Post by Coral on Apr 14, 2009 12:12:33 GMT -5
A one-shot spun out of the musical.
He'd kissed many girls in these last few months, looking for the girl of his dreams. But none of them haunted him the way the almost kiss from last night did. Something about this red-haired beauty captured his imagination and refused to let go.
At first he'd thought it was her eyes. So blue, so expressive and trusting. Then he'd thought it was her curiosity, or maybe her exuberance. For a girl who couldn't speak, she sure had a lot to say. And then again maybe it was all of these things combined that made him forget every other girl he'd ever seen. Or heard. Even the voice that had haunted his dreams for the last two months was fading in her presence.
That almost kiss last night–that had ended in the boat overturning and dumping them both into the water–left him wanting more. Someway, somehow, he had to finish that kiss and see what would happen. And he had to do it soon.
He turned and looked up at the balcony of her room. She was leaning on the railing, staring out at the calm sea. Her face wore an expression of sadness. And then she looked down at him. He smiled and waved, and she waved back then disappeared into the room. He hoped she'd like the dress he'd sent in for her. It was a beautiful sea foam green.
Maybe he could create the right atmosphere this evening. The music would be perfect for an event such as a romantic kiss. Then he shook his head. There was no way he could wait that long. If he hurried, there would be time to try again before the evening's ball. He could not choose a bride this weekend without knowing more about the redhead named Ariel.
And yet he couldn't shake the feeling that this girl was someone he'd met before. He'd caught the briefest of glimpses of the girl who'd sang to him, with the sun shining behind her and creating an angelic halo around her red hair.
Red hair. The prince sank down onto a stone bench. What if it was the same girl? But it couldn't be. Ariel had no voice and the girl who had sang to him possessed the voice of an angel. Surely there couldn't be more than a handful of girls with this particular shade of red hair. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
Besides, the old fairy tale about the mermaid and the prince was just that. A fairy tale with no basis in reality and one that ended in tragedy for the little mermaid.. As much as the story had always grabbed his attention and mixed with the mermaid stories he heard from his sailors, there wasn't any way that mermaids could be real. As much as he hoped and wished a mermaid had rescued him, it just couldn't be true.
He looked up at the balcony again. He couldn't deny the fact that this girl seemed to know nothing about his world. She hadn't even known what a fork was for, and from the look on her face had never seen a horse either. Or a dog. What if she was a mermaid? What if the fairy tale could come true? There was only one way to find out.
He stood from the bench and practically ran back inside the castle and up the stairs, ignoring a startled Grimsby. Even without a voice, Ariel could answer yes or no questions.
He knocked on her door, then stepped back to wait. It creaked open a moment later and he saw her beautiful blue eyes staring at him. "I need to ask you something. May I come in?"
She stepped back and opened the door, allowing him to enter, then closed it behind him. How he longed to know what she was thinking whenever she looked at him this way. Her expression was so full of longing and pain.
"Do you believe in mermaids?"
A brief flicker of what might have been panic flashed across her face. Then she seemed to regain her composure and she shrugged her shoulders.
"I've always wanted to believe they were real. Ever since I was a boy and thought I saw one sitting on a rock, down in the cove where I found you."
Another brief flash of emotion went across her face. This one held less panic and more questioning.
"The girl who rescued me had red hair. The same color of red as yours. Are you that girl?"
She grasped his hands, holding them tightly and nodded.
Alright. This last question was going to sound really weird no matter how he asked it, but he was a prince and if this really was a fairy tale then he alone could break the spell, so he just blurted it out. "How do I break the spell and free your voice so that I can know for sure?"
She smiled, and then touched his lips with her index finger. Of course. A kiss always broke the evil spell in fairy tales. But not just any kiss. It had to be a kiss born out of love, not desire or burning questions or anything else. The kiss would only work if he was beginning to love her.
As he stood there looking at her, he realized that he cared for her a great deal. In the two short days they'd spent together, she had come to mean more to him than anyone. She made him feel alive. Complete.
He lifted his right hand and touched her hair. It was as soft as it looked. Then he brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to rest in his hand. He moved his hand behind her neck, lowered his head and their lips met.
Lightening hit.
She was the one, the girl he'd been looking for. Voice or no voice, she was the girl of his dreams. Her arms went around his neck and she pressed her body close to his. He responded by wrapping both arms around her. Whether or not her voice ever came back didn't matter.
He'd kissed many girls in these last few months, looking for the girl of his dreams. But none of them haunted him the way the almost kiss from last night did. Something about this red-haired beauty captured his imagination and refused to let go.
At first he'd thought it was her eyes. So blue, so expressive and trusting. Then he'd thought it was her curiosity, or maybe her exuberance. For a girl who couldn't speak, she sure had a lot to say. And then again maybe it was all of these things combined that made him forget every other girl he'd ever seen. Or heard. Even the voice that had haunted his dreams for the last two months was fading in her presence.
That almost kiss last night–that had ended in the boat overturning and dumping them both into the water–left him wanting more. Someway, somehow, he had to finish that kiss and see what would happen. And he had to do it soon.
He turned and looked up at the balcony of her room. She was leaning on the railing, staring out at the calm sea. Her face wore an expression of sadness. And then she looked down at him. He smiled and waved, and she waved back then disappeared into the room. He hoped she'd like the dress he'd sent in for her. It was a beautiful sea foam green.
Maybe he could create the right atmosphere this evening. The music would be perfect for an event such as a romantic kiss. Then he shook his head. There was no way he could wait that long. If he hurried, there would be time to try again before the evening's ball. He could not choose a bride this weekend without knowing more about the redhead named Ariel.
And yet he couldn't shake the feeling that this girl was someone he'd met before. He'd caught the briefest of glimpses of the girl who'd sang to him, with the sun shining behind her and creating an angelic halo around her red hair.
Red hair. The prince sank down onto a stone bench. What if it was the same girl? But it couldn't be. Ariel had no voice and the girl who had sang to him possessed the voice of an angel. Surely there couldn't be more than a handful of girls with this particular shade of red hair. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
Besides, the old fairy tale about the mermaid and the prince was just that. A fairy tale with no basis in reality and one that ended in tragedy for the little mermaid.. As much as the story had always grabbed his attention and mixed with the mermaid stories he heard from his sailors, there wasn't any way that mermaids could be real. As much as he hoped and wished a mermaid had rescued him, it just couldn't be true.
He looked up at the balcony again. He couldn't deny the fact that this girl seemed to know nothing about his world. She hadn't even known what a fork was for, and from the look on her face had never seen a horse either. Or a dog. What if she was a mermaid? What if the fairy tale could come true? There was only one way to find out.
He stood from the bench and practically ran back inside the castle and up the stairs, ignoring a startled Grimsby. Even without a voice, Ariel could answer yes or no questions.
He knocked on her door, then stepped back to wait. It creaked open a moment later and he saw her beautiful blue eyes staring at him. "I need to ask you something. May I come in?"
She stepped back and opened the door, allowing him to enter, then closed it behind him. How he longed to know what she was thinking whenever she looked at him this way. Her expression was so full of longing and pain.
"Do you believe in mermaids?"
A brief flicker of what might have been panic flashed across her face. Then she seemed to regain her composure and she shrugged her shoulders.
"I've always wanted to believe they were real. Ever since I was a boy and thought I saw one sitting on a rock, down in the cove where I found you."
Another brief flash of emotion went across her face. This one held less panic and more questioning.
"The girl who rescued me had red hair. The same color of red as yours. Are you that girl?"
She grasped his hands, holding them tightly and nodded.
Alright. This last question was going to sound really weird no matter how he asked it, but he was a prince and if this really was a fairy tale then he alone could break the spell, so he just blurted it out. "How do I break the spell and free your voice so that I can know for sure?"
She smiled, and then touched his lips with her index finger. Of course. A kiss always broke the evil spell in fairy tales. But not just any kiss. It had to be a kiss born out of love, not desire or burning questions or anything else. The kiss would only work if he was beginning to love her.
As he stood there looking at her, he realized that he cared for her a great deal. In the two short days they'd spent together, she had come to mean more to him than anyone. She made him feel alive. Complete.
He lifted his right hand and touched her hair. It was as soft as it looked. Then he brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to rest in his hand. He moved his hand behind her neck, lowered his head and their lips met.
Lightening hit.
She was the one, the girl he'd been looking for. Voice or no voice, she was the girl of his dreams. Her arms went around his neck and she pressed her body close to his. He responded by wrapping both arms around her. Whether or not her voice ever came back didn't matter.