Chapter 4: Up in the Sand
Ooh, so exciting. The shocking reveal. I've been looking forward to doing this part in the movie for quite a while now, so this is about as fun for me to do as I hope it is for you to read.
Enjoy the chapter!
The sun shone brightly over the landscape as it rose over the sea. The air was alive with the breeze bringing in the fresh scent of ocean into the bay. The atmosphere was calm for this time today and the weather made it ideal for people to come out and enjoy the peaceful world while they could.
For Prince Eric, it was perfect dog walking weather. Max pranced energetically across the beach, always a few feet or so before his master. The waves gently washed in and out, submerging and revealing the damp sand in a ceaseless cycle. This part of the beach had large cliffs surrounding the side towards the land, providing shelter from the sun later in the day. Plants with long, thin leaves sprouted out of the stone, taking root within the rock and accepting moisture accumulating from the sea air.
Not many people came out to stroll down the beach this early, something he was a bit thankful of. As his time of coronation approached, the deadline to find himself a wife by then came as well. It seemed like every time he came into the village, or even walked down the hallways of his castle, there was always some girl who would flirt with him, either not so subtly or shamelessly or shyly. They practically fell over themselves, all in attempts to woo him or beg for his hand in marriage.
Much to the thanks of Grimsby, who had taught him about such things early on, he had learned to dismiss their attempts politely. He knew what they all wanted. Marrying for riches and/or social status instead of love. His words came back to echo inside his mind every time one such girl appeared, 'if you're going to marry someone, do it for love. For without love, a relationship cannot grow and flourish'.
He silently thanked Grimsby a thousand times for giving him such wise words of life. Such a man had stood by him for most of his life, acting sometimes as an advisor, other times a consultant, a teacher, a friend, but mostly, what he needed most of all, a father. For as long as he could remember, Grimsby was there. He took charge of him when his parents had perished, swept up by the dangers of the ocean in an unfortunate sailing accident.
Perhaps that's why he took up an interest in sailing and exploring the ocean at such a young age. To understand it so that he and others wouldn't be afraid anymore.
His thoughts fell to Ariel as he inhaled the salty sea air. If he hadn't been out at sea on his birthday, he hadn't been rescued by her. And he would had never learned of the ocean as much as he did now if they hadn't kept seeing each other over the years.
A smile graced his lips as he thought of her features, both personality and appearance-wise. He loved how she was so confident, but could be shy and childish at times as well. He liked how she was so curious and eager to learn and understand, yet ready to add her own experiences and thoughts into the matter. He loved her laugh and how it was just so cheerful and joyous that it made him want to join in every time. His mind thought to her looks and how it was just as bright as her spirit. Her gorgeous red hair that looked so soft that fell around her head. Her blue eyes which always sparkled when she looked at him, her full pink lips which he just wanted to kiss all ov-
He blinked rapidly and his cheeks flushed as red as yesterday's sunset as he snapped back to reality. He let out an irritated sigh, embarrassed of where his thoughts had taken him. Ariel. His friend Ariel. His best friend in the entire world Ariel. She was kind, sometimes to kind he thought. He could remember sometimes when he was unable to visit her even when he said he would. Events, galas, parties, signings, openings. Everything he was required to do as a prince. Still, every time he walked back to the sea, despite each moment of nagging guilt and fear that she wouldn't be there, she was there. She was always there and readily willing to forgive him for breaking his promises.
Her soul was as beautiful as she was. He never hesitated to look at the goods in her, just as she did for him. She constantly was cheerful and upbeat, and even when she wasn't, she could always find comfort with him. 'For every kind deed, pay it forward', Grimsby had said. Another tidbit he was thankful for. Still, for all he had done for her, it still never felt enough. For saving his life he had offered her his friendship. She spent her time with him and he with her, yet he could not stop the guilty feeling of not coming near to what she had done for him.
Each time she came to the surface and spent time talking with him, he could always see her eyes sparkle with curiosity and wonder. But within all this joy, he noticed something deep within, swirling in her ocean blue eyes. Longing.
She longed to be part of his world, but was unable to due to her tail. When describing the world he lived in everyday, he could only go so far in his details. He had admitted to the faults the humans possessed, such as the hunting and even slaughtering of her ocean brethren, but had worded it so she would not be completely terrified of it all or even him. Sometimes he felt he sugar-coated too much of it and if she had ever arrived onto land she would be unprepared or even hurt by it. He sometimes felt he hurt her by telling and holding back the truth, a painful paradox laying a burden in his heart.
If he had the power though, he would show her everything there was out there on land. If so, he would give her the power to be among his kind, experiencing everything there was, feeling every single emotion there was. She would be there, right next to him. Full of confidence and child-like curiosity at the wonders, but he would be right beside her incase something gave her fright. He knew he would protect her. Protecting her like a parent defend their child, or a husband protects his...
"Ergh!" His hand flew up to his face and landed right on his forehead with a loud smack. His face grew hot as he mentally berated himself for the sudden thought of Ariel. With legs. In a wedding dress. With... argh!
He stomped his foot into the sand, letting it crunch underneath his boot. He let out a big, exasperated sigh. What was wrong with him? Why was he thinking such things about Ariel? Why did he suddenly feel so hot thinking about her as he did when he was around her? Was he coming down with something? Was he feeling something? Was he...
His head threw up as a shaggy, four-legged body suddenly charged from behind him and began barking. Once the dog noticed his master was not following him, he swiftly turned around and halted before him.
"Max," he asked the canine. Max paced rapidly and hopped up, taking several looks between him and somewhere else on the beach. He suddenly bolted, darting right down the shore.
"Max," he shouted as he began sprinting after him.
Eric soon followed Max towards the part of the beach when the rocky cliffs began crumbling to show the grass-filled landscape behind them. Many large boulders littered the shore here, making it difficult to follow after a sheepdog charging through and in-between towards something unknown. He finally saw his faithful dog stop, barking enthusiastically at a large stone that had a slope going behind it. Pants escaped his mouth as he trudged tiredly towards him.
"Jeez, Max. Why'd you..." he cut himself off as a familiar flash of red caught his eyes from just behind the rock. "Ariel," he asked. Slowly, a head popped up from behind the boulder. The expression on the figure's face changed from surprised to positively brimming with joy.
He quickly straightened up and calmed Max down. However, the dog's joy was implacable as he hopped up onto the stone beside her and began pelting her with kisses. Ariel fell onto her back, pinned from above. Her hand flew out everywhere to push him away. Her eyes shut close and her mouth widened in an expression filled with laughter.
Yet not a sound came out from her.
She suddenly clutched her throat as he pulled Max off her. She began opening and closing her mouth, trying to force a noise out from her lips. He came onto the rock beside her, looking over her with worry.
"Ariel? What's wrong," he asked as he watched her try to form words. "Are you hurt? Are you sick? What happened? Can you speak? And why are you wrapped in," he pointed to the ship sails and ropes she had clad herself in, "that?"
She suddenly threw up her face towards him. Her hand fell off her throat and a shocked expression stared at him. A wide grin then spread across her face while her eyes glittered. She suddenly grasped the end of the cloth and lifted it up.
Eric felt paralyzed as two pairs of stick-like appendages came into sight. His mouth dropped open as all he could do was stare at the pair of legs. They were the color of warm human skin and they gleamed fresh and healthy. Several drops of water and sand grains clung to them, indicating that they had just been pulled out of the sea. There were no flaws to be seen, just the most charming pair of legs he had ever seen.
And it was then he realized he was staring at Ariel's legs.
He looked up at her, cheeks burning hot with embarrassment. She just stared at him, brimming with unsaid happiness.
"A-Ariel," he choked out slowly as he pulled himself into a straighter position. "A-Are th-they real," he whispered.
She stared at him confusedly before her lips peeled back and her head fell down. Her arms wrapped around her stomach and her shoulders began to shake. A wave of fear and worry rushed over him as his mind began racing with concern. Feeling that he had said the wrong thing and upsetted her, he started reaching over to pull her close to him. His arm retracted immediately back as her head threw up again and her mouth let out several quick huffs of air. Her form kept quivering and her eyes shut so close moisture began to accumulate on her lashes. He let out another sigh of defeat, feeling silly for himself as she continued to silently laugh.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm hilarious," he muttered as she began to slow down. Her long, delicate fingers brushed away the tears of joy as she went back to looking at him. "So... Ariel. H-how did this happen?"
Her eyes flashed in shock. He felt another wave of worry begin to come over him, but he decided to wait before assuming. She let out a shaky breath and her head dropped down. Her hands went to cover her arms which she rubbed slowly. Her legs drew up close to her chest and she laid her head on her knees.
"Something bad happened, right," he asked slowly, trying to analyze her behavior. Her eyes turned up to him, almost pleading at his. He felt his heart wrench as she stared at the despairing turmoil and fear in their depths. "Something really bad has happened to her," he thought.
All of a sudden, she uncurled out of her ball and flung herself towards him. Due to just getting her legs, they buckled beneath her and she threw her arms out to grasp his shoulders for support. Her head pushed under the crook of his neck and laid against his throat as she took comfort against his warm body.
"Wha? Hey, hey! It's okay, Ariel. I'm... I'm sorry. I-I don't know what happened," he apologized. His arms went out and came underneath her legs, lifting them up and swinging them over his lap as he held her closer. "But I imagine it was very scary for you." His hands went to grasp hers. A chill came up his spine as he stroked the cold flesh with his thumb, trying to warm them up. Even as a human she still was chillier then most. Perhaps a sign that her mermaid heritage wasn't all gone. His head went to rest on her as she buried her nose near his collarbone. He shivered as her warm breath blew over him and held her fragile body close as she began to shiver as well. He held her close to him for some minutes, letting her absorb as much heat she could from him and the warm air.
Eventually she stopped shivering and her hands felt less cold and clammy in his. She relaxed against his form. He head eventually went to rest on his shoulder, right above his heart. The organ beat right on her cheek, sending a vibrating pulses on her face. Her fingers began moving on his palm, drawing the symbols Eric had shown her of what a heart looked like.
The beating was calm and she felt comforted just listening to it, along with his steady breathing. She silently thanked him a thousand times for finding her and being with her right now. The horrible images of being painfully changed and hurt from the night before slowly faded as his warmth rushed over her. Her eyes, suddenly feeling like they had weights in each eyelids, began to flutter close. She realized she hadn't got any sleep last night, what with her grotto becoming destroyed and then going to strike a deal with the seawitch. And then the painful transformation of having her tail sliced in two and turned into legs. She remember screaming silent screams of agony as it felt like a hot knife had jabbed and pulled down her entire tail before they were magically changed. Such event had drained most of her energy from her, making it even hard to stay conscious as she was rushed up to the surface and them here.
She suddenly was startled as she realized her body felt like it was drifting. Her limbs became heavy and numb and her eyes could no longer keep themselves up. She found that she no longer had the strength to lift her head up any longer as it lay limp on Eric's chest and shoulder. Her breathing became steady as she began falling asleep against her will. With her last thought she quietly apologized for putting him through this before she dove blissfully into the land of slumber.
After a few more minutes, Eric looked down and looked surprised at her sleeping form. Max hopped up and sat quietly beside them, anticipating his master's next move. He looked from his dog's mop-covered face to hers. Reaching up, he gently brushed several hairs from her face. She looked so fragile in his arms. So weak and helpless. So beautiful.
He reprimanded himself for thinking about that again, especially now that she needed him most now. Even though she hadn't said anything, her actions spoke loud enough. She trusted him to be there for her now. To be there and to help her become accustomed to his world. To guide her. To show her. To care for her.
But first, he needed to get her back to the castle. Making sure he was safely secured in her arms, he slowly moved off from the rock and stood up. He nearly buckled from the extra weight and on the slippery sand, but recovered. He gave a low, quiet whistle for Max to follow and the sheepdog obeyed. Together, the two figures slowly and quietly made their way across the beach and towards the castle right in the distance.
"Well, well, well. It appears our little pawn has her own strategies and advantages in the game we're playing," a purple-skinned figure as she hung over her crystal ball like an anticipating, hungry vulture. In the ball's depths was the real-life image of Eric taking the little mermaid with the dog trotting beside him.
"This could pose a problem," she mused, stroking her chin with her fingers. She sudden straightened up and turned towards the two eels behind her. "Flotsam! Jetsam," she barked out, "Be sure to keep a sharp eye on our little princess. She might know something to avoid the path we've set her on."
She glided across the floor towards her cauldron. Above the surface of the bubbling contents was a gold light fragmentation of Ariel. Her form laid limply, as if someone was carrying her. A match to her in real time. "I want to make sure she stays on that path, and if she tries to pull something off on the prince."
She hand reached out and suddenly clutched the figure. It suddenly disintegrated and streams of gold smoke poured out from between her fingers and palm. The shell necklace around her neck glowed slightly, as well as the pupils of her eyes.
"See to it that she fails."
Quick question for you guys, did you ever think that the entire transformation scene, along with the early night's events, would've exhausted Ariel? I'm just asking because after feeling all that sadness and emotional drama, facing fear immediately afterwards with the lair, song, deal and seawitch, and then having her tail, possibly excruciatingly painful, turned into legs, I figure Ariel would've felt tired due to all this when she came to land. Mm, maybe she took a nap afterwards at the castle or merpeople are simply just extremely endurant beings.
I had a bit of trouble writing this, despite my obvious exuberance to do it. The main thing was that with the events being changed there has to be some scene revisions. Now that we're heading into the middle of the movie, I have some scenes changed or added that weren't in the original film. I have the next chapter planned out already though, so no worries. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and I'll see you next time. Sincerely, v.t.7
