I know, I know.
It's been forever. But I, inevitably, ran out of already finished writing. Sad, I know, but next week, I ought to be on time with my update. I've gotten a lead on my writing and have some stored up.
Again, sorry for the wait.
Ignore errors for now, and enjoy.
"Wakey, wakey!"
Ariel groaned at the sing-song voice that cut through her dreams. It shattered Ariel's make believe dream wedding in the middle of her saying 'I do' to Eric, and forced her eyes to crack open. Sunlight spilt into her vision and she clenched her eyes tight.
"Come on, friend! It's time to awaken!"
Snow White. It had to be. She was singing a good morning song, and it sounded like birds were providing her with background singing. Yes, this had to be her.
"Give me another hour." Ariel groaned, pulling her pillow over her head, "I didn't get to sleep until late last night."
"Well tonight," Snow White sang, "You must get to bed extra early, to make up for your lost time. Now up, up, up. The sun is up and you should be too!"
Snow White was a bit on the timid side, but Ariel didn't doubt the girl would quiet down any or lose this battle. Ariel would end up out the bed in 5 minutes, one way or another.
"Fine." Ariel groaned, sitting up and stretching. "I'm up."
"Marvelous!" Snow White cried, "Now get dressed, quick. You entire day is planned. You must be swift if you want to stay on schedule."
"Planned?" Ariel asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.
"Yes, planned. Now come on sleepy head, let's go. Get dressed already! The girls and I will wait for you in the dining room."
Ariel nodded, falling back down into her pillows when Snow White skipped out the room. What was it with all these morning people? Cinderella, Snow White. Ariel seriously hoped Eric wasn't the type that rose with the sun. If he was, she'd have to adjust too, because time lost with Eric, was time lost in paradise.
Groaning again at the earliness she was forced to be up, Ariel rolled out of bed. If she waited any longer, she was sure she'd fall back asleep. And then Snow White would return with another song. It wasn't until after Ariel was up and dressed for the day that she realized something in her room was amiss.
A single rose sat on her dresser, by her window, where she wouldn't miss it. Simple. Red. But beautiful. Ariel's heart sped up at the prospect of Eric leaving her such a gift. Something so simple, and yet, she knew the deep meaning behind the move. Eric must have somehow known how insecure she'd been, and he'd left her the gift as a peace offering. He was telling her all was well.
Ariel picked the rose up, taking in a deep whiff of its sweet perfume. She noticed, now, that beneath the rose was a little strip of paper. She picked it up, eagerly wanting to read the love note he'd left her. She dearly wished she still had the one he'd gave her back in Paris, but this one would make up for it. She was sure.
Not even this lovely, single rose, it read, could compare with your radiant beauty.
She smiled, as she read the last bit, signed... signed...signed... Jim.
Ariel gasped, rereading the signature. But sure enough, Jim's name was signed at the bottom. And suddenly, the rose didn't smell so sweet. Its petals lost some vibrancy. It wilted a bit, almost as if it were dejected at its lost specialness.
Ariel pulled the rose away from herself and looked around, like someone might be watching her with a camera. Ready to run and tell Eric about this clearly mistaken accident. Ariel wasn't sure which she felt most uncomfortable about: the fact that Jim had left her this love offering, or the fact that he'd been in her room while she was asleep.
Ariel shook her head. She knew the girls were waiting for her, and if she didn't hurry, she knew they'd come and find her. And she did not want to be caught holding Jim's flower. She thought about throwing the flower in the trash, but knew anyone could find it, especially a maid. And Ariel already knew how they liked to gossip. Should their story get to Eric... Shaking her head, Ariel put the flower I'm her dresser drawer, beneath a bundle of clothes.
She'd deal with it later.
She left the room, going down that halls with a certain amount of cautiousness. The last thing she wanted was to be caught by Jim. He'd want to know if she got the rose. If she liked it. And she'd have to be the one to tell him to not send her any more flowers. It was nice of him to think of here, but she couldn't except them.
Ariel reached the dinning room without incident, and the first person she saw was Aurora. The girl w as in a mirror at the far side of the room, pulling her curls over her shoulder, only to throw them behind it. And then repeating the process. Jewel was nowhere to be seen, but Ariel spotted the rest of the girls: Cinderella, Jasmine, Belle, and Snow White, sitting at the dinning room table in a bundle.
Ariel went up to the girls, taking a seat beside Cinderella. She hadn't even gotten out a 'good morning' before Jasmine stood up.
"Nope. That's not going to work." she said, as if a question had been asked, "Ariel, if your to be the UP of Pangrea, you've got to dress like one. Come on, we're changing."
Ariel didn't have to time to object, nor figure out what UP meant, before Jasmine rounded the table, grabbed her arm, and pulled her out the dinning room and down the hall.
"Where are we going?" Ariel asked Jasmine, as they came to her room.
"You've got to change." Jasmine said. "See, you've got on a casual Bouffant gown. For right now, you need a tea gown."
A boo...?
Ariel had no idea what Jasmine was talking about. Ariel looked down at her clothes. It was a simple pink dress. What she'd thought was a slightly puffy evening assemble, was actually some... boo-something.
Jasmine went to 'Ariel's' closet and returned with a kind of wrap dress. Something nearly similar to Jasmine's dress, which was actually simpler, in that it didn't have as much fabric. The one Jasmine gave her was a pale blue color, mixed with darker shades. It was a much more dramatic dress than the one Ariel had on. It was full of criss crossing fabrics, all uniting in the back in a large bow.
"Here." Jasmine said, handing her the dress, "Put this on."
Ariel took the dress without word and went behind the changing screen. The sheer amount of fabric involved with the dress made it heavy and a bit hard to manage, but Ariel got in on in a reasonable time.
"Perfect." Jasmine said, when Ariel emerged, "Short pumps, and pale gloves with complete your look."
Ariel looked down at her outfit again. She'd seen the dress, sure, when she'd grabbed her first dress that morning. But she'd thought it too dressy for the day. She'd of never thought it would be right.
"Dressing is complicated." Jasmine said, sensing her mood, "But it is important. Very important, actually. But don't worry, I'll teach you all there is to know. Beginning, of course, with that bouffant dress you selected earlier. That type of dress, see, is worn only for..."
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Eric
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Eric watched the paper airplane fly across the room. It landed gracefully among a pile of 17 others. Boredly, Eric watched Adam fold another one, before sending it through the air again. Eric looked at his own papers with a slight look of disdain, but he didn't allow himself to get worked up over them.
The door to the large study opened, and three guards entered, likely doing yet another sweep of the room. Just in case an assassin climbed in from the air-vents since the last time they checked, three minutes ago.
The study was dark, like always, looking more like an assembly room than anything. There were plenty of windows, and if Eric looked hard enough, he could even see a crack of sunlight peek through a crest of the heavy curtains. But Grimsby said people focused better when their was no distractions (i.e. sunlight, trees, birds, etc.). Hence the lack of natural light and anything entertaining to look at.
Of course, he was supposed to be focusing on his work. A placement calculus test that was supposed to test him to make sure he was academically where he was supposed to be. But Eric knew the test was bull; just something to make sure he, and the other princes, were occupied with something mind stimulating, while other old, fat people did the work they'd have to do when they were all old enough. Not to mention the fact that Eric knew he'd need to take the test once he got to school, making this one completely obsolete and a waste of time.
It explained why Adam was using his test papers to fly airplanes. Why Aladdin was asleep. Why Florian was folding his papers into forest animal origami. And Charming, well, Charming was too textbook to do something he wasn't supposed to. Charming sat at his desk, hard at work on his calculus. Although Eric noticed he was slowing down in vigor and taking on more of a nonchalance stance.
The test was timed, so Eric knew he had but another 15 minutes before Grimsby let them out of the dark hole of the castle, and gave them all something else to do. Probably something 'mind stimulating'.
Looking down at his hands, for probably the fifth time in the last 30 seconds, Eric made sure they sat as they were supposed to. He'd had his hands whipped at least 4 times that morning alone. Madame Grimhilde was always there. Even when Eric couldn't see her. Eric pulled his gloves back from his hands, allowing his wounds to get air. He'd made the mistake of not lifting his gloves every few minutes, and scabs had begun to form onto the glove. He'd had to pull the gloves off, scabs and all, and it had hurt nearly as bad as the whipping itself.
A guard passed by behind Eric, his large stature making a ton of noise as he went by. Eric hoped that should some danger ever surface, that guard didn't need any stealth skills.
Aladdin made a strange noise, and Eric turned to see Adam was now directing his paper planes at the sleeping boy. Eric groaned, putting his head down on his desk. He had spent a good chunk of his morning in the study, doing absolutely nothing, when he could have been out with Ariel.
Even if they did nothing, at least he was doing nothing with her. Truly, nothing had even happened between them. There was no fight. There was no screaming. They never outright expressed themselves to each other. But Eric could read her like a book. She didn't need to say anything. She didn't need to tell him how she felt. He already knew. And seeing her upset, back at that dinner, was enough to back him up.
But he knew that now, there were no hard feelings. She still cared for him and he still cared for her. But he wanted to give her an explanation anyway. And time healed all wounds, right? Spending time with her would make everything even better.
"Finished." Charming said, putting his pencil down in satisfaction.
"You know." Adam said, emotionless, "That no one actually grades those."
Charming shrugged. He probably did know.
The door to the study opened again, and this time, Grimsby stood in the doorway, a pocket watch in his hand. The sound of chairs grinding against the marble floors was deafening, as everyone tried to get out of earshot of Grimsby before the man gave them something else to do. Even Aladdin popped up from his sleep to hurry out. Eric knew Grimsby thought the move was 'undignified'. After all: princes moved seamlessly. But Eric was among the first to leave the room and make it halfway down the hall.
"Boys." Grimsby said, his calm voice carrying.
No one stopped, exercising the grace rule of being able to feign deafness at least once.
"Boys." Grimsby said, louder, and everyone slowed down, knowing there was no way they could pretend they didn't hear again.
There was a collective murmur of groans, as everyone shuffled back towards the man.
"I've something else for you all to do." Grimsby said, leading them down another hallway, "If you all would just follow me."
"It's always a party when we visit Eric." Adam muttered, and Eric rolled his eyes.
Adam was one to talk. Every castle had at least one person who tended to grate your nerves. Charming had Prudence. Adam had Cogsworth. Florian had his mother-in-law's main maid. Aladdin had Jafar. Even Aurora had the evil fairy. Grimsby was, yes, by the far the most annoying and bothersome. But he wasn't alone in his quest to make them all miserable.
"Here we are." Grimsby said, stopping at a door, "This room here has plans to become a charity funds storage room."
"Noble." Charming nodded, ever the answerable one.
"But its a mess, you see." Grimsby continued. "And too much heavy furniture for the maids to move. You boys can pitch in, cant you?"
Grimsby strongly believed that the moment he said 'charity', he had them all wrapped around his finger. And while that was mostly true, for even Adam agreed with any kind of charity, the word usually meant a laborious task.
"Of course." Aladdin said, "Whats a little work?"
A little work, he said. But Aladdin was still new to all of this. A little work, would probably mean at one point changing into some sweat pants because your sweating your tassels off. But Eric sighed. Grimsby, as he usually did, hooked him with the word 'charity'. Eric knew he'd go in that room and give it his all.
"Very good." Grimsby said, nodding with approval, "Tools are inside. Now go on, I'll check on you all later."
Guards approached, at least 8 of them, standing along the sides of the wall. They were there to make sure everyone was 'safe'. But Eric knew they also acted as babysitters. Should Eric, or any of the other guys leave the room at any time, one of the guards was sure to alert Grimsby, only because the total presence of Pangrea's male royalty was apparently a 'big deal'.
Everyone, minus a blissfully ignorant Aladdin, shuffled inside the room. Eric's first impression of the room was dusty. And cluttered. And completely abandoned. The room, a perfect imitation of a hunted house room, was full of cobwebs and old, outdated furniture. Aladdin gawked at the sheer size and amount of work that would need to be done, and Florian coughed in the dusty air.
"We are just moving furniture, right?" Aladdin asked, his tune of helping the needy changing quickly.
Florian scoffed, picking up a duster, "Sure, Aladdin. Sure."
"But... don't you guys have, you know, people to do this for you?" Aladdin went on.
"We do," Adam jeered, "But what sense of 'duty' would that give us? Or so says Grimsby."
"We're princes," Charming said, "But rarely do we actually do anything worth note of. We're all too young to make a difference now. In a few years, sure. But not now."
"If there was anything we do do," Eric added, "It's clean."
Aladdin groaned, and Eric noticed the boy seemed to be having a slight internal tantrum. Eric wanted to smile.
Welcome to royalty.
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Ariel
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Ariel removed the books from her head and set them down on a table.
"I'm impressed." Belle said, "You've got the grace of a swan."
"But the balance of a spinning top." Ariel added.
"We'll work on it." Belle said.
She could walk easily with the books on her head, but only when she wasn't tripping over her own feet. But so far, Ariel found that she was picking on many things quickly. She'd had her wardrobe fixed before she'd gone with Cinderella for 'meal time etiquette', as she had called it. Ariel was now pretty sure she knew which spoon was used for soup and which one was used for dessert. Snow White had taught her how to dance. Not the kind that she'd done with Eric, where all she had to do was follow his lead. But Snow White taught her how to dance on her own, or, at least a little bit. Jasmine had also given Ariel tips on socialization. How to make small talk. How to respond to questions you didn't know the answer to. But Jasmine was surprised. Ariel knew most of the tricks of the trade.
Ariel was thoroughly convinced she had the girls confused. She didn't know things like which fork was used only for meats or which shoes to wear with which dress. And she didn't know the answer to common jokes, or get some of the oldest innuendos. She was clumsy, strange looking, unnaturally curious, and she had very weak ankles. But she knew how to make small talk. She knew how to greet a duke. And she had, apparently, very good grace. She was contradiction in its rarest form.
But it was because of where she was from. She knew the things she knew, because she was trained. She was a princess, after all. She was just... a mermaid princess. Not a human one. Yet, anyway. Not a human one yet. She tried to remind herself of this throughout the day. Eric loved her. He did. And she loved him.
But all morning, her thoughts drifted to that rose she hid in her room. She felt so guilty for even having it there. Like somehow, she was betraying Eric.
"Are you alright?" Belle asked her, snapping her from her mind, "You've been a bit distracted all morning."
Ariel thought for a split second. Belle was so knowledgeable about so many things. Perhaps confiding in her was a good idea.
"No." Ariel confessed, "I'm not alright. At least, not completely."
Belle nodded, as if she knew this and led Ariel to a bench, where they both took a seat.
"Alright." she said, "Go on. Whats bothering you?"
"Well," Ariel began, "This morning, I woke up, and I had a gift. A red flower was sitting right on my dresser, and a love note was right beneath it."
"Whats the big deal?" Belle asked, "Eric got you whole bouquets of flowers back in Paris. What's one?"
"That's the thing," Ariel told her, "It wasn't from Eric."
Belle nodded, seeing how this was a problem.
"Do you know who its from?" she asked, and Ariel nodded.
"But I've just met him. I hardly know a thing about him."
"Well, that's kind of good. It means you've caught him early. The last thing you want to do is lead him on."
"Right," Ariel said, "But I don't want him to do this anymore. Its bothered me all morning that he was in my room. But I really just want this all to go away. I don't want Eric to get the wrong idea."
"You've got to talk to this boy," Belle said, matter of factly, "Its the only way. Kindly, but firmly, you must tell this boy that while the gesture was very nice, your not interested. Your already taken."
Ariel bit her lip. It all sounded so crude. Yes, she wanted Jim to stop his advances, but she didn't want to hurt him either. He seemed nice enough.
"It sounds mean," Belle told her, "I know. But just imagine how Jim would feel if you ignored him. He might figure your not interested, or he might try harder to win you. And if that isn't enough, imagine how Eric would feel if he found out your just letting Jim get at you. I'm no expert on boys, but I don't think Eric would like that very much."
Ariel nodded, Belle was probably right. She had to nip this in the bud as soon as possible. She didn't want to hurt Jim, but if she really cared, she'd save him from a worse heartache if she ended things now, rather than later.
"Okay," Ariel nodded again, looking to Belle, "Your right. Thank you."
"No problem." Belle said, getting up, "Now come on, I want you to walk with the books again. But this time, focus on your feet, and not the books. I think that's what throwing you off."
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Eric
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Eric let the heavy couch drop in the corner. He wiped a bead sweat from his head and sat on the arm of the old chair. Charming, who had helped him move the couch, sat on the other arm of the chair. They had all made the change from the pompous suits, look, to the sweat pants, t-shirts, look that all but said 'we're doing hard work'.
The room was full of natural light, bolted skylights lining nearly all of the upper walls of the room. But the room lacked the ventilation that allowed cooler, fresher, air to enter. Five sweaty guys in a unventilated room simply spelled misery.
"Hey," Adam said, waving him and Charming over, "Come here."
Adam had been dusting cobwebs out of a corner, so Eric couldn't imagine he needed help doing anything. But he and Charming made there way over anyway, just to see why.
"Yeah?" Charming asked, when they had approached.
"Give me a boost." Adam said, looking up to the skylight that was just out of his reach.
Eric and Charming shared a look, before Charming shook his head.
"The last time you said that, you nearly got your fingers cut off by a fan."
"Mind you," Adam said, "I was 10. Now come on, just lift me up."
Eric shook his head, knowing Adam was up to no good. But he hooked his fingers together anyway, Charming following suite, allowing Adam to step onto them and hoist himself higher. Florian and Aladdin, interested in what was going on, approached.
"What are you doing?" Aladdin asked, and no sooner had he said that, that a click echoed around the room.
In but a few moments, Adam had somehow unbolted the skylight and slid the window to the side.
"Higher." Adam instructed, and Eric and Charming lifted him higher.
Unsurprisingly, Adam climbed out the window. Just the fresh air that blew in alone was enough to heighten Eric's mood, but a way out of the castle without alerting any guards? Simply perfect. Adam reached a hand down from the window, and Aladdin was the first to grab his hand and climb out, which Eric expected.
Eric hesitated when Adam's hand reach down again. Florian reached up next, climbing out rather easily. When Adam's hand returned, Eric grabbed it. The room was mostly clear anyway. Everything heavy was moved out the way and the floor was swept too. A decent mop and the room would be clean.
Eric pulled himself up and out the window, reveling in the sunshine. Standing up in the open air and stretching, Eric was initially cold. His t-shirt was not made for the winter. But he'd take being cold over being exhausted and sweaty. He could climb the outside of the castle in the dark and still find a way back to his room. Getting back in the castle was a breeze.
Eric knew Charming would take some convincing, his instinct to always do good being his downfall, but surprisingly, Charming climbed out the room without delay.
"Freedom!" Aladdin cried to the sky, only to be shushed by everyone.
"There not taking me again." Adam said, "If you need me, I'll be down by the creek."
"I'm running to town," Aladdin said, "I could use a decent slice of pizza. The chefs here are so particular. Some grease and oil will do me some good."
"I'm making a phone call back home," Florian said.
"I'm going to wonder around here for a while." Charming said, "It's been a while since I've explored."
In but a minute, Eric found himself alone. But that was well enough, he wanted to find Ariel anyway.
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Ariel
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"Why don't you try again," Belle suggested, helping Ariel off the ground.
Ariel shook her head, gathering the books off the ground.
"I think I want to take a break."
Belle nodded, "Alright. I'll go get the girls and we can have some tea together."
Belle left but Ariel made a face. She drunk the tea, but only because the others liked it. She didn't. Besides, what she really wanted, was a hot bath. She'd fallen so many times she knew she'd bruised her butt. And hands. And knees. It was just, the shoes were so tricky to move in. And with the books on her head, she had to focus on keeping her head balanced.
She had to face it. Even with a royal advantage, she just wasn't cut out to be a human UP. Or 'ultimate princess' as she found out it meant. Placing the books she picked up on a nearby table, Ariel went to the large window seat that was at the far end of the wall. The window stretched up nearly to the ceiling, and it was cracked, letting in some cold, something very soothing for Ariel's hands.
Ariel put her feet up on the seat, and put her hands on her lap, looking at the slight bruise marks she could make out. She wasn't sure if she could sit through another tea party. Even with her friends.
"I'm exhausted." she sighed to herself.
"Not too exhausted, I hope." came a voice and Ariel jumped, nearly falling off the window seat entirely.
But her surprise turned into glee, as she looked out the window she'd been sitting beside and saw Eric was smiling in at her.
"Not funny." she said, and he shrugged.
With little effort, Eric slid the large window open some more and with a gloved hand, took her hand.
"Come outside with me," he said.
Ariel cast a last look into the room, but seeing no one, she swung her legs out the window. Eric helped her down the little step separating the castle's floor from the outside dirt Eric was standing in. They were standing in a long stretch of garden that lined the side of the castle. Thick bushes and brightly covered flowers were assaulted as Eric cut through them, leading her deeper from the window she'd previously been at.
She giggled, watching as a particular bush branch snagged Eric's shirt and refused to let him go. She unstuck him herself, still smiling as he decided he'd had enough of the mini jungle. He pulled her out the garden and she found she was somehow only a short distance from the ocean. Green grass was at her feel but a few yards away sand began.
"Where are we?" she asked, looking back the way they had come, but only seeing the vast siding of the castle.
"Other side of the castle," Eric shrugged, leading her towards the sand.
Ariel's heart soared and she tried to contain her excitement, but seeing the ocean brought out an elation she had forgotten. She hadn't been that near to the ocean since she'd become human. She knew Eric had been leading, but she couldn't contain her excitement, and she found that suddenly, she was pulling him along.
She skipped out her shoes, stopping only when she reached the waves edge. Eric let her hand go so that he could remove his boots, but Ariel wadded into the waves crest. She didn't care that her dress was getting soiled, or that the air was cold and she'd probably get sick. All that mattered then, was the water. Was being near the water, with Eric. Which made the experience so much better.
Ariel looked up, closing her eyes and feeling the suns warm rays on her face. An ocean breeze picked up, and through Ariel shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, she still giggled. It all felt so familiar. Times of being at the surface before a storm as a mermaid came rushing to mind. Or visiting Scuttle with Flounder. It was the life she used to know. The only, life she used to know.
Eric wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and settled his chin on her shoulder. She was hardly surprised, even though she didn't hear him approach her.
"I love the ocean." Ariel said aloud, after a moment.
Eric hummed in agreement, and kissed her temple. A particularly larger wave blew, and Eric pulled her back from it, so that it only covered her ankles, though Ariel didn't mind her knees getting wet.
"Ariel," Eric sighed, as if the whole time, he'd been thinking about how to say this, "I want to talk."
He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the water completely. She followed along, trying to get a read on him, but he pulled her further up the sand without looking at her. Her ever-present curiosity peaked, but even more, she felt something very serious was bothering him.
"Eric," she said, stopping, "What's the matter?"
Eric stopped, and she noticed he took a deep breath. She steeled herself for whatever he was about to say.
"I just-I wanted to talk about dinner last night." he said, turning around to face her.
Ariel breathed out a slow breath of relief. She'd been expecting some form of horrible news. The dinner was a familiar topic, and Ariel had come to terms with the fact that Aurora and Jewel simply was out to make her unhappy and insecure. She'd gotten a taste of how Eric had felt when Eric had showed up when she'd been talking to Jim. Honestly, she had no qualms with Eric about the dinner.
"Eric," she interrupted him, "You don't have to explain-"
"But I want to," he told her, "I need to."
"No you don't," she said kindly, "It was all Aurora and Jewel. They ambushed you."
"I know that," he told her, "But I want you to be sure of that."
He wasn't going to let go of this, and Ariel would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little interested. But she was just as prepared to let him slide on this. She could go either way.
"You should know," he told her, "that between the two of them, I feel for them as much as I do for a complete stranger. There is, never was, and never will be anything between them and I. That time I walked with Aurora in the garden? I had simply walked her to her ride because she was afraid to go by herself. And I never ever kissed Jewel. I kissed her hand once, but I was required to. And I-"
"Eric," Ariel interrupted, putting a finger on his mouth, "It's alright. I already know."
"You-you already know?" he asked, confused.
She shrugged, "Well I figured. I trust you a lot more than you think I do."
Ariel held back the information that really, she just wanted to know whether or not Eric had ever kissed Jewel. That thought hurt her more than any other one. To think of him kissing another girl? The thought was depressing.
And speaking of kissing. She hadn't gotten in another word before his lips met hers. It wasn't as hard as his last kiss had been, just the night before, but it certainly held the same intensity. It was the kind of kiss that held meaning. A chilly wind blew, and Ariel nearly shivered, but Eric wrapped his arms around her and instantly, she felt warmer. Both inside and out.
A loud sound echoed across the beach and Ariel jumped, and just like that, the kiss was over. She was shocked at first, at the loud sound, but her eyes furrowed, as she'd heard the sound before. She tried to think about when and where she'd heard it.
Eric let her go and he turned toward the way they had come, towards the way the loud sound was coming from. The sound came again; loud, sharp, crisp. And whatever was making that sound, was getting closer.
Slowly, Ariel backed up. Something making a sound that loud had to be big. It had to be. And big things, well, sometimes, they ate smaller things. And Ariel was definitely a 'smaller thing'. She didn't even think to look to Eric, who was surprisingly calm, because the moment a white and gray beast rounded a corner, she took off in a sprint in the opposite direction. She rounded a cliff face, and didn't even think to look back.
It was amazing how un-clumsy she was when she ran.
She ran to a large boulder that was sticking out of the ground, and just happened to turn around. A breathless cry escaped her lips when she saw the beast had chased her and was just a few feet behind her. She supposed she was glad it was after her, and not chewing Eric's head off.
Ariel ran to one side of the boulder, hoping she'd be able to climb up onto it, but the beast was right there. Ariel slid in the sand, as she ran around to the other side of the boulder. But again, the beast was there. Ariel backed up, and climbed the boulder from behind and sat on top of it, hoping the beast, somehow, didn't know how to jump or stand on its hind legs.
But the beast knew how to do both, for it jumped up on its hind legs. Ariel leaned back, as far as she could, but the beast was large enough to reach her and it licked her face. It didn't bite her. Or try to eat her cheek off. It just licked her. And... it kind of tickled.
"Max!" she heard Eric call, "Come 'ere boy!"
The beast, the Max, spun its head and ran towards Eric's call. Ariel was anxious as the Max ran towards Eric. She hoped, clenching her hands together, that the Max wasn't an aggressive beast. And that Eric knew what he was doing when he was calling the thing.
But the Max didn't attack Eric when he rounded the corner. Instead, it circled Eric's legs, making that incredibly loud noise. Ariel felt her heart beat a little faster as they both made their way over.
"I'm sorry if this knucklehead scared you." Eric said, shaking the Max's wild hair, "He's harmless, really."
Well, for the most part, Eric seemed about right. The Max hadn't actually hurt her. Scared her, yes, chased her, yes. But not hurt her. And Eric seemed calm enough. Ariel looked closer at the beast, its tongue hanging out amusingly as it panted.
"Why is he so loud?" Ariel laughed a bit, looking over the boulder at the Max. "And whats a Max?"
Eric blinked, "He's my dog. His name is Max."
Ariel laughed again, as Max, who was a 'dog', put his paws back up onto the front of the boulder and made that loud sound again.
"He barks when he's happy." Eric explained.
Ariel jumped, just a little surprised this time, when Max licked her cheek.
"Can he see?" she asked, laughing.
"See?" Eric asked, confused, "Yes, he can see."
"But he has no eyes."
Eric laughed. "He's got eyes. You just can't see them."
Eric lifted up Max's enormous mane of hair, and Ariel could see large, watery eyes staring at her. When she didn't think about his large teeth, he was actually kind of adorable. The dog went to lick her again, but Eric stopped the motion, pushing Max's head away and the dog off the boulder.
"He's, uh, he's kind of touchy." Eric told her, resting his arms on the boulder.
"I like him," Ariel said, watching as Max ran tight circles around the boulder and Eric.
"I thought you might." Eric nodded. "He's been hiding around the castle lately. I've hardly seen him."
Ariel watched Max run into the water, 'barking' loud and happily. She was a bit surprised at how happy he seemed in the vast ocean. For as long as she could remember, she'd been fascinated with the human world. She had often fantasized about being human and wondered what it was like to live on land. She'd never much thought about how humans and human creatures viewed her own home; the ocean.
"Look," Eric said, pointing at the sky, "Over there. It's the plane we rode in."
Ariel followed Eric's pointed finger, and in the distant sky, she could make out a glint of silver. This... this 'plane', she certainly didn't remember riding in it. It must have been that large thing she'd arrived in Germany in. She was almost glad she didn't remember, being so high off the ground...? She was sure she'd of been frightened to death.
"It's probably on its way to my airport," Eric spoke aloud, "So that my clothes and things can be loaded on. It comes earlier every year."
"You clothes?" Ariel asked, curiously.
"Right," Eric told her, "That brings me to something very important I've been meaning to talk to you about."
Ariel tilted her head, waiting. She couldn't imagine something weighty he'd want to tell her.
"In a few days," Eric said, "I'm off to school, you see. It's only for a few short months, but the school is pretty far."
"Cinderella mentioned a school," Ariel recalled, "She said Charming was going too."
"Yes, we're all required to go. Me, Charming, Adam, Jasmine, Aurora. And now Cinderella, Belle, Aladdin... and... well... you."
"Me?" Ariel asked, sitting up a bit.
"I know," he told her, somewhat shyly, "It probably seems silly, and you probably hate me for bringing you to Germany only to cart you off to the middle of Pangrea, but trust me, if I could stay home myself, I would."
"No, I don't mind." Ariel told him, "I like school."
She said this, and while she did in fact like school, she'd never really been to school. Not a human one, or a mermaid one. She had tutors, back in Atlantica, mainly Sebastian. But she'd once visited a school for a week for the 'experience', and it had seemed well enough. Though she'd been heavily guarded by hammerhead sharks and a giant squid had made sure she wasn't touched, it had been pleasant enough.
But that had been a mermaid school. Now, she was on land. This would be a human school. She thought back bitterly to combing her hair with a fork, which now she knew was a very un-human thing to do. The mistakes she was bond to make in this human school would be 10 times worse because she'd be surrounded by not only strangers her age, but she might embarrass Eric too. And that was too horrible to think about.
"I know it's a lot to ask of you," Eric said, but Ariel shook her head.
"I can do this."
She spoke confidently, to comfort the both of them.
Eric smiled at her appreciatively, but the moment was ruined when Max put his paws on the boulder again and licked her face.
"Max." Eric complained, pushing the happy dog away.
Ariel simply giggled.
She could have lived in that happy moment forever. Replayed it over and over again, and never grow bored or unhappy. But this overall peaceful atmosphere was shattered, like glass, when a shrill, blood-curdling, female scream echoed down the beach, reaching Ariel's ears in a painful burst.
Ariel stared, wide-eyed and afraid, towards where she believed the scream to have come from. Eric grabbed her hand, and she slid down off the boulder and stood beside him, still trying to convince herself that she'd actually heard the scream.
"What was that?" she whispered, sure she wouldn't have liked the answer if Eric had known.
"Come on." Eric said, pulling her down the beach towards the sound.
Max, who had probably heard the scream better than the both of them, kept so close to Eric's legs that Ariel wondered how Eric didn't trip. But the dog wasn't pressed up to Eric like she was, mostly out of fear and anxiety. Max's fur seemed to stand up, and he seemed to almost grow in size. Even Ariel, who knew next to nothing about dogs, knew Max was prepared to protect his owner. He was prepared to protect Eric.
They reached the boulder they'd both rounded when Max had first showed up, and Eric cautiously looked around it. But it was apparently empty, because Eric led her around it and towards the castle. But Eric didn't take her through the garden, like the way they had come. Instead, he led her around the opposite direction and to a door that was well hidden in the wall.
Eric needed no key as he swung the door open, allowing Max to enter first, and then going in next. He didn't let go of her hand as they entered the dark room. The room must have been large, because every step Ariel took, echoed off of a distant wall, bouncing back to her in a way that made her feel exposed.
But in a heart-stopping moment, she was suddenly yanked off of her feet backwards by her free arm. She yelped in surprise, and the only word that went through her head was: dead.
But Eric, who still hadn't let go of her hand, held fast, and the moment he felt a tug on her hand, he pulled back with greater force. He won her in the strange game of tug-of-her and the person who had grabbed her arm let her go.
Eric, who was probably as startled as she had been, spun her to him and pulled her into him. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and his other hold her back, as if he expected another attack to come. Ariel was in a confusing state of feeling safer than she'd ever been, and deathly afraid a maid would come and slice her and Eric to pieces.
AN: What did you think? I know it took so long, but I hope it was worth it.
Anyway, Review and I'll make sure the next chapter is on time.
Promise!
_TheForgottenName