Chapter 9: Hearts Joined
Hey guys, sorry for the really lack of inactivity. School is a main factor, but me and my lack of motivation are the real problems here. So anyways, did I surprise you with that plot twist last chapter or what? I want to thank you all for the positive feedback on the chapter last time. I was kind of unsure how my confession/romantic scene would go, since I'm not very adept at doing them, but I'm glad you guys enjoyed it anyways. Anyways, with another nefarious plot from Ursula, who knows what it will do? Oh wait, I do.
Enjoy the chapter!
Early morning sunlight trickled through the window panes and lit up the room. On top of the soft, pink fabric bed laid the little, former-mermaid. Her head fell upon the pillow by the headboard and her red locks seem to spread out and form a kind of halo around it. Her arms were wrapped around the cushion, pulling it close and securing her comfort on the bed.
Beside her, curled up in a small ball, was a red crab that was also deep in the arms of sleep. A slight breeze came into the room, gently coming over the two and stirring them from their slumber.
The sound and flap of excited wings entered the room and a bird flew into the room, eagerly calling out to them. The two's minds were foggy as his words tried to pierce through to them and they slowly pulled themselves out of their sleeping positions. The blurry form of a seagull standing on the bedpost and calling out excitedly to them soon broke them from their dazed states.
"Ariel! Ariel, wake up! Wake up" Scuttle yelled. His wings outstretched and took hold of her limp hand, pulling her up into a sitting position. "This is your third day and you still need to get the prince to kiss ya!"
After yawning and stretching, the crab beside Ariel's head asked, "What is this idiot babbling about," before he curled up again to try to resume his sleep.
"Right," Scuttle replied, coming over and nudging his shell, before turning back to Ariel. "As if you two forgot? Well let me remind ya, you guys need to get Ariel to kiss the prince before sunset an' she gets a tail again. Now listen up, I got a couple of ideas-"
"Actually Scuttle, I've already kissed Eric," Ariel said softly. A smile came across her face at the sound of her own words coming out clearly and audible into the world.
"Well that's great kiddo, and it's great that you've got your voice back too, but we need to-," the seagull paused abruptly, turning his head back to Ariel and twisting it to the side and staring at her. A second passed. Another second. And another one.
His eyes widened with realization and he quickly bounced over to Ariel and hugged her head in joy. "Congratulations, kiddo, we did it! I knew you had it in you."
"Thank you, Scuttle. I'm just so happy to have my voice back and to be with Eric forever now," she replied. His wings quickly patted her shoulder and he nodded.
"Well I'm happy for ya, kid. For you and him and your voice." His head then turned to Sebastian and he came over and noogied him back into consciousness. "And you. Great job too, I knew you could do it."
"Get off of me," Sebastian said, muffled against feathers that were pressing very close to his mouth. Thankfully, the seagull released him before he could start choking on them.
"Well, I'm off to tell Flounder, in case he doesn't know already." As he flew towards the window, he perched down on the railing and turned back to her. "Oh, and by the way, when you two get hitched, count on me being there. See ya later!"
Her hand lifted up to wave at him as a smile graced itself on her face. She then threw back the covers, stood up, reached over to pick up Sebastian and kiss his face, before heading towards the door. However, as she touched the handle, she suddenly halted, looked back to her dresser and quickly rushed back over to it. She pulled open the drawers, selected a dress, and went over out of sight to put it on. After all, it would be quite awkward of her to appear before everyone in her nightgown.
After tying the sash around her waist and straightening the bow placed in her hair, she pulled the handle open, walked out the door and quickly rushed down the hall towards the stairs. She could hear familiar voices talking with one another on the floor below. Her shoes clicked against the floor as she hopped the remaining few feet of stairs before heading towards the middle of the open room.
"Well, Eric. I am so happy for you that you have found such a wonderful person in your life to be with," Grimsby said. The two men talking quickly turned towards her and smiled. Eric's arm reached out to her, beckoning her closer. She daintily came across the floor towards him and soon found herself in his warm, gentle embrace.
"And congratulations to you as well, my dear." Grimsby extended out his hand towards Ariel and she gentle grasped it and shook it.
"Thank you, Grimsby," she said. A giggle escaped her lips as his head suddenly lifted up and he shared at her in shock. A smile then broke up on his lips as Eric joined in on the laughing.
"Oh, well, uh, it appears that you are able to speak again once more. I congratulate on this accomplishment as well."
"Glad to hear that and to finally respond to someone now," she replied, drawing more chuckling from the group. Once it had quieted down a bit, Eric then turned to Grimsby.
"Hey Grim', I know my upcoming coronation is coming up and the," he paused, "ahem, deadline is approaching and," his voice became the tiniest bit softer, "I think I've made my decision now." His head nodded subtly over towards the girl in his arms. Grimsby's eyes opened more and his jaw fell down a bit, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded.
"Oh. Oh! Well, um, er, t-then I should probably leave you two two be for a bit. I should, um, check on how the staff is doing. I will see you two later," he said, and with a few strides he was out of the room.
The waves crashed against the steps leading down to the sea, washing foam onto the marble. The mid-morning sunlight glinted off the water, causing rippling reflections upon the surface. The two took off their shoes and placed them at the two of the stairwell before coming down to the water's edge and allowing the seawater to come over and cover their bare feet. The cool water sent chills up their spines, but it felt comfortably nice.
"You know, my parents used to take me down here," Eric finally said after a few minutes of silence. "He used to tell me stories of the sea and what things are out there."
"Did he tell you any stories about merpeople," she asked, treasuring the clear sound of her voice back again. He smirked as he stared out onto the water.
"I think I can remember him saying something about far out in the ocean and deep beneath the wave's crest, far deeper then any anchor could ever go, down there live the seafolk. They live in an underwater world, much like ours, but with fish instead of birds and great buildings made of coral and seashells." His voice had become a hushed whisper, as if he was trying to recall exactly how he had imagined it younger. He broke out of his thought at a small giggle.
"Actually, that's pretty accurate," she admitted. "Though we do have houses built of stone and not all of it is coral and seashells."
"Really? What else is there in- um, what did you call your home again," he asked.
"Atlantica. A-T-L-A-N-T-I-C-A," she spelled. "Where I lived exactly we have steep towers, winding columns, tall archways, huge dome roofs," she paused for a moment, "come to think of it, basically it was big. Bigger then your castle. Maybe even bigger than your entire kingdom." This elicited a snicker from him.
"Really. Bigger then my entire kingdom," he asked. She shot him a smirk.
"Alright, maybe not that big, but it was very large. I remembered walking through the hallways and feeling quite small in them." She drew up her knees to her chest there. "Feeling quite small and... and lonely," she admitted.
A strong arm then wrapped around her back and pulled her close to him. She shivered at his warm touch before going to lean her head against his chest. "At least your castle has staff members who talk with you and seem to care about your life." Eric frowned and began stroking her hand with his thumb.
"Not all the time. I mean they do seem to care about my life and what's happening, but not so much as to get involved. Carlotta and Grimsby at least try to get involved as much as they can, but," he let out a sigh, "I can't exactly talk to them as I would a friend like you. They're my staff, and while they are required to interact with me and, they do so most of the time of their own will, they're still not as close as I am with someone that I absolutely love to be with like you."
Bright red spots matching her hair color decorated her cheeks and she looked shyly away. He smiled and looked out onto the water. An endless sea to the horizon reflected back into his eyes. The sea, in a way, was his home. Not in a way like Ariel's people, but it was most definitely familiar to him. Like a friend. Yes, a friend.
A friend who could turn on him in an instant if he was out there at the wrong time. The memories of thunder rumbling, waves sloshing on board, and lightning streaming down from the sky onto the only piece of solid ground out there resurfaced again. The fire blasted him in the face, the force whipping against his skin. He lost consciousness from the fiery explosion and the last thing he remembered was making contact with the chilly, liquid bed of death.
He woke up, to the warmth of the sun on his skin, the sot soft of the waves, and the soft singing of someone stroking his face. It was so bright and he could barely make out the features of her face. He thought he was on heaven. After she finished singing, he felt the gentle pressure leave his body and the hand leave his face. The sunlight hurt his eyes as he moved his hand randomly, hoping to find it again. He touched it and he heard a gasp.
Breathlessly, he asked who she was. Hesitant at first, she told him her name. Her voice sounded like clear, glass bells and the name was like honey on his tongue. Strength came back to his body as he sat up and looked past the light to look at his savior.
She was frighteningly staring at him as he took in her appearance. He realized that it was not a human maiden that had rescued him from the grasp of the sea, but instead a maiden of the sea itself.
Noticing her fearful expression, he quickly reassured her that he meant no harm to her, especially since she had saved his life. Her worry dissipated and quickly became replaced with curiosity. She asked so many questions, none of which he could answer now in his weakened state.
His dog's barking soon reached his ears. He would soon be hear, probably with one of his staff. Quickly, he asked her to meet him again, by the willow trees near the bay. Wasting no time, she accepted, before waving goodbye and sliding back into the sea and disappearing under the waves out of sight.
That meeting became the first of many and was the start of a friendship lasting through the years. Only till recently had they begun to understand their feelings for each other. Only yesterday had they confessed their love for each other.
Now he would make it permanent.
"Ariel... I have something I want you to see."
Ariel slid out of his hold and turned to look at him. She gasped as he suddenly pulled out a small, blue velvet box out of his pocket and popped the top up. Inside the box was an gold embellished, delicate ring. A shining pearl stood upon the top while to each side was first small, glittering diamonds and then two shimmering, deep and sky blue sapphires, as deep and bright as the ocean itself.
"This ring has been in my family for five generations, passed down from one to another and now," he picked up her hand and placed it close to the box, "it belongs to you.
As she watched, he got down a step lower and bent his knee so that he was kneeling before her. The swell came in and soaked his pant legs, but he didn't mind. His focus was all upon his mermaid goddess before him.
"Ariel, will you do me the honor of becoming my queen, my lover, my wife?"
A hand was over her mouth and a tear dropped down from her eye. Her hand suddenly dropped, revealing her smile and she nodded rapidly.
"Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes," she said, before launching towards him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he fell backwards, laughing along with her. The two came in for a passionate kiss, enveloping them both in the feeling of heavenly bliss. He took one of her hands from behind his head and plucked the ring from the box before gently slipping it onto her ring finger. Tears of pure joy dripped down from their eyes as they continued to kiss.
From up on the top of the stairwell, a servant and an adviser had their hands over their mouths and handkerchiefs to their eyes. From out on some rocks nearby, a seagull and crab started crying in joy for them while a yellow and blue-striped fish did flips in the water.
It was just so moving to see the persons they cared for so much finally together and would be forever.
Again, sorry for the long wait, but I hope the proposal scene partially makes up for it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave review if you like the chapter and I'll see you again next time. Sincerely, v.t.7
