Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original The Little Mermaid or The Little Mermaid II characters. I do, however own characters of my own creation such as Christella.
It's (finally) here, Chapter 13! Sorry I was so slack...
Last Time:
Christella - She knelt by his side as he started writhing. She tried to stop him for about a minute but then he stopped and was deathly still.
"No," Christella murmured, "No…"
Melody - Melody sighed in relief as he doubled over in pain. He was down and out again, at least for a while.
Chapter 13:
He woke up a few minutes before Darcy came back. He swam hastily under the table. Melody sneered, coward. As she heard the doorhandle turn Melody tried to put on the same face of utter disdain.
Darcy noticed the boy under the table in an instant.
"Out," he whispered, "You will be paid." The boy scurried out. Darcy turned and stared at Melody, his eyes narrowed.
She felt her mask slipping. Her whole body was tense. Why didn't he do anything? Melody had expected him to rage, shout and throw things. This was worse.
"Tough as nails…" he murmured, "Or just spoiled?" He muttered unintelligibly. "Tough… broken…" he frowned, "Spoiled... Jarah and Moira?"
He darted out of the room. Slowly Melody relaxed, but she was still alert. She had learned letting her guard down was a big mistake.
The doorhandle turned and Melody lifted her head glaring defiantly at the opening door. Darcy entered first, followed by gaunt mermaid with the eyes, hair and tail of a dull grey storm cloud.
She seemed to leech colour from around her. She quickly appraised Melody and gave a tiny nod.
"I'll take, doubt she'll be of any use." Darcy undid the cuffs binding her to the ceiling and shoved a pair of off-white shells into her hand. The inside was rough and raw, not coated in smooth mother-of-pearl that she was used to.
"But…" she started. Darcy cut her off with a look and jerked his head at her 'room'.
"Five minutes," he growled. Melody rushed in, locking the door behind her. She dressed hastily, dropping the black thing Darcy had given her when she had first arrived on the bed.
She tied back her hair in a messy ponytail with a spare elastic and swam into the room. The shells were already starting to itch.
The mermaid grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the room down a hallway. Darcy followed for a while then melted into the shadows.
"Who are you?" Melody whispered. She had whispered it to Darcy, asking the question plaguing her mind, but the mermaid.
"I am Jarah, one of the head cooks. My twin sister and I swap duties daily." Melody thought for a moment, then it dawned on her.
A kitchen was a hectic place. It would be easy, very easy, the slip out of notice and escape. She snuck a cunning little smile and felt that for once something was going right.
ooOoo
Ariel stalked up the beach to the palace steps. She was a frightening vision. Her unrestrained hair whipped about her face, adorned only by her undersea crown. Her Trident glowed in one hand, the ransom note clutched in the other.
She stormed past a pair of befuddled guards who halfway through asking her to halt, recognised her and tried to bow.
She quickly made her way to the throne room where Eric was speaking with a group of important-looking men.
Eric's smile at seeing her quickly turned to a frown of concern. Ariel wordlessly passed him the scroll.
He read it quickly and asked quietly, "Is it true?" She nodded and Eric started to see the beginning of tears in her eyes.
He hurriedly escorted Ariel to their bedroom.
"I must be brave." Ariel murmured, "But you don't have to be brave all by yourself," Eric replied. "I told her," she said, "Chrissie?" he inquired. Ariel nodded, her eye's brimming with tears. Eric wrapped his arms around her.
"I'll go back," he whispered, "No, you can't!" Ariel exclaimed, turning to face him. "It's too dangerous." Eric's eyebrows rose. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"Better me than Melody," he said grimly, "But they wouldn't Melody! Would they?" asked Ariel, "Not in ways you can see." Eric frowned. "And they're doing the same to you."
Ariel thought and said, without the slightest hint of doubt, "We leave tonight."
ooOoo
Mariya, who had been watching through the window, smiled. Things had gone better than she expected. She had heard Christella's shout before she had swam away and a plan had formed in her mind.
She silently opened the door and swam over to where Derek's silent body lay.
"What did you do to him?" Christella growled without looking up. "Don't worry, he's fine. He'll wake up in ten of so minutes," Mariya said sweetly. "But I'm sure you'll be long gone by then."
"Why?" asked Christella, now glaring at Mariya. "Oh, just because you just tried to poison the son of an important member of the Council, who also happens to be engaged to the one and only Mariya Silverfin. You had been stalking him since you met him on your first day as a mermaid."
"Well, that's funny, I never remember doing any of that," said Christella sarcastically. "Oh, you will." She took a deep breath.
"What have you done to him you shameless hussy!" Mariya shouted at the top of her lungs, looking smugly at the horrified Christella.
"Get away from him! He never liked you, let alone loved you. In fact he hates you! He told me what you've done, what you tried to do! Get out!"
Christella, realising the seriousness of the situation, did the only sensible seeming thing and fled.
ooOoo
Danson burst into the room in time to see the flash of a navy tail slip out the front door. He turned his attention to the mergirl Mariya, clinging to his sons pale still body.
"What happened my child," he asked. Mariya slowly rose and consoled herself and told him the 'whole story'. A few moments after she finished, Derek's eyelids fluttered and opened, like pale butterflies.
Mariya swooped down Derek, kissing him passionately.
"Oh darling, I told you're father everything, that terrible stalker and of course our special news." Mariya gushed. "Special news?" replied Derek blearily, "Oh, whatever she gave you must have rattled you up a bit. Don't you remember, we're engaged!"
Derek groaned and shut his eyes.
"Oh you poor thing!" murmured Mariya, "We must get him up to his bedroom." She looked imploringly up at Branson who jerked his head at two servants. They wordlessly picked up Derek and carried him off followed by the fussing Mariya.
ooOoo
Christella didn't sleep well that night. The same dream kept reoccurring over and over…
A pair of webbed hands tore up the parchment into four pieces, each with a verse of the poem on it. "It's the last one left" said a voice in her mind, "But it's important, very import…"
The dream dissolved. Christella woke up. She remembered it all. And then she remembered something else. It was her first day of school. Great.
Sorry it took so long. I didn't like where it was going so I did some brainstorming, now it's back on track! So review!