Against The Tides

by TheForgottenName

When her father announced her wedding, Ariel ran away from home. She expected to find nothing but loneliness. She didn't expect to fall in love. She wasn't expecting to partake in a long journey, nor expect to meet girls who were also searching for their happily ever after. And she definitely, didn't expect to uncover the dark and ugly secrets corrupting both the worlds she loved.

6. Gargoyle Hanging

Well, we're getting caught up. I've got maybe a few more good Friday's to go, I think, but I'm pretty much up to where I stopped typing a while back. Don't worry though, I'm still working on this and won't just leave you guys hanging. Here's an extra long chapter, just to keep you guys entertained.

So, read on, readers.

Read on.

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*Part V: A Tale That's Out of Time*

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Ariel

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When Ariel woke up, she was first aware of the pain. Pain especially in her shoulder and her leg. She wasn't even fully awake yet, but tears rolled down her face at the pain. It was so horrible that she wanted to just pass out and wake up when she felt all better.

"Calm down, you're not well." came a voice. Ariel knew that voice.

It was male. Soothing and calming. A voice that didn't sound like it was ever raised. Images of people flew through her sluggish mind and she finally matched the voice to a face.

"Charming?" she croaked out, too quiet to be heard.

She opened her eyes fully and looked around herself. She hardly recognized the room, apparently the ceiling had caved in from the blast. She was nearly completely buried in ruble. It was very bright, the sun was high and the sky was blue. The inside room was now completely outside.

She spotted Charming. And Eric. She smiled through her pain. Eric was alive. But he didn't look well. Charming had an arm under him, supporting his weight, but Eric shrugged him off and purposefully dropped to his knees.

"Eric, stop," Charming said, trying to get Eric back up to his feet, "The search team will find her. Your hurt, now please, let me help you."

Eric was shaking his head furiously, and struggling with its weight, he lifted a large piece of falling ceiling. But neither boys was anywhere near her.

"Eric," Charming, pleaded, "It's good you care, but you don't understand-"

"No." Eric interrupted him, firmly, turning to charming "You don't understand."

Even Ariel tensed a bit at his tone. It was 'the tone'. Ariel saw nobleman's and people of high standard and power use it often. It was the tone that demanded attention. It demanded order and made you stop and listen. Triton used it often.

Eric, he was in pain. He was hurt, and hurting and not just on the outside. And yet, he was looking for her. Searching the rubble for her.
"I do understand." Charming reasoned, "More than you know. But you're not well now. Leave this job to me, okay? Just take care of yourself for now, and then you can join me."

Eric shook his head at Charming, getting to his feet and moving to another part to look. Charming, like the good best friend he was, merely chased after him. For a moment, he said nothing, just standing behind Eric, watching.

Eric took a step backwards, but must have stepped on something, because he slipped. Charming caught him under the arms and helped him back up.

"Please, Eric." he said, "Leave this to me."

Ariel watched as he hesitantly nodded. He did look to be in bad condition. His clothes were in various forms of disarray and was burnt all over. His hair was crazy. And his head was bleeding from somewhere. No wonder he was clumsy. She silently thanked Charming's persistence.

Two guys with med uniforms helped Eric out the room, Aladdin showed up and took charge of them and Eric. Now, he and Jasmine could be together.

Jasmine came in soon afterward.

"Hey, Charming." she said, watching as he searched through rubble, "Still haven't found her?"
"No." Charming sighed, "It's like she's vanished."

"We've got to find her." Jasmine sighed, "She not only saved our lives, but she was a good friend to me. She wasn't like any other maid I had. She actually talked to me. Listened."

"Eric says this is the same girl from Paris. Ari, her name is."

"Ari?" Jasmine asked, "My maids name was Jordan."

"Well she was Ari in Paris. Ari Jordan, maybe. She might go by both names."

Jasmine sighed, picking up lighter pieces of rubble and searching under.

"I tried to get in contact with Adam." she said, "You know he's always good when we need medical help."

"That's because he's in charge of animal welfare. You know, animals go hand in hand with anatomy and the body."

Jasmine laughed, "I never made that connection. I just thought he was good like that."

"Did you get him?"

"No," she sighed, "I couldn't. No one even answered the phone."

"No ones been able to get in contact with him for weeks."

"You think he's alright?"

"I'm sure of it. This is Adam we're talking about here. The nicer version of Aurora."

"Speaking of the girl, she's here."

Charming made a face of despair, "Why? Who called her?.

"No one," Jasmine spat, "But she's got a way of knowing things. You know how she is with Eric. Probably thinks this is a great time to play nurse."

"Now we've really got to find her," Charming said.

They fell silent again.

Ariel tried to stay calm, they were making their way closer to her. She wasn't completely buried, she'd be easy to spot. But she could hardly move, several large pieces of the ceiling pushing at her from several angles. Something sharp was cutting her left leg and her shoulder had a hot, numbing, pain shooting through it.

Honestly, if she'd of known she'd wake up with pain like that, she would have tried to throw herself and Eric a little further from the blast. Things had just been so chaotic. She'd been panicking. She'd been crying. And the rush she got from holding Eric's hand had done nothing to let her think clearly.

Honestly, she was lucky to be alive. And even better, Eric was fine too.

"You know," Jasmine spoke up, "I haven't seen your infamous fiancé yet. Is she here?"

Charming was failing at hiding a smile. Even the thought of her...

"No," he told her, "I thought it would be better if she stayed home. Wasn't quite sure what we'd be seeing."

"Smart, especially now that Aurora is here. But, I really wanted to meet her. You've sung her praise over the phone so much I half expected her to have the ability to fly."

"You'll meet her. Way before the wedding, I hope. And I know you'll like her. Your both... very different, but she gets along well with anyone."

"So do I," Jasmine countered, "Don't worry, I'll be nice. We'll kind of be like... distant sister in-laws but not by blood. Kinda. I mean, you'll always be like a brother to me."

"And what about you?" he asked, "Eric told me you weren't a woman's activist (which I didn't believe), so that mean you're getting married soon, too?"

Jasmine groaned, "Okay, clearly you guys don't see me enough, and that's fine. I'll just visit more. But seriously, where do you get me being a woman's activist from?"

Charming shrugged, "Old habits die hard, I guess. I mean, as kids, you hated boys."

They were getting so close. They were right there.

"Charming," Ariel croaked out again.

He was literally looking right at her. But his eyes merely passed over her, searching another part of the room.

Her heart sped up. No, no, no. He had to be able to see her. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not here. Eric needed her. He needed her reassurance. And she wouldn't turn away some medical help at the moment either.

She turned her head, and almost immediately spotted the green dots. They were glowing brightly, waiting for her to follow. Now what was she going to do?

Charming lifted a heavy piece of the ceiling, and Ariel groaned as it moved. It was a large piece of what was trapping her. He moved it aside, and Ariel was able to use her good arm to free herself from the rest. She shifted slowly, trying to get her blood flowing again, and watched as Charming drummed his fingers on his leg.

"Alright," he said, turning to Jasmine, "Lets bring in the search team."

They both walked out of the room, and Ariel struggled to sit up. Neither one of them could see her. She was invisible again. What would happen now? The search team? They could search all they wanted, but they wouldn't find her. They couldn't find her. They couldn't see her. What would Eric think?

The thought pained her. He fought so hard against his injuries, just trying to find her. That meant something right?

Ariel mustered all her strength and somehow got herself into a sitting position. Everything in her ached, but not more than her shoulder. Her leg felt a lot better now that the ceiling piece had been moved, but she inspected it anyway. Her pants were ripped up the side of her leg so it was easy to see, she had a long gash on her left leg, running up from her ankle and stopping right below the back of her knee. It was long, but it wasn't very deep.

There was a commotion, and a group of men, all in red uniforms rushed out from the crumbling palace doors. They must be the rescue team. Ariel knew they wouldn't be able to see her, so she had better get out of their way before she got stepped on.

She couldn't see her shoulder, but besides the pain, she felt wetness. She knew she must be bleeding, she could see the liquid as it soaked into her dress, but she had no medical problem. The best thing she could think to do was get to the portal. At least she knew that when she went through, people would be able to see her. Then, she could get some medical help.

She used her good arm, and her good leg, and tried to stand up. She got to a decent squat, but her balance wavered and she had to put weight on her left leg to keep from falling. The pressure in her leg was so intense that she cried out in pain. And yet, the rescuers just continued to search. They hadn't even heard her.

She bit her lip, and managed to stand up. All her weight on her right leg, which still ached, though not as bad as her right leg. She made a move to walk, but swung her left shoulder. Searing hot, white, pain engulfed her and she saw spots of black in her vision. She reached up her left and placed it tentatively on his shoulder. When she pulled her hand out, she almost swooned at the sight of so much blood.

In a haze, she made her way down the lines of green dots. Every step on her left leg made her feel weaker. Every step made her fumble a little more. The further she got from the rescue group, from the palace, from Eric, the more she was sure she was going to simply drop and die. Her pain was so intense that she wasn't sure when she'd reached the portal, but her blurry vision had mistaken it for another green dot. She stepped on it, preparing her mind mentally to take another step on her left leg, but she fell through.

She tumbled down and down and down, too tired and exhausted to scream. The air around her changed from a bright mornings fresh air, to damp and wet nature. Everything got shades darker the further, and faster, she fell and suddenly, she hit her head on a dirt ground and everything suddenly got dark.

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Eric

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Eric allowed the rescuers to carry him. There were four guys, two locked hands and held him behind his back, the other two locked hands and held his legs. His legs felt like jello, and somehow, the ankle he'd hurt in the shipwreck was hurting again. His head was throbbing. His body aching. And his hands were shaking. He felt like a total mess.

The boy, Aladdin, led them to the makeshift survival camp. Maids, servants, and chefs were all getting treatment from numerous doctors. When people saw him being carried by, the maids and servants and chefs who could, stood and bowed at him. He wanted to tell them that that wasn't necessary, but his throat was clenched tight. He felt as if he couldn't even breathe.

Of course, he was led to a tent, separated from the commoners. The rescuers laid him on a table, and they all left him. His head lolled around as he waited for the doctor to come see him. Oddly enough, he was nearly asleep when the curtain was pulled back. He kept his eyes closed, knowing the doctor would do some tests before he began asking questions.

He waited for the poking and prodding to begin, but instead, he heard a shrill cry, from what sounded like some kind of wounded animal.

His temples pulsed and a fresh headache made its way into his head. His eyes snapped open and his biggest nightmare was there, standing before him.

In all her glory, Aurora was beside him, dozens of tissues in her hand and she cried (quite fake, he might add) in what she must have thought was attractive dramatizing. She had on her familiar pink dress, the shoulders pointed outwards, and her long sleeves just a little too long. Her hair was in spiral curls like always, but she had on dark eyeliner. Her makeup was flawless, another way Eric could tell she wasn't actually crying.

"Oh, Eric!" she squalled, "I thought I'd lost you!"

She pulled up a chair and laid her head on his chest. He was simply to weak to move her away. She dabbed at her dry eyes with her embroidered handkerchief and blew her empty nose in it loudly. She grabbed his hand, and his already quaking hands shook a little harder. Not only was holding her hand a nightmare, but her hands were cold. He'd already felt a bit chilled.

"After almost loosing you, I've seriously been forced to think." Aurora said,

Eric wanted to say, 'well that's a first', but he knew he'd just edge on her. If he pretended he was asleep, maybe she'd get bored and leave him alone.

"We shouldn't wait." she told him, "Lets get married the moment your better."

Yeah. Right. Like that was going to happen. Sorry Aurora, but he was already in love.

"I know you've held me at a distance." Aurora continued, "But I see now, you were just afraid."

What the heck was she talking about?

"But Eric, with your kingdom and brains, and my popularity and beauty, and well... perfection. I'm sure we'd make a great team."

Eric knew he'd never get what she was trying to get across to him, so he tapped into his highly developed skills of tuning people out while expertly looking like he was still interested.
"Just imagine me in my wedding dress, something I'm sure you've already fantasized about. I mean, what guy hasn't wished I was walking down the aisle towards him? Anyway, the fairies have given me everything every girl has ever wanted. Not that I needed there help, of course, but its good to be prepared. I can sing. I can dance. And we all know I'm beautiful."

Eric's mind was far from Aurora. Instead, he was more focused on the missing Jordan. She'd saved his life. Again. And she had been closer to the blast than he had been. Surely, she was in even worse condition than he was. He just had to hope, to pray, that she was alright. He needed her to be alright.

Self loathing filled him and he wondered, just why couldn't he have saved her. Why did that responsibility seem to always fall on her? He'd thought himself brave, sacrificing, when he had pushed her behind him. But he realized he should have been thinking more with his brains than with his durability. Perhaps then, he might have had the time to shield her.

"...but I can't help it. Everyone loves me!"

Aurora was laughing when the tents flap opened and Jasmine appeared.

"Oh man," she said, sadly, "It found you."

She put emphases on the 'it'. Eric would have groaned if his throat wasn't so tight. He didn't want to hear this argument. He didn't much believe anyone could dislike Aurora any more than him, but Jasmine always made him second think that motion. Jasmine's no-nonsense kind of personality contrasted greatly with Aurora. And though Aurora always tried to put on a brave face, it was evident that she was afraid of Jasmine.

"And the princess of sand." Aurora greeted back. "I hope your happy. Your wasteland of a kingdom nearly killed my fiancé."

"Fiance?" Jasmine laughed, "Look at his face! Oh, look at all that loathing!"

"At least the love of my life is a prince. The best you could do was a bum on the street. Whats your children going to be called? Mr. Wendell?"

Eric saw something snap in Jasmine, and he wished he had the strength to move because he could have prevented (or at least warned Aurora about) Jasmine's extremely precise uppercut to Aurora's face.

Aurora screamed like someone was trying to kill her.

"Eric!" she cried, "That sand wench hit me! Do something!"

Why did he have to be the one to do something? He was injured!

Granted, Jasmine's precision was probably his, Charming, and Adam's fault. When they were younger, Jasmine had the choice to either play with Aurora, or the guys. Jasmine had chosen the guys. And thus, Jasmine had the precision of an archer and she could probably knock out a grown man.

Fat tears rolled down Aurora's face, mascara running down her cheeks, as she pleaded with him to save her. If she'd been paying any attention, she'd of realized Jasmine was laughing, paying no more attention to her than Eric was to Aurora. He did feel bad though. Aurora was a pain in the neck, but Eric didn't think any woman deserved to be hit. Even by another woman.

The commotion had drawn Charming's attention, and he entered the now crowded tent. With well placed glares, he'd sent Jasmine and Aurora out without so much as a single word. Sometimes, Eric loved Charming's schoolboy approach to being royal. He could be so by the book.

Charming took the seat Aurora had been in, but he didn't say a word. Eric didn't like that.

"What?" he croaked, and even he knew he sounded bad.

"The rescuers just gave a report on the search." Charming said, avoiding eye contact.

Eric waited for the next part of the news.

"And..." he pushed.

"They didn't find anything. No one. Not even remains."

Eric was silent. In his mind, he was trying to calculate whether or not that was a good thing. Of course, best case scenario was that they'd find her alive and well. Worst case scenario was... the opposite. He hadn't even thought about not finding her at all. But, he knew she wasn't well. He could feel it. It wasn't like she could get up and just walk away. She needed medical attention.

"I've told them to spread out some more," Charming said, "And I've set a bigger perimeter. But Jafar is in jail now, and his bird's at the pound. I don't think anyone took her."

Someone had too. He was a guy. Trained for hard action. He worked out regularly. And he doubted he could have made it to town if he had tried. She was Jordan. Small, frail, and delicate. And she been closer to the blast. How far could she go on her own? And where would she go? Surely she wouldn't just leave. Wouldn't... at least saying goodbye, right?

No. This had to be part of some evil plot or whatever. There was no way she could successfully disappear on her own.

"I've got to find her," Eric said, sitting up.

His body ached, but he could shake that off. Maybe something to stem the blood coming from his head. A bit of pain medicine and he was sure he'd be fine.

Charming shook his head, "We've, got to find her. And for now, all your going to do is wait for the doctor. If he clears you, then fine. But we shouldn't be too hasty."

"You still have that missing persons report out in Paris?"

"Yeah," Charming said, catching on, "I can make it urgent though and even set up a watch for her. I'll fly back to Paris, fix that and grab Ella. We can head over to Belgium. Snow White can help us out."

"Al and I can set up here," Jasmine said entering, clearly having been just outside the tent the whole time, "And then we'll, dare I say it, head back with Aurora and fix things up there."

"I'll fly back with you." Eric said, motioning to Charming, "But I'll head east and try to catch up with Adam."

"No ones seen or talked to Adam in weeks," Jasmine informed, "You better take a horse when you go, there may not be a reception to greet you when you arrive."

Eric nodded at her. He'd tried to get in touch with Adam himself, but received no answer. It was high time someone checked on him anyway.

Eric swung his legs off the bed, and Charming made to make him lay back down.

"A doctor can see me on the plane." Eric intervened, "I'll be fine."

"Take my jet." Jasmine offered, "You've both got a longer ride than me. Aladdin and I can take your plane. We'll switch off when we meet up."

"A few days should be enough time." Charming said, "We can meet up in Germany at Eric's castle."

"Alright." Jasmine agreed, backing out the tent, "Good luck to you both. I'm going to get the search started here right now. More than likely, she's still in Agrabah."

Eric and Charming waved her off, as she rushed back to the palace. With her off, Eric got off the bed. He fettered a bit when he put pressure on his hurt ankle. He figured it was simply a light sprain though. Charming grabbed his arm and helped support him and together they left the tent and made it around the palace to Jasmine's jet.

It wasn't a big jet, but it certainly was fast.

Eric climbed on board while Charming gathered the captains and doctors. The ride would probably be no longer than 2 hours or so, but Eric had to take into account that that was just back to Paris. He had to travel the length of the country again to get to Adam's province. And if Jasmine was right, and no one was there to meet him, he'd be taking a long horseback ride the rest of the way.

Eric groaned, running his hands through his hair. All he wanted was Jordan back. Things always had to be complicated for him. Nothing was straight forward.

Eric heard the sound of someone climbing the jets steps. Eric sat up in his chair, prepared to buckle in for the takeoff, but instead of Charming or a pilot, he was met with the tall, skinny, and very annoying Grimsby.

He groaned again.

"My dear boy," Grimsby said, rushing to Eric's side. "You must delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure."

Grimsby had already produced a comb from somewhere and was combing Eric's hair with little grace. The man didn't even try to avoid the wound that was still bleeding.

"Why must everywhere you go only cause more mayhem and pain?" he continued, "This instant, we are going home."

Eric shook his head.

"I'm going back to Paris."

"That's nonsense," Grimsby waved off. "We're going back to Germany."

"I'm not." Eric challenged.

Grimsby stopped combing Eric's hair and looked at him sternly. Eric looked back. This was going to be a long flight.

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Ariel

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Perhaps she had hit her head. Ariel wasn't sure. But she didn't remember hitting her head. Or even falling through the portal. But that must have happened, because she was in a completely different place than Agrabah.

The first thing she noticed was the smell. It was like wet dirt and trees. She believed she liked it. Fresh and yet, earthy. It was a completely new smell to her. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but when they did, she found she was surrounded by trees. Nothing like the arranged shrubbery and forestry that was near Cinderella's home. No, this was dense. Trees had to be stories and stories high. It was raining too, but the tree's canopies blocked a lot of the water from falling through.

But this didn't change the fact that Ariel was soaked to the bone. And cold. Shivering cold. Of course, it didn't help that she was still dressed for Agrabah. She had no sleeves. Nothing to cover her stomach. She didn't even have her scarf. She was practically exposed to the freezing rain and unforgivably chilly wind.

She'd never felt such chills. Back in Paris, it had been cold. A cold that made you want to rub your arms with your hands, and tuck your hands under your armpits. This was a whole new cold. A damp cold. A cold that made you not want to touch yourself, because any contact would push wet clothes onto your body. A cold that made her not want to move.

She felt immobile. She'd come to the conclusion that she'd fallen through the portal, but apparently, she'd banged her shoulder up pretty bad, too. It throbbed painfully. But it seemed as if the cold in the air and the freezing water she was covered in numbed it. It was a bitter-sweet thing, the freezing rain.

She breathed out a shuddering breath, seeing it freeze in mid-air, before evaporating. Had she been well, she would have had a field day with her new discovery of frozen breath. Underwater, breathing did nothing, not even create bubbles. She'd never seen her breath before and she was mildly intrigued at what it actually looked like, and how it behaved. She took a deep breath, breathing in cold, moist air, and breathed out heavily. It happened again, this time, in a puff.

She laughed a breathless laugh. The human world had so many different wonders to it.

She tried to look around herself, but even her eyelids were cold. In the dark, she would have suspected green, glowing dots to be easy to spot, but she found herself in darkness. She wondered if they had given up on her.

There was a flash of light, followed by loud, long, rumbles. She could feel the ground quaking. She remembered this. Lightning. It was dangerous. It had nearly killed Eric.

Just the thought of his name made her want to cry. Her poor, poor Eric. Back in Agrabah, hurt. She hoped Charming could manage to keep him with the doctors. All she could ask for was that he get better. She wished she could have said goodbye. It may have just been her, but she felt like their connection got stronger every time she saw him. She felt like they understood each other a little more. And if she was going to be frank, she even felt like he may actually have feelings for her.

She, of course, was no expert on love, but she knew how she felt. She knew she was in love with him. And when she'd been star gazing in his eyes back in Agrabah, she was sure she'd seen at least a little of that love reflected back to her. She was sure he felt something for her. Sure.

Just the thought seemed to warm her body up.

Ariel made a move to sit up, but her body screamed in protest and she fell back down. She knew her 'adventures' would catch up to her. She'd felt it when Bruno kicked her off. She'd known it back in Agrabah. Finally, her body was telling her 'no more'. But what else could she do?

She couldn't sit there, on the ground, wet, and shivering. She had to find shelter somewhere, and yes, if the green dots showed up, she'd follow them. She had too. This was Eric. Eric. She'd do anything for him. Put her injuries aside, you name it.

With renewed vigor, she successfully got herself sitting up. She tilted side to side, her head spinning. She felt like she'd be sick. A flash of lightning lit the sky again, and Ariel got a good look of the area. Like she'd thought. Mostly trees and bushes.

She shimmied backwards, towards a large tree. She was able to use it as support to get herself standing up. She leaned on the tree, but in her mind, it was Eric holding her. In her mind, he was there, ready to catch her if she tripped, or if she fell. In her mind, his arms was wrapped around her, and she was warm and not freezing. She felt loved, and not alone.

She quickly wrapped her arms around herself, cringing when her cold arms touched her stomach. Her teeth were chattering violently, and really, she just wanted to sit down on the ground again. She didn't feel like she had the strength to even stand.

She looked around herself, confused with the lack of green dots. Without them, she was completely lost. In a world not her own. In a place she didn't know. Where was she supposed to go?

She resisted the urge to sit down. She needed to start moving. Get her blood moving. Try and warm up some. She picked a random direction and slowly, made her way through the woods.

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Eric

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Eric looked out the window as the jet landed. He'd stayed in Paris in the shortest time span he could ever remember. Grimsby had yelled at him the whole flight there, and even Eric's advanced ignoring skills couldn't shut everything the man said out. Another one of his 'your just like your mother' speeches and he was sure he'd keel over and die.

First chance he got, he borrowed a horse from Charming, boarded the jet, and left the man behind.

Honestly, Grimsby did more harm than good.

The pilot opened the hatch, gave him the thumbs up, and Eric grabbed the reins on his horse. The moment the jets door opened, a vengeful wind blew in. The air smelled of wet nature and Eric could hear the heavy drumming of heavy rain. Eric was glad he'd checked the weather in Paris. He layered up in his many wool shirts, put his jacket on, and then his coat. He put on his hat, wrapped his scarf around his face, and then added his leather gloves. He'd put his sailing boots on before he came as well.

The horse, Beauty, pulled at the reins. He didn't want to leave the jet. It was a struggle enough getting the shy horse on the jet, Eric would have thought Beauty would run out the open door. But the jet black horse resisted, and Eric had to eventually cover the horses eyes to calm him down. Clicking at the horse, he walked backwards and down the ramp.

Having already saddled the horse, Eric lifted himself up onto him the moment they reached the bottom of the ramp. He didn't want to stop in Germany to get any clothes and his things in Agrabah had been destroyed, so he had no baggage. But he preferred that. Baggage only slowed him down.

Kicking at the horse, he made his way down the clearly marked path. Adam lived a good ways deep in the woods, but Eric knew a short cut that cut that time in nearly half. What he really needed to focus on was keeping the ever shy and easily spooked Beauty from galloping off or throwing him. In hindsight, he should have chosen his horse more carefully. He'd been in such a hurry though to get to his destination, that he'd asked a stable hand to get a horse for him. The stable boy didn't say Beauty was fearful, and Eric didn't ask.

Even layered up as he was, Eric was still cold. Biting wind bit at his face and his eyes stung. He was actually surprised he could feel anything at all. The doctors on the plane had cleared him, giving him a shot of something, and he'd felt almost instantly numb. But there was something about the cold that made you ache. It made you want to be inside. Want to curl up in a ball next to the fire.

Eric was wishing desperately that Jordan, or Ari, or whatever her real name was, had that choice. He hoped she didn't even get a taste of the bad weather. That was, considering she was even here. She might still be back in Agrabah, for all he knew. But something, something, had made this seem right. Something had supported his decision to come here.

All he could see was her frail body. Freezing. Cold. Out here in the dark. The thought both angered him and made him want to cry.

It was strange, how fast he'd fallen for her. He had known though, from the moment he'd caught a glimpse of her on the beach, that she was special. When he'd talked to her in Paris he'd felt more alive and human than he had ever felt before. And the moment their eyes met in Agrabah? He'd been stricken. Enamored. Infatuated by her very presence. He'd never even seen her entire face, but he didn't even care.

All he wanted, was for her to be alright. For her to be okay.

He wondered, for probably the hundredth time that night, how exactly she'd gotten away from him so fast. He'd been unconscious after the blast from Jafar, but it hadn't been for long. People had probably filed in just minutes after. Surely someone had seen something. And he was a prince. If anyone, wouldn't they want him? Why her?

He shook his head. There was no use thinking of ways the past could be different. He couldn't change it, and that was that. All that mattered was her. Her and her safety. And possibly her feelings. He was certain of how he felt. Never in a hundred years could a girl make him feel the way she did. Make him feel so comfortable. So human. So easy and untroubled. But all of that would come at a later date. Her safety was first.

Eric had looked up at precisely the moment a bolt of lightning lit the sky. It seemed very close. Beauty must have seen it too, because the horse reared up on him. Had Eric not have been riding since boyhood, he would have fallen off and taken a nasty tumble. Only years of experience and skills kept him on the horse, but before he could calm the frightened stallion, the thunder crested over the land and shook the ground violently.

Beauty took off in a full sprint.

Eric tried to pull back on the reins, hoping to slow the panic-stricken horse down, but instead of a slower speed, Eric was met with a low tree branch to the face. He sputtered, trying to slow the horse down and figure out exactly what had happened before he was met with another tree branch. He got a mouth full of wet leaves before he realized Beauty had veered off of the trail and was running straight through the woods. The lower branches of the trees was exactly his face height.

All he could think about was the headless horseman. Here he was, on a black horse, riding through the woods on a stormy night. He hoped he kept his head.

Beauty galloped further and deeper into the woods and Eric gripped the reins tighter. It was all that he could do from being thrown from the horse, or pushed off by the numerous branches that were hitting his face. It was that final thought that crossed his mind before a tree branch, much thicker than the other ones he'd managed to break, hit him right in his forehead.

His head had snapped back, but something caught his eyes when they'd run by. Eric wrapped his hands tightly in the reigns and pulled hard. Beauty reared up again, but Eric turned him around to face the way they'd come from. He was sure of it. He'd seen a flash of red. Red hair.

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Ariel

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.

Ariel was less than stumbling around. She moved at a sea slugs pace, and every few steps she tripped over something. Sometimes nothing. She knew she was clumsy on her legs, but she used to be able to at least walk.

A flash of lightning lit the sky and Ariel jumped, her heart racing. She didn't like lightning.

Her eyes were burning in the cold, frozen, air. She'd sing, something that always managed to get her spirits up, but her throat was burning. Badly. It was clenched tight and she felt like she was working harder to get air through the tight hole, than she was trying to walk.

She tripped again, but managed to fall onto a tree. For a moment, she just held onto the hard, wet trunk of it. She put more weight on her right leg, giving her other leg a break. The cold had numbed it quite a bit, but still, it ached.

She was about to pick herself up, to continue again, when something ran right passed her. It was too dark to see, but she'd felt the air it picked up and she heard it grunting as it ran by her. Whatever it was, it was large.

Her hands had been shivering before, but now they quaked for an entirely different reason. Ariel backed up slowly from where she had been standing, and suddenly, she heard the beast double back. Double back, and head right towards her.

It was the strangest thing, but Ariel suddenly wasn't so tired. He leg suddenly didn't feel so bad. Her shoulder was suddenly cast from her mind.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and it alone, gave her the strength to run. She ran with an unknown ability. She leaped over a tree stump, ducked under a low branch, and spun around a tree. A few days ago, she wasn't even sure if she could run. And yet there she was, running through the woods like any normal human.

She could still hear the beast behind her, it was huffing like she was. It was grunting and she could hear the leaves and twigs crunch and break under its enormous weight. Lightning lit the area, and the beast made a loud, moaning sound. And then she heard a voice, screaming something. The blood was pumping in her ears so loud that she couldn't quite hear, and the thunder that accompanied the lightning deafened the rest of the voice.

She had turned her head around, to see if the creature was still behind her, when she ran straight into a dead tree. The tree creaked and tilted a great degree, the way she had pushed it. Ariel felt a splitting headache come on and she knew immediately, her head was bleeding. The blood, dripping down her face, and into her eyes. The falling rain probably mixed with it, and she knew she must have looked a freight.

Ariel had somehow ended up directly on top of the dead tree. She made a move to get off of it, and possibly continue running, but she just happened to look down. Lightning lit the sky and she was able to see clearly, for a moment, the ravine she was hanging above. She could hear raging, angry water, down below, but she was so far up that she could barely see it.

One thing was for sure, despite her spinning vision and pounding head, she was glad she ran into the dead tree. If she hadn't, she would have ran straight off the cliff.

She got into a crawling position, and made to get off the dead tree and back onto firm land, but the dead tree snapped in a few different places. Ariel froze, her arms shaking. Slowly, she attempted her move again. The tree creaked and cracked a few more times, but she didn't stop.

And that was when the creature broke out from trees and reared up. He'd frightened her so much, that she'd temporarily forgotten her previous problem. She threw herself backwards, away from the creature, and suddenly, the tree snapped in half and she fell.

Her throat felt like it was on fire, but she couldn't help but scream anyway. She felt like she was falling forever, when suddenly, she was under frigid ice water. She'd thought the rain was cold. This was beyond anything she could ever have a nightmare about.

Maybe she'd hit her head harder than she'd thought, because she wasn't scared. Not one bit. This was the first time she'd been under deep water, since becoming a human. In one direful moment, her instincts overrode her common sense, and she tried to breathe. Her mind had been telling her that she was no longer a mermaid, but her body had taken control. The feeling had just been too familiar.

She flailed, choking and not knowing how to swim with human legs. It would be too convenient, too ironic, for a mermaid to drown. Simply preposterous.

And then she heard it. Muted, but very evident, something else had fallen in the water. It was far away and she figured the rest of the dead tree had fallen, but dead trees didn't have arms. And she was sure an arm grabbed her around her waist. Pretty sure, anyway.

The arm pulled her up, but she'd blacked out before she even reached the surface.

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Eric

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.

It was hard enough staying above the raging currents, but now he had to figure out how to get back to land. His answer came when a dead tree sticking out of the water came near. With one arm, he kept Jordan pressed close to his body, with his other arm, he paddled them over towards the tree and was able to pull them both from the water.

He pulled her up further into the mud. He was sinking in it, but managed to find a sturdy spot to lay her down at. Her eyes were closed and she seemed so much paler than he remembered her being. And yet, her skin was burning hot.

He tilted her head back, listening for her breathing, and in a moment of panic, instantly began CPR. He pinched her nose, and leaning down, he attached their lips, blowing into her mouth until he could fee her chest rise. Twice more did he do this, before he sat up and put his hands together. With the heel of his hand, he pressed on her chest.

He repeated CPR at least two more times. His heart was beating a million miles per minute and he continuously berated himself for taking so long to jump in the water. He should have been faster. He should have swum harder. All those times she'd saved him, he really wished he could return the favor. Desperately wished he'd been in time.

He held his breath while he pushed at her chest, it wasn't until he needed to breathe for her that he actually realized this. Taking a deep breath, he attached their lips again. He was mid breath when she spit out a mouthful of water in his mouth. But he didn't even care. He spit the water out behind him, and sat her up.

She'd coughed up water, but she hadn't woken. Eric laid her back down and put his ear to her chest, satisfied when he heard clear breathing. She was still shuddering, though, and he could see why. She was dressed for a dessert environment.

Eric shrugged off his coat and jacket and most of his shirts. He dressed her in his clothes, merely keeping a single wool shirt and his jacket for himself. He'd lost his hat and scarf when he jumped from the cliff, and his gloves were soaked and useless. And probably his biggest asset, Beauty, was back where he'd left him, probably wondering why the heck he'd jumped from a clifftop.

Eric stood, taking a second to dump the mini lake from his boots, before he got back down on one knee and picked Jordan up. She still felt extremely light. With one hand, he pulled the hood of the coat up for her. It was lined with thick fur, but it was also wet now. He knew he had to get her out of the stormy weather as soon as he could. Pulling his own hood up, he walked up the mudslide.

By chance or by luck, he could see the trail through a few trees. He tread carefully, trying to make sure he didn't trip. Beauty would be really helpful, right about then. But then, maybe not. With his luck, lightning would just scare the horse again and he and Jordan would just end up thrown.

Reaching the trail, he realized the rain was making it mushy. One of the problems with dirt trails. But Adam didn't much like roads. He said they interfered with the animals daily lives. Adam was head of animal welfare. He cared for the animals of Pangrea, making sure they had land to stay on, the endangered ones were watched carefully, and he even managed the ones Eric used for food reasons. It was much like him to not like roads.

The wind picked up more, if that were possible, and Eric hugged Jordan closer to his chest. He lifted her hood a bit more, with his head, and for a moment, just listened to her breathing. It was his reassurance that she was alright. He was freezing cold, his head hurt from his tree branch fiasco, and he was very tired. But as long as she was breathing, he'd get her to safety.

Eric had kept his head down while he walked. He was walking into the wind and he bowed his head so that his hood could take the brunt of the frigid air. So when he reached to castle, he was pleasantly surprised.

He felt like he'd been walking forever. He couldn't feel his face. Or his hands. Or his feet. He was trudging and dragging himself, more than he was walking. But even if Adam wasn't inside, he knew he could start a fire and warm himself and Jordan up. At least he could look forwards to that.

It took another few minutes just to climb the front stairs and get up to the door, but his heart pumped at the prospect of a fire. Eric shifted Jordan so he could use one of his hands to ring the castle's doorbell. The bell was so loud it echoed back into the forest. If Adam was home, Eric was sure he'd heard that.

Eric bounced on his toes, waiting, hoping someone would answer the door. Even if Adam had taken an impromptu vacation, most of his servants and maids should be there. Someone should have answered the door by now.

Eric was backing up, trying to see the castle better, hoping to find a light on through a window, proof someone was there, when the giant door creaked open. Eric smiled. Finally. He quickly approached the castle door and went inside without so much as a hesitation.

The door shut behind him and Eric found the inside of the castle was dark. Eric knew Adam liked saving electricity, so he didn't much worry. Eric turned to thank the maid or servant who had let him in, but found the doorway empty. He looked around himself, sure the person couldn't have left so quickly, but all he found was a duster laying on the ground.

Eric raised an eyebrow, but moved further inside. Down a hallway, he could see a flickering light coming from a room. Sure he'd find someone in that room, Eric walked down the hallway, his wet boots sloshing as he went.

He was but a few steps from the room before a loud growl sounded down the halls. Eric froze, his heart speeding up. The growl was loud, monstrous. What exactly was in that room? Adam was known to take in wild animals, but surely whatever was in there was far more dangerous than should be allowed.

Whatever was in the room growled again, louder, and Eric was in mid backtrack before he heard a woman's voice.

"I said it would sting." she snapped, "Now hold still."

The woman's voice didn't sound shaky or scared. She clearly wasn't afraid of whatever she was dealing with. Still on guard, Eric made his way back to the room. He boots made sure he was anything but stealthy, but he stayed light on his feet.

Walking into the room, he froze in his tracks. There was a large arm chair facing away from him, and towards a fire, but still, Eric could see something of capacious size sitting in it. Brown fur hanging over the sides of it, a large sharpened claw being inspected by a girl. She had her brown hair back in a ponytail, and she was sitting on the floor, first aid kit at her side.

Eric tried to calm his racing heart as he approached the girl. She dipped a rag into a bowl of water and put the wet rag onto the creatures paw. The creature bellowed a loud roar, and Eric was sure the girl was going to either pass out or at least scream, but she didn't. Instead, she stared at the creature with stern eyes.

A beat passed by before the girl looked up an noticed him standing there. Her mouth formed an 'o' but then she stood up.

"The poor girl," she said, motioning to Jordan. "Seems we're all suffering from this storm."

The animal in the chair whipped around, realizing it wasn't alone, and for some odd and crazy reason, Eric's heart actually stopped racing. He wasn't sure why.

"Here," the girl said, approaching him and holding out her hand, "I'm Belle."

Eric held his hand out as best as he could while holding Jordan.

"I'll stoke the fire," Belle said, "You can put her in the chair over there."

Eric did as he was told, walking past the beast towards a second arm chair.

"Eric." the creature greeted.

The voice was gruff and hoarse, but under that rough exterior, Eric heard familiarity.

"Adam." he greeted, without the confirmation of his brain, and suddenly, Eric realized why he'd stopped freaking out.

That didn't make things less... weird, though. Adam was an animal. An animal. How did that happen? And how on earth could it be fixed? Adam was a prince, he couldn't be... an animal.

"That's enough." Adam said to Belle, who was adding more wood to the fire.

"He's freezing." Belle retorted, motioning to Eric, "And she needs to warm up. I'm making it bigger."

Adam thew his extremely furry arms up and marched out the room. Eric could hear claws on the hardwood floor echoing down the hallway.

"He's infuriating." Belle said, marching out behind him, but heading in a different direction.

Eric was rooted where he was for a moment. He was trying to take everything in and process it in a fast fashion, but he was simply too confused. Why was Adam an animal? Since when did girls start staying with him? Where were his maids?

Eric shook his head. Those were questions for a late morning.

Eric gently placed Jordan in the armchair. He went around the chair, and then pushed the chair closer to the fire. Eric removed the wet coat from her, and all his shirts, except one. Then he shed his own jacket and boots. The fire felt amazing on his skin.

Jordan let out a weak cough, and Eric looked at her closely. Spotting the first aid kit and bowl Belle had left behind, Eric figured he better set to work.

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Ariel

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.

Ariel had dreamed of a boy. A young boy. He had had neat, black hair and very dull blue eyes. She hadn't known him well, but something about him screamed for help. Something about his fixed stare, and attitude just seemed so sad.

She didn't know his name, but the two had play hide and seek. When the game was finished, his hair was unruly. Wild and crazy. He looked happier, but still desperate. Then she took him outside, where they stood on the beach and she taught him to listen to the wind. She remembered looking towards the boy and finding his dull eyes weren't quite so dull anymore. His hair was blown back and he was smiling. She knew this was a memory. She remembered it. But this boy, he was human. How could she have been so close to him as a mermaid child?

And then, the boy wasn't a boy anymore. He was a man. A tall, handsome man. He stood at the edge of a sailing ship, his head back a smile on his face. And Ariel realized she herself was a mermaid. She was in the ocean, looking up at this man. And this time, she knew his name. It was Eric. She remembered this memory very clearly.

But something happened and Eric suddenly fell from the ship. She dove after him, already knowing she'd save him, swim to shore, and find Ursula. But something was wrong, she could see Eric, he was sinking, but no matter how hard she swam, she couldn't seem to get close enough to him. She swam as hard as she could. She used her arms, trying to get some kind of headway. Her tail burned with the exertion she was putting on herself and her lungs burned as she worked so hard. But Eric kept sinking and she knew she'd never be able to reach him.

He sunk faster and faster and soon, she couldn't see him anymore.

She screamed.

She felt tears streaming down her face. Her entire dream, she'd known she was asleep, but for some reason, everything suddenly felt real. She let the tears fall down her cheeks and she wished desperately that she could go back in time and try again.

A gentle hand brushed her tears away and confusion filled her, as it didn't coincide with her dream. She'd been in the ocean, but the image melted away. Everything changed, giving way to a new scene. Suddenly, she wasn't in the ocean anymore. Now, she found herself in a ravishingly furnished room. And the gentle hand brushing her tears away belonged to Eric.

She wondered where this dream came from, because the last thing she remembered was falling off a cliff.

"It's alright." Eric was saying, softly, "Your safe now."

Every word he said, she believed. She believed it wholeheartedly. If he said she was safe, then she was safe.

She reached a weak hand up, grabbing the hand he'd used to brush her tears away. Normally, she'd never make such a forward move, but after her dream, she was longing for companionship. Any companionship. It being him was just a bonus.

After a second went by, she had to put her arm down. She felt so drained, she could barely hold it up. Her entire body felt like she'd been hit by a whale's tale. But, in an instant, she noticed something. Her shoulder, it didn't hurt so bad, and neither did her leg. In fact, they actually felt really soothed. Eric was sitting on the floor, and she could see all the medical equipment he had out. He must have used some kind of medicine.

"Here," Eric said, handing her a small bundle, "For your head."

Even though he had handed it to her, he still grabbed her hand and put her hand on her head for her. The bundle was cold, but when she put it on the cut she'd gotten from ramming the dead tree, she felt better. She opened her mouth to thank him, but he placed a gentle thumb on her lips.

"You've got a nasty cold." he told her. "I can feel your throat is swollen."

He moved his thumb from her mouth and lightly placed it on her neck, as if proving his point.

"I'm sure it burns." he suggested, and she nodded her head.

Her throat did burn.

She looked at his face a little longer, and she realized he must have hit his head too. Right at his hair line, a dark bruise had formed. She didn't speak, but she placed her finger on his head, right by the bruise.

He looked up at her hand, and then at her, and he smiled.

"Yeah," he said, "I kind of bumped it on some tree branches."

Her face fell. He'd gone through so much. She hated to see him in any pain. She took the ice bundle from her head and placed it on his bruise.

"Oh, no." he chuckled, putting the bundle back on her head, "I'll take care of it. You just keep that ice on your head."

She obeyed, but begrudgingly. She had a feeling he wouldn't except any other answer, though.

"But besides that," he continued, "How do you feel? You've cut your shoulder pretty bad and your leg, too. It may be a while before they feel 100%, but I've put a salve on it. Is it livable?"

She nodded strongly. She could hardly feel any pain at all. He was certainly a better doctor than she was.

He was staring at her. Not uncomfortably, but lightly. Almost longingly. She'd stared at him that way before herself, but now she found herself blushing at the attention. She wasn't used to single attention anyway. Back at home, she was always with her sisters, or her father. They were looked at more than her. On land, most people didn't even second glance her. But now, with Eric's eyes on her, she felt so special.

She looked down at her lap, finding surprisingly, that she had a totally different shirt on than she remembered. It was blue, and incredibly soft. She noticed Eric had on a red one, just like her. She didn't question that.

She looked back up at him. He seemed so calm, so comfortable, looking at her. She let a small smile grace her face. Not that it meant much, but she liked looking at him too. Slowly, with careful movements, he brought his hand up and rested it on her cheek. His hand was warm.

Everything about this was just so right. His eyes were soft, as he rubbed his thumb in tiny circles on her face. He was so beautiful, she was sure she could stare at him all day. And then that magic moment happened, both of their eyes meeting at the exact same time. And she knew she would be lost in his eyes for a long time.

They were less than an arm's length away, but she suddenly found that he was progressively getting closer. She hadn't realized it, but the hand that was on her cheek was gently, slowly, guiding her in his direction. She couldn't have resisted if she wanted to, even if she didn't know what odd human act awaited her now. She was simply drawn to him.

They were so close now, that she could feel his breathing on her face. He took small, shallow, breaths and she found she wasn't breathing at all. They were so close to each other that she felt immobilized. Between his simplex beauty and just the dizzy spell he cast on her, she felt faint. Slow. Dreamlike. She could smell the familiar scent of the ocean on him. He must always smell that way. His smell made her happy.

His eyes were lidded, and she tried to mimic his look. She saw in a flash, his blue eyes flicked down to her lips, and she tried to keep confusion off her face. Merfolk didn't do... this. If this was a sign of affection, it was unfamiliar to her. Merfolk swiped tails when the wanted to show romantic attraction. It should have dawned on her that humans didn't do that, though.

They were millimeters away. So close, she was surprised they weren't touching. She waited for something to happen. She waited with an anxious, churning, stomach.

"Eric!"

Eric jumped away from her and she jumped too at the snapping voice. She wasn't sure why, but she felt as if she'd been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. Ariel turned slowly, so not to agitate her shoulder, towards the voice, and found a tall, skinny man with pure white hair staring at her. She immediately recognized him from the shipwreck. He'd yelled Eric's name, and it had been the first time she'd heard it. But right now, he didn't look very nice or happy.

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Eric

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.

Eric's eyes were wide. He'd left the man back in Paris, expecting to have at least a day or so without him. But here Grimsby was, right there. The man had to of left the moment he realized Eric was gone. And Eric wondered just how the man had reached Adam's castle so fast.

"Young prince," Grimsby grit out, using a term Eric knew meant the man was furious, "A word."

Eric got to his feet without a word, his eyes cast down. Even his practiced mind could not think of a way out of this situation. There simply was no excuse.

"I'll get you some tea." Eric told Jordan, who looked mildly alarmed. "For your throat."

She nodded at him, and Eric left the room, leading the way to the kitchen. He was desperately trying to come up with an excuse to the position he'd been caught in. Maybe he could say he'd been looking at a scratch on her face? Checking for a fever? Checking her pulse? No, neither of those would work. He figured he'd just have to face the music.

In the kitchen, Eric grabbed a cup from the pantry, and Grimsby leaned again the kitchen counter, arms folded. Eric put a pot of water on and leaned back on the counter, opposite of the man. Idly tracing shapes on the counter's top, Grimsby snorted.

"Stop that." he said, meaning Eric's tracing.

Eric stopped. The last thing he needed to do was agitate the man.

"Does," Grimsby began, seemingly not sure how to start, "Does Triton know she's here?"

"Triton?" Eric asked, his eyebrows furrowing. He was sure they were about to talk about Jordan.

"Yes, Triton." Grimsby spat, but Eric shook his head, lost.

Grimsby looked at him hard. His eyebrows furrowed too, and he seemed deep in thought.

"When... when did she get here?"

"The same time I did," Eric answered, seriously confused, "Grimsby, what am I missing?"

"You don't know, do you?" he asked, laughing in disbelief, "You don't even know."

"Know what?" Eric pressed, "What are we talking about, here?"

"We're talking about that thing you nearly kissed."

Gone was the disbelief in Grimsby's voice, and now, he sounded angry. But Eric hardly notice, the man was beginning to get under his skin, too.

"She isn't a thing." he defended.

"Well, she isn't a girl."

Eric fell silent. There was nothing he could say to that. Of course, though, Jordan was a girl. She had legs and hair and skin. She was a beautiful girl. Grimsby, well, he was old. And now it was clear, he was delusional as well.

Eric turned from the man, turning off the boiling water.

"Eric." Grimsby said seriously, "She isn't who you think she is. She doesn't belong here. Not with you. And not with this world."

Grimsby's words went right over his head, though not as easily as Eric would have liked. Clearly, Grimsby was talking nonsense. But, why? What did he mean, not in this world, anyway?

"Might that be the famous, Jordan, you're chasing?" Grimsby asked, and Eric kept silent, searching the cabinets for tea packs.

Grimsby laughed, "You don't even know her real name."

Eric knew this. Every time he said or thought the name Jordan, a small dagger felt as if it pierced his back. And as much as Eric would have loved to have had a witty comeback to hit Grimsby with, he had nothing. He didn't really know much about 'Jordan'. Didn't know where she came from. Who her family was. Didn't even know her real name. But deep down, he knew he didn't care. Where she came from didn't matter. Who her family was wasn't his first demand. And her name, for all he cared, could be Eric. All that mattered was her. How she made him feel. How much he loved her.

"Stop doing that." Grimsby said, and motioned to Eric's hands.

He'd been tracing patterns on the counter.

Eric had been about to mumble an apology, when something hit him.

"How do you know so much about her?" he asked, turning to look at Grimsby.

For a moment, Eric could see he'd caught Grimsby off guard. The man looked around himself briefly, as if the answer was hidden in one of the kitchen drawers.

"I know her father." he settled on, "Triton. And I know, for a fact, that Triton will have all of our heads if his daughter isn't returned. Understandably, it is clear she did not have his permission to be here."

Eric rolled his eyes. So what if she ran away. More than once the thought had crossed his own mind. But he knew too many people and too many people knew him. He'd never make it passed the front gate without a crowd of people gathering around him.

"I don't care." he told Grimsby, matter of factly.

"You don't care?" Grimsby asked, "What are you not getting, Eric? She, is the last person on planet earth, that you need to be having an affair with."

"An affair?" Eric asked, whipping around, "That's what you think is going on?"

"Oh, please." Grimsby waved off. "You hardly know her. Don't even know her name. What else could this be?"

"Try love." Eric offered, highly aware of its cheesiness, but not even caring. "Grimsby I love her. And I don't care what you think."

It was the first time he'd admitted it out loud, but just saying it, he felt liberated. Completely free. And though he was extremely mindful that he had no idea how she felt, he was certainly sure of how he felt. Sure.

"Well," Grimsby said, a slight smile on his face, "Are you aware that she's currently engaged?"

"Maybe that's why she ran away." Eric said, turning back around to finish making her tea.

He could hear her down the hallway coughing a cough he was sure hurt her throat.

"Eric," Grimsby said, a last effort, "Your not listening to reason. You think you've fallen for the first unique girl you've found. You can't possibly believe your truly in love with her."

"I don't believe anything. I know."

"You think you know. I can tell you now, honestly, this girl you are involved with, she will only bring heartache and misery to not only you, but your kingdom."

"I'm prepared to fight for her, Grimsby." Eric said, turning back around, and grabbing a jar of honey.

He made sure he looked the man right in his eyes because he was serious. He'd do anything he had to just to have a chance with her. Just a chance. He'd talked to all kinds of girls. Royal. Common. Noble. And none of them suited him. None of them made him feel so real. So alive. So normal. And he knew no one ever could. It was Jordan. She was the only one for him. He knew so for a fact. The only thing that upset him was the fact that he had to convince other people of that fact.

Why could no one believe in his surety? His certainty? Charming fell in love on first sight, with a girl who too, wasn't what she'd appeared to be. Jasmine too, had fallen for someone who wasn't who they'd said. He wasn't judging them, but how come when he'd fallen in love with a voice, a personality, he was absolutely crazy?

"She is bad news." Grimsby said, "Her father will kill if needed. And for you, boy, to get in his way-"

Eric shook his head, tuning the man out. He grabbed Jordan's tea and made to leave the kitchen. He was done listening to Grimsby's clear disagreement with his choice of love, but again, he didn't care. Grimsby grabbed his arm, though, before he could leave.

For a long moment, Grimsby simply stared at him before saying, "I've warned you. Now you've left me no choice."

Eric waited for Grimsby to continue, but the man simply let his arm go. Eric didn't chance that. He wasn't sure what Grimsby had meant, but his words had put a heavy stone in his stomach, and he suddenly felt very unsettled.

Eric made his way down the hallway, but he didn't turn his head from Grimsby until he'd reached the main formal sitting room. Walking in, Jordan was right he'd left her. She kept the ice pack on her head and massaged her shoulder with her other hand.

"Hey," Eric said, sitting on the floor by her feet, "Sorry about that."

She waved her hand, as if saying 'forget about it'. He handed her her tea and she took a sip, before placing the cup on the table beside her.

"We were pretty loud." Eric said, avoiding eye contact. "You hear a lot?"

She put her pointer finger near her thumb, showing only a little bit.

Eric reddened. Most of his words were about how much he loved her. Definitely not how he wanted to tell her.

He opened his mouth to apologize to her, sure he'd set some kind of permanent uncomfortable air between them, but she put a slim, delicate finger on his lips. She looked at him deeply, and shook her head. He'd be on edge is she didn't have a smile on her face. He couldn't help it, he smiled too, not ever sure why.

She took her hand away from his mouth, and placed it on his chest. His eyes furrowed a bit, she was trying to tell him something. Her hand, wasn't directly on his chest, more to the side.

"My heart?" he asked, and she shrugged in a sort of 'halfway'.

He was kind of right.

"Love?"

She nodded. Then, she placed a hand on herself, right on her chest. He understood.

"Yes." he confirmed to her, placing a hand on her face. "I love you very much. And I know-"

Another finger to his lips. He waited. She placed a hand over her own heart, and the placed her hand on his chest. And then she pulled him into a hug.

For a moment, he was stunned. Frozen. In a dimwitted trance. She... she... she loved him? Truly? She loved him back? The idea seemed so unreal. All that time, he'd been so sure of his love. And now, to know she returned his feelings?

He snapped out of his daze and embraced her back strongly. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, and he kissed the top of her head. It all just seemed so... unreal. But in a good way. In the best way possible. Back in Agrabah, when he'd held her, he hadn't thought he could float higher than cloud nine. But he'd been wrong. So, so wrong.

He was still on his knees, and she was still in the chair, but he moved from the floor and to the chair. The giant armchair was big enough for the both of them, and he sat back beside her, still holding her to his chest. For a long while, they both simply sat and looked at the fire, feeling it and each others warmth.

He couldn't imagine another woman locked in his arms. He couldn't imagine any other woman he'd want to confess his love to. There was no one else for him. No one. And to know she felt that way about him, was just bliss. Pure bliss.

He sat there, simply breathing her in, enjoying her company, stroking her hair, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. Enjoying knowing that she loved him. That their feelings were mutual. She smelt like rain, but mostly like the ocean. The smell reminded him of Germany. It was a nice smell.

A moment ago, she'd had her arms wrapped around his waist, but now, they were slowly sliding down to her lap. He sat up a bit, to look at her, and found she was fast asleep, using his neck and chest like a pillow. Her eyes lightly closed, mouth slightly agape. She looked so peaceful. He hadn't known how long they were sitting there, but the fire was getting low and she was already sick. She needed her rest.

As much as he would have loved to sit there with her all night, she needed to be laid down in a proper bed for a proper rest. The room wasn't warm enough anymore, anyway.

He moved with slow, deliberate movements, trying not to wake her, as he picked her up bridal style. Her head fell back, and he moved her so that her head rested on his shoulder. Honestly, he wouldn't mind holding her like that all night, but he reminded himself that she was sick. And with her head on him, her forehead on his cheek, he felt how hot she really was. She was certainly running a temperature. And a high one at that.

Adam had a hallway of rooms he used for guests up on the floor above, and Eric went back to the foyer to get to the stairs. Normally, Eric didn't sleep on that level. He and Adam and Charming and Jasmine never treated each other like guests. They were more of a family than strangers or visitors. But for Ariel's sake, he chose one of the rooms for her, already deciding he'd sleep in the room next door.

He put her in bed first, tucking her under the covers before he fumbled in the dark room, trying to get a fire going. The fireplace already had a stack of wood ready and Eric got it roaring soon enough. The room heated up almost instantly and Eric debated whether or not he should put an extra blanket on Jordan. The last thing he wanted was for her to be cold.

He compromised with himself, getting a blanket from the cabinet and folded it in half, only covering her legs. If she got cold, she could unfold it and cover herself fully. He could see rain still falling heavily out her window, and he figured he better get to bed himself. Rain always made for a nice sleep.

Eric was closing the door gently behind himself when he was yanked from his feet backwards. He winced, something sharp poking him in the back. Turning, he was met with a gruesome face. Sharp fangs hanging out of a hairy mouth. Dark, hard eyes stared at him. Eric tried to stay composed, keeping his face normal.

"'Sup Adam." he said, clearing his throat when it came out scratchy.

What horrible, horrible, tragedy could have turned poor Adam into that?

"What did you do?" Adam asked him, and Eric tried not to wince at the harsh voice, "Grimsby just had a heated conversation on the phone in his room."

Eric waved him off, "He's just pissed I'm not in love with Aurora."

"What idiot would fall for her?" Adam asked, but shook his head, "Never mind that. What did you do, seriously?"

Eric sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, how to explain Jordan? She was so much wonderful wrapped in one that there simply was no way to explain her in simple words.

"I'm in love." he told Adam, simply. "And Grimsby isn't happy about it."

Adam hummed.

"But what about you?" Eric asked, trying to politely get the story of Adam's beast-hood out, "You've... changed."

"That's an understatement."

Adam made his way, on all fours Eric noted, down the hall. Eric followed at his heels. He was ready for a long nights sleep, but he was also interested in Adam's story. Adam was like a brother to him, if there was some way Eric could help, he wanted to. But he knew first, he'd have to get the full story.

It looked like he wouldn't be getting much sleep after all.

. * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . *

---

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.

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Ariel

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Ariel opened her eyes, groggily. She had a pounding headache, but she supposed she could deal with it. She'd expected to wake up writhing in pain. He leg on fire and her shoulder shooting pain up and down her arm. But instead, she felt numbness from them. That same cold, numbness she'd felt when Eric had put that medicine on her.

She noted the warmth she felt, and for a moment, she thought it was just the fire she could hear crackling, but then she thought back to the night before and she knew, it had nothing to do with the rooms temperature.

She screamed a high pitched squeal in her head. He loved her! He loved her! He loved her! He really, really, really loved her!

Oh everything was so worth it. The transformation. The deal she made with Ursula. Her journey. Even her injuries. It was all worth those three little words he'd spoken to her. It was worth being in his embrace again. It was worth falling asleep in his arms. Never had she slept so well. She'd tasted true perfection that night. She was sure of it.

The day before had started off so sad and lonely. Waking in a pile of rubble, knocking herself out in the portal. Being chased through the woods. It had been crazy. But if she'd of known she'd end up falling asleep in Eric's arms, she wouldn't have worried one bit.

"Your awake." said a voice, and Ariel looked near the window of the room to find a girl.

She was definitely pretty, her brown hair tied back in a ponytail. Her fair skin and pink lips. She had a book on her lap, but she closed it and went towards Ariel, sitting on the side of the bed.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Fine." Ariel said, finding her voice was in better condition, but still hurt a tremendous amount.

It was like every word was a dagger, scrapping her throat as she spoke them.

"You don't sound so good." the girl said, putting her cool hand on Ariel's head, "Still a slight temperature, but definitely better than yesterday."

Ariel nodded, she felt better too. The girl continued talking about something, mentioning her name was Belle as well, but Ariel had retreated back into her mind for a moment. There, she was back in the embrace of Eric. And he was telling her, again and again, that he loved her. Oh, he loved her! She could never imagine the joy she got when he told her that. And she would never forget his face when she showed she felt that way too. She couldn't even hold it in, she'd simply hugged him.

Belle was still talking, so Ariel sat up. Out the window, she noticed the rain that had fallen the day before had now frozen and the window was full of crystals. She could see now, also the fire that was going. Fire was something she'd always been fascinated about. It was wild and uncontrollable, but then, with skills, you could tame it to any size you wanted.

And then there was the matter of why, exactly, it burned. Did it have something to do with the heat? The oxygen it used up? The embers maybe?

"Ember. What a nice name." Belle said, "Kind of like Amber. It definitely matches you hair."

Ariel blinked. Had she said something aloud? She must have, because for some reason, Belle believed her name was Ember.

"And I met Eric last night." Belle said. "He's nice."

Ariel nodded, Eric was so nice.

"He's the reason I'm in here." Belle told her, "He stoked the fire, changed your bandages this morning, but didn't want to wake you. Your fever made him nervous, I guess, so I told him I'd volunteer to stay with you while he and the Beast did some things."

So that was why she'd woken up relatively pain free, Eric had changed her bandages and no doubt he also put some more medicine on her wounds. She sighed. He was so cherubic.

"Your together, aren't you?" Belle asked and Ariel nodded, she supposed they were together now. "I could tell. He kissed your forehead before he left and it was like something out of a romance novel. I can tell her really loves you."

"Kissed?" Ariel croaked, the word unfamiliar to her.

"Yeah," Belle said, jokingly, "You know, lips to your forehead."

Ariel didn't know, actually. But she felt as if it were important. Eric had been about to do something the night before, and still, she was puzzled about what it was and what exactly he'd been about to do. But Belle seemed pretty knowledgeable.

"Whats it mean?" Ariel asked, her voice even rawer than before.

Belle blinked at her, confusion crossing her face.

"You don't know what a kiss is?" she asked, and Ariel shook her head.

Ariel pointed to the window and pushed her hands away.

"Far?" Belle asked and Ariel nodded, repeating the action. "Somethings, far away?"

Ariel pointed to herself.

"Oh," Belle nodded, "Your from far away. I see, well, it must be far."

Ariel nodded. Yes, Atlantica was pretty far away, indeed.

"Well," Belle said, getting comfortable. "A kiss is a sign of love, or affection. It's when two people touch with the lips. Of course, there's different kinds of kisses, but it really is just closing your eyes and pressing lips together."

Belle spoke with a textbook knowledge. Ariel felt like she could ask the girl anything, and get an answer that she could compare with a dictionary.

So Eric had kissed her forehead that morning. Which was a sign of affection. And the night before, had he been about to kiss her on the lips? A sign of love? Of romantic attraction? Her heart swooned. Eric just got better and better with time.

Ariel got Belle's attention by waving her arms a bit. When the girl looked at her, Ariel pointed at her, made a heart shape with her hands, and then pointed to the door. She wanted to know whether or not Belle and the 'Beast' were in love. Ariel couldn't imagine someone calling their love a beast, but to each his own.

"Me?" Belle asked, before laughing. "Not a chance. I've been kidnapped, and I'm simply here plotting my escape... and reading. Surprisingly, there are some good books here."

Ariel made a face. How.. strange.

"It's a long story." Belle told her, "Trust me it'll only weird you out. But, I wont lie, I owe the Beast my gratitude. He saved me yesterday from a pack of wolves. I'm at least trying to be nice, but, he's got such a temper."

Ariel nodded. She knew a lot about tempers. Her father being a prime example.

"Anyway," Belle said, "There's a closet full of clothes and a bathroom that never runs out of hot water. You can bathe and then we can head down to breakfast together."

Ariel nodded, and swung her legs out of bed. She was glad the fire was going, because even in the warm room, she was a bit chilled. She still had Eric's shirt on, and the thought of taking it off made her sad. It smelled like him. Like the ocean.

Opening the closet, Ariel was met with hangers and hangers of beautiful dresses. Ariel turned to look at Belle, who was reading her book again. She had on a simple, blue dress. Not too much unlike the one she'd worn back with Cinderella. Ariel wondered why she chose something so plain.

"Sorry," Belle said, not looking up from her book. "But I got the only normal dress in there."

She sounded apologetic. But Ariel didn't mind. She wanted to look extra special for Eric that morning. After all, they were together. The thought made her giggle.

Oh, he loved her.

Picking through the dresses, Ariel stopped at a pink one. It was off the shoulder, but long sleeved. It was pink and white, and while it was tight and synched at the top, it fluffed out quite a bit below the waist. It looked a bit extravagant, but Ariel wanted to look nice for Eric. Even though she knew he didn't mind what she had on. After all, he'd put up with her horrid weathered look the day before. She had been soaked, her hair a mess, her clothes a mess, and he still admitted his feelings confidently. She figured he deserved to see her dressed up after all of that.

Pulling the dress from the rack, Ariel held it up to herself. She hoped she could pull the look off. The turned to Belle, hoping for an opinion.

Belle looked up from her book.

"Wow." she said, "That's... big. You might could pull it off, but I'm not much of a girl with an eye for big. But you go on and wear it, it'll look nice."

Belle was a minimalist. She preferred not to draw attention to herself. But Ariel didn't mind. She liked the girl. She reminded her of Attina. Smart. Sophisticated. Knowledgeable. She'd make a good princess.

Ariel went into the bathroom, finding necessities were already laid out for her. A rag. Undergarments. Soap and shampoo. Ariel wondered if Belle had done this for her. If she had, then she and Attina had a scary resemblance.

Ariel shrugged and ran the hot water. There were two windows in the bathroom, but high off the ground. They were covered in frozen crystals too. They looked beautiful, but Ariel wished she could see the sun. It was one of her favorite things about the human world.

.

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Eric

.

.

Eric was covered in dirt and mud. And, it was beginning to snow.

He was back by the accursed river he and Jordan had fallen into. But he wasn't here swimming for his life, this time. Instead, he was trying to get a deer out of the mud. The poor things leg was trapped between a rock and a tree branch. Adam was down the river, getting a platypus' eggs out of a sink hole.

The rain that had hit last night had been one of the worst storms the area had ever seen. The river had flooded quite a bit and it had caused a lot of destruction. Adam, the animal lover that he was, had woken Eric up at the crack of dawn with the task of helping as many animals as they could before breakfast was ready.

Adam didn't say how breakfast was going to be made, and Eric didn't ask. He'd only gotten through half of Adam's sob-story, and hadn't seen any maids or servants. But that didn't mean they weren't there.

The frightened deer Eric was helping pulled at its trapped leg, probably trying to get away from him. It was an animal, it didn't know Eric was trying to help it. But its thrashing was going to get it hurt. The river had receded numerous feet, but Eric was still waist deep in it. The deer could easily slip and snap it leg.

Eric figured he was already cold, wet, and dirty. Taking a deep breath, he ducked his head underwater, trying to see better. The water was murky, but he could see just well enough to move the tree branch with more precision and pushed it out of the way. The deer, realizing it was free, dashed off out of the water and back into the woods.

Eric broke the surface of the water, sputtering and gasping in the frozen air. Bad decision on his part. He wadded out of the water, hands tucked under his armpits. Adam too, wadded out the water. He shook himself like a dog, before stretching.

"L-lets h-head b-back." Eric shivered, bouncing on his toes. "Its f-freezing out h-here."

Adam gave him a look, "It's not that bad."

"You've got fur." Eric pointed out, and Adam shrugged as if saying 'that's true'.

Adam had half relented his long tale of woe to him, the night before. And it was definitely long. Eric had dosed off in the middle of it a couple of times, only to jump awake and find Adam was still talking. The gist though, was that Adam had been a jerk. Now he was a bear/buffalo/boar/lion kind of mix. Adam needed to find a way to set things straight, and voilà, no more animal mix.

Eric figured that shouldn't be very hard. He wasn't a bad person. He just... had a bad temper. And yes, he was a bit spoiled. Was that enough to turn him into an animal? Eric didn't think so, but apparently it wasn't his call.

Eric mounted the horse Adam let him borrow and he didn't wait for Adam to gallop back to the castle. He was tired of being cold and wet. Eric led the horse back to his stall, and then entered the castle, distressed when he remembered the whole place wasn't warmed. Adam and his stupid conservative nature. Would it kill him to at least heat the foyer?

Eric quickly made his way to his room and showered quickly. He stood wrapped in his towel, debating what to wear. It was cold, so he'd definitely be wearing long sleeves. And probably an undershirt beneath it. He had it narrowed down to casual, and formal wear. He desperately wanted to go casual, but Grimsby would want him to dress up for breakfast. It was just Adam and Belle and of course, Jordan, but he was still a technical 'guest'.

Eric went with the formal outfit, hoping Grimsby noticed. The man was probably still pissed at him for his choice of love, but Eric was hoping to win some points with appropriate clothing. He put his dress shoes on and even put on his white gloves. A crown was too big of a stretch, even though Eric hadn't even brought one. Though he knew Grimsby always carried one in his overnight bag.

Eric combed his hair quickly, stopped himself, and then forced himself to return to the mirror and make sure no hair was out of place. Yes, he was doing this to win favor with Grimsby, but he also knew, that deep down, he was dressing up for Jordan. He wasn't sure what she was used to, he hoped being so dressed up didn't scared her, but he figured he could at least put in the effort. After all, last night, she'd seen him at his lowest. Hair dishevelled. Clothes torn and worn. Dirty. The least he could do was show her a better side of him.

The thought of her made him comb his hair a third time. He was so desperately in love with her. Just the thought of her made him want to do better. Actually gave him a reason to wake up. Gave him hope for actual happiness in his future.

If Grimsby truly cared for him, wouldn't that make him happy? How many people, how many prince's could say they married for true love?

And to know, she felt the same way? It made his heart race faster than was probably healthy. It made his mind reel faster than he could keep up with. It put him on a cloud so high, it froze in the stratosphere.

He loved every moment and second and millisecond he spent with her.

Satisfied with his appearance, he left the room, hoping to meet up with Grimsby before everyone else. Not only did he hope to gain a bit of favor, but he wanted to borrow the mans phone. The phone lines in the area was down and Eric hadn't been able to get in touch with Charming or anyone. They were probably all still looking for Jordan.

Eric got to the dinning room, and found it empty, though the table was already set, steaming covers sitting in place over plates. Again, he wondered just where the servants were. Eric casually strolled across the room, and looked out the tall windows that made up an entire wall. Gray clouds were gathering and Eric knew he'd be speechless if it began to rain again.

Hearing footsteps, Eric turned around, but sighed in disappointment to find it was just Adam.

"Sorry to disappoint." he said, taking a seat at the table.

"Just waiting for Jordan, is all." Eric said, making his to the table as well.

Adam, as the owner of the palace, sat at the head of the table. Had they have guests, Eric would have sat beside him, or somewhere near, but Eric decided to sit smack in the middle of the table. He had a nice view out the windows, and he was closer to the fire that was going behind him.

"You've changed your clothes." Adam said, removing the cover from his food.

"As you should have." Eric pointed out.

Adam apparently hadn't changed at all. His hair- fur -was still dripping with river water, looking wild and crazy. He was covered in mud, some of it dripping from his hands and onto his plate. He'd been given some kind of porridge for breakfast, and though he had a soup spoon right beside him, he picked the plate up in his large hands and slurped it down.

Eric turned his attention from Adam's horrendous table manners and looked straight ahead. At the rate he was going, he'd be finished eating before everyone even arrived.

Grimsby arrived next. He had his pipe in his mouth and a newspaper folded neatly under his arm. He didn't say good morning as he sat down across from Eric. The room was quiet, minus Adam's slurping and the occasional turn of a newspaper page. Eric spun his fork around, before leaning back and waiting for Jordan to come.

"Eric." Grimsby snapped, and Eric sat up, straightening his back in surprise. "This tracing thing you do with your hands, its undignified."

Eric mumbled an apology and bawled his fists up. He hadn't noticed he'd been tracing patters on the table's top. He never noticed, really when he did it. It seemed he only did it when he wasn't paying any attention. He'd made the conscious effort before, to stop his habit, but he merely did it again the moment his mind wondered.

"He isn't going to stop." Adam cut in, wiping his mouth with his arm. "He's been doing it since we were kids."

"Thank you, Adam." Grimsby said sarcastically, "I hadn't noticed. But I'm sure if Eric would simply put in the effort to quit this habit, he'd find successful results."

"I've tried." Eric objected. "This isn't something I do because I like to. It's just something... that happens. Note the fact that's it's a habit."

Eric was trying to get along with Grimsby, but sometimes, he forgot how much the man got on his nerves.

"You need help is all." Grimsby said, turning the page of his newspaper, "No shame in admitting it."

"I don't think it's that serious." Adam said, sounding almost bored, "It's not like he sneaks cigarettes or something."

"Besides," Eric cut in, "You hired that habit lady back when I was younger. Even she couldn't help. I think this is just something I do, Grimsby."

"We'll handle this when we get home." Grimsby said, and with that, the conversation was over.

Adam shrugged and went back to slurping his porridge.

.

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Ariel

.

.

Ariel couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to put her hair up in some way, or if she wanted to leave it down. Belle was waiting patiently in the doorway, waiting for her to decide.

"You know," Belle said, "While its clear you're trying to look nice for Eric, I doubt he'll even notice your hair."

Ariel made a face at Belle, then held her hair up in her hands and turned to the side, seeing how a bun would look. It just didn't match the beautiful dress.

And Belle was wrong, it did matter. Even if Eric didn't notice, she did. She knew what she looked like, and if it wasn't to her standards, she had a feeling nothing would go right for her.

"Here." Belle said, entering the room, "Let me help."

Belle pulled a large ribbon from her own hair and tied Ariel's hair back in a ponytail, making a huge bow sit nicely.

"There," she said, "Perfect. Now come on, I'm hungry."

Ariel took a moment to inspect the new hair style. It... actually worked nicely with the dress. Ariel gave Belle a wide smile and the girl just shook her head, though Ariel could see she was smiling as well. Belle led the way and Ariel followed her as they left the room.

Ariel could hardly wait to see Eric. She'd dreamt of him all night. Thought of him all morning. Just the thought of knowing he was in the same castle, and that she didn't need to track him down using glowing dots, made her heart pump and her blood rush. Her throat still ached badly, but would he mind? Last night, he hadn't seemed to mind doing all the talking, nor her makeshift sign language.

And then, maybe he might kiss her. Her heart fluttered. She still wasn't crystal clear on what a kiss was, but she knew it confirmed that he loved her. She sighed. He loved her. Loved her. And Eric, he was... he was nice. And funny. And kind and caring. He traveled a lot, and he had great friends. He was, pretty much, the exact opposite of Gill.

Who, as a matter of fact, still confused her. How on earth could her father have thought they would get on nicely? But Ariel knew, that even if her father had brought someone similar to Eric himself, he could never compare to the real Eric. Maybe, it was a good thing her father had tried to make her marry Gill. If he hadn't, she might not have met Eric.

Ariel shook her head. She should probably focus more on her walking. It was no secret that she was clumsy, her legs still quite new to her. The last thing she needed was to go tripping onto the floor in front of Eric. Unless, of course, he was there to catch her. In that case, it would be alright.

"Can you smell the food?" Belle asked, rounding a corner. "I had a... more than strange encounter with the cutlery last night, though. I hope I can stand eating with it."

Cutlery? What was that?

Ariel had been pondering the question, when she realized she could see Eric in the dinning room, right in the room in front of her. He was sitting at a large table, paying nothing but his hands any mind. Ariel stopped in her tracks, wishing there was a mirror nearby. She wanted to make sure her hair was in place. Make sure her dress wasn't ruffled and that she had nothing in her teeth.

"Oh come on." Belle said, grabbing her arm, and pulling her along, "Don't get shy now."

Ariel was half pulled half yanked into the dinning room. Belle's voice had alerted the guys to their presence, and immediately, Ariel locked eyes with Eric. He stood from his chair faster than she ever imagined possible, and stepped back from the table.

"Doesn't she look nice?" Belle said, when they reached the table, winking at her as she took her seat.

Eric's eyes were wide and Ariel hoped that was a good thing. What if he was shocked at how hideous she looked? She was sure she'd drop dead.

"You look..." he stuttered, "You look wonderful."

Ariel smiled, turning her head to hide her blush. That was definitely a compliment. He held out the chair next to the one she'd been sitting at, and pushed it in so she could sit down. A plate cover covered her plate and she wondered if she was to remove the cover herself. She didn't mind, but if there were no servants, who had prepared the food?

Ariel stole a glance at Eric. He didn't seem calm, relaxed like he'd been with her the night before. Instead, he looked tense. His hands were folded into fists, so extreme that she could see the veins in his wrists. She wondered what had him to uptight. She had a seemingly long, debatable conversation in her mind about what was appropriate and what wasn't. Deciding she didn't care, she carefully took one of his hands in hers. Her hopes had been that he might loosen his grip, maybe even relax a bit.

He didn't turn fully to her, but she caught his eyes. He smiled, and intertwined their fingers. Through his hands, she actually did feel him relax. Like he was taking a deep breath.

The man across from Eric, Grimsby, she believed his name was, cleared his throat. He looked annoyed. She hardly heard what had been said in the kitchen that night, but she had the impression Grimsby didn't like her. And she didn't know why. She didn't know that man and she was pretty sure he didn't know her. In fact, before her change, she didn't know any human.

"Let us eat." Grimsby said, folding his newspaper up and removing the cover of his plate.

With her free hand, Ariel did the same. Different smells filled the room and Ariel noticed everyone had something different to eat. It was odd, but she kind of liked it. She felt catered to. Very different from how she'd been feeling lately. She hardly ate in Agrabah and in Paris, she only ate scraps. It had been a few days since she'd even been served, rather, she'd been doing the serving herself.

It was just then that Ariel noticed, something Scuttle had previously called, a dingle hopper, sitting right beside her plate. Her heart sped up at the sight of something familiar, and after all, Scuttle was a wiz when it came to human things. She didn't even hesitate to pick it up with her free hand and run the prungs through her hair. She smiled, the idea of being 'in-tune' with human-ness giving her a warm feeling.

It wasn't until she looked around that she decided, maybe Scuttle isn't always right. Grimsby, oddly enough, had a slightly know it all look. Like this was something completely expected. Belle, as well as Eric, look perplexed. Even Adam, who was in the midst of slurping his breakfast looked a bit overwhelmed. Ariel put the dingle hopper down quickly, and trying to hide her face with her hair. But of course, Belle had tied it back.

She should of left it out.

But everyone seemed to move past the experience rather quickly, and for that, she was glad.

Ariel looked up, still trying not to be seen, when Grimsby pulled Eric's plate from in front of him. Eric watched it go, almost longingly. He'd had something sweet smelling in a bowl. Of everything, what he'd been eating looked normal to her. Merfolk ate liquids, not very much solids. Ariel herself realized she had some kind of skinny, brown meat like thing. She had no idea what it was called, but it smelled kind of sweet, and very delicious. She also had a small pile of yellow mush and two square pieces of something that was clearly buttered. Her whole plate was full of things she didn't know.

Grimsby, instead, took his plate, which looked similar to hers, pushed most of its contents onto an empty plate, and then pushed the plate in front of Eric. Eric looked at his new plate, which had less food on it than her own, with a kind of mild disgust. Adam snickered at the end of the table, and Eric sent a glare his way.

"Just asking," Adam spoke up, still laughing, "But, Grim, why isn't Eric allowed to eat porridge and eat a real human portion amount of food?"

"Porridge contains oats." Grimsby said, matter of factly, "Oats cause intestinal gas and bloating. And Eric is on a strict diet, as you should be too young ma- Adam."

Eric buried his face in his free hand, while Adam was sent into a new wave of laughing. Ariel looked to Belle who also had a slightly amused look on her face. Ariel herself didn't see anything funny. Her father banned her from eating certain foods too. She hated that, for often, the best foods were the worst to him. Anything with slightly a pleasant taste was nearly banned.

Eric grabbed some kind of tool that was sitting beside his plate and stabbed at the brown meat. She'd been about to pick it up with her hands to eat. That was how she ate in Paris, and in Agrabah, she ate fruit with her hands as well. But now that she noticed it, everyone had some kind of eating tool. Perhaps they were like the straws.

Ariel picked up the pointy tool, like Eric was using, and stuck it in the brown meat. It certainly smelled good, a mix of salty and sweet. And she already knew that more than one flavor often enhanced the taste of foods. She tried to appear normal as she took her first, miniscule bite of the food, but even she couldn't contain a smile, for it was delicious.

Grimsby was a cruel man indeed to take this away from Eric. Everyone was silent for the duration of the meal, but for once, silence didn't bother Ariel. She was too engrossed in her food. Cinderella's cooking was great, but Ariel had rarely tasted any. Agrabah had nice fruit, but Ariel had longed for a proper meal. This, this was amazing. The yellow stuff, the square stuff. It was all good.

Poor Eric was finished before everyone else. But he didn't leave the table, nor did he let go of her hand, instead, he pushed crumbs around on his plate, lightly rubbing circles on the back of her hand. Ariel wanted to offer some of her food to him, but she knew Grimsby would probably deny Eric the gift. So she ate minimally, hoping Grimsby left before them and that she could share freely.

Ariel made sure she left one of the delicious meat links for Eric and a square of what she believed had to be some form of carbohydrates. She had attempted to spare him some of the yellow mush, but the moment she found it had cheese in it, she'd blacked out.

"Well," Belle said, standing up, "Me and Adam are going outside to feed the birds."

Adam groaned, "I'd rather not."

"I don't care." Belle retorted. "You and I are going. Now."

Adam begrudgingly got up from the table.

"Ember?" Belle asked, "Your alright here?"

Ariel nodded, feeling like she'd been caught in the act. She turned hesitantly to Eric, a small smile on her face.

'Ember?' he mouthed, and she shrugged sheepishly.

"And I'd like a word with you," Grimsby said, looking at her. "Miss Ember."

Eric opened his mouth, but Grimsby held up his hand for silence. Ariel wasn't sure, but she thought only royals and people of high stationing could do that. For Grimsby to silence Eric... the man had to be important. She'd be ignorant to ignore him, even though she didn't think he liked her very much.

Grimsby stood from the table, and Ariel followed suite. Ariel pushed her plate to Eric, hoping he got the message, and made to leave. She stopped however, when Eric didn't let go of her hand. He stood up beside her, looking as if he were ready to follow.

"Alone." Grimsby pointed out.

Eric looked between the two of them, looking as if he were torn between listening and ignoring the man. But after a moment, he allowed her hand to slip from his and took a seat in his chair. He looked so sad, Ariel just wanted to hug him. But she knew she'd only be gone a moment.

Grimsby made his way out the room and Ariel followed a few steps behind him. She couldn't force herself to turn and look at Eric a last time, afraid his sad face would be burned in her mind forever. She didn't much understand it. Why wouldn't he want her to talk to Grimsby alone?

Grimsby walked down a number of hallways and took her to a small room. She entered it, finding it cold and a bit stale. It was a study, it seemed. Complete with a small library and a desk and sofa. She figured the room would be much more inviting if the windows curtains were open.

Ariel took a seat on the sofa, fixing her dress's skirt.

"How do you like it here?" Grimsby asked her, pleasantly.

He was standing at the window, peaking through the curtain. He had his back to her and oddly, she herself felt much more at ease.

"The castle is very lovely." Ariel said, hoping her polite speaking would keep the air light.

Her throat burned at the words, but she actually found it bearable.

"No," Grimsby said, "I mean, how do you like it here?"

"Here?" Ariel asked, unsure what he meant.

"Yes," Grimsby said, turning back to her. "Here. As in, on land?"

Ariel's heart picked up speed. She found her hands clenching and unclenching. Surely, this man, this stranger, couldn't possibly know that she'd been a mermaid in her past. And she knew her father didn't deal with humans. She smiled kindly, though, as if she were confused.

"I'm not sure I understand." she said. "What do you mean by 'on land'?"

"You know exactly what I mean." he snapped, and suddenly, he was taking long strides across the room towards her. "How did you turn human?"

He moved very fast for someone of his age, and she suddenly found that he was just inches from her face. She pushed herself back into the cushions of the chair, and tried to focus on not hyperventilating. Her hand went to her chest and she felt her heart beating a million beats a second. She felt faint.

How could he know? How could anyone know? She'd done her transformation at a time when people would have been asleep. She'd done it at night. There was no way he could have seen. But... that didn't cross out the explanation that somehow, someway, he knew she wasn't born human.
"Silent, now?" he asked, backing away from her, and walking around the room calmly. "Out of things to say? Perhaps Eric, could get you to talk."

Ariel looked down at her hands in her lap. Maybe she could call his bluff. Call him crazy and pretend he had the wrong girl. But then what would he do? Would he really run to Eric? Tell Eric everything he knew? If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that Eric couldn't know about her life before she became human. If he found out she'd previously been a mermaid, would he rebuff her? Would he be repulsed? Disgusted at who, and what, she had used to be?

She wouldn't be able to handle his rejection. Now that she'd won his affection, she couldn't give him any reason to turn her away. She needed him.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she found herself cornered. She needed Grimsby to keep her secret, and she knew that he knew, she'd do anything for that. She was at his mercy.

"What do you want?" she asked, upset her voice sound like a whisper, sounded weak and pleading.

Grimsby made a face that she knew meant satisfaction. He'd known he had her probably from the moment he saw her.

"Nothing for now." Grimsby said, and he went to the door and opened it for her. "Your dismissed."

Eric had to have known what kind of man Grimsby was. No wonder he'd been so reluctant to allow her to go alone. He'd just been trying to protect her.

Ariel left the room in a sort of daze. In but a few moments, she'd been gleeful and anxious for her day, but somehow been bartered and manipulated. She felt tears spring to her eyes again and she tried futilely to wipe them away. She couldn't let Eric see her a mess. He'd ask her what was wrong, and she wouldn't be able to tell him. She couldn't tell him.

But oh, did she want to. To know someone else understood this pain she felt. To feel his strong arms wrapped around her comforting. To hear him whisper reassuring and consoling words to her. She was sure it would change her entire situation completely. She was sure he could fix everything.

She scolded herself and wiped at her eyes again and tried to forget what had just happened. But she couldn't shake the conversation. Idly, she made her way down the hallway towards the dinning room, the heels on her shoes clicking all the way. They were a small heel, hardly even earning the name, but her feet ached nonetheless.

She tried to focus on that, her clicking shoes, other than the disturbing conversation she'd just had with Grimsby. She still couldn't figure out how he'd found out.

Reaching the dinning room, Ariel tried to look her usual, perky self. Eric was exactly where she'd left him, sitting in his chair, pushing food around with his fork. He heard her shoes clicking though, and in an instant, he snapped to attention.

Keeping her face void of emotion, in front of him, was the single hardest thing she ever had to do. His face was full of concern, full of anticipation. And she had to pretend like nothing had happened. She hadn't even thought about coming up with a decent cover story.

He stood from his chair when she approached, but she sat down beside him. Too tired to stand anymore. Perhaps it was her gruesome conversation with Grimsby, or maybe it was just her fairly new legs.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Eric asked, sitting back down beside her.

For whatever reason, she'd gotten a burst of confidence in herself. She'd kept her secret so far, quite easily, after all. But she messed up, looking up into his face and suddenly, she knew keeping a secret from him would be 10 times worse than anyone else. She tried to focus on something other than his face. She looked down at the table, wringing her hands. Apparently, he'd gotten the message about her plate, it had been her food that he'd been playing with. But it didn't look like anything had been eaten.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

It was like he knew how to make her talk. He grabbed her wringing hands in his own, and with probably nothing more than will power, somehow forced her to look up at him. She nearly buckled then. Seeing more concern in face than she'd ever seen. She could see, he was seriously, genuinely worried about her. She wasn't sure how close he was to Grimsby, but apparently, he knew the man wasn't very nice.

She tried to tell herself his question had been in general. She told herself he couldn't read her that well. But his intense gaze made her turn away from him. She simply couldn't look at him. He was so honest. So worried. She couldn't dare tell him a lie. And she knew she couldn't tell him the truth. Tears sprang to her eyes and she, yet again, tried to find a way out of her conflict.

Eric sighed, and she mimicked him. Everything was turning into a mess.
"Come," Eric said, standing up and helping her, "Lets get some fresh air."

Fresh air sounded like a great idea. Although she knew it was cold, and she didn't have a coat. But she trusted Eric anyway. Neither said anything as they made their way down the hall. Ariel could tell, he knew something was up. But he was too gentlemanly to badger her about it. She wished, and wished hard, that she could simply tell him. Tell him anything. If she were in his shoes, she'd probably be devastated. Far more than upset.

"Eric," she started, unsure of what she wanted to say, but tired of the silence, "I... I want to thank you. For saving me, back in the woods."

She hadn't planned on saying that, but still, she was glad she did. He'd saved her more than a few times and how she felt was much more than her words could convey, and truly, she was grateful.

"Don't mention it," Eric said, "It is kind of what we princes do. Ride through forests on horseback. Saving damsels. Its an actual class in school."

She smiled, knowing he was joking, but still, she didn't feel better. Her secret, it was sitting on her shoulders, weighing hundred of pounds. She felt like she couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. If she felt like that now, how long was she expected to keep this? And what would Grimsby make her do, now that he had leverage over her?

She shook her head. Now was not the time to think about that. She was with Eric. Finally. Now was the time to be happy. A time to enjoy herself. Eric looked to her, seeming to see her dilemma.

"So," Eric said, swinging the hand he still held in hers, "Tell me something about you that I don't already know?"

Well, I'm a mermaid.

But obviously, she couldn't say that. She wanted to tell him something personal. Not too personal, but something important. Here was the guy of her dreams, a guy who had shamelessly admitted his love for her when they had only met but a few times. A guy who could read her feelings and emotions like a book. A guy who she was sure loved her.

Truly, she'd of loved to tell him her name. Her real name. But what would the consequence be to that? Her journey hadn't ended, she was sure. Was there some kind of repercussion to doing that kind of thing? She hadn't been punished, besides randomly turning invisible. Would it truly kill her, or even hurt her?

In a split second, she decided to just do it anyway.

"My name," she said, looking straight ahead and trying not to focus too much, "My real name, is Ariel."

"Ariel?" he said, after a minute of silence, "That's... that's kind of pretty."

Ariel hoped that was a good thing. Kinda pretty? Did that mean it was also, kinda ugly? Did he not like it? She should have stuck with Ember.

.

.

Eric

.

.

Ariel.

He loved it. He wanted to take back his last comment. Ariel wasn't kinda pretty, it was beautiful. And it matched her marvelously. He...

Eric, in a fit of surprise, snatched his hand away from Ariel, and he backed away from her, until his back hit the hallway wall. She looked at him, startled, emotions flying over her face in rapid succession. Eric didn't mean for his actions to come off as rude, or anything of like. But now, he looked at her. Really, really, looked at her.

It just didn't make sense.

Eric put a hand to his head, trying to put a clearer image of the Ariel he'd known as a child, and the beautiful girl he'd fallen in love with, together. And in an instant, everything matched up. The vibrant red hair. The bright blue eyes. Her carefree nature. In a way, she hadn't even changed.

Eric groaned, sliding down the wall to sit down. He knew she'd existed. He knew he hadn't made her up. But why, why had Grimsby told him otherwise? Why had the man pretended like she hadn't ever existed, when clearly, she did. And now, it was ever so important to know exactly what Grimsby had talked to her about. She wasn't on Grimsby's favorites list, and Eric simply would not have her bullied by the man. He, himself, was harassed enough, he wasn't going to let that happen to Ariel as well.

"Eric?"

Her voice had caught him off guard. He'd retreated deep into his mind, trying to figure things out, practically forgetting she was there. But he looked up at her. She sounded so timid, looked almost frightened; her hands clenched at her chest, her face worried. She looked near tears.

"I'm...I'm sorry." Eric apologized, standing up.

She went over to him, grabbing his hand, and reaching up with the other, putting it to his cheek. Her hands were warm. Just her touch set him at ease. He looked down at her, just realizing how similar she was to her younger self.

"Are you alright?" she asked him

In her eyes, he could see all the worry and concern she truly had for him. He truly hadn't meant to react that way, and suddenly, he felt horribly bad. What she must have thought when he'd pulled away from her that way...

"I'm fine." he told her, "It's... I've just got a headache."

He'd lied to her. Just then. Flat out. He looked down at the floor, unable to force his eyes to meet hers. It was just, he couldn't quite comprehend the situation himself. She was the girl who saved him. She was his first, real childhood friend. She was the girl from Paris. The girl from Agrabah. And now, she was the love of his life?

It was too much to take in. Before he went to her, he needed to sort things out for himself first.

"Maybe you should lie down," she suggested, "It might make you feel better."

"Yeah," he nodded, "I think you might be right. Your alright going back on your own?"

She nodded, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

He made to leave her then, but stopped himself. In a split second decision, he turned back to her and kissed her cheek. He turned back around, heading down the hallway before he could see her reaction. He'd freaked out back there, but he did love her. He hadn't meant to pull away from her like that. He just felt bad.

He really had no intentions to go and lie down. Another lie. Instead, he made his way down the halls and towards Adam's nursery. It was one of his favorite places on earth, period. Besides animals, Adam loved plants. He kept a great deal of them in his nursery. Eric had originally planned to show Ariel there, knowing for sure she'd love it, but now he just needed to clear his head.

Eric passed a window, just happening to look out. It was snowing heavily, and when Eric looked down towards the ground, he saw Belle and Adam having a snowball fight. Eric wondered if Ariel liked the snow.

Reaching the nursery, Eric pushed open the heavy door and went in. The room was nearly uncomfortably warm. The room was alight with natural light, reaching from the far end of the room and back. The room really was huge, shelves of plant equipment separating the vast aisles of different flowers.

For a few minutes, Eric simply walked up and down the aisles, admiring the different species and the different colors. He stopped at a group of roses, all in various colors; red, pink, yellow, orange, purple, and white. Knowing he'd just passed a bunch of roses, all separated by color, he wondered why this particular group was separated.

Finding Adam's nearby plant book, he flipped through the pages, finding the particular group he was looking at. It was under the subheading 'bioluminescence flowers'. Bioluminescence, as in, glowing? Eric smiled. Leave it to Adam to grow glowing roses.

Adam usually didn't care whether Eric took flowers, as long, of course, as he promised to care for them. He wondered if Adam would mind this time. He was sure Ariel would love them.

Grabbing some glass vases, he sighed. Of course, he was happy. Nearly every girl who'd been of importance to him, suddenly was the same person. But the mystery surrounding her was troublesome. Eric put on gardening gloves and grabbed a pair of scissors.

The girl who'd rescued him, she had a voice like nothing he'd ever heard before. Her voice had been as gentle and soft as his mothers. As free as the waves. Light as a breeze. She'd saved his life. But, his accident had happened out in the middle of the ocean. Where had she come from? And how had she somehow got him back to his own shore, without any of his crew knowing about it?

Eric filled a vase with red roses, and then went for a few orange roses.

And then there was his childhood friend. She'd been the first person to ever encourage him to actually let loose. She taught him to talk to the wind. That little trick of relaxing, it had gotten him out of depression at least six or seven times. When the pressure of being a prince, of trying to be perfect, of all the smothering and worrying and attention he got became too much, he simply excused himself and stood outside, where he could be alone, have a moment to himself. He was surprised he hadn't remembered her sooner. She was, after all, very memorable. Of course, when he'd seen her, she'd been five or six. No wonder she didn't remember him. They'd been just young kids when they first met. He wondered what the circumstances had been.

Eric filled another vase, this time with yellow roses.

There was also the girl from Paris. The one who had stumped him. The one who didn't act like he was royalty. She'd talked freely to him and for a moment, he had nearly forgotten he was royalty. He had simply been free to talk as he liked.

Eric occupied a vase with a few dozen lavender and white roses.

And the girl from Agrabah. In his eyes, he believed that was truly when he figured out he'd fallen in love with her. He'd never felt the need to care for anyone more than he'd felt it then. And he'd never wanted to protect anyone more than he'd wanted to then. Surabi had escaped a mighty blow, being a woman. But even then, Eric had never felt his blood boil as much.

Eric added pink roses to a vase.

When Eric had found the tower had collapsed during Jafar's short reign, Eric had been deep into a panic attack. With hopes that she'd somehow survived, he'd went looking for her. When he found her, he couldn't remember a single moment in his life when he'd been happier. Together they'd found a way to defeat Jafar, but when she'd went missing, his entire world seemed to fall apart.

Eric cut some white orange, putting them in a vase.

This girl. Ariel. She was remarkable. She was definitely, the one for him. He was so sure of it. But still, a few things were unexplained. Like how she had saved him. How she'd traveled around so fast, and how they managed to meet each time. Why Grimsby denied her existence, and what he'd said to her just that day. Something much deeper than he, and probably she, understood was going on.

Eric figured a good start, was to talk to Grimsby. The old man seemed to know a lot about her. Eric wanted to know how, and why.

Grabbing the six full vases, Eric left the room. He'd gotten enough figured out to go to Grimsby with a decent argument, but first, he had to deliver his flowers. He still couldn't believe they glowed.

He went to the foyer and climbed all the stairs until he reached Ariel's room. He knocked once. Then twice. Before going in. The castle had lot to see, so Eric wasn't worried she wasn't there. At first, he simply set the flowers on her bedside table. Then figured that looked too boring. Spreading the vases out, he nodded in approval.

He had written a quick note on one of the vases when he noticed Grimsby walk by. Going after the man, Eric was just about to call out to him before he heard a jingle. Grimsby's phone.

Grimsby looked around himself, and Eric ducked back, hiding around a corner. He wasn't sure why he was sneaking, but who looked around before answering a phone call? Obviously, someone sneaky who didn't want to be seen talking to the person on the line.

Grimsby ducked into a room and Eric went down the hall and ducked into the room beside it. The vents in Adam's castle was nearly nonexistent. The vents were like open windows. Eric got down on the floor, next to a vent a listened carefully.

"Hello?" Grimsby asked, into the phone, and to Eric's surprise, he heard the other speaker.

Leave it to Grimsby to have a 'private' conversation on speaker.

"Grimsby. You called."

The voice, it was female. Nasally and impatient. She sounded mean, and short tempered. Eric didn't know her, but immediately, he didn't like this woman.

"Yes," Grimsby said, "You see, we've a problem.."

"What kind of problem? You promised us this would all go without any delays or set backs. Were you lying?"

"Of course not." Grimsby snapped, "Everything is breaking down exactly as I've said. Operation Redemption will continue. But we've got a visitor I wasn't expecting. She's set us back a great deal."

"Well, who is she? Can she be eliminated?"

"Of course she can. But, shes Triton's daughter. His youngest. This is simply... complicated."

Eric hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath. Only a headache and his tight chest saved him.

Were... were they talking about Ariel? They had to be. Grimsby had mention Triton before. But, what had she done? And when they said eliminated... surely they didn't mean... Eric was suddenly feeling very exposed in his position. Maybe Grimsby wasn't the man he'd thought him to be.

"Just fix it." came the woman's voice.

There was a click and then a slam. Eric looked through the vent, just making out Grimsby's form. He'd apparently slammed the phone on a desk. Grimsby leaned on it for a moment, before standing, straightening his jacket and walking out the room.

For a few more minutes, Eric simply stayed where he was, just trying to calm his racing heart. He reasoned that he could be looking at all of that in the completely wrong light. For all he knew, they could be... talking about food? No. They weren't. Somehow, Ariel coming into his life had put her in danger. But why?

Who was she?

Eric got up, and after looking back and forth down the hall a few times, he left the room. Peaking into the room Grimsby had left, Eric realized Grimsby had left his phone behind. Eric grabbed it from the desk and looked under its recent contacts.

Private Caller was all it said. Eric memorized the number quickly, repeating it over and over in his head as he went to the phones address book. Looking at all the numbers, he actually found a match. It was to some 'Queen of Hearts'. Eric knew this 'queen' wasn't really a queen, but her name really gave him no information. There was no first name. No last name.

Eric pocketed the phone and left the room. He dialed Charming's number by heart, and began searching the halls for Ariel. Suddenly, he didn't like the idea of her alone.

.

.

Ariel

.

.

Ariel had ran into Belle, who had showed her the library. Ariel loved to read, and the books here were so interesting. She'd never read a fairytale before. Snow White was the one she was reading now. According to the book, her husbands father used to be a king, but a man named Daniel had conquered his land, and now she and her husband lived in the woods with their animals friends. Though Daniel had conquered her land, her husbands land, and her father in laws land, they all remained good friends.

Snow White was such an inspiration.

Ariel put the book back on the shelf where she'd gotten it from and left the library. It was late afternoon and she didn't mind sitting in her room for a while. Warming up by the fire or looking at the white stuff that fell from the sky. Belle had called it 'snow'.

Ariel sighed making her way down the hall. After her talk with Grimsby, she'd felt so sad. And secretive. But she was sure what Eric had done had been a 'kiss' earlier. He'd put his lips on her, so he'd kissed her cheek! And kissing was a sign of affection. She'd been so stunned when he'd done that, she was glad he hadn't stuck around because she'd been the color of her hair. Even though 'kissing' wasn't something the merfolk did, she actually like it. She wondered if it was appropriate to kiss his cheek as well.

She had just reached her room when she saw Belle round the corner. The girl was beaming as well. Apparently, playing in the snow made you happy.

"Hey," she said, approaching, "Did you see yet?"

"See what?" Ariel asked, but Belle zipped her lips.

Ariel shook her head at the girl, but entered the room, stopping immediately in her tracks.

"I saw him bring them in earlier," Belle said, motioning to all the flowers, "But I didn't want to disturb him. He was working so hard, putting them in different places and whatnot."

Ariel went to her bed, looking at the beautiful flowers that sat in a vase. There were so many. And so many different colors. The flowers underwater were lovely, but these, they were just so... otherworldly. So bright and vibrant. She couldn't help but touch the soft petals. They smelled so sweet.

"Hey, look." Belle said, "There's a note on this one."

Ariel went to where Belle was holding a folded piece of paper.

"Read it." Belle said, handing it to her.
"'Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of the rain.'"

"Aw," Belle drawled, "He's quoted Kahlil Gibran. He was a famous love poet."

Ariel hugged the note to her chest, and looked closer at the flowers. They were so beautiful, and to compare them to love? It was too perfect. Ariel went back to her bed, setting the note on her table and pulling one of the lavender roses from its vase. She breathed in the smell of it.

"This is just like my favorite book," Belle sighed, looking at her.

There was suddenly a knock on the door. Belle went to answer it, but before she even reached it, it flung open. Ariel jumped, startled, but smiled, seeing Eric. She hoped he felt better.

"Oh!" Belle jumped, when the door opened, "No need to crash in. I was coming."

"Sorry," Eric apologized, but he didn't sound much into his apology, he looked worried.

"It's fine," Belle said, "I'm going to run down to the library. Need anything, Ember?"

"No." Ariel said.

To the world, she was still anyone but Ariel. She'd took a risk telling Eric, she needed to keep her risk taking small steps at a time.

Eric closed the door behind Belle, even going so far as locking it. Ariel couldn't help it, Eric had a worried look on his face. It made her nervous. She tried to change the subject.

"Thank you," she said, smelling the rose in her hands, "For the flowers. There lovely."

Eric didn't even seem to be paying attention, but his attention snapped to her, and a slight blush crept into his cheeks.

"I thought you'd like them." he said, but shook his head. "Ariel, we need to talk."

He strode across the room and sat on the bed in front of her, taking her hand in his. Ariel could see it deep in his eyes. Something was very wrong.

"I've tried to call Charming." Eric said, "And Jasmine. Even Aurora. But I'm not getting an answer."

"Maybe... their busy?" Ariel offered, but Eric shook his head.

"The main lines been cut. Only a handful of numbers are still working. Somethings up with the radio towers. It must be."

"Charming would be on that," Ariel said, "He might be working on it this very moment."

"Maybe..." Eric pondered.

He seemed to be thinking hard about something. Ariel put the flower back in the vase and waited patiently for him to word his sentences right.

"Ariel," he started and she perked up, loving hearing her name from his lips, "Back in the hallway. I've kept a secret from you."

She tilted her head at him, "A secret?"
"Yes," Eric began, "I-"

He was suddenly cut off by the door swinging open. Ariel jumped, and looked to the door, finding Grimsby was standing there. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine, and Ariel found herself looking away from the man. She looked to her comfort, Eric naturally, but upon seeing the man, he'd tensed up. The hand he was holding tightened, and she immediately felt an urge to run.

Her heart was beating fast. Why did Grimsby make him so agitated? Could Grimsby have told Eric her secret?

"Young prince Adam," Grimsby said, stern eyes looking to Eric, "Has arranged for a banquet tonight. Dinner will be ready in but a moment. You both should prepare."

Eric nodded, but Grimsby didn't leave, instead he stepped back, opening the door wider, and motioned for Eric to follow.

Eric's grip tightened.

"What did you want to tell me?" Ariel asked him, knowing it was of importance.

"Nothing." Eric said, laughing lightly. Disbelievingly, "It's not important. It can wait."

Before she could say another word, he turned to her, cupped her face and kissed her forehead. She wanted the moment, his action, to be happy. It was a kiss! It meant love. It meant affection. So why did he look so sad?

"I'll see you in a moment." she said, hoping to cheer him up, but he simply nodded.

He stood up and hurried out the room. Ariel got up, prepared to pick out a dress when she stopped, seeing the door close slowly. Grimsby... he'd just walked right in. Hadn't Eric locked the door?

She shook her head. Perhaps not. The door, opened, yet again, this time, Belle entered. She was beaming.

"Excited?" Ariel asked, and the girl nodded.

"I had a excellent day," she said, "This banquet... I don't know. I feel like something special is going to happen."

"Then you should dress for it." Ariel said, throwing open the armoire they shared.

But she was shocked. The armoire only held two dresses. And the dresses she'd never even seen before.

"Don't be alarmed," Belle laughed, grabbing a gold dress, "This entire house is... enchanted."

Enchanted? Right. Anyway. Ariel grabbed the other dress, silver in color. It looked uninteresting on its hanger, but Ariel knew it might look completely different on her body.

"There are two bathrooms," Belle said, "I'll take this one."

Belle left to the bathroom and Ariel went to her own bathroom. A banquet actually sounded like a wonderful idea. She hoped Eric enjoyed himself. He seemed so panicked when she'd seen him. And she wondered what he'd been about to say. What secret had he kept?

Ariel ran her shower water, thinking about what it was he wanted to say. And exactly why Grimsby made him so tense. Of course, she hadn't necessarily been relaxed herself.

After her shower, Ariel wrapped herself in her towel and left the bathroom and went into the room. She'd rather comb her hair before she got dressed, preferring not to have her silver dress tarnished with red strands of hair. But she was surprised, seeing Belle was already dressed doing her hair.

"Wow," Ariel observed, "Belle, you look amazing."

Belle turned to her, looking mostly uncomfortable, but also shy. She'd pulled her hair up in a kind of bun, with most of it though hanging down. Her bang looked good, Ariel observed.

"You really think so?" Belle asked, "It's not something I would usually wear."

"It's perfect." Ariel reassured.

Belle sighed in relief. "I can wait for you to get dressed." she offered, but Ariel shooed her off.

"I'll be fine. You go ahead down."

Belle nodded, and made her way out the door. Ariel spent a few minutes brushing out her hair, making sure it was soft and untangled before she grabbed her dress. She slipped it on over her head, and let the fabric settle down around her. Going to the mirror, she decided she loved the dress.

It was strapless, but the top tightly crisscrossed around her like ribbons. Upon reaching her waist, the dress fluffed out like a traditional ball gown, much like Belle's golden dress. But instead of the simple ribbons at the bottom, Ariel's dress was bunched up, creating a flower-like appearance. It seemed as if the entire bottom of her dress were made from large, silver, roses. How ironic.

Silver shoes matched her dress, but Ariel found the heels were much higher than the shoes she'd worn that day. There were also gloves accompanying the dress. Gloves so long that she was sure they would reach her arm pits. She shrugged, maybe it was attractive to humans. Ariel decided she'd put her hair up, and sat at the vanity, setting to work.

.

.

Eric

.

.

Eric paced the length of the floor. They were in Adam's main ballroom, but no music was playing. He and Belle had been laughing and talking since the moment she'd entered the room.

But he wondered where Ariel was. He'd been so reluctant to leave Ariel. When Grimsby had charged in the room, he'd been about to tell her about the phone call he'd overheard. And remind her of their childhood, if she could remember. And with high hopes, he was hoping to figure out whether or not her father really was this Triton guy, and just exactly what her story was.

He was hoping he was wrong, but he had a feeling she was somehow in danger. He'd never cared much for Grimsby, even since the man forced him on the ship ride when he was 7. But he didn't imagine the man would ever want to hurt anyone. Especially not Ariel. And exactly what, was Operation Redemption?

It all just sounded sketchy to Eric.

"You better stop that writing." Adam said, coming up behind him. "The tracing, plus your pacing is going to give Grimsby a stroke."

Eric bawled his hands up, keeping them clenched. Adam simply grabbed an hors d'oeuvre from the food table. Apparently, Adam's idea of a banquet, was food on a table and a big dance floor full of no one. He probably just wanted to see Belle dressed up. The two had gotten rather close, or so he believe.

And speaking of close, where was Ariel?

He decided he'd waited long enough and left out the ball room. The Queen of Hearts had made it sound like she wanted Ariel dead. Only being the daughter of the infamous Triton it seemed, saved her. Heritage could only do so much for you though, Eric knew, he couldn't depend on who her father was to protect her. He was honest when he'd told Grimsby he'd fight for her. And if that was what it took to protect her, than so be it.

He entered her hallway and was just about to knock on her door when it opened. He'd of breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her, only, he was breathless. Breathless, and speechless. He felt like a fish, opening and closing his mouth. His brain racking for something, anything, intelligent to say to her. But she simply smiled.

Plainly put, she looked resplendent. Simply radiant. With her hair up, certain strands falling down and framing her face. Her dress was lovely, but nothing competed with her, herself. She was just... positively beaming.

"Are the gloves alright?" she asked, and he gaped.

Of all things... he nodded he head, smiling.

"You look lovely." he told her, and held out his hand.

She took it gracefully, and he led her down the hall. She seemed a bit stiff, like she was trying to keep her balance and he noticed, then her shoes. Perhaps that was why.

"You look dashing as well," she said, excited, and he looked down at one of his plainest suits. "Have you seen Belle? She looked wonderful. Perhaps its me, but I think she and Adam are getting pretty close."

No, he'd been thinking the same thing. Eric took a deep breath, somehow, he wasn't so uptight. Just talking to her, calmed him down. He wondered if perhaps, the two of them could just enjoy the night. In the morning, he'd tell her all that needed to be told. For tonight, he would just try and enjoy himself. It wasn't every night you danced with the love of your life, after all.

She gasped excitedly when she saw the ball room. Belle and Adam were already dancing, music from somewhere Eric couldn't see was playing and the two seemed lost within each other. Eric was just in the midst in asking if Ariel would care for a dance when Grimsby interrupted him, stepping right in front of him.

Eric swallowed his words, and suddenly, he was tense again. But Grimsby smiled almost pleasantly. Or at least, in a way Eric used to think was pleasantly. Now Eric just saw it as creepy. But he smiled back anyway, only because he didn't want to seem suspicious.

"Eric," Grimsby said, "And of course, Ariel."

Ariel gave a small smile, but Eric saw straight through it. Something about Grimsby had her on edge too. Perhaps it was that he knew her name.

"I'd like you to meet a friend of mine," Grimsby continued.

In a second, a woman came over that Eric hadn't even noticed before. She was a paunchy little woman, nearly half his height with a confusing gown on of black and red, with black-and-yellow stripes. It was simply hideous. But he smiled and bowed her way anyway. But something in him didn't allow him to take his eyes off of her. And not in a good way. More in a 'watch you enemies' kind of way. A instinct deep inside was stirring, must like how a mouse reacts to a cat.

Ariel curtsied beside him and all he wanted to do was excuse them both from the party and borrow a horse and ride away.

"This is my dear friend," Grimsby said, "the Queen of Hearts."

Eric found his heart had stopped cold. He was stuck between rising from his bow and falling down to he floor. Ariel raised from her curtsy, and thankfully, her movement shook him enough to allow him to finish the bow.

The queen of hearts. She was here? Now? Eric tried to keep it subtle, but he pulled Ariel into him, his arm going around her waist.

"Pleasure to meet you." Ariel said, politely.

"Oh!" the queen said, although it sounded more like a shrill scream that made Eric want to cover his ears. "What a delightful young girl."

Eric didn't much like attention on Ariel, especially given by the queen and Grimsby.

"Yes," Grimsby droned, "She's something."

"And how are you?" the queen asked, looking to him, "Your well?"

"Just fine." Eric ground out, and he hoped it didn't sound as coarse as he'd thought he sounded.

He figured he'd hid it well, but he felt Ariel turned to him, and he took his leave.

"Excuse us," he said and pulled them both away.

"Eric-" Ariel said, but he interrupted her with a simple,

"Dance with me."

Belle and Adam had danced out of the room somewhere, so Eric and Ariel were alone on the dance floor.

"Wait, Eric." Ariel interrupted, her feet fumbling as she tried to slow him down.

The song that was on was slow, not calling for a waltz, yet Eric took up the stance anyway.

"Eric." Ariel persisted, and Eric looked down at her urgent tone.

"Whats wrong?" he asked, and she looked away, blushing.

She sighed, "I cant dance."

He breathed a sigh of relief. He'd thought something was truly wrong, for a moment.

"There's nothing to it," he reassured her, "We'll take it slow. Just follow my lead."

He showed her a few simple steps, allowing her to watch his feet while she got the hang of dancing. He didn't mind leading, but he didn't dance very often himself. Honestly, she outshone his skills.

He moved with the music, but he kept his eyes on Grimsby and the queen. They were in a rather dark corner, talking to each other in hushed tones. He didn't like the sight of that. What could they possibly be talking about?

He was deep in thought when Ariel looked up at him, her face beaming with her new found dancing skills. He couldn't help but smile back at her, her smile too contagious to ignore. He suspired, resting his forehead against hers.

He'd truly never felt this way about anyone before. All at once, she brought out the best of him, and the worse. He seemed so possessive around her, so protective. He got angry over any little mistreatment dealt to her. When she wasn't where he thought, he had panic attacks. How could one girl, have so much control over him? It was crazy. Nearly maddening.

"Your a good dancer," he whispered to her, and she giggled.

"It's my first time." she said, but seemed to catch her words.

He smiled. More than anything, he'd love to truly kiss her then. She looked stunning in her gown. They were in a beautiful environment. The music was nice. The moment called for it. His last attempt had been a failure on epic proportions. Perhaps his timing hadn't been bad, but she'd been sick. It was all wrong.

But everything about now, it seemed all right. He cast a conscious look up to see Grimsby and the queen were still deep in a conversation. He figured a little time for themselves wouldn't hurt. And what was the worst that could happen? He could be a bad kisser?

The thought almost made him not even want to try, but he happened to look down and catch her eyes, and immediately, he remembered the feeling of getting lost. That feeling that made you feel like you were falling in a vacuum. That feeling that made everything around you unimportant. That feeling that only she could give him.

Taking his chances, he leaned down to her. She seemed uncertain, and he hesitated a moment, but she closed her eyes, and he took that as a go. Their lips met and all he wanted to do was die. It was everything he thought it might be, and possibly, no certainly, more.

His dancing stopped, his mind too preoccupied to keep up both activities. Her lips were warm, they were soft. And wet. Deliciously so. Had he of known kissing her would have brought him such delight, he would have really kissed her long ago. She smelt sweet, like vanilla, but also like the ocean, a smell he'd loved since he was boy. She was just too perfect. From her smell to her voice to her pleasurably plump lips.

They'd still been in waltz position, but he allowed their hands to drop, and he cupped her face with one hand, moving strands of hair out her face with his other. He hadn't thought he could be lost in anything but her eyes, but he'd been wrong. Her lips were just as dizzyingly disorienting than her eyes were. Just in a different way.

His eyes flicked open in a moment off bliss, but his moment was cut short as he found he'd gathered the attention of Grimsby and the queen. He was sure they hadn't been kissing long... pretty sure anyway.

Reluctantly, Eric pulled back from her lips, keeping his head down. She seemed surprised, practically shocked and he wondered if it was the kiss that had shocked her or the halt to it. She was breathing heavily, nearly panting, and honestly, it made him want to kiss her again. But he refrained, looking through her hair to see their audience was still staring rather hard.

His heart was beating even faster than before, but the last thing he wanted to do was show it. He didn't need either of them suspicious. If they knew, he knew, they were up to something, they would be more inclined to separate them. And though he wasn't going to allow that to happen, it would be much easier if they didn't suspect.

"Smile." he whispered in Ariel's ear.

"Wha-"

"Smile." he repeated.

They needed to appear careless. Unaware of anyone but each other. He pulled her back into a dancing stance, and for a moment, simply allowed the music to move them. But he led them out to the empty balcony, and away from prying eyes. He walked her to the edge of the balcony, her back to him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

The view could have been beautiful. The moment perfect. But he couldn't help the feeling that something was very wrong. Things just weren't adding.

"Eric." Ariel said, her voice serious. Concerned. "Whats going on?"

Truly, he didn't want to worry her, but she seemed such a big part of what was going on around them.

"We need to talk." he told her, trying not to sound urgent. "That's all. Here, though, is not the place."
"Then lets leave," Ariel said, turning around to face him, "It's just us here anyway. Grimsby wont mind, I'm sure. Its late, we could say we're tired."

Eric thought about it for just a moment, before nodding. Grabbing her hand, they made their way back into the ballroom. Ariel went to the table with the hors d'oeuvres to grab a few things for them to eat, and Eric went to explain to Grimsby. Grimsby probably wouldn't be happy, but he was ready to leave anyway.

"Oh," the queen said, surprised, as he approached, "I cant believe you actually remembered we were here. With you and miss fire-head in the lip-lock of the century."

"Quite." Grimsby said, fixing his jacket.

"Its late." Eric said, ignoring their comments, "We're both going to turn in."

"Not together, I hope." the queen said, a touch of amusement in her voice.

"Of course not." Eric objected, "I'd hope you'd see me as a gentlemen."

"Gentlemen have needs too." the queen argued. "And she is quite a catch, isn't she?"

Eric was speechless. He had a feeling that whatever he said would simply be turned into something he didn't want it turned into. His face was already heating up and he knew that didn't help.

"Don't be embarrassed," the queen said, pulling a heart fan out and fanning herself, "Grimsby's told me all about your little affair. Frankly, I think its healthy that a boy get it out of his system before he truly finds a bride."

Eric's eyes widened, and he turned his attention to Grimsby.

"Why is it so hard for you to see that this isn't an affair?" he asked the man. "This isn't just some fling I need to get out of my system."

He turned back to the queen then, and found she was a worthy match to his glares.

"I love her." he told them, "And whatever gossip you think you know, is far from the real thing."

"Fine, fine, my boy." Grimsby said, waving him off, "Calm yourself. Just don't let me find your room empty tomorrow morning and an extra guest in her bed. You do have a reputation to keep, you know."

Eric was ready to explode in a long monolog of rage, but Ariel had appeared from nowhere, and she grabbed his arm. He was torn between leading her out and yelling anyway, but she tugged on his sleeve and he figured they weren't worth it. Not worth his time, nor his breath. He spun on his heels, and marched out, his fists clenching and unclenching, hearing the queen snickering behind him. He was a half a second away from turning back around and slapping some sense into the both of them.

"Eric, please." Ariel said, squeezing his arm, "I know your angry, but you must forget them. I know what they said was mean, but we mustn't allow them to get under our skin. It is probably what they want."

He didn't like it, but she was probably right. The thought allowed him to calm down. It was what they wanted. But why? What would they gain? And what had prompted that change from Grimsby? The man was usually so reserved and 'dignified'.

Upon reaching Ariel's room, Eric found it was empty inside. Belle and Adam must still be up somewhere. She'd gotten a basket from somewhere and had filled it with the hors d'oeuvres. He sat on the bed, looking through the snacks, while she marveled at the roses, that were beginning to glow. He'd seen glowing flowers before, but even he had to admit they looked beautiful. He munched on something that was star-shaped, trying to figure out just how to word what he wanted to say.

.

.

Ariel

.

.

The roses made the room look so colorful. So lively. And for them to glow? She couldn't wait to show Belle. The girl would flip, Ariel was sure. But not as much as when Ariel told she and Eric had kissed! A real, seriously human, kiss!

Oh, her people were missing out. She'd been so nervous, unsure if she could even do it. Afraid she'd do it wrong. Afraid it would be the worse thing he'd ever felt. But the moment his lips had touched hers, had been the moment everything seemed to fall together. It had felt so natural. So wonderful. So right. It was still odd, thinking about their lips touching, and yet, it was still so exciting. She had to be the first mermaid to kiss. Well, she had to be the first mermaid to fall in love with a human, too, so it was to be expected.

She looked at him, her entire body feeling like it was covered in magic, but he seemed deep in thought. She couldn't help but frown. He'd suddenly become strange since she'd told him her name. She wondered if it was her name that had changed things, or something else. And at the banquet, he'd been even stranger. Of course, there were major highlights to her day, but some major low points as well.

"Ariel," he said, and she looked up at him. "Come here."

He stood from the bed, and held out his hand to her. She took it graciously, and he led her to the rooms window. With one arm, he opened it, and a chilled wind blew into the room, stirring the blaring fire and blowing her hair back.

Though the wind bit at her face, she still took the moment to smile into it. It had been a day filled with mostly Eric, and in her book that was a perfect day. She'd kissed him. She'd told him her name. And here he was, holding her hand. A little more fresh air felt good, and she couldn't help but smile, leaning her head back.

She looked to Eric, to see whether or not he was enjoying himself, but found he was staring at her. She lifted her head back up and blushed a bit, wondering whether or not she'd looked crazy.

"You don't remember me, do you?" he asked, and her eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He closed the window back, and looked at her.

"About 9 or 10 years ago," he said, "You and your father visited my parents. We first met then, when we were children."

Eric was clearly confused. 9 years ago, she was a mermaid. Actually, 2 weeks ago, she was a mermaid. And her father would never, never, come up on land, especially to speak with human royalty, and he certainly wouldn't even think about bringing her along with him. Her father despised humans.

"Eric." she said, trying to word her words right, "Trust me. My father would never."

"But he did," Eric insisted, "And so did you. Don't you remember? We played hide and seek. I shared my cannoli's with you. We spoke to the wind."

Her eyes widened. Spoke to the wind. That was... it was something she did. Something she did alone. How could Eric... Her mind was suddenly reeling. Hide and seek. Cannoli's. She tried to remember that boy from her dream. The one who'd looked so neat and tidy. The one with black hair and dull blue eyes. The one whose look screamed for help. His fixed stare. His sad attitude. How that boy had suddenly shifted in her mind, to Eric.

Suddenly, Ariel felt dizzy and she lost her balance. She dropped, but didn't fall long, for Eric caught her. He picked up and and set her gently on the bed. She put a hand to her head, trying to put the two images together. The uptight little boy, and now Eric, the love of her life.

"I know," Eric told her, "It's a lot."

Ariel couldn't believe it, but she found she had no choice. Eric, and the little boy. They were the same. But, how could that be? It was impossible. In order for her to have met him... she'd had to have been human. And her father as well, but... how? How was that so? Her father hated humans. Why would he come to land? And why did he trust Eric's parents enough to feel comfortable bringing her along?

Well no wonder it only took her a few minutes to learn to walk. She'd done it before. And no wonder she knew how to dress. She'd been dressed before. She'd known she needed shoes. She knew she needed air. She knew when and how to use the bathroom. She knew certain body parts needed to be covered up. She knew so many things that just didn't make sense. Everything her father had ever said, was most likely a lie. He claimed he hated humans, but he'd made himself and her one at least once.

"Ariel?" Eric asked, and he looked at her concerned.

She'd been staring off into nowhere, her hand still to her head. And she was surprised to find that a few tears had actually burst free. But she couldn't help it. Her father was a liar. Everything he said was a lie. Everything she knew was a lie. What else hadn't he told her?

"I'm sorry." she apologized, trying to wipe at her eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop.

Eric pulled her into him, and while initially shocked, she allowed him to brush her hair with his hands. She focused on her breathing, trying to calm herself down. But she couldn't stop thinking about her father. He spoke of humans like they'd done some horrible injustice. True, her mother had been killed by them, but her sisters had given her the impression that it had been an accident. Accidents happened. But could her father have some other qualm with them?

"No, I should have waited until the morning," Eric apologized, "I'm sorry."

Ariel sat up and shook her head at him.

"Don't be," she told him, "You've just... showed me some things I didn't know about my father. So, what else do you know.?"

Eric took a deep breath, and Ariel knew it might be a long night.

So made herself comfortable.

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And there it is. Please ignore errors, I just wanted to get this out to you. I'll fix errors later when I have time to read this over with my scrutinizing eyes.

Anyway, for now, READ AND REVIEW.Please?

_TheForgottenName (note, the new name)