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Post by AntiHero on Aug 15, 2004 12:20:00 GMT -5
I'm working on it! Got a little sidetracked on another story, but it's almost done. Good news
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Coral
Sea Cucumber
Wishing I was dancing with my prince...
Posts: 252
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Post by Coral on Oct 29, 2004 22:29:49 GMT -5
Part IV- Pirates!
Three days later Eric put pen to paper and signed the treaty. He was glad to be leaving! When Daniel had discovered Lyra was gone, there had been quite an uproar. Eric had stood on the balcony in his room and watched as Daniel had the guards search every inch of the gardens.
The day before, Daniel had pulled Eric aside and privately accused him of helping Lyra escape. Eric had just smiled, and said nothing. Daniel had no proof, and therefore could do nothing about his suspicions.
Once the signing ceremony was complete, Eric retreated to his room to pack. They were returning to the ship that evening so they could set sail with the outgoing tide. He would be meeting Ariel in just a few hours so that Lyra could pet Max before he left.
He also found himself getting rather anxious over meeting with Ariel’s father. Eric had never talked to the sea king, and the thought was a little unnerving. He had seen Triton from a distance when he’d woken on the beach, but that was as close as he’d gotten if you didn’t count seeing what Ursula had done to him. I shouldn’t be thinking about this, he told himself as he turned his attention back to his packing.
Once all of his clothes were together, he decided to go on down to the beach. He folded Max’s leash and stuffed it in his pocket, just in case he needed it.
The waves were rolling gently onto the beach and the sun was beginning its nightly descent. When he was little, Eric had remembered asking his father why the ocean didn’t get hot at night if the sun slept in it. But he had long since forgotten his father’s humorous answer.
It wasn’t long at all before Ariel appeared. Eric had pulled his shoes off and was standing at the edge of the surf, the water lapping at his toes. She watched him for a moment before showing herself. They were both being extra careful to make sure they weren’t seen.
She smiled at him as their eyes met, then giggled as he swept her up in his arms. “You’re leaving tomorrow?”
Eric nodded. “Sailing with the tide. When do you leave?”
Ariel shrugged. “I don’t know. It’ll be at least two more days I think.”
Rather than let himself stew over it and get even more depressed, Eric changed the subject. “Where’s Lyra?”
Ariel turned and motioned for the girl, knowing he didn’t want to think about that. “She wanted to make sure you hadn’t been followed.”
Eric set Ariel down on a rock close to the water’s edge and just the right height to keep Max from knocking Lyra over, and then he carried Lyra to sit beside Ariel and called for Max. The dog came bounding up to his master, then went straight to Ariel.
Ariel rubbed his ears, laughing once again at his eagerness to see her, then she and Eric held him steady while Lyra slowly reached her hand. She gently touched Max’s fur as if she was afraid of him.
“He’s so soft!” she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she smiled. The young mermaid let Max sniff her, then giggled as he licked her chin. Then all of a sudden Max whirled around and began to growl.
Lyra jumped from the rock into the water and disappeared beneath the surface.
“Go!” Eric ordered.
Ariel followed Lyra, reluctantly, into the water, then surfaced behind another rock to see if Eric found anyone. After several minutes of searching, he seemed convinced that no one was there. She swam closer to give him one last kiss, then promised to be there when his ship sailed the next morning.
And so the next morning found Ariel in the harbor for the first time. She carefully threaded her way through the maze of ships and anchors until she was under Eric’s ship, the Sea Maiden. There were so many ships in this harbor! More then she’d ever seen at home.
Moments after her arrival, the anchor was hoisted and the ship set sail. It moved slowly through the harbor with Ariel following. Once they’d cleared the harbor and she saw no other ships about, she broke the surface, jumping just to the side of the ship and looking for Eric.
But her attention was quickly diverted by another sail, moving at a fast pace directly for the Sea Maiden! She heard one of the sailors shout, “Pirates!”
Ariel gasped. She saw Eric motioning for her to go below, but she refused, shaking her head furiously. She’d heard stories about pirates and they were not going to take her prince!
Glancing to her left she could clearly see the pirate ship now. Sadly she realized that there was nothing she could do to prevent this from happening, but she could follow if he was taken.
Eric sighed with relief as his redhead disappeared below the surface. The last thing he wanted was for Ariel to be taken by pirates. Knowing she was safe, he turned his full attention to the other ship. It was bearing down on them fast, almost as if the Sea Maiden was standing still. There was no way they could outrun it.
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Coral
Sea Cucumber
Wishing I was dancing with my prince...
Posts: 252
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Post by Coral on Oct 29, 2004 22:33:20 GMT -5
“Eric, you should go below.”
“No, Grimsby.” The prince turned to face his most trusted advisor. “I cannot do that. Not again. They already know whom this ship belongs to. None of this crew will die if I can help it.”
Grimsby sighed softly. Somehow, he’d known Eric would say that. “Do you think these are the same pirates that took your father and John?”
“I don’t know, “ Eric answered, his gaze still on the other ship. “But it doesn’t matter anyway. Should they take me and leave the ship intact, you are to sail for home.”
“I will not abandon you to those cretins!” Grimsby stated forcefully.
Eric turned his attention to Grimsby. “You’re not. If they take me, Ariel will follow. You are to bring Captain Davis back here and we will get rid of these pirates once and for all.”
Grimsby frowned. “I don’t like it, Eric. I don’t like it one bit.”
“You don’t have to like it. You just have to do it.”
The pirate schooner pulled alongside them moments later, and Eric gave the order for his men to stand down. The captain swung aboard the Sea Maiden, quickly followed by a dozen of his men.
“What do you want?” Eric demanded.
The pirate captain pretended to curtsy. “Just you, Your Highness.”
Eric narrowed his eyes. This was the same crew that had taken his father three years before. This was also the man he’d overheard Daniel talking with four days ago. “Then you are either very brave or very foolish.”
“No,” the man replied, withdrawing his sword from its scabbard. He turned the blade so that it glistened in the sun, then moved it so quickly that he brought its razor sharp edge up next to Eric’s throat that no one even saw it. The razor sharp edge was now centimeters from drawing blood. “Just greedy. Your kingdom will pay nicely to get you back since you’re the only one left.”
Eric said nothing, he just stared at the man that everyone on the seas knew as Captain Black.
“You come peacefully or I scuttle your precious ship.”
“Scuttle my ship and you don’t get any money. Regardless of whether or not I come peacefully,” Eric pointed out.
Captain Black huffed and shook his head. “You smart sailors are the bane of my existence.” Black placed the tip of his sword underneath Eric’s chin. Eric had to raise his head to keep it from drawing blood.
The crew of the Sea Maiden watched helplessly as Black’s men sliced through the rigging. It would take a good two days to repair, and Black was counting on that. As Eric was forced over the side he gave Grimsby a pointed look. The man nodded ever so slightly.
Ariel had surfaced again in the shadows provided by the two ships and watched in horror as Eric was taken aboard the pirate schooner. It quickly set sail, and Ariel followed.
She followed the ship all day, to the outer most edges of Pacifica. The ship finally entered a small cove and dropped anchor. Ariel darted beneath the ship so she couldn’t be seen, and presently a small rowboat landed in the water. She surfaced out of sight behind the rudder and peered carefully around it. Captain Black, four of his pirates and Eric were aboard.
The cove was protected on three sides by high cliffs. Ariel could see an opening in one cliff, and that was where the rowboat was headed. She swam for the opening, carefully staying in the shadows to avoid detection. Once she was safely inside the tunnel, she swam right next to the boat.
They went deep into the cliffs, Black completely unaware of his shadow. The light from the lanterns bounced off the walls and cast eery shadows on the water, providing more protection for Ariel. The only sound to be heard was the slapping of the oars as they moved through the water.
Finally they emerged into a large room, a cavern in the heart of the cliff. Ariel hung back in the shadows around the opening, and watched.
The rowboat landed on a small beach and Eric was led out. His hands were now tied in front of him, and Ariel could see he was limping. That had happened once before about two months earlier, and he had told her that he’d tripped on the stairs and twisted his ankle. She hoped that his lack of grace and balance was all that had happened this time too.
He was taken to Ariel’s left, and she could faintly see a row of what looked like bars that were set into the rock. Black removed a key from his pocket, opened one of the doors and shoved Eric inside.
Ariel clenched her fists as he stumbled and fell. Black slammed the door shut and it was then that she noticed Eric’s boots were gone and he was barefoot. She slipped beneath the water and carefully swam towards the cells, following the current.
From the sounds the water was carrying, Ariel could tell that there was a channel of water running through the cell block. The only question was, was it big enough for her to get to Eric?
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Post by pearl on Oct 30, 2004 10:34:57 GMT -5
Its great Coral.Very adventurous story.
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Post by Ariel4Ever on Oct 30, 2004 11:32:36 GMT -5
Those are awesome stories
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Post by philip on Oct 30, 2004 12:04:26 GMT -5
:-XThat is a great story Coral keep up the great work
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Post by ursulasbrew on Oct 30, 2004 12:34:24 GMT -5
This is too cool!!!!! I LOVE this story!!!
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Post by oogieboogie on Oct 31, 2004 1:00:01 GMT -5
The story is great Rachel! keep up the great work. I can't wait to read the rest of it.
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Post by Esmeraldaa on Oct 31, 2004 1:45:23 GMT -5
great stroy
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Post by pocketgirl634 on Oct 31, 2004 12:56:31 GMT -5
wonderful story! can't wait to read more!
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Coral
Sea Cucumber
Wishing I was dancing with my prince...
Posts: 252
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Post by Coral on Nov 28, 2004 18:00:59 GMT -5
I cut my writing teeth on mysteries and I'm a sucker for a good cliffhanger. Things are slowing down at work now, so I hope I can get the next part up soon.
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Post by mermanseiryu on Dec 14, 2004 17:10:53 GMT -5
Great story! i can't wait to read the rest! please hurry!!!
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Post by princessfan381 on Dec 30, 2004 12:37:30 GMT -5
HURRY!!! I have to know what happens to Eric! That is one of the BEST stories I've ever read. PLEASE, I can't stand the suspense!
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Coral
Sea Cucumber
Wishing I was dancing with my prince...
Posts: 252
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Post by Coral on Jan 4, 2005 22:42:24 GMT -5
I shall try to get the next part up this weekend! I'll practically be home alone, lol.
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Post by Aribeautiful on Jan 8, 2005 2:44:18 GMT -5
great story coral! :-XI'm looking forward to the next part
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Post by powerdroid on Jan 27, 2005 12:45:40 GMT -5
Three things:
1) If you haven't read my Little Mermaid 3 script, it's under the MAIN heading of TLM3?
2) Not a bad little tale. Wait, that sounds condescending. You have a good grasp on the story. I have read a lot of fanfic and most people do not have basic concepts of writing under their belt.
3) As to your warning, I read a story where Ariel was killed. That was a load of squid poop for me.
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Post by Merstar on Aug 15, 2005 12:40:42 GMT -5
Awesome, AWESOME. Everybody in the house who lurvvs this story say Hey! HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by Arielgal on Oct 17, 2005 17:00:22 GMT -5
Please write more!
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Post by arielfloundership on Oct 27, 2005 19:13:05 GMT -5
Nice. Now I want to post my own.
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Post by Merstar on Oct 29, 2005 12:41:32 GMT -5
Well you go ahead, I'll read it!
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