Between the Ocean and the Sky

[vidia]

=D YAY okay after remembering this post when talking with Jodi last night, i thought i'd try my hand at making it into a fanfic...which i've never written before, so it was interesting XD i already had all ariel's part written so it didn't take long. it was my first time trying to portray eric and flounder though LOL XDD

basically a WHAT IF thing where ariel actually does what she said she was going to:
i quote "I'll swim up to his castle. Then Flounder will splash around to get his attention, and then with -" (and then sebastian interrupted her '__' XD)

would eric STILL LOVE HER AS A MERMAID?!!? =O

WARNING: major corniness and bad portrayals XD it's all in good fun. oh, and FAIL title XD couldn't think of one so i borrowed a lyric line from the finale on the tlm score.

please don't steal! why would you?

----

CHAPTER ONE: "Where did she go?"

Ariel kept on running the dinglehopper through her flaming red hair. Tonight, she was going to go through her plan on meeting Eric. Her heart was pounding with each dinglehopper stroke, but she wanted to do this more than anything in the world. To talk to Eric…to see him! Within the hideaway of her grotto, Ariel had been swimming back and forth, praying and hoping everything would turn out perfectly. No,

It just had to!

Ariel put the dinglehopper back in the whazzitsname. But there was one little if-factor bubbling around in her brain. What if….what if…he didn’t want to love a mermaid? What if Sebastian was right, that the fact that they were from two different worlds made it impossible for Ariel and Eric to ever be? Ariel bit her lip and swam over to her statue of Eric. She rested her head on his stone shoulder. If only you could know, the feelings that I feel…if only I could tell you what I wish I could reveal! Ariel stared up into his beautiful eyes. No, she had to do it! There was no doubts about it! She clenched her fists and moved in front of him.

“H…hi, Eric…Oh, I mean Prince Eric!” Ariel stuttered. “I mean…Ohhh…I don’t know what I mean!” Ariel sighed and sank down to the floor, crossing her arms over a rock. She frowned. “This is a lot harder than I thought!” Ariel glanced over at her music box with the people dancing together on it. If only that could be her and Eric. If only…Ariel stared at her fin. If only I didn’t have this fin! She sighed. Suddenly, the watchamacallit humans used for telling time in the corner caught her eye. Oh, it was late! She was going to run out of time.

Ariel had already told Flounder to splash around to get Eric’s attention, and then she was going to sing…Ariel quickly paddled over to the front of her grotto, and moved the stone blocking the entrance to the side so she could swim through. After closing it behind her, Ariel moved her fin as quickly as it could take her upwards, and soon Ariel broke through the surface. The moon was shining brilliantly and bright tonight, casting a luminous glow on everything. The ocean waters glittered.

----

Eric, meanwhile, had been lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He fiddled with a scroll in his hands…a piece of paper that Grimsby had forced on him, requesting that he write a letter to the princess of Glauerhaven, thanking her for her hospitality. But Eric just couldn’t…concentrate on anything right now. How could he, when that voice was still so clear in his head? Making him feel dizzy yet tormented at the same time, with the fact that Eric couldn’t seem to find her, no matter how hard he tried.

Where could she have gone?

Suddenly, a salty gust of wind blew in from the open window, seizing up the piece of paper from Eric’s hands. He sat up and tried to snatch it back, but it was blown towards the window, hitting one of the window panes on the side and landing on the floor. Eric sighed, scratching the back of his head as he stood up. Just as he was about to bend down and pick the scroll up, Eric heard something coming from outside. It sounded like someone splashing frantically in the ocean…sounded like…someone…drowning?! No…that couldn’t be. He didn’t think anyone swam this late at night, at least not anyone from around the kingdom. And even if someone did…to swim so close to the castle…that wasn’t too common. The last time someone who wasn’t from the castle had been on the shore had been…the girl.

Without another thought, Eric left his room, hurrying down the hall. He knew that the waters at night could be dangerous, turbulent with the presence of the moon. As he finally stepped onto the sand, Eric’s eyes darted frantically, eagerly as they scanned the waters.

But there was no one.

--

Flounder panted heavily as he flapped his fins back and forth, making quite the ruckus in hopes that Ariel’s prince would hear. It was sort of strange, though. Flounder wanted the plan to work…wanted Eric to hear Ariel and vow to be with her no matter what…but yet…another part of him was hoping that it wouldn’t. That Ariel would stay with him and Sebastian and everyone under the sea. He didn’t mind collecting human stuff (except when sharks were around) with her. But did Ariel really have to…be in love with one?

Wasn’t there anyone in Atlantica that was good enough? Wasn’t he—

No, wait, why was he thinking like that?! Ariel was his best friend!!! And Flounder only—

But before Flounder could finish that thought, Eric appeared on the shore. He quickly dove beneath the water…frowning to himself.

“How could I even think like that?! Ariel and I have been friends for…forever! I mean, I’ve ALWAYS supported her ideas! Every one of them! They’re…fantastic, after all...like Ariel is—AGHHHHHHHH!!!!” Flounder talked back and forth with himself as he swam back to the grotto.

--

Ariel swam a bit towards the shore, swimming just below the surface now. Soon she was seated in the shallow water, hidden by the rocks. Since Ariel was only revealing her torso, she appeared just like any other human. Any other girl. She glanced down at her tail, green, scales sparkling in the light. To Ariel, it was hideous, for it represented the wall between her and Eric. She sighed, her red lips curving downwards. Ariel gulped. Whatever happens, happens…destiny. She wasn’t used to being a shy guppy—that was usually Flounder’s job. Now she knew it wasn’t the least bit of fun! Ariel took a deep breath, and she began to sing.

“What would I give
To live where you are?
What would I pay
To stay here right beside you?
What would I do
To see you, smiling at me?
Where would we walk?
Where would run?
If we could stay all day in the sun?
Just you and me,
And I could be,
Part of your world,”

Ariel sang, and it was the most beautiful she ever had. She put every scale and feeling into the words, and her voice filled the moonlit sky. And now, she waited, holding her breath. The waters and waves turned and rolled over the white sands. The castle looked more magical than she had ever seen, glowing prettily. A few lights were flickering inside. Her red hair rippled like waves in the salty ocean wind. Ariel tightened her hold on the rock, still partially hidden. Please, please, let him hear my voice. Let him hear what my heart wants to say.

Let me love him.

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[Coral]

Very intriguing! I've always wondered what could have happened if Ariel's plan to have Flounder get Eric's attention had been put into motion.

[WickedElphie]

Ooh. I really like this so far. As Rachel said, I've always been curious about what would have happened if Ariel had gone with plan A. You've got a good grip on all the character voices and I can't wait to see where this goes!

The only element I'm a little unsure about is what seems to be Flounder wrestling with a possible crush on Ariel. I've always been of the opinion that Flounder's the equivalent of a child, and is a bit too young for romance. Also talking animal/human (or half-human in this case) attraction in general is something that doesn't really work for me personally.

But overall this rocked my socks!

[vidia]

Thank you so much you guys! XD YES PLAN A IS WHERE IT'S AT =DD boy is eric in for a surprise XD
YEAHH the Flounder thing. I just put that in there. I kinda think of him as a kid too because of the broadway XD i think (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT XD-->) in the end it's just sorta a big sister love thing.
but anyways YOU TWO ARE SO SWEET =D <333

[vidia]

CHAPTER 2: "Real as the sea"

The splashing vanished.

Eric stood there for a moment, listening, straining to hear anything, anything that would leave a sign that there was someone there. But it was silent. It was...just a dream, Eric thought to himself, running his hand through his hair roughly. Just a dream. Eric sat down on the sand, holding his head in his hands. How could this be happening? Only a few days ago, he had been completely together. Eric knew he wanted to be in love. It wasn't like he didn't want to finally have someone who could completely understand him, someone he could share everything with. He did. But Eric had been all right with waiting just a little longer to find that certain someone.

And then, Eric had found her. The girl who was like the glimmer of the sunlight on the sea...with a voice, an indescribable voice! And she had saved him, swimming him over to the shore. But then, just as quickly as she had found him, he had lost her. No matter how long he stayed out there the rest of the day, wondering if she would come back to shore...it didn't matter. And it was killing him! Eric knew he shouldn't have listened to Grimsby upon awakening on the shore. He should have looked around the beach or even gone back into the water, searching for the girl who had rescued him. At this point, it almost seemed as if he would never see her again.

At least, until, he heard her voice.

It was as silvery as he could remember…no, more than that. Eric hadn’t even thought that could be possible. The words were the same ones he could remember opening his eyes to…and her face. He had only seen it for a moment, but just thinking of it now was enough to make him start to feel dizzy again. But he didn’t have time to stop and listen. Eric hurriedly pulled himself to his feet, following the voice like a fish curiously, eagerly chasing a ray of sunlight streaming through the ocean waters.

---

Ariel gasped when the prince came into view, and out of instinct, she slipped further behind the rock, peeking out from the side at him. Oh, he was just as beautiful as he had been on the shore…but…would he like her? Ariel bit her lip. Maybe it would be better if she just went back now. Maybe Sebastian was right.

No...what was she doing?! She said she was going to do this! Ariel raised herself up again, leaning her arms on the surface of the rock. A few feet away, Eric stopped in his tracks. Their eyes met.

Eric's breath caught in his throat. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life was in front of him, flaming red hair billowing out like a sail. There was no doubt about it--it was her. She was the one! Eric ran forward, black boots splashing into the tide. She laughed a little, and it sounded like music already to him.

"You're...the one, aren't you?" Eric said, taking her hands in his immediately. "The one I've been looking for! What's your name?!"

Suddenly, Ariel didn't feel so...nervous, anymore. This just felt so right to her. She knew that she and Eric were meant to be! And here he was, right in front of her. His hands felt so warm...it couldn't be any more perfect. She turned and moved towards him a little.
"I'm Ariel! I've been--" Ariel began to answer him excitedly, looking up at his face, when she heard the water behind them splash. Ariel turned behind her, where her green tail lay in plain view, raised, and dripping with water. "I..." her voice trailed off, and her hands squirmed free in his. Ariel moved behind the rock again. She was beginning to doubt herself again…her father and Sebastian’s words ringing in her head. Ariel, stop talking crazy. Have you lost your senses completely? He's a human, you're a mermaid! Down HERE is your home! Ariel - listen to me. The human world - it's a mess.

Ariel…it was…kinda pretty. He had never heard of that name before, yet it seemed to suit her in every way. Eric smiled at Ariel…when he noticed that she had moved away.
"What's wrong?" Eric asked, for he hadn't seen the tail. He moved and she moved, and they looked as if they were chasing each other around the rock, or even doing some sort of dance. Ariel was now the one closest to the shore, while Eric had his back turned to the sea. His face was confused and concerned, while hers had shimmers of fear. Ariel open her mouth, about to say something, when a rather large wave rose behind him.

"Eric, look out!" she exclaimed, and without thinking, Ariel dashed towards him, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the rock just in time. If the wave had crashed down on him, Eric could have been thrown against it. The wave splashed over both of them. Now they were both soaking wet, water to their waists..yet, they were in each others arms. Ariel looked up Eric. His hair dripped in front of his face, and she giggled.

He had saved her again. It made Eric feel somewhat helpless…he wouldn’t have even been able to find her if it wasn’t for…well, her. Yet, his pride didn’t really matter to him right now.

Eric raised a hand to sweep away his hair, and for a moment, he just marveled at her. Just the way the moonlight hit her skin and how her red waves stood out...her eyes that resembled the bluest sea in the middle of the ocean, with hints of the color the cloudless sky was. The way her lips turned up while she laughed. It was more than enough to make him completely disregard her strange clothing. And then Eric joined in her laughter, both of their cheer thrown into the quiet, moonlit night.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[WickedElphie]

D'aww. Ariel and Eric are so cute together! Can't wait for him to see the tail and the reactions on both sides.

[fridamoonbeam]

Darlin, this is wonderful. It's full so many "Aww" , moments without being mushy

Great work on this, I can't wait to read about him seeing her tail

[vidia]

aww thank you so much you guys!! <333 =3 D= IT'S SO SWEETTT OF YOU TWO. especially since your fanfics are flipping awesome! last night while i was brushing my teeth, i figured out how i was going to go about this and Ursula and everything ;D THANK GOD XD HAHAHA!

[vidia]

and so without further ado, chapter 3!
totally mushy, this one XD i was already worried about the goo in the previous chapter, but now, i think i'm drowning in it!!!

YEAH THERE'S A REASON WHY HE DIDN'T SEE THE TAIL EARLIER D= SO MUCH PRESSURE. that's such a key moment LOL and i was freaking out about screwing it up, but i managed to finish it =O LET'S HOPE IT'S OKAY

CHAPTER 3: "One breath closer"


Little did the two lovebirds know, a rather unfriendly pair of eyes was watching them intently, furiously.

Ursula hadn’t seen what lead up to this moment, having thought that Ariel was asleep in her shell bed and everything else was going according to plan. She was lucky she was able to even catch this part. But the sea witch was assuming that Eric had already discovered the tail, and dear darling princey-poo was getting all romantic on her and casting that one little detail aside for his and Ariel’s love. Typical soft-shelled royalty.

“No!” Ursula screeched as she saw this scene begin to unravel through Flotsam and Jetsam. She had planned on luring that little redheaded niece of hers to her lair before anything like this could happen, and giving her legs in return for her voice. She would say that if Ariel didn’t get a kiss of true love in three days, she would turn back into a mermaid and then belong to the sea witch. Ursula had figured that that prince wouldn’t be able to realize who she was without the voice, but now…now, her plans were ruined! All because Ariel decided that she was a big girl now and could actually set out to do the things she planned. It disgusted Ursula.

This was terrible!

Now, Eric knew it was Ariel. It wouldn’t matter if she exchanged the legs for voice now—he would kiss her in a heartbeat. In fact, Ursula wouldn’t be surprised if they kissed right now. She made a face and quickly told Flotsam and Jetsam they could return home. Ursula crossed her large arms. Well, this was just perfect, wasn’t it?!

Suddenly, an idea sprung in her mind. Well, actually, maybe it was.

Ursula could take something besides her voice. Something just as or even more precious! Oh, this was too good. This time, she would take no chances. Ursula began to take potions down from her cupboards…essence of angelfish, silverfish, and more, laughing and throwing them into her bumbling cauldron.

-------

Ariel smiled at Eric as he laughed. To her, that was the most beautiful sound in the sea…or literally, standing in the sea. As she stared up at Eric, Ariel knew that she didn’t have anything to be worried about. She knew that her father was wrong. Humans weren’t barbarians…and Eric, he was…he was her everything, and she knew that he would love her no matter what.

“Eric, I have something to tell you,” Ariel said, and this time, she was the one who took his hands. Eric smiled at her. “I’m not…what I seem.”

“What do you mean, Ariel?” Eric asked, completely puzzled by this question. She said she was the one…and he knew it could only be her. Then what was she saying now? Ariel took a deep breath and let go of him. She moved backwards a little, and finally, Ariel lifted her tail a little out of the water.

“I’m…a mermaid, Eric,” Ariel said. She glanced towards the water, unable to look at his face…afraid of seeing him upset or sickened. “I-I understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore, but I think I might be able to go to my Aunt Ursula and have her help me get legs—”

“I’ve never seen anything more beautiful before,” Eric interrupted Ariel.

Ariel’s eyes widened. “What…?”

Eric waded towards her in the water. He was still smiling…perhaps even more. A bubble of hope swelled in Ariel’s chest.

“I’ve always loved the sea, Ariel, and now I know that the girl I want to be with knows it even more than I do. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Eric said, his words genuine.

“Really?!” Ariel said, and she swam closer to him. Eric laughed, watching her stunning green tail move in the waters gracefully.

“Really. But, do you really think your aunt can help us?” Eric asked, curious about the idea. A mermaid getting legs…well, he guessed that if mermaids could exist, magic could too. Ariel bit her lip.

“I think so. Her magic is known to be evil, but she hasn’t done anything bad in a long time…so…maybe she would help me,” Ariel said hopefully. She was a little skeptical about meeting her aunt after so much time, but what choice did she have? Ariel knew that her father would never understand. She hated the idea of never being able to go on morning swims with her sisters again, but…Eric was her world now, her sea, her home. He couldn’t come down to live in Atlantica…he had a duty to his kingdom. And Ariel knew she couldn’t give something like this up so easily. It wasn’t as if her sisters couldn’t visit, or Ariel couldn’t swim out to sea with her human legs.

“All right then…just be careful, Ariel,” Eric said, a little doubtful about this Ursula, but…what choice did they have? He smiled at Ariel, knowing that they would find a way to make this work. Then his smile broke out into laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Ariel asked, curiously.

“Well, it’s just that…now I know why I couldn’t find you,” Eric said, rubbing the back of his neck, grinning. “I wouldn’t really have thought about checking underwater.” Ariel giggled.

“And that’s sort of the only place I’ve been for the past few days,” Ariel replied. Eric grinned, and they both laughed together.

A strong gust of wind blew by then, and Ariel and Eric turned towards the sea. The black blanket of sky lay in front of them, dotted with bright stars as far as the eye could see.

“Wow, the stars are WONDERFUL tonight!” Ariel exclaimed. She turned back to Eric, shrugging. “We don’t get to see many down in the sea…except for seastars.”

Eric smirked. “Well, then maybe I’ll have to give you the grand tour,” he said. Suddenly, Eric bent down, scooping up Ariel in his arms and lifting her out of the water. Her scales felt cool against his skin…but her back was warm.

“Eric!” Ariel exclaimed, surprised, looking down at the water beneath her. She turned back to look at him…his face was so close. Her hand was on the back of his neck, and Eric leaned forward. Their lips met.

Ariel couldn’t help it—a tear coursed down her cheek. She never would have dreamed it would work out so well. Ariel hated to admit it, but her father…and Sebastian’s words had reached to her at one point, making her worry that Eric wouldn’t accept her for what she was. Now that she knew he did, Ariel felt that nothing could stop them from being together.


---

Ursula wiped her forehead with her arm. Finally, she was ready. She smirked to herself. The little princess would have no idea what she was in for.

--

Eric finally drew back from the kiss—though her lips were so soft that it was difficult to stop—and they smiled at each other. Eric wiped away her tear gently with his thumb without saying a word. Ariel wrapped her arms around his neck, and Eric exhaled, so relieved that he had finally found her. He carried her over to the shore, where he gently set Ariel down on the sand. Eric lied down next to her, staring up at the sky. Ariel watched and copied his movement. He held one of her hands, and with his free one, he pointed up at the sky.

“You see those stars, Ariel? That’s Aquarius.”

“Like…my great great uncle? He’s…stars, now?”

“…what? No, they’re constellations…pictures formed from the stars.”

“Oh! Okay! That cluster over there sort of looks like my friend Flounder! You see, that over there is one of his fins! He’s the one who helps me find human things. Yesterday, we…”

And the two of them lied together there, talking about their family and friends, their lives up until now, laughing and smiling the night away.

[/font]

[Coral]

Vidia, we love Eric/Ariel mush! Especially when it's well done and unique. You've got that covered in spades. This is so sweet and wonderful! So totally Eric. You are now a full-fledged member of the Er-Heads.

[vidia]

Aww, thank you so much Coral!!! <3333 I feel so touched *weeps*
HURRAYYYY XDDDD!!! I'M AN ER-HEAD =D

[fathomsbelow]

O.M.G.

This is amazing! I love all the Ariel/Eric fluff It's so intriguing, please continue . And welcome to Club Er-Head!

[vidia]

gahh thank you so much!!! <333 XD YEAH IT'S PRETTY DARN FLUFFY IN HERE =3 XD
i will!!! <33 you're so sweet! and THANK YOU HAHA XD GLAD TO BE A MEMBER! =D

[WickedElphie]

Aww! And yay! Eric saw the tail. I'm intrigued about the 'something else' Ariel might be giving up for legs, and where the story will go from here. Can't wait for more!

[vidia]

LOL YES HE FINALLY DID! XD haha! awww, thank youuu =3





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[vidia]

Thank you guys for all the support about the mush XD! Sadly, there’s no mush here =( but there will be plenty in the future. =3

By the way, in my version, I forgot to say—Triton never went to the grotto and destroyed Ariel’s things-- he doesn’t know a thing about Eric XD! Yet =D

And what Ariel gives up for legs may make no sense, but I promise, it’ll work out. XD

Most of this is modeled after the scene from the movie. I try to keep it sort of close to the original ;D

---

CHAPTER 4: “Take a gulp and take a breath”

Even though Ariel had returned back home later than usual (sneaking into her shell bed, after Flounder had covered for her by stuffing a bunch of seaweed under her blanket), she woke up feeling more well rested than anything. At least, until she remembered that she had to meet Ursula today. Normally, things didn’t make Ariel very nervous, but her sea witch of an aunt was a completely different subject. But…she would do whatever she could in able to get legs, for Eric. Just remembering the way he had swept away her hair away from her forehead was enough to shoo away some of the nerves.

Ariel snuck off as soon as she could and began swimming towards her aunt’s lair. She hadn’t been there before…but she knew where it was. Flounder caught the flash of red behind the kelp bed…just as Sebastian caught a flash of yellow and blue. He lowered his eyes. What was that fish and Ariel up to now…?

Flounder swam after Ariel as fast as he could. She had told him everything last night, whispering it to him excitedly, occasionally hugging her pillow while her sisters slept. Flounder still couldn’t really understand while he felt so…horrible when he listened to it! But it didn’t matter right now! Ariel was going to the sea witch to get LEGS!

“Ariel!!!” Flounder shouted. Ariel stopped and turned around, making her best friend crash into her.

“Flounder? Are you all right?!”

“Ariel, don’t do it!”

“What?”

“Don’t become human!”

“BECOME HUMAN?!?!!?”

Ariel and Flounder turned around, where Sebastian was clinging to Flounder’s fin. Ariel quickly pulled him off (as Flounder winced).

“Oh, please, Sebastian, don’t tell Daddy!”

“Ariel, are you CRAZY?!” Sebastian continued to shout. Ariel quickly put her hand over his mouth.

“Eric…he accepts me for who I am now! But…we can’t be together unless I get legs…” Ariel tried to explain quickly. “Please be quiet!” Sebastian began to yell again, but his voice was muffled by Ariel’s hand. Finally, he calmed down, and Ariel slowly moved her hand away. Sebastian smiled at Ariel and cleared his throat.

“HE SAW YOU AS A MERMAID?!” Sebastian shouted then, frown reappearing. Why, if she was his daughter--

Ariel cringed and covered his mouth again. Now what was she going to do? She couldn’t let him go…or…well…that was it.

“Come on, Flounder! Let’s go!” Ariel said, continuing to swim swiftly towards Ursula’s lair, now keeping Sebastian a hostage.

“B-B-B-But Ariel!” Flounder tried to convince her to stay again.

“Shhh! Hurry up!” Ariel whispered.

Once they reached the lair, Ariel began to have second thoughts again. In the entrance, there were…strange…souls, swaying in the underwater currents. When Ariel appeared, they began to move towards her. Flounder shrieked and moved behind Ariel, while Sebastian began to squirm against her hand.

---

“Ursula…she’s,” Flotsam began.

“Here,” Jetsam finished.

Ursula smoothed back her white hair, turning towards the entrance. Ah, right on time. She smiled. The little princess was trying to pull her arm free as one of her dear darling little garden worms was wrapping himself around her.

“Come in. Come in, my child. We mustn't lurk in doorways - it's rude. One MIGHT question your upbringing. . . . ” Ursula laughed, making her way over to Ariel. The unfortunate souls parted way for the sea witch immediately, and Ariel finally managed to get her arm back.

“Aunt Ursula…” Ariel began.

“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?” Ursula interrupted, eager to get things moving along to get her prize. “You want to become human.”

“Y-Yes,” Ariel nodded. Sebastian struggled harder against Ariel, yet he was still unable to pinch her. Not because he didn’t want to (because he had a feeling that it might wake her up, even though he never wanted to cause her harm—simply because he felt this would save her from more harm), but because her fingers were also wrapped around his body. “Can you do that?”


A slow smile came across Ursula's face. She placed her hand on Ariel's shoulder.

“My dear, sweet child. That's what I do - it's what I live for. To help unfortunate merfolk - like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to,” Ursula exclaimed, and Ariel’s face lit up. Ursula had to control herself from smirking.

“Oh, thank you, Aunt Ursula! I—”

"Oh – one moment, dear! We haven't discussed the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know!" she said, hand coming to scuttle up her shoulder like a crab.

"But I don't have any--"

"I'm not asking much. Just a token, really, a trifle. You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is . . . your memory of Eric!" Ursula exclaimed.

"My...memory?"

"You've got it, sweetcakes. No more recollection, remembrance, reminiscence--zip!"

"But without my memory, how can I--"

"Listen, angelfish, if you really do think you and Eric are meant to be, you should have no worries about falling in love with him all over again. It's not like you'll forget everything! Just a certain little Italian. You'll appear up on shore, he'll notice you--you'll still have your looks and voice, mind you--there's bound to be something, right? It'll be just the same between you two lovefish in a minute," Ursula said, swirling her finger around. A contract appeared in the waters, lighting up the lair with its glow. "I can make 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 all over again. 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, but - if he doesn't, you turn back into a mermaid, and - you belong to me."

"Ariel! Don't listen t--" Sebastian began to shout, when Flotsam quickly coiled his body around the crab to silence him. As Flounder tried to get through to her, Jetsam mimicked the movement, and Ariel's friends were both rendered silent.

"Oh, and one more thing--he'll also forget about you."

"But..." Ariel began, but she found herself at loss for words.

"Sorry, darling, it's a bit of a joint deal. But hey, it's not like we're undoing history! Princey poo'll remember the dazzling beauty who rescued him from certain sea peril...just not the eensy teensy detail that it was you!" Ursula smiled at Ariel almost hungrily, like a shark waiting for his meal. "The choice is very simple, my sweet! If you want to be with Eric, you'll sign the scroll."

Ariel bit her lip...last night with Eric...it had meant the world to her. He had accepted her for who she was...and...they had kissed. But if she didn't give up that one beautiful moment, she'd never have any more with him again. With her eyes squeezed shut, Ariel signed the contract, Sebastian and Flounder's protests muffled against Flotsam and Jetsam. Ursula laughed, snatching up some potions as she did. Oh, she knew the little princess would accept!

"Paluga, sarruga, come winds of the Caspian Sea! Now rings us amnesia and prosopamnesia! Memoria to me!" Ursula exclaimed, throwing the potions into the cauldron. There were explosions of colors and swirls of smoke. "Now, think of Eric!"

Ariel closed her eyes and thought about their time together last night, gazing up at the stars. She thought of when she first saw him up on the deck of the ship, laughing with the other sailors...and thanking the other human for the statue that stood in her grotto. Large green hands rose out from the cauldron and enclosed around Ariel's head for a moment. As they pulled away, a gold light escaped from Ariel's mind and floated over to Ursula. She smiled and stored it away in her necklace.

Suddenly, Ariel felt something ice cold rush up in the middle of her tail. It spread out slowly, but before she could see what was happening, she began to choke on the water. Sebastian managed to finally get one claw free, and he quickly pinched Flotsam. The eel screeched and released the crab, and Jetsam freed Flounder to help him.

"Quick, Flounder! She can't breathe!" Sebastian said, and Flounder quickly swum over to Ariel, tucking himself under her arm and swimming out of her lair, and up towards the surface. After they burst though the water, Ariel began to cough. Flounder carried her over to the shore and set her down on the sand. Her eyes were closed.

"Ariel? Ariel! Wake up!?" Flounder shouted, and Sebastian crawled to her side. Ariel slowly lifted her head, rubbing her eyes. As her vision slowly came into focus, she saw a pair of two perfect feet in front of her.

“OH MY GOSH!” Ariel exclaimed, teal eyes widening. “What happened?!”

[vidia]

and another chapter i whipped up this morning XD

Thank you guys so much for the continuing support! It really, really brightens my day. And Poseidon knows I need it because of school starting up again =o!

Okay, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter ;D

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CHAPTER 5: “The world above”

Ariel bent over and looked at her new feet, wiggling her toes. How in the sea did this happen?! She couldn’t remember a thing! One moment, she had been adding a dinglehopper to her collection, and now, Ariel was up on land…with legs! She couldn’t believe it! Maybe Poseidon had granted her wish? It was a little scary, but…this meant she could finally see real humans…and talk to them! Ariel knew that she should stop to properly think everything out but…she wasn’t sure how long this would last, so she wanted to explore EVERYTHING she could before going back to the sea. Ariel scrambled to her feet—and promptly fell back onto the sand. Ariel giggled.

“Hmm…I can’t use THESE well yet,” she began, lifting her foot and wiggling her toes again. It felt so funny! “But...soon I’ll be able to…stroll along a street, and…and see people dancing! Spend the whole day in the sun!” Ariel exclaimed.

Flounder peered up at his best friend. She really HAD forgotten everything. “Ariel!” he said in a worried tone. Sebastian looked at the fish. Oh, now he’s going to tell her everything. Well, I guess we don’t have another choice.

Ariel noticed the pair of eyes on her. She grinned at Flounder. “What?”

“Oh…n-nothing, it’s nothing,” Flounder said, smiling back nervously. If she didn’t remember things, maybe she would never have to meet Eric. Maybe—

“FLOUNDER!” Sebastian shouted, shocked that Ariel’s best friend wasn’t telling her everything. “Can I speak to you for a moment?” The two went behind a rock, while Ariel continued to try to use her new legs, picking herself up, walking a few steps, and then losing her balance again.

“Flounder,” Sebastian said, smiling. “It’s a very nice idea of you to try to keep Eric as a secret so Arielle can go back home n’ everything can be normal again.”

Flounder’s eyes widened. He hadn’t really thought it all out like that, but it could be true. “Um, y-yeah! I…I think her place really is in the sea, a-and…”

“EXCEPT DAT IF SHE DOESN’T GET DAT KISS, SHE BELONGS TO URSULA!” Sebastian shouted, crossing his claws. Flounder drew back a little. He had forgotten about that already. Oh, why did things have to work out this way?! Why did Ariel have to go to the sea witch!?

“Okay, okay! I’ll tell her! It’s just that…it’s just that…I think I’m in love with Ariel!” Flounder shouted, finally telling someone how he felt. Or at least, how he thought he felt. It was sort of weird. Flounder thought that he would feel better after getting it off his chest, but instead, he felt the same. Sebastian’s dropped his jaw. He was in love with Ariel?!

“For how long, boy?!”

“I..I don’t know! All I know that after she met Eric, I began to feel jealous and unhappy.”

Sebastian listened for a moment, thinking. And then he realized what had happened. The crab began to laugh. He put a claw on Flounder’s back. “Oh, Flounder. You ain’t in love with Arielle!”

“I’m not?”

“No! I went through de same thing wit one of my sistas once! She was all in love wit dis lobster,” Sebastian began, rolling his eyes at remembering that certain crustacean. He was a bad one. “Anyways, it wasn’t because I was in love with her. It was because I was afraid of losing her…dat that boy was stealing my sista, my best friend away!”

Flounder’s eyes grew even larger. It all made sense! “You’re right, Sebastian! I think I’m afraid of Ariel not being my friend anymore!” Sebastian nodded and smiled.

“Don’t worry, Flounder. Arielle will always be your friend,” Sebastian assured the fish. Flounder smiled at Sebastian. He knew he was right. How could he have doubted Ariel before?

“Let’s go tell Ariel everything so she can get back with Eric!” Flounder said. The two turned to go back to their now-human friend…when they both gasped. There was nothing but sand, sea, and rocks.

“Where did that child go now!?”

“ARIEL!!!!”

---

“Carlotta, who’s that girl you found?”

“Oh, little Ariel? Pretty little thing, ain’t she? Found her on the shore! Poor dear says she’s come from the sea. Another shipwreck, I suppose!”

“More competition for our prince? She’s not my idea of a princess. If Eric's looking for a girl, I know a couple of highly available ones right here!”

“Oh hush now! Get that laundry done, dearie. I’m going to go help bring her this dress.”

Carlotta took a stunning teal ball gown. It had been one of Eric’s mother’s actually, the darling woman. Carlotta smiled a little at the sight of it. She’d kept it in mint condition, and now, it could finally be worn by another lovely girl. She hummed to herself as she made way back to the bath chambers, knocking on the door.

“Ariel, dear? Are you done?”

“Come in!”

Carlotta opened the door and gasped. There were bubbles as far as the eye could see. On the walls, on the windows, on the floor…on Ariel! The redheaded miss giggled.

“Isn’t it wonderful?!” she exclaimed, throwing more up into the air. Carlotta muffled a laugh.

“Yes, yes, wonderful. Come now, honey, let’s dry you up,” Carlotta said, putting the dress on the hook on the door.

Ariel stood up in the bath (it was so funny! The water didn’t taste anything like the water at home…it was very warm and actually sort of burned her throat) and tried to get down, when she slipped on the soapy floor and landed in the pile of towels. Carlotta couldn’t help laughing again, and she went over to help rub Ariel down with the towels (Ariel laughing all the while—it tickled!). Once she was all dry and dressed, Carlotta beamed at her as if she was her daughter. Such a lovely little sight!

“I’ll take you over to Grimsby now, and we’ll see what we can do.”

“Oh! The old beanpole!” Ariel exclaimed immediately, excitedly.

“What did you say?” Carlotta asked, surprised. Only Eric called him that!

“Oh…nothing!” Ariel said, and Carlotta shook her head. Must’ve been her imagination! Carlotta thought. She took Ariel’s hand and began to lead her downstairs. After Carlotta turned away, Ariel frowned. Old beanpole…how did she know that? She couldn’t remember. Little did Ariel know, she had heard Eric say it before on the ship. However, she forgot about this when she walked through the halls. Paintings! And statues! Magnificent from head to toe! Oh, it was all so splendid. She couldn’t stop looking around.

The two reached the bottom of the stairs, just as an elderly human walked through the doors.

“Carlotta, my dear, whatever have you called me here fo—” Grimsby began, when his eyes grew large.

“Another dearie from a shipwreck,” Carlotta smiled, nodding towards Ariel. “Her name’s Ariel.” Ariel grinned.

“Hello!” she exclaimed.

---

Sebastian looked at the footsteps in the sand. There were two pairs! But judging by the size of the other one, he didn’t think it had been Eric. Still, the castle would be the first place to check.
“Flounder, I’m going to go find Arielle! You…you make sure de sea king doesn’t find out about this! At least, not yet! And make sure to come back sometimes in case I need your help!” Sebastian said.

“Okay!” Flounder said. “Hurry, Sebastian! She still doesn’t know about Eric!”

“I’m hurrying, I’m hurrying!” Sebastian said, scuttling across the sand. “Honestly! That Arielle! That child is completely out of her shell!”

---

Ariel couldn’t put a finger on it…but for some reason, she felt like she had seen Grimsby before. Ariel didn’t know when she could have though. Still, she continued to smile at him.

“Why, hello! Ariel…that’s quite a nice name. Hmm…all right, well, maybe Eric will know what to do with this one,” Grimsby said. The door opened again, this time, a beautiful human girl walking out. Her eyes were as violet as a sea urchin, skin as pale and perfect as the finest grains of salt. She had dark brown hair that flowed to her waist elegantly, and a pretty seashell necklace.

“Oh, Ariel, this is Vanessa! She’s a survivor of a ship wreck too. She actually saved our prince from certain peril at sea! Oh, you can imagine how happy Eric was to find her! It felt like it was the first time he’s really smiled in days!” Grimsby laughed to himself. Yes, Eric really had been lucky. Grimsby himself hadn’t really believed the story about the girl with the beautiful voice who saved his friend, but well, now, here she was!

“Hello, Ariel,” Vanessa said, giving a small smile, her voice sweet, soothing, silvery.

“Hi, Vanessa!” Ariel exclaimed happily, seizing the brunette’s hand and shaking it eagerly as she was told humans did. “It’s nice to meet you!”

[/font]

[Coral]

What an interesting twist!

[WickedElphie]

Oooh. I like this. The plot thickens.

[Aquisha]

Ok, first, I love this! I've often thought about this scenario, and this is always the plot I envisioned; I don't think the memory loss idea is strange at all. They need some kind of obstacle. If they already knew each other and Ariel just went up there without a voice, Eric would kiss her in two seconds, Ursula would be thwarted, and there'd be no fun whatsoever. So, like I said, having thought about this particular possibilty before and arriving at the same conclusion, I think this is just a fantastically rendered telling!

I love Ariel and Eric together! The characters are pitch perfect! Huzzah! And can I say how excited I am for conversations between Ariel and Eric during these three days since she has a voice! *gasp* Can't wait! Love it! Thought you should know!