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Post by powerdroid on Apr 18, 2005 0:32:16 GMT -5
CHAPTER ONE
Clouds hung low over the sea. They didn't promise rain, or even storms, they merely brooded like sulking elephants, and grew. Ariel clutched the balustrade on one of the palace's balconies and stared out into the gathering dusk. She listened, tuning herself for the merest hint of something unusual from the breakers on the shore below.
A faint breeze stirred her long red hair across her powder blue gown as she breathed deeply, inhaling the scents of the wind. She divined more of the ocean's mood from that tiny gust of air than a whole shipful of sailors could hope to discover in a lifetime, but it didn't give her the answers she wanted.
"Are you feeling fine?"
The voice came from behind her, tinged with concern. Eric must have noticed her slipping away from the festivities inside. She sighed and turned around. Her husband stood in the arched doorway to the balcony, framed by the gentle light that leaked through the curtains. He held a champagne glass in one hand and a rolled up piece of sheet music in the other.
"I'm worried," she said. "The weather is strange, and the sea is disturbed by something."
She saw Eric's gaze move beyond her, to the clouds that lumped ever closer to the shore.
"You're right," he said, a crease lining his brow. "The sailors are talking. They're good men, but superstitious, and this weather doesn't set their minds at ease. Do you know what's causing it?"
"No," she shook her head. "I can't fathom the source of it. It doesn't seem natural."
"Not natural? How could it not be natural?"
"My father could do this," said Ariel. "He is the King of the Sea, so it bows to him. He isn't doing this though; I can feel that much."
"The Sea Witch could do this." Eric's face tightened, and the hand holding the music clenched into a fist. Starlight glinted off the gold braiding on his cuffs. "Couldn't she do this?"
"If there was one." Ariel came to him and ran a hand through his short, dark hair, smoothing the creases from his forehead. "There is no Sea Witch anymore, not in any form, nor any errant relatives. The breezes would tell me if another creature aspired to that dread office, or Sebastian, whomever got here first."
"Now," she pointed at the crumpled roll of paper he held in his left hand, "what do you have there?"
"Oh, this."
He raised the paper and tried, clumsily with one hand, to flatten the wrinkles out by pressing the sheet against his chest. Ariel plucked the page from his grasp before he could do further damage to it. She started using both hands to carefully smooth the page out across her own chest. When she looked up and noticed the interest with which her husband viewed this procedure she laughed and spun away from him.
"So what is this, anyway?" She asked, holding the paper up to examine it in the fading light.
"That's your latest challenge from our musicians," said Eric, nodding his head slightly toward the small party going on indoors. "They said, and I will quote the drummer, 'Extemporize this!'"
"Oh really?" Ariel raised an eyebrow as she examined the musical score. "Well, I shan't disappoint them. Come on, let's go back in."
"I still don't understand it,” said Eric as he ceremoniously held the curtain aside and gestured for her to precede him into the brightly lit room, "How you can just sing something right off the top of your head and make it sound like you've been practicing for weeks."
"If you're trying to understand it, there's your problem." She smirked as she picked up her pace, leaving Eric trailing.
The hall was a smaller one, but still big enough for the dozen or so couples it held to dance, play games, or listen to the group of players who occupied a knee-high stage off to one side of the main floor. When Ariel crossed the dance floor to the player's niche, she heard the scattered conversations dropping away to silence.
She smiled to herself as she stepped up onto the stage. The friendly rivalry between her and the palace musicians had grown into a sort of formalized contest over the years. This time they had come up with a piece of music and she needed to improvise lyrics to go with it as they played. Next time she would lead and they would have to keep up as best they could. The tradition didn't quite follow proper etiquette for royalty, but no cared, as it was too much fun to watch.
In all the years this had been occurring, the musicians had never been able to fully best Ariel. They had come close a couple of times, but Ariel turned a musical phrase or interlude to her advantage. The conductor rose, as did the rest of the orchestra and bowed. Ariel made a light curtsy and turned to face their guests.
The clock hadn’t ticked away enough hours, so her daughter, Melody, had an opportunity to see her in this competition. She saw Eric beaming at her, and she batted her lashes at him. It felt so good to relax for a while, to play, to be a little goofy among good friends and guests. This little gathering was her private signal that things were back to normal, that the witch Morgana was truly gone.
The music started up behind her, a lively tune that promised to be quick but easily followed. She opened her mouth and matched the notes with song, almost as curious as her audience to see what she would sing. A comedic ballad took shape, a story about two chefs lost at sea on a raft who were in reach of land but too busy arguing to reach it.
“Look, there is land, we must row with all our might.”
“Maybe we can make if before the fall of night. Why don’t you grab your oar and help us get to there?”
“My hands are very delicate, like my chocolate éclair.”
The crowd tittered at the silliness of the lyrics. Ariel heard one of the musicians stifle a laugh and miss a note. This gave her the upper hand and she pressed on.
The tune played on behind her, but each passing bar made Ariel feel more and more out of rhythm. Somehow, the mood of the piece had begun to shift without her noticing. Hurriedly glancing at the sheet music she discovered that a drastic change in tone had been planned for the ending of the piece.
So, she thought during a pause for breath, they're trying to trip me up. It’s just like the Monkey Song of two years ago. Fine, I can match this.
She rapidly concluded the story she had been crafting and, within the space of a few bars, introduced news of a more dire dilemma. The mood of her lyrics took on an eerily warning note as a single violin dropped itself into the music and the whole tune took on dark overtones. She imagined the musicians behind her scowling at the failure of their ploy to get her miscued, then found herself suddenly far too distracted by her own song to give any thought to the players.
Something had happened. She didn't know when she had lost control, maybe it had been at the mood shift, maybe earlier, but Ariel suddenly found herself unable to halt or change the words that were springing unbidden from her lips. The song came in her own voice, clear, sharply on key. It set shivers running down her spine.
“What deed disturbs the ocean? What death angers the tides? What force causes commotion, Show me where it hides.”
Eric looked at her, his eyes widening with concern. She returned his gaze longingly but couldn't stop the final verses of the unknown song from pouring out of her. She could also see the gathering looking on with alarm and dismay.
“A lack is present in the scales, A balance is undone, A warning comes from great wise whales, As clouds shadow the sun.
“Find what needs restoration, Or the plight begins anew, Save the twinned and sundered nation, Or lose all dear to you.”
The music cut off abruptly, so she sang the last lines of it a capella. When the final word had left her mouth, she urged herself to speak. She had to say something to break the stunned tableau around her, but Ariel found herself too dizzy to do more than clutch at a nearby music stand, struggling to keep her feet beneath her. Dimly, only half understanding the words, she heard Eric call for the room to be cleared.
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Post by powerdroid on Apr 21, 2005 23:08:31 GMT -5
CHAPTER TWO
Eric hurried over to her, as it seemed she would collapse. Ariel could not focus on anything and began to teeter. Eric grasped her to prevent her from falling, and then guided her over to a vacant chair. Ariel was wheezed and panting.
"I...I feel so strange." Ariel put a hand to her forehead as she felt herself flush.
"The last time you felt like this, we learned you were carrying Melody. Are you with child again?" asked Eric. Ariel shook her head 'no'. "That was a warm, wonderful feeling. This is like nothing I've ever felt before." She began to shiver.
"A glass of water for the Princess!" barked out Eric. One of the lagging musicians came over with a glass, which Ariel downed without a thought.
"I'm fine. Really I am," she remarked as she got up. Once on her feet, she took a step and nearly fell over.
"No, you're not!" Eric went over to her and picked her up, carrying her across the room in her arms. Ariel did not want to admit it, but she felt better with Eric holding her. She felt so weak and drained.
Melody began to follow. “Grimsby!” called out Eric. “Please take Melody to her room!”
“But I want to stay!” she protested.
“Melody, Mommy is going to be fine. Just...just go with Grimsby.” Grimsby took Melody’s hand and headed her off to her room.
As they got to the base of the stairs, Carlotta came up to them. She was wringing her hands. "Oh, my, whatever is wrong with the Princess?"
"Carlotta, please come with us," said Eric as he continued to stride through the castle. Servants moved to one side as Eric headed on. Carlotta was having a difficult time matching his pace. When they arrived at their bedroom, Eric gently settled Ariel on the bed, and then turned to Carlotta.
"Please help Ariel into her bedclothes. I am getting the doctor." He turned to Ariel and tenderly kissed her. "I'll be right back, Ariel." Grasping her hands forcefully, he left the room rapidly.
Carlotta began to undress Ariel. "No, Carlotta, that's all right. I can do this myself, thank you." Ariel smiled and stood up, then had a dizzy spell again and fell onto the bed.
"OK, maybe I can't." Carlotta got Ariel to a seated position and started to remove the voluminous dress from her.
Ariel noticed she was having hot spells and cold spells at the same time. She would sweat profusely, and then have goose bumps. She was put in her longest and thickest nightgown and settled into the bed when a knock came at the door.
“Are you decent?” came the muffled call.
"We're all ready," chirped Carlotta.
In came Eric with Dr. Fisher, the court physician. He came over and sat next to Ariel on the bed. "So, what happened to you?"
"Nothing...much." Ariel was very hesitant to talk. She was filled with the most ominous dread. The doctor began to examine her. He checked around her jaw and neck, felt her forehead, and stated deep into her azure eyes.
"Eric said you nearly passed out and you couldn't stand."
"It happened again while we were changing her," added Carlotta.
Dr. Fisher stared at Ariel. "Let me see your tongue. Open wide." Ariel obliged as the doctor peered about. "OK, now, lie flat."
Ariel laid out as the doctor removed her bed covers. He felt around her hips and stomach, poking and prodding. "You will, of course, let me know if anything hurts." the doctor soothed.
Ariel nodded as he continued on. She could see Eric looking at a loss to do anything and gave him a smile. The doctor placed his head on her chest to listen to her heart beat. He sat up and held out a finger, then moved it back and forth. Ariel's eyes tracked it perfectly.
"I'm done," he remarked and covered up Ariel. He motioned for Eric to come over and the doctor sat so he could see both of them. "Have you eaten anything lately that was different or cooked in a new manner?"
"No, not that I can think of," pondered Ariel.
“You know how Chef Louis likes to try new and unusual things,” remarked Carlotta.
"How have you been sleeping lately?"
"Very fine, except Eric takes all the covers." The laughter broke the tension in the room.
"I have to ask this question: have you had any arguments lately?"
Ariel blanched as Eric stepped in.
"Must you ask these questions?"
"I understand your feelings, but I have to rule out all possibilities. I know what it isn't. It's not food poisoning, she's not pregnant, it's not sleep related. But, it could be the onset of a cold or the influenza. But there haven't been any new ships in port, so it is just a bit too early to tell.
"Now, the weather is very odd and that can affect people. You tell me that just before the rainy season begins, the Court Painter takes to his bed for two days. This could be something like that, but she's never shown this tendency before.
"My initial recommendation is to keep her in bed for the rest of the day, feed her lots of soup, like Chef Louis' Vegetable Medley and keep her quiet. We'll see what happens tomorrow." He turned to Ariel, who looked pensive. "Don't worry; you're fine. I can't find anything wrong with you, so relax and we'll see where this goes."
Dr. Fisher got up to leave and Eric followed. "I'll be back, Ariel. I'm going to have a bowl of soup brought up to you." They both left the room.
In the hallway, Eric accosted Dr. Fisher. "You can tell me. What's wrong?"
"At the present time, there is nothing wrong with her. It's too vague to make any kind of a diagnosis. People sometimes get dizzy spells. It is best just to wait it out."
"But if she has something..."
"...we won't know what it is until more specific symptoms arise. I'm going back to my room and check my books. For now, it's best to let things run there course. Time is a great healer. As a doctor friend of mine once said 'God heals the patients, but the doctor gets the fee.'"
Dr. Fisher saw that Eric wasn't laughing. "Ariel is feeling very scared and vulnerable right now. She needs you to be the strength so she feels better. All we can do for now is wait."
Eric was still confused, but nodded assent. He headed to the kitchen and spoke to Chef Louis, who would get the soup up as soon as possible. Eric quickly returned to the room to find that Ariel had fallen asleep.
Carlotta spoke in hushed tones. "I had gone out to get a book for her and when I got back, she was sleeping."
Eric walked over and started to draw the drapes closed. "It's good. She must be more wrung out than we thought." Eric looked at the gathering clouds. "Look like a big storm is brewing up." They silently left the room. All was calm on the surface. However, inside Ariel's mind was a raging tempest.
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Post by powerdroid on Apr 25, 2005 8:20:08 GMT -5
CHAPTER THREE
Ariel knew she was now dreaming, but she also knew she was awake just a few seconds ago. It was strange, falling into a dream so quickly. Or was she asleep at all? Everything felt so real.
She was in an underwater cavern, brightly lit with luminous algae and reflective crystals. She was also a mermaid again, which felt good to her. She flapped her tail in appreciation.
A slow but strong current was flowing from one end of the cavern to the other, and Ariel let herself be carried along by it. She floated by a broad, flat crystal and saw her reflection, and was surprised to see that she was wearing a tan tunic with a short skirt, instead of her purple shells. She also saw something on her tail, but she couldn't make out what it was before she floated past the crystal.
Ariel bent at her waist to get a better look at her tail. It was covered with large black tattoos that formed an intricate, curvy pattern that seemed very familiar. She tried to remember where she had seen something like it before, but suddenly the current started flowing much faster than before, sweeping her into darkness.
It had narrowed considerably and was more like a lava tube. There was no way for her to turn about easily.
Swimming against the current, Ariel now desperately tried to stay away from the end of the tunnel, but no matter how hard she fought, the raging stream brought her further into the dark, narrow end of the tunnel. Soon, the darkness was complete, and even thought she couldn't see the walls of the tunnel, Ariel knew they were very close. She stopped swimming, and held her arms close to her body.
Abruptly, the current pushed Ariel downward, and then stopped. Ariel landed hard on a sandy floor, but wasn't hurt at all. She looked around, and immediately recognized where she was. It was her grotto, where she stored all her human things when she was a teenager! But it was empty, looking just the way it had when she had first discovered it, overgrown with brownish seaweed and smelling stale and old.
The current had apparently pushed Ariel in through the light-hole in the top of the grotto, even though Ariel knew that was impossible. She barely fit in the small opening when she found the grotto at age 12, and there is no way she could make it through now.
A rustling noise behind her let her know that she wasn't alone. Ariel spun around to see a rock table, piled high with scrolls and parchments. The sound she had heard was an open scroll sliding off the top of the pile, onto the ground. Gathered around the table were three merpeople, silently staring at each other, paying no attention to Ariel. They were talking to each other. Arile could see their mouths move, but no sound could be heard.
Ariel swam closer. She knew with the certainty of a dream that the merfolk at the table were all sorcerers, even though it wasn't obvious from looking at them.
She came up behind the tallest one, a thin old merman with long white hair and a beard to match. He had a deep purple tail and was wearing a tan tunic just like the one Ariel had on. Ariel recognized him as being from the undersea nation of Murex, where the tunic was the traditional garb of both mermen and mermaids. Ariel had met Murexian diplomats in her father's court.
To the right of the Murexi merman was a younger mermaid, who had black tattoos on her tail like Ariel's. Suddenly, Ariel remembered what she couldn't before, that the tail tattoos were worn by the merpeople from the nation of Polydoria. But they were located out in the Pacific waters.
The Polydorian had a bright pink tail under the tattoos, to match her pale pink hair. She was wearing nothing, except for many small shells and bright colored stones braided into her hair. Her skin was nut brown and was also heavily tattooed like her tail. Ariel had never met a Polydorian before, because they lived far away, but she had studied about them in school.
The third magician at the table wasn't actually a merman at all, but a Sharkan. Although distantly related to the Sharkanians, they were a totally different culture. His rough skin was very dark grey, almost black. Unlike the Sharkanians (the only Sharkans Ariel had ever met), he was not dressed in a military uniform of harnesses and sword belts. Instead, he wore a simple red robe that covered his entire body from the neck down. It also had a hood, but he wasn't wearing it now and it hung down behind his head.
As Ariel reached the table, the Murexi merman spoke. He wasn't looking at Ariel, but she knew his words were meant for her. "We have sent you a message," he intoned.
Then the Polydorian spoke. "You must heed the message."
"We wish we could have sent a clearer message, but you will understand soon," added the Sharkan.
The all stood up and presented the scrolls rolling about her. Ariel tried to focus in on the text, but it was so much jibberish. The letters jumped and danced about so she could not read it. The three all came closer.
“You must heed the message.” The Murexi moved in on her and she fled into the Polydorian.
“You must heed the message.” Ariel spun about to crash into the Sharkan.
“You must heed the message.” The Sharkan eyes burned into her.
Ariel tried to flee, but there was no where to go. She turned to face them. Ariel started to talk, to ask them what they meant, who they were, but everything went white.
Just then she awoke, as suddenly as she had fallen asleep.
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Post by powerdroid on Apr 29, 2005 8:42:05 GMT -5
CHAPTER FOUR
Though Ariel felt she had been asleep for only a few minutes, she opened her eyes to find herself confronting yet another overcast day. The drapes had been pulled open to reveal the same gloomy sky and sea she had left behind. She sat up, one hand going reflexively to her temple before she realized that her headache had fled with the night.
"Dear, you're awake!"
Ariel watched as Carlotta bustled into the room. The woman's timing never failed to amaze her. She apparently possessed some mothering instinct beyond mortal ken.
"Where's Eric?"
"He's getting ready for breakfast," said Carlotta, "but don't worry about that. I can have something brought up to you."
"No," said Ariel, swinging her legs out over the edge of the bed. "I feel fine. I'll join him."
"Certainly not. The doctor prescribed plenty of rest, and I'll see you get it."
"Sick people do what their doctors tell them," said Ariel. She stood up and walked over to a closet. "If I was sick, I'd gladly do likewise, but I'm not, so will you help me get dressed? Please?"
Ariel could tell from Carlotta's sigh that the woman wasn't happy with her, but she did as requested. When her nightgown had been exchanged for a muted yellow dress, she made her way to the private breakfast room.
The morning room had been her idea years ago, sized and decorated to her specifications. Turquoise upholstery and wavy, green tinted glass made the quality of light very close to the way it looked when filtered through the ocean. Much to her surprise, it had turned into their regular breakfasting area.
She found Eric already seated at the table, reading a missive written in red, with cramped calligraphy. If not for the clouds, she knew, the sun would have been streaming in through the stained glass window at the back of chamber onto the paper he held. The sound of her feet on the tiles in the hall made him look up from the letter. A smile bloomed immediately across his face, only to be replaced by a worried frown.
"Are you sure you're well enough to be up?" He asked, half rising from his chair before he caught the look on her face. "Of course you're sure. Why did I even bother to ask? Yes, yes, I'm sorry, I won't scold, come in. You look great."
"Thank you," said Ariel, accepting the seat he pulled out from beneath the little round table. "What's the letter about?"
"It arrived by royal courier early this morning," he said as he sat back down and picked up the letter. "It's from a foreign diplomat and, if I can make out this writing, he's going to be arriving within a few hours."
"A few hours?" Ariel sat up straight, and then leaned back in her chair. "That's silly. He would go to the king. And where's he from anyway? Diplomats don't just come from nowhere."
"This one does," said Eric, raising a cup of tea to his lips. "The letter is very specific. He wants to negotiate trade agreements, mutual protection pacts, cultural exchanges, etc., etc. Standard enough, but it states that he is not at liberty to disclose his origin."
It sounded crazy. She had been ready to talk about her strange episode last night, and the dream that followed it, but this odd announcement drove it momentarily from her mind. How could you negotiate with someone if you didn't know who he represented?
"I still say that's silly."
"That's silly, I agree," nodded Eric, "but that's politics. My father is at the other side of the country working out a land dispute, so I get to talk to this mysterious stranger."
Ariel pulled a bell rope disguised as a piece of seaweed. "What if you refused to talk to him unless he identified himself?"
"Not good." Eric set his cup down. "If I do that, it will offend what ever nation sent him, and I can't afford to do that..."
"Without knowing who they are," finished Ariel. "I think I get it.”
“Besides, I don’t want to end up like the prince in ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Concerned about his own feelings only, he refuses what appears to be an old crone that was actually a fairy in disguise. Opportunities present themselves in all forms.”
“So, do you have any idea what this person is like? Or do we get to swim blind?"
"Our messenger is one of my Observers, so he was able to give me a brief report. The envoy is around thirty or so, brown hair, light skin, lithe build, not very imposing. Not a paunchy career diplomat I gather."
"But," protested Ariel, as a servant carrying breakfast dishes walked through the door, "what is he like? That could be a description of you. Besides, we both know people aren't always as they appear. Meeting me should have taught you that."
"Indeed," Eric lifted his papers out of the way of the server. "He's described as polite to a fault, possessed of a keener intelligence than he admits to, and very curious, although he keeps to himself. He has a bad sense of balance, but is dexterous otherwise. That's all the report said."
"So it's up to us to discover what he wants?"
"Yes."
"Sometimes I wonder why you keep training all those Observers." Ariel rested her chin on her right hand and regarded her husband from across the table. "We always have to figure out the important parts for ourselves anyway."
Eric stood up. “Learning by doing, learning by watching.”
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Post by WickedElphie on Apr 30, 2005 18:15:01 GMT -5
Awesome so far! I think I prefer this to "A Cure For Adella", not because that wasn't wonderful, which it really was, but because: A) This story takes place after the move (after both, if you really want to be specific), which in general interests me more than prequel era fics. B) It focuses on Ariel AND Eric (Poor boy really doesn't get enough characterization). C) It has a somewhat darker, more dramatic feel, which is always good. (Unless you kill off a character I don't feel should die, *cough*J. K. Rowling*cough* .) Keep writing, because I for one, will be reading!
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Post by powerdroid on Apr 30, 2005 19:33:04 GMT -5
As I mentioned, this was a round robin writing bee and I didn't wish to disturb the approach the other two took.
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Post by WickedElphie on Apr 30, 2005 19:53:04 GMT -5
*Nods* That may be true, but I can still see your style come through, and it works very well.
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Post by powerdroid on May 1, 2005 0:52:14 GMT -5
Don't worry; by Chapter 11, it's all on me.
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Post by powerdroid on May 3, 2005 0:10:22 GMT -5
CHAPTER FIVE
With breakfast done, Ariel took a walk out on the balcony that overlooked the sea. Things didn't feel right. The sky was so unusual and the sea equally so. Ariel felt out of sorts as well. First, the incidents of last night; next, that awful dream, and now, a mystery man. What did it all mean?
She remembered stories of soothsayers and seers, those that had the gift of visions and prophesy. She had had vivid dreams before.
There was the one when she thought she was on fire, but that was associated with a nasty infection and she was quite feverish.
Ariel had also heard stories that her father, King Triton, has a vision just before the Sharkanian Incursion and mustered the troops to stave off a surprise attack. But she always wondered about the validity of the tale.
Still, the words haunted her. 'You must heed the message. You must heed the message.'
Ariel was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she hardly felt the tiny hand that grasped hers.
She looked over and Melody was at her side. Ariel felt better, then she became puzzled.
"Shouldn't you be with your tutor?"
Melody smiled. "I should be, but there's a big buzz about the castle. Some dignitary is coming by and no one knows who it is. Even Graponi..I mean Mr. Graponi, is curious. He is delaying my studies for the day so I can see how politics work. 'It is the proper training for a young princess who someday will govern this kingdom.'" Melody snickered. "I'm only 12."
"But keep in mind that Louis XIV became King of France at the age of 5, so it's never too soon to start."
Ariel held Melody close. At least she was relaxed.
As they stared out, a strange ship crossed into view. Ariel had seen a lot of ships, both as a mermaid and on the land, but she had never seen one like this.
A large three-master, it fairly bristled with cannons. Ariel knew life on the seas was treacherous, what with pirates lurking everywhere, but for a diplomatic envoy, it was as if they were ready for war. It sat low in the water, but made excellent time, cutting through the waves like a hot knife through soft butter. There was something omnious about the ship.
The flag fluttering from the top mast was one she didn't recognize. Melody retrieved the telescope and peered at the vessel.
"That is an odd flag," she commented. "I don't know where they're from." Melody handed the telescope to her mother, who focused in on it.
The flag was on a light blue background. In the center was a ring of red about what appeared to be an eagle or a dragon clutching something in their claws. It flapped about and made viewing it difficult.
As Ariel scanned the ship, the sailors were dressed in dark clothes. One person on deck was covered head to toe in a hooded cape. He clutched a portfolio to him tightly as he paced about the decks, deftly avoiding the sailors.
Ariel felt a chill go down her spine. It looked like all those pictures she had seen of Death. All he needed was the scythe and it would be complete.
The door behind them opened up. Eric came into the room, trying to button the neck portion of his clothes. He was wearing his white and gold outfit, with the braided epaulets and the two medals over his heart.
"I wanted to make sure you were ready for our guest. Ahh, I see you're watching the ship. That's him and he'll be here momentarily. I...blast!" Eric threw his hands down. "You'd think the tailor would do a better job of making this so I can put it on and not strangle myself."
Ariel came over to fix the last button. "I have a really strange feeling about this."
"Like last night, when you..." Eric caught himself, but not in time. Melody came over.
"Last night? What else happened last night?" Melody scanned the both of them, wanting an answer.
Eric stalled. "Nothing. Mommy had...had a bad night."
"Couldn't have been worse than mine. I dreamed I was at some table with three other merfolk. The table was piled high with scrolls. I didn't recognize them, but the one with the black tattoos on her tail kept saying 'You must heed the message, you must heed the message.'"
Ariel put her hand over her mouth. What was going on?
She turned out to see the ship dock. Almost immediately, even before the ship was properly moored, the dark caped figure came down the gangplank. Just before he got off, he misjudged the last step and went sprawling onto the pier.
The other hands quickly helped him to his feet and brushed him off. He stood silently as he was made presentable. Another handed his portfolio to him. He went into the castle.
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Post by philip on May 3, 2005 12:36:52 GMT -5
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Post by powerdroid on May 3, 2005 22:40:52 GMT -5
Thank you. I usually get kinda nervous whenever I post.
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Post by powerdroid on May 7, 2005 14:13:23 GMT -5
CHAPTER SIX
Eric and Melody left to go meet the mystery diplomat. Ariel was very curious about him, but she knew she would get a chance to meet him at the state dinner later in the day, so she wanted to investigate her dream now while it was still fresh.
First, she wrote down everything she could remember about the dream. Reading it back, she suddenly knew what the message must be! It had to be the song lyrics that came to her unbidden at last night's party. The three sorcerers must have sent them to her! But try as she might, Ariel could not recall the lyrics. Something about disaster, and a lack of balance. But Ariel knew how to fix that . . .
Eric's court composer, 'Wolfie' Reinman, had been fascinated with Ariel's talent for extemporaneous singing since the first time he saw her do it, and for years he has always shown up at state parties with a scribe, so all of Ariel's impromptu lyrics could be written down. Ariel always thought it was silly, even after Reinman turned one or two of the improv tunes into actual songs. But now it could turn out to be very useful.
Ariel decided to take a walk to Reinman's house, to get last night's transcript. But just as she was leaving the room, Eric's page Ormswell came rushing up the hall. "Princess Ariel! Princess Ariel, your majesty, Prince Eric requests your presence in the negotiations with Ambassador Smyth-Jones of Gryffon." Ormswell, a overweight young man with jet-black hair peeking out around his official red cap, stopped behind Ariel, huffing and puffing from his run upstairs.
Ariel stopped and turned to the page. Ah, she thought, so now we have a name for our mystery man. And a name for his country too, although I've never heard of the country of Gryffon. To Ormswell, she said "Negotiations already? I assumed that today would be all introductions and formalities."
"The ambassador is in a great hurry, your majesty, and insisted the talks start right away."
"And why is my presence required?" Ariel asked.
"Because the ambassador wishes to talk of the undersea kingdoms," The page replied.
"Of course. Show me to the room they are using, Ormswell." Now things made a little more sense. Inagua was the only land country that had anything approaching regular contact with the realms under the sea, and other dry lands who wanted to talk to them often went through Inagua first, in the days between Ariel and Eric's wedding and Melody's christening. The word must be out that Inagua and Atlantica were back in contact, now that the menace of Morgana has been eliminated.
"At once, please, your majesty," Ormswell said, and then he turned and went quickly down the hall the way he came. Ariel followed behind, amused that Ormswell could walk as fast as she was walking. She had never seen him hurry at any task before. Whatever is going on must be very urgent.
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Post by powerdroid on May 15, 2005 13:21:26 GMT -5
CHAPTER SEVEN
The page led Ariel to a door flanked by two guards. One of the guardsmen nodded to her and opened the door. She came in just in time to hear the ambassador replying to something.
"No," said the envoy, "it's not a problem at all. Melody, I would be honored if you care to attend some of our talks."
As the door thumped shut behind her, Ariel saw that Melody was practically beaming at the man. She could guess why. Though his cloak still shrouded him like a specter, he had knelt, taken the girl's hand in a courtly manner, and addressed himself directly to her rather than speaking over her head to her father as so many strangers did. Eric's Observer had been right when he described Smyth as ‘polite to a fault’.
"Ariel," said Eric, turning at the sound of the door. "Allow me to introduce you to Smyth-Jones, the ambassador of Gryffon. Smyth, this is my wife, Ariel."
Smyth stood, disengaging himself from Melody with a lingering nod and a murmured "please excuse me" that sounded so sincere it made the girl blush. He pushed the hood of his cloak off.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," said Smyth, clasping Ariel's proffered hand and bowing over it. She noticed that he leaned on her hand to keep his balance while doing so. "I hope we will have time to talk later on subjects more interesting to both of us than politics."
"I would like that," said Ariel. She lifted her hand, discreetly assisting the man to stand. "As it is, I know nothing of your history or even your country. In passing, didn't your message say that you would arrive by carriage?"
"It did," Smyth twitched his eyebrows upward and sighed. "I sent that message over a week ago, anticipating that it would precede me by at least a day. As it turned out, we were set upon by pirates at sea and never made landfall where we expected to. The captain and I decided that my best choice, for safety as well as speed, was to simply continue on rather than backtrack to another port."
"Did you sustain damage?" asked Eric. "If you need men or materials to assist with repair efforts..."
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," said Smyth. "The Stingray is a fantastic ship. She'll face down more than a band of brigands without worry, or so the crew kept telling me. If our navy had more ships like that, we wouldn't need to worry about our enemies. Truth be told, I feel guilty taking a vessel of her power away from the front-lines."
Eric guided them to a set of upholstered chairs around a low table. He sat Ariel at his right and Melody at his left, leaving Smith to take the chair opposite him.
He looks pale, thought Ariel, examining Smyth's face and hands in the light of the chandelier that hung above them. Not sickly, just like he doesn't normally get much sun. Not that he could get any sun with that robe covering him.
"Am I to take it that Gryffon is at war?" asked Eric.
"Until very recently, we were," said Smyth. "It is unlikely that you know anything of our nation's history. We have never had extensive relations with outsiders. If it was up to those who sent me, you wouldn't even know our name." He frowned, and then the expression cleared. "Fortunately, I'm here, not them. I will not deal under a flag of suspicion, and at this stage, it is my choice. Would you like to know something of my country's history and what has led us to seek out Inagua?"
"Certainly," said Ariel.
Smith laid his papers down on the table in front of him. "Our country's troubles started when the witch Gale was exiled as part of an insane power struggle. Her husband and two young daughters went with her into exile. Her influence had been the last tie holding things together."
"For forty years..." Smyth swallowed hard. "For forty long, painful years, our country has lain fragmented. Attacks from without, separated communities from within. Greedy, shortsighted people, our own citizenry, continued to destroy what little our armies and leaders managed to salvage. No longer. Gryffon has bound itself together once more."
"And you now seek allies to consolidate your nation's power?"
"Good Prince," said Smith, "that is exactly what I seek. We have realized, finally, that our country's isolation can not continue if we are to survive."
"I see." Eric waved his hand to take in the whole of the area. "But why here in particular? Since you are being so forthright with me, I will admit to being curious. Why did you choose Inagua over any of the other nations that you might have contacted?"
"Several reasons," said Smyth. "The people of Inagua are the only surface dwellers who enjoy regular contact with the merfolk. I hope, during my time here, to open talks with your undersea neighbors. Also, this is near the area our witch is said to have fled to. If one of her daughters still lives, she may have her mother's lore."
"How old are they?" asked Melody.
"This all happened before my time," said Smyth. "But the story mentioned that, so let me think. Yes, I do remember it now. When Gale left us her elder child, Ursula, was about your age, and little Morgana was still a baby."
Ariel sat bolt upright in her chair. Her shins knocked against the low table in front of her but the pain registered only distantly. She stared at the envoy. He returned her gaze then looked from her to Eric, to Melody, and back.
"I seem to have given offense," he said quietly, folding his hands in his lap and lowering his eyes. "Please, what I have done wrong?"
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Post by WickedElphie on May 25, 2005 21:48:13 GMT -5
I must now do the annoying fangirl thing and go "SQUEEEEEEEEEE!" Awesome twist. Witchy back-story is always good and I am liking Smyth, he intrigues me. I am awaiting your next update with bated breath, so make it soon please. I would have reviewed earlier but I've been having trouble with my account.
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Post by powerdroid on May 25, 2005 22:46:22 GMT -5
Between my balky PC (which shut me out 9 days of 10), end-of-school close-out franticness and work problems, things have been badly delayed. I will do my best!
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Post by powerdroid on May 27, 2005 0:00:12 GMT -5
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ariel was beside herself. She had not felt this out of control since Morgana had all of them prostrate before her at her ice castle. She was never one to lose her temper, but something welled up inside of her and it burst forth.
"Who are you really? You know far too much of undersea history to be a person. I want the truth!"
Eric leapt from his table. "Ariel!" he snapped, and then he turned to Smyth. "I must apologize for Ariel's behavior. She hasn't been feeling well lately. This strange weather we've been experiencing."
"I understand. It's the force of nature, the will of the sea..."
"The pull of the moon, this all affects me." completed Ariel. "That's a Merfolk saying when one is feeling out of sorts."
"We've had that saying for years," Smyth said blandly. Ariel felt Smyth was stalling or hiding something.
Smyth remained seated. "I don't wish to push or prod, but I have a tight schedule. My country is on the verge of a lasting peace and years of prosperity. If I wait too long, dark forces will come around and consume up again. Forty years is a great deal of time to fight and die for a belief. I do not wish to make a mockery of those who have sacrificed all they had to make a better life for others."
Ariel felt herself redden. She hadn't been this embarrassed since she made a seacow of herself at Triton's Silver Jubilee and devoured all the caviar at one of the tables. She was never this bad, yet it was as if her emotions and fears were leading her around and she was unable to stop them.
"Please forgive me. Events of late have been most unsettling. I haven't been sleeping well and my appetite is off. There is just too much going on all at once to take in properly."
"We can talk a little later, but I need to complete my negotiations before the noon tide tomorrow. I am a bit fatigued and could use a rest. Pirates take much out of one, and not just treasures."
Eric nodded. "Perhaps an early lunch will put us in a finer mettle." He went over and pulled a cord. Moments later, Carlotta appeared.
"Carlotta, my dear. We will be having lunch in here. Have Chef Louis serve up something not too heavy for us."
"He's been working on a cheese dish. I know he would like to try it out. I'll let him know."
Carlotta left. Melody came over to Smyth. "Are negotiations always like that?"
"Have you ever played card games with your parents?"
"Yes, all the time."
"Do you place all your cards on the table?"
"No, then how could I win?"
"Negotiations are like that. I really only have one chance to make a deal that is efficacious to both you and I. There are things you want; there are things that I want. But, unlike cards, it is important that we both win. The bonds of unity are inviolable. There is an old saying, 'Trust is like dishes, it is easily broken and hard to repair'."
"Does that mean you're dishonest?"
"Melody!" Eric shrieked. "Like her mother, never afraid to venture an opinion." He took Melody over to Ariel and began to mumble.
"Please, please don't. Not on my account. The child has asked an important question, and you should never apologize for wanting answers. They are much more in touch with their feelings and are not afraid to express them. This is a trait that can serve her well as an adult."
Smyth motioned Melody back. "Not dishonest, but uncertain. It's that we are all strangers.
I know little of you and your parents. They can be wonderful humans; they could be the most devious folks ever. I am cautious. We are always cautious when dealing with uncertainty. You know, 'Look out before you head out.'" Smyth smiled.
As he and Melody spoke, Eric pulled Ariel to one side. "Discomfort or not, we do not go around accusing envoys of open deception."
Ariel looked over Eric's shoulder at Smyth and Melody. "I have learned to trust my intuition.
“I have a very odd feeling about this person. Do you remember when Princess Odetta from Boldoni arrived for 'negotiations'?"
Eric swallowed hard. "That was right, as it turned out. She was highly deceptive. But I never was rude to her, despite her charms. At the very least, I would like courtesy."
"Then I will be courteous." smiled Ariel. Eric, satisfied, turned to the table. Ariel muttered under her breath, "But this one bears closer watching."
Carlotta came back with a huge covered tray. As she passed into the room, Max bounded through, spinning Carlotta around. He headed over to Melody and knocked her down, licking her face. Melody laughed and ruffled his furry face.
Carlotta hung on to the tray and headed over to the sideboard. "Chef Louis advised me that this is really tasty, but it needs to be eaten hot." She uncovered the tray and a wonderful cheese smell filled the room. Carlotta brought over a plate to the table.
Smith protested "Oh, please don't. I feel uncomfortable around servants. I can help myself. I never ask anything of a human that I wouldn't do myself." He went over and picked up his plate.
As he returned, Max soared past. Smith stumbled over him and went flying. His plate caught Eric full on, a sticky yellow smear on his white tunic.
Smith tumbled to the floor, landing heavily. His cloak rode up and Ariel saw his ankle. On it was a black tattoo of a sea dragon just like in her dream! There seemed to be other tattoos as well.
While Eric was trying to clean off the cheese, Carlotta went over to help Smyth. She was stopped by Ariel, who stooped down to Smyth. "I don't know who you pretend to be, but I know what you are." Smith blanched and covered his feet with the cloak.
Eric grimaced. "Not again."
"This time, I have proof!" Ariel pulled up the cloak to show an intricate series of tattoos that covered his legs. "Look at these." remarked Ariel.
"I have a tattoo as well. If I could get this tunic off, I'd show every body the one I got when I crossed the Equator for the first time."
"This is different, far different. This Smyth was, or is, merfolk!"
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Post by powerdroid on Jun 18, 2005 0:11:58 GMT -5
CHAPTER NINE
Ariel watched the ambassador's eyes, looking for a reaction to her words. He breathed in, his lips making a tight line across his face as he returned her gaze with calm blue eyes that reflected the light like tide pools in a pale beach.
"Unless I am very much mistaken," the envoy's words held a quiet dignity that took no notice of his sprawling posture, "The same could be said of more than one person in this room."
A long, embarrassed silence settled between the negotiators as Smith grabbed the table and pulled himself to his feet. Ariel wondered what her daughter could be thinking. The girl sat motionless on a couch, her mouth half open and her green eyes as wide as her mother had ever seen them. She had only a slight grasp on her own thoughts, though, and no idea what might be going through Melody's head.
"He...well," Melody shrugged and rolled her eyes as if in response to her mother's unvoiced question, "He does sort of have us there." She twitched both of her feet nervously, the movement suggesting the flick of a mermaid's tail.
"Indeed," said Eric. He nodded at Carlotta and waited until the woman had left the room and shut the door behind her before he spoke again. "Envoy, that is quite true. Still, immediate company excepted, merfolk do not generally trade in their tails for legs, do they? Could you have thought you would go unnoticed by two former mermaids?"
"I had hoped I would go unrecognized," said Smyth. "I am the only one I know of," he nodded to Ariel and Melody, "as you say, present company excepted, who has made the transition, and it seems to cause no end of problems when people discover it."
While Ariel spoke she wondered why he spoke as if he had much experience with humans yet he still tripped over things like she had in her first few days on land. "If you had approached us honestly we wouldn't be arguing about it now."
"Are you saying all of our strife is misunderstanding?"
"No," Eric shook his head, "Not all of it. A little while ago you said something I want explained before we talk any further. What did you mean when you gave the names of this witch Gale's children as Ursula and Morgana?"
"I meant only what it sounded like," said Smyth. "I'm glad you have returned to this, because I saw something cross your face when I said those names earlier, something dark that I do not understand. Please realize that we of Gryffon have not had regular contact with the outside world in many years. What do these names mean to you?"
"They mean evil," said Eric, his words coming like cannon shot before Ariel could answer. "Those two sisters," he made the relationship sound vile, "have caused more suffering to my family than anything else above or below the sea."
"I can't believe it. Gale was the soul of our nation. Do you expect me to believe that her daughters are evil?"
"Were," said Ariel. "They were. They're both dead. I don't know about their mother, but they were evil to their cores."
She watched the ambassador as he digested this information. He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. It reminded her of a hanging she, as Princess of Inagua, had been forced to attend. A blindfolded criminal had approached the platform without prodding, breathed one last time when the noose was placed around his neck, and then nodded to the executioner. Ariel tried to banish the horrid image from her mind by concentrating on the present.
"I see." Smyth straightened his back and nodded tightly to himself. "I had hoped it would be otherwise, but if what you say is true," his eyes flicked to the right as Melody nodded almost involuntarily, "then we have a problem bigger than our diplomatic quarreling. Tell me, are your skies always dark like this?"
"No," said Eric. "They aren't. I wouldn't be very concerned by it, but someone I trust very much tells me this is more than just an odd spell of weather."
"Ahh, then despite her time as a human your wife has not lost her sea sense." The envoy crossed his arms. "I'm glad. This means you already know we have a problem."
"What sort of problem?" Ariel waved her hand in the air, combing through it with outspread fingers. "I can feel something wrong in the breeze, something unnatural. Do you know what it is?"
"It is a sign of the ocean's disturbance," said Smyth, "but it says nothing more. If I may make a suggestion?"
"We've had our expectations turned upside down a few times today," said Eric, looking at his wife, "but I think we can weather another go at it, right?"
Ariel walked across the cheese-splattered carpet and stood at the room's arched window. Gray clouds, like thunderheads that ran out of energy before they could rain, hung in the air over the harbor. Could this diplomat, if that's what he was, really be trusted despite the deceptions he had already employed? Still, to find out why the sea brooded so, or why her song had spoken with words other than her own, she would have to consider advice from anyone.
"Yes," she said. "Please, tell me what you know."
"What I suspect," said Smyth, stressing the last word, "is that we can get a better grasp of this situation if we included another party in our discussion. If King Triton was willing to meet with me, perhaps together we can all discover what needs to be done before the situation," he raised his left hand, indicating the clouds beyond the window, "degrades beyond anyone's ability to repair."
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Post by WickedElphie on Jun 19, 2005 19:11:45 GMT -5
OOOOH! To quote Ariel, "I want moooooore!". Please. Seriously, loved it. Anxiously awaiting the Seawitch backstory.
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Post by littlemermaid on Jun 25, 2005 8:36:56 GMT -5
I want more! It's great!
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Post by powerdroid on Jun 25, 2005 17:02:58 GMT -5
As detailed under the heading "My Pathetic Story", my PC is taking a dirt nap and I cannot get back on line (I am at the library for this one). As soon as the dang thing is operational, I can get back on track with a regular release schedule. Thanks for all your support!
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