Trauma in the Sea

Fear.

That's how Ariel feels, as she clings to the rock for dear life. It courses through her veins as she remains stranded in the ravenous storm above, and deadly whirlpool below. At this moment, she can't decide if she's more frightened of Ursula, or the trident that gives the sea monster her power over the sea creatures.

Panic.

The princess is pushed below the surface, and greeted by a monster the size of Posiedon himself; the one thing she was attempting to hide from. Ursula gives Ariel an evil grin, and lets out her signature laugh. She feels hopeless, and so.. small compared to the witch and her whirlpool creation. Mixed with both emotions, her senses become heightened, especially touch. She can feel the icy winds wrap around her, almost giving the illusions she's being suffocated. And the stone she's attached to shares none of its warmth.

Fear, panic, distress

All three emotions come together and leave the princess with a dark pit in her stomach, as she prepares for what she believes is the end. She tried so hard to protect her father, Eric, and her friends, but she made a mistake. Now, everyone is paying for it.

"There you are~ you thought you could escape me hmm? It was a nice try though~" Ursula places her giant hands around her mouth "Flotsam! Jetsam! Come make mommy happy and tie up Ariel's wrists!"

Ariel notices the sea monster's face twitch with a nightmarish grin as her children appear, one on both sides and tying her wrists behind her back. The princess twists her body in an attempt to free herself, but the eels pull harder, forcing her arms behind her back. Ariel could feel her emotions growing stronger, almost panic attack level as Ursula fires bolts of lightning at her. Ariel manages to dodge the first one perfectly, and just barely escapes the second bolt. She could feel the overwhelming sting on her arm from her elbow to her wrist, from moving to the side slightly too , noticeable anger rising, summons a large bolt and directs it towards the center of the princesses body. In a swift moment, too quick for Ariel to react, the bolt strikes her chest sending a coursing burning pain that spreads throughout her body. She lets out a frightening scream that could be heard miles away, and wakes up in a cold sweat.

Ariel takes a moment to compose herself, shifting her eyes around the room and lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Another nightmare, I'm not sure how much more I can take. Ariel sighs as she feels her heart return to a normal pace, relieved. I think I need some fresh air. The princess stands, tripping slightly over herself and grabbing the bed rail. She pears over at Eric and notes he's still sleeping. She sighs again in relief, not wanting to wake up her dearing husband, and heads to the balcony. Looking over the balcony into the sea, she can't help but go over the nightmare in her head, the nightmare which plagues her dreams every night. Everything seems to cause her to think about that dreadful night, even now as she looks out into the sea. The sight, she notes, just so happens to show her the same place where it all happened. If she stared long enough, she swears she could make out a whirlpool, like it's taunting her. Beckoning her into its embrace, planning to swallow her whole again. Right where I belong.

No matter how much time goes by, I can't help but feel like I caused it all. I hate the nightmares, but I deserve them for almost killing dear Eric, and causing daddy to lose his trident - even the sea believes it. I'm a traitor to my family, my friends, the lovely creatures that shared the sea with me. It's.. all my fault, and there is nothing I can do to make up for it except disappear with Eric among the humans. …..Do I even deserve-

Ariel is interrupted from her thoughts as a hand grasps her shoulder and gently shakes her.

"Ariel.. Dear? Is everything okay? I woke up and saw you not in bed when I turned towards you. What's going on?"

"Oh, Eric.." This set her off. She didn't want to burden him with these issues, considering they were her fault. But, she can't deny that nothing is wrong as she feels her cheeks stained with liquid. Tears. They come down as drips, then pour like a waterfall. The princess falls to her knees, placing her hands over her eyes which makes Eric rush to her side and hold her tight. She feels the tears stain his shirt but neither move as Eric pats her back and whispers kind words, such as "it's going to be okay", "i'm always here for you", and "remember to breathe love". A couple minutes pass and she rubs her eyes, feeling embarrassed of herself.

"I'm sorry dear, I'll be alright. I'm just dealing with some issues right now that's causing me to be a mess. You shouldn't have to deal with this." the princess lets out a half-hearted laugh, and as she begins to stand, Eric pulls her right back into his arms.

"Hey, as I said, I'm always here for you and I can see something is bothering you more than you can handle." the prince grins at his beloved, and Ariel wonders just what she did to deserve him. "So. What's causing my wife so much distress?"

Ariel presses her hands to her chest, feeling her heart beating rapidly, and takes deep breaths to slow everything down. How am I going to talk about this without breaking down?

"Slow now.. We go at your pace, and if you feel like you're going to break, we'll take a minute. Whatever is going on, we can tackle together. You're not alone." Eric places his arm back on Ariel's back, rubbing small circles.

"Thank you, I'm not sure what I would do without you" She lets out another halfhearted laugh and takes a deep breath.

"I've been struggling for weeks.. With constant nightmares from what happened before I left the sea. Ursula… it was so terrifying.." she feels her voice crack, but pushes through it. "I thought I would die or lose you and my father. I was so close to dying without your help, but another part of me feels guilty for surviving. I feel like I caused everything to happen by being my stupid, naiive self." The princess can't help but look over at her husband, who's listening intently, holding her close to himself. She finds the strength to continue before the tears return.

"I'm so upset with myself, I feel like I don't deserve my father, my friends, or you. After everything I put you all through.. Almost losing daddy temporarily, becoming terrified of a weapon I had come to know all my life. I couldn't even go near him when he wanted to heal my arm from one of the bolts grazing past it. Eric.. What is wrong with me?" The tears well up again, and she attempts to force them to back down only for a couple to escape her eyes as her breathing gets heavier.

"Hun- what happened is NOT your fault, you were taken advantage of by that witch-"

"Yes, that monster Ursula! How could someone be so cruel? I've never hated someone in my life until after the fight. She played with our lives, and during the fight, she acted like she enjoyed toying with me! I SAW the devilish grin she gave when she found me stranded. She was ready to kill me with her new weapon, the first intended kill for testing out her new powers! There was no hint of empathy. She laughed as she fired the bolts at me, and chuckled harder as one of the bolts glazed my arm!" The princess cuts him off with a force of anger, so strong it catches Eric off guard for a moment. With how emotionally charged she is, he bets he could probably feel the heat from her forehead with his hand inches from it.

"Ursula really was cruel. I don't know all the details of what happened when you were still a mermaid, but it sounds like she really tossed your world upside down. Anyone who hurts my wife sees no pity from me. You don't deserve to be plagued with nightmares, but I'm so glad you finally opened up to me. I've seen you toss and turn in your sleep, but I wanted to respect that you would tell me in your own time. In hindsight, I'm sorry I chose to wait, clearly it pushed you until you could no longer hold it in anymore." Eric gives her a tight hug, almost squeezing the air out of her.

"What happened is Ursula's fault. It's ONLY Ursula's fault-"

"I-I can't accept that I'm not at fault in some way! The princess huffs at her husband. Right now, she's just so angry, so upset. She didn't mean to yell at him.. It just came out.

"I'm sorry I touched a nerve. No matter what you do I'm never leaving you. I know you're under a lot of stress right now. I still want you to know that I don't see anything being your fault. You had no idea, and I know you, you wouldn't have done something if you knew it had negative effects on someone else." Eric turns the messy princess towards his face with his hand gently under her chin. He looks her in the eyes and wipes away the strands of strawberry hair from her face and the salty tears from her eyes. "You're the strongest woman I know, to have gone through so much and to still be standing. Figuratively speaking of course." The prince smiles at his comic relief, causing Ariel to let out a small laugh.

"There's my beautiful wife's laugh." He softly laughs right back, thankful for the tension clearing slightly. "Would you like to talk about everything some more dear? I can brew some tea and we can talk for as long as you'd like. Then we can go lay down together, I don't have any plans tomorrow."

"That sounds wonderful, thank you!" Ariel blushes, and Eric picks her up princess style, setting her on a white wooden chair nearby. As Eric moves to the kitchen to prepare their tea, which of course is going to be her favorite: lavender, she can't help but get lost inside her head again.

He's so amazing, and sweet, and just way too good for me. I know he's here, but I can't help but feel like a burden still. I hear the words he says but I still feel as if it's all my fault. How could I show my face to daddy when I visit? I'm sure he rightfully hates me now.. Does he struggle with nightmares too? Does he wish I was a better daughter? Or maybe wish I was never born?-

"Here's your tea, hun." Eric appears from the kitchen and sets a small white mug covered in tiny seashell designs in front of the princess. It was a gift for Ariel as they settled into their new home, something to remind her of her previous life before humanity. Underneath the mug is a classic white plate, small enough to fit the cup itself and catch any dripping from it. Ariel grasps the mug with both of her hands, briefly closes her eyes and takes a sip. A warm, relaxing feeling comes over her, and for a moment, her troubling thoughts fade as she focuses on the feeling. Eric always knows just how to make her feel better, even if it's slightly. The prince sits across the marble table in an identical chair as his beloved, sipping his tea in slow bursts, then placing the cup down and clears his throat.

"Are you ready to talk, love?" Eric gives Ariel a soft smile.

"Yes.. I think I'm in a better space now." Ariel traces the rim of her mug with her finger. "Like I said earlier, I'm struggling with these nightmares. I'm also struggling with feeling guilty and feeling like a burden. I know you're telling me I'm not, but… I just can't come to believe it." The princess sighs, feeling rather depressed and emotionally drained.

The prince smiles brighter at his beloved. "It's going to take some time, right now you're on the right track towards healing. You went through such traumatic situations, and bear some scars from it." Eric motions towards her scarred arm. "But you came out on top. You're the bravest, strongest woman I know. I'd like to think of your scar as a battle scar, a reminder of you saving the sea kingdom. A reminder of how strong you are." Eric leans over the table and gives the scar a gentle kiss, Ariel swears she feels electricity shoot through her body from said kiss. His lips were always the cure and made everything seem to fade for a short while. The princess notes that such a wonder man shouldn't exist, but yet he does. And he's with her.

"Thank you Eric.. you somehow always know what to say. My mind is my enemy, bringing memories I wish would disappear, along with the negative thoughts about myself. I can't help but feel if I never visited Ursula in the first place none of this would have happened." Ariel motions around her with her arms.

"You never told me exactly what happened when you visited her the first time. What happened?"

"Haha, it's kind of embarrassing. I had such a huge crush on you, that I was willing to abandon my mermaid tail for a pair of legs, in exchange for my voice. You know how I couldn't talk at first and Ursula posed as a lady named Miranda with my voice? That's how it started… In hindsight, it was so dumb of me to trust her, I was even warned." She finishes, her voice stained with despair towards the end. "I ended up signing a contract that if I didn't seal fate with a kiss, I would from then on belong to the sea witch. I didn't realize it then, but she purposely caused me to fail. When daddy found out.. He changed the name on the contract to himself, gaining the power of the trident. His appearance changed and.. You know the rest."

Ariel lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "This is why everything that happened was my fault. Ursula is at fault too, but I caused it all.." she places her hands in her lap, feeling her body lightly shake as the thoughts continue running through her mind."

Eric notices her behavior and gets up, going around to her side of the table and wraps his arms around her chest, above her breasts. He leans his head on hers, and the warm feeling helps calm Ariel's body.

"I never realized just how much you've been through. I'm in awe at how much you've been struggling with- things I had no idea about. Thank you for talking to me about everything, I promise I will be here for you as we take things day by day together. If you can't see just how wonderful you are, then I'll spend every waking moment proving it to you until you come to believe it yourself." Eric places his hands on each shoulder and gives a soft squeeze. "I want you to wake me if you wake up from a nightmare, so I can be there for you just as you let me be here for you tonight. In time you'll be able to face these nightmares head on, knowing I'm always here to back you up. And if I see you tossing and turning, I'll wake you up so you don't have to bear the pain for as long. It hurts to see my wife in such agony and despair."

The prince removes his hands from her shoulders and she slowly stands up, turning towards him and wrapping her arms around his waist. She gives him a tight squeeze and he smiles, squeezing her gently in return. "Gosh, you're too amazing, what have I done to deserve such an angel?" Ariel giggles and she smiles slightly at the prince. He returns it with a grin. "I should be saying that! You're too wonderful for this world~" The princess blushes, leaning in for a gentle kiss. It's a short kiss, but gives her enough emotional recharge to face the rest of the night's dream, or nightmares rather.

"I think I'm ready to lay down again, I'm so happy to have talked about this. It feels like a huge weight off my shoulders."

"That's fine, I'll clean up the tea in the morning. Thankfully it's still dark, so we have a couple hours before the sun hits our eyes. So come on, let's get you in bed!" Eric picks up Ariel princess style, and lays her in her spot on the bed, tucking the maroon blankets around her body. He heads to his side of the bed and pulls the covers over body, then brings his wife closer to him, wrapping his arms around her gently. In what feels like a couple minutes, both lovers are sound asleep, both having peaceful dreams.