Hello, hello, hello.
And, here we go. Sorry this took soooooooo long.
Little Note: Be weary of the POV's. A new one pops up.
Anyway, read on. Hope you like!
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Eric
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Eric was in the garden studying. He'd practically slept straight through chemistry, geometry, and literature, so he was trying to go through the first chapter his textbooks to see what he'd missed. Academic classes aside, he knew that for the rest of the day, he'd be subject to his royal classes. And those, he could not fall asleep in.
The garden was almost eerily quiet. But Eric preferred it that way. Working in complete silence was the only way that he got things done. Nothing but the sounds of twittering birds, chattering squirrels, the bustling of the tree' leaves, and the buzz of bugs disturbed him. No yelling Charming's. No noisy people. And knowing that no one was going to come and disturb him put him even more at rest. Unless, of course, someone was bold enough to hop three gates, uncaring enough to crawl in the dirt beneath the headmasters window, and was smart enough to slip past five guards.
This was the headmasters private garden, publicly known as off-limits, for it was one that his office overlooked. But the headmaster, as he always was at this time of day, was off to a meeting. Besides, Eric had been sneaking into the garden from the time he was strong enough to hoist himself over the gates. Off limits, typically meant nothing to him.
And there was the fact that for once, his title was more than a nuisance. The garden was still off-limits, but Eric, being who he was, would not be automatically expelled if he were caught. He'd be warned first. Anyone else, besides the royals, would be sent home the very day.
Off limits was a term that was used sparingly, but treated very seriously in that school.
Finishing the notes he'd taken on formulas in his geometry book, he stuffed his books back into his book bag, plain black, of course, to promote neutralism. He was silently seething that only his school, on the first day, began you off talking and thinking about shapes and formulas. But now that he was done, he laid back and tried to relax. He still had another half hour or so before he had to be at his next class. Royal Etiquette. A normally painful class to sit through.
The lull in his usually overstimulated mind reminded him that there was still a certain redhead who was missing back in Germany. He groaned, throwing his arm over his eyes and tried to think more about how hungry he was. But even hunger did not block out Ariel. He'd called his castle after every class, and still, no one had seen her.
He wished desperately that Grimsby was someone he could trust. For all the man was worth, there was at least one thing true about him. He got the things he wanted done. If only Eric could trust the man to find Ariel. He had to be back in Germany by then. It would be nice to have a good set of eyes looking for her there.
It was strange, thinking of Grimsby in this new light. As someone to be cognisant of, vigilant around. Eric faintly remembered the man when he was a child, and the man had simply been a small annoyance. Someone who said he could only have one cookie, instead of two. Someone who had forced him to ride on a ship, when he was afraid. Someone who gave him half the food a normal guy his age and size would eat. The man made you weary, but he had never been evil. He had never hit Eric. He had never yelled at him. He was just... weird. Quiet. Always so serious. Angry.
But the man had been the only thing constant in Eric's life. While Charming and his friends were always there, they had their own set of problems and their own kingdoms to run. On a typical day, Grimsby was the only unvarying face Eric saw. The only voice he heard all day. Which was probably why Eric was so reluctant to truly wright the man off as someone dangerous. Grimsby was all he had, back at home. The man knew nearly everything about him. And while Eric truly knew next to nothing about the man, he had acquired a keen sense of him and his person.
In fact, he could nearly hear the man, right that moment actually. A continuant tangle of a voice droning on and on about something. The syllables and the words and the letters all meshing together into a blob of sound that reminded most people of boredom. The same whine Eric heard when he tuned the man out during a lecture or the likes.
Eric sat up with a start when he realized he hadn't imagined hearing Grimsby's drone voice. He had indeed heard, which was strange, considering Grimsby was not allowed back into the school until the semester ended, and should be back in Germany anyway. Eric scooped up his book-bag, trying to pinpoint where he heard the voice coming from.
Crawling across the ground, Eric went back down the path of the garden he'd come in from, and stopped behind a tree. Just out of sight of the headmasters office window. Eric crouched down on the ground once more, crawling along the wall and stopping just under the headmasters window. Casting a scanty look inside, Eric immediately spotted the headmaster, pacing the floor.
In all his years of attending The Academy, Eric had seen but one version of the headmaster. The happy-go-lucky guy who did nothing but talk loudly and spit everywhere. The tall, slightly chunky man with bulging brown eyes, a white mustache, high eyebrows, and an ever present smile. This man, the one with a frown on his face. The one with knotted eyebrows and dark eyes. Eric did not know this man.
"They should all be well-behaved," headmaster was saying, his voice carrying out the cracked window easily, "But I do not like taking chances. And there is always a chance..."
"That is what our guards are for." came Grimsby's voice, and Eric spotted the man standing by the headmasters library, "They will keep us all posted. Everything will go accordingly."
"Not to mention my help, along with Vanessa." came a female voice.
It took some searching, his limited view from a small corner of the window confining, but Eric finally spotted the woman who had spoken, and his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure out what Prudence was doing at The Academy. Prudence was a head maid back in France. She was one of king Adrian, Charming's father, most trusted people.
"But how will we know that she is properly contained," the headmaster continued, "You say you are prepared, but what if she gets out? From what I know, she has influence over each and every one of the royals. And she's even closer with their chosens. If even one of them finds out, the whole operation is screwed."
The door to the room opened, and another woman entered. Brown curls of hair fell over her shoulders and purple eyes full of confidence made her seem somewhat sinister. She was certainly beautiful, but then, so are lions.
"Ah, Vanessa." headmaster said, beckoning her in further, although it seemed unnecessary, "Come, what news?"
Vanessa, rolled her eyes.
"She's contained. I've done my job, like I said. Little angel-fish is upset, but she's too preoccupied with the mistreatment of the fish."
Vanessa laughed, earning a chuckle from the others too.
"Like I said," Prudence said, "Everything's under control. Operation redemption will continue as planned."
"But there's still a chance..." headmaster tried again, his once firm voice sounding nearly timid, "Another student could find her... and set her free...or tell someone...we...we need someone on constant guard..."
"Well she wont be walking anywhere anytime soon." Vanessa waved off, "And if the little redhead runs to her prince, we'll just shoot the little guppy and hit the boy over the head. Boom, problem solved."
Eric covered his own mouth, to stifle a startled cry.
Eric only knew one prince who had fallen for a redhead... him. Could they really be talking about Ariel? Might she really be here?
Suddenly, that conversation seeming a lot more personal, and disastrous. What did Vanessa mean when she said 'she wouldn't be walking anywhere'? Was Ariel hurt? What fish? And what about being contained?
"She needs constant supervision." Headmaster said, for the first time, firmly.
"Fine." Grimsby waved, "Hire someone. Do whatever. Just don't blow cover."
The school bell rang, then, and lunch was over.
"You all better get back to your rooms." headmaster said, fixing his already perfect tie, "And I must get on with my work. We'll gather later and discuss this in-depth."
"Whatever." Vanessa said, leaving, followed by Grimsby and Prudence.
Eric didn't realized he'd been clutching the strap of his book bag, but now he forced himself to release it from his death grip. A million ideas ran through his head all at once, leaving trails of smaller thoughts and scary realities. Could Ariel really be here? It would explain why no one could find her in Germany. But who brought her here? Why? And why wasn't he notified? Why didn't Grimsby say something? Why was she being 'contained'?
And what of 'operation reduction'? This was the second time Eric had heard that term mentioned, and he had a feeling this 'operation' wasn't necessarily a castle renovation either.
The sound of the window slamming shut above him made Eric jump, and he pressed himself tight against the wall. The muted sound of whistling came from the headmaster, but Eric dared not risk another peek inside the room. Instead, he crawled across the ground and as soon as he was out of peripheral vision of the headmasters window, stood and ran for the gates that usually kept students out of the garden.
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Headmaster
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It was never easy leaving a meeting like that, while still striving to maintain that bright smile that was so trademark about him when you left. It was hard to speak loud, boldly, when you knew what you were saying was illegal. It was hard patting a young student on the head... when all you wanted to do was strangle them.
Strangle them. Strangle all of them. Beat them upside the head. Hold their neck until their face turns blue and then purple and then pale. Hit them with things and watch the blood leak. Watch it spill all over the polished marble. Watch the horror and surprise and misunderstanding and hurt and pain spread all over a dieing child's face.
Yes, it was hard.
Headmaster continued down the hallway, smiled a young girls way, and winced, as if physically in pain when she passed by. Holding his hands behind his back, Headmaster whistled a cheery tune, Für Elise.
He had a lecture to give about the importance of education to what he called the Bronze class. The students in the Bronze classes were only moderately rich. Just below filthy. Lucky to even be within the school. His personal student categories went all the way up to Diamond, which were the actual royals.
"Crap." snapped an annoyed voice, and the sound of clattering things echoed down the empty halls.
Headmaster, as he was expected to do, walked further down the hall and looked down the hall the noise had come from. A young man with brown hair and irritated eyes looked past him, before crouching down to retrieve the expensive, gold and pink hair combs that had fallen out of a large box the boy had dropped.
"Need a hand, young man?" Headmaster asked, already hiking his pants up to help pick of the combs.
"No." the boy snapped, "I've got it. I'm fine."
Momentarily stunned, Headmaster raised an eyebrow.
"Something have you upset?" he asked.
The boy muttered a string of lines beneath his breath that confirmed to Headmaster, that this boy was not someone of high standard. Not even of Bronze magnitude. For no one of high status had probably even heard some of those words.
"You wouldn't happen to be stealing these?" Headmaster asked, receiving a cold smile from the boy.
"How did you know? What else would I be doing with a box of pink combs, besides, of course, combing my hair."
The boys dry sarcasm was actually refreshing to Headmaster. It was a change from the spoiled, rotten, ill-natured, conceited little brats that he usually ran into.
The boy dropped the combs carelessly back into the box before heaving the heavy thing up.
"I." the boy muttered, "Hate. Aurora."
That simple, meant to be unheard, comment sparked an idea in Headmaster's head so fast that it made him dizzy. This boy, he could be useful.
The large box teetered precariously, and Headmaster reached out to steady it, before the boy could object. The boy looked at him curiously, and Headmaster set the box down on the ground.
"Why don't I get two other servants to move this." Headmaster said, and the boy shrugged, seeming about to walk away at that point.
Headmaster grabbed the boy's shoulder though, and stopped him.
"Wait a moment young man," Headmaster tried, and the boy simply shrugged his hand away. "I want to ask you some questions."
The boy seemed torn, probably debating whether he ought to keep walking, or hear what he had to say. In the end, the boy turned, put his weight on his left leg, and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"What?" he asked.
Headmaster took a moment to study the boy.
The boy seemed irked, but Headmaster got the feeling the boy always seemed to have a bit of an attitude. The boy clearly didn't like Aurora, and thus, probably wasn't a big fan of the other royals as well.
"Whats your name?" Headmaster asked.
"Jim." Jim said, simply, still looking like he might walk away.
"Well, Jim," Headmaster said, smiling, "What would you say, if I told you, you never have to listen to a word Aurora says again?"
Jim's eyes squinted as he considered this comment.
"Come, Jim," Headmaster said, throwing a friendly arm around Jim's shoulder, "I've a proposition to offer you."
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Ariel
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Ariel had fallen asleep. She had taken exactly four short naps, this one though, had allowed her to sleep long enough to dream.
For the first time, she'd dreamed of home. Home home. Atlantica. Somehow, in her dream, she'd managed to escape Ursula and Prudence and everyone else, and had swum straight home. But home hadn't been like she'd remembered it. Atlantica had been empty. Tumble-Seaweed had rolled across empty streets. Doors were left open. Store windows had been shattered, the valuables stolen. The people gone. Ariel had swum home, and while her home had been empty and completely devastated, she'd still gone to her room. She'd opened her door, and found all her sisters had been assassinated, and left scattered around the room.
And it had all been her fault. Because she had run away from home, Atlantica had somehow been thrown into chaos. It had all been her fault. All her sisters... dead. Because of her.
And suddenly, everything exploded in a burst of pain. Everything went white, and before she could fully wake up from her nightmare, she was already screaming. Her brain was screaming, her body was screaming. Everything was spazzing, her muscles contracting, her heart racing, her lungs collapsing. She was on fire. She was being stabbed. She was being hit, punched, kicked, all at once.
She was dieing.
And then, just like that, it was over. The immediate pain had stopped, and she was left numb. Hurting. Crying. But it was over. And yet it wasn't. She still felt the pain. Felt it everywhere. She was throbbing.
"Wake up little mermaid." came a distant voice, but Ariel couldn't force her eyes to open, nor her body to move, or her brain to think.
She was so confused.
"Come on, get up." the voice said, firmer.
Ariel couldn't help but think about what would happen if she didn't get up. If she just laid there, and allowed herself to pass out peacefully. Could she sleep through that pain again?
Forcing her eyes open, she was met with a cruel, beautiful face.
"Hey angel-cakes." Ursula said, smiling brightly. "That was your wake up call."
Ariel found it hard to breath.
"What..." she whispered, "what...did you... do to...me...?"
"Oh, that?" Ursula asked, twisting the same black remote she had earlier in her hands, "Oh that was just a little shock. To get you motivated."
Ariel didn't think about what she needed to be motivated for. Instead, she allowed her head to drop to the soft pebbles beneath her. She was drifting in and out of consciousness when Ursula spoke up again.
"Can you believe that was the lowest setting? Humans aren't good for much, but I love their technology. There more advanced that I thought."
"Why..." Ariel tried, but found her voice die on her.
"Why electrocute you?" Ursula repeated, "Just to test this device. See the coral in there? Each inch on each piece projects a targeted 10 volts. So that big piece right there, it alone sends just over 10,000 volts of electricity shooting through the water."
All Ariel could think about was the many many imitation coral pieces that lined the walls of the tank. The electricity that nearly killed her. And what of the little, more sensitive fish? Were they even still alive?
Something in the air sang, and Ursula pulled something from her pocket and began talking.
Ariel couldn't find the strength to concentrate. She had never been... what was it... electrocuted? But it was horrible. It was terrible. And painful and agonizing and torturesome and excruciating and everything bad in the world times seven. Every breath she took now was crystal clear, but hard to take. And her vision swam.
She wished she would just pass out and get it over with already. Some time in blank darkness sounded like a great idea.
She had to have passed out. Because now, she found herself waking up.
She felt a little stronger, but the memory of being electrocuted made her muscles jump. Cracking open her eyes, she was surrounded by red. Routinely, she pushed her hair back, and out of her face, and somehow found the strength to sit up. She'd been hit by a whales tale before, and this was the closest to the feeling that she'd had in a long time.
"I hope the other fish are alright," she muttered, a hand going to her head.
A crash in the room made her sore muscles jump, and she groaned at the aching. Slowly, she turned her stiff neck to look into the room, expecting to see Prudence, or Ursula, or Beatrice.
Prudence, Ursula, nor Beatrice was in the room with her.
Ariel was shocked for a good 30 seconds. Frozen in place, her mouth wide open. Her hair settled around her, some of it into her face, and it was her trained hand that automatically pushed it out the way that woke her up. Her eyes settled on the chair Jim Hawkins had knocked over in his obvious surprise when he'd realized it was her.
His mouth was opening and closing, like a fish, and she heard muted words. But behind the glass full of water she could not hear him. But she did not want to freak him out any further by asking him to speak up. His eyes were already the size of saucers. He was already tripping backwards, over the chair he'd knocked over, over the tubes that were littered all over the floor. He needed no support in freaking out.
She stayed put, allowing Jim to gather himself. It took him longer than she would have expected. But she supposed it was only right. Her normal was his extraordinary. She wondered briefly if her people would marvel at a human like Jim did at her.
It was probably another 3 minutes until Jim took a deep breath. Another 5 minutes later until Jim blinked. Another 7 before he spoke.
"You-" was all he managed, "Your- that isn't possible. How are you breathing under water?"
While the answer was obvious, she wondered whether he really believed she had some kind of suit on. Her answer was no when he shook his head and somewhat hesitantly walked closer to the tank. His hands were deep in his pockets, practically pulling his pants down, and he stared at her tail like a fish stared at a shark. A deep sense of awe, but an overall sense of fear.
Like he thought she might hop out of the tank and eat him.
"This isn't possible." he said, shaking his head again, "Who did this to you? Can you hear me? Can you even understand me? This is insane."
"I understand you." she said, and Jim jumped a mile high, as if he hadn't been expecting her to answer.
He looked faint. But he laughed, an airy and kind of crazy laugh that people usually did when they believed they were hallucinating.
"You're a mermaid." he said plainly, a side grin on his face. "Your really a mermaid."
She nodded, wringing her hands. Jim thought he was crazy, and while she hadn't quite expected that, she was glad he wasn't disgusted with her.
"This is... this is...its just..." he said, trying to gather his thoughts.
"Crazy." she finished for him, "It's crazy. Yeah, it is."
He looked at her, the obvious hysteria mostly gone from his face. He went and picked up the chair he'd tossed and set it by the tank, sitting backwards on it. Besides the fact that she'd never seen anyone sit on a chair like he was, she was thoroughly refreshed to see he wasn't afraid to be close to her. He wasn't disgusted (or so it appeared), and he didn't flinch at her every move.
"So," he said, rather casually, "How'd you end up... like this?"
He motioned to her, and she sighed.
"I was born this way." she confessed, "I'm actually... not really from here. Not Germany, not anywhere you'd know."
Jim folded his arms on the back of his chair and put his head on them.
"Try me." he smirked, "I've read a lot of stories as a kid."
Perhaps he could handle the seemingly improbable story of Atlantica. Of her home and her family. After all, there she was, living proof that it existed. So she settled in, prepared to tell Jim her tale of woe.
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Eric
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Eric had scoured the halls of The Academy for what seemed like ever. Searching for someone, anyone, to relay the information he'd just overheard. It wasn't until 10 minutes later that he realized everyone was in class. Where he should have been.
There was no way he could waltz into Royal Etiquette and get away with skipping half the class. It was better to just skip the whole thing and claim ill the next day.
Still, though, he waited, just a few hallways down, waiting for Charming and the others to leave the class. He stayed to the shadows, where a busy teacher hurrying by could easily miss him.
He pressed himself into the wall as the sound of a classroom door opened. But no teacher walked by him. Instead, Charming came down the empty hallway, a hall pass swinging in his hand. He looked irenic as he walked by the hallway Eric was hiding in, and without warning, Eric reached out and pulled Charming back by his collar.
"Bonne douleur," Charming heaved in french, holding a hand to his chest, when he saw it was only Eric, "You scared me."
Eric waved him off, "I was outside just now-"
"Listen Eric, I ought to apologize for earlier-"
"Forget that," Eric dismissed, suddenly over Charming's rant, "When I was outside just now-"
"You look ill," Charming observed, cutting him off again, "Your paler than usual."
Eric grabbed Charming by his shoulders and shook him.
"Shut up." he snapped, successfully getting Charming to stop talking. "Now listen, I was outside just now and I overheard Headmaster talking."
"How could you have been outside and overheard Headmaster talking? You've been in that garden again, haven't you?"
"Forget the garden," Eric exhorted, "He was there and Grimsby was there, and so was Prudence and some other lady. They were talking about Ariel."
"...Ariel?" Charming asked, a confused eyebrow raising, "...why..."
"I don't know. But somewhere in this building, they've got her held hostage-"
"...hostage?"
"-And she cant walk, so they cant be treating her well-"
"...cant walk?"
"-We've got to find her."
Eric had begun pacing the hallway. He bit his thumb nail and consciously allowed his other hand to do the typical tracing dance. He was muttering to himself, thinking of ways to sneak into the Headmaster's office and look for maps of the school, when he realized Charming wasn't nearly as worked up as he was.
In fact, Charming looked... concerned.
"Eric?" Charming asked, carefully, "Are you well?"
"Am I well?" Eric snapped, "I'm fine. Its Ariel who isn't well. She's the one who needs help, not me."
"Whats going on here?" asked a firm voice, and Eric found Mulan had somehow come up on them.
"Mulan," Eric breathed, relief washing over him, "Thank god. We need you."
"What is it?" she asked, seriously.
"You need to gather Shang, and Yao, and Ling and Chien Po and everyone we've got. This is an emergency."
Mulan opened her mouth to speak, but Charming shook his head.
"He's ill today. I think we ought to get him in bed and call a doctor."
"I'm not ill," Eric urged, "Ariel's in this building somewhere and Headmaster is holding her hostage."
"Who's Ariel?" Mulan asked, only for Charming to answer.
"His girlfriend."
"She's...we're...I'm... I'm not crazy." he forced out.
The term 'girlfriend' made him stutter a bit, and often, that was not good for convincing people. But he couldn't believe it was taking so much time and energy for him to convince people that he wasn't insane.
"Mulan you have to believe me." he pleaded, "I know what I heard."
Mulan's eyes softened for a moment. Eric knew she was very particular when it came to trusting people. To believing them when they made a claim. She was the kind of person that always wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. Eric was hoping that this trait of hers would come through for him.
He was not crazy. And he wasn't sick. He was right. He was.
"Eric..." Mulan began, "Maybe you should lie down for a little. You don't look well."
Perhaps he didn't look too well, because his principle was holding his... his girlfriend hostage!
The school bell rang, signifying the end of class, but only the sound of one door opened. To give the royals time to get to their next class without being surrounded by fellow students, royals had an extra 5 minutes in the empty halls before the other students were dismissed.
"-Oh it isn't so bad." Jasmine was saying as she led the way down the hall. "Sure its a lot to learn, but you'll all make great princesses. Trust me, I know."
"There you are." Cinderella said, as the group came into view of the hallway, "Charming you disappeared. I grabbed your homework for you."
"Eric's unwell, and as of now, is bedridden." Charming said boldly, and Eric slugged him hard in his shoulder.
"I'm not sick." he countered.
"You do look pale." Belle said, looking up from the notes she was still taking, briefly. "You haven't been in the cold and/or wet lately have you?"
"No-" Eric tried.
"It was raining when we first arrived," Aladdin noted, "And it was pretty cold then."
"The weather fluctuates greatly in this part of Pangrea," Florian nodded, "You could have caught something then."
"Poor, poor, Eric." Snow White grieved, "Your misery effects us all."
"I'm not sick." Eric protested.
"Don't worry, Eric," Aurora cut in. "I'll take care of you."
"All right, all right." Mulan said, holding up her hands, "I'll handle this. All of you, go on and get to class before the other kids are let out. By tomorrow, Eric will probably be fit to join you all."
"But I'm not-" Eric tried, but one glare from Mulan shut him up.
"Feel better, Eric." Snow White said, as the group began to move on.
"And stay away from any tunnels and the light." Adam added, offhandedly. "Just saying."
Everyone headed down one hall, the girls on their way to Proper Ballroom Dancing, and the guys on their way to Trading with Foreign Dynasty. Eric, however, was headed in the opposite direction. Mulan had his arm in one of her famous death grips, and was leading him straight towards his room.
"Now change into something comfortable," Mulan instructed when they reached his room, "And I'll fetch you a doctor. If you're not here when I get back I'm sicking Shang on you. Understood?"
Eric folded his arms like a child, and turned his back to her. Mulan clicked her tongue at him, like a mother would, and closed the door behind herself.
When he was sure she was gone, he had no choice but to change into his casual clothes and sit on his bed waiting for the doctor. But he didn't need a doctor to tell him he wasn't ill. He knew that himself. He knew that he heard Headmaster and Grimsby and Prudence and that Vanessa lady talking about Ariel. Talking about him.
They'd done something to Ariel. He just knew it. She was somewhere within the school and she was not being treated well. But why? Why would Headmaster be apart of this? How was Prudence and Grimsby involved? Why would someone kidnap Ariel, and hold her hostage? Could it be to get to him? He couldn't imagine she had done anything wrong.
This all had to somehow be his fault.
Eric was yanked from his thoughts by a somewhat familiar stinging in his hands. Disbelief flooded him and his blood ran cold as he whipped around to the dark, and somewhat mysterious, corner Madame Grimhilde was standing in. She was wrapping her whip back up and hanging it on her hip.
"How-" Eric gaped, "When...Where did you come from?"
"I've been following you since the day you left Germany." she said curtly, "I've followed you all day."
Eric couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine. Some might say he hadn't necessarily been a 'model student' that day. And Madame Grimhilde seemed the kind of person that was bold enough to hop three gates, uncaring enough to crawl in the dirt beneath the headmasters window, and was smart enough to slip past five guards.
She truly might have been with him all day, and he hadn't even noticed.
She knew he was telling the truth about what he'd heard. She knew he wasn't crazy. But she also knew he'd gone against the rules. And she knew he probably knew things he shouldn't. Which could be bad, considering she was a friend of Grimsby's.
Madame Grimhilde could be a larger problem than Eric had initially thought.
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Headmaster
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"How was I supposed to know?" Headmaster snapped. "The boy seemed legit."
"You could have just ruined everything." Grimsby snapped. "Could you have been more careless?"
"All you had to do was let us handle everything." Prudence sighed, "All you had to do was sit quietly."
"So let me get this straight," Vanessa spoke up, "Head-genius, here, hired someone from the palace, to watch over the redhead?"
"He said he hated Aurora," Headmaster explained.
"That doesn't mean he hates Eric. Or Ariel for that matter. I actually think he might even like the brat." Grimsby snarled, "You could have just ruined everything. What would happen if he just decides to run to one of the royals? Hm?"
"We're not screwed yet," Prudence spoke, "Maybe this will work in our favor."
"How?" Grimsby asked. "We've let in someone who has no business being in here. He knows something already. We'll inevitably have to kill him. And then we'll have another body to cover for."
"If, that is, this boy isn't on our side." Vanessa said, and suddenly, all eyes were on her, "Oh, come on. Think about it. We can kill two fish with one stone. We get the boys services for free and trust, and, we get a guard at the same time."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Headmaster asked. "He's apparently infatuated with Ariel. He wouldn't turn against her."
But Vanessa only smiled.
"Just trust me."
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Ariel
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Once her story was finished, Jim had told her his. From the stories he heard as a boy, and even some he'd heard about mermaids and Atlantica. To his father leaving his mother and him. Ariel could relate to the pain of a missing parent.
That iceberg out of the way, the two chatted like old friends.
"-I couldn't believe him." Jim said, laughing, "All that gold?"
"You had to be cross with him," Ariel said, smiling, "At least for a little bit."
"Ah," Jim waved off, "It was an adventure. And I managed to save a few pieces. We ran out pretty soon, but I've still got my memories."
"That's why I collect things," Ariel said, "I like preserving my memories. Looking at them and seeing a whole story."
"I wouldn't mind having some gold to remind me," Jim said, and Ariel laughed.
"I'm sure you wouldn't."
Ariel's laughing died down, and the two fell into a comfortable silence. This was the first time she'd smiled since becoming a mermaid. It was almost, kind of nice. Almost. There was still a little voice nagging her, telling her she'd never see Eric again. And that put quite a damper on things.
"Okay," Jim said, clapping pleasantly, "Lunch time."
Lunch time? She felt like she'd just had dinner. She supposed being locked inside a dark room messed up with your time of day, but honestly, she hadn't been locked up for long.
She pulled her tail up to her chest and wrapped her arms around it. She was suddenly feeling isolated again. And a little queasy. She'd tried to brush these feelings to the back of her mind. She tried to listen to Jim's story's, because they had taken her mind off of her hopeless situation. Her sad, hopeless, and oh-so bitter situation.
"Hey," Jim said, approaching the tank with two sandwiches, "Cheer up. I told you, I'll figure out how to get you out of here."
Ariel swam to the top of the tank, graciously taking her sandwich, but not having the appetite to eat it.
"I know," she told Jim, "And I'm eternally grateful that you would risk yourself for me."
Jim shrugged, but thought she caught sight of a slight blush.
"-But," she said, her voice low, "I don't... I mean... I know it sounds crazy. But, I can't leave yet. I just, its stupid. And I know this is stupid. But I keep thinking, that at any moment, Eric might just burst in here."
She set her sandwich down, and swam along the length of the tank towards the door and sat down, her hair billowing out around her.
"It's maddening." she said, "Eric. He's right outside. Right down a hall. The other side of the building. He's so close. And still, we're worlds away. Species away. How can I feel so disconnected from everything the moment he's out of my sight?"
Jim seemed more annoyed than anything when he walked the length of the tank and stood beside her.
"Your thinking about this too much." he said, "How can you even be sure that he misses you? For all you know, he might be out on a date with Jewel."
Ariel wasn't disheartened in the slightest.
"I don't know how I know." she told him, "But I do. Somehow. He must be so worried about me."
It was awful, but the thought brought her some comfort. In no way did she want Eric to hurt in any way, but just the thought of him worried about her made her feel warm inside. It made her feel wanted. Loved. Cared about. And suddenly, not so far from him.
"You'll drive yourself mad obsessing over him," Jim told her, "It's unhealthy, I bet."
"Love is not unhealthy." she told him, offhandedly, "Love is... its... medicine, you know? It heals what casts and band-aids cant. It heals the heart."
She thought she might have heard Jim mutter something along the lines of, But it breaks them, too. But when she turned to look at him, he was looking down at his feet, shaking his head.
"He can't love you like you want him to." Jim told her, looking up at her boldly. "He's a prince. He was born being told about 'how great he was'. He knows nothing of suffering. Or of loss. And he knows nothing of the world. The guy probably couldn't even brush his own teeth. How can you love someone so incompetent? The only one he can love is himself. You'll always just be his trophy. The two of you are on two separate planets."
Ariel folded her arms.
"And how would you know how capable Eric is of loving me? I'll have you know Eric's never made me feel anything besides wonderful. When I'm with him... I'm safe. I'm happy. I'm sure of everything. He is my better half. And if that half of me can't brush his own teeth, then its just something I'll learn to deal with. Isn't that what love's all about?"
"Love is about returning what is given." Jim told her, "And Eric can't give you the love or attention you deserve."
"You don't know what I deserve." she snapped, turning her head away from him, "For all you know, I'm a horrible person."
"You aren't a horrible person," he told her, his voice suddenly gently, "And if your thinking about whats going on back in Atlantica, well, that isn't your fault either. Families are always stronger than we think. Your sisters will be fine. Following your heart is never the cause of pain."
"Then why is following mine, such a catastrophe?" Ariel asked, exasperated.
She threw up her arms at the silence that answered her question. Even Jim did not know the answer to this.
"Attina was right," she muttered to herself, "I should have just stayed home and married Gill. At least then, my kingdom and sisters would be safe... And Eric wouldn't have to deal with the monster that I am."
"You are not a monster." Jim snapped, and Ariel was surprised at the intensity in his voice, "And if Eric makes you feel like that when he isn't around, then he's more of an ogre than I thought."
Ariel said nothing, knowing defending Eric would only upset Jim more. The fish in the tank had hid when she and Jim had gotten worked up, but now, the little clown fish swam in and between her hair, like it reminded him of home or something. She was aware her hair sometimes resembled coral, and she didn't mind anyway.
Ariel sighed, putting her hands on her lap. If only things were simple. If only love weren't so complicated. Why did she have to feel? Why did she have to have emotion? Why couldn't people just go about unfeeling, and just live? Why did love have to make everything so... messy?
Eric didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve a girl who complicated his already hectic life. He needed someone who could listen to him and help him make decisions. He needed someone who made his life simpler. Someone who could help him share the burden of his crown. Of his role. Of his title. He needed someone who had been born his own species.
So far, she'd only manage to make him worry.
She didn't deserve him.
Feeling stared at, she looked up and realized Jim was glaring at her. No, glaring was putting it mildly. He was sending blazing daggers at her. But she realized after a moment that he didn't seem very upset with her.
"I don't get you." he said, "I don't get how anyone could care for a royal. How someone could put so much into a relationship, and not only expect nothing in return, but make up for the other persons lack as well."
Ariel knew better than to argue, or even speak. Years of listening to her father scream at her had made her very in-tune with people's speech. Speaking now would only further aggravate Jim. Instead, she stared at her hands.
"If you think for one second," he spat, "that he loves, or even likes you, then you pathetic."
Jim shoved his hands in his pockets and marched out the room.
He got really bent up when it came to Eric.
The little clown fish, Nemo, swam in front of her, and she pet it's head like she used to do Flounder. Nemo settled in the palm of her hand, promptly falling asleep. Ariel watched him sleep for but a moment.
She hoped she hadn't angered Jim to bad.
He was her only connection to the outside world. To both the only worlds she knew.
A/N: So that's all she wrote. Remember to tell me what you think!
TheForgottenName