She had never been to the kelp forest at night. The tall fronds twisted and pulsed in the oppressive darkness, suspended in shadow, reaching for the moonlit waves so far above. They were slick and cold, and Ariel wrapped her arm about herself to combat the chill that sneaked its way up her spine, shuddering at the thought of all she could not see. During the day, with sunbeams dappling the plants, it had seemed like a beautiful place to live—she had been envious, even, of Eric and his mother. Now, inky blackness obscuring every shape, Ariel felt suddenly fearful. She hadn't the foggiest idea regarding the whereabouts of Eric's home—a fact she remembered too late, again. She wasn't even certain mow of the way back to Atlantica. How did Eric navigate this maze? There was very rarely anything that stood out; how could anyone ever be certain which way they were going when every direction looked identical?

Longing suddenly for something less claustrophobic the little mermaid pitched upwards. She swam through and away from the tangled fronds, and breached the surfaced spluttering, before filling her lungs several times over with cool, clean air.

The gibbous moon hung low and bright over the ocean, pouring a heavenly light across the waves as they searched out the shore. The horizon existed as a sliver of silver and the sky sparkled, and Ariel felt a peace descend upon her, lifting the weight that had sat so heavily upon her shoulders over the last couple of days.

The ocean was only so big, enormous, yes, but the seabed, the surface and the beaches often felt to Triton's youngest like prison walls. There was only so far you could go. Up here there existed no such boundaries, none that she could perceive anyway; if you looked up you didn't see the edge of the world, only eternity.

Ariel turned her gaze to the land, and to the twinkling lights of the human village. How often had she wished to be there amongst them? To see what they saw and to do as they did. What she wouldn't give to make that possible.

In wishfully scanning the coastline, Ariel's eyes came upon another light, this somewhat adrift from the town itself. A soft and flickering orange glow emitting from the rocks. Curiosity overcame her, as it often did, regarding the closeness of this particular light to the ocean. She had been to the surface plenty of times and always thought that the palace, with its sweeping white steps and sun-kissed turrets, marked the edge of human civilisation. What, then, was this new addition?

She found herself moving closer, not through conscious effort, but owing to the pull of her innate inquisitiveness. What would her father say if he could see her now?

She journeyed beneath the waves, surfacing when she came to a cluster of rocks and hiding her approach in navigating the pools and passages between them. Occasionally she would lift her head to ascertain her proximity; but, never seeing more than an unidentifiable glow against the walls of what she now saw was a cave, continued her silent advancement.

Her heart gave an excitable jump at her own daring and at the prospect which presented itself to her. She came to a halt behind one of the larger rocks and took a calming breath. The roof of the cave was above her now, the orange light upon her skin like nothing she had ever seen. Cautiously, and trembling only a little, she dared to peer out from her hiding place.

There, rising from the sand, was a thing so alien, so completely new, that it took the mermaid's breath away. And sat beside this pulsing luminosity...

'Eric!' She couldn't have prevented the outburst had she tried, so stunned was she.

Her poor friend, caught entirely unaware, likewise failed to contain his yelp of surprise, and scrambled back a good few meters at the unexpected intrusion.

Then, all fell silent. How long did they simply stare at one another, mouths agape, eyes like saucers, hardly daring to breathe?

'You... you're human.' Ariel was the first to find her voice again, but her words existed as barely a whisper. 'You're a human!'

Eric could hardly catch his breath, let alone use it to push words past his lips. He remained statuesque, as though he believed that stillness would make him invisible, would convince her that he wasn't there at all. It took him several seconds to register that Ariel had spoken, that she was here, and that he was as he was.

He shook his head almost imperceptibly. 'N-no, I...' he stammered.

'What do you mean "no"? I'm not blind Eric.' The power of speech returned to the mermaid, and her words were accusatory. How could he have kept something like this a secret? How was this even possible? Questions, hundreds of them, raced through her mind, and all the while Eric only sat staring, his face pale.

An irrational irritation flared within her then, fuelled by a fear she hadn't expected. She had never met a human before, and though she did know Eric, it would appear that he wasn't who she thought.

'Eric say something!' she demanded, desperate for some form of explanation.

Eric flinched. Never had she addressed him in such damning tones. She was scared, he realised. Confused. He forced himself to relax, to control the situation in a way he had so far failed to do.

'I'm sorry,' he began, ignoring the pounding of his heart in his ears. He shuffled forward and she watched him warily. 'I should have told you sooner. I just... I didn't want anything to change, didn't want you to think any differently of me.' He sighed, figuring that he may as well lay himself out to her entirely. 'You're the only friend I've ever had Ariel, I didn't want to risk that.'

Ariel listened, still half hidden. His admission surprised her, and she edged out from her hiding place, coming to rest in a shallow pool next to the sand. She could have fled. She could have turned away and returned home and pretended that this hadn't happened. She could have had done with Eric there and then; but she didn't, because he looked even more fearful than she felt, fragile in a way she hadn't seen before.

'Tell me the truth,' she entreated softly. 'Who are you?'

'I'm still me,' Eric assured her, 'only... between sunset and sunrise I'm human. I don't know why, it's always been that way. That's why I always have to leave so early; not because my mother wants me home, but because I don't have a choice. I'd drown if I stayed any longer.'

It was a lot to take in, and Ariel remained in quiet contemplation for some time afterwards. Her annoyance at being kept in the dark dissipated, was replaced by pity. How could anyone live like that?

'Does it hurt?' she wondered. 'Changing, I mean.'

'Not so much as it used to, I've gotten used to it I think.'

'And this happens every day?'

Eric nodded. He was calmer now, recovered from his fright, encouraged by the fact that Ariel was still talking to him, that she hadn't immediately vanished. Rationally he had known that she wouldn't, that her fascination of humans and the friendship they had would have been enough to outweigh the shock. There were still questions in her eyes though, and he made a point to assure her that he would answer any to the best of his knowledge.

'Is your mother the same? Does she change as well?'

No.

'Do you stay with somebody else up here then?'

No.

'You stay here?'

Yes.

'Alone?'

Yes.

Ariel glanced around the cave, noticing the little quirks for the first time, the attempts at comfortability. Eric's knowledge of humans had never ceased to astound her, and deep down she knew that there had to be more to him than he was letting on; but this! She could never have guessed this. Her eyes fixated upon his new limbs, legs where there ought to have been a tail—where there had been a tail—stretched out on the sand.

'Can I...' she ventured hesitantly, 'I mean would you mind if I...'

Eric noticed her embarrassment, so too the source of her fascination. He smiled shyly and stood—much to Ariel's delight—, before perching atop a small rock closer to her.

'Go ahead,' he offered. It was a strange thing to allow, and as her palm came to rest upon his knee he wondered whether such contact was improper. It remained only the two of them though, and from the thrill that lit Ariel's countenance he could tell that she didn't mind one bit. Perhaps it was merely a case of his overthinking the matter.

Ariel's fingers trembled as she began her examination, beginning at the joint and working her way downwards past the solid muscle of his calf—not quite so muscular as his fin had been, but she supposed that he generally walked less than he swam—towards his foot. Eric named each part as she came to it, and she was surprised to learn just how many components enabled a human to walk.

'It's amazing,' she breathed, circling the hard ball of his ankle and tracing the veins down across the foot.

At this point Eric rolled is foot to the side and wiggled his toes, failing to suppress a chuckle when Ariel startled at the movement. Her smile suggested that she found more joy than fright in the display though, and her glee was infectious.

'What are they for?' she asked, poking all five in turn and noting with astonishment their likeness to fingers.

'They help with balance,' Eric explained, twitching a little when her light fingers found the bottom of his foot.

Ariel, perceptive as ever, paused at his reaction. Experimentally she repeated the movement, gliding her fingertips over the skin and watching Eric's face all the while. He flicked his foot again in response, scrunching is nose and biting his bottom lip in something akin to mirth.

'Does that... tickle?' Ariel's eyes glowed with mischief.

'Don't you d—' Before Eric could finish, Ariel's fingers were at work again, one hand gripping his ankle as she relentlessly graced his skin. His laughter echoed around them, Ariel's too, until he twisted away and placed the soles of his feet safely upon the sand.

'Hey, come on, that's not fair!' he chided breathlessly, though all seriousness was relieved by the smile that accompanied his words.

Ariel, beaming, raised her hands in mock surrender and, though he didn't quite believe her promise to refrain from tickling him again, Eric returned to her side.

She continued back the way she'd come, explored the joint of his knee again and continued higher, following the inside of his thigh until, abruptly, he caught her hand in his.

Although confused by her friends sudden uncertainty she could see by the glow of his cheeks that he had become somewhat uncomfortable. She withdrew her hand with an apology which Eric was quick to disparage. He fumbled through some explanation regarding coupledom and intimacy, and she concluded that continuing any further would have been inappropriate by human standards.

She smiled, thanked him, and sat back against the edge of the pool. It was difficult to believe what she had just done, so much so that she took a moment to convince herself that this wasn't a dream.

Eric watched. She looked overwhelmed, he thought, and really who could blame her.

'I'm sorry,' he said, 'for not telling you sooner. It wasn't that I didn't trust you.'

'I understand,' Ariel assured him. Then, recalling the reason she had sought him out in the first place, 'I wanted to speak with you actually, though I'll admit I didn't expect to find you here. It's my father, you see, he... he won't let me leave the palace anymore.'

Eric's arched a brow. 'That's never stopped you before,' he pointed out.

'I know, but... this time I think I means it. I don't think I'm going to be able to get away.'

'And yet here you are,' reminded Eric, awed by his friend's determination.

'And yet here I am.' Ariel shrugged guiltily. 'I think I can get away at night, if I'm careful,' she explained.

Eric met her gaze. 'Well, you know where to find me.'

It was settled then, their meetings rearranged. Why not, thought Eric, fuel her fascination further, after all he now had the means to satisfy her curiosity in ways made impossible by the ocean.

'Ariel?' he said softly, drawing her attention. 'Behind me.' He shuffled sideways, allowing her full view of the cave and all within it.

Her mouth fell open a little. Amidst her bewilderment and subsequent discovery regarding her friends double life she had forgotten that which had initially drawn her here. Now she looked directly upon it, that dancing entity which painted their surroundings in warmth.

'Is it...?'

Eric nodded. 'Fire,' he confirmed, 'I promised I'd show you one day.'

The little mermaid gave a breathless laugh. The canvas, it's salvaged scrap now hidden beneath her pillow, hadn't done it justice; this showed it to be much bigger that she had imagined. She said so to Eric.

'It can be any size at all,' came the response. He stood, retrieved a loose stick, carried it back to Ariel so that she may examine it's smouldering tip.

'You broke it!' she gasped.

Eric chuckled, explained that it couldn't be broken, not really, and held out the stick to her. 'Just make sure you don't touch the flame.'

Never had he seen her approach something with such hesitancy, though perhaps it was just as well, fire possessed far more threat than anything they had come across in the shipwrecks and he wouldn't forgive himself if she was burned. Eventually she held it at arms length, studying it, amazed by just how alive it seemed, reacting to the breeze and to her breath, bowing and straightening respectfully. Amused, she dipped her head, returning the gesture. Eric encouraged her to test its heat by shortening and lengthening the distance of her free hand from the flame, though he was explicit in his warnings not to get too close, ensuring her that she'd know when enough was enough. She did as he suggested, giggling at the sheer absurdity of the experience. Her elation was surely unparalleled.

Eric was pleased by her infatuation, not least because I prevented her from catching him staring. Her beauty was only elevated by her passion, and here, with the orange glow of fire illuminating her features and the moonlight settling across her shoulders, Eric found himself utterly captivated. Whilst it had shocked him to see her, he was glad she was here, if only so that he might continue to provide moments like this, to share in the delight she derived from his teachings. Was this how it felt to be in love?

When she wondered aloud why it hadn't been possible before, to light a fire in her grotto, he urged her to experiment for herself. She cautiously lowered the lit end of the stick to the water. It fizzed, popped, disappeared entirely. It was strangely saddening, the death of that small flame; though Eric assured her that it was of no consequence, the fire behind him would produce an infinite number just the same.

'I can get you another'—he yawned—'if you like?'

Ariel was reminded then that her own exhaustion had been masked only by the evenings excitement, and she yawned too in sympathy with her friend.

'I should probably get home before anyone realises I'm gone,' she told him. 'Can I come back tomorrow?'

Eric was enthusiastic in his permission. 'Of course, whenever you like, I'm not going anywhere.'

They said their farewells, and Eric pointed out the easiest way back to open water. Ariel followed this route, looking back only when the water stretched unbroken before her. He looked small, she thought then, the cave threatening to swallow him, a lone figure distorted by the stuttering shadows of a faltering light.

'I think you're incredibly brave.' These were the words with which she left him, though whether they had reached him over the sound of water upon the rocks she couldn't be certain.

Eric, mentally fatigued by the turn of events, watched her go and sat down heavily as sudden sharp breeze coincided with her departure. He was plunged into darkness. The light extinguished.