pre style="word-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"Flounder rubbed his fins together as he anxiously listened to his friend's sentence just outside the throne room. "I just don't know what we're going to do with you young lady," the merking sighed.
Ariel shifted, head down hands behind her back - she really was sorry she had missed the concert. "Daddy, I'm sorry, I just forgot, I-"
"As a result of your careless behavior-" he interrupted waving a hand.
Sebastian in turn interrupted the king from behind his crown. "Careless and reckless behavior!"
"The entire celebration was, er-" Triton paused, he was angry but he still loved his daughter and didn't want to seem too harsh.
"Well, it was ruined!" The crab fumed popping out of Triton's beard. "That's all. Completely destroyed!" He waved his claws in front of Ariel and sighed. "This concert was to be the pinnacle of my distinguished career. Now thanks to you I am the laughing-stock of the entire kingdom!"
Flounder understood if it was her father admonishing Ariel for her behavior but the little crab was yelling at Ariel because his ego was hurt and that was just wrong. "But it wasn't her fault!" he said getting up in the crabs and subsequently the kings face. He blushed as the king glared at him and raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Ah- well – first ah… this shark chased us, yeah, yeah! And we tried to- but we couldn't- and – grrrrrrrrrr – and we – whooaaaaa." The little fish stuttered at a loss for the right words but he quickly got caught up in his impromptu story telling. "Oh, and then we were safe. But then this seagull came and it was this is this and that is that and- oh!" He slapped his fins over his mouth realizing his mistake.
"Seagull? What? Oh- you went up to the surface again didn't you? Didn't you!?" Triton stood up. His amused face at the fishes stuttering story quickly changed to one of anger.
Ariel grimaced and shrugged trying to calm down her father while Flounder hid in her hair. "Nothing - happened…"
"Oh Ariel, how many times must we go through this?" The king threw his hands up in exasperation rolling his eyes. "You could been seen by one of those barbarians! By – by one of those humans!"
Ariel frowned at her father's choice of words towards the creatures she loved, "Daddy they're not barbarians!"
"They're dangerous," he insisted glaring right back at his daughter. She hadn't seen the things Triton had. She hadn't seen the nets or the fishing grounds that killed hundreds of innocent fish every day. Triton was king of the sea, everything in it was his to watch and care for didn't she understand that? "Do you think I want to see my youngest daughter snared by some fish-eater's hook?" he said gently tilting up her chin so maybe she might see the sad truth in his eyes.
Ariel turned her head away at her father's gesture. He was treating her like child! She knew the dangerous of man and their hooks. She went to explore shipwrecks not fishing grounds did he think she was a fool? "I'm sixteen years old – I'm not a child anymore-" she said defiantly.
"Don't you take that tone of voice with me young lady."
"Well-"
He shook his head angrily. "As long as you live under my ocean, you'll obey my rules!"
Unable to put her word in edgewise she spoke rapidly as her father paused, desperate to get him to understand. "But if you would just listen-"
"Not another word!" he said turning away from her. "And I am never, NEVER to hear of you going to the surface again. Is that clear?"
Ariel puffed her chest out to reply but quickly deflated as she felt her lower lip tremble as the tears welled up in her eyes. She fled choking back a small sob with Flounder following hot on her tail.
Triton slumped back on his throne, the anger he had felt early quickly disappeared as he watched his daughter flee the throne room crying.
"Hm! Teenagers, they think they know everything!" Sebastian said smugly trying to console the king. "You give them an inch, they swim all over you."
Triton lifted his head off his hand and looked hesitantly over at his consort "Do you uh, think I- I was too hard on her?"
"Definitely not," said Sebastian shaking his head with determined conviction. "Why, if Ariel was my daughter I'd show her who was boss. None of this, 'flitting to the surface' and other such nonsense. No, sir – I'd keep her under tight control."
Triton straighten up and you could practically see the light bulb over his head. "You're absolutely right Sebastian."
"Of course." The crab smirked crossing his arms.
"Ariel needs constant supervision."
He nodded in assent. "Constant."
"Someone to watch over her – to keep her out of trouble."
He crossed his arms behind his back "All the time-"
"And YOU are just the crab to do it!" he said poking Sebastian in the chest and his face fell.
He grudgingly accepted his charge and the king dismissed him. "How do I get myself into these situations? I should be writing symphonies, not tagging along after some headstrong teenager." He threw his hands up in despair and shook his head. He rounded the corner and his self-pity quickly changed into curiosity as she saw Ariel and Flounder look around suspiciously before quickly swimming off.
"Hmm? What is that girl up to?" The little crab struggled to follow the two of them, collapsing on a rock when they finally reached their destination that was far away from the busy city. The two looked around again before Ariel pulled a large stone back revealing a small cave dug into the rock. Sebastian hopped up and scurried quickly to follow them, barely making it through the door as the rock slid back into place over his legs.
He gasped trying to free himself as quietly as possible. Pulling on a small plant growing in the sand he managed to pull himself out from under the rock, his momentum sending him flying where he came to a stop hitting a strange object. He groaned and rubbed his head, before he gasped, pain quickly forgotten as he gazed at the cave that lay before him./pre
Ariel shifted, head down hands behind her back - she really was sorry she had missed the concert. "Daddy, I'm sorry, I just forgot, I-"
"As a result of your careless behavior-" he interrupted waving a hand.
Sebastian in turn interrupted the king from behind his crown. "Careless and reckless behavior!"
"The entire celebration was, er-" Triton paused, he was angry but he still loved his daughter and didn't want to seem too harsh.
"Well, it was ruined!" The crab fumed popping out of Triton's beard. "That's all. Completely destroyed!" He waved his claws in front of Ariel and sighed. "This concert was to be the pinnacle of my distinguished career. Now thanks to you I am the laughing-stock of the entire kingdom!"
Flounder understood if it was her father admonishing Ariel for her behavior but the little crab was yelling at Ariel because his ego was hurt and that was just wrong. "But it wasn't her fault!" he said getting up in the crabs and subsequently the kings face. He blushed as the king glared at him and raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Ah- well – first ah… this shark chased us, yeah, yeah! And we tried to- but we couldn't- and – grrrrrrrrrr – and we – whooaaaaa." The little fish stuttered at a loss for the right words but he quickly got caught up in his impromptu story telling. "Oh, and then we were safe. But then this seagull came and it was this is this and that is that and- oh!" He slapped his fins over his mouth realizing his mistake.
"Seagull? What? Oh- you went up to the surface again didn't you? Didn't you!?" Triton stood up. His amused face at the fishes stuttering story quickly changed to one of anger.
Ariel grimaced and shrugged trying to calm down her father while Flounder hid in her hair. "Nothing - happened…"
"Oh Ariel, how many times must we go through this?" The king threw his hands up in exasperation rolling his eyes. "You could been seen by one of those barbarians! By – by one of those humans!"
Ariel frowned at her father's choice of words towards the creatures she loved, "Daddy they're not barbarians!"
"They're dangerous," he insisted glaring right back at his daughter. She hadn't seen the things Triton had. She hadn't seen the nets or the fishing grounds that killed hundreds of innocent fish every day. Triton was king of the sea, everything in it was his to watch and care for didn't she understand that? "Do you think I want to see my youngest daughter snared by some fish-eater's hook?" he said gently tilting up her chin so maybe she might see the sad truth in his eyes.
Ariel turned her head away at her father's gesture. He was treating her like child! She knew the dangerous of man and their hooks. She went to explore shipwrecks not fishing grounds did he think she was a fool? "I'm sixteen years old – I'm not a child anymore-" she said defiantly.
"Don't you take that tone of voice with me young lady."
"Well-"
He shook his head angrily. "As long as you live under my ocean, you'll obey my rules!"
Unable to put her word in edgewise she spoke rapidly as her father paused, desperate to get him to understand. "But if you would just listen-"
"Not another word!" he said turning away from her. "And I am never, NEVER to hear of you going to the surface again. Is that clear?"
Ariel puffed her chest out to reply but quickly deflated as she felt her lower lip tremble as the tears welled up in her eyes. She fled choking back a small sob with Flounder following hot on her tail.
Triton slumped back on his throne, the anger he had felt early quickly disappeared as he watched his daughter flee the throne room crying.
"Hm! Teenagers, they think they know everything!" Sebastian said smugly trying to console the king. "You give them an inch, they swim all over you."
Triton lifted his head off his hand and looked hesitantly over at his consort "Do you uh, think I- I was too hard on her?"
"Definitely not," said Sebastian shaking his head with determined conviction. "Why, if Ariel was my daughter I'd show her who was boss. None of this, 'flitting to the surface' and other such nonsense. No, sir – I'd keep her under tight control."
Triton straighten up and you could practically see the light bulb over his head. "You're absolutely right Sebastian."
"Of course." The crab smirked crossing his arms.
"Ariel needs constant supervision."
He nodded in assent. "Constant."
"Someone to watch over her – to keep her out of trouble."
He crossed his arms behind his back "All the time-"
"And YOU are just the crab to do it!" he said poking Sebastian in the chest and his face fell.
He grudgingly accepted his charge and the king dismissed him. "How do I get myself into these situations? I should be writing symphonies, not tagging along after some headstrong teenager." He threw his hands up in despair and shook his head. He rounded the corner and his self-pity quickly changed into curiosity as she saw Ariel and Flounder look around suspiciously before quickly swimming off.
"Hmm? What is that girl up to?" The little crab struggled to follow the two of them, collapsing on a rock when they finally reached their destination that was far away from the busy city. The two looked around again before Ariel pulled a large stone back revealing a small cave dug into the rock. Sebastian hopped up and scurried quickly to follow them, barely making it through the door as the rock slid back into place over his legs.
He gasped trying to free himself as quietly as possible. Pulling on a small plant growing in the sand he managed to pull himself out from under the rock, his momentum sending him flying where he came to a stop hitting a strange object. He groaned and rubbed his head, before he gasped, pain quickly forgotten as he gazed at the cave that lay before him./pre