A/N: Possible Trigger warnings for implied mentions of self-harm.

Chapter 15

ERIC swiftly led Ariel through the halls of the castle by the hand, ignoring his new love's quiet protests that they do as Darius's wife asked and stay away, to please let her have this time, but it was one request he could not and would not abide by. There was no time to lose. Eric swiftly led Ariel through the castle, not stopping until they reached the room where they had last left Darius with Ariel's aunt.

Ariel halted abruptly as she witnessed a heart-wrenching scene unfold before her. Helena was hunched over Darius's lifeless body, and the sound of Eric's anguished gasp made it clear that he didn't belong there.

Urgently, she tugged on Eric's sleeve, attempting to draw him away.

"Eric, please, let them have a moment. We don't need to be here, we...we have no right to see this," she pleaded, shaking her head as she guided him out of the room.

Carlotta offered comforting words to Helena, who wept over her husband's lifeless form, and Ariel couldn't shake the feeling that she and Eric were intruding on an intimate, private moment that wasn't meant for their eyes.

To her surprise, Eric complied and followed her. As they made their way down the hallway, Ariel's heart skipped a beat when she realized they had arrived at the library—the very room where she had first met the Prince's closest friend on her inaugural night in the castle. She shook her head, attempting to clear her mind from the chaotic thoughts that flooded her, but the vivid memory refused to fade.

"This should never have happened, Eric. Darius... he can't be..." Ariel's words trailed off, her thoughts too overwhelming to express fully. However, she didn't need to articulate them, for the tears welling up in Eric's azure eyes conveyed his understanding. "How did it come to this?" she murmured, her voice filled with despair.

Suddenly, Ariel felt a warm, rough pressure against her lips, causing her eyes to widen in shock.

It took her a moment to realize that Eric had placed a tender, innocent kiss upon her mouth.

In that fleeting moment, she found herself instinctively responding, deepening the connection between them.

Reluctant for the kiss to end, she savored its lingering sweetness. Their lips reluctantly parted, barely a breath away. As Ariel anxiously met Eric's gaze, tears welled up in his eyes, reflecting the depth of their emotions.

Overwhelmed by a torrent of feelings, Ariel could no longer suppress her own tears. She held Eric tightly, clutching onto him as if he were her only source of stability. The sight of Eric's devastated friend shattered her heart, leaving her feeling utterly powerless. She yearned to alleviate their pain, but she was unsure of what to do.

While her father had promised to wield his magic to help, Ariel doubted if even his efforts would succeed. She had never witnessed her father resurrect a soul, or else surely he would have brought her mother back.

Her deepest desire was for Darius to live, but he lay there, pallid and lifeless, devoid of any signs of vitality.

And Helena, poor Helena, a woman who had already endured immeasurable suffering, now faced the crushing loss of her entire world, all because of her own aunt.

Ariel couldn't fathom how Helena would muster the strength to carry on when the man who loved her most had perished. With Darius gone, what future awaited Helena? Would she succumb to the sea's embrace, surrendering her life to its depths? Would she resign herself to a broken heart and wither away? Ariel squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the thought of Helena inflicting harm upon herself. Concern gnawed at her heart, and doubts began to assail her. She feared she had made a grave mistake in insisting that Eric accompany her. They needed to return.

"We... we must go back, Eric," Ariel pleaded urgently, struggling against the Prince's embrace, though his grip on her dress only tightened. "We should never have left Helena alone. What if Father cannot bring Darius back? What... what if Helena... loses all hope? Who knows what desperate measures she might take now?" she told him tearfully.

Ariel wriggled within Eric's embrace, attempting to break free from his hold. However, his hands found her waist, drawing her closer until she was pressed tightly against his chest. He gripped her firmly, refusing to release her, and a resolute expression transformed his sparkling blue eyes, betraying a sense of unease.

It was evident to Ariel that Eric had something important to tell her, something she might not appreciate.

Yet, after witnessing Helena's anguish and despair firsthand when Ariel had pulled him away, he understood that the decision ultimately rested with Helena.

"Please, Ariel, don't," Eric implored, his voice filled with a slow, measured cadence as he attempted to suppress his own rising emotions. His blue eyes shimmered with tears that mirrored her own. "If your father's magic fails to work, Helena needs the opportunity to bid farewell to him. Let Helena have this time."

Ariel felt her complexion drain of color, and she vigorously shook her head, hoping to reject Eric's words, convinced that she must have misunderstood. Confusion clouded her thoughts, and a deep frown etched across her face.

"B-but what if she harms herself? We... we can't simply stand by and—"

"And what, Ariel?" Eric's voice snapped with a sharp bark to his voice that caused Ariel to look up at the anguished Prince, her heart stinging with both pain and admiration. "Allow Helena to do what? Join Darius?"

A grimace formed on Ariel's face as she observed a fleeting shadow cross the Prince's chiseled features, extinguishing the light in his blue eyes and leaving them almost devoid of vitality.

His expression hardened, and for an instant, she could envision a younger version of Darius in his place.

Eric extended his hands, resting them upon Ariel's shoulders, and gently shook her, as if trying to break through the fog of her thoughts and remind her of their dear friend.

"Didn't you truly see her, Ariel? Have you not witnessed the depths of Helena's despair?" Eric's voice resonated with a mix of concern and urgency. "Helena is suffering in ways that surpass her physical ailment. The magnitude of her pain eclipses anything she has ever endured. Can you truly not understand the torment she's experiencing? In her circumstances, who could fathom the will to carry on?"

"Eric, what... what are you suggesting?" Ariel's voice trembled, filled with both horror and confusion, her eyes widening. "Are you saying that we should just stand by and allow Helena to suffer?"

Before Ariel could continue, her words were abruptly halted by the sound of Eric's frustrated exhale. He drew her closer, embracing her tightly, and rested his chin atop her head. His voice, slightly muffled by the fall of her autumn tresses, reached her ears as he spoke.

"Ariel, my love, can you honestly say that you wouldn't yearn to keep living if someone tore away the very essence of your world, the one thing that made life bearable? Consider it. If you were in Helena's position, without anyone else to care for you, without any remaining family to rely on, with time slipping away just as swiftly as hers, would you truly wish to endure a world devoid of your love?"

"But she's not alone, Eric! She has us, your nursemaid Carlotta, and your Head of House, Grimsby!" Ariel's voice cracked with desperation as she raised her tone, almost shrieking her words at Eric. Her hands clenched into fists, lightly pounding against his chest in her anguish, careful not to cause harm. Tears streamed down her face once more. "What about us, Eric? Couldn't Helena find solace in knowing she has our support? We will never stop caring for her..."

Her voice trailed off as she looked deeply concerned into Prince Eric's eyes. He shook his head, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Ariel, my love, you are too kind-hearted for the gods and the Christian God alone, but let's be honest. Do you genuinely believe that just you, me, Carlotta, and Grimsby would be enough for Helena to find reasons to stay?" Eric's voice lowered, almost a whisper that Ariel almost missed. "Even if she... chose not to follow Darius, she would never be the same. They spent the last ten years together. Darius meant everything to her. He was the only man who truly loved her, and now he's been taken away. It's unbearable for Helena."

Eric's voice cracked, revealing deeper anguish hidden beneath his words. He took a shuddering breath and briefly looked away, collecting himself. When he faced Ariel again, determination shone in his eyes as he continued.

"Ariel, my love, Helena is already fading away, and she has no one in the realm to lean on. Her parents passed away when she was a young girl. Carlotta found her trying to steal coins from her apron when she was only six years old. Instead of turning her in, Carlotta brought her to the castle to work. But you and I have others to rely on—family, friends, and devoted servants who would stand by us no matter what. Helena... she doesn't have that luxury." Eric hesitated, his blue eyes filled with a sorrow Ariel had never witnessed before. As Ariel locked eyes with the Prince, a seed of comprehension sprouted within her. The longer she gazed into the depths of his eyes, the more she understood the depth of his affection for his two friends. Darius and Helena held an irreplaceable place in Eric's heart. "Now, we are all that Helena has left, the only ones she can truly call her own," Eric murmured, his voice tinged with sadness. "But I fear, Ariel, that just us is no longer sufficient. It could never be enough."

"No, Eric, I-I can't believe that," Ariel sobbed, her head shaking in denial while tears continued to flow down her cheeks. Despite her resistance, deep down in her heart, she knew the truth in the Prince's words.

She wanted desperately to hold onto the hope that Helena, her newfound dear friend, could find the strength to carry on and live a semblance of a normal life even without her husband. But even as the fleeting thought crossed her mind, Ariel scolded herself for entertaining such a foolish notion. Helena had always relied on Darius, their bond serving as a pillar of support during the darkest moments of her illness.

Without him by her side, Ariel couldn't fathom how Helena would navigate the impending hardships.

The sweet and gentle soul, who had endured so much, would never be the same.

Helena would be engulfed by a profound sense of solitude, with no one left in her short life to bring meaning to her remaining days. As much as Ariel resisted admitting it, she, Eric, and their companions—the nursemaid and the Head of House—were not enough. Ariel had not known Helena and Darius long enough to forge the profound connection that Eric shared with them, the depth of understanding that came from knowing the couple intimately.

Ariel's voice trembled as she wiped away her tears, her finger flicking away the traces of sadness from her cheeks. She searched Eric's eyes for guidance, her heart racing as she awaited his response. "Then... what should we do for her, Eric?" she asked, her voice filled with a mix of desperation and determination.

"Nothing, for now, Ariel, we wait here for Carlotta to come to us with Helena's decision," Eric responded, his voice calm and collected, though Ariel sensed the underlying emotions that threatened to break through. He held her tighter, gently brushing her autumn tresses off her shoulders. "We will give Helena a moment of solitude to say her goodbyes if your father's magic fails us. And then, we will return. Whatever path Helena has chosen for herself, we will honor it. I have never witnessed a love as profound as theirs. I cannot bear to see them torn apart, Ariel."

As he spoke, Eric relaxed his hold on Ariel, his touch becoming more gentle. He pressed his lips to her forehead in a tender and pure kiss, conveying both love and unwavering determination. It was a silent reassurance that, regardless of the outcome, they would face it together, and everything would be alright.