Chapter 3

Last Days

Ursula stretched her arms as she awoke from her slumber. As she slipped out of bed, the light revealed some changes that had happened overnight. For one, her hair had grown longer, her bottom half had turned a dark purple and her figure had slimmed down a few pounds.

"Well boys what do you think so far?" she asked her them. Her voice sounded less horse than before.

"My, you look younger," Jestons stated.

"How do you feel?" Flotsam asked.

"Like I lost over a hundred pounds or two." She chuckled. "Now let's see how our guest is doing."

They swam into her bedroom just as Ariel began to wake up. She yawned before she exited from the shell-like bed. Ursula tried her best not to beam as she saw the changes that had happened to the little mermaid. Ariel now had a greyish-white line through her long red hair and her shells and tail had become one black skin, now looking similar to Ursula's.

"Good morning Ariel. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Oh, yes please," she expressed in a speech pattern similar to Mae West. She placed the golden shell necklace around her.

"Shrimp?" she offered, holding out a shell filled with the helpless crustaceans."

"Thanks." She picked up a fat one and gulped it down. As she chewed, she didn't notice the older woman beaming.

"Worked like a dream." the eels whispered with a wink.

"So Ariel how did you sleep?"

"Pretty ruff, though with a bed like that who won't?"

"Oh, I think I can fix that if you like." she fibbed.

"Fix? What are you? A witch? Listen, Sweetcheeks, I'm the one with magic around here." Ariel rudely laughed. The polyps quivered in horror at the sound of laughter from the dark woman.

"I was only making you an offer." Ursula dryly stated.

Ariel just rolled her eyes and let out a hmph, she then swam over to the dressing room table and put on makeup.

"She really is become like you." the eels joked.

"After tonight, she will be and then we can make our way home." Ursula snickered as Ariel did her hair up making look similar to Ursula's old style only with more volume.


Triton passed back and forth in his throne room with a sorrowful look on his face. His daughters swam into the room with equally sorrowful looks.

"Have they had any luck finding her?" Attina asked.

"No." He glumly stated.

"Oh, where could she be? She's never been gone for this long." Arista said with tears forming in her blue eyes.

"It's ok Arista, we'll find her," he reassured.

Flounder came rushing into the room with a worried look. "Did they find her yet?"

"Sorry, Flounder," Aquata replied. "Vanessa is still missing."

"Oh, where could she be?"

"I'm sure she's ok," Adella said.

"I just hope she hasn't run into Ariel."

"So do I Flounder, so do I." Triton agreed.

As the day went on, the inhabitants of the kingdom continued the search for the lost princess. They looked high and low in every corner of the vast sea, but their dear Vanessa could not be found anywhere. Triton and his daughters grow more and more worried as the chances of finding her became slimmer than the waist of a krill. It was only when dusk came to the kingdom did the king let the creatures of the sea have a temporary rest from their hopeless search.

Adella sat on a rock, glumly looking down at the ocean floor when an impressive-looking specimen of merman swam up to her.

"Evening Adella." He introduced himself, flexing his muscular arms. "My, don't you look lovely this evening."

"Not now Harold."

"Come on Adella. It's a beautiful night." he flirted. "Why don't we go for an evening stroll in the kelp forest? Just me and you."

"No thanks, Harold."

"Why not?"

"Why not? WHY NOT?! MY SISTER IS LOST AND ALONE SOMEWHERE IN THE OCEAN AND ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IS TRY AND GET A DATE OFF ME?!"

"Well, I was hoping to score a first date of many." He grinned.

Her face turned red and she slapped him hard across the face. "GET LOST YOU INSENSITIVE PIG!" She swam off, leaving him rubbing his sore face.

"Just great." He mumbled to himself. "Went through all the trouble of getting this body to impress the ladies and not of them want me. And now I've only got three hours left to find a freshwater lily." He swam through the garden looking for the plant that would save his hide from the sea witch.

As the sun finally left the horizon, the kingdom began to fall into a deep slumber. In their bedroom, the daughters of Triton lay awake in their beds, chatting to each other.

"Do you think Vanessa is ok?" Alana asked.

"I hope she is. She's never been gone for this long." Andrina said.

"Nor has she been alone for this long," Attina added.

"I hope they find her soon. I've never seen Daddy so worried." Arista cried.

"It's alright Arista." The oldest sister comforted. "You know Vanessa. No matter what she gets into she always manages to get out of it."

"I know but she's..." she burst into tears.

"It's ok, it's ok. Tell you what the moment she comes back we'll go out on a sister's day. Just the seven of us."

"You mean it?" She sniffed.

Attina nodded. Arista wiped away her tears, then embraced her sibling with a loving hug.

"So what are we gonna do for a sister's day out?" Asked Aquata.

"I don't know, maybe a swim through the park?"

"Maybe we should let Vanessa decide."

"Not a bad idea Adella." the youngest said.

Just then they hear their ladies-in-waiting come in. "Bedtime your majesties."

"Yes, Kath and Kari." The sisters rested their heads on their respective pillows and began to fall asleep. The two women left the sleeping mermaids and swam down the hall.


In the lair of the sea witch, Ursula was talking with Ariel, this time about how talented the redhead was, stroking her ego.

"And the way you tricked that desperate Harold." She complimented. "My what a work of genies."

"I know. Of course, the lower specimen of men will do just about anything to find love."

"Isn't it, his last day today?"

"It is. I'm expecting him tomorrow morning." Ariel stated. "Speaking of which I should be heading off to bed."

"Oh yes, I should be going myself. Good night Ariel."

"Good, Ursula."

As Ariel got into bed, Ursula and her eels swam in the spare bedroom chuckling to themselves. One more night and their plan would be complete.