Many miles away from the woods into which Chip the Baker had ventured, in the depths of the ocean, far below the reach of any anchor, a beautiful mermaid sat in the ivory sand, tending her garden. The many anemones, coral branches, and leaves of kelp swayed in the current along with the seafoam-green hair of their guardian. Her pretty white hands caressed the leaves as she removed the pesky bits of seaweed from their plot. Her eyes, the same blue as the sea she lived in, darted over the plants, filled with pride in her garden. Two pink starfish clung to her hair like barnacles and a shell of the same color hung from her neck by a blue ribbon. Her silver tail dangled from the rocks surrounding her garden, the blue fins etching little patterns in the sand. The mermaid princess Brina hummed happily to her flowers in a voice so beautiful it could launch a thousand ships, unaware that five other mermaids were hiding behind a nearby rock, ready to jump out at her.

"SURPRISE!!!! Happy birthday, Brina!"

Brina's five older sisters, Aquafina, Oceane, Misty, Coraline, and Liat; leapt from behind the rock, each holding a gift. Laughing, they tackled their sister to the ground.

"By Poseidon, I never expected this!" Brina gasped when they had all sufficiently calmed down. "All this fuss! You never had to do this."

"Oh, why shouldn't we celebrate?" Aquafina asked, tossing her sky-blue hair and handing Brina a conch shell formed of the finest gold under the sea.

"It's not every day our little sister turns sixteen!" added Oceane, placing a pearl the size of her fist into Brina's lap.

"Little Brina has grown so much!" Misty teased. She revealed a bag woven of seaweed and strung with shells from behind her back and placed it around Brina's neck.

"Happy birthday, Little Sister." Coraline whispered, undoing the clasp of a mother-of-pearl ornament in her black hair and attaching it to her sister's.

Liat silently spread her purple tail on the rock's beside Brina's, her matching hair blending with that of her sister. Smiling, she fastened a blue sea-glass bracelet around Brina's wrist.

"Happy sixteenth, Brina. I'm sorry my gift isn't as flashy as the others."

Brina smiled at her sister. "It's my favorite." She whispered, and turning to her other sisters, said "Thank you all for these beautiful gifts. I love them all! You are so sweet for giving me such a wonderful surprise."

Aquafina giggled. "Well, that's only the beginning! Now, we have to get you back to the castle. Grandmother is waiting. It's time for your ceremony! You are of age. You can finally see the surface of the ocean as you have always wanted to!"

Brina flushed with excitement, not believing that this was finally happening. She was at last going to see the surface! She was going to see for herself what lay beyond the underwater world. Her sisters, each one year older than the last, had all been there before and said that it was a beautiful world, covered in strange plants, animals, and houses. All of them came back with many stories of the world above, which Brina recalled as they raced through the current, over the sand to a giant pink palace, made of coral.

Five years ago, Aquafina had turned sixteen and gone to the surface for the first time. She had burst through the waves, swam for a few hours, and found a large sandbar in the middle of the sea. Climbing onto the pearly-white sand and lying down in the moonlight, Aquafina had stared at a nearby town, its odd houses lit up in the night, listening to the ominous, mournful clanging coming from the towers in what she assumed was the town palace. Brina, hearing her story, had longed to see this strange spectacle and to hear the song of whatever must live in the tower.

Four years ago, it was Oceane's turn. When she went up to the surface, she was greeted by what looked like a blazing fire in what she assumed was the surface of the surface. Many colors: reds, pinks and oranges flitted about the horizon, surrounding a large golden ball. Oceane had been frightened of this and dove back into the water. Brina, however, wanted to see this spectacle. It seemed harmless. Oceane was afraid of everything she didn't understand. Brina was sure that as usual, Oceane had misjudged her fear.

Misty was the brave sister. Three years ago, when she turned sixteen, Misty had swum far away from the kingdom of the merpeople to a broad river which ran through a forest. Swimming along this river, she saw a variety of what she described as tall, brown reefs of coral, topped with dry seaweed; brown "sand" constituting the ground, grey rocks everywhere. Fish covered in strange, soft scales flew throughout the air, and odd-looking creatures which she assumed were lobsters with funny red-and-white fuzz and long tails instead of shells gamboled about the area. She had stayed for hours, watching the creatures in their woodland home, until the sun set, when she ventured back into the ocean, full of exciting memories. Brina, hearing her stories, delighted in imagining the strange creatures in the world above.

Two years ago, it was timid Coraline who went to the surface. Coraline, however, seemed to have gotten cold fins. All day she procrastinated from enjoying her new freedom, until finally her older sisters forced her up through the waves into the world above. When she got there, the dolphins were out playing in the waves. Coraline, losing all her fear in her love for dolphins, grabbed onto one and rode it all over the surface. This seemed like fun to Brina, and she decided that when she was old enough, she was going to try it.

Finally, last year, it was Liat's turn. Due to the fact that Liat was born in the winter, she saw a different surface than her sisters did. The water was grey when she broke through. Tall, icy cones peppered the surface, and Liat sat on one as the chilly air made her feel as if she were freezing to death. Needless to say, Liat's surface excursion ended quickly. Brina felt sorry for her. Liat had gotten the bad end of the surface deal. Brina was grateful that she, being born in the spring, would not have to shiver on her first trip to the surface.

At last the group was inside the Great Coral Palace. Smiling proudly, Brina knelt before the throne of the Sea Queen, who clamped a scallop to each of her tailfins and wound a cord of pearls around her tail, symbolizing that Brina was now a woman. After warning her granddaughter that humans could be dangerous, the Queen sent her floating happily up to the surface, ready to begin her adventure.

Meanwhile, on the surface of the sea, another person hoped for adventure. A young man stood on the deck of a ship gliding over the surface. He wore a loose white shirt and brown leather pants and his feet were bare. His blond curls blew in the salty wind as he pulled on a rope attached to a sail, his blue eyes narrowed with frustration, his face being sprayed with the salty ocean water crashing in waves over his boat. If you were to look at him, you would never be able to tell he was royalty. But he was. This man was Prince Chandler, son of Rapunzel and her Prince.

Chandler sighed in frustration as he secured the sail. Two months at sea so far and nothing had happened! He'd had a ship built, he'd hired a crew, he'd even taken one of the royal navy captains, a chubby, pompous old man, along with him as his advisor at his father's urging, and for what? No buried treasure to unearth, no besieged towns to save, no lost cities to discover, heck, there hadn't even been a sea monster attack! Chandler was getting very bored with this voyage. Aside from all this, he realized guiltily that he hadn't written to Beauty in a while. Chandler loved his peasant cousin very much. Beauty was the only girl he had ever met who wasn't a prissy, delicate little thing, obsessed with looking beautiful and only interested in him because he was a prince. No, Beauty was refreshingly down to earth. She didn't care about money, or gems, or riches. One would never find Beauty droning on and on about some stupid, irrelevant topic, such as someone's nonexistent social blunder at one event or another. Instead, Beauty loved adventure. Chandler knew that she wanted to see the world, and that his uncle would not allow her to do so. He empathized with her. After all, who would want to stay cooped up at home when there's a whole world out there just within reach? To compensate his cousin, Chandler would send her a letter at least twice a month, describing his latest discoveries, and various happenings which had occurred aboard ship. But this month, there was nothing to tell! I can see the letter now, he thought grimly. My Dear Cousin, are you well? Life aboard ship has become quite monotonous. Today I battled a minnow. Beauty would want to throw herself under a giant's foot before she read any more! Sighing, Chandler leaned over the side of the ship. This journey was pointless if nothing was to happen in its duration.

Splash! Brina gracefully broke through the waves, tossing back her hair as she came up. She felt excitement tingle up and down her spine as she opened her eyes and began to swim around in circles, not sure what to look at first. This was the surface! I've dreamed of this for as long as I can remember, she excitedly mused, and now I'm finally here! As she gazed up into the sun, feeling its heat burn her face, a seagull swooped down out of the air and tried to steal a shell from her hair. Frightened, Brina slapped at it with her hands, trying to scare it away. So these must be the fish. Annoying little creatures. With a final smack to the beak, Brina sent the bird squawking away. Glad I got rid of THAT thing! Now, what am I going to do first? No sooner had Brina thought this than a giant, brown object sped on top of the water right towards her. Terrified, she dove out of the way. What WAS that thing? Cautiously, she inched towards it. The vessel was at least half as wide and tall as her palace, and at least twice as long. A carving graced the front of it, made of a brown coral Brina had never seen before. It was a mermaid, like her.

"Hello!" Brina called, wondering what the other mermaid was doing attached to the front of this mysterious object.

The mermaid did not answer. Rude, Brina thought, her eyes moving higher and higher up the mysterious object. What appeared to be tall, thin pieces of driftwood stood atop the object, attached to some mysterious white pieces of seaweed blowing in the wind. The creature standing on top of the object, however, was what really caught Brina's attention. A pale, muscular creature stared over the side of the object, his blond hair blowing in the salty spray. Brina felt as if he were looking right at her. She knew exactly what he was. Her grandmother had described his kind many times. This was a human. The Sea Queen had always told her granddaughters that humans were not to be associated with. A mermaid could not live on land, and a human could not live in the water. Trying to create a relationship with a human would therefore be pointless. Humans could also be very dangerous. They were known eaters of fish. Brina had been told some grisly stories of merpeople who had been caught by mistake, their tails chopped off and cooked for the consumption of the barbaric humans. Yes, Young Mermaids, humans were trouble. Yet, as Brina looked at this human, she could not help but wonder if maybe the Sea Queen was wrong. The human looked so handsome. Brina blushed to the shade of a lobster looking at him. I wish I were a human too, she mused, then I could be his.

As Chandler gazed out at the horizon, sighing and wallowing in self-pity, he heard a cracked, old voice behind him.

"Your Highness, it looks to me like there be a storm brewin'. You'd better get belowdecks."

Chandler turned around to find the Captain right behind him. He sighed.

"A storm. That would certainly be welcome news on this monotonous journey."

"Aye, Lad," the Captain sighed. "When you've been sailing the seas for as long as I have, you'll welcome monotony such as this." He started to move away from Chandler, who was now gazing up at the sky in hopeful anticipation of the storm and twiddled his thumbs, chewing on the pipe between his lips.

"Yep, you'll welcome it all right. You'll welcome it…."

Thirty minutes later, Brina was still staring at the man on the ship. She could not stop thinking about him. He is so handsome. There's never been anyone like him under the sea. I'll bet he's every bit as kind as he is handsome- he has to be, didn't he help that other human about five minutes ago when he was having trouble tying that rough length of kelp to that giant piece of driftwood? I must have him. Oh, Grandmother would never approve, of course. It's always "humans are not like us," "stick with your own kind," "why stoop to the level of those mortals with no proper fins," and, her favorite, "remember Girls, always carry yourselves with the utmost decorum. Remember, we are mermaids, not clumsy humans with their ill-breeding."What utter nonsense. I must have that human. I must. BOOM! An earshattering clap of thunder resonated from the skies, jarring Brina from her thoughts. A bolt of lightning jolted into the water as Brina jumped. As the rain began pouring, Brina, frightened, made ready to jump back underwater, but a force inside her held her back at the last moment. She had to make sure her human got inside the floating object safely, where she assumed he would be protected from the storm. Swallowing her fear, she stared at the object, hoping that her human would be all right.

On the ship, Chandler was busily trying to secure the rigging as the wind blew relentlessly, threatening to send the sailors flying overboard. Well, this is certainly some excitement, he surmised. How ironic that it actually IS a storm! No sooner had he thought these thoughts than he noticed a flash of lightning hitting the hull of the ship, setting it on fire and burning a hole into the hold of the ship a few feet above the sea. Chandler gasped. His gunpowder was in there! If the hold exploded, the ship would be destroyed, taking the lives of Chandler and all of his men with it. Chandler would not let that happen. He believed that it was a prince's duty to protect his subjects. The personal cost did not matter if whatever risk taken by the prince was effective in protecting his subjects. Ignoring the Captain's scream of "Prince Chandler! What are you doing? You'll get yourself killed," he grabbed a bucket from the side of the deck, filled it with water from a wave that crashed against the side of the ship, and raced belowdecks in order to begin put out any fires, shouting the alarm as he went to enlist the crew's assistance. Sadly, the Prince was too late to prevent an explosion. No sooner had he burst belowdecks than a barrel of gunpowder caught on fire ignited by the lightning bolt and exploded, blowing the Prince through the hole in the ship right before the eyes of the terrified Captain, crew, and Brina. The Prince disappeared below the waves as more barrels of gunpowder began exploding and the storm raged on. Throwing all caution to the wind in her concern over the handsome human, Brina dove below the waves, determined to find him and to save him from drowning if, hopefully, he was still alive.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Woods, five days had passed since Chip's departure. In his absence, his family became busier than they'd been all year. For the two weeks he would be gone, it fell to them to complete all of his duties as well as their own. Cinderella arose before the sun every morning. Yawning and trying to force herself to be alert she would load the stove with wood and start the fire. Then, she would go into the tiny storage closet located at the back of the kitchen and pull out as much flour as was necessary for baking. Finally, she would mix, rise, and endlessly knead all the many different types of dough required to prepare all manner of breads, cakes, pastries and rolls for that day. The rest of the family would wake at roughly the same time as their mother and stepmother, and begin their share of the work. Alfred was forever getting firewood from the woodpile behind the house and keeping the fire in the oven alive. Charlie was in charge of making deliveries all over the village. Mary couldn't do much, being only seven, but she was often called upon to fetch and carry things for her mother and sister. As for Beauty, she was given the task of standing behind the counter and waiting on the customers. She was in the middle of this task when a very undesirable customer entered the store.

"Hello, Beauty! What a surprise to see you at the counter, instead of your father!"

A tall, brawny young man entered the shop. He shook his bulging, muscular legs as her entered, mud falling off of his brown leather pants and black hunting boots onto Cinderella's clean floor as he did so. He took a wolf's fur vest off his broad shoulders and hung it haphazardly on a hook. His white shirt barely hid his impressive washboard physique. His brown hair was tied back, and a thin moustache lined his upper lip. Wet, black eyes like those of a dog stared lustfully at Beauty as the man walked up to the counter, coin in hand.

Beauty sighed. "Hello, Raoul." What a surprise, my foot! He probably asked around the village where he would be able to find me at this hour. It wouldn't be the first time……. "Yes, my father is away right now, at the annual spring festival in the next kingdom." Beauty turned towards the oven at breakneck speed, to get Raoul's order, and therefore get rid of Raoul as quickly as possible. "I assume you will want your usual order?" Before Raoul could say anything, Beauty had placed a baguette and three loaves of black bread in his arms and taken his coin. "Thank you very much for stopping by. It's honestly been lovely, but I really must go. My stepmother will be needing me in the storage closet. More dough has just risen and I'll have to load it in the oven. So, I suppose, I'll possibly be able to talk later?"

But Raoul had other plans. He leaned over the counter and looked into Beauty's eyes, getting too close to her face for comfort. "Your stepmother can wait. She probably would want you to stay. She would probably agree that it's time you started focusing on more important things than bread dough. Like me, for instance."

He flashed a dazzling smile, showing perfectly straight, gleaming white teeth, attempting to entice Beauty into staying with him. Beauty herself forced a smile, meanwhile trying not to inhale her suitor's putrid breath. Raoul went on.

"Honestly, Beauty, it's high time you faced the facts. The reason why you were named 'Beauty' is obvious."

"Um….. Thank you."

"And it is equally obvious that I am the perfect catch. Am I not sensitive, clever, well-mannered, considerate, passionate, charming, as kind as I'm handsome, and unmarried?"

Beauty sighed. She could tell what this was: a proposal. Raoul had been convinced since he began courting her that she, like every other girl in the village, was madly in love with him. He figured that she was only waiting for him to ask, that she would fall swooning at his feet the moment he suggested marriage. Raoul had seriously misjudged Beauty. Beauty could not stand his boorish ways, his lust for hunting, wine and violence; his eternal womanizing. She knew he did not love her for who she was, he only saw her as an ornament because she was beautiful. Besides, if she married him, she would be resigning herself to a boring, uneventful life in the village, completely devoid of adventure and excitement. A life of being Raoul's household drudge. She would rather die. I wish Father were here, she thought. He does not like the men poking about here, trying to woo me. He does not wish to ever give me up. He would make Raoul go away. Beauty knew it would be only a matter of time before this happened. She knew she had to escape now.

"You forgot 'modest.' Anyway Raoul, it's been lovely, really, but I must be going…"

Raoul, however, did not listen to the girl he was trying to woo. He moved closer to Beauty, flexed his muscles at her, and smiled his largest smile.

"Wait, Beauty." He stepped behind the counter and put his arm around her shoulders. "Now picture this," he added, gesturing with his hands. "A rustic hunting lodge, near the woods. My latest kill is roasting over the fire, smelling delicious. A group of children are playing on the floor with the dogs. There will be about six or seven."

"Dogs?" Beauty sarcastically asked, trying to worm her way out of Raoul's uncomfortable embrace.

"No, Beauty. Strapping boys, exactly like their father in every way! Strong as bulls. Excellent at hunting and sports. Cunning enough to track any wolf in the forest. And possibly one little girl, a sweet, obedient little thing as beautiful as her mother. The mother, meanwhile, will be happily massaging my feet, feeling like the luckiest woman in the world that she is married to me and is part of this perfect scene! Do you know who that woman will be?"

Beauty knew exactly who he meant. She broke his grip and tried to run away, but he grabbed her by the arm.

"You, Beauty.

"I'm sorry, Raoul, but I really must leave. Goodbye!" And before Raoul could say anything, Beauty had sprinted out of the room into the storage closet, where Cinderella was. Raoul snickered, not the least bit daunted.

"She'll be back soon. Women never stay away for long." And with that he left, deciding to return later, when Beauty would be more cooperative.

Beauty leaned against the wall of the storage closet, gasping for breath. Her stepmother sighed. She didn't have to guess what had happened. Every time Raoul showed up, Beauty always ended up sprinting away from him. She really couldn't blame her. Raoul, with his stuck-up, womanizing ways, reminded her of the Prince she had been married to before the giantess attacked the kingdom. He had always thought only of himself too, even saying in his defense, when Cinderella's bird friends told her that he had been cheating on her with some woman, that he was raised to be charming, not sincere. Cinderella never found out who the woman was. She was glad of that. There was too much chance that she knew the woman involved with her husband. If that were the case, she would feel betrayed and angry at the woman, and Cinderella tried to be angry as little as possible. She glanced knowingly at Beauty.

"Raoul?"

Beauty sighed. "Yes." Beauty, flustered, began to pour out all of her emotions about Raoul. "Can you believe it? He asked me to marry him! He came in here, looking as full of himself as ever, and proposed. He went on to tell me about the life I have to look forward to: cleaning his house, cooking his kills, giving birth to children as horribly boorish as he, fawning on him endlessly as if he were some sort of king!" She scoffed. "Me! The wife of that boorish…. Brainless…." Beauty sighed and looked at Cinderella imploringly. "What should I do, Stepmother? If I keep refusing, he will only keep coming back, making attempt after attempt to convince me to be his wife! But if I say yes…."

"You would never be happy. You would never feel as if you are getting what you wished for." Cinderella knowingly finished for her stepdaughter. Taking Beauty's hands in her own, she continued.

"You know what you wish, Beauty. I know this. And while I know that if your mother were alive, she would be telling you to take Raoul's offer, if only for the fact that he is handsome like a prince, I believe that you should follow your heart. When you see your wish, pursue." She smiled. "Beauty, I am going to tell you something that my mother once told me. Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor, and good fortune, like bad, can befall when least expected. Your opportunity will come. The right person for you will arrive someday, or the opportunity to achieve whatever you dream of achieving or possess whatever you dream of possessing. When this opportunity arises, you take it, Beauty! Don't settle for the dissatisfaction of a man you don't love. But, I must warn you. Do not attach yourself to anything that seems perfect. Learn from my past, Beauty. My father's house was a nightmare, the Prince's castle, a dream. Search for something in between."

As Cinderella smiled at her stepdaughter and walked off to finish her work, Beauty pondered what she had just said. Look for something in between. Meaning not so awful as to constitute a nightmare, but not so wonderful as to qualify as a dream. This made no sense to Beauty. Her life in the village was no dream, but for all its annoying qualities, Raoul aside, she didn't think it was much of a nightmare either. Is she trying to tell me to not marry Raoul, but to still forfeit the adventurous life I dream about? That didn't make sense either. But then, she had also said to pursue her wishes. Feeling confused, Beauty also returned to her work, praying that Raoul would not return and that she would someday see the world.

The waves crashed threateningly over Brina's head as she swam, fast as a dolphin, through them. Explosions rose from the ship, blowing pieces of debris all over the blackened waters, threatening to blow the poor mermaid out of the sea. Brina shoved wooden planks aside, cutting her fingers on the sharp nails jetting out of them, in her hurry to find the prince. Where is he? She thought frantically, as another wave took her under. I have to save him. Bursting up again, she brushed the salt out of her eyes and blinked, scanning the surface of the ocean, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of him. At last she saw him- her human, clinging for dear life to a plank, almost unconscious, about to go under! His fingers slipped, and before Brina could reach him, he was below the waves. Horrified, Brina plunged under the water, twisting about, until she could find him. She grabbed him and pulled with all her might until they burst through the surface.

"It's all right." She whispered. "You're safe. I have you. Nothing is going to harm you now. Stay with me."

The prince moaned in her arms. Reassuringly stroking his back, Brina hoisted him over her shoulder. Confident that now he would be able to safely breathe, she scanned the ocean's surface for an island, a rock, anything solid where she could carry her prince to safety. At last, she saw it. A beach. A white, sandy beach covered in shells, bits of seaweed, and driftwood. Thank goodness! It was about five miles away, but it would have to do. Taking a deep breath, she thrashed her tail for dear life, racing towards the shore. Many waves crashed over her, almost sinking her. Somehow she kept the prince's head above water. After many minutes of paddling furiously, she finally made it to the shore. There, she gently laid her prince on the sand and collapsed beside him, exhausted.

"Hello?" She asked, taking his head in her hands, marveling at the smoothness of his pale skin. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

He made no answer. Panicked, Brina placed his head on the ground and put hers on his chest. Yes! A heartbeat! He was alive! Taking the prince in her arms, Brina felt dizzy looking at him. It was as if a thousand electric eels had shocked her right in the heart. Looking at him, Brina felt as if, although she was soaking wet, she was on fire. This was good. This was right. This handsome human must be hers. Stroking his hair as he moaned, Brina began to sing to him.

"Sure as a wave needs to be near the shore you are the one I was intended for. Deep in your eyes, I saw our God's design. Now my life is forever yours…and you are mine."

In his stupor, the Prince squirmed closer to his rescuer. Brina laughed and held his head to her shoulder, pressing hers into his hair.

"I am a kelp holding away the storm. Here in my arms, I'll keep you safe and warm. My grandmother won't dare to cross this line where my life is forever yours… and you are mine. Mine!"

Pressing him closer to her body, she held the prince tight, feeling him move and awaken as she sang passionately and the storm ended.

"We'll sail away on a ship as silver as the moon. And the storm will turn to sun. On an island where the earth and sea are one! Sure as this night leads to a sky of blue. Sure as my heart led me to be with you. Surely our God meant this to be a sign that my life is forever yours… and you are mine."

Suddenly, Brina heard a cry of "Prince Chandler!" The Captain from the ship was leaping out of a shallop and running towards them! Quick as a flash, Brina laid her human down, dove into the water, and swam behind a nearby rock- just as Prince Chandler came spluttering back to life.

"Prince Chandler!" The Captain ran up to the Prince and helped him to sit. "While I know it is not my place, Lad, you are probably the craziest man I have ever met! You could have been killed…. Your Highness, are you listening to me? Your father appointed me as your advisor and…. Your Highness?

Chandler was not paying any attention to him. Instead, he gazed out over the surface of the calming waters. "Where is she?"

"Where is who, Your Highness?"

"Her. The woman who saved me. Who sang to me."

The Captain was puzzled. The Prince must have been hallucinating.

"Maybe you were hearing a memory of a song you heard from your mother. Yes, that must be it. Princess Rapunzel was quite a singer, may God rest her soul." He went on. "There was nobody with you on the beach, Your Highness. You must be mistaken. You must have only luckily washed up on the sand."

Chandler walked out farther. "I don't think so. There was a woman here. She sang to me. And I owe her my life. I'm going to find her, and if she'll have me I will marry her!" Staring headlong at the sea, he sang. "Sure as this night leads to a sky of blue…. So sure, Fair Maid, someday I'll be with you! Angel of Sea, who swam with me to shore…"

Behind her rock, Brina heard this and smiled, delighted that her human- her Chandler- loved her too.

"Now your life is forever mine!"

The Captain led Chandler away from the water's edge, shaking his head as Chandler proclaimed his love.

"Your life is forever mine!"

Happily, Brina sank beneath the waves.

"And I am… yours."

Nine days later, it was nighttime in the baker's cottage. Cinderella, Beauty, Charlie, Alfred and Mary were in the kitchen, awaiting his return. Worry streaked their faces. Chip had been due to arrive that morning, and morning, afternoon, and evening had come and gone with no sign of him. Cinderella put down her knitting, left her chair by the oven, and walked over to the window. Sighing, she peered out, hoping to catch a glimpse of her husband driving his cart back into the yard. No such luck. Oh, I wish my husband were at home, safe, she thought. I hope nothing has happened to him.

"Mother?" Mary whimpered, twisting her pink flannel nightgown in her small hands and squirming in Beauty's lap; which caused slight annoyance to her sister, who was trying to braid her hair, "Where is Father?"

Alfred, who was whittling by the fire with Charlie, glared at Mary.

"None of us know, all right? So for the last time, stop asking." In reality, Alfred was worried, too. It wasn't like Chip to be late returning from anything. Alfred was just as scared as the rest of his family that something terrible had happened. However, being boys, he and his brother were convinced that they had to be brave, to set a good example for the women. So he pretended to be annoyed with his sister.

"Alfred!" Cinderella scolded. To Mary, she said "I'm sure your father's fine, Darling. He probably just got lost."

"Not Father." Mary insisted. "He knows everything!"

Charlie laughed. "Nobody knows everything, Mary."

Beauty nodded. "He's right. But don't worry, he'll be home soon, I'm sure of it. Now please, hold still so I can finish with your hair."

As Mary relaxed in her lap, and she picked up another section of hair, Beauty heard a noise. Was it what she thought it was? She listened again. Hoofbeats! And the unmistakable rolling of wheels. A cart was coming!

"Stepmother, I think I hear a cart coming. Is it Father?"

Cinderella turned towards the window. When she looked back at her family, there was a smile on her face.

"Yes! Yes, he's home! Your father's home!"

The family leapt up from where they sat and raced towards the door, eager to receive Chip. But they were met with a terrible shock. The door flew open. Chip dashed inside, slammed it behind him, threw the bar across the door as if it were on fire, and stood, back against the door, panting. His hair was disheveled, his spectacles were askew, his jacket had new tatters in it, and he was holding his hat in his hand, along with a small, cloth bundle, from which a few roses as red as rubies protruded. White as a sheet and shaking with fear, he somehow managed to scream.

"Lock the doors! Bar the windows! It wants Beauty!!!!!!!!"

WHAT wants Beauty? Find out in the next chapter! Oh, and the song is "Forever Yours" from "Once on This Island." I thought it fit because "Once on This Island" is based on "The Little Mermaid" and I will let you all know now that I am not, I repeat, NOT using any song from any Disney version of this stuff. You have been notified. I think, however, that this should have songs, because, being a sequel to a musical, by rights it should be a musical.

Sorry for the delay, everyone. I know, I know, this took even longer than last time. Still, reviews, good. Flames…. We've been through this already, haven't we?