pre style="word-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"The fifteen minutes back to the castle was extended another five with the new girl in tow. She stumbled often and as hard as Eric tried to distance his self, he couldn't let go in fear of her falling. By the end of the journey though, she had seemed to have learned to walk a little better, but then came the stairs.
She eyed the stairs warily and Eric tried his hardest no to blush.
"I'll help you alright? Are you ready?" She tilted her head to one side when suddenly Eric's strong arms were around her as she was picked up bridal style. Ariel clung to his neck again as Eric chuckled.
"I've got you, don't worry."
The walk was more exhausting than Ariel would have liked to admit to herself and she sighed leaning her head on Eric's shoulder. She sighed happily breathing in Eric's scent, the smell of the salty wind and fresh linen and shampoo all around her.
Eric smiled happily, and couldn't bring his self to put the adorable girl down once he reached the top of the stairs opting instead to continue carrying her inside.
There are most stairs to go up. Is it wrong to want to kiss someone you just met? I won't. I'm carrying her. I'm helping her. But she's so cute, gorgeous-
"Eric, glad to see you back, I'll tell Louis- who is that?" Grimsby caught Eric as he started up the stairs, to the bathroom to get her cleaned up.
"I found this girl washed up on the beach and I-"
Grimsby rushed over to his side. "Oh my, is she alright?"
Eric looked down and smiled as he saw the girl's eyes had drifted shut.
"Yes, she fine, just tired I think. I was going up to see if I could get her cleaned up-"
"I'll have Carlotta draw her a bath then. She'll be out waiting in the bathhouse." And with a short bow, Grimsby was gone again.
Grimsby could be quite the busy body sometimes.
Another flight of stairs, outside, down the walkway and Eric could hear Carlotta and the water being poured into the bath. He knocked on the door with his foot and the door was opened up and he was ushered inside. The girl slowly blinked open her eyes and a huge smile spread across her face when she saw where she was.
A large, circular, marble tub filled the center of the small building and there were windows with scallop designs on all sides. Two staircases lead up to a massive closet behind the tub, a large lamp hung from the ceiling and pedestals with flowers sat on the ledge of the tub.
Carlotta ran to go fetch some soap and Eric set the girl down gently on the ledge of the tub.
"I'm going to leave you in some privacy to bathe. Carlotta will be here to help you and then bring you up to a room and get you dressed for lunch. Are you going to be alright?"
Carlotta had returned and poured the sweet smelling salts in the water making it bubble up instantly. The girl's face was surprised and fascinated as she nodded distractedly towards Eric.
"I'll see you then," he laughed walking out of the room as Ariel hesitantly touched the bubbles.
It's like she's just a child, new to this world. I wonder what will happen when lunch comes around.
Ariel couldn't believe it. Bubbles, so many bubbles. She had seen them before of course, when you exhaled strongly, underwater vents, when you swished your tail really fast, but those bubbles never lasted long (except for the ones from the vents but those were too hot to touch). These bubbles though, they didn't pop. Instead they collected like sea foam on the top of the water and tasted absolutely foul (though they were still fun to play with).
Carlotta was a nice woman, she had kindly helped Ariel get out of her mess of a makeshift dress and then helped her into the tub. She was very understanding, (certainly better than Eric at understanding her sign language) and she was sad when she found Ariel was a castoff mute.
"Washed up from a shipwreck. Oh the poor thing."
These bubbles, are so awesome! She scooped some up, playing with them and blowing them out of her hands not minding that they got in her hair. How did you do this?
"We'll have you feeling better in no time." She poured a vase of warm water over her head to wash out those few stray bubbles and then made for the sheet she had been wearing.
"I'll just – I'll just get this washed for you."
Both Ariel (distracted by those amazing human bubbles) and Carlotta failed to see a certain crustacean peering out of the folds of the sheet that was snatched up and taken out to where the other maids were washing the days laundry./pre