A/N: Welcome to what will possibly be the most special thing I ever write. This is a story I began planning in the fall of 2019. I have pages upon pages of notes, with much left to plan and develop. Needless to say, it's going to be big. Fall of 2019 was the height of my inspiration and writing. This story is the culmination of inspiration from all of my previous works, with a tad bit of inspiration from Frozen 2 sprinkled in.
This AU will do something that none of my stories have ever done before. It is broken down into three parts, all of which describe a different time in Ariel's life. It's going to be complex, as this story evokes my close relationship with the characters and characterizations I have dreamed up for them over the course of my years on FF. I am most in touch with them through this story. That being said, you will definitely see some similarities and themes taken from some of my other pieces. Enjoy :)
WHISPERS OF THE DEEP
PART ONE: THE MERMAID, THE WITCH, AND THE PRINCE
PROLOGUE
The amount of blood pouring out of her arm was the most the nine-year-old mermaid had ever seen in her short life.
Well, perhaps that was an exaggeration. Children tend to over dramatize things, but the wound was bleeding far too much to be comfortable about it.
The young Ariel knew the shipwrecks could be dangerous. Planks of wood were splintered leaving pointed and jagged edges waiting to impale or scratch someone. Ariel was always careful around these hazards, but a piece of the ship had broken off which made a loud crash and startled the young mermaid. She had jumped backwards, her arm scraping against the splintered wood without realizing the pain until the damage was already done.
It was a nasty gash, running up from her elbow to her shoulder and deep enough it would require stitches. Medical attention could not be avoided, and that's what scared Ariel more than the blood escaping from her body and clouding the water around her. It meant her father would find out, and he would inquire as to how she received the wound. She had debated telling him it was caused by a sharp rock but removing her hand from the wound she saw smaller wooden splinters trapped within it. The only source of wood under the sea was from the shipwrecks, which her father aggressively told her to avoid. They belonged to humans, and therefore were dangerous.
Looking at the wound seemed to make the pain worse, and Ariel knew there was no hope in her removing the splinters herself. No, she needed to see the palace doctor if she hoped to heal and explore more. Her father's fury would pass within time. Besides, it wasn't as if she was actually talking to humans. She hadn't broken the number one rule…yet. Perhaps one day.
Ariel looked around for something she could wrap the wound with. She needed to contain the blood to prevent a cloudy trail behind her. Sharks were known to roam the area. Ariel found a piece of cloth that seemed to once been a flag, now deteriorated into just a small piece. It would work well enough. Wincing in pain, she tied it around her arm. The amount of blood in the surrounding water decreased, but it wouldn't last for long.
She left the shipwreck, holding her arm still in pain. Oh, how she wished there was another way she could care for the wound without her father finding out. If only she hadn't been so careless to start.
Ariel made her way back to the palace, slowed down by the pain. She had taken a route where she would encounter fewer people, passing only a few houses in the outskirts of the town, most of them abandoned. The few who lived out there generally stuck to themselves, typically for good reason too.
Which was why Ariel was so startled when she heard a voice call out to her from behind, "Are you alright, Princess?"
Ariel paused, a shiver running down her spine. She was certain anyone from the outskirts had to be trouble. Slowly turning around at the elderly voice, she found an older mermaid, already well into her sixties, her hair gray and a few scales beat up.
The young mermaid let out a small gasp upon realizing who she was: Mrs. Kersey. She lived in the outskirts because everyone accused her of being a witch. Every child in Atlantica had been warned by their parents to stay away from her. Shipwrecks: not scary. Spooky stories about Atlanitica's unwanted characters: scary.
"Y-yes. I'm fine," Ariel shakily replied. "Thank you."
Mrs. Kersey swam closer, gesturing at Ariel's wounded arm and the blood on the cloth seeping out. "Looks like it must be bad."
"It's just a scratch. I-I'll be fine."
The older mermaid reached out for Ariel's arm. Ariel paused in fear, afraid to move too fast and anger the woman. Instead, she watched as Mrs. Kersey loosed the bandage and looked underneath. A cloud of blood escaped into the surrounding waters.
"Looks like more than just a scratch, and you have quite a few wooden splinters there," she examined. Her eyes then narrowed suspiciously. "Were you exploring the shipwrecks?"
Ariel frantically shook her head. Mrs. Kersey may have been a witch, but she was still an adult, and adults loved to scold her for doing what she's not supposed to be doing.
"Really? Well, then where did you come in contact with wood?"
"...The shipwrecks." the child admitted sheepishly.
"Won't your father be mad?"
Ariel nodded her head. "He'll be furious!"
"What if he doesn't find out?" Mrs. Kersey inquired.
"No, he will. I can't hide this," Ariel said. "And the doctors will inform him of what happened."
"But what if I can patch that up for you, no doctors needed?"
Ariel looked at her curiously, and then she realized she was talking about magic. "No, no. It's fine."
"Well, if you'd rather face the wrath of your father, then I wish you luck," Mrs. Kersey said.
Ariel felt bad. Judging from the older woman's body language, it seemed as though she only wanted to help her. Ariel shrugged. "Luck doesn't really help much. Maybe I should try your… method."
"Only if you're sure," the woman warned. "And it'll be best if we keep this our secret."
"I'm sure," Ariel confirmed, though unsure of whether she would go through with it once she found out exactly what it was. "And I won't tell. That'll only get us both in trouble."
"Okay," she agreed, leading Ariel to her house.
It was the only building in the area that seemed to receive proper maintenance. Though it wasn't the prettiest house she ever saw, Ariel didn't find it as spooky as what the kids described in their stories. When they arrived, Mrs. Kersey opened the door and waited for Ariel to swim in first. The child hesitantly did so, and once in the room she found the small house to be rather quaint and neat. Though it may have seemed dark and dreary outside, bright flowers filled vases and small paintings hung on the wall. There were no cauldrons, monsters, or dead bodies as she had imagined.
"Take a seat," the woman urged, pointing at the kitchen table as she began to search through cabinets. Ariel did so, choosing the seat closest to the door, just in case.
Ariel nervously waited, unsure of what Mrs. Kersey was searching for. At last, she pulled out a vile-a potion! Ariel fidgeted in her seat. She had been taught to only trust magic from her father's trident.
"I try not to use this too often. I only have a little left," she said, peaking in the vile as she made her way to the girl. "It's not strong enough to work on life threatening injuries, but it should be just the strength you need."
The woman pulled a seat in front of Ariel's and uncapped the vile. A thick brown gel filled it half way. Mrs. Kersey gestured for Ariel to hold out her arm for her.
Ariel held her arm close to her. "What is it?" she demanded.
"It's a healing gel. It can fully heal any open wound in seconds, within reason, of course," she explained.
"No normal medicine I ever heard of can do that."
Mrs. Kersey smiled, despite knowing what the child was getting at. "That's because it's not the normal medicine doctors use, dear."
"It's a potion! You do practice magic!" Ariel exclaimed.
The woman set the vile down on the table. "I'll admit, I did dabble with what some would call magic when I was young, but I do agree with everyone else when they say it only leads to trouble. I stopped messing with it shortly after starting. I by no means am a witch. I couldn't cast a spell if I wanted to."
"If you aren't a witch and haven't practiced witchcraft in years, then why is everyone so afraid of you still?" Ariel wondered.
"Because they still think I am," she explained. "During my time with so-called 'witchcraft' I learned how to use herbs and manipulate them for many uses, far more than any doctor. It doesn't require magic to do so, just a deeper understanding of nature."
"And that's how you made this healing gel?"
"Oh, I didn't make this," Mrs. Kersey admitted. "This is a potion of sorts and requires a high level of knowledge to make. An old friend gave it to me years ago. I save it for emergencies since I can't make more."
"Oh…" the child pondered, trying to understand. So she wasn't a witch after all. She just made really special medicine.
"If you don't want me to use it on you, I won't. It's entirely up to you. I'll get those splinters out for you and then you can be on your way for the doctors to patch up the rest."
"No, they'll still wonder how I got this. Please, use the gel," Ariel agreed.
Mrs. Kersey grabbed a pair of tweezers. "First, those splinters."
She began carefully picking out the splinters in Ariel's arm one by one. Despite wincing a few times at the pain, Ariel was comforted by the care and gentleness that Mrs. Kersey took in doing so. However, once that task was done and Mrs. Kersey reached for the vile Ariel quickly retracted her arm.
"Will it hurt?" she asked.
"Not at all. There'll be some tingling, but no pain," Mrs. Kersey informed, taking the lid off of the vial. "It just might feel a little funny."
Funny as in her arm would turn into a jellyfish? Ariel hoped not. She pictured returning to the palace with a jellyfish as an arm. How would she explain that to her father!?
Reluctantly, Ariel gave her arm back to the older woman who gently took it. She poured two drops of the gel onto the wound and rubbed it across it. Ariel felt the tingling she had been warned of and closed her eyes tight, not out of pain, but out of fear for what might happen next. No jellyfish arms. No jellyfish arms. No jellyfish arms.
Much to her surprise, the feeling was similar to the pins and needles of a limb falling asleep. Once the feeling subsided, Ariel opened her eyes and saw her arm, still that of a merperson, and now miraculously healed completely. She carefully touched it, her skin smooth and pain free.
A wide smile spread across Ariel's face. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, giving Mrs. Kersey a hug.
The older woman seemed slightly surprised but happily welcomed the hug. When was the last time she had received one?
"You're very welcomed, Princess,"
Ariel retracted from the embrace. "Is there anything I can give you for it? I don't have any money with me right now, but I can bring you back whatever amount you want to pay for your service."
"I don't want anything," she shook her head. "But perhaps you can stop by every now and then not injured. I'd be interested to see what you find in the shipwrecks," she offered with a wink.
"I can do that!" Ariel exclaimed. She then glanced at the old clock that hung on the wall. "I have to go or else I'll be late, but I'll definitely be back!"
Ariel rose and offered the old woman one last hug before heading towards the door.
"You know where to find me!" Mrs. Kersey responded, mumbling once the child was gone, "I'm always here."
After waving goodbye and rushing off for home, the young Ariel glanced back at the house, wondering why anyone would make up such false stories about such a nice person, and she was slightly angry that those stories existed.