A Mermaid's Tail
DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its fabulous characters. All recognizable players, dialogue, and/or magic spells belong to ABC and Disney.
Chapter 3
Ariel came upon the first signs of humans the next day.
She had spent the night curled up next to a large tree, where the overlying branches provided some shelter from the chilly night winds. Breakfast had been simple: a couple of mouthfuls of field greens and some dew she had managed to lick off a few tree leaves. Needless to say, she was rather tired and hungry. The Enchanted Forest was a lot more elaborate and larger than she had anticipated. Walking had been difficult on the beach but was even harder in the woods; the falls were more frequent and more painful. Her bare feet kept giving her stabs of pain when she trod upon seemingly innocent-looking branches, twigs, and leaves. Almost as if she was walking on blades.
Do all humans feel this when they walk? she thought.
Despite the pain, Ariel's determination and stubbornness was stronger. Rounding a cluster of small saplings she stood in a clearing rather suddenly with a much larger path opening up in front of her. This one was different than the one she had been on previously, it seemed to be paved, was much wider, and had two tracks in it that seemed to stretch on as long as the path went. Unknown to the mermaid this was the road that traversed the kingdom's of King Leopold and King Christopher. Not certain of what else to do, she simply decided to walk along this new path and discover where it led.
Walking on the road was a lot easier than in the forest. Her spirit lifted and she began to really take in the view of trees, bushes, flowers, and leafage. It was all so beautiful and new to her. Birds chirped in the overhanging tree limbs and squirrels ran in elaborate games of chase. The sun shone in a magnificent golden light through the swaying branches of the tallest trees. So pretty! The graveled road also did wonders on her aching feet.
A thought crossed her mind, No wonder humans created this thing; it's much easier to walk on!
Ariel's appreciation was interrupted by an unusual sound approaching. Tilting her head to listen, her ears caught a distinctive noise of something thundering towards her location. It grew louder and louder but the former mermaid ignored it for now. She was nearing a sharp bend in the road that wrapped around a group of large boulders and she could plainly hear human voices behind it. Her first interactions with humans! Her feet stepped a little faster and rounding the rocks she saw she was not mistaken, a few groups of humans were also walking the path in the same direction as her. She saw older men, women, children all dressed rather simply and carrying various items such as baskets of vegetables and sacks of grain. A few conversations drifted towards her and the children scampered about in play. Since most parties had their backs turned no one paid much attention to her for now.
Perhaps now would be a good time to make herself known? Just as Ariel was thinking about how to approach the humans, the rumbling and trembling behind her could no longer be ignored. Confused, she turned slowly and what she saw coming up the path towards her made her heart start to pound. Black animals clobbered towards her with black armor-clad riders wearing strange plumed helmets. A group of about seven riders and animals. Further behind this first group some sort of vessel was being pulled by more of the monstrous-looking beasts.
Ariel felt a rising sense of suspicion, What the…?
Not knowing of the danger she simply stood in the middle of the path and watched puzzled as the animals and the riders drew nearer. Unexpectedly, they came right up to her.
The lead rider reined up his horse when the party reached Ariel. "Clear the road, make way for your queen!" he called from beneath the black-feathered helmet.
Ariel was very startled when the beast underneath the human who had spoken reared up with a horrible, shrilly noise not two feet in front of her. It flashed huge white teeth and brought its lethal-looking legs very close to Ariel's unprotected head. She stepped backwards and promptly fell on her backside and elbows. The loose pebbles of the road dug into her elbows painfully and she held back a silent cry.
Her falling only further infuriated the rider in the lead. "Clear the road you impudent peasant!"
Ariel was too terrified to do much except try to crawl away on her back using her elbows. From her vantage point on the ground, the four-legged black beasts looked huge and alarmingly lethal. The rider who had yelled at her now dismounted his creature and charged straight at the girl lying in the middle of the road. Not bothering to be gentle, the man grabbed Ariel by her arm and hauled her roughly to her feet. This startled the poor girl so much she let out a terrified whine. She stood wobbly in front of the massive guard, a visor hid his face but that did not stop his voice from ringing out loudly.
"Bow your head before your queen you stupid girl!"
My queen? My queen is in the ocean…what are you talking about? She dumbly shook her head to show that she did not understand.
"You dare refuse to respect your queen?"
The armor-clad human strengthened his grip on Ariel's arms to a painful level and began to shake her. Feeling helpless, Ariel only managed a few muted squeaks of pain and fear. Through her dizziness she saw the man lift one of his armored hands in a gesture that suggested violence. He was about to strike her and she could not even defend her face, her arm was pinned to her side. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the blow when another voice called out.
"Harold! Enough of this. Just clear the road and let's be on our way. I have important matters to attend." The voice came from the vessel behind the other mounted guards.
It was enough to stop the blow from coming. The man called Harold smirked and gave Ariel a sharp shove that sent her hard onto the side of the road. Shock waves of hurt coursed through her already weakened body and had the mermaid had a voice she would have cried out loud. No one even noticed her distress. The man who had grabbed her simply turned back to his riding beast and mounted silently. With a quick nod to his followers, the party continued along its way with more rumbling and kicking up of dust. Ariel had never felt so degraded and humiliated before in her life. She had thought life as a human would be easier than being a mermaid, but her first encounter with humans left her cringing on the ground like some pathetic weakling.
As Ariel nursed her throbbing right arm, she lifted her head cautiously to see the source of the voice that had prevented her from being beaten. A woman dressed in a black dress of refined elegance sat in the center of the black, sleek carriage that rumpled past the mermaid. She was most beautiful, but Ariel sensed a coldness in her gaze similar to her own queen. This woman looked as if she could command all of the seas with no mercy; her eyes were as emotionless as a shark and as dark as the deepest abyss.
Unexpectedly, the woman who was a queen turned her icy stare on the creature that had caused such trouble. Regina did not see much: a scraggly-looking, dirty peasant girl lying on the side of the road wearing rags. A pretty face with fiery red hair, but hardly worth her guards getting into a spat.
Just an ignorant peasant, she thought to herself. Odd-looking though.
Ariel did not think to breath until the party had moved further away and she felt relatively assured they would not change their minds and come back to beat her. Her face twisted with embarrassment; she was a proud, strong mermaid but a few seconds ago she might have been killed on the spot. In the water she would have fought with her mermaid strength, but here she was just a helpless girl just waiting to be abused or killed. She felt her head drop and her thin shoulders hunch in shame.
"Hey, are you ok?"
A strange voice broke her train of self-pity and she glanced up. A teenage boy, almost a man, stood next to her with a concerned look on his face. He must have been part of the group she saw earlier, one of the humans heading in the same direction she was. Unlike the armored guard he had a bare head so she was able to look into his face. A light load was slung over his right shoulder and one arm was holding onto it.
"Here, let me help you," said the stranger.
He held out his unburdened hand towards her. She stared at it in surprise as he continued to hold it out to her. Her encounter with those devilish guards left her wary of the actions of humans. Still, it was unnerving being on the ground. After another second, she took his hand tightly with both of hers, willing herself to stand without falling. As soon as she was steady enough she let go, brushed off her hands, and stepped back. She slowly started noticing more details about her helper. Sharp grey eyes, a friendly smile, spikey jet black hair, and a calloused hand that suggested a hard worker. The boy's clothes, brown trousers, a loose flaxen shirt, and a dark, frayed vest were well worn. Without really thinking about it she returned his smile with a small, shy one of her own.
"That was really brave of you. I've never seen anyone stand up to the queen like that before," the young man said with a touch of admiration.
Ariel tilted her head, puzzled. Brave? I had never been more terrified in my entire life.
She was not brave at all, her sisters had always made that very clear. She was a coward for not spilling any blood and never killing any men.
"You're hurt," he told her. His gaze had shifted from her face to her lower arms.
Glancing down, Ariel saw that both her elbows were scraped and bleeding readily onto her canvas wrap. Lifting her right arm up she examined the wound with concern, it was covered in dirt and was throbbing painfully. Whenever a mermaid was injured she simply waited for the sea water to clean the wound and heal her; so what did human do for this?
"You'll need a healer to take a look at that. There is a good apothecary in the village that does not charge much. Were you headed to the village?"
Ariel did not know what to think; at any rate, she certainly could not answer. She averted her eyes and settled on a gentle shrug of her shoulders.
"Oh, I see. Do you know if there is a healer at…wherever you're going?"
Again, all Ariel could do was shrug. She really had not anticipated getting injured on her journey so finding a healer was not something she had planned for.
The young man looked concerned as he shifted his own shoulder, hoisting his load of nets and tackle further up his back. His load, tanned face, and hardened hands hinted at a fisherman and Ariel found herself intrigued by the profession.
"Do you know where you are going?" he asked her, trying to keep his voice reassuring.
Ariel shook her head slowly, frowning heavily at the painful tingling in her arms. It was not in her to give falsehood to this nice human who had helped her even though she hated to appear helpless.
The stranger frowned too and studied her intently with his piercing grey eyes. Ariel looked away, flustered.
After a few more uncomfortable seconds he seemed to come to a decision. "If you want you are welcome to come to my house. My mother knows some healing and she can fix you up."
Ariel glanced back, stunned. She first thought he was being insincere but studying his face and unyielding gaze confirmed the impossible: this human truly wanted to help her. Mermaids are proud and fierce and never ask for help, but just this one time she did need it. She had no way of knowing how to heal herself or even where the next village was. Ariel slowly nodded her head.
His face lit up with an even wider smile than before, showing his nice teeth. Her acceptance of his offer seemed to cause him great happiness and she did not know why.
"Well then, if you will follow me I will take you there. It's not a long journey"
For some reason, he glanced at her bare feet as he said this. Ariel did too and noticed some blood between her toes that had not been there earlier. This human body was so darn delicate! One little walk in the forest and her feet were already giving her such pains. She longed for the physical strength of her former self.
The two of them rounded onto the road again and started walking side by side, falling into place behind the other groups of humans using the road. Ariel had a slow gait and she noticed that he adjusted his strides to match her speed. She found this comforting and smiled shyly again at him. He returned it was another one. Gods, he had a great smile!
"Oh by the way, my name is Eric," he said brightly.
Ariel mouthed, "My name is…"
No sound had escaped her lips. Her face fell as she brought her hand to her throat remembering the conditions of her deal with the imp Rumplestilskin.
Eric stopped and looked worried at her sudden change.
"What's wrong? What is it?" he asked quickly.
Ariel tapped her throat gently and shook her head slowly, hoping that he got the message.
"You can't speak?"
Again, she shook her head. A familiar feeling of inadequacy was developing in her. Not only was she weakened with pain she could not even give this kind human her name. For the second time since stumbling onto shore Ariel felt unworthy, broken, and judged. But he did not seem put out at all.
"Eh don't worry about it," Eric said good-naturedly, "I can't whistle."
Ariel was confused by his answer. Whistle? She narrowed her eyes and made a high-pitched mewing noise in her throat to convey a question, hoping that this Eric would explain.
"Yeah, whistle…you know…"
Eric put his lips into a small circle shape and blew fast air out of his mouth. Ariel shook her head, puzzled further. She tried mimicking him to see what it was all about. As she blew the air out she was startled by a sharp noise that emanated from her very lips. She cupped her hands over her mouth in shock and amusement. Such a strange sensation! She tried it again and was pleased to hear the noise once more.
Eric chuckled at her antics, "See, you can do it and I can't."
Ariel smiled widely and blew another whistle, This is fun!
"Hey maybe that's your name! Whistle," Eric said with another chuckle.
Ariel immediately stopped and frowned. That was not her name! What was this human boy thinking? Was he trying to mock her like her sisters had always done?
"Ok, ok no!" Eric laughed again and Ariel knew then that he had not been trying to offend her, "Maybe I could guess it?"
Ariel nodded with a hopeful smile and tried to enunciate slowly so that Eric could read her lips.
"Air…airley? Airel?" Eric studied her face intently.
Ariel shook her head hard and stamped her bare foot in frustration. How could she get him to understand? Grabbing his free right hand she placed it on her throat, trying hard to say her name.
Eric was startled by the sudden contact. This strange girl had put his hand close to her face, not even flinching at the smell of fish and grime on them. Compliments of being a fisherman's son. Most girls his age tried to avoid being around that stench at all costs; it led to some very frustrating situations. He was at the age where girls interested him but his work often prevented any real connections from being made.
Realizing that she had intended the contact as a way to get him to understand, he tried to concentrate on her lips again.
"Ok…um…Air, I got that part…now…" He felt her hands holding his tighten in anticipation. "Ari…lel…is it Ariel?"
Hearing the right name made Ariel giddy with happiness. She nodded her head fervidly and grabbed Eric's hand with both of hers again.
"Ariel. Well, that's kind of pretty," Eric said with a warm smile at her excitement. He was really starting to like this strange girl. "Ok, Ariel it is then."
The two resumed their stroll, Eric speaking casually. Ariel listened intently, eager to make a real connection with a human while she was on land. She knew that if a stranger stumbled upon them, they made a strange sight. But as long as that was the extent of a strangers curiosity that was fine with her; if anyone found out that she was a mermaid, her life would be in grave danger.
...
The village of Venn loomed into view at the end of the dusty path snaking through the forest. Ariel had been so absorbed in listening to Eric talking she did not notice until the buildings started strutting up beside her that they had arrived. What wonders! The small, thatched structures formed a semi-circle around a large, cobble-stoned square that ran the length of the village. Ariel saw more and more humans gathered as they talked, laughed, or simply walked in the square. Further from the quad a small dirt path lead to more establishments with larger fronts for merchandises such as blacksmithing, bakery, livery, and so on. A few wagons rumbled along pulled by various beasts as their drivers carefully maneuvered through the throngs.
Ariel could only gape in wonder. So many new and wonderful things to see! She might have stood there simply staring if Eric hadn't touched her hand gently and nodded towards the right.
"This way Ariel. Not far now," he said.
She nodded in reply and adjusted her wobbly legs for a turn. Her walking had been getting better and better, but the sharp turn that required her to follow Eric was a little tricky. She tried altering her feet but somehow her legs got crossed and she lost her balance, yet again. Bracing for another fall, she was surprised when she felt strong arms scoop to steady her by her front.
"Whoa! Hold on. I've got you," Eric's voice said assuredly.
Ariel was too astonished to react at all. This was the first time someone had ever prevented her from falling before. No one, not even that Rumpestilskin, had tried to help her on her new legs. She hung onto Eric's arms for a minute and gazed up at him with surprised blue eyes.
Eric seemed just as surprised as she was, but for a different reason. He had a tight hold on this strange girl whom he had just met, and she was not moving out of his grip. This was the closest physically he had come with a girl in a long time and the intimacy of his arms around her did not leave his notice. He immediately felt the need to apologize.
"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" He quickly withdrew his hands from the dangerously-close position of her breasts and stepped back glancing around.
Several onlookers had stopped their daily grind to gawk at the two of them. It was not a typical sight: a teenage girl dressed in nothing but a sail cloth and a young man grabbing her. Granted, it was because she had stumbled, but not all of their audience had a way of knowing that.
Glancing around, Eric saw the murmurs and whispers being exchanged over their little show. He awkwardly ran his fingers through his choppy, black hair and retrieved the net bundle from where it had fallen on the ground.
"Ahem…well…this way"
Ariel saw the same faces he did and understood the need to get away. The eyes of the villagers were following them with the same expressions as her sisters after she had acted particularly stupid. Many of the onlookers were giving her strange looks, as if she were some foreign creature strutting out of the Enchanted Forest.
"Here we are"
Eric's cheerful exclamation brought Ariel back to reality. They had traversed the square and were now at the outer skirts of the village where the houses stood further apart. The hovel Eric stopped in front of was small like the rest, but had the distinct aura of a home with some red flowers in the windowsill and light blue curtains hanging over glassless panes. Eric pushed open the door and moved his head to encourage Ariel to follow. Her bare feet tread lightly over the threshold as she stepped in, blinking to adjust her eyes to the darkness.
The house was cozy and warm on the inside. A small hearth with the remnants of a fire was at the very back behind a common room with a worn, oak table, some threadbare cushioned chairs, and wooden stools. The dirt floor was littered with straw, but Ariel found the tickling sensation pleasant under her toes. Golden light poured in through the panes making the dust visible as it floated around. Along the wall hung various fisherman paraphernalia such as lines, tackles, hooks, and nets. A small spinning wheel was shoved into one corner with a half-full spool resting on the barb. There seemed to be another room in the back, but the contents were not visible.
As Ariel was taking it all in Eric had stopped and shrugged of his load to hang it on a low-lying rafter. He turned, dusting his hands on his pants, and glanced at Ariel. She was grinning and looking around as if it was the most wonderful place in the entire world, Eric felt flattered and amused at the same time. It was after all only a small house, but this girl seemed genuinely amazed.
He consciously brushed his black hair with his hands, hoping no dust had settled on him. "Well, it's not much but its home."
Ariel smiled and turned towards him.
"My mother should be here soon. She can fix your arms easily."
Ariel nodded and resumed her glancing around. Finishing taking in all of the details, she was suddenly aware of how uncomfortable it was to have Eric looking at her with such concern. Why should it bother him so much that she was hurt? It was not as if she was close to dying. She settled her blue eyes on him, tilting her head a little as she contemplated his worry.
Eric shuffled his boots uncomfortably and tried to think of something to say that would fill the void of silence. He had certainly never invited a girl into his house so quickly before. He could tell that she felt uncomfortable, so he tried a different subject.
"Are you hungry? I could fix something…"
There was the sound of a latch lifting and a back door opened revealing two adults standing outside. Eric turned and smiled in relief.
"Mother, Father there is someone I want you to meet"
As he strode over to the back of the house Ariel suddenly felt very inadequate and unprepared. She nervously tried to smooth her tangle mess of hair and dusted her sail wrap in an attempt to remove the old crusted salt. Meeting a pair of humans so soon was unnerving.
Eric led a man and woman up to Ariel. Even if he had not addressed the woman as "Mother" Ariel could see the resemblance. They both shared the same jet-black hair and intense grey eyes. The man possessed Eric's nicely shaped mouth but unlike his son's, it was turned into a frown. Both parties were dressed similar to Eric in simple village garb with boots, vests, and belts and the woman had a white kerchief pulling her dark hair back in a simple tie. She smiled at her guest.
"This is Ariel. We met on the road through the forest," Eric explained.
Ariel was not sure what the proper greeting gesture was between humans. When mermaids meet for the first time they simply touched flukes gently to show that no harm was meant, so what should she do here? Ariel settled on lifting her hand and giving a small nervous smile, praying it was enough.
It seemed to do. "Well hello Ariel." The woman's voice was light and friendly and Ariel allowed her guard down a little. "My name is Jenny and this is my husband John".
The man nodded towards Ariel and she mimicked the gesture making sure to keep her eyes polite. If there was one thing she learned from the constant criticisms of her queen and sisters it was that elders hated any form of disrespect.
"Ariel got hurt when the queen's carriage almost ran her over," Eric explained further. Ariel rubbed her lower arms self-consciously, aware of the odd stare her appearance was getting from the man John. She flinched involuntarily when her fingers brushed against her torn elbows.
"Oh dear, that looks nasty" The woman called Jenny approached Ariel.
She reached out and gently took Ariel's right hand in hers. It took all manner of self-control for the teenager not to bolt at the touch. As a mermaid, she was subject to the constant touch of the ocean but feeling skin on skin was entirely different. Only on very rare occasions would her sisters bother to embrace her and it was usually a very brief interlude. Ariel allowed the woman to gently turn her arm and peer at the torn skin of her elbow.
After an uncomfortable moment, Jenny looked up at Ariel. "I have some herbs and ointment that will take care of this."
"Will you please look at her Mother? She needs some bandages," Eric said, moving to stand right next to Ariel.
She glanced up at him. Again, his grey eyes were clouded with concern and again she was puzzled by this. Mermaids, while they lived in groups, rarely sought comfort and aid in each other. Life in the sea was harsh and cruel with no room for coddling the weak. Having another express such concern for her well-being was a new experience.
"Certainly I will," Jenny gave Ariel's hand a small squeeze which she found oddly reassuring, "if you will follow me child…"
"And in the meantime… you and I need to work on that lobster trap young man," John had finally spoken and his voice was stern, but not cruel. His commanding eyes were firmly gazing at Eric with an authoritative tone and it reminded Ariel of a lead porpoise trying to rein control over a young one in the pod.
"Yes sir." Eric smiled again at Ariel and she had no trouble returning it this time. He and his father strode out the front door into the daylight leaving Ariel and Jenny alone. Ariel watched him leave, feeling an odd sense of loss for the first time.
"This way please. I keep them in the kitchen," Jenny said redirecting Ariel's attention.
The former-mermaid nodded and followed her hostess into the next room that had not been visible earlier. So this was a "kitchen"? It seemed to be a place of food preparation with various cooking items and food stuffs hanging from the walls. Another smaller table was in the center of the room with several wooden-backed chairs around it. Jenny led Ariel to one chair and gestured for her to sit. While the woman's back was turned Ariel carefully maneuvered herself down using the table as an anchor.
"Here we are. Would you please put your arm out?"
Ariel held up her right arm where the tear in her skin was greatest. Jenny scooted up another chair to sit closer and brought a small rag up to the wound. Carefully, she began cleaning using the rag and a small basin of herb-infused water now resting on her lap. Ariel watched, fascinated.
"My, my…this is deep. Must have been quite a fall."
Ariel nodded keeping her eyes on her elbow as the blood was being cleared away. The painful throbbing had returned, but she chose to ignore it, not wanting to appear fragile. Jenny ceased her cleaning and started to apply some ointment to the wound. Ariel could feel on her skin that Jenny's hands were as rough as her son's, but she worked gently and smoothly.
"So Ariel, where are you from? Were you headed to King Christopher's kingdom?"
Ariel jerked her eyes up, realizing that yet again she would have to relay somehow that she could not speak. And again she felt the uncalled shame seeping up. She wrapped her hand around her throat and shook her head.
Jenny frowned. "Does your throat hurt Ariel?" The woman reached out to touch Ariel's cheek with her fingertips searching for signs of a fever.
Ariel shook her head and solemnly tapped her throat. She tried leaning forward to emphasis what she was trying to gesture.
"Oh I see." Jenny looked troubled and Ariel did not like the expression on her face at all. It was one of pity, like she was an invalid or something, it somehow made her feel worse.
To her credit, the older woman tried to appear impassive. She ducked her head and resumed her focus on Ariel's arm. After finishing the application she wrapped the elbow in long strips of clean cloths. Carefully securing the ends together, she gently let go.
"You're other arm please?"
Ariel lowered her newly bandaged right arm and raised her left. She was amazed at the comfortable feeling of the bindings on her arm, an almost instantaneous relief. The sea water would have done all the cleaning and healing for her, but the human's remedy seemed to work just as well.
"There," said Jenny tying the last knot, "All set".
Ariel fingered her new bandages and glanced up at Jenny. How could she show her appreciation if she could not speak? She wanted so desperately so say "thank you".
But Jenny was already moving again. After setting her cleansing basin on the table she scooted off the chair and knelt down to examine Ariel's bare feet.
"You're all cut up Ariel! What did you do...hike through the forest without any shoes?"
Ariel nodded enthusiastically, not at all thinking of her answer. She could tell it was a strange one, Jenny gave her a puzzling expression.
"Well, I'll bring you some washing water so you can take care of these. You'll stay for supper of course."
Ariel wrinkled her brow, this was not something she had anticipated. She pointed at herself and raised an eyebrow. Then she pointed at the ground, as if to question, here?
Jenny seemed to understand well enough. "Yes, of course. It's already getting late and you certainly cannot go trouncing about at this hour without any food in you." She rose from the floor, picked up the basin from the table, and turned to exit into the next room.
Ariel rose too and opened her mouth to call out in protest, but of course no sound escaped her lips. Running her hands through her long hair in frustration she cursed the imp Rumplestilskin for the umpteenth time. Having no voice was frustrating! Realizing she had no other option for tonight she resettled herself into the wooden chair. Truthfully, it had been a couple of days since she had eaten anything as a mermaid or as a human and she had no other source of food at the moment. Perhaps the invitation was a good idea.
In the back of the house, John and Eric both leaned over a lobster trap, nailing down loose ends and resetting knots. Eric raised his eyes to meet his father's disapproving glance.
"So you just found her along the road, wearing nothing but rags, and she has not spoken single word?"
"Yes. She seemed lost." Eric studied his father's face as if to gauge his reaction.
John shook his head and continued to concentrate at the task at hand. "I don't know son…it seems too odd. She does not look as if she has ever traveled before and has no idea how to take care of herself."
"Maybe we could show her? Help her out a little?" Eric voiced his hope out loud. He found himself drawn to this strange girl. She was so unlike anyone he had ever met and he wanted to get to know her more. Hopefully, an excuse of hospitality was just what she needed.
John finally looked up from his hammer and nail. "Eric, don't get your hopes up. We don't know anything about her so let's not get too attached shall we?"
Eric frowned and looked down again at his work.
"For all we know, she could be lying about not being able to speak" John gave the house a sideways glance.
Eric didn't believe a word of it. Despite her strange, withheld nature Eric was certain Ariel was no liar. He knew that she had a lot to tell about where she had come from and he was eager to learn more. But as much as he wanted to know her story, it was against his nature to make someone to tell something she didn't want to. His mother had always told him to respect other's right to keep their secrets. In her own time he hoped she would tell him her secrets, if she wanted to.