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 16

The moon was soothing and beautiful. The light from the stars gentle and the night wind a complex tapestry of smells from near and far. To wonderful a night to be caught in such a nightmare as this.

Red nipped lightly at Rain's hindquarters, forcing an immediate change of direction towards the stables. Red's paws pushed on the straw-littered grounds of the shed as she tried to outpace her companion. They were still leading the knights in a chase but the significance of the late hour propelled her to change tactics. This was no longer a merry lope; it was now a fight for survival. As it was, the sounds of the militia assembling outside of the thin walls of the stables were overpoweringly loud, a babble of voices that carried ill meaning.

As she trotted down the long stable corridor towards the exit, Red noticed that it was suddenly deathly quiet outside. She stopped suddenly and twisted around. Something was wrong.

What is it? Rain asked, arching her brow and twitching her nose. She too was trying to find out what had suddenly changed.

When they abruptly reached the end of the long shed, they stepped out into the moonlight and found themselves surrounded by soldiers, all bristling with the cold steel of weapons. Red's wolf eyes saw that they had just walked into a trap. The soldiers hadn't wanted to risk them fleeing when they exited the stables, so they had the entire building surrounding, not just one end. The first row of men raised their arms and tossed a quarry of spears at them. Red was too stunned to move.

Rain knocked into her shoulder, throwing her to the side into yet another small stable yard. The clattering of spent weapons on the stone floor resonated just behind them. Red's paws scrambled to find their footing as she burst free of the fenced yard, but she had only a second to adjust her bearings before a burning torch was thrust in front of her eyes. The fire blinded her and she was helpless.

Rain crouched, sat back on her haunches, and launched herself at the man with a roar of fury that echoed along the stone walls like a thunder. She crashed into his chest, knocking him back with her forepaws. He fell back and his face blanched in the light. He clearly was not prepared to meet two wolves tonight so he fled out of the yard as soon as he staggered to his feet.

Red shivered and leaned a little on the smaller wolf. That was too close. Her hindquarters and lower legs were cramped and her paws throbbed with every step on the hard cobblestone.

We won't make it to the sluice gate will we? Rain whined softly. Red noticed that, for the first time since getting out of her cage, Rain was acting nervous. They're too many of them! I thought Snow said the Summer Palace was almost empty during winter?

Red found it in her to give a bark of a laugh. Then can you imagine what this would have been like if it was summertime? At least the queen is not here. She twisted back, searching for more guards. It was harder to see after all of that torch light, dark spots still danced in her vision.

Her gaze shifted to the other wolf. This is not going like it should. You're injured, we botched the last run,…

I'm fine! Rain stiffened with offense. And I still say we can take 'em down.

Red shook her head. Ariel and Ella were supposed to meet them sooner than this, but it was clear now that something was delaying them. When she had agreed to this rescue mission, after hearing the mermaid's story, she had sworn a personal resolution to seeing the young lovers united. Her loss of Peter, her mother, so many others from her village…it gave Red a strong resolve to help people. To be better than a monster. It had taken some time, but Red didn't hate what she was; her wolf was a part of her.

But Red realized that convincing her companion to flee was not going to be easy. She had unknowingly become Rain's caretaker in this venture, hers would have to be the voice of reason in all of this madness. Rain was the first wolf she had known and cared for since Anita's pack and Rain didn't hate humans with a blinding passion like most wolves. Instead, she had come to know Red and appreciate her for who she was, despite Red's affiliation with humans. She intended to get her young charge out of here, now, to protect Rain, and for that reason it was as close as Red ever came to valuing her wolf.

Swiveling her furry head back around, the big black wolf gave an admonishing look to the small white wolf. We need to consider our exit. Ariel and Ella are long overdue and we cannot stay long.

…

Eric blinked, looking surprised, but not frightened.

At first he must have thought Ariel was not being serious because he made no move towards or away from the open cell door. Then his eyes took in her servant's gear, the 'borrowed' dinner pail, and the set of keys dangling from Ariel's hand. He shot those piercing grey eyes to her face.

"Let me get this straight," he said. "I don't know who you are but you're here to rescue me?" Since Ariel was standing near the door, simply staring at him, he continued. "How do I know you aren't just some trick of the Queen's? How can I trust you?"

Ariel opened her mouth, then froze. How does one explain something like this? What memories could she use to convince him? Their time together when she'd first stumbled onto shore seemed a lifetime ago now. Ariel swallowed and approached Eric. "I've come to help you." Eric's face remained suspicious. "If I wanted to harm you or trick you, I would have already."

Eric slid away from her. "It's going to take more than that to convince me."

"Ariel!" called Ella from the door way. "We really need to go".

"Please!" Ariel pleaded. "I'm not leaving without you."

"Alright Eric!" said Ella, coming fully into the cell. She had known that Eric was stubborn but she had never known him to be down right—unreasonable. And certainly not to Ariel. "Please," she added. "There's no reason to do this here. We all need to get out."

This time, Eric turned to stare at her. "Do I know you?" he asked. "You seem familiar."

"Yes." Ella nodded her head firmly, "We've known each other since we were children." She touched Eric's shoulder. "Look, I know this is… very confusing…but you have to trust us. We were all once good friends, and we will be again. After we get out of here together."

Ariel held her breath, completely grateful to Ella for the intervention as she watched Eric consider the proposal.

Eric's brow creased as he continued to stare at the two of them. For some reason, he had an odd-sense of calm now. Like he had been with these two before and had known them both. The blonde one was definitely familiar and she seemed very sincere when she spoke of being a friend. But the red-headed one…she seemed different. That kiss she had given him, what was that about? Was she deranged? But as he studied Ariel another image flashed in his mind—a tossing sea and her face looking up at him. He blinked, very surprised. Where did that come from?

Ariel made a low urgent sound in her throat. She stepped towards the door, then back towards Eric.

"This is insane," Eric said.

She caught the sleeve of his torn tunic in her hands and tugged.

"This is a heavily fortified castle. We won't make it far," he whispered.

"We have some friends on the inside and outside." Ella darted a glance at Ariel as if to say Hurry!

Ariel tugged again at his sleeve. Her face, so full of longing and unspoken pleas, bore into Eric's eyes.

"Maybe you're right. Any chance with you two is better than whatever fate the Queen has planned for me."

Finally…after a lifetime in the cell, the three of them slid into the torch-lit hallway of the prison quarter. Eric's eyes darted up and down the hall, as if he still expected this to be an elaborate trap. Ariel felt her chest tighten but tried not to show her unease. His storm-grey eyes found hers and stopped moving for a moment. "So your name is Ariel?" he asked intently. Ariel only nodded and trotted towards the heavy door that was the entrance to the prison corridor. He heaved a frustrated sigh. "I guess I won't really understand any of this until later right?"

Strangely, he seemed to accept this prospect with the same composure he had when facing Ariel's mermaid sisters. He had, at least since Ariel had known him, a way of equanimity and amusement when staring down a danger, and his mouth softened now.

"Come on," Ariel said. "It's this way."

She and Ella strode quickly through the exit, but Eric hung back. "Wait," he said as he stepped backwards and turned to another cell door. He glanced up at Ariel. "Give me the keys."

"Eric…?" Ariel narrowed her eyes and shook her head, completely confused.

"Give me the keys," he said again, in a tone that suggested no argument.

Dumbfounded, Ariel walked over and handed him the iron circlet. Eric slid a single key into the lock and turned it. His other hand gripped the heavy iron ring set in wood, and he yanked at it. The door resisted but began swinging outward with a loud creak that the whole castle should have heard. Eric opened the door all the way and slipped through, right into another cell.

"Eric!" Ariel hissed as she followed him. "What are you…?"

The room beyond the door was surprisingly well lit, the hall was actually darker. Ariel did not even need time to adjust her eyes before a few details came into focus. She saw the same rough unfinished stone outline as Eric's cell, smelled the same dankness, but on the other side of the room a woman sat up on a cot. A very beautiful woman, she made out. Her lovely face was framed by long, dark brown hair that cascaded down her back like a curtain. Ariel could hear her breathing, coming out in sharp huffs of fear as the stranger straightened her back, putting on a stoic face of bravery.

"Who are you?" she asked, her lilting voice sounding oddly familiar.

"Belle," Eric said as he knelt in front of her and fumbled for the keys in his hand. "It's Eric…from across the hall."

"Wait…what? How did you…?" the woman named 'Belle' narrowed her eyes, trying to process the presence of two strange teenagers in her cell.

"We're getting out of here," Eric answered the question as tried to unhooked one of Belle's chains using the keys.

From somewhere beyond the hall, Ariel heard noises. The scrape of boots and the distant flicker of a torch blowing. She peered towards the cell door and felt cold realization come over her. Now there were voices, echoing down the hall and moving. They would soon be upon them.

"We have to go now," she blurted. She found herself annoyed at the side trip that Eric had decided to take. She was willing to dare the dangers of the Queen's dungeons for him, and here he was, trying to rescue yet another stray.

"Not without Belle," he adamantly stated and kept trying the keys.

Ariel could see that this 'Belle' was taken back. She heard a scuffling of feet and realized that Ella was pacing nervously in the hallway. They needed to get out and this was no time for the mermaid to act like a guppy! Ariel shook off her aggravation and hurried towards Belle.

She dropped to her knees beside the cot. The big blue eyes of the woman studied her, as if not certain what to make of this strange red-headed usurper. Ariel looked at the chains securing her pale arms to the cot and did a quick calculation. While Eric was fumbling for a fourth key, Ariel caught up the iron line with her two hands and levered it against her knees. The metal bit painfully into her hands, but she gave a ferocious yank and the broken chains tumbled out of the stone wall with a loud clunk.

Eric eyed the shattered manacles fearfully. Then, to Ariel's dismay, he angled himself between her and Belle. Holding his arms out in a protective gesture. "What are you?!" he demanded, his eyes glaring accusingly.

Ariel sighed. This was definitely still Eric. Still so very protective of the ones he cared about, and still ready to take on more than he obviously could handle. At one point, Ariel might have been the one he wanted to defend, and now it was this strange woman with beautiful, intellectual eyes and long brown hair. The mermaid begrudgingly acknowledged her surge of jealousy.

But only for a moment. Right now they had to leave. "I already told you…I'm a friend." She rose to her feet, grimacing at the pain that suddenly shot up her legs to her waist, and then turned towards the cell door. "Now, are you both coming or what?"

When the three of them crossed the threshold into the hallway, Ella was waiting for them. Her thin frame sagged with obvious relief. "We should go by the other way now," was all she said. If she was surprised at the prospect of breaking out another prisoner, Ella did not show it. Ariel had to give her credit for that.

The mermaid squirmed towards the other hallway exit, glancing around and listening intently as she walked fast. The three others fell in behind her, practically on her heels. The corridor they walked out seemed deserted. The guards were most likely chasing wolves, their attentions not on the prison cells for the moment. Ariel glanced to the right hall fearfully at the sound of voices, then moved to the left into another hall, keeping close to the wall as she tried to stay in the shadows.

The four of them stumbled along, trying to keep straight but having to turned several times to avoid crashing into more guards. They found themselves at the top of a narrow, steep staircase, the steps lit by a few burning torches thrust into the walls. Ariel hurried downward, the others following her. Once she stumbled over a rock and were it not for Eric's quick hand, she would have gone tumbling down into the dark.

She allowed herself a pause. "Thank you," she said in a small voice.

Eric looked startled, as if not expecting her to talk.

Finally, they neared the end of the steps and there was no place to go but forward. From what Ariel could make out by her feet, it was a long, well-lit carpeted hallway in a more-habitable portion of the castle. Her pace quickened on the dark steps. That had to mean they were getting close to an exit! Ariel glanced behind to make sure that the others were all here, and then started forward.

She abruptly stopped.

A group of guards was standing right in front of her, blocking the only way out.

…

The boot steps sounded closer now. The men were coming down the parapet stairs. Hurrying towards them.

I found something! Rain yipped to the right of Red.

The white wolf had hit upon an opening in the castle wall, a narrow tunnel filled with murky water that was designed to drain rainwater from the courtyard stones past the parapet and into the forest. It was so clogged with leaves, twigs, and mud that Red could barely make it out.

Rain's paws were already flying, clearing away the debris. We can make it! she snapped hard, her long canines clicking in a determined way.

Is it big enough? Red could not help but be worried. She was after all, a very large wolf.

Rain kept digging. Yes! Absolutely…it'll work…it has too. The last part sounded more like a plea than a certainty.

The group of soldiers that had been chasing them appeared to be coming up the passage they had just come from. Red heard more approaching from down the wall side, not as many but enough to warrant a hasty escape. She estimated that they had minutes before they were upon the two wolves. Her big wolf paws, so much larger and lethal-looking than Rain's, hastened to help widen the hole. The nails scraped against both stone and soil, a painful combination but within seconds her work was done. The tunnel was a burrow now, leading to escape.

You first, she commanded Rain.

The white wolf did a very human-like shake of the head. You first. You're bigger so I'll need to help you from this end.

Red flattened her ears and turned her head to snap at the headstrong young one, but stopped mid-growl. Rain had changed, in a flurry of movement that only looked like a blur in the dark, and now crouched as a human next to Red. Her dark, unkempt hair fell around the abnormal golden-hued eyes as she gazed intently up at the black wolf. Red was so surprised her ears lifted and her eyes un-narrowed themselves. It was against her nature to snap her teeth at a human girl.

Rain took notice. "Chiding me again? Yell at me later. Now go already!"

Red turned to the hole again. Wolves were natural burrowers so she dove to the ground without hesitation. The tunnel sloped downwards, underneath the great thick wall of the parapet, then upwards again to the outside. Red wiggled as best she could, but just as her muzzle touched sweet freedom, she got stuck. Being caught underneath a great stone wall with a troop of soldiers ready to cut you from behind was not the best place to be. Red shrieked and tried desperately to wiggle forward but the inside of the stone drain was too slick for a paw hold. She felt something hard slam into her backside. Rain was pushing with her legs, trying to force the larger wolf out. Red was both infuriated and extremely grateful for the feel of the boots pressing against her hindquarters.

"Hurry!" Rain hissed at her. "They're already here!"

Red heard the footsteps approaching. The hole had not been a good idea, the soldiers were closing in on Rain and she was still on the wrong side of the wall. Right at the last moment, Red felt a hard shove and she shot out of the end of the hole like a rabbit from its den. She landed in a heap on top of a bramble bush, heavy with thorns.

Loud shouts, evidence of the soldiers' frustration, echoed from the drain. She heard Rain get to her feet and turn around. There were far too many footsteps behind the wall now. A group of the Queen's guard it sounded like, all with unsheathed swords. Another group hung back, but Red had not doubt they were armed as well.

On the other side of the wall, Rain clenched her fists and slide her legs into a stance that felt right for a fight. "Red, you need to go now," she called towards the drain, never taking her eyes off of the guards in front of her.

She heard the black wolf snarling in frustration and pawing back at the tunnel. Red was trying to come back into the castle stronghold, trying to come to her aid. But she was a large wolf, too big to fit back under the stone drain without any help.

"I'll meet you!" Rain called out. "Just go! Find me later."

"You men!" One of the men bearing a sword called to his pike-bearing brethren a top the wall. "Send a squad out to kill the other wolf," he commanded. "A pelt that size will be worth a fortune in bounty money." A group of three lowered their weapons and hurried away.

"Red, run," Rain screamed.

It was a mistake to scream like that and she knew it, but her emotions had run amuck. Watching the men move away, she realized Red had been right all along. They should have made a better escape. Why was it easy to break into a prison, but very hard to break out again? The black knights came at her from all three sides, weapons in hand. For a second, fear closed her throat up like a giant hand over her wind pipe.

Stay calm, Rain commanded herself. You've been in worse situations. A few sweaty strands of dark hair hung in front of her golden eyes as they darted this way and that, searching and calculating.

As the first guard lunged his weapon at her, Rain sidestepped ever so slightly. She leaned to the left, letting his sword slid past her, before spinning around him smoothly. The other men rounded towards her, weapons swinging. Rain dropped into a slide on her knees, and glided between the two legs of a guard in front of her, bounded lightly to her feet, and jumped onto another one. The man fell down hard with a loud "Oomph" as she placed her boot toes on his shoulders and hopped, ducked underneath a swinging sword, and then she was galloping away.

Please have the decency to follow me and not Red, she thought as she slowed to a trot.

She was rewarded by shouts, then pounding feet, closing in behind her. She dropped into a crouch and accelerated to a sprint as cloaks black as night careened towards her. Suddenly, there were more men ahead of her. Rain skidded to a halt and then saw the wagon. She galloped onto the leaning ramp slopping upward, leapt over the men, and turned herself midair to avoid the spear heads underneath her. Landing gracefully on her feet again, she spun around and was off again, along the wall, down a stairwell, over a few barrels, and then finally around a last corner.

All the stories she had heard, adventures she had longed for, heroes and heroines she admired went racing through her head as she ran. I am not a hero. I just want to live now! Despite the cold, spring night, her brow was slick with sweat and Rain was breathing hard when she ducked into a dark corner of the courtyard. She glanced up at the castle walls from her hiding place in the shadows. More guards, most of them armed, were walking along the elevated pathways. What would they do to her if they saw her running across the yard? When she was wolf her white fur made her a beacon in the darkness.

But she had to leave now. Snow and Red…they would be waiting for her outside. She could not let them down by staying here, getting herself killed like an idiot. And Ariel…she needed to see the mermaid again. Make sure she was alright.

You can do this, she heard in her thoughts. Her legs were moving before she could change her mind.

She stepped out into the yard.

…

After hearing the scuffle, and the quick patter of light feet scurry away, Red knew the other wolf had made a clean get away. She really was a little fighter: quick on the feet and good instincts at avoiding weapons, despite her eagerness to get into brawls. Red could easily see how Rain would have been attracted to a life of adventure as a human. Still, it was against her sense of comradeship to abandon her friend. Especially now. But as Red tried fervidly to burrow into the stone drain again there came a slam of sound, and a bolt from a crossbow buried itself into the ground next to her. The shaft was not three inches from her big, black paws. Red panted and glanced up.

Men on horseback were pouring along the sides of the castle parapet. Right towards her.

Red turned and vaulted over a stone wall, making her way across the bridge that led to the forest. She reached the forest line and jumped again to avoid a trunk. In mid-leap, she heard the air ring with the sound of more crossbow bolts. All aimed at her. She rolled as she landed, coming to her feet and then changed directions. Looking around her shoulder, she could not make out how many were chasing her.

As she continued to sprint, some preternatural instinct told her to duck and so she did. Her furry head went down, and an arrow whizzed over her, burying itself into the unprotected throat of her pursuer. Red careened to the side and glanced up. The man looked at the shaft protruding from his own neck with nothing more than a surprised expression. Before Red could marvel further at this wonder, another arrow whistled past her, and into the uncovered lower arms of the second guard. This time, the man screamed and fell off his steed with a loud clunk!

The Princess Snow White of the Kingdom of King Leopold calmly drew a third arrow and let it fly. The last guard suddenly dropped his sword when his forefinger and middle fingers were pierced together by the arrow head. He leaned over and with his weaker left-hand yanked out the shaft, tossing it aside and drawing a dagger at the same time. Leaping off his horse, he approached Snow his weapon gleaming in the moonlight. She quickly reached behind herself again, but there were no more arrows in her pack.

"Got you now you little bitch!" the soldier was clearly upset about the little wound to his hands.

He moved faster than Snow would have thought possible for such a heavily armed knight. Before she could even draw her own knife, one of his hands clamped over her mouth and yanked her head back. The other brought the dagger to her throat. In her uncalculating panic, Snow reached up and grabbed the man's wrist with all her strength, pulling it away from her throat. She heard him curse.

A black wolf, the size of a small bear, vaulted forward and knocked the man aside. All three went tumbling to the ground. The knight's weapon clattered from his hands and suddenly, the wolf had his head under its jaw and wrenched it back with a loud snap! He was dead less than a second after.

Snow got to her feet and wiped her neck, feeling the warm trickle of blood run down her throat. It was not deep cut but it did sting. The black wolf looked up at her. Its huge jaws were open in a pant and its eyes glowed a dark hazel in the moonlight forest. It was Red alright. "Thank you," Snow whispered, her voice a tad nervous. She lifted her hand and held it out to the wolf, not a single tremble. Red padded closer, sniffed her fingers, and then gave a hearty lick.

Snow smiled. "Red…I'm so glad you're safe." She sighed in relief and feel to her knees, the adrenaline leaving her body made her disoriented and weak now. "Where are the others? What has happened?"

The wolf only whined softly and bobbed it's from side to side. Snow shook her head. "Red I…I don't understand that. I can't…where is your hood?"

The wolf who was her best friend whined again then made a rumbling growl in her throat, a note of frustration that Snow easily heard. Snow was beside herself. What went wrong? Where were the rest of them? Her questions and concerns buzzed inside her head, a torrent of worry that harried her breath. Snow reached up and started petting the furry head, hoping it would calm her.

As she continued to stroke, she felt the wolf's ears suddenly prick up and Red turned towards the beaten-down pathway the Queen's men had made when they followed her. Snow heard a small crash in the forest foliage and saw some rustling of underbrush coming up the path. She quickly shot to her feet, her hand groping for another arrow before she remembered she was all out. Something was coming up the trail towards them, something coming fast. Red rumbled a warning and stepped in front of Snow, protecting her with her wide wolf girth. But Snow was not one to hide herself behind a friend. She also stepped forward, her dagger in hand and her feet in a fighting stance. Something else had followed Red from the castle. More knights chasing them? A new danger? It was hard to say. Both Snow White and Red Riding Hood both stood next to each other, ready for anything.

Or so they thought.

…

Before Ariel could warn the others, the guard in front had leveled his spear up at her. He glanced behind her, took in the sight of four escapees, then simply said, "You're all under arrest."

His voice was hard, as if he really meant it. Eric started to move forward between them, but the guard swung his weapon deftly, cutting Eric's arm. Blood began to stain his sleeve.

"Stay there prisoner," the man said calmly.

All of the other guards moved forward, driving them back until they stood with their backs pressed against the castle walls. Ariel glanced up the hallway. There appeared to be no more coming, and this was only a group of four. Could she dare try it? "Let us go and you will not be harmed," she addressed them.

"You are bargaining with us?" The man in front glanced at his comrades and began to laugh heartily.

"I'm serious," Ariel tried again. "Drop your weapons and or you will regret it." She reached behind her and gripped Ella's hand, hard enough to be reassuring. She would have liked to take Eric's hand but he was still wary of her, and trying to seep his bleeding arm.

The leader turned to face his men. "Take them now."

Never taking her eyes of off the guards, Ariel whispered to her friends behind her, "Cover your ears." She did not turn around to make sure they had obeyed her orders.

Instead, the little mermaid took a deep breath and screamed.

An intense vibration suddenly overwhelmed the entire room. The first scream made the men stagger back, clutching their heads with armored gloves. The very air seemed to be a wave of overwhelming power. A surge of magic that rippled forth, twisting and tumbling, pulsing and throbbing. The vibration grew, until Ariel had to press one hand to the wall to keep herself upright on unsteady legs. They were hurting now more than ever. She didn't know if she had enough strength, but she put her whole self into it.

Ariel gasped for a breath of air, then screamed again. This time, the guards all fell to their knees. The weapons dropped from their hands, surprisingly loud on the stone floor. Ariel's vision was blurry but through watery eyes, she saw all of the men were incapacitated, slumped unconscious on the ground. Finally, she stopped and leaned heavily against the stone wall. She struggled to draw breath, gasping hard with the effort.

"Is…is everyone…alright?" she managed to croak out as she turned to the others.

Only Belle was still on her feet. She shook her head hard and scrunched her eyes, as if trying to clear her head. Apparently, she had been the only one to quickly follow the command to cover her ears. Ella and Eric were both on the floor, clutching their heads in pain and anguish at the screams of a mermaid. Belle was already kneeling down beside Eric.

As she helped him to his feet, she stared wide-eyed at Ariel. "You," her voice quavered with fear. "You're a…a…" She seemed unable to say such a simple statement and Ariel was both annoyed and ashamed. The woman had obviously been exposed to magic before; she was not nearly as damaged as the rest of the group was.

Ariel quickly dropped to her knees and grabbed Ella's shoulders. Her friend was panting in pain. "Ella," she whispered. "Ella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I forgot how badly our voices can affect you."

Ella still had her hands clasped over her head, her chest heaved as she gasped for breath and her voice was a sob. She could still feel the mermaid's grief and pain, as strong as if it was her own, inside of her. "Ariel…what was that?" she moaned. The mermaid's scream had sent ripples of anguish through her very bones, a sound that stirred horrible memories in her.

For months after Ella's father had died, her stepmother terrorized her every waking moments, laughing cruelly at Ella's grief and completely disregarding the young girl's pain. Her stepsisters had been worse. For a moment, Ariel's screams had taken her back to that awful time, when the beatings had been more frequent. When she was just learning how to be a servant girl and she made so many mistakes while doing it. For a while, she was back to being 10 years old and scared for her very life.

Ella rubbed her eyes hard, trying to get the images out of her head. Trying to keep from shaking.

"I'm so sorry Ella," Ariel said again.

Ella sat up slowly, rubbing her arms to get the bumps to go away. "No…no it's fine," she managed to whisper. "You warned us…I should have been faster."

Ariel put an arm around Ella, helped her stand up, holding her in a gentle embrace.

The mermaid glanced back over to where Belle was allowing Eric to lean on her. His eyes were only half-opened. "I…I think he'll be alright" spluttered Belle, looking uneasily at Ariel as she wrapped her arms around Eric's shoulders. "But…how? How can a mermaid be here?"

Ariel's gaze darted between Belle and Eric. Dammit! she thought. If they had only left that woman in her cell. If she told Eric what Ariel was, it would seriously diminish any chance she had of getting him to trust her again, if it was not already completely gone. She had just nearly knocked him out. "I…I'm sorry. I had no choice," she tried to explain. "I can't tell you now—," her voice trailed off.

Ariel glanced quickly at Ella for help, but the blonde just gave a small head shake and gestured to the exit. Her screams had most likely alerted others to their presence. "Please," Ariel managed in a slightly more controlled tone. "I will explain what I am later…to both of you. But right now we have to go."

Ariel slipped underneath Eric's other arm, and started them all towards the door. Dispatching those guards left Ariel feeling weak and disoriented, Ella noticed. When they reached the exit, Ariel had not the strength to even tug it open, Ella had to slide next to her to help.

"Come on, the wolves will be waiting for us," Ariel said.

"Wait? Wolves?" Eric spoke up. He was still leaning heavily against Belle. He didn't look well, but he looked more alert now.

"Some friends of ours," Ella explained.

Eric shook his head, deciding to process that statement later. The four rushed along, undetected, down another stairwell and back into the dining hall of the Summer Palace. As planned, Ariel and Ella led the other two towards the same entrance they had used earlier. The idea was to slip out, unnoticed of course, and make for the sluice gate that would be opened by now. Red had promised them.

"This way," Ariel whispered as she trotted with Eric's weight still leaning on her. Ahead she saw the wooden outline of the door that led to freedom.

The group melted into the shadows of the great hall at once as they edged towards the door…until Ariel saw him.

At first, she was so scared she could not move. Her weak legs faltered and she nearly fell to her knees. But Eric, out of courtesy more than anything, tightened his grip on her hands and suddenly supported her weight. She steadied herself and leaned heavily on his arm.

A black knight stood to one side of the hall, not 5 meters in front of them. He stood erect, his posture suggesting alertness and expectancy, and he was looking right at them. Almost like he was expecting them. Suddenly he raised his left arm and Ariel saw the bow. In a movement so swift and natural it might have been a second nature, the stranger drew an arrow from the black quiver on his back. Another second later and the weapon was knocked in the bow and aimed right at them.

Ariel was in motion almost before she thought, and found herself stepping in front of Eric and Ella, her mind a turmoil of fright.

The guard drew back an arm and let the arrow fly.

What'd I tell you? A messy escape :)

More to come I promise! Let me know what you think in a review.