I think this chapter compensates for the last one, enjoy!
When he left Ariel for the first time that night, it was so she could get into her special reception dress, another gown he had not yet seen.
For some reason, he felt nervous when she wasn't with him.
He was mindlessly running the tip of his index finger around the edge of his glass, then he started to lightly tap his foot, and before he knew it, he was chewing his lip.
He stopped instantly when he realized what he was doing and went to watching the guests dance in the large dance floor inside the huge boat. How they fit a room like this inside here, he didn't know, but it didn't worry him the slightest.
There was the band playing in the background. It was a jolly sailor's tune that he'd known for several years.
The guests seemed to love it and were dancing enthusiastically to the cheerful song.
Some of his friends invited him to come dance and he thought about it. He saw no use in doing nothing so he agreed and gladly joined them all on the floor. There was a dance that everyone knew, a dance that worked with almost every song there was. It involved jumping and twirling, switching places and plenty of laughter.
After a few minutes of that, someone started to tap their glass.
Everything stopped, the music, the dancing and the talking. Everyone looked up to the person who wanted the attention, it was Carlotta.
Eric slinked up to the front of the room where she was standing and waited for her announcement.
"May I present, Princess Ariel!" She said in an eager tone.
His face lit up with excitement.
This was the moment he'd been waiting for. When everyone started to clap, Carlotta gestured to the doorway and out into the light of the ballroom came his princess.
Her head was bent down in a humble and modest bow and Eric hurried over to her, picked her up by the waist and twirled her around with her sparkly, pale turquoise dress fluttering behind her.
When he put her down, he bent down to kiss her again. But this kiss wasn't as special as they usually were.
Here, he knew all eyes were on the two of them, watching their every move. He could feel it in Ariel's lips too, she was thinking the same thing.
When they pulled away, he examined the dress and noticed her sweet, gentle curves beneath it, then his heart started racing and he could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. He quietly cleared his throat and smiled at her and she gave a small, nervous giggle. He took her hand, entwined their fingers and lead her out onto the dance floor.
As they walked into the middle, everyone moved out of their way and created a fairly large circle. Both he and Ariel were taking side glances to see if anyone else was going to dance with them, but everyone wanted to watch the two of them dance into their happily ever after.
The pressure was mounting but he had to stay calm for Ariel's sake.
He flashed her a reassuring smile and brought her hand up to the side, there was no need to say anything. Then he tentatively placed his other hand on her waist. His heart rate doubled but he managed to keep his head.
He could feel the contours of her body against his hand and he tensed a moment before relaxing his grip.
When he looked up at her she lifted her small, delicate hand and placed hit on his cheek comfortingly and grinned.
She knew he was nervous.
He sighed and leaned into her hand feeling a bit more confident with her touch, then took hold of the situation.
Pulling her closer to him, she let go of his cheek and grabbed the skirt of her ballgown and they started to twirl.
Eric could hear hushed whispers and a few awed sighs coming from the crowd.
Ariel's eyes, blue as the sea, were twinkling with awe and delight and her smile said that she was as happy as can be.
He no longer felt as if he was being watched, he didn't care anymore. It was like he and Ariel were the only two in the room with the band playing the beautiful song. He pulled her even closer and bent down to nuzzle his nose in her hair.
She leaned in and pressed her warm cheek onto his chest. He felt relieved to have her in his arms, he knew that he would let nothing harm her in any way ever. For the rest of his life he would gladly protect her and comfort her no matter what.
He lifted his nose and pressed his cheek down on her head to make the position more comfortable and her head nestled nicely into the curve of his neck.
They were so close he could feel her breathing in and out.
He pondered breaking the silence between them, or was the moment too perfect to break with words?
But then, without another thought he blurted out, "I love you, Ariel," he bit his lip. Maybe it wasn't the right time for that.
He felt her giggle and she replied softly, "I love you too, Eric," he could sense the grin in her voice.
"Hey, how about you and I step outside or something?" Eric asked, lifting his head from their position, "It's getting kind of stuffy in here," really, he just wanted some time alone with her.
Ariel looked up at him and for a second, desire flashed through her eyes, but then she blinked and went to nodding, "I agree, let's go!"
Still holding hands, Ariel started forward but then stopped. He assumed she thought it was rude to leave in the middle of a song like that.
Reassuring that it was fine, Eric bowed and nodded to the crowd, indicating that they had finished dancing and Ariel curtsied, catching on. The crowd broke out into a hushed applause and went back to dancing themselves.
Once they were certain no one was watching, they snuck away.
Of course, he knew Ariel didn't know this boat well enough to lead them out of it so when she reached the door she stopped again to wait for Eric. When he caught up he took her hand and they wove through the halls to the stairs that would lead them out and onto the deck, Ariel was following close behind in his wake.
"Gosh, this dress is a hassle…" she mumbled. He looked back to her and she continued, lightly pounding her fists on the thick fabric, "Can you wait here for just a minute?"
"Uh… Sure," he answered oddly and she picked up the skirt of her gown and wandered off peering in doors.
When he realized what she was probably doing, he attempted to stop her. Was she really going to take off her dress?
His cheeks felt hot again and he touched her arm and she spun around.
When she saw his worried expression she scoffed, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing!"
He gave up, he trusted her to not completely embarrass herself, but he was left dumbfounded when she entered an empty closet.
He started to laugh it off. Of course Ariel would do something like this.
When she reappeared a few moments later, he was relieved that she was fully dressed but was shocked to see she was wearing almost a completely different dress. It was the same color and everything, but the large skirt was gone and replaced by a relaxed one that went down to her ankles. It framed her figure extremely well and he could faintly see the shape of her slender legs beneath it.
He flushed again and looked to her for an explanation.
"The dress was made so that I could take off the huge skirt," she flashed a smile and twirled around, the ends of the dress lifted slightly to reveal more of her legs.
"Well, you look beautiful," Eric whispered to her and grabbed her hand again to continue their walk.
When they reached the stairs, he motioned to them, "Ladies first!" he said in a hushed but playful tone.
She giggled, rolled her eyes and started up the staircase.
When they reached the open air the sun was barely in the sky and the sunset was casting beautiful, warm colors across the clouds.
An enchanting blend of orange, pink and lavender.
Eric watched as Ariel eagerly placed herself at the edge of the boat, leaning slightly over the railing, marveling at the gorgeous evening sky.
He often found himself staring at her whenever she witnessed beautiful, yet overlooked, things like this. She had this excitement that was child-like and a fascination with everything new to her.
Now they were all alone. There were just the peaceful sounds of the waves to listen to.
He silently walked up to her and snuck his hands around her waist.
She jumped at his touch, and he laughed and playfully kissed her cheek.
If there was one thing he loved to do, it was to surprise her.
She twisted around in his arms and gave him a look. He let go and backed away, he wouldn't want to be attacked on his wedding day.
But then, without a warning, she put on a wry smile and pounced at him, crashing her lips onto his, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Eric stumbled back, eyes wide with shock but then he closed them again and put his arms around her legs to help her stay up.
The kiss broke when he couldn't stop laughing.
The laughter died down and he looked at her, pausing for a moment to gaze into her piercing, yet soft blue eyes, then he leaned in to kiss her again.
He reluctantly broke the kiss and set her back onto the ground where she immediately sat down on the floor then patted the space beside her.
He lifted his eyebrow, questioning her choice of seating but then sat down as well.
As soon as he was comfortably on the floor, she maneuvered her head onto his lap.
Her hair was spilled over his legs but she didn't seem to mind and neither did he. They both sat there for an hour or so, talking but Eric was mostly consumed in playing with her hair.
Combing it with his fingers and twirling it around his pinky, her hair showed no signs of tangles.
Growing tired of her hair, he occupied himself by probing her angelic face. Her eyes were shut as he gently traced, with his fingers, every angle he could touch. Her jaw, her nose, her cheeks and eventually her lips.
She continued to giggle and he couldn't help but chuckle under his breath. If only all nights could be as perfect as this one.
Finally the sun rested passed the horizon and the only light given was the pale, blue moonlight.
Ariel suddenly shivered. Eric hadn't noticed the chill of the night because of his suit, all Ariel had on was a dress with flimsy, thin sleeves.
He quickly sat her up and removed his jacket and wrapped it around her like a blanket.
"Thanks," she said gratefully but he noticed the concern in her eyes, "Won't you get cold?"
She motioned to his torso.
He was wearing a dress shirt underneath; really, he was feeling a bit too warm. He looked at his shirt then back up to her.
With one quick scoop, he caught her and pulled her onto his lap. He leaned forward to touch his forehead to her's, "I'm fine, Ariel. It's you I'm worried about."
She smiled and leaned into his touch. He noticed a trace of desire in her movement and leaned in to give her a kiss.
The scenery provided the romance for their special moment.
One hand went up to his head and knitted her fingers into his hair and held him there, the other went up to the back of his neck. Her warm touch relaxed him and he pulled her closer, feeling her steady breathing.
This kiss was nothing intense, but still, all the more romantic.
When they separated, his longing for her deepened, but he knew he would be able to experience all of her wonders soon enough.
He blushed furiously and smirked at the thought, then pushed it away. There was no need for him to think about that now.
Ariel pulled the jacket closer to her and attempted to tuck her legs under herself as a shield from the bitter cold.
He was concerned for her sake, "Let's get you inside, you'll catch cold if you stay out here any longer"
He lifted her up, still cradled in his arms, and walked down the stairs and back to their party.
Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the wedding! Let me know what you think of this story and my writing
Also, just to clarify: no hurtful reviews please, thanks
have a magical day!