Chapter 4: Day Two - Kiss the Girl
Belle woke up the next morning with a clarity of mind unlike any she had ever experienced before. She wasted no time in dressing and walking down the hall to wake Ariel with a knock at the door. Ariel took a while to respond, but eventually, she did open the door, dressed solely in a sheer aqua nightgown, almost more revealing than the towel mishap yesterday. Belle felt herself blushing at what she could see, but managed to keep her eyes locked onto Ariel's face.
"Did I interrupt any dreams?" she asked kindly. Ariel nodded, then pointed to Belle...then herself. She then wrapped her arms around herself, closed her eyes, and imitated the act of kissing. Belle immediately got the hint and involuntarily shivered...she had had the exact same dream as Ariel, only a little bit more...what was the word?...sexual.
OK, she thought, slightly weirded out, that kind of synchronicity NEVER happens, ESPECIALLY in dreams. There's definitely something about this woman.
"Anyway," she continued, "today I'd like to take you on a tour of the town. We'll be gone all day, and then I have a surprise planned for tonight." Ariel's smile was almost blinding, she was so visibly excited.
"There's something I want to show you," hinted Belle slyly. "I can't tell you what it is, but I assure you, you're going to love it." Ariel was literally bouncing on the balls of her feet...Belle did not know this, but Ariel absolutely loved surprises. She showed her appreciation for Belle with a long kiss on her cheek, barely resisting the temptation to capture her lips for her own.
A temptation, unknown to Ariel, that Belle was having trouble fighting, as well. Just as Ariel broke contact, there came a knock at the mansion's front door.
"That's likely to be Gaston again," groaned Belle, and both women's faces fell. Belle, however, soon came up with an idea, which she relayed to Ariel. Ariel agreed, and the two women took up their respective positions: Ariel waited at the top of the stairs while Belle went to answer the door. Sure enough, there was Gaston.
"Good morning, Belle," he greeted jovially.
"Bonjour, Gaston," Belle replied, carefully keeping her frustration hidden beneath a warm, friendly tone.
"You seem more chipper than usual today," noted Gaston as he took two steps towards Belle, blind to all else but her.
"Well," began Belle, clicking her tongue twice (which was the signal for Ariel to make her move), "I'm going to be quite busy today."
"That you are," laughed Gaston. "You're going to be busy hanging on my arm all day as I prove to you that we are meant for each other!" Before he could continue, he felt something grab the back of his shirt and start pulling downwards as a pair of feet pressed themselves into the back of his thigh muscles.
"Not quite the plans I had in mind, to be honest," confessed Belle with a sly smile on her face as Gaston's balance was slowly stolen from him, and before he knew it, he was flying wildly through space and time, rotating through almost a complete back flip, finally landing in a deep puddle of mud in the middle of the road, face-first.
"The nearest laundry service is in Wales!" called Belle from the mansion just before she slammed the door.
When Gaston finally pulled himself up from the mud, he was seething.
"Damn you, Belle," he growled at the mansion, "I WILL have you as my wife, come Hell or high water." And he walked down to the beach again to blow off steam. He wasn't there long, though, before Ursula showed up once again.
"Saw your latest failure, Mr. In The Navy," she taunted, "but not to fear: An opportunity to avenge yourself will come tonight."
"Explain," ordered Gaston through gritted teeth, wiping a faceful of mud off of himself.
"Miss Belle is taking the Little Mermaid out for a moonlight boat ride tonight in a lagoon not far from the mansion," revealed Ursula. "Follow them and you can interrupt their little...romantic excursion."
"How do you know this?" queried Gaston with a raised eyebrow.
"The cauldron I use to work my magic," answered Ursula, "has many other uses, as well. Let's leave it at that; I don't want you trying to steal it."
"It's not like I could get to it, anyway," reminded Gaston.
"True," agreed Ursula. "Remember, follow them tonight. You'll know what to do, and when to do it."
Meanwhile, back in the mansion, Belle and Ariel were marveling about how flawlessly their plan had worked.
"He never even saw you coming," laughed Belle. "And what a monkey flip; that was perfect!" Ariel curtsied daintily in appreciation, then put on a quizzical look and pointed her left thumb towards the door. The meaning behind this was clear to Belle:
What's the deal with that jerk, anyway?
"He wants to marry me," answered Belle. Ariel stuck her tongue out in disgust, pointing to the back of her throat for extra emphasis.
"I know, right?" agreed Belle. "The nerve! Imagine, me marrying someone as stuck-up and arrogant as him!
Madame Gaston
Can't you just see it?
Madame Gaston
His little wife
No, ma'am; not me
I guarantee it
I don't want that pompous human in my life
I want a piece of something bigger, somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than he's got planned..."
Belle's impromptu musical number gave Ariel chills. Not only did Belle have a singing voice to rival her own, but what she had just sung sounded eerily similar to what Ariel had sung to a statue of her not three days ago, even right down to the vocal melody pattern. In fact...now that Ariel thought back on it...it was, indeed, the exact same vocal melody pattern as Ariel had used.
OK, thought Ariel, unknowingly echoing Belle's thought from earlier, this kind of synchronicity NEVER happens. She has to be my soul mate.
"Oh, right," remembered Belle, "we have a tour to take." Offering Ariel her hand, she added, "Follow me." Ariel took the proffered hand and did as Belle had asked.
After the tour, which included a friendly dance in the town square, some new discoveries for Ariel, and a near-death experience when Ariel took the reins and made poor Philippe jump a destroyed bridge, she and Belle finally came to a lovely lagoon, as Belle had planned. The sun had set by this time, and the stars were just beginning to twinkle in the night sky. Belle gently led Ariel down to a dock, to which a small rowboat was tethered. Belle helped Ariel climb in, then joined her in the boat and cast off. Taking the oars, Belle slowly took them towards a weeping willow that was perched on a very small islet within the lagoon proper.
Unbeknownst to the women, they had some unexpected guests: Sebastian had hitched a ride in Ariel's clothes, and was now standing with Scuttle and Flounder, watching the boat come towards them.
"Only one day left," noted Scuttle, "and that girl ain't even puckered up once."
"Really?" whispered Flounder, surprised. "What with the love that Ariel has for Belle, you'd think they'd be smooching away by now."
"OK," said Scuttle, paying no attention to Flounder. "All right, this calls for a little vocal romantic stimulation." And he flew up to a branch that he knew Ariel and Belle's boat would travel under.
"Stand back," he warned four young hatchlings as he came down. They scattered...but not fast enough. Scuttle plopped down on the branch, and all the chicks went flying. Taking a deep breath, he let loose with what he felt was a very romantic vocalized melody.
Unfortunately for Scuttle, he was not aware that his voice was not suitable for singing...at all. Unfortunately for the rest of the creatures bearing witness, they were all too aware of this fact.
"Wow," mused Belle as they passed under Scuttle. "Someone should find that poor animal and put it out of its misery." Unseen by Belle, Ariel looked up towards Scuttle, embarrassed. Scuttle winked at her, still warbling off-key, and formed his left wing into the symbol that Ariel knew represented the phrase "A-OK". Wishing only that Scuttle would shut up, she clapped a hand to her forehead.
"Geez, mon!" cried Sebastian, his claws clutched to his earholes. "I'm surrounded by amateurs." And he leaped into the water as Scuttle's warbling finally subsided.
"You want someting done," he mused as he cut a piece of sea grass to use as a baton, "ya gotta do it yourself." And as he surfaced, a few mallard ducks and small turtles were swimming up to him and listening intently.
"First," instructed Sebastian, smiling, for he was now in his element, "we've got to create...de mood." Pointing the grass at the ducks, he began to conduct a romantic tune that he had written long ago, but had never gotten to use until now.
"Percussion," he instructed the animals in front of him. The turtles immediately rolled onto their backs and the ducks began gently playing a slow, provocative rhythm on the shells.
"Strings," he added to a bunch of crickets who were nestled in a thicket beside him.
"Winds!" he called out, jumping to a reed as a slight breeze picked up.
"Words..." he finished, standing on a different reed as Ariel and Belle were just about to pass by him. The lyrics began now:
Dere you see her
Sitting dere across de way
She don' gotta lot to say
But dere's someting about her...
And you don't know why
But you're dyin' to try
The reed on which Sebastian was standing gave slowly under his light weight, dropping to a perfect height to whisper the next words directly in Belle's ear.
You wanna kiss de girl
Belle heard this, Sebastian knew, and he jumped away to where the ducks were just as Belle looked at the spot where he had been standing not more than a second ago.
"Did you hear something?" she asked Ariel.
Ariel, knowing full well what was going on, decided to play along with it, and shook her head no with a placating smile on her face.
Yes, you want her
Look at her, ya know you do
Possible she wants you, too
Dere is one way to ask her
Ariel and Belle looked at each other and smiled warmly. They could feel the magic in the air, thanks, though Belle did not know it, to Sebastian and his musical talents.
It don't take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss de girl
Ariel leaned in close and closed her eyes. Belle did likewise. They were within inches of nirvana...but at the last second, Belle pulled away, feeling that the time was still not quite right. Ariel, frustrated, slowly leaned back and placed her chin upon her hand, beginning to stare off into space.
Sebastian saw this, and stuck his head under the water.
"Sing with me now," he instructed to any who could hear. Five frogs perched themselves on one of Belle's oars and took up the background vocals.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
My, oh, my
Look like Miss Belle too shy
Ain't gonna kiss de girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la
Ain't dat sad?
Ain't it a shame?
Too bad; she gonna miss de girl...
Finally, the boat drew within spitting distance of the willow in the center of the lagoon. It was at about this time that Belle decided she'd had about enough of just calling this woman "Miss" all the time. She wanted a name.
"You know," she said to Ariel, "I feel really bad not knowing your name. Maybe I can guess it." And she put the oars down and leaned back, assuming a thinking pose. Ariel smiled and awaited Belle's first guess.
"Is it, uh..." tried Belle. "...Jasmine?" Ariel squinted her entire face and shook her head no vehemently.
"OK, no," laughed Belle, holding her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "How about, uh...Tiana?" Ariel shook her head no again.
"Aurora?" ventured Belle, becoming slightly desperate. Once again, Ariel's silent answer was no.
"By all dat Lord Poseidon deems right and good..." sighed Sebastian. "...what kinda name is Aurora?" And, deciding to take matters into his own hands, he swam up to the boat and perched himself just behind Belle, and to her right.
"Ariel," he called quietly to her. "Her name is Ariel." And with that, he jumped off the boat and swam under the willow.
Belle looked around a little at the sound of the phrase she had just heard, and found nothing. But the name she had caught stuck in her head.
"Ariel..." she said softly to herself. At this, Ariel's face lit up, and she nodded vigorously.
"Ariel?!" Belle cried, amazed. Ariel nodded again, just as happily. They had involuntarily moved closer to each other, and now took each other by the hands.
"Well," said Belle honestly, "that's actually really pretty. OK...Ariel..." And she kissed Ariel's hands, which were cupped atop her own. A pair of flamingos took positions near the leaves of the willow and opened them up like a curtain for the boat to pass through, as if into a tunnel of love at the carnival. Underneath the willow tree, Ariel and Belle were, for the most part, all by themselves, in a truly romantic setting: Fireflies were flitting on and off in the darkness of the willow's shadowy imprint, creating the impression that the two women were surrounded by stars. If ever the time was right for the magic of love to take place, it was now.
Now's your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Belle, ya better do it soon
No time will be better
Sebastian poked his head above water to check on the two women. A gleeful smile crossed his face as he saw the love in each woman's eyes.
She don't say a word
And she won't say a word
Until ya kiss de girl
A whole host of underwater musical animals joined in for the final section of Sebastian's masterpiece. Many fish started to swim in a circle around the perimeter of the rowboat.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don't be scared
You got de mood prepared
Go on and kiss de girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Don't stop now
Don't try to hide it
How you wanna kiss de girl
The boat was now spinning in a slow circle, caused by the fish beneath and around it. The fireflies were forming a ring around the two women, almost like the rings of Saturn. Ariel and Belle were smiling lovingly at each other, each staring deeply into the other's eyes. Love was almost visibly pulsating from the two women, and it was very much palpable to all creatures who were helping to keep the moment intact.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
Float along
And listen to de song
De song say, "Kiss de girl"
Scuttle, determined to have a solo in the song, landed in front of a few storks and began to warble. They quickly subdued him, binding his beak and legs with their wings. The moment...and song...continued as if nothing had happened.
Sha-la-la-la-la
De music play
Do what de music say
You gotta kiss de girl
And a whole gaggle of lagoon animals was egging the two women on: "Go on, kiss!" "Kiss!" "Just kiss already!"
Kiss de girl
Ariel and Belle were, once again, within inches of each other. Ariel closed her eyes, and Belle felt herself do the same.
Kiss de girl
Ariel readied herself for a climactic kiss that would finally see her dream coming true and, hopefully, get her back her voice. Belle prepared herself for the kind of thank-you that only love could say. They both puckered up...
Kiss de girl
Sebastian had Scuttle by the throat, preventing him from saying anything. He saw how close the two women were to finally realizing their love, and could not prevent excitement from bubbling up within him. He fought to keep his voice low as he cried out,
"Go on and...!"
Kiss de girl
This was it! Finally, the kiss that would cement their destiny! Ariel and Belle felt anticipation, sexual tension, and, above all, love, building up inside of them. The explosion of a lifetime was only millimeters away! It was coming, it was almost happening! Their lips were just a micron away; they could feel the other's breath on their own lips! Just a little bit farther, just a bit more! It was OH-SO-CLOSE...!
But at the last possible moment, a gunshot exploded the water just off the starboard stern; the bow was facing away from the tree proper. A small fountain of water shot up into the air where the musket ball pierced the smooth surface. Ariel and Belle instantly recoiled, afraid that one of them had been hit. Just as they did so, they were thrown out of the boat and into the water as the boat was overturned by they knew not what. Quickly surfacing, they turned the boat back over, and Belle checked herself for wounds: There were none.
"Are you OK?" she asked Ariel, panting. Ariel nodded, attempting to get her bearings again as she returned to the boat and got in. Belle did likewise, and, the moment broken, destroyed, and gone, the two women decided to head back to the mansion and call it a night.
Belle was so disappointed: If not for that gunshot and capsizing, she and Ariel would definitely have kissed, she knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt. And up to that point, it had all gone so well. She had literally been a micron away...
Ariel, on the other hand, knew exactly what had gone down, in terms of who had arranged to ruin the moment.
Ursula, she swore to herself, enraged, if ever we meet again, I swear on the River Styx...I will kill you.
Meanwhile, Ursula had watched the entire scene play out and let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding until Flotsam and Jetsam had overturned the boat.
"Nice work, boys," she praised the eels. "That was a close one. Too close. That little tramp! Ah, she's better than I thought." Realizing that she would have to accelerate her timetable and take matters into her own hands, she swam to her potions cabinet and began rifling though it.
"Well, at this rate," she growled, "they'll be making out by sunset, that's for sure. In which case, it's time Ursula took matters into her own tentacles!" Grabbing the potion she would need, she forcefully hurled it into her cauldron, vial and all. It exploded with surprising strength, and the spell immediately began.
"Triton's daughter will be mine!" she raged, clutching the seashell necklace that contained Ariel's voice. "And then I'll make him writhe. I'll see him wriggle like a worm on a hook!" And she cackled as the spell took place. She took Ariel's voice into herself, and the magic transformed her into an incredibly attractive human woman. When all was said and done, she had long, very dark brown hair, a heavenly figure, and mysterious brown eyes...she looked almost like a different version of Ariel. Taking the name of Vanessa, she grabbed a robe she kept for such occasions as this and swam to the surface to wait.
The stage was set for Ursula's endgame.
Gaston, meanwhile, was fuming. He had just climbed down from the willow tree under which Ariel and Belle had just shared a romantic moment. If not for his gunshot and expert marksmanship, there was no doubt in his mind it would have been a lot more than just a moment. It would definitely have gotten intimately physical, starting with a kiss.
There was no room left for question: Gaston had figured it out.
Belle is in love with the redheaded mermaid.
The thought repulsed him down to his very core, and he spat in disgust. Yes, Belle was in love with another woman, which truly disgusted him, being a good young Christian man, and deeply spiritual to boot. Not to mention the fact that he had never been truly able to wrap his head around same-sex relationships in the first place, and Gaston detested what he could not understand. He read his Bible every day, and God's Word was very clear on the punishment for homosexuality:
Leviticus 20:13...If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
It was, indeed, a sin to Gaston, and Belle needed to be punished...hopefully cured of these sinful feelings. But the fact that Belle was in love with another female was not what really made him angry. Homosexuality could be dealt with; he had ways to purge people of those urges.
What pissed him off to no end was that the object of Belle's affections was a mermaid...not fully human, a hybrid of a human and a fish. And in his eyes, being only part human made Ariel (though he still did not know her name) all beast. Thus, he saw her relationship with Belle as nothing less than an unpardonable sin, an unforgivable act of treason against her own species...in other words, bestiality. Thanks to his devout Christian upbringing, Gaston absolutely could not accept anything even remotely resembling such a disgusting state of affairs. Gaston thought back to his Bible studies and found one that particularly stuck out to him:
Leviticus 20:16...And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Gaston wanted to do right by his Creator, but he knew he would not be able to bring himself to kill Belle; he still wanted her for his wife. But the mermaid...yes, the mermaid, he could kill.
And so I shall, I swear to you now, almighty Father. By sunset tomorrow, the mermaid will be dead by my hand. And Belle will be forced to pay for her sins...by bearing witness to this mermaid's death.
A/N: HOLY MARY, MOTHER OF GOD, YOU TALK ABOUT A TEASE! THEY WERE JUST A MICRON AWAY! But there's no time to dwell on that now. Gaston is out for Ariel's blood, and Ursula, taking matters into her own hands, has set the stage for her endgame. This can only end one way...
...with a climactic final battle between the forces of good and evil. And such shall I bring to you...next chapter.
TBC...