As the sun of the fourth day began to set, Eric took Ariel out in the same rowboat he had taken her out on before, with a much more somber air around them.

"You seem nervous?" Eric asked, nervously.

"Anxious." Ariel corrected. "I'm excited-scared, not fearful-scared."

"Well I supposed that's good. So, what did you need to talk about?" Eric pulled the oars in and let them drift.

"The big stuff." Ariel said vaguely. "I wanna be honest with you, always."

"Me too."

"Before, I was different. I only wanted to be honest as much as possible."

"Ariel, did something happen?"

"Kind of. Something that brought me here."

"You wanna talk about your shipwreck?" Eric was more confused now than at the start of the conversation!

"I'm going to share with you the absolute, honest, no frills truth, okay?"

"Okay."

"And I need you to take it as that, because this is serious, and important to me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Eric, I didn't tell you the truth when we first met."

"But I know that you're the girl who rescued me! I'm sure."

"It's not that." Ariel held up her hands, silencing him. "I did rescue you - that much is true. But I wasn't shipwrecked. I made up that story, because I didn't know if you'd believe the truth."

"Is your family, really….dead?" Eric asked softly.

Oh. That lie hit her harder now. She had lied about the lives of her family, and killed them off to further her dreams. That…wasn't right. "Not all of them. I'm sorry I said that part, sorry to you, and to them. My mother did die, when I was very young, but I have six sisters, and a father that you might've heard of."

"Oh?"

"He's the stuff of legends. King Triton."

Eric laughed at this. "The Sea King?"

"You said you wouldn't laugh!" Ariel huffed, folding her arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Eric apologized, stifling back another snicker. "It's just that, he's the ruler of the merpeople, and you started this whole conversation out so somber, and-" he cut off, as he saw that Ariel had not broken out into giggles, or given any indication that of course she was kidding, there was no way she was a mermaid! In fact, she was sitting there, still looking cross, but most definitely looking like she wasn't kidding. "You don't mean to say…"

"I'm a mermaid. Was, anyway. I –I saw your ship, when I was in my grotto. You blocked out the light, and I had been dreaming of human things and shipwrecks all day – all my life! – I couldn't just ignore you. So I swam up, and I saw you with Grimsby, and I saw you dancing, and I knew that very moment that I had to be a part of your world."

"Wow." Eric huffed, falling back. "Then, what happened to your tail? Granted, your skirts are pretty long, but I'm confident you still don't have it."

Ariel giggled, a little out of humor, a little out of relief. He believed her! "That's where the issues come about. I could use my father's trident to turn myself human, but I'm only 16, and I'm not a queen. I don't have the power to make it permanent, or even painless. The spell would last until day's end, which is why I had to shoo you away so soon after we reunited."

"Yeah, I did find that odd, but you were insistent."

"Well, I wasn't ready to tell you then." Ariel shrugged, then continued. "When you invited me back to the castle, I couldn't say no. Not to an opportunity like that! Especially when I had waited three years for the very chance. So that night, when the spell faded, I snuck back out into the ocean, and got my legs from the Sea Witch."

"Oh no, what's the catch?" Eric sat fully back up, grabbing Ariel's hands.

"She's a bitter, cruel woman, I know. She manipulates people for fun, they don't even have to necessarily bring her benefit. If she can watch them fall, that's enough for her. And that's what she's trying to do with me, I know it. I get my legs for seven days, and they hurt, Eric, they hurt a lot. Like knives are prodding me feet whenever I step."

"Oh my God, Ariel." Eric scooted closer to her and embraced the girl. "I had no idea."

"Yeah, well, I didn't tell you."

"How do you beat her? How can we break the spell?"

Ariel swallowed. "If I win your love."

"You have it! All of it."

"You have to choose me. Marry me."

Eric exhaled on this one. "And you only have three days left? There's no other way?"

"No." Ariel dipped her head, as she noticed that Eric began to row back to shore.

"I almost don't want to know, but…what happens if we can't break the spell in time?" Eric asked.

Ariel didn't want to have any more lies between her and Eric, but she knew it would be wiser to keep some things to herself. If Eric were to marry her, if the spell were to break, she'd want it to be purely because Eric loved her more than anything, or anyone, not just because he was afraid of doing such harm to her, or because he didn't want to ever give her up.

Ariel glanced up at him, weaving her hands together. "I turn back into a mermaid." She lied. "And go back to my family."

…

Eric knew what to do; what he had to do, and what he wanted to do. But he feared the consequences, he feared causing harm to a woman he loved, and a woman he liked. He found himself, for the umpteenth time, wishing that he had waited those three extra, three long years. For then he would be forging a path of bliss, instead of trying to clear thorns.

He would try and reduce pain as much as possible, and started with Ariel. He scooped her out of the boat and carried her back to the carriage, informing her that he would minimize her walking for the rest of her seven day curse.

She's done everything in her power. For him, for them. How can one girl be so selfless? She's put strain on her family, pressure on herself, and risked everything for a chance to bring together this love. Our love. It's meant to be. As if I needed any reassurance! We're meant to be. It's my turn to fix what I can now.

"But I don't want it to limit our adventures. I liked the sailing, I liked going to town, I like our carriage rides."

"We'll still go out, I promise. It might just be marked with the caveat that you'll spend plenty of time sitting, sound good?"

"Sounds great." Ariel smiled up at him, her arms wrapped around his neck. "What'll we do tomorrow?"

Unfortunately, Eric thought, I can't change the fact that I did marry Cora, and while not of my own idea or desire, I did do it of my own will. I don't want to hurt her, I never wanted to, but is there any way it could be avoided. He looked at the woman he held in his arms. I can't leave Ariel behind. Not after everything we have together, not after finding her now. I've spent three years hoping Cora would turn into a girl like her, and now I have everything I want. Throwing it away would be stupid, plain and simple.

"Hm, I'm not sure. Anything you have in mind?"

"Not really." Ariel shrugged. "But you know your land, and land in general, much better than I." They both laughed at this, Eric still stung by disbelief that his savior woman disappeared from his kingdom only because she was never there to begin with. Her story was so far-fetched, but it made such perfect sense that he couldn't doubt it.

This won't be easy. I never planned to do this, but, then again, I never planned for this situation. I never would've married Cora if I thought it was realistic that I'd find Ariel again, but I was always stuck in this ugly space between hope and disappointment, where I figured it wouldn't happen, but still wondered if it could. And now I've made everything much worse. Well, no more. I'll fix everything.

"We'll think of something, tomorrow." Eric placed her in the carriage, then climbed in himself. "That way we get a night to sleep on it. How's that sound?"

"Just dandy. Besides, I can't think of much but my stomach anyway." Ariel placed her hands on her belly and leaned back.

"That hungry?" Eric laughed, snapping the reins and sending the horses in motion.

"Well, I'm thinking of everything I told you, and everything else that's been going on over the course of this adventure, but it's nice to have something off my chest. That space for worry just got replaced with hunger, I guess."

"Well then I'll be sure to have cook fix up your favorite."

Ariel leaned up against Eric and curled her feet up next to him. She closed her eyes and let herself be lulled by the carriage, and the two remained silent for the rest of the ride home, no longer needing words.

…

Everything was so tragically peaceful when they were gone. Cora found herself both tense and relaxed, as she was free to lay back and read or stitch, not needing to remain the perfect wife, and not needing to be on guard and keep Eric and Ariel apart. At the same time, there was a constant presence of nerves as it was inevitable that as soon as they were out of her sight, she couldn't see the pair anymore.

She was shaken from her stewed reverie as she heard the wheels on pavement, and the opening of gates. She put her stitching aside and rose to watch them pull back onto castle grounds. The doors closed behind them, though she felt the oxygen sucked out of her own space. What was she going to do? What power did she have left? Would Eric truly leave her? That would snuff out any remainders of Love, and Cora felt that was a crime seldom marked.

She moved out to a balcony, and rested her cheek upon her hand like Juliet, a panic building alongside her budding anger. If there would be any hope left for her marriage, for this love, she needed to act. She had concocted plans in her head, and dismissed them for being too over-the-top or unrealistic. Even now, nothing of substance came to her. They were past the point of talking, beyond being able to discuss everything that happened. Cora knew she couldn't wean him off Ariel, he was in too deep.

And then she watched as he scooped her out of the carriage, and she tangled herself up in him like she was laying claim. He carried her into the castle, over the threshold; bridal style. Cora clamped a hand over her mouth and, in the three years she had known Eric, saw wedding bells for the second time.

She moved quickly out the door and then paused as she felt a most unusual sensation. She laid a hand on her abdomen and felt it again. A movement. She counted back in her head and tried her best to regain her composure, moving once again with grace as she descended down the stairs to the ballroom.

Eric placed Ariel down on the floor, so gingerly, seeming to steady her the whole time. He looked up at Cora. "She hurt her feet."

Ariel had to stifle a snort at this, but Cora must have missed the joke.

She twisted her hands nervously, biting her lip and stepping closer to Eric.

"Did something happen?" he asked, recognizing the look he had so seldom seen.

"I – I have something to tell you. News." Cora said softly, closing the space between them.

"Are you okay? You seem nervous. Or anxious. I can never tell." Eric felt his pulse quicken. Ariel stood beside him, and she felt the same tension he did.

"I've been missing my courses, and, just now, I felt the baby quicken." Cora's voice wavered like she was either about to sing or scream. "I'm pregnant, Eric." Cora said, breaking out in a smile.

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