Chapter 13: Dedicated Love

Okay, I'm going to reveal one of my pet peeves on two of the film's characters; Eric and King Triton. They are both connected by a common character, Ariel. My issue is that even with Triton being Eric's father-in-law and Eric vice-versa, we never see any scenes that are together and interacting. I think since we never actually see Eric's parents and since they are implied to be dead, that this could be some excellent character bonding between them. So, yeah, spoilers because you will see some in this chapter. It's also rather short, just a heads up.

Enjoy the chapter!


The sky above was covered in a blanket of grey clouds, with only the faintest beams of sunlight trickling out through the vapor. The sea was quiet, with waves rolling through the water and onto the shore as calmly as they had before. Upon the beach and dragged up onto the sand was a merman. He was in an uncomfortable environment, with only the waves lapping at his tail being his only source of moisture in this otherwise dry spot he was in. Yet his concern was not at the dehydration of his aquatic form, rather at the human female laying limply in his embrace.

His hand slowly drew up and brushed away several stray strands of her scarlet hair from her face. Her pale skin had scratches and bruises from the event that had transpired and ended just hours ago. He placed a hand to her face frowning at the temperature he felt. He knew that merfolk had slightly cooler body temperatures due to their half-fish bodies, yet despite the heat sensitivity they had, she was colder then normal.

Drops of moisture dripped onto her face, as salty as the seawater. He squeezed his eyelids tighter, sending more tears streaming down his cheeks. His chest felt tight and his heart hurt each time it beat. His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer to him as he cried into her hair. He didn't care how weak he might appear to anyone that might be watching him right now, he wasn't ashamed of what he was doing. His heart was breaking apart and it ached for her.

So engrossed he was in his misery that he did not hear the figure rising out of the water behind him, nor did he see him approach the shore. It wasn't until he heard the deep baritone voice of the sea king himself did he begin to become aware to his surroundings.

"I hadn't expected this."

His skin twitched, but it wasn't from the voice behind him or the cold.

"I had known of my daughter's obsession with humans for years, but only recently did I find out how deep it really went."

His focus remained still on her limp form.

"A cavern filled with things from the human world. Artifacts of different elements, crafted in different forms, all sunken below the surface. She had gathered them up for years, an collection of no one thing."

He heard the figure release a deep sigh, as if this was a painful subject for him to talk about.

"It now has been turned to sand on the seafloor. Broken, shattered, disintegrated, vaporized into nothing. As I left, she remained, broken down as her precious treasures."

His hand went up to stroke her hair and brush away the beads of moisture that had accumulated from the sea.

"I began to feel regretful for my actions. Here she had gone behind my back, gathering things and making it an obsession. She had grown dear to those inanimate objects and in an instant I broke them, leaving her behind in her misery."

The figure paused and let out another pained sigh.

"Had I not reacted with such hostility all this could have been prevented. However, I must ask..."

He heard the waves burble as they brought the sea king closer to the shore.

"How long have you've known my daughter."

He stopped stroking her hair, his hand falling limply to the side. He could feel the elder being's stare on his back and could feel the mild sting in the air of reasonable irritation he must have felt. Of course he suspected that he had known her for quite awhile, less he would probably not have shown such affection towards her right now.

"Six years," he slowly replied.

The silence between them was only disturbed by the ocean and the breeze. He picked up his hand again and resumed gently stroking her head, all while avoiding eye contact.

"Do you love her?"

A shudder ran through his body. Stopping any previous movements, his head flipped back over his shoulder. The muscular and powerful king of the seas looked straight at him his face void of any emotions.

"Do you love my daughter," he repeated, his gruff, strong voice sounding just the slightest bit gentle. His eyes betrayed just the smallest bit of curiosity and concern. They kept staring at each other for a few moments until he let about a small sigh and bowed his head before him.

"I love her more then life itself. She makes me lose myself everytime I see her. I get goosebumps just from the thought of her. I cherish every moment I spend with her and miss every moment when she's not with me. I would willingly give up my life here and now to just know that she'll be alright."

He had gotten louder at the end and his maw dropped open as he panted. His eyes and face stung as a fresh set of tears tumbled forth and dripped into his hands as he pressed them to his face. Every part of his body felt weak and he had a sick feeling swirling in his stomach and head.

Here he was, crying before the king of the sea like a child who had just dropped their favorite toy into the mud. He sure he looked inadequate and unfit for his daughter, but after all that had happened in the past day he just had to let it all out.

Suddenly, he felt a wave of warmth spread over his body. His skin shivered as the soothing heat brushed over it's cool surface. His tense, sore muscles began to relax and the painful nausea disappeared. He let out a shaky breath as the healing feeling spread throughout him.

His hands slowly pulled off from his face. He initially squinted as the clouds parted and revealed the sun, though they widened as he looked down below his torso and saw his legs where his tail was. He took notice of the golden light fading off his feet and the little sparkles dimming off of his pant legs.

His head threw up towards the sea king, holding out his triton towards him, and now holding a gentle smile on his face. He nodded his triton lightly to the side and his focus went to behind him. His eyes widened with joy when he saw Ariel's tattered and ripped wedding dress replaced with a sparkling, summer one. Her chest rose and fell again at a more rapid rate and soft moans escaped past her lips. Her arm shakily came up to her head and a hand pressed against her forehead.

"Ariel," he whispered, not daring to scare her in her fragile state now.

Her eyelids tightened together before prying open. Surrounded by the golden light of the rising sun behind him she made out the form of her beloved.

"E-ric," she breathed out, her arms reaching up and out to him. He came closer and they embraced tightly. His hands pressed on her shoulder blades and the back of her head, pushing her tighter to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, yanking him closer. Their foreheads pressed against one another's and their breaths intermingled. Their eyes focused on the other with affection and care.

Their lips made contact and a rush of love, joy, and heat rushed over them. They felt whole with one another and that was all that mattered to them.


And true love conquers all!

I bet a few of you were hoping for the wedding scene, bit I felt this had to definitely go first. We're coming to a close of our story, so stay tuned for the next, and possibly last, chapter. Please leave a review and have an awesome day. Sincerely, v.t.7