Five months later…
Lily's story had made headlines around Australia and the world and soon everyone wanted to know more about 'The Real-Life Ariel', as the Australian media called her and merpeople and they wanted to see them, although they had been warned that they were not a tourist attraction and wouldn't appear as often as they would've liked but if they knew that Lily was coming to the shore, they made their appearance which delighted those who saw them.
The Gold Coast residents themselves had taken some time to adjust to the idea which was hardly surprising, considering that their first encounter with merpeople involved a murderous sea witch but after seeing Lily on their local news and hearing about her love for Ben, most of them accepted the existence of merpeople and treated them with respect rather than an attraction at Sea World.
True to Daisy's word, establishing relations with her kingdom and the Gold Coast proved to be challenging as the change for the merpeople from human haters to peaceful neighbours faced many hurdles and uncertainty but the queen had faith and after many negotiations with the mayor and the Premier of Queensland and her subjects and a little time and patience, most of the merpeople came around and now wanted to know more about humans.
They had also missed being on the surface, playing music and watching the sunset at the rock pools, which they had done before the death of the king and wanted to do so again. With Daisy's persuasion and also wanting to meet the human boy who had stolen the youngest princess's heart and had saved them all from the terrible sea witch who had nearly taken over their kingdom, they held a celebration for Lily and Ben at the rock pools.
They enjoyed it greatly without the dangers from the last time they were there and Ben was delighted to meet more merfolk that weren't like Lily and he soon found another mother figure in Daisy, who respected him for his bravery and kindness and knew that he would be the perfect prince for the kingdom once the two married.
Ben also got to know Lily's sisters better and he worked hard to remember their names and they were soon fast friends.
As they had been when they first saw him, the girls loved Ben from the start. Marigold, Daffodil, Rose, Bluebell and Violet were just as eager to know Ben as he was to know them and he especially bonded with Daffodil, since he loved her jokes and funny impersonations and he could see why Lily harboured such strong feelings for her and Marigold, whom he also bonded well with due to their love of sports.
Rose respected him very much for his role in Sharla's defeat, putting his own life on the line for theirs and their kingdom and she and Bluebell were very interested to know about the history and politics of Australia and they listened eagerly as Ben described his country's history and how the national and state governments worked.
In return, Rose and Bluebell told him about the history of Aquaria and its kings and queens which Ben listened to with intense interest as he learned more about his love's ocean world and he wanted to explore it more than ever.
Only Fern took some time to adjust to having the new boy around, as she hadn't been terribly social to begin with and was still a bit wary of humans but Ben wasn't to be deterred and when Lily told him that Fern's favourite music was emo and punk, he made an entire playlist on his phone for Fern, which she loved and she and Ben would stay at the pools for hours, until the sun set, listening to the music in comfortable silence until she grew to love his company.
Throughout the changes, university lectures when Ben eventually started at Bond and being in the media, Lily and Ben were every inch the devoted, loving and inseperable couple and everyone who saw them out and about in town agreed that Lily was a far better match for Ben than that creature that had called herself Carly and they had no reason to doubt that Ben loved the former mermaid or that she reciprocated his love.
In fact, they even went as far to say that they had better chemistry than his parents did although that was quickly rebuffed by Ben, but he had to admit he was feeling the same way as they did when they were together and everyone clearly thought so when they saw how happy he was with Lily and vice versa.
And by the way she fitted seamlessly into their city, having gained Australian citizenship on the grounds that she had been technically born in Australian waters, albeit with a few quirky habits she hadn't yet managed to shake off (like still brushing her hair with a fork), it was hard to believe that she had once been a mermaid if one was a newcomer to the city unless they were told about it by locals or seen the news stories.
Lily (and Ben's opinion of her) charmed everyone she met and over the months, she had met more new people such as the mayor, the Premier, the Prime Minister when she and Ben went to Canberra for a few days so that she could see the nation's capital and that they could see 'The Real-Life Ariel', the players from the Broncos and Maroons when she went to see their games in Brisbane with Ben and Des and his family.
She had also grown close to Ben's friends, especially Mia, who was now her best human friend (after Aurora) and she even got along with Anna, who had regretted her behaviour towards her and apologised to Lily and the two were now good friends.
Lily enjoyed going shopping, going to the movies, having coffees and a good gossip with the girls whenever they got together, going to the footy games with the boys and seeing Queensland win State of Origin at Suncorp, which had been her very first game she had seen live.
She also played cricket and footy with the boys in the park, even if they didn't quite get the fact that she liked bouncing the ball up and down on the bat, like her game that Sandy showed her but they caught on and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't beat Lily's record!
Ben had finished his first semester at Bond University and got excellent marks in his exams and got a part-time job at a local bar, working three days a week while still finding time for his surfing, playing rugby for the uni team and to be with Lily and he did teach her how to surf which she found hard at first but she soon got the hang of it and they vowed to go surfing at least once a day in the summer.
Ben said that Lily had lifted him out of the haze he felt he had been surrounded in since his mother died and that she changed him for the better and he couldn't imagine life without her.
She made him laugh, she made him smile, there was never a dull moment with her around, she sang him songs and did everything she could to bring him joy and happiness in his world which had been sad and lonely but she was the sunshine that shone brilliantly on it.
Lily had grown in maturity and became more sure or herself, less uncertain and began standing on her own two feet (literally), as she made her way in the human world.
She was a fast learner and was soon adept at the many skills that humans used in their everyday lives such as catching a bus to get around town, using an iPhone that Ben bought for her to text and communicate with people, going grocery shopping with Melinda and having a bank account and earning money, which Phil set up for her.
She also helped Melinda around the house and learned how to cook as she made dinner almost every night and although her first attempts were less than appetising, she got better each time she practiced, with Melinda's encouragement and endless patience.
Even though Lily was happy with Ben and delighted to be part of his world as she felt that this was where she was meant to be, having gone through so much strife and made many sacrifices to achieve her goal and she didn't want to admit it to Ben but she missed her mother and sisters and her friends back in the ocean, as she knew that it would always be a part of her, no matter where she went.
As much as she loved being with Ben and being human in his world which no amount of homesickness would change, there was that part that stayed with her and always would.
And as she lay next to Ben in his bed one night, her head resting against his chest as his arms were wrapped around her, rubbing her back which didn't soothe her as it usually did, she fingered her necklace that had gone unused for some time and wondered about the day where she and Ben would have the best of both worlds.
One still night in July, Lily and Ben were at the rock pools, dipping their feet into the cool water, not really thinking about anything as Ben put his arm around Lily, who was playing with the charms on her bracelet and lost in her own thoughts.
Looking at his girlfriend, Ben couldn't believe that five months had passed since he had met Lily for the first time, when she sang to him on the beach and then later appeared on the beach wearing that curtain and was unable to speak.
Until that moment, she and her whole life hadn't even existed to him and the Gold Coast and now merpeople were as common as the tourists that came every year and his own life had been turned upside down but in the best possible way.
He had to keep pinching himself to convince himself that it was all real and that he now had the ability to be a merman whenever he wanted through Lily's necklace and he wondered why she hadn't used it yet.
He loved this girl with all his heart and he would prove it by embracing her world, like she had embraced his, which he would soon do for he had noticed that something was troubling Lily as she then fiddled with her hair and she had a slight frown on her face as she looked at the ocean.
'Lily, what's wrong?' Ben said, pulling her close to him as she looked up and leaned against his shoulder, 'is something bothering you, because you're usually so happy and serene in the rock pools and you're not so something must be on your mind.
You know you can tell me, I love you and all I want is for you to be happy,' he said.
'Oh, Ben, I am happy, you know I am,' Lily said, putting her arms around his waist and giving him a kiss on the cheek, 'I love being in your world and I would never leave you. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
After all, I made a deal with a sea witch in exchange for my soul so I can be with you and I get visits from my family and friends from time to time.
But I never thought that I would miss swimming and breathing freely in the water, eating kelp pasta and seaweed donuts, laughing at Daffodil's bad jokes and impressions, going to the Blue Clam and hearing the Aquaettes and the Shell Hoppers play and sharing a room with all six of my sisters..' Lily said.
'Lily, I never knew,' Ben said, wistfully, 'If I had known that I had unwittingly tore you from your family, I would've..'
'Ben, you didn't,' Lily said, 'this is where I want to be, you know that. No amount of homesickness will make me change my mind. I love you with all my heart and I want to stay with you.
Of course, I would love to visit my home and see Mum and my sisters but I would never leave you ever.'
'You can,' Ben said, fingering Lily's necklace, 'and I want to come with you. I want to know what it's like to have fins and to be able to swim and breathe freely in the ocean. I want to do this, Lily, I want to make you as happy as you have made me.'
'Oh, Ben,' Lily said, her eyes misty as she took off her necklace, 'but are you sure that you want to do this? I'm not sure that it works, although Mum did say I could use it in the moonlight and I don't know what colour your tail may be!'
'I want to, Lily,' Ben said and Lily smiled as she kissed him and pointed the necklace towards the sky, the moonlight shining on it as it released a glowing golden light.
'At least we know it works,' Lily said, as the light surrounded her and she felt her legs transforming into her pink tail.
The light then made its way towards Ben and he watched in amazement as his jeans and legs were replaced by smooth maroon scales and his feet gently morphed into gold fins, like he had in the portrait of him and his mother as merpeople, only now he was a merman for real and he smiled as he ran his hand down his new tail, feeling the scales.
'Wow,' Ben whispered and he flicked his tail just as Lily completed her transformation and jumped into the water, her pink tail sprinkling droplets onto Ben's new fins as he smiled at her.
'You look great, Ben!' Lily said, smiling at his new merman form as he took off his shirt but still stayed sitting on the rocks and dipped his tail in the water which made ripples on the surface.
'Come on in, the water's fine!' Lily said, swimming up to him and floated on her back, splashing him with her tail. While he grinned slyly and splashed her back, amazed that his tail seemed to respond to his movements, Ben was initially hesitant.
He was an excellent swimmer but he now had a maroon tail instead of legs and he wasn't sure if he could swim like a proper merman.
'It's okay, I'll help you,' Lily said as Ben slid cautiously down the rock he had been sitting on like a child experiencing the water for the first time and Lily took his hands and gently coaxed him in, encouraging him to use his tail, which he did.
For Ben, the water felt different to him now that he was a merman. He didn't feel heavy, wet or weighed down. He felt light and had a sudden urge to dip below the water and see how far he could reach the ocean floor as he floated on his back and smiled serenely as he felt the cool water on him.
'Ben, you're a natural!' Lily said as she and Ben swam around the pool and under the waterfall, laughing and giggling as Ben got better and better at swimming with a tail.
They had daft and silly races and Lily rode on Ben's back as he glided gracefully under the waterfall, splashed each other with their tails, floated on their backs with their eyes closed and then held each other close, sharing sweet, deep kisses and nuzzling against each other's shoulders as they floated in the water.
'I bet that Mum and my sisters would love to see us and how well you can swim as a merman, Ben,' Lily said, once they broke apart from their last kiss, 'I hope that they're still up at this time of night, that is, if you want to still see Aquaria.
I can't wait to show you the kingdom as there's so much to see and do and maybe you can introduce the mermen to underwater versions of cricket and footy!'
'Of course, Lily, I can't wait to see your kingdom,' Ben said, 'it'll be a nice surprise for your family to see you and me as a merman which has been the most incredible and amazing experience of my life after pretending to be one when I was little.'
'And now you get to be one for real,' Lily said and the two shared another passionate kiss before swimming out towards the ocean and prepared to dive under the surface.
'Are you ready, Ben?' she then asked, squeezing his hand and he nodded before taking a deep breath and held it in which made Lily burst out laughing.
'Ben, you're a merman now, you don't have to hold your breath!' she said and Ben grinned sheepishly at her.
'Sorry, force of habit,' he said, chuckling as he let his breath out in a quick blast and squeezed her hand back, 'at least I don't have to worry about drowning this time!'
Both of them laughed as they dipped their heads beneath the surface and flicked their tails in the air as they swam down towards Aquaria.
And that concludes the story! Like my previous fanfic, this has been incredibly fun to write from October 2015 to July 2016 and it was amazing that I wrote 100,000+ in only nine months!
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and followed my little mermaid from the beginning of her journey to her happy ending, especially to theBritCrit for her helpful and wonderful reviews and everyone else who has kindly left a review!
Let me know who your favourite characters are and if you think Lily and Ben are a good couple and if Lily were to meet Ariel, would they get along? (I think they will!)
Thank you all so much for reading 'Lily the Little Mermaid'
Read and review! (for the last time!) :)