Post by wolf2011 on Apr 28, 2007 22:36:14 GMT -5
Summary: My first try at Little Mermaid fanfic has Melody returning to Atlantica as a mermaid to save her mother. There she finds herself thrown into a whirlwind of disaster and destruction, courtesy of the Sorceress and her accomplice, the Evil Manta.
Here is the 1st chapter
~ Chapter 1 : The Calm Before the Storm ~
It was just after dawn when the palace began to stir into life. Servants rushed back and forth as the unfinished preparations were hurried into completion. Windows were flung open, drapes drawn back at just the right angle to compliment the view outside, the furniture rearranged and the decorations taken out of their boxes for arrangement. Royal parties tended to require massive preparation rituals such as these.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, Queen Ariel (although she preferred to be called Ariel by those who knew her well) had only one focus : to find and apprehend the party’s guest of honour, her daughter. She had gone to Melody’s room to wake her up, but it had turned out to be a redundant task as the feisty young princess had disappeared. Again. And not much to Ariel’s surprise.
It was just that Melody tended to wait at least until after breakfast before flitting off to wherever it is she wanted to go. Even headstrong teenagers needed their morning meal before flinging havoc upon the world.
And so Ariel made her way to the north entrance of the palace which were these ornate double doors that lead down a flight of steps outside the palace straight down to the lapping waves of the sea. Occasionally while making her way there a servant or someone would comment that they hadn’t seen Melody around, to which there would be an exchange of knowing smiles, and then Ariel would continue on.
Finally reaching the double doors, and pushing them open, Ariel was greeted with the bright glare of the morning sun, coupled with the strong ocean breeze. She carefully removed her shoes, and then made her way down the marble staircase until the cold salty water met her feet.
"Melody!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Melody!"
It took only a few seconds before a head popped out of the water less than five feet away from where she was standing. However, it wasn’t Melody.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," said the shy walrus that had surfaced.
"Good morning, Dash. And it’s Ariel, if you don’t mind," said Ariel. "Where is Melody? And Tip?"
"They’re just a little way out there," said Dash, pointing a flipper roughly outward. "She’s getting birthday greetings." He smiled, a little shyly. "It was awfully nice of you to invite us to your party, Your Majesty. I mean, Ariel."
"I’dve though it would be a given, since you’ve been invited for every birthday since you guys first met," said Ariel.
"I suppose," said Dash, in that slow way of talking that he had.
"Good morning, mom!" The words came out before Ariel actually saw Melody, but just after she was splashed with ocean spray as her daughter did a hair-flip to surface from the ocean.
Ariel sputtered for a moment, blinking seawater from her eyes.
"Oops, sorry, mom."
Ariel focused on her daughter, who was grinning up at her. "Good morning to you, too, Melody." Ariel looked down at her own gown, which, thank goodness, wasn’t all that wet. Then she looked back at her daughter. "You haven’t had breakfast yet."
"I know, but I just felt like having a swim," said Melody as she propped herself onto the lowest steps of the marble staircase. "It is my birthday, after all. I always swim in the morning on my birthday."
"After breakfast," reminded Ariel. "You could’ve gotten a cramp. And don’t look at me like that, you know very well I’m right."
At that moment another spray of water droplets greeted Ariel face-on, although these significantly less then when Melody surfaced. And Ariel was more prepared this time, and had her arms raised to block the majority of the sprays.
"Good morning, Tip," said Ariel, lowering her arms.
"Mornin’, Your Highnessness," said Tip, the little penguin that had bounced onto a nearby rock. Without thinking, Tip bunched his shoulders and began to shake.
"No, wait—!" but it was too late. This second set of water droplets came with a vengeance, and when he was done, Ariel just stood there, stunned and dripping wet.
Tip immediately looked sheepish and laughed nervously. "Um. Sorry, Your Majesty."
Ariel managed to grin between the water trickling down her cheeks. "That’s all right. I was going to change my gown anyway." Sighing a bit, Ariel reached out and took Melody by the arm. "Come on, sweetheart. Don’t you ever get tired of letting people wait for you?"
"No, not really."
"I thought so." Ariel smiled. "Oh yes… Happy Sweet Sixteen, honey."
Melody smiled right back. "Thanks, mom."
*****
At that very moment, miles away, deep under the ocean, another plan was also well underway. This one, too, involved Melody’s birthday, but not in the way that Ariel’s plan was.
This plan was currently under serious discussion, with one party being the Manta, a large and looming creature that had quite a history with Ariel, and while he was at the far back of Ariel’s current thoughts, she was at the forefront of his.
"It is all set," Manta said in that gravely but musical voice of his. He raised his eyes to his fellow conspirator, the Sorceress (another undersea villain with a healthy Ariel-related history) who remained hidden in the shadows of the dark cave that was her prison. The Manta couldn’t see her, but he felt her smile.
"Then let the party begin."
There should have been thunder on cue. Really, there should have been. Or maybe even just a little histerical laughing by either the Manta or the Sorceress. Unfortunately, there wasn't, but in a move that would be just dramatic for anyone watching, the Manta bowed before the Sorceress, spread his massive wings and swam off into the distance. He smiled to himself. It was going to be a very interesting day.
*****
"Can I see it yet?" Melody asked for the upteenth time, fidgeting in her chair.
"You know I'll keep saying no until I'm done, Princess Melody," Carlotta said, chuckling to herself. Carefully, she swept up Melody's long dark hair into a braid. "And don't move or your hair will end up looking like a seawreck. I mean it, sweetie."
"Yes, Carlotta," Melody chirped. Her eyes darted once again to her bed, where her brand new dress lay, still covered with the jacket wrap. It had been specially made for her, but she had no idea what it looked like. Usually she didn't care about things like that, but this was different. Her mother, father and grandfather had had it specially made for her. And Melody knew that if the King of the Ocean (that would her grandfather) had a hand in preparing that dress, it had be something tremendously special. Melody tried to keep still.
"Just put it in a bun, I couldn't care less, really," said Melody, trying to see how Carlotta was getting on. "You know my hair has got a life of its own. It's eaten three hair clips so far this month."
"All the more challenging," replied Carlotta, who finished the style with a sharp bobby pin upward to secure the base of dark loops near Melody's crown and stood back to admire her work.
Melody turned her head this way and that, her mouth slowly dropping open. "Wow. You... you actually made it look... nice. Carlotta, you've tamed my hair!"
"For a few hours, anyway, Princess Melody," said Carlotta. She gestured toward the dress. "Now you may put on your dress."
Stifling a squeal, Melody bounced up, causing Carlotta to almost have a heart attack when she saw the style slipping loose. As Melody grabbed the dress, Carlotta grabbed another few pins to try and secure the style better. Carlotta stood back and shrugged, knowing she had done all she could.
Then Carlotta saw Melody's face change. The dress had been unwrapped.
"It's... beautiful." Melody was almost afraid to touch it.
Carlotta put a hand on Melody's shoulder. "Better be quick, dear. Your parents are dying to see you in it."
*****
Meanwhile, Eric (he just couldn't bring himself to use the term "King" just yet) was busy overseeing the preparations outside the castle. Celebrations such as these always had to accomodate both humanfolk and merfolk, which had brought about some rather innovative seating arrangements and layouts. Not that he was complaining, of course.
"Keep the lantern closer to the wall," he said to one of the servants, gesturing at the lantern lines. "Get as much ground space as possible. Okay, that's great. Ralph? Try and move some of the seats this way, it gets a better view of the sunset if it faces that way. Yes, yes, very good."
"Busy little thing, aren't we?" Ariel had appeared out of nowhere in front of him, smiling warmly, hands intertwined like a little girl, and in a fresh new gown.
Eric smiled at her, sliding his arm gently around her waist. "Things are going well. Better than last year, anyway. At least we know Melody's already in her room getting ready." Eric's face froze. "She is in her room, isn't she?"
"Yes, Eric, she is," Ariel laughed, touching his shoulder briefly with her forehead.
Eric managed to laugh under his breath a bit. The pair started to walk along the beachline, the finishing touches of the preparations still underway around them. "With a daughter like that I wouldn't be surprised if I've already got some grey hairs beginning their quest to conquer my head. However did your father manage to cope with you? Wait a minute, his hair's already all grey..."
"Hah!" Ariel punched Eric playfull in the ribs. "To be honest, I have no idea how he survived me. I pity you more, actually... You've got to handle the both of us." They shared a brief kiss before Grimsby's voice sold short the moment.
"Ahem. The guests are starting to arrive."
Eric nodded at Grimsby then turned to Ariel, bowing slightly. "Come on, Your Majesty. It's time to play host."
"I'm right with you, Your Highness," replied Ariel, who curtsied.
The pair intertwined their arms and began back into the palace.
Mingling with the folk of the kingdom was really what Ariel enjoyed most in her life as Queen. She loved talking to people, getting to know them, understanding them. It had been awkward at first (being a recently mermaid-turned-human does disorientate somewhat) but things had turned out pretty well. As they were chatting merrily with the arrivals, Ariel caught sight of Duke de Klin. Immediately, and on instinct, Ariel pinched her husband's arm.
"Ooww!" To his credit, Eric kept the exclamation quite under his breath and between gritted teeth. He looked at Ariel. "What was that for?"
"You invited Duke de Klin?" Ariel asked, softly enough that no one else could hear.
Eric sighed. "You know I have to. He's—"
"Don't give me that noble right mumbo-jumbo, Eric," Ariel replied. "Remember what he did the last time we had a function like this? It took me a long time to get Arista and Alana to come back here for Melody's birthday, you know."
"I don't like him either," Eric sighed. "But we don't have a choice."
Ariel nervously looked at Duke de Klin, a pompous man with a massive moustache and a cigar always wedged between his yellowing teeth. Ariel gave a sideways look to her husband. "I just hope you arranged the seating arrangements better this time."
"Don't worry," said Eric, giving Ariel a reassuring squeeze around the waist. "I'll keep him as far away from your people as possible."
Your people. Ariel ignored that, just smiling up at Eric and then continuing to mingle with the people. Well, it was true that the merfolk of Atlantica were her people, but it's just that sometimes Ariel felt that Eric didn't understand... didn't understand... Understand what? Ariel sighed. She was never good with words, and quickly shuffled that thought away onto a shelf in her mind labeled "Handle Later" as she started to chat up with some of her friends.
The people were pouring in now. The merfolk were arriving as well, so Ariel and Eric ushered everyone to the outside ballroom, a specially designed open air gazebo-like structure right next to a deep drop of sea where the humans and merfolk were able to mingle about - with some rather obvious restrictions, but it was better than nothing. Ariel tactfully kept an eye out for Duke de Klin, who so far hadn't made a move.
Ariel walked up to the water edge and gestured for her eldest sister, Aquata, to come closer.
"What is it, Ariel?" Aquata asked.
"Duke de Klin is here," Ariel whispered.
Aquata frowned but nodded firmly. "Don't worry, I'll handle things here." Then Aquata smiled and took Ariel's hand, squeezing it gently. "It's good to see you again, little sister."
"As it is you," Ariel grinned. "Where's Damon and Christopher?"
"Oh, somewhere or the other, you know how it is," said Aquata. "Father's not here yet, but — oh, there he is."
King Triton's entrances are always dramatic. It's just a thing he has. No water sprays this time, but a flourish and a parting of the waves as the well-built Sea King surfaced, trident in hand, and looking rather smart - but slightly strange - wearing a gold-trimmed jacket-like outfit that looked suspiciously like something Eric had worn before.
He came up to Ariel and she hugged him. When he pulled back, he looked around. "Where's Melody?"
"Taking her time, as usual," said Ariel. "You're looking smart, daddy."
"Thank you," said King Triton, adjusting the collar. Then his eyes caught something over Ariel's shoulder and they lit up dramatically. Ariel knew that could only mean that Melody had finally made her own entrance. The hush that spread over the people, human and marine alike, confirmed this. Ariel turned around, as proud as a mother could be.
Melody was standing at the top of the short staircase that lead down into the gazebo. An embarassed pink had crept onto her cheeks, but she kept her shoulders high as she began her decent. And the dress... It shone under the sunlight, a myriad of different shades of sea blue that glowed under each tiny movement she made. There was no bodice, no lace and no silk, but of a material that only the merfolk had known about, seaspin, which until that day had never been worn by a human. It almost seemed to float in the wind, as though Melody herself were underwater.
"Just as you said," King Triton began quietly, "the perfect dress for a princess of land and sea."
Ariel caught Grimsby's eye, he nodded, and struck up the orchestra which had positioned itself in a shallow pit beside the staircase. Melody started, almost tripping over the hem of skirt, but recovered magnificently. When she reached the bottom most step one of the young men took her arm and led her toward the gazebo. Cheers and applause greeted her, and the blush deepened significantly.
Ariel approached her daughter, whose eyes were wide with wonder. "Mom... The dress is..."
"Perfect for you," said Ariel, hugging her daughter.
Eric approached the pair from the other side, and bowed dramatically. "Happy birthday, Princess Melody."
"Thank you, daddy," said Melody. "Grandfather?"
"Right here, Melody," said King Triton, hovering upon one of his makeshift waves. "Happy birthday, my dear."
More birthday wishes were passed, with many compliments about the dress. Even her Aunt Arista, who was a particularly noted for her sense of style when it came to hair, was impressed by the taming of Melody's demon locks. There was dancing and laughing, eating and chatting, and Melody was the star of it all. All her friends, Tip, Dash, Sebastian, Amber (human), Mysti (mermaid) were there.
And yet...
"Mom, where's Jeremy?" Melody asked when she got a moment away from the fawning.
"I don't know, honey," said Ariel, touching Melody's arm in a comfort gesture.
"He's never late," said Melody, biting her lower lip. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, which would soon be replaced with the anger of a young woman whose (ahem) you-know-that-special-someone-although-she-hasn't-actually-told-him-that-yet had not yet arrived. They had first met four years previously, when she first went to Atlantica. The friendship had been struck up immediately, and been kept very much intact after she returned to becoming a human, the fact that he was still a young merman being something of a negligible piece of information.
Ariel knew about it, of course. She recognised the look that sometimes came over Melody's grey eyes, after all, Ariel had that same look in her own eyes whenever she thought about Eric. She was happy for Melody, she really was, but at a deep corner of her heart it worried her. After all, he was still a merman, she was a human girl. But love knew no boundaries, Ariel of all people knew that.
And Ariel liked Jeremy. He was polite, friendly, fun and was geniunely concerned of Melody's reckless behaviour whenever they went out swimming together. But was it just a friendship to him, or did he think of Melody the same way she thought of him?
Whatever it was, he was still late. Ariel watched as the concern in Melody's eyes was slowly taken over by annoyance and then anger, and then she knew that when Jeremy arrived (if he arrived at all) he would have he** to pay.
But luckily for him (so to speak), Jeremy had a very legitimate reason for being late.
He was being held prisoner.
So I suppose now would be a good time to move our attention away from Melody's party to young Jeremy, who had been tied, gagged and his tail weighed down under a boulder. He was still very much under the sea, slightly out from Atlantica.
What had happened was like this: he had been minding his own business, making his way upward to Melody's party, when he happened to stumble upon the Manta. He, like all Atlanticans, knew that the Manta had been banned from their kingdom. Even the Manta feared King Triton's wrath, so if he was daring a trip so close to Atlantica, there had to be something up. So Jeremy had followed him, which had been going on quite well until he a school of nervous fish had given him away when he was hiding in a tall forest of kelp.
The Manta had been sparse with words, and after giving Jeremy a brief reprimand swam off, leaving Jeremy alone and helpless. He was a healthy young merman, and managed to twist himself close enough to some sharp rocks to cut through the ropes that bound him. As for the boulder, that was removed by a frantic struggle.
Freed, he swam as fast as his fins could take him. When he surfaced near Eric and Ariel's castle, a few of the merpeople gave him weird looks. Jeremy looked at himself, realising that he was in a mess, but there was no time for that. He swam straight for King Triton, and seeing that the urgency overrid the need to respectful, grabbed the sea king's shoulder as sharply as he could.
"Why Jeremy—!"
"Your Majesty, the Manta's planning to poison Melody! Here!"
King Triton frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"I saw him! He was gathering deadly seashade outside Atlantica and I heard him say something about poisoning 'that troublesome princess'. Please believe me, Your Majesty," said Jeremy.
"I believe you, Jeremy," said King Triton, nodding. "Tell Aquata and Damon. They'll keep an eye out for the Manta. I'll inform Ariel and Eric."
Jeremy nodded and swam off. He hadn't gotten very far when a teacup hit him on the head.
"Ow!" Jeremy raised his hand to rub his head, and turned just in time to avoid a salt shaker from hitting him right in the face. Blinking in bewilderment, Jeremy looked up to see Melody, who at that moment was the most beautiful angry goddess he had ever seen in his life. He would have laughed about it, hadn't he been so worried for her safety. "Melody—"
Jeremy avoided the bowl easily, but when he resurfaced a pepper shaker bonked him right above his right ear.
"Woo!" Tip cheered from his spot at Melody's feet. "Melody - 2, Jeremy - nil! You got one amazing arm, girl!"
"Thank you," said Melody. "It's amazing how your aim improves when you're angry."
"Now, Melody," said Jeremy, still rubbing his sore head, "I can explain."
"That's what they all say," said Tip.
"Come on, Melody," said Dash, who was hovering nearby. "He's just a little late."
"Melody." Jeremy looked at her straight in the eye, making her stop in the motion of throwing another teacup. "This is important."
Melody lowered her arm. "So speak."
"I think you're in danger," said Jeremy. "I saw the Manta gathering deadly seashade outside Atlantica, that's why I was late. I think he's planning to poison you. At this party."
Melody paled. "Oh my gosh."
Less than five minutes later there was a gasp, and the poison struck at its victim, who collapsed just as the dart struck her behind the ear. Ariel let out a soft gasp as somebody in the crowd screamed, and the world seemed to stop for Melody, who just stood frozen as her mother collapsed to the ground.
Here is the 1st chapter
~ Chapter 1 : The Calm Before the Storm ~
It was just after dawn when the palace began to stir into life. Servants rushed back and forth as the unfinished preparations were hurried into completion. Windows were flung open, drapes drawn back at just the right angle to compliment the view outside, the furniture rearranged and the decorations taken out of their boxes for arrangement. Royal parties tended to require massive preparation rituals such as these.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, Queen Ariel (although she preferred to be called Ariel by those who knew her well) had only one focus : to find and apprehend the party’s guest of honour, her daughter. She had gone to Melody’s room to wake her up, but it had turned out to be a redundant task as the feisty young princess had disappeared. Again. And not much to Ariel’s surprise.
It was just that Melody tended to wait at least until after breakfast before flitting off to wherever it is she wanted to go. Even headstrong teenagers needed their morning meal before flinging havoc upon the world.
And so Ariel made her way to the north entrance of the palace which were these ornate double doors that lead down a flight of steps outside the palace straight down to the lapping waves of the sea. Occasionally while making her way there a servant or someone would comment that they hadn’t seen Melody around, to which there would be an exchange of knowing smiles, and then Ariel would continue on.
Finally reaching the double doors, and pushing them open, Ariel was greeted with the bright glare of the morning sun, coupled with the strong ocean breeze. She carefully removed her shoes, and then made her way down the marble staircase until the cold salty water met her feet.
"Melody!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Melody!"
It took only a few seconds before a head popped out of the water less than five feet away from where she was standing. However, it wasn’t Melody.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," said the shy walrus that had surfaced.
"Good morning, Dash. And it’s Ariel, if you don’t mind," said Ariel. "Where is Melody? And Tip?"
"They’re just a little way out there," said Dash, pointing a flipper roughly outward. "She’s getting birthday greetings." He smiled, a little shyly. "It was awfully nice of you to invite us to your party, Your Majesty. I mean, Ariel."
"I’dve though it would be a given, since you’ve been invited for every birthday since you guys first met," said Ariel.
"I suppose," said Dash, in that slow way of talking that he had.
"Good morning, mom!" The words came out before Ariel actually saw Melody, but just after she was splashed with ocean spray as her daughter did a hair-flip to surface from the ocean.
Ariel sputtered for a moment, blinking seawater from her eyes.
"Oops, sorry, mom."
Ariel focused on her daughter, who was grinning up at her. "Good morning to you, too, Melody." Ariel looked down at her own gown, which, thank goodness, wasn’t all that wet. Then she looked back at her daughter. "You haven’t had breakfast yet."
"I know, but I just felt like having a swim," said Melody as she propped herself onto the lowest steps of the marble staircase. "It is my birthday, after all. I always swim in the morning on my birthday."
"After breakfast," reminded Ariel. "You could’ve gotten a cramp. And don’t look at me like that, you know very well I’m right."
At that moment another spray of water droplets greeted Ariel face-on, although these significantly less then when Melody surfaced. And Ariel was more prepared this time, and had her arms raised to block the majority of the sprays.
"Good morning, Tip," said Ariel, lowering her arms.
"Mornin’, Your Highnessness," said Tip, the little penguin that had bounced onto a nearby rock. Without thinking, Tip bunched his shoulders and began to shake.
"No, wait—!" but it was too late. This second set of water droplets came with a vengeance, and when he was done, Ariel just stood there, stunned and dripping wet.
Tip immediately looked sheepish and laughed nervously. "Um. Sorry, Your Majesty."
Ariel managed to grin between the water trickling down her cheeks. "That’s all right. I was going to change my gown anyway." Sighing a bit, Ariel reached out and took Melody by the arm. "Come on, sweetheart. Don’t you ever get tired of letting people wait for you?"
"No, not really."
"I thought so." Ariel smiled. "Oh yes… Happy Sweet Sixteen, honey."
Melody smiled right back. "Thanks, mom."
*****
At that very moment, miles away, deep under the ocean, another plan was also well underway. This one, too, involved Melody’s birthday, but not in the way that Ariel’s plan was.
This plan was currently under serious discussion, with one party being the Manta, a large and looming creature that had quite a history with Ariel, and while he was at the far back of Ariel’s current thoughts, she was at the forefront of his.
"It is all set," Manta said in that gravely but musical voice of his. He raised his eyes to his fellow conspirator, the Sorceress (another undersea villain with a healthy Ariel-related history) who remained hidden in the shadows of the dark cave that was her prison. The Manta couldn’t see her, but he felt her smile.
"Then let the party begin."
There should have been thunder on cue. Really, there should have been. Or maybe even just a little histerical laughing by either the Manta or the Sorceress. Unfortunately, there wasn't, but in a move that would be just dramatic for anyone watching, the Manta bowed before the Sorceress, spread his massive wings and swam off into the distance. He smiled to himself. It was going to be a very interesting day.
*****
"Can I see it yet?" Melody asked for the upteenth time, fidgeting in her chair.
"You know I'll keep saying no until I'm done, Princess Melody," Carlotta said, chuckling to herself. Carefully, she swept up Melody's long dark hair into a braid. "And don't move or your hair will end up looking like a seawreck. I mean it, sweetie."
"Yes, Carlotta," Melody chirped. Her eyes darted once again to her bed, where her brand new dress lay, still covered with the jacket wrap. It had been specially made for her, but she had no idea what it looked like. Usually she didn't care about things like that, but this was different. Her mother, father and grandfather had had it specially made for her. And Melody knew that if the King of the Ocean (that would her grandfather) had a hand in preparing that dress, it had be something tremendously special. Melody tried to keep still.
"Just put it in a bun, I couldn't care less, really," said Melody, trying to see how Carlotta was getting on. "You know my hair has got a life of its own. It's eaten three hair clips so far this month."
"All the more challenging," replied Carlotta, who finished the style with a sharp bobby pin upward to secure the base of dark loops near Melody's crown and stood back to admire her work.
Melody turned her head this way and that, her mouth slowly dropping open. "Wow. You... you actually made it look... nice. Carlotta, you've tamed my hair!"
"For a few hours, anyway, Princess Melody," said Carlotta. She gestured toward the dress. "Now you may put on your dress."
Stifling a squeal, Melody bounced up, causing Carlotta to almost have a heart attack when she saw the style slipping loose. As Melody grabbed the dress, Carlotta grabbed another few pins to try and secure the style better. Carlotta stood back and shrugged, knowing she had done all she could.
Then Carlotta saw Melody's face change. The dress had been unwrapped.
"It's... beautiful." Melody was almost afraid to touch it.
Carlotta put a hand on Melody's shoulder. "Better be quick, dear. Your parents are dying to see you in it."
*****
Meanwhile, Eric (he just couldn't bring himself to use the term "King" just yet) was busy overseeing the preparations outside the castle. Celebrations such as these always had to accomodate both humanfolk and merfolk, which had brought about some rather innovative seating arrangements and layouts. Not that he was complaining, of course.
"Keep the lantern closer to the wall," he said to one of the servants, gesturing at the lantern lines. "Get as much ground space as possible. Okay, that's great. Ralph? Try and move some of the seats this way, it gets a better view of the sunset if it faces that way. Yes, yes, very good."
"Busy little thing, aren't we?" Ariel had appeared out of nowhere in front of him, smiling warmly, hands intertwined like a little girl, and in a fresh new gown.
Eric smiled at her, sliding his arm gently around her waist. "Things are going well. Better than last year, anyway. At least we know Melody's already in her room getting ready." Eric's face froze. "She is in her room, isn't she?"
"Yes, Eric, she is," Ariel laughed, touching his shoulder briefly with her forehead.
Eric managed to laugh under his breath a bit. The pair started to walk along the beachline, the finishing touches of the preparations still underway around them. "With a daughter like that I wouldn't be surprised if I've already got some grey hairs beginning their quest to conquer my head. However did your father manage to cope with you? Wait a minute, his hair's already all grey..."
"Hah!" Ariel punched Eric playfull in the ribs. "To be honest, I have no idea how he survived me. I pity you more, actually... You've got to handle the both of us." They shared a brief kiss before Grimsby's voice sold short the moment.
"Ahem. The guests are starting to arrive."
Eric nodded at Grimsby then turned to Ariel, bowing slightly. "Come on, Your Majesty. It's time to play host."
"I'm right with you, Your Highness," replied Ariel, who curtsied.
The pair intertwined their arms and began back into the palace.
Mingling with the folk of the kingdom was really what Ariel enjoyed most in her life as Queen. She loved talking to people, getting to know them, understanding them. It had been awkward at first (being a recently mermaid-turned-human does disorientate somewhat) but things had turned out pretty well. As they were chatting merrily with the arrivals, Ariel caught sight of Duke de Klin. Immediately, and on instinct, Ariel pinched her husband's arm.
"Ooww!" To his credit, Eric kept the exclamation quite under his breath and between gritted teeth. He looked at Ariel. "What was that for?"
"You invited Duke de Klin?" Ariel asked, softly enough that no one else could hear.
Eric sighed. "You know I have to. He's—"
"Don't give me that noble right mumbo-jumbo, Eric," Ariel replied. "Remember what he did the last time we had a function like this? It took me a long time to get Arista and Alana to come back here for Melody's birthday, you know."
"I don't like him either," Eric sighed. "But we don't have a choice."
Ariel nervously looked at Duke de Klin, a pompous man with a massive moustache and a cigar always wedged between his yellowing teeth. Ariel gave a sideways look to her husband. "I just hope you arranged the seating arrangements better this time."
"Don't worry," said Eric, giving Ariel a reassuring squeeze around the waist. "I'll keep him as far away from your people as possible."
Your people. Ariel ignored that, just smiling up at Eric and then continuing to mingle with the people. Well, it was true that the merfolk of Atlantica were her people, but it's just that sometimes Ariel felt that Eric didn't understand... didn't understand... Understand what? Ariel sighed. She was never good with words, and quickly shuffled that thought away onto a shelf in her mind labeled "Handle Later" as she started to chat up with some of her friends.
The people were pouring in now. The merfolk were arriving as well, so Ariel and Eric ushered everyone to the outside ballroom, a specially designed open air gazebo-like structure right next to a deep drop of sea where the humans and merfolk were able to mingle about - with some rather obvious restrictions, but it was better than nothing. Ariel tactfully kept an eye out for Duke de Klin, who so far hadn't made a move.
Ariel walked up to the water edge and gestured for her eldest sister, Aquata, to come closer.
"What is it, Ariel?" Aquata asked.
"Duke de Klin is here," Ariel whispered.
Aquata frowned but nodded firmly. "Don't worry, I'll handle things here." Then Aquata smiled and took Ariel's hand, squeezing it gently. "It's good to see you again, little sister."
"As it is you," Ariel grinned. "Where's Damon and Christopher?"
"Oh, somewhere or the other, you know how it is," said Aquata. "Father's not here yet, but — oh, there he is."
King Triton's entrances are always dramatic. It's just a thing he has. No water sprays this time, but a flourish and a parting of the waves as the well-built Sea King surfaced, trident in hand, and looking rather smart - but slightly strange - wearing a gold-trimmed jacket-like outfit that looked suspiciously like something Eric had worn before.
He came up to Ariel and she hugged him. When he pulled back, he looked around. "Where's Melody?"
"Taking her time, as usual," said Ariel. "You're looking smart, daddy."
"Thank you," said King Triton, adjusting the collar. Then his eyes caught something over Ariel's shoulder and they lit up dramatically. Ariel knew that could only mean that Melody had finally made her own entrance. The hush that spread over the people, human and marine alike, confirmed this. Ariel turned around, as proud as a mother could be.
Melody was standing at the top of the short staircase that lead down into the gazebo. An embarassed pink had crept onto her cheeks, but she kept her shoulders high as she began her decent. And the dress... It shone under the sunlight, a myriad of different shades of sea blue that glowed under each tiny movement she made. There was no bodice, no lace and no silk, but of a material that only the merfolk had known about, seaspin, which until that day had never been worn by a human. It almost seemed to float in the wind, as though Melody herself were underwater.
"Just as you said," King Triton began quietly, "the perfect dress for a princess of land and sea."
Ariel caught Grimsby's eye, he nodded, and struck up the orchestra which had positioned itself in a shallow pit beside the staircase. Melody started, almost tripping over the hem of skirt, but recovered magnificently. When she reached the bottom most step one of the young men took her arm and led her toward the gazebo. Cheers and applause greeted her, and the blush deepened significantly.
Ariel approached her daughter, whose eyes were wide with wonder. "Mom... The dress is..."
"Perfect for you," said Ariel, hugging her daughter.
Eric approached the pair from the other side, and bowed dramatically. "Happy birthday, Princess Melody."
"Thank you, daddy," said Melody. "Grandfather?"
"Right here, Melody," said King Triton, hovering upon one of his makeshift waves. "Happy birthday, my dear."
More birthday wishes were passed, with many compliments about the dress. Even her Aunt Arista, who was a particularly noted for her sense of style when it came to hair, was impressed by the taming of Melody's demon locks. There was dancing and laughing, eating and chatting, and Melody was the star of it all. All her friends, Tip, Dash, Sebastian, Amber (human), Mysti (mermaid) were there.
And yet...
"Mom, where's Jeremy?" Melody asked when she got a moment away from the fawning.
"I don't know, honey," said Ariel, touching Melody's arm in a comfort gesture.
"He's never late," said Melody, biting her lower lip. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, which would soon be replaced with the anger of a young woman whose (ahem) you-know-that-special-someone-although-she-hasn't-actually-told-him-that-yet had not yet arrived. They had first met four years previously, when she first went to Atlantica. The friendship had been struck up immediately, and been kept very much intact after she returned to becoming a human, the fact that he was still a young merman being something of a negligible piece of information.
Ariel knew about it, of course. She recognised the look that sometimes came over Melody's grey eyes, after all, Ariel had that same look in her own eyes whenever she thought about Eric. She was happy for Melody, she really was, but at a deep corner of her heart it worried her. After all, he was still a merman, she was a human girl. But love knew no boundaries, Ariel of all people knew that.
And Ariel liked Jeremy. He was polite, friendly, fun and was geniunely concerned of Melody's reckless behaviour whenever they went out swimming together. But was it just a friendship to him, or did he think of Melody the same way she thought of him?
Whatever it was, he was still late. Ariel watched as the concern in Melody's eyes was slowly taken over by annoyance and then anger, and then she knew that when Jeremy arrived (if he arrived at all) he would have he** to pay.
But luckily for him (so to speak), Jeremy had a very legitimate reason for being late.
He was being held prisoner.
So I suppose now would be a good time to move our attention away from Melody's party to young Jeremy, who had been tied, gagged and his tail weighed down under a boulder. He was still very much under the sea, slightly out from Atlantica.
What had happened was like this: he had been minding his own business, making his way upward to Melody's party, when he happened to stumble upon the Manta. He, like all Atlanticans, knew that the Manta had been banned from their kingdom. Even the Manta feared King Triton's wrath, so if he was daring a trip so close to Atlantica, there had to be something up. So Jeremy had followed him, which had been going on quite well until he a school of nervous fish had given him away when he was hiding in a tall forest of kelp.
The Manta had been sparse with words, and after giving Jeremy a brief reprimand swam off, leaving Jeremy alone and helpless. He was a healthy young merman, and managed to twist himself close enough to some sharp rocks to cut through the ropes that bound him. As for the boulder, that was removed by a frantic struggle.
Freed, he swam as fast as his fins could take him. When he surfaced near Eric and Ariel's castle, a few of the merpeople gave him weird looks. Jeremy looked at himself, realising that he was in a mess, but there was no time for that. He swam straight for King Triton, and seeing that the urgency overrid the need to respectful, grabbed the sea king's shoulder as sharply as he could.
"Why Jeremy—!"
"Your Majesty, the Manta's planning to poison Melody! Here!"
King Triton frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"I saw him! He was gathering deadly seashade outside Atlantica and I heard him say something about poisoning 'that troublesome princess'. Please believe me, Your Majesty," said Jeremy.
"I believe you, Jeremy," said King Triton, nodding. "Tell Aquata and Damon. They'll keep an eye out for the Manta. I'll inform Ariel and Eric."
Jeremy nodded and swam off. He hadn't gotten very far when a teacup hit him on the head.
"Ow!" Jeremy raised his hand to rub his head, and turned just in time to avoid a salt shaker from hitting him right in the face. Blinking in bewilderment, Jeremy looked up to see Melody, who at that moment was the most beautiful angry goddess he had ever seen in his life. He would have laughed about it, hadn't he been so worried for her safety. "Melody—"
Jeremy avoided the bowl easily, but when he resurfaced a pepper shaker bonked him right above his right ear.
"Woo!" Tip cheered from his spot at Melody's feet. "Melody - 2, Jeremy - nil! You got one amazing arm, girl!"
"Thank you," said Melody. "It's amazing how your aim improves when you're angry."
"Now, Melody," said Jeremy, still rubbing his sore head, "I can explain."
"That's what they all say," said Tip.
"Come on, Melody," said Dash, who was hovering nearby. "He's just a little late."
"Melody." Jeremy looked at her straight in the eye, making her stop in the motion of throwing another teacup. "This is important."
Melody lowered her arm. "So speak."
"I think you're in danger," said Jeremy. "I saw the Manta gathering deadly seashade outside Atlantica, that's why I was late. I think he's planning to poison you. At this party."
Melody paled. "Oh my gosh."
Less than five minutes later there was a gasp, and the poison struck at its victim, who collapsed just as the dart struck her behind the ear. Ariel let out a soft gasp as somebody in the crowd screamed, and the world seemed to stop for Melody, who just stood frozen as her mother collapsed to the ground.
I'd love an explanation on that?
I had an older account from quite a while back, but understandably it's been purged since I rarely logged in.
Daniel 
