(A/N: You're probably staring at your phones or computers right now thinking "What's this? A new story from TardisBlueMermaid? After 2.5 years?" Your eyes do not mistake you. After many failed attempts, and not for the lack of content, I think I'm getting my act in order. I have THREE stories I have been planning for YEARS now. This is one of them and it is only just the icing on the cake. Please enjoy. There's two updates today because it's my last day of winter break and I have no idea when I'll update next. Who knows, I may mysteriously disappear again, but hopefully not.)

REVISED: MARCH 14, 2024.


ENTANGLED TIDES

CHAPTER 1

The tides that flowed through Atlantica were steady for many years. Its inhabitants were always happy and satisfied. However, the rise of a certain sea witch, lurking in the shadowing, hidden away in her cave, disrupting the tides and lives of Atlantica, had offered a new perspective on life to the merpeople. What if you could have more? What if you could have what your heart so desperately desired? The merpeople began flocking to her.

In all the tales Ariel had heard about Ursula, all of the people who went to her were desperate for their lives to improve. Ariel always scoffed at the idea of people trusting the witch. It was believed she was the reason behind the disappearance of so many Atlanticans. Many, many desperate merfolk who had gone seeking glory, wealth, youth, beauty, love were dealt an unfortunate fate much different than their wishes.

Ariel could never relate to these merfolk which was why she casted so much judgment upon them. She had never once been desperate. Sure, she desired to live on land, but she was also aware it was just a mere fantasy, impossible to ever fulfill. Besides, her life under the sea was as good as she could ever ask for, she assumed. As a princess, wealth, home, and status were never her worry. She had a loving family, talented singing voice, beauty, and youth.

But then she met Eric. Ariel didn't have Eric, who was kind and handsome, and who she felt deep within her heart that she had to be with. It was a magnetic feeling that pulled her mind and heart towards him every second of the day.

And so began her newfound desperation to be with Eric, and suddenly, she understood the lost merfolk's decisions.

Upon meeting Eric, Ariel knew at some point she just had to find a way onto land. The land wasn't just a place full of wonderful human objects and where her curiosity could run wild, but it was Eric's home. And after her father discovered her secret grotto of human items and destroyed it, the land felt like the only place she could belong. No longer did the sea even feel like her home. It could never accept her and her desires.

A pair of strange eels had found her crying in her destroyed grotto. They offered her help that would solve all her problems. Ariel had hesitated first at their mention of Ursula, but a glance at the shattered statue of Eric changed her mind. What would it hurt just to see what help Ursula could offer?

So she let the eels lead her to the sea witch's lair, ignoring Sebastian's and Flounder's protests. The water grew colder as she approached the lair. Ariel was disturbed to find the lair was located within the skeletal remains of a humongous, ancient sea monster, but was even more disturbed when she entered the lair and found the entrance lined with a garden of polyps that were green, wrinkly, ugly, trapped-and moaning in desperation.

She was about to turn back when a polyp grabbed onto her wrist. Disgusted, she managed to tug herself free and turned to flee the lair, but a voice stopped her.

"Come in, my child. Let's not leave before saying 'hello'. Please, come in."

From the back shadows of the lair, Ariel saw the sea witch emerge. Her tentacles floated around her as she rose from a chair and swam towards her. "Now, then. You're here because you have a thing for this human. This, er, prince fellow. Not that I blame you–he is quite a catch, isn't he? Well, angel fish, the solution to your problem is simple. The only way to get what you want...is to become a human yourself."

Ariel's eyes grew wide. "You can actually do that? You can make me human?"

Ursula wrapped an arm around her, leading the princess towards her cauldron. "My dear, sweet child. That's what I do. It's what I live for, to help desperate merfolk like yourself. Poor souls with dreams but no one else to turn to for help. All you have to do is let me help you. Will you do that?"

Ariel nodded. Who else was there to help her?

"Excellent! Now, here's the deal: I will make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days. Got that? Three days. Now listen, this is important. Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get dear ol' princey to fall in love with you. That is, he's got to kiss you. Not just any kiss-the kiss of true love. If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain human, permanently, inside and out, but if he doesn't, you must return to the sea to let my ocean magic return to your mermaid form-and you'll belong to me."

"No, Ariel!" she heard Sebastian beg from behind her, but she was too caught up contemplating her decision to acknowledge.

"If I become human, I'll never be with my father or sisters again," she thought aloud. She was beginning to remember everything that held her to the sea.

"That's right...but you'll have your man! Life's full of tough choices, isn't it?" Ursula laughed. "Oh! And there are two more things we need to discuss. First, don't even think about not returning to me after your time is up. It won't do you well. Under my potion you will truly be a human so that you can enjoy yourself, but once its effects are over, if you do not manage to steal a kiss, you will simply be a mermaid with legs. Mermaids only have about a month's time to spend outside of the ocean before it kills them," Ursula explained. "Second, we haven't touched upon the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know."

"But I don't have anything-"

Ursula shrugged. "I'm not asking much. Just a token, really, a trifle. You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is...your voice."

"My voice?" Ariel delicately touched her throat.

"You've got it, sweetcakes. No more talking, singing, zip."

Ariel wanted to turn back. Making someone fall in love with her without speaking was ridiculous and impossible! "But without my voice, how can I-"

"You'll have your looks and your pretty face. And don't ever underestimate the importance of body language! You're a beautiful young lady. I'm sure you'll think of something. Your prince will probably find you irresistible."

Perhaps Ursula was right. There were people who were mute yet formed relationships. Ariel thought of her mute friend Gabriella and the love interest she had.

The witch then pulled out a golden, shining contract. It hovered in the water in front of Ariel. A quill appeared. Ariel knew her thinking time was over. It was now or never. Either she gave it a shot or she let perhaps her only hope at being with Eric pass. It wasn't like her father would ever be any help. He only ruined things for her.

So Ariel took the quill and signed her name.

"Perfect!" the witch exclaimed, beginning to grab vials of disgusting ingredients off her shelves. One after another she threw them into the cauldron and the lair took on a green glow as light emerged from the potion. Each ingredient exploded after joining the others, and waves of warmth spread throughout the cold lair. After tossing in the last ingredient Ursula began chanting a spell:

Paluga, sarruga
Come winds of the Caspian Sea
Larengix glaucitis
Et max laryngitis
La voce to me

"Now sing!"

And Ariel sang. She sang a melody that was in her heart. She sang a melody about hope.

"Keep singing!"

Ariel sang a melody Eric would have heard her sing before.

A hand reached out of the potion and its long fingers reached down Ariel's throat, startling her, though she found herself unable to stop singing. At first it was a warm sensation, but then the fingers grabbed hold of her voice and painfully yanked it out of her.

It exited and left her throat sore. Then, in front of her was a shining ball that emanated her voice. It happened so quickly. She watched her voice be sucked into the nautical shell Ursula wore around her neck. By the very next moment, Ariel felt a sharp pain through the middle of her tail.

The pain was excruciating and Ariel found herself unable to breathe. She then realized her breath was not taken away by the pain, but because she was a human and could no longer breathe water.

Under both of her arms she felt herself getting lifted up through the water to the surface. Her vision was too blurry to see who they were, but she could feel that it was Sebastian and Flounder, her trusty friends who never left her side. Ariel heard the sea witch cackling in the distance as her friends pulled her up towards the surface.

When she finally emerged, she took her first breath as a human.


Ariel's first breath as a human was sensational...that is, after she managed to cough out all of the seawater that remained in her lungs; that part was slightly painful, especially with her sore throat. Once her lungs were cleared, however, each deep breath of air felt rejuvenating. She had breathed air every time she came up to the surface as a mermaid, always deeply exhaling the salt water from her lungs before breaking the surface and switching to breathing the air, but this time breathing air just felt right. It was the right thing to do to sustain her human body, but it also just felt as if she was meant to be sitting there in the shallow water, staring at her two new human feet.

She loved them!

Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle once he joined the group, all watched as she attempted to stand for the time on her shaky, new legs. Shaky was an understatement. Ariel stood on her feet for no more than two seconds before falling back down into the water, splashing an unamused Sebastian. But Ariel was too thrilled to worry about a minor failure such as falling down. Eagerly, she rose again.

Scuttle then taught her the importance of dressing like a human and helped her fashion an old boat sail into a dress. Ariel was quite satisfied with it. Not to pat herself on the back, but she thought it looked pretty good.

She paused when she heard footsteps in the sand. Ariel turned towards her friends who had all departed from sight, Scuttle into the air, Flounder beneath the waves, and Sebastian into the pocket of her dress. She took a couple steps back and leaned upon a large rock, steadying and preparing herself for whoever was approaching.

Turning the corner was a man, perhaps a few years older than her. His white, collared shirt was casually rolled up his arms, jacket off and slung over his shoulder. His hands were in his pants pockets as he stared down at the sand lost in thought while he walked. He then glanced up and locked eyes with Ariel.

"Oh…" his heart skipped a beat. He wasn't sure if it was because the women startled him or if it was because she was…beautiful.

Ariel stared curiously back. That was not Eric. Who was he? The breeze delicately moved his brown hair against his forehead. It was kind of…cute.

But she needed to find Eric.

The man stood in his tracts. A young, redheaded woman along the beach where Eric was rescued, dressed in…a sailcloth? His brain raced through the facts. Was this Eric's mystery maiden? The one who had saved him and who he declared he would marry? The kingdom had spent the past weeks looking for her. Did Oliver manage to find her with no effort during his midday stroll to clear his head?

"Are you alright, miss?" he cautiously asked, approaching her slowly.

She stood against the rock, slowly nodding her head as if she wasn't sure how to respond.

"My name is Oliver," he said, hoping to make her feel a bit more comfortable. "How did you end up here? This stretch of sand is the prince's private beach. Access is guarded pretty heavily."

Ariel was unsure of how to respond. How could this have gone wrong so quickly? A different man found her where she apparently wasn't supposed to be. She nervously chewed on her pinkie nail.

"What's your name?" he asked when he received no response to his first question.

Ariel, she tried to mouth, forgetting that nothing would come out. Oh, how she missed her voice. She felt more vulnerable than she ever had before. It was a terrible feeling.

Oliver watched as her mouth moved but no words were spoken. "...You can't speak?"

Ariel sadly shook her head. No, she could not. She nervously awaited the man's response.

Oliver's thoughts came to a halt. She was mute. Eric had stated that the women who saved him had sung to him. Could it still be this mute woman currently before him? Perhaps she had recently lost her voice in whatever circumstance had caused her to wash up on shore. Or perhaps the woman did not in fact sing to Eric. He was rather delusional when they found him. Regardless of the reason, there was no reason that there wasn't a chance this was the woman who saved him. Oliver figured Eric would still like to meet her.

"Let's head up to the castle," Oliver suggested. "I'm sure the prince would like to meet you. He'll give you a place to stay until we can figure out where you came from. Does that sound alright to you?"

Ariel feverishly nodded her head. Yes, take me to Eric, she agreed.

Oliver took his jacket off of his shoulder. He opened it up and placed it around her bare shoulders. It was so odd for her to be wearing a sailcloth. Where did she come from? Regardless, Oliver smiled, "Alright, let's get you there."

He then took her arms as she pushed herself off the rock she was leaning against. All of her weight suddenly on both of her feet was too much for her shaky legs which in response almost brought her to the ground. Oliver was quick to catch her, and Ariel grabbed hold of the material of his shirt to steady herself close to his body. He was warm in contrast to the ocean breeze that blew past them. His jacket was also a welcomed layer of warmth which had a distinct but pleasant smell she had yet to learn.

She shakily stood in front of Oliver, both his hands on her back to support her. His eyes met hers and he marveled at how they were possibly bluer than the ocean itself. Eric sure would be lucky if this was the girl he saved and planned to marry.

Ariel felt as Oliver's hands shifted placement, He guided her to his right side, an arm wrapping around the small of her back with a steady grip, his other hand on her arm closest to him. "I've got you."

Oliver tried his best to support her shaky frame and wondered what on earth she had been through. He concluded it must have been something traumatic, perhaps enough so that it was a miracle she was even still alive and standing at all. It would make sense if it was the reason she lost her voice.

He led her back to the castle from which he came, Ariel's legs wobbling uncontrollably as she tried to master the act of walking. Could she do so before meeting with Eric? Ariel glanced behind at Flounder and Scuttle who had reappeared in the waters nearby. She smiled brightly. They gave her a thumb (well, wing and fin) up, hoping for the best for their friend (and for Sebastian who was still in her pocket most likely still unamused).


Eric sat in his office, eyes focused on the map spread out across his desk. His team of guards had searched everywhere, and not for a lack of effort. When they yielded no results he insisted on joining them once he recovered from his injuries. Witnessing their efforts first hand, he could confirm that they were actively trying their best. It appeared his mystery maiden was trying her best to not be found. Eric was very unsatisfied with that.

He groaned and placed a hand to his head. Each time he thought of her he could hear her sweet melody playing in his head. It was a beautiful tune and a sound of comfort when he first washed up on the shore, but now the tune agonized him, refusing to disappear from his memory. He would lay awake every night in bed, the melody playing over and over again. He needed to find this woman, even if it was just to hear her sing once more. Eric didn't need to marry her. He just needed to find this voice.

But who was he kidding? He hoped with all his will that he would be able to marry her. Her voice, her beauty, her red hair, blue eyes, and delicate touch, her compassion for saving him would all make for a wonderful wife. And there was her mysterious connection to the sea. What was that all about? Eric couldn't fathom it.

His fingers traced the shoreline of the kingdom. There wasn't one part of the kingdom they hadn't searched. "God damnit!" he frustratingly exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table as the melody played again in his head.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," he summoned, quickly gathering himself in an attempt to not look like the crazed prince they feared he was becoming.

A guard opened the door and stepped in. It was Captain Lungred, leader of the search party. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Your Highness, they've found a woman."

Eric's eyes widened and his heart shook within his chest. He replayed the words back in his head. They were the words he had imagined and hoped he would hear for weeks.

"Where."

"On the shore. She's currently in the entrance hall."

And with that information Eric leapt from his chair. He brushed past the guard, not waiting for him to follow. He practically ran through the halls of the castle. His legs couldn't move him fast enough. He nearly tripped several times down the many stairs of the castle. Eric brushed past a maid in his haste, causing her to drop the linens she was holding. He muttered a quick "sorry" under his breath, but did not stop to help her pick them up as he usually would.

Each foot, one after another, landed on a step for just a second before continuing to the next. He skidded to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, finally having reached the grand entrance hall. He spotted a few guards, Grimsby, Carlotta, his best friend Oliver…and a striking redheaded woman. He could picture the very same red hair from his memory of that fateful day.

Eric approached her. "You're the one who saved me?"

It was a moment perfect in time for Ariel. Even more perfect than her first breath of air as a human. Eric stood before her, finally acknowledging her. He would kiss and they could be together forever. This was proving to be easier than she thought. Ariel eagerly nodded in response.

"Yes! May I have your name?" Eric asked, reaching out to hold her hands in his.

Ariel, she mouthed, but nothing came out of her sore throat. Oh, that was right. She had to do this with no voice. How could she have forgotten already? She watched in disappointment as Eric retracted his hands. No! Wait!

Eric's smile faded. Confused, he looked towards the others in the room.

"She can't speak," Oliver spoke up.

"Oh. Then you couldn't be who I thought…I'm sorry." he disappointedly took a step back, his head lowering towards the ground. There was a moment of silence amongst them as the prince wallowed in yet another failed attempt to find his savior. He should have known this was too good to be true. She was found on the beach? It was like the world was mocking him.

Ariel felt tears forming in her eyes. How could this have gone so wrong so quickly? How could she make this work? Time. She still had time. Three days total.

"Uh, Eric," Grimsby spoke up this time, noting the sadness in the young woman's face. "The young miss has been through quite the experience, washing up on shore like she did."

Eric looked up and snapped out of his pitiful thoughts. She washed up on shore? He cleared his throat. "Uh, yes, of course. Carlotta here will take care of you. We'll get you cleaned up, fed, and housed."

"Of course, dear, come with me," Carlotta stepped forward to escort Ariel away from the men. "We'll get you washed and tidied up."

Ariel looked at Eric as the older woman whisked her away. He seemed so disappointed, and she didn't want to leave his side. Don't send me away, she begged.

The housekeeper seemed to sense her sadness. "Don't worry. I'll get you all done up nice so you can join the men for dinner later, how's that sound?" she asked, squeezing Ariel's shoulders, which of course Ariel eagerly nodded at the idea of. It wasn't over yet.

Oliver watched as the women departed the room. He then glanced at Eric whose hands were sheepishly in his pockets while he stared at his boots. This was the closest they had come to finding the woman who saved him. But Oliver couldn't help but wonder if Eric was wrong at casting rejection so quickly. It had been over a month since the woman saved him. Anything could have happened to her and her voice within that time. Was Eric wrong to cast judgment so quickly? Besides, look at who he was rejecting, a majestic beauty, and she seemed just as mysterious as this mystery maiden he spoke about every day.

Still, who was Oliver to judge the prince? Not even being his best friend gave him that right. "I'm sorry, Eric," he offered, placing a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

Eric shrugged it off, turning to walk away and return to his office to mope. "I'll see you guys at dinner."