Short chapter this week. I got a lot going on: An event I've planned is fast approaching and my music students performance is the week after so time to write has been scarce. But like I said before I'm committed to getting a chapter out each Monday. So without further ado, this weeks short chapter.
"Disney animation studios are proud to announce its most recent film, A Kingdom in The Sun, starring its first African Queen. The film explores the life of Queen Subira, a young woman straddled with a debilitating magic curse forever searching for the antidote."
"What do you think?" Mulan asked.
"It's pretty short," Belle answered.
"It's not a summary; it's tagline. The bare bones. Trust me, when you read the finished script you'll be asking us to cut even more out," said Mulan.
"How can you even finish it? You don't even know what happened next."
"...Touché. Where is she anyway?" Merida asked. "Her date was supposed to be over an hour ago."
"Don't rush it," Mulan advised. "You know how long it's been since they've seen each other. Well, it's been long for her."
"Ugh, if this is what romance is like, how do you lot find time to do anything else?"
"Oh come off it, Merida, when you have a first crush you'll know exactly what we're talking about," Belle counseled as a knock sounded at the door.
"Yeah whatever," said Merida as she answered the door. Her lighthearted smile quickly dropped into a set and angry frown. "And what are you doing here?" Ariel looked up into the heated eyes of the other redhead and quickly cowered.
"Oh, she's not here. Well, I can come back later," she said as she took a step back.
"Oh no you don't," said Merida as she yanked Ariel inside before shutting the door. Ariel stumbled in and suddenly found herself in the center of three pairs of heated eyes. Merida turned to begin her tirade. "You've really got some nerve showing up here!"
"Truly. What do you want now? To take another stab at her self-esteem?" Belle mocked.
"Not while we're around," Mulan growled.
"Look it isn't what you think at all," Ariel started.
"Guys, you will never believe the evening I just had," Subira exclaimed as she burst through the door to see Ariel cringing in the middle of her three friends. "...What's going on here?"
"Hey, Subi," said Ariel with friendly little wave. Subira blanched at the used of her old nickname. "Can we talk?"
Ariel sighed as Subira shut the door behind them. The two stood in the hallway enveloped in complete silence.
"Well, you wanted to talk, so talk," said Subira her face completely blank. Ariel took a deep breath and steeled herself.
"I'm sorry, okay? I really shouldn't have said that stuff about your mother. It was totally uncalled for and I only said it because I knew it would hurt you." Ariel searched for a reaction but Subira's face remained stoic. Ariel clenched her teeth before delivering her next line. "As much as it annoys me to say this, especially because I'm sure her ears are pressed against the door right now, Belle was right. I'm jealous and I feel threatened. I felt that way when she arrived and now you...you finally have the chance to be a Disney Princess!"
"And that's a bad thing?" Subira asked, her voice close to a whimper. For a split second Ariel felt the desperation in that voice tug at her heartstrings.
"No! Subi, nobody knows how much you want this as much as I do you. As soon as I heard the news I was happy for you. But for you to win, I have to lose and as soon as I realized that, I lashed out. It wasn't the right way to act and I can't ever take it back but I'd like to try make it up to you now."
"How?"
"I'm gonna help you write that song!"
"What?" Subira croaked.
"Yep, and you're definitely going to win with it." Ariel asserted with a smug grin. "And hopefully, we could maybe try being friends again?" She timidly asked. She quickly found herself with an armful of old friend.
"You only needed to ask," Subira cried as she embraced her friend for the first time in years.
Yeah, the others are NOT going to like this.