pre style="word-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"Ariel sawn up to the ship and pulled herself up long, stringy like things, hauling her slight body out of the water until she could see what was going on on the smooth wooden deck. Hiding in the shadows, she peered out and saw what looked like a big mop with a huge dripping, wet tongue.
There was lights and music and sounds….and humans. A lot of them. All different shapes and sizes, just like merpeople. In fact, there was a lot about them that were very similar to the mermaids. So similar, and yet so different. So wonderful.
Ariel was fascinated by all that was going on and she watched them with rapt attention. Suddenly, a loud whistle sounded and a nice sounding male voice stood out among the other noises of the crowd, catching Ariel's focus. "Max, here boy. Hey, come on, mutt, whatcha doin, huh Max? Good boy." Ariel looked over and saw the most beautiful creature she had ever seen in her life. He was absolutely wonderful. Tall, fair skinned, with dark hair that looked as soft as sea grass and a smile that could knock a girl right off her fins. She followed his every movement, stricken.
"Hey there, sweetie! Quite a show, eh?" Scuttle called as he flapped over to her.
Ariel hushed him, too interested in the male human with breathtaking crystal eyes. "Scuttle, be quiet! They'll hear you."
"Oooh, I gotcha, I gotcha. We're being intrepidatious. WE'RE OUT TO DISCOVER!" Ariel grabbed his beak as his voice rose to a ridiculous level.
"I've never seen a human this close before. Oh - he's very handsome, isn't he?"
Scuttle looked at Max, stunned by her choice. "I dunno, he looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me."
Ariel smiled, slightly amused. "Not that one - the one playing the snarfblat."
They watched for a moment as the man played with the dog, making music and dancing around. In that moment, Ariel wanted nothing more than to be there beside him. She wanted him to hold her in his arms, to dance with her, and look at her like she was the most amazing creature on the planet. She wanted to be human. She wanted to be loved by him.
An older, lighter haired man came over, breaking her yearning thoughts. "Silence! Silence! It is now my honour and privilege to present our esteemed Prince Eric with a very special, very expensive, very large birthday present," the old man announced proudly.
Eric. What a wonderful name! And he was a prince! My very own price...oh my, how. The need to be with him, the need to be human, was so powerful and overwhelming she had trouble breathing. "Ah, Grimsby - y'old beanpole, you shouldn't have," Eric said, delighted and gave his friend a friendly slap on the back.
Grimsby smiled back. "I know. Happy birthday, Eric!" A large, gaudy statue of Eric was revealed, not reflecting who he was at all. Max growled and Eric made a face at the sight but was too kind to let Grims know what he really thought of the gift.
"Gee, Grim. It's, err, it's, err - it's really somethin'. . . ." he said, trying to find at least one thing positive.
Grimsby smiled, completely oblivious to Eric's awkward fidgeting. "Yes, I commissioned it myself. Of course, I had hoped it would be a wedding present, but . . ."
He cut the prince a sly look.
Eric rolled his eyes. "Come on, Grim, don't start. Look, you're not still sore because I didn't fall for the princess of Glauerhaven, are you?"
"Oh, Eric, it isn't me alone. The entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl."
Eric sighed. He had heard this lecture over and over and over and a thousand times more than that. There wasn't a day that passed by when he wasn't pressured in someway to find a bride, a queen to help him rule his kingdom. But Eric, unlike so many of the others, refused to marry a complete stranger. He did plan to marry one day, but he refused to do it just to gain status and power. Marriage should not be about vanity or currency. It should have nothing to do with politics. He wanted to marry for love. Lately, there had been a lot of beautiful women paraded before him. But...just not the right beautiful woman. "Well, she's out there somewhere. I just - I just haven't found her yet," he reassured his friend.
Grimsby huffed. "Well, perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough."
"Believe me, Grim, when I find her I'll know - without a doubt. It'll just - bam! - hit me - like lightning." Right on cue, lightning and thunder appeared suddenly and the sky grew dark. The prince looked up, alarmed as the sky churned in angry dark colors.
"Hurricane a'comin'! Stand fast! Secure the riggin'!" a sailor called just as the storm hit.
"Whoa! The wind's all of a sudden on the move here," Scuttle said to Ariel, who was still watching with a look of worry on her face as the storm increased in dangerous intensity. The bird was suddenly blown away by a massive gust of wind, leaving the mermaid to fend for herself. "Oh! Ariel . . ." The ship crashed through storm as the waves lapped across the top of the deck hungrily. The lightning flashed everywhere across the sky in brilliant shades of white, eventually hitting the ship and starting a fire. A rock loomed ahead. What had been a happy birthday pary only a few moments before, suddenly turned into a dark and dangerous night. A night, that they had very little chances of surviving.
"Look out! . . ." Eric yelled over the howling wind as the ship crashed and all were thrown overboard except Max. "Grim, hang on!" As he was pulled into a longboat, Eric looked up and heard the sound of panicked barking. "Max!" Without wasting a moment, he went back to save him. There was no way he could leave his best friend and companion to die in the fire.
"Jump Max! Come on boy, jump! You can do it Max," he encouraged the frightened dog until finally it budged. They were running out of time. Thinking quickly, he saved Max but was trapped on board.
Grimsby watched the entire scene with horror. "ERIC!" The ship exploded. Ariel, who had swam a safe distance away and watched her prince fall into the dark water, swam forward, desperately waving her body through the broken wood and debris as she searched for him. he was human, and everyone knew a human could not survive underwater. He would die if she didn't do something fast, and the thought tore at her chest and left a lump in her throat. Eventually, she found Eric near drowning and pulled him away, dragging him to the surface. He was unconscious, and having no other choice, she began dragging his limp body towards the direction of the distant shore. Well, in a weird way she had gotten part of what she wished for, to be near him. Funny how things worked out. As she held his warm, strong body against her almost human one, she felt a sense of the closest thing that had ever come to completion in her life. /pre
There was lights and music and sounds….and humans. A lot of them. All different shapes and sizes, just like merpeople. In fact, there was a lot about them that were very similar to the mermaids. So similar, and yet so different. So wonderful.
Ariel was fascinated by all that was going on and she watched them with rapt attention. Suddenly, a loud whistle sounded and a nice sounding male voice stood out among the other noises of the crowd, catching Ariel's focus. "Max, here boy. Hey, come on, mutt, whatcha doin, huh Max? Good boy." Ariel looked over and saw the most beautiful creature she had ever seen in her life. He was absolutely wonderful. Tall, fair skinned, with dark hair that looked as soft as sea grass and a smile that could knock a girl right off her fins. She followed his every movement, stricken.
"Hey there, sweetie! Quite a show, eh?" Scuttle called as he flapped over to her.
Ariel hushed him, too interested in the male human with breathtaking crystal eyes. "Scuttle, be quiet! They'll hear you."
"Oooh, I gotcha, I gotcha. We're being intrepidatious. WE'RE OUT TO DISCOVER!" Ariel grabbed his beak as his voice rose to a ridiculous level.
"I've never seen a human this close before. Oh - he's very handsome, isn't he?"
Scuttle looked at Max, stunned by her choice. "I dunno, he looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me."
Ariel smiled, slightly amused. "Not that one - the one playing the snarfblat."
They watched for a moment as the man played with the dog, making music and dancing around. In that moment, Ariel wanted nothing more than to be there beside him. She wanted him to hold her in his arms, to dance with her, and look at her like she was the most amazing creature on the planet. She wanted to be human. She wanted to be loved by him.
An older, lighter haired man came over, breaking her yearning thoughts. "Silence! Silence! It is now my honour and privilege to present our esteemed Prince Eric with a very special, very expensive, very large birthday present," the old man announced proudly.
Eric. What a wonderful name! And he was a prince! My very own price...oh my, how. The need to be with him, the need to be human, was so powerful and overwhelming she had trouble breathing. "Ah, Grimsby - y'old beanpole, you shouldn't have," Eric said, delighted and gave his friend a friendly slap on the back.
Grimsby smiled back. "I know. Happy birthday, Eric!" A large, gaudy statue of Eric was revealed, not reflecting who he was at all. Max growled and Eric made a face at the sight but was too kind to let Grims know what he really thought of the gift.
"Gee, Grim. It's, err, it's, err - it's really somethin'. . . ." he said, trying to find at least one thing positive.
Grimsby smiled, completely oblivious to Eric's awkward fidgeting. "Yes, I commissioned it myself. Of course, I had hoped it would be a wedding present, but . . ."
He cut the prince a sly look.
Eric rolled his eyes. "Come on, Grim, don't start. Look, you're not still sore because I didn't fall for the princess of Glauerhaven, are you?"
"Oh, Eric, it isn't me alone. The entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl."
Eric sighed. He had heard this lecture over and over and over and a thousand times more than that. There wasn't a day that passed by when he wasn't pressured in someway to find a bride, a queen to help him rule his kingdom. But Eric, unlike so many of the others, refused to marry a complete stranger. He did plan to marry one day, but he refused to do it just to gain status and power. Marriage should not be about vanity or currency. It should have nothing to do with politics. He wanted to marry for love. Lately, there had been a lot of beautiful women paraded before him. But...just not the right beautiful woman. "Well, she's out there somewhere. I just - I just haven't found her yet," he reassured his friend.
Grimsby huffed. "Well, perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough."
"Believe me, Grim, when I find her I'll know - without a doubt. It'll just - bam! - hit me - like lightning." Right on cue, lightning and thunder appeared suddenly and the sky grew dark. The prince looked up, alarmed as the sky churned in angry dark colors.
"Hurricane a'comin'! Stand fast! Secure the riggin'!" a sailor called just as the storm hit.
"Whoa! The wind's all of a sudden on the move here," Scuttle said to Ariel, who was still watching with a look of worry on her face as the storm increased in dangerous intensity. The bird was suddenly blown away by a massive gust of wind, leaving the mermaid to fend for herself. "Oh! Ariel . . ." The ship crashed through storm as the waves lapped across the top of the deck hungrily. The lightning flashed everywhere across the sky in brilliant shades of white, eventually hitting the ship and starting a fire. A rock loomed ahead. What had been a happy birthday pary only a few moments before, suddenly turned into a dark and dangerous night. A night, that they had very little chances of surviving.
"Look out! . . ." Eric yelled over the howling wind as the ship crashed and all were thrown overboard except Max. "Grim, hang on!" As he was pulled into a longboat, Eric looked up and heard the sound of panicked barking. "Max!" Without wasting a moment, he went back to save him. There was no way he could leave his best friend and companion to die in the fire.
"Jump Max! Come on boy, jump! You can do it Max," he encouraged the frightened dog until finally it budged. They were running out of time. Thinking quickly, he saved Max but was trapped on board.
Grimsby watched the entire scene with horror. "ERIC!" The ship exploded. Ariel, who had swam a safe distance away and watched her prince fall into the dark water, swam forward, desperately waving her body through the broken wood and debris as she searched for him. he was human, and everyone knew a human could not survive underwater. He would die if she didn't do something fast, and the thought tore at her chest and left a lump in her throat. Eventually, she found Eric near drowning and pulled him away, dragging him to the surface. He was unconscious, and having no other choice, she began dragging his limp body towards the direction of the distant shore. Well, in a weird way she had gotten part of what she wished for, to be near him. Funny how things worked out. As she held his warm, strong body against her almost human one, she felt a sense of the closest thing that had ever come to completion in her life. /pre