A/N: Thank you to my readers for all your kind reviews! It warms my heart to know that you're enjoying my story. Without further ado, here is the next chapter. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Little Mermaid

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Ariel was pacing in the bedchambers she shared with Eric, winging her hands and feeling anxious. She wasn't accustomed to standing back and waiting for good or bad news. When she had been a mermaid, she would involve herself in whatever way she could to help her kingdom despite Daddy ordering her not to. Waiting here now was difficult. Eric was out there, fighting for the kingdom while she sat idle and useless.

If only there was something I could do, she thought.

Ariel finally got up the courage to go to the balcony doors and peer out. She scanned her eyes over the waters, noting how peaceful they seemed now. The red and orange hues of the setting sun glistened on the water's top. It seemed so very lovely and tranquil to Ariel—until her eyes landed on the retreating ship. It was the pirate ship, and she wondered with a feeling of relief if Eric and his navy feet had scared the wretched seamen away.

The horrible churning in her stomach of dread told her otherwise. There was something wrong; she could feel it in the air. Ariel inhaled sharply as her fears took hold. A breeze wafted through the balcony doors, bringing with it the unmistakable scent of burning wood.

Ariel ran from the room. She raced through the castle until she found an entrance leading out onto the beach. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest by the time her feet hit the sand. She slid to a stop several yards from the castle and once more gazed out to sea, hoping that her senses were only playing tricks, that Eric and his men were victorious and returning to shore safe and sound.

Ariel's heart sank in despair. Eric's ship, The Little Mermaid, was up in flames. The other navy vessel was fast sinking, its masts already devoured and blackened by fire.

"No!" she screamed, tears stinging her eyes. "Eric!"

Ariel stood there sobbing, feeling as if her entire world had crumbled around her. She sank to her knees on the sand.

I've lost him . . .

The thought was enough to make her want to scream in agony until all her sorrow had drained every last bit of strength from her. She wanted to pound her fist into the sand until they were bleeding. Her heart ached so strongly that it hurt, and nothing, it seemed, would quell the storm of grief raging inside her.

She had only been married one day and she had lost her husband by the hands of pirates—just like her mother.

Suddenly, Ariel wanted revenge. The feeling of hatred was so strong that it frightened her. She wanted to kill every last pirate on that bloody ship if it meant avenging the death of the two people she had loved very much.

But Ariel knew she could never harm anyone. It wasn't in her nature. Her shoulders slumped as the weight of her pain settled on her shoulders.

"Ariel!"

The familiar voice drew the little mermaid's attention. She glanced up in surprise as Scuttle swooped down and landed on the sand, furiously flapping his wings and looking on the verge of hysterics.

The seagull clutched his chest with one of his wings and sputtered. "Ariel, you're not gonna believe this!"

Ariel stiffened. She wondered if he was going to tell her what she already knew: that Eric had been killed by the hands of pirates. Because she wasn't prepared to hear it confirmed by her friend, she opened her mouth to protest, but Scuttle wouldn't let her get a word in.

"They have him," the seagull blurted. "Those pirates have the prince, Ariel. What are we gonna do? They'll kill him, I tell ya!"

Suddenly, Ariel was filled with dawning hope to know that Eric was still alive. Tears burned the backs of her eyes.

"Scuttle," she breathed out. "You saw Eric? Is he alright? Did they hurt him? Oh, what are we going to do!"

"Calm down, sweetie. We'll think of somethin'," Scuttle promised, nodding drunkenly and looking very peaked from his flight. "Knowin' pirates, I say they took your prince for a reason, probably for ransom—hey, where are you goin'?"

Ariel was wading out into the ocean, trying in futile attempt to undo the laces behind her. "I need to go rescue my husband," she said breathlessly.

Scuttle was incredulous. "How? I hate to break it to ya, sweetie, but aren't you forgettin' somethin'?"

Ariel was now frustrated. She just couldn't seem to get the laces to untie. Carlotta must have intricately knotted them by the feel of it. "What am I forgetting, Scuttle?" she asked, feeling annoyed with her ineptness.

"Why, girlie, you have legs! How're you gonna rescue the prince with legs?"

Ariel stopped what she was doing as his words sunk in. She realized he was right—she couldn't rescue Eric like this. For the love of Poseidon, she couldn't swim without her tail! What had she been thinking?

Feeling a sudden weight of despair, Ariel wadded back to shore and plopped down on the sand with of huff. She suddenly looked so forlorn that Scuttle took pity on her. He rested a comforting wing on her back.

"Look, sweetie, I wish I could help ya," he said earnestly. "But what can I do? I'm just a seagull."

Ariel suddenly brightened. "You can do something for me, Scuttle."

Scuttle scratched his head and blinked. "I can?" he asked.

"Yes! You can keep an eye on Eric just until I can find a way to reach him myself. Please?"

The imploring look Ariel gave him was his undoing. The seagull decided he would do anything for her, anyway. So he stood up tall and gave her a salute.

"At your service, sweetie!"

"Thank you, Scuttle. You're a wonderful friend." Ariel leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Scuttle suddenly felt like he was on top of the world. With another smart salute, the seagull flew off in the direction the ship had gone, feeling important and special. He had a task to do. Ariel was depending on him, and by golly, he wasn't going to let her down.

Ariel, meanwhile, had begun to pace on the wet sand, wondering how she was going to rescue Eric. Many times she wished she had the ability to turn her legs into fins at will. Because she didn't have that power, it was useless to dwell on the possibility.

Grimsby and several palace guards came out to find her half-an-hour later. The poor man looked ashen with worry. Max bounded ahead to greet Ariel, circling her and barking excitedly.

"My dear, we have been looking all over for you!" Grimsby cried, pulling at his cravat anxiously. "It's dreadful, just dreadful what happened! The pirates took Prince Eric. And he made me promise that I would take good care of you if anything should happen to him. Oh, dear heavens, what are we to do!"

Eric's advisor was so intent on his ramblings that Ariel had to touch his shoulder to get his attention. Grimsby stopped in mid-sentence and gave her a startled look.

"Oh, please forgive me, dear. I've had quite the ordeal today, watching the dreadful sight . . . " The older man sighed and gently took hold of Ariel's elbow in bony fingers. "Come along, my dear. The hour grows late. I know you must be terribly upset about the prince, but I assure you, we will find him."

Ariel nodded and meekly went with Grimsby inside.

In the bed chambers, she allowed Carlotta to fuss over her in her motherly way, silently planning in her head what she could do to rescue Eric from the pirates. Carlotta helped Ariel dress in a clean night gown. Then she forced her to eat a few morsels of food before tucking the covers around her and promptly leaving the room.

Ariel held Eric's pillow tightly in her arms as she lay in bed. She found his lingering scent a comfort. "Oh, Eric. Please be alright," she whispered. Tears stung the backs of her eyes thinking of her husband, cold and alone on that ship without a blanket to warm him. "I'll find you, love. Don't despair . . . "

Ariel fell asleep thinking of Eric. It wasn't a restful sleep. Several times she awoke from a nightmare, crying out Eric's name. She wished he were here now to hold her and whisper words of comfort in her ears.

When dawn came, Ariel received a surprise visitor.

"Ariel, wake up, child."

Groaning and rubbing sleep from her eyes, Ariel sat up and was surprised to find Sebastian sitting before her, looking worried.

"Sebastian! What are you doing here?" she whispered in a voice hoarse with sleep.

"I heard from dat seagull dat da prince was abducted by pirates," the crab replied. "Is dat true?"

Ariel nodded and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Yes, it's true. They came yesterday and attacked the palace." Tears stung her eyes. "Oh, Sebastian, what am I going to do?"

Sebastian sighed. "Your father does not know. I thought it for da better, and I came to offer my assistance. I know how much you love dat prince of yours."

Ariel brightened with hope. "Oh, thank you, Sebastian! You don't know how much your help would mean to me."

"Yes, well, I knew dat you would have done anything to save your prince. Because it's inevitable, I will help you in doing dat."

"How?"

"You have da power to turn yourself into a mermaid," the crab blurted out. "I should have told you before, then da problem with da Sea Witch would have never happened, but I didn't want you to get into anymore trouble."

Ariel was shocked. "I can turn myself into a mermaid?" she asked tentatively, not certain if she believed him or not.

"Yes, child. Your voice, you see, holds dat power," Sebastian explained. "You only have to set your mind to summoning dat power. You see?"

Ariel nodded, suddenly feeling breathless. "If I have that power, how come other mermaids and mermen have never used it?"

Sebastian shook his head. "Only da daughters of Triton have dat power. Do you understand now?" Ariel nodded. "Good. Now we must go before da palace wakes up. Come along, child."

Ariel scrambled out of bed. She could hardly contain her excitement. She held out her hand so Sebastian could hop in, then hurried out the door.

They made it out to the beach without running into any of the palace staff or Grimsby. As soon as Ariel's bare feet hit the cool sand, she took off at a run. It was wonderful feeling the morning breeze blow through her hair. The sun was just coming up, and it warmed the sand with its vital rays.

Sebastian told her to stop when he thought they were far enough away from the palace. Then, all business-like, he hopped off Ariel's hand onto a rock and cleared his throat.

"It is not hard," he stated. "Use your mind, child. Dat's all there is to it."

Ariel wasn't deterred by his lack of explanation. She was too giddy with excitement. She stripped of her nightgown until she was dressed only in the shells to cover her breast, then sank down into the cool water.

She closed her eyes. She didn't know if it would help, but she pictured becoming a mermaid again, trading her legs for a tail.

Nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, she still had legs. A sigh of frustration blew from her lips.

She looked at Sebastian, who appeared to be quite bored. "Was there something else I should do?" Ariel asked pointedly.

Sebastian sighed. "I forgot to mention something, yes."

Ariel was growing impatient. "Well, what is it?"

"You must use your voice, too."

Ariel began to sing, softly at first. Suddenly, it was as if the words and the melody magically came to her. Her voice crescendoed as she grew more bold, and the words flowed out like a smooth ocean current. She closed her eyes and sang from deep within her soul.

The change was swift, leaving only a light tingling sensation in its wake that soon faded. When Ariel opened her eyes, she was elated—and surprised—to see that her legs were gone. In their place was her tail, magnificently green and glistening in the soft morning light. Never before had she been so thrilled in her life to be a mermaid as she was now.

Ariel glanced in delight at Sebastian. The crab was nodding his approval, smiling and looking pleased.

"I knew you could do it, child," he said simply. "Your father would be proud."

"I must go find Eric now," Ariel murmured, gazing out at the horizon.

"Ariel?"

She glanced at Sebastian.

"Be careful. If your father finds out I helped you to go after your prince and risk your pretty neck, I will be fish fodder."

Sebastian looked so worried that Ariel dared not to laugh. She offered him a reassuring smile instead. "Thank you, Sebastian. I'll forever be grateful for your help."

The crab waved a dismissive pincer. "Don't mention it, child."

Ariel didn't linger long. She said goodbye to her friend, then dove cleanly into the water.

Her mission was to find her husband. If anything were to happen to him, she didn't think she would be able to live a life without him.