Chapter Thirty-Seven


A/N: I do not own anything other than my OCs when they come out to play. Everything else belongs to either Disney or the Greek Myths!

*ducks projectiles* Sorry! I know it's been a while since I updated (and over a month since I returned from hiatus for the other fics). My only excuse is that between work being insanely exhausting, the muse seemed more inclined to work on the other three fics.

I do have my Tumblr where I post about delays/rants about stuff outside of fanfic so if there's ever a delay like this again, shoot me an ask there!

charmed princess imzadi: Oh I'm so glad you liked it! Of course I had to give ya'll the reunion before the hiatus!

OceanBlueSeaEyes: No, no new kidnapping promise! Let's just say Ariel had quite the talk with Hades while Cass, Lance, and Herc were rescuing Mal. :D

danifan3000: Glad you liked the chapter!

AmethystDragon14: Yay! Of course I brought Steph back early! She deserved the chance to see her daughter and I was going to give that to her! Also, I'm stealing 'swan feather brain' for an insult for Zeus lol!

61394: Glad you liked the chapter!

SaikoGoyangi: Glad you liked it! :D

Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Please let me know what you think! :D


Eric stared in shock as Ariel rushed through the door, his wife having come back from her trip to the Isle. Clearly, whatever she had talked about with Lord Hades had worked as the weather had cleared up instantly from the wintry spring it had been when she'd left.

"Is…is everything okay?" Eric asked but Ariel didn't answer. Not at first. All she did was gently scoop their daughter up into her arms and held her as close as possible. Had it been anyone else, Eric would have worried Elle was in danger of being smothered.

"Ariel?"

"Hmm?"

"Is everything okay?" Eric asked once more after a few minutes had gone by and Ariel had yet to say a thing. "What happened on the Isle? Did Lord Hades tell you what might be bothering Lady Persephone?"

Ariel sighed and looked at Eric. "He did."

"And?"

"I…Eric, it was Mali," Ariel said, her voice soft. "Maleficent…she'd kidnapped her."

Eric stared in shock. "What?!"

"I was just as shocked as you," Ariel nodded, still holding Elle close to her. "Thankfully we were able to get her back."

"We? Ariel, did you…did you go on the rescue mission?"

"Oh! No, I stayed with Uncle Hades," Ariel told him. "Cassandra, Hercules, and Lance were able to get Mali and rescue her from Maleficent's clutches."

Eric sighed in relief. "Okay, good. I mean, not that I don't think you could have done it but…"

"But you feel better knowing I was safe rather than in danger?" Ariel ventured a guess.

"You know me so well."

"Well, we are married," Ariel teased, walking over and gently kissing her husband's cheek. Eric smiled and returned the favor before he walked over to a nearby chair and sat down.

"So how was it?"

"Eric?"

"The Isle, I mean," Eric elaborated. "I mean, I assume you saw it and I just…I thought maybe it'd make sense if we talked about it. You know, see if anything needs updating or if they need any supplies. I know the Isle's a prison but they're still our subjects."

Ariel sighed and gently put Elle back in her crib before turning to face her husband.

"That bad huh?" Eric asked.

"I didn't even say anything," Ariel told him.

Eric shook his head. "Ariel, we've been married how long? I may not be able to read minds through the Olympian mind link but I can read your face."

Ariel sighed. "Oh Eric…I just don't understand how it could have gotten so bad. From what Uncle Hades told me after we got Mali back, the food issues have been going rampant. It hasn't been great but ever since we had Elle, the quality's drastically declined. There have even been small stampedes at the food barge now."

"What?" Eric gasped.

Ariel nodded and went into her husband's arms. "Thankfully they're not enough to increase the workload for Uncle Hades, death wise, but they're still alarming."

"Grimsby never said anything about there being issues with the food to the Isle," Eric said and shook his head. "I can't believe I missed this."

"Eric, we missed it," Ariel said as she rested her head on his shoulder. "We're ruling the kingdom after all."

"Ariel, we took time off so we could look after our daughter and I will never apologize for that but this should have been something brought to our attention," Eric said. "I need to talk to Grimsby."

"Why not talk to Beast?" Ariel suggested. "Doesn't he run the committee that set up the Isle?"

"You know what? That is an excellent idea," Eric said and started to walk out of of the room.

"Eric?"

"Yes Ariel?"

"As much as I love the idea of talking to Beast about this, is it the best move to leave Elle by herself?"

Eric paused as he took in his wife's words. "You are probably right. But I also know that taking our child into a room where tempers may get flared—."

"You know as well as I that Carlotta would be more than happy to watch Elle for a bit," Ariel said. "She's probably at the door right now."

"Oh! Begging your pardon your highnesses, I didn't mean to—."

"Carlotta, you're fine," Ariel called and the older woman walked into the room. "Do you mind watching Elle for a bit? We need to talk to King Beast about an issue that falls under his purview."

"Not at all your highness, you know I love looking after the little dear," Carlotta said with a smile.

"Thank you Carlotta, we won't be long," Ariel said and she and Eric quickly left the room. It didn't take long before the two royals found themselves at the doorway of Beast's castle.

"Oh! King Eric, Queen Ariel!" Cogsworth exclaimed as he opened the door; Eric having knocked louder than he normally would have had this been any other visit. "What a surprise! We weren't expecting…oh! Where are my manners? Come in, please!"

"Thank you Cogsworth but this isn't a social call. Is King Beast available?" Eric asked.

"He's currently with Queen Belle and Prince Ben in the library," Cogsworth said as Eric and Ariel began to walk toward the library; both royals having visited there a time or twenty. "Young Prince Ben has finally stopped whatever has been upsetting him all this time and is allowing King Beast the chance to hold him while Queen Belle reads to them."

"We'll be quick," Eric told the former clock. Every royal in Auradon knew how much the young prince loved to be read to and Eric genuinely wished he didn't have to interrupt what he knew had to be a rare moment for the young prince. But this was a conversation that could not be delayed.

Cogsworth nodded and knocked on the door to the library.

"Come in," Belle's voice called from the other side of the door.

"Sorry to interrupt your highness, but King Eric and Queen Ariel are requesting a word with King Beast," Cogsworth said as he opened the door.

"Is everything all right?" Beast asked as he stood up, looking at Eric and Ariel.

"I'd like to discuss it in private, if you'd please," Ariel said.

Beast nodded. "Belle, will you be alright?"

"Ben and I will be just fine, Adam," Belle said, giving her husband a smile as she took their son out of Beast's arms.

Beast returned the smile before the three royals made their way to Beast's office. Closing the door, Beast looked at them. "Is everything alright, your highnesses?"

"No, Beast, everything is not all right," Ariel said and the cool tone in her voice was such an odd departure from her usual voice that Beast was visibly taken aback. "You chair the committee that created the Isle. Created it in Eric's and my name. We need to talk about it."

"The…the Isle your highness?"

"Yes, the Isle! You know, the prison you signed off on! Have you even bothered to check in on it?!"

"I mean, there haven't been any reports indicating that we need to check in on it your highness—."

"Well, clearly you're not looking hard enough or those 'reports' as you claim just aren't getting to you! Because I've been on the Isle! I've seen it And I is worse than jus a prison. In fact you can't even call it a prison! It's not fit for man or beast!"

"You've…your highness, we've not heard any reports of you going to the Isle—."

"My comings and goings don't always need to be reported and considering I've got family on the Isle, why wouldn't I go? Tell me the truth, Beast, did you know about the state of the Isle! Because what Lord Hades has told me, it chills me to the core! There's no hospital! There's no running water! And ever since Elle has been born, the state of the food has been getting worse and worse! The Isle is inhumane!"

"I'd answer her, by the way," Eric said, his voice low as Beas remained silent. While the two royals always insisted they were a partnership, Eric thought it would be better for Ariel to take the lead on this one considering she had family who were impacted by the treatment of the Isle.

"…No, I didn't know but I don't—."

"You don't what?" Ariel asked. "You don't see it as a problem? You condone this? Beast, villains or not, the Isle houses humans meaning they are entitled to human rights. And yes, I know as Queen I need to separate between family and citizen but that does not change the fact that I have family on the Isle! We're lucky the death count of the Isle isn't worse off than it is! We're talking about children here Beast! What would you do if you had to raise Ben in a land without a medical system? Without decent food? I know Elle would be so much worse off than she is now if she had to live in a land without easy access to a hospital! My little cousins, who right now are fighting for their lives every day, are the same age! How can you look Ben in the eye knowing what you've condemned other children to?"

Ariel took a calming breath before looking Beast square in the eye. "We are going to fix the Isle. And then you are going to submit weekly reports to Eric and myself about the state of the Isle. We will not let it slip into disarray again! Now I want the truth Beast! Is there anything else on the Isle that you didn't sign off on? Other than what I saw?"

"I'd tell her now," Eric said, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared slightly at Beast. "Because if we have to come back here Beast…Ariel may not be able to control the seas like her father and grandfather but she won't need to. She'd be able to raise Tartarus for you. And knowing my wife, she'd happily rope in Lady Persephone to assist so I'd give my wife a detailed list of everything the Isle didn't get. It doesn't matter how small."

Beast sighed but nodded. "We didn't sign off on a hospital as you know, or dental care. The argument at the time was that we'd be putting Auradonians in harm's way and leaving an opening for villains to escape with the constant opening and closing of the barrier. We did do a trial run a couple of years ago if you'll recall but we stopped that once we heard the rumor that Morgana cloud cover in the barrier will increase or decrease the temperature, making it hot or freezing depending on the season. It is supposed to rain occasionally but Fairy Godmother said that part of the spell is that the cloud cover regenerates after about three minutes of so so there's no real sunlight…"

Ariel's eyes widened as she heard every word that came out of Beast's mouth, and Eric gently rested a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"As you've already mentioned, there's no running water so there's not really any access to hygiene with a bath or shower house unless the Isle residents managed to create one themselves. Now granted, the food should have been decent, maybe not as fresh as the food we get here from farms but nothing inedible."

"That…Beast, do you know how inhumane that is? And you condone this? Innocent children are on the Isle! I…Gods, I don't even want to think about how bad the Isle would have been if you'd won the election over Eric!" Ariel exclaimed. "We let you build the Isle as a gesture of good will and that there were no grudges left over from the election but now I see that was a mistake."

"It was to protect Auradon!"

"Protect them from what?! The villains were already dead, you had to convince Lord Hades and the Fates to bring them back just to have the Isle work! And even if you didn't, we're talking about children who have done nothing but be born! And yet you are seemingly okay with condemning them to death before their lives have even started! Eric and I are going to fix the mess you made with the Isle Beast. And if we hear one word of things not being fixed, you won't like our reaction," Ariel said and then shook her head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go get started. Thank the Fates I went there when I did. Not only did it save Malionë from her kidnapper's talons but—."

"Wait, Malionë was kidnapped?" Beast asked, his eyes widening.

"Yes she was," Ariel nodded. "Thankfully not for long as we were able to reunite her with her parents."

"Huh…so maybe that was why Ben was acting so strange lately. We only just managed to get him calmed down," Beast mused.

"Oh yes, Cogsworth mentioned that Ben's been upset when we arrived," Ariel said.

Beast nodded. "It's been very strange but ever since the strange weather started, he would just randomly start crying. Nothing Belle or I did could calm him. He wasn't sick, he wasn't hot or cold or anything a baby would need. He was just inconsolable and we couldn't figure out why fo the life of us."

Ariel couldn't help the small smile that pulled at her lips. "I guess he's missed Malionë. Hopefully he gets the chance to see her once Lady Persephone brings her to Auradon for her six months here."

She sighed softly and shook her head. "I'm not surprised the you wanted to 'protect' Auradon, Beast, but the way you did it is horrifying…I don't think I'll be able to look at you the same way again. And it will take a long time to rebuild my trust in you, at least regarding the Isle…now then, apologies once again for interrupting your time with your family so I'll bid you good day and know we will be in touch."

"You got off easy Beast," Eric said as Ariel turned to walk toward the door. "If we have to return regarding the Isle…well, you won't enjoy it. Trust me."

He turned and followed his wife out of the castle, neither of them saying a word until they got into their car.

"Guess we've got work to do," Eric sighed.

"We certainly do," Ariel nodded before sighing. "Eric, I'm worried about something Beast said."

"Beast said a lot of things that were worrisome Ariel."

"Well I mean, that's true, but I meant about the food specifically," Ariel said. "I spoke to Uncle Hades, Eric, he told me himself that the food they've been getting lately is inedible. If Beast didn't set it up to be that way, that mean's it's a recent change."

"Someone's using our being focused on Elle as a way to wipe out the Isle," Eric said with growing realization dawning on him.

"That's what I fear too," Ariel nodded and then straightened her spine. "Well then. Time for us to get to work."

No one was going to terrorize her citizens. Not on her watch.