Chapter 9

The Meeting with King Triton

Ok this is it, no turning back now. Ariel's sisters had all disappeared leaving me on my own to face the king of the seventh seas. I was nervous, particularly as i didn't know what kind of mood he was in. I'm always nervous around the King Triton but on this circumstance i was 100 times more nervous!.

I turned my body with my back facing the doorway. All i could think was that he found out about the dramantic rescue last night and found out i was present. Sebastian or Flounder must've cracked, our secrets were blown! I'm in real hot water now!. Then another thought came to me why would Ariel's sisters act happy and be teasing me about me and Ariel being an item?.

I still remained stiff as a pillar, frozen as a iceberg, i couldn't move "Urchin, you may enter son" i hear a voice. My mind was able to indentify the voice being of the kings but i was unable to tell if my mind was playing tricks. I twitiched as i felt a large hand on my bare shoulder...

Slowly turning round, in my presents was a large looking man with long white silvery hair, beard and turquoise tail. King Triton always wore his gold crown and golden arm bracelets. He almost goes no where without his trident only this time it was happily seating in its stand near his throne. I managed to look up at this face and there to my surprise it showed no frown nor sadness to but a happy and surprisingly calm smile.

"Urchin? Are you alright?" he gentley asks, "I...i...yes sir! Ahhh your majesty!" i nervously answer to him. He smiles and swims to sit back on his throne. I slowly follow remaining slient but still managed to produce a bow towards the King. Soon King Triton was sitting on his throne and as i finish my bow, i look up and see that he is laughing. Was my bow really that funny?.

"Very good, thank you for coming to see me Urchin! I trust you got my message from the Seahorse Herald?" he asks me with a smile, i continue to look at his face as i raised an eyebrow "Message from the Seahorse Herald? The Royal Announcer? No sir i, your daughters came and...!" i openly tell the king. "Goodness? They must be as excited as i am! Sometimes they just cannot help themselves! I asked him to look for Sebastian too!" King Trion says still with a smile.

Ok, the vibe i am getting right now is that he is not angry! Good he hasn't found out about the rescue, so i begin to relax a bit. Could Ariel's sisters be right, has Ariel confessed her love for me and her father has summond me for his blessing?. This is strange but i will go with it. My heart was pumping!.

"Now my boy, i couldn't help but notice you spending a lot of time with my youngest, is that correct?" he gentley asks me, "Ummm yeah! I guess we have your majesty!" i answer back to him. King Triton looked over one side "Good, good you enjoy her company then?" he asks, "Yes your majesty" i answer to him. I am now starting to get a little concerned as to where this conversation was going.

King Triton gets out of his throne and swim towards me. I'm now shaking through my fins "Urchin, You've always been like a son to me and i wanted to say how delighted i am to hear about you and Ariel!" i was in shock unable to speak. Who told him? Certainly wasn't me!.

As i remained floating there in slience, i see the King's expression on his face turn from a joyess smile to a concerned look "Urchin, is something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost?" King Triton asks me "You and Ariel are now a couple right?". "I, I, I...I don't know!" thats all i could come out with towards the King "What? Is there something you wish to tell me?" the King asks gentley.

His face kept changing, it was now looking like a more concerned look. There was no time to act dumb, it was time that i tell him the truth "King Triton, yes, yes i do have feelings for your daughter!" I shout "but sir i will be honest with you, i have not had the courage to tell her face to face about my feelings yet!".

"Hang on boy, what do you mean you haven't had the courage to tell her about your feelings?" He asks me, i went on to keep telling him the truth that will not hurt will it?. "Yes...yes that's right, I've had so many opportunities but every-time I've tried, Ariel had been distracted lately or feared that she wouldn't be interested in me" i simply tell him not realising that i had included the distraction part. It took my seconds to realise and i began to bite my tounge.

"Distracted by what?" The king asks sternly, quick Urchin think, think, think! How do i come back after mentioning the word distracted?. I watched as the King turns his back towards me and slowly swims with this arms behind "Urchin, there is something you should know, when Ariel finally appeared after the concert was destroyed, while speaking with her about her wereabouts and i found out that she had been up to the surface again even after i've forbid her many times not to go up there".

I could feel King Triton's concern. If i tell him the truth about what Ariel has been up to lately, I would be in deep, deep water but as promised i needed to stay loyal to Ariel. "Urchin, i want to you to be honest with me! Is Ariel going up to the surface again?" He asks me concernly, "No, sir, no!" i quietly lie through my teeth.

"Very well, you may go!" King Triton says to dismiss me, i was happy that he was allowing me to go now but i still had a couple of questions to ask him. "King Triton before i go, did Ariel actually tell you that she was in love with me?" i simply ask him because during the many times i had been with her i was concerned that she may or not show the same affection. I think Ariel just see's us as good friends.

"Why i just prosumed, you and Ariel had been spending a lot of time together lately, it made sense to me! Why who else would the lucky merman be?" King Triton asks in concern, i look at him just as confusingly and words began to slip out "I wonder too your majesty, i wonder too!". Wonders were flowing through my head as to who else it could be but then it suddenly hit me "Now cannot be!" i find myself saying on my breath "What's that?" the King asks.

"I'm sorry sir but i have to go!" i say before quickly swimming off "Urchin wait!" King Triton yells ordering me to come back but i didn't listen. I had to find Ariel, Flounder, Sebastian fast!. If Ariel has fallen in love with the human she rescued last night, we are all dead!