy! She made him laugh! He thinks she's funny. Maybe she didn't need her voice to win the prince over after all.
Belle rushed back to the dinner hall after placing her book back in the library. She completely forgot and it was rude to read when eating, especially with others. Plus, she wanted to meet the new guest that Eric had invited to have dinner with them. As she approached the two doors leading to the room, she heard voices talking. What if the food had already arrived?
Pushing the door open, she stepped into the room, catching everyone's attention. However, instead of her eyes finding Eric's or Grimsby's, they found the guest.
Her red hair shined bright under the light of the sun streaming into the windows and her bright blue eyes sparkled as they made contact with Belle's hazel ones. Her fair skin flushed pink and her red lips formed an O shape as she looked at the brunette. It couldn't be her, Belle thought to herself. But if that was the case, why was the girl looking at her like that?
Ariel couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the familiar brunette walk in. Her hazel eyes looked green due to the sunlight, which also caused her yellow dress to shine as if it was made of gold. Her brown hair cascaded around her face like a beautiful halo and her pink lips opened as if to speak before closing. It was her! It was Belle!
Ariel quickly got up from her seat and rushed towards her, almost stumbling on her way there. Once she was close enough, she wrapped her arms around the stunned girl. The heat from her body seemed to calm Ariel's nerves and her refreshing scent filled Ariel's brain. After a moment, Belle's arms wrapped around Ariel's waist. Instead of feeling weird or worried about how the others looked at her, she simply felt comfortable and safe.
After a few seconds the two pulled apart, though Ariel kept her hands on Belle's shoulders, who kept her hands at Ariel's waist. Once their eyes met, a wide grin spread across both of their faces.
"Um...Belle?" Belle blinked at Eric calling her and tilted her head to see her friend looking at her and Ariel with a confused expression. She quickly let go of Ariel, who moved to the side to let Eric see her.
"Do you know this girl?" Belle looked at Ariel, who just gave her a bright and contagious smile that made a small grin appear on her face. What was she supposed to say? She knew her, yes, but what was she supposed to do. Ariel couldn't speak for some reason, not to mention she had legs. She couldn't say that she was a mermaid, because they would never believe her. What to say?
"Um…" Belle started, eyes darting around as if searching for the right word. "We knew each other when I was younger, but her family moved away not long after my mother passed. This is the first time I've seen her in years."
Belle felt a hand wrap around hers, sending a jolt of electricity up her spine. She glanced at the fair hand which seemed to fit perfectly in hers, as if it was a missing piece to her puzzle. Without thinking, she squeezed the hand, happiness spreading through her entire body.
"Oh," Eric said, although he didn't seem convinced. "Well then, it's a good thing I did invite her to stay, isn't it?"
Belle looked at the redhead, her blue eyes that could put the sky outside to shame.
"Yeah, it is." Belle agreed.
As the two sat down at the table, with Belle gladly taking the seat next to her, Ariel felt all nervousness leave her entire body. Eric thought she was funny and she had Belle sitting right beside her. This was perfect. However, she wondered what kind of food the humans here were serving as her stomach rumbled.
The door opened and Carlotta came in with four trays. Ariel breathed a sigh of relief as she began placing them down in front of them.
"You know, Eric," The old man who she just learned was called Grimsby spoke up. "Perhaps our young guest might enjoy seeing some of the sights of the kingdom. Something in the way of a tour?"
Ariel perked up at the thought of a tour around the kingdom. And with Eric, nonetheless. However, a slight frown found her at the sound of silence from where Eric sat. She glanced to see Eric's eyes on her as he leaned on his hand, the look on his face hard to pinpoint. Was that a good thing? She should've spoke to her sisters about boys more often, now that she thought about it.
"I'm sorry Grim, what was that?" Eric asked, blinking as if coming out of a daze. Ariel heard a chuckle from her left and turned to see Belle hiding a smile behind her hand. At the sight of Ariel's confused face, she shook her head.
"It's nothing," She told her, though Ariel felt odd not knowing what was going on. She turned in front as Grimsby lifted the top off of his food, her eyes widening at the sight of a familiar crab in front of her.
Looking around, she realized the only place for him to hide was under her own lid. She tilted it and signalled for her friend to run, which he did. She slammed the lid down and put on her best smile as Eric turned back to look at her. She hoped that no one saw that.
"Would you like to join me on a tour of my kingdom tomorrow?" He asked her, his eyes hopeful. She didn't have to think twice as she nodded her head vigorously. With her being alone with the prince, she would be able to get him to fall in love with her even quicker and get the kiss.
"Oh, Belle," Ariel glanced at the brunette as Eric called to her. She was picking at the crab on her plate, which made Ariel grimace as she remembered her dad telling her about how they eat them. Then she remembered how sharks and other animals ate smaller fish and decided that they weren't much different from each other.
"Yes, Eric?" Belle looked up at him, rolling her eyes.
"You said you had to go to the village tomorrow, right?" Eric asked to which she nodded. "You can ride with me and…?"
He looked at Ariel and then she realized she never told him her name. Not that she could, but still.
"Ariel," Belle told him. Ariel felt a blush rush to her face as her mind repeated the word. She never knew she could like how her voice sounded from someone else until now.
"It's alright, I don't want to bother you two," Belle rejected. Ariel frowned at this. Why didn't Belle want to go with them? Did she do something to upset her? Was it Eric? Did they have a fight?
"You won't be bothering us, it's fine," Eric assured her. Ariel looked down at Belle's hand which held her...fork and placed her own hand on top of it. Belle glanced at it and looked up at Ariel, a small communication seeming to past between the two. She sighed.
"Alright, I'll go," Belle agreed, smiling at Ariel who returned it.
Ariel still felt uncomfortable as she moved around her new bedroom in the pink...nightgown she was given. It wasn't as tight as the dress she wore for dinner and she didn't have any shoes on her feet to trip her up. Even still, the fabric moved across her skin giving her a strange feeling that she liked.
She glanced over at Sebastian, who was still pulling bread and lettuce from his shell. Ariel didn't eat much, as she didn't feel comfortable eating animals she knew were once alive. Plus, she had to hide Sebastian from the others. She brought a hand to her stomach as it growled. Maybe she should've ate a little bit.
A knock came from her door and Ariel rushed to open it. Perhaps it was Carlotta with some new clothes for her. Or maybe it was Eric, who wanted to speak with her. She pouted, remembering she wouldn't be able to respond. As she opened it, she breathed a sigh of relief at the person in front of her.
"Hey, may I come in?" Belle was standing in the doorway, dressed in a blue nightgown similar to her's. Her brown hair which was usually tied up, now fell onto her shoulders. At that moment, Ariel decided Belle looked better with her hair down than up. Her hair shifted with her as she shifted from leg to leg, her bangs falling in front of her face, which she pushed back.
Ariel, snapping out of her daze, let her into the room, closing the door behind her. Belle stepped into the room and sat down on the bed, another thing Ariel liked. It was so bouncy and soft, Ariel felt she could sleep forever in it.
"I have a lot of questions," Belle told her and Ariel nodded, biting her bottom lip. "First off, how do you even have legs?"
Ariel wondered how she could tell Belle without her voice. Signals! Ariel tapped her throat with her hand before pushing her arm out in an elaborate manner. Belle had to get it. She remembered Eric commenting on how she was the smartest girl he ever met.
Instead, Belle looked at her with a tilted head and furrowed brows.
"Your voice?" Belle guessed and Ariel clapped as she hopped up and down. She knew Belle was going to get it. Ariel wrapped her hand around her throat and opened her mouth to represent her singing, before covering it with her hand and holding out as if she was giving Belle a present.
"You...gave your voice away?" Belle guessed again and Ariel jumped up and down again, nodding her head. Before she could continue, Belle held her hands up to stop her.
"Wait a minute," Belle told her as she closed her eyes and placed her hands on her forehead. "You gave your voice up for legs?" Belle looked up at Ariel to see her nodding her head. With a groan, she fell back onto the bed.
Belle couldn't believe it. Even though she knew mermaids existed now, she didn't expect anything like this to happen. How do you exchange your voice for legs? Who did Ariel even go to? What lives under the water? If mermaids exist does that mean witches do too?
Belle opened her eyes to see blue eyes looking down at her and red hair brushing against her face. Belle blushed as her eyes, involuntarily, found her red lips again. How were they so red? Was it makeup or were they just naturally red? She gasped as she realized how close the two were to each other and rolled over to the other side of the bed from under Ariel. She looked back to see Ariel looking at her with an expression that resembled a puppy.
"Who did you give your voice to?" Belle asked. Before Ariel could jump into her game of charades, a different voice spoke up.
"She gave her voice to the Sea Witch," Belle looked around, confused as to where the island accent came from. "Down here."
Belle looked down to see a red crab looking up at her. She yelped, jumping off the bed and landing on the floor. Her eyes widened and her heart began to race. Talking crabs? Could she understand crabs now? Were they always able to talk?
Ariel got off the bed and rushed to the fallen brunette, kneeling beside her. The crab crawled to the edge of the bed and it took everything within Belle not to whack him off.
"You're a...a…" Belle could barely speak, but thankfully the crab did it for her.
"Yes, I'm a crab," He told her, rolling his eyes. "And I don't appreciate your kind trying to eat mine."
Belle shook her head, placing it into her hands. This shouldn't be happening. Mermaids, talking crabs, sea witches. Belle looked up in confusion. Sea Witch?
"What's a Sea Witch?" Belle asked the crab, pressing her hands together to keep them calm.
"Her name is Ursula," The crab shuddered as he spoke. "She used to work at the palace, however after she nearly killed the King, she was banished. Now, she uses her magic to make deals with merpeople that are next to impossible."
Belle blinked, taking in everything he just said. Palace? King? Magic? She looked at Ariel who gave her a sheepish grin.
"You made a deal with a witch?" Belle stated more than asked. Ariel nodded, bowing her head and letting her hair fall in front of her face. Belle resisted the urge to brush it out of her face.
"The King won't be so happy when he finds out," The crab stated, shaking his head. At least, he looked like he did. At the mention of king, Ariel jumped up and picked the crab up, shaking her head at him.
"Ariel, he's going to find out soon enough, even if I don't tell him," He told her and Ariel sighed as realization dawned on her.
Belle wondered why the king would even care that much? Did Ariel work at the palace or something?
"Why wouldn't he be happy?" Belle asked. She shrieked as the crab jumped onto her knees, though held back from hitting him.
"Because he forbid anyone to swim up to the surface," He explained. "Your people kill and eat our kind! But instead of listening to him, his own daughter betrays his rule!"
Belle gasped as she looked from the crab to Ariel, who still held her head down. She's a princess? A mermaid princess? Her father is a king?
"Why?" Belle asked Ariel. Ariel looked up at her, her blue eyes glossy and her bottom lip quivering. Instantly, Belle wrapped her arms around the girl, letting her cry softly into her shoulder. She didn't know what to do to make Ariel feel better. She didn't want to see her crying ever again. It pained Belle herself to see her like that.
"She only has seven days to get the prince to kiss her so she could remain human forever," The crab told her.
That's why? Belle pulled away from Ariel and placed her hands on her cheeks, pulling her face up to look at her. Belle bit her lip at the sight of Ariel's tear-stained face.
"You really want to be with Eric, huh?" Belle asked, confused at how her insides flared and her shoulders tensed. Ariel nodded.
"Well then," Belle hesitated before continuing. "I'll help you."
A bright smile found Ariel's face and she wrapped Belle into a hug. Even though she couldn't speak, Belle knew that she was grateful. Softly, Belle returned the hug.
Fourth Chapter. Leave a review if you could.