Post by fathomsbelow on Oct 24, 2009 17:51:15 GMT -5
Of Dances and Dinglehoppers
What if Eric had woke up during Ariel’s song the morning after the storm? What would he think? Can Ariel still get her happy ending? Will King Triton find out? And where exactly does Ursula fit into all this? Find out in Of Dances and Dinglehoppers!
Chapter 1–A Siren, a Storm and a Song
The colorful fireworks exploded in the sky above the Royal Galleon, the Sea Angel. Aboard the ship, sailors were dancing and playing instruments to celebrate Prince Eric’s eighteenth birthday. The guest of honor himself was playing a fife and dancing with his sheepdog, Max. And watching all of this from a safe distance was the youngest daughter of Triton.
The redheaded mermaid watched the fireworks in awe, not really knowing what they were, but amazed nonetheless. She was aware of Sebastian, the royal court composer and now her guardian, gasping.
“Jumping jellyfish!” he exclaimed. But Ariel wasn’t listening. She swam toward the ship excitedly. “Ariel!” the crab called.
Ariel started climbing the broadside of the ship and hid there so she could see what was going on. She saw the sailors dressed in striped uniforms performing some kind of a jig. She heard music coming from a strange stretchable instrument. She examined all the humans on the deck interestedly. She spotted a short, furry, human sniffing the deck and approaching her. Ariel drew back, frightened. After a minute or so she turned back toward the deck to be met by the furry human’s relentless tongue. A high whistle interrupted the human, who ran towards the sound. A masculine voice called the other human, and Ariel looked through the hole in the deck. And that’s when time froze. As the smaller human scampered around the taller human, Ariel looked at his face. The taller human looked a few years older than her, and he had thick and wavy raven hair. His eyes were a greenish-blue. Ariel was sure that she had never set eyes on anyone or anything more beautiful than him.
“Hey there, sweetie! Quite a show, eh?” Scuttle, a seagull and friend of Ariel’s, shouted.
Ariel motioned for him to keep his voice down low. “They’ll hear you!” she warned
before looking at the handsome human once more.
“Oh I gotcha, I gotcha, we’re being intrepidacious–we’re out to discover!” The mermaid cut Scuttle off by grabbing his beak.
“I’ve never seen a human this close before.” stated Ariel as she gazed at the man playing the snarfblatt. “Oh..he’s very handsome, isn’t he?”
Scuttle looked at the smaller human in confusion. “I dunno..he looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me.”
Ariel giggled. “Not that one. The one playing the snarfblatt.” She sighed dreamily.
**************************************
“Silence, silence.” Grimsby’s voice ordered over the music. “It is now my great honor, and privilege, to present our esteemed Prince Eric with a very special, very expensive, very large birthday present.”
Eric smiled at his caretaker. “Aw, Grimsby, you old beanpole, you shouldn’t have!”
“I know.” Grimsby replied sincerely. “Happy birthday, Eric!” he said as the sailors unveiled his gift.
Eric raised an eyebrow. A giant statue of him? He was grateful, but it just wasn’t his thing. He didn’t really think much of himself, but the pose suggested otherwise. But he decided
to be polite about it.
“Uh, gee Grim.” he chuckled. “It’s uh, it’s really somethin’.” he commented, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Yes, I commissioned it myself. Of course I had hoped that it would be a wedding present.” Grimsby said suggestively.
I knew it! Eric thought before laughing. “Come on, Grim, don’t start.” he replied as he took the spyglass Grimsby was holding. “You’re not still sore because I didn’t fall for the
princess of Glowerhaven are you?” He asked, tossing the spyglass back to Grimsby.
“Oh my!” Grimsby cried as he caught the spyglass. “Oh, Eric, it isn’t me alone–the entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl.”
Eric sat on the railing of the ship. “She’s out there somewhere.” He said, looking out at the sea. “I just..I just haven’t found her yet.”
“Perhaps you haven’t been looking hard enough.”
“Believe me, Grim, when I find her I’ll know.” Eric told the older man, sitting up. “Without a doubt, it’ll just bam hit me–like lightning!”
As if the heavens were listening, they thundered loudly. Lightning tore across the sky.
“Hurricane a’comin! Stand fast! Secure the rigging!” yelled the lookout from the crow’s nest.
Eric jumped back onto the deck and followed the lookout’s orders, pulling on the ropes of the mast with the other sailors. He looked up to see the helmsman get blown away from the wheel. The Italian prince sprinted to the helm and took the wheel, yanking at it with all his might. However, he lost control when lightning struck the mast.
“Look out!” He shouted over the howling wind, pointing at the rocks looming in front of them. He lost control of the wheel and was thrown overboard with Grimsby and everyone else as
they struck the rocks. Luckily, someone had been thinking and had released the lifeboats. Eric hauled himself up into one and helped Grimsby get in. He counted heads quickly. Everyone was here except–“Max!” Eric dove into the raging waters and climbed back onto the burning ship, and dove out of the way when the fiery mast broke and fell onto the deck, setting it alight.
“Jump Max!” Eric called as he held out his hands. “Come on, boy! You can do it, Max!”Thank God I taught him this trick. He caught the sheepdog and ran for the railing, but tripped under Max’s weight. The dog was thrown overboard. Eric tried to follow, but his boot broke through one of the wooden planks on the deck. That is to say, he was attached to the ship.
Eric tugged at his boot, but after a couple of seconds, he removed his foot from it and ran to the railing barefooted.
“Eric!” Grimsby glanced up at the ship frantically, holding Max. Eric looked at Grimsby and then turned around to see the flames engulf the barrels of gunpowder on the ship’s deck. The galleon exploded, knocking Eric unconscious and tossing him into the sea.
*************************************
Ariel watched as Eric’s ship was set on fire in horror. She had been blown off the ship by the wind and was now a safe distance away. It was ironic, how not that long ago she would have given anything to see a real fire. The Fates had granted her wish in a terrible, sadistic way. When she saw Eric’s body fall into the sea, she was shaken out of her stupor. She dove beneath the waves and surfaced frantically, searching for him. She wouldn’t let him die. She couldn’t. The thought of him dying was..unbearable. There! She finally spotted the prince floating on a piece of driftwood and swam over to him. He slipped beneath the waves, and Ariel hurried after him. She grabbed him by the armpits and pulled him above the surface so he could breathe. “It’s alright, I’ve go you.” she whispered as she pulled him to shore.
***************************************
“Is he..dead?” Ariel asked Scuttle worriedly. He knew everything about humans. He must know if Eric had survived the storm or not. Eric was lying on the beach unconscious, with
Ariel hovering over him.
“It’s hard to say...” Scuttle picked up the human’s foot and pressed it to his ear. “Oh..I-I can’t make out a heartbeat.” He announced solemnly.
“No, look! He’s breathing.” Ariel removed a stray hair from his face. “Oh, Scuttle, just look at him. He’s so beautiful.
“What would I give to live where you are?
What would I pay to stay here beside you?
What would I do to see you smiling at me?
Where would we walk, where would we run
If we could stay all day in the sun?
Just you and me
And I could be
Part of your world”
Ariel sang softly to him, caressing his cheek whenever he stirred, and brushing his hand against her cheek lightly. She marveled at his handsome form as she sang, not once taking her blue eyes away from him.
******************************************
The first thing Eric noticed was that he had a headache. But not for long. Something brushed his face lightly, and he instinctively touched it. A hand. His other hand was touching the other person’s face. He would have pulled away, but two things stopped him. Number One: Her skin was so soft. Like the glimmer of the sunlight on the sea. Number Two: Her voice. To say it was beautiful would be an understatement. He opened his eyes to see his savior, looking radiant, her face highlighted by the sun’s rays. She was beautiful. Apparently, she had noticed that he was awake and turned to go, but Eric stopped her, taking her hand again. “Wait! Please..” He pleaded.
************************************************
Ariel gasped when the prince awoke. But just as she was leaving, he reached out and grabbed her hand. She said nothing, and instead looked into his eyes, her own eyes betraying her fear. But his voice was so comforting, and his eyes..
To reassure her that he indeed would not harm her, he brushed her hand against his face as she had done a moment ago. “Please..don’t go.” When he saw that she wasn’t leaving, Eric continued. “Was it you who saved me?” The girl nodded. The Italian smiled, showing his lovely dimples. “Thank you. Don’t be scared, I’m not gonna hurt you.”
Ariel smiled back, and after a moment’s hesitation, decided to speak. “You’re welcome. But I really do have to go.”
“Oh..but before you do..please, tell me your name.”
Ariel paused and then answered, “Ariel.”
“Ariel? That’s kind of pretty.” Eric felt like an foolish person. It was a beautiful name! “I’m Eric.”
“It was nice meeting you, Eric.” Ariel replied before preparing to dive into the water. But then she realized that Eric would see her tail.
“Eric!”
“Grimsby?” Eric turned and when he did, Ariel jumped back into the sea. Eric turned back to her. “When will I see you again?” He asked.
“Tonight. Here again?”
“That’s fine.”
Ariel smiled at Eric again, and started swimming away, wishing that she could stay with him.
Eric watched Ariel go, but was ambushed by Max and his merciless tongue. “Haha! I’ve missed you, too.” He chuckled. “Come on, Max!”
“Eric!” Grimsby hurried over to the young man and pulled him to his feet. “You really delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure, don’t you?”
“A girl..rescued me. Her name was Ariel. She was..singing. She had the most beautiful voice!” Eric stumbled, and Grimsby caught him.
“Ah..Eric. I think you’ve swallowed a bit too much seawater. Off we go! Come along, Max.”
Eric, in his groggy state, didn’t consider the fact that the girl had been swimming in the opposite direction of the shore, which meant that there was nowhere for her to go except for the sea. Nor did he hear her voice, clear and strong, proclaiming her love for him as she sang:
“I don't know when I don't know how
But I know something's starting right now
Watch and you'll see
Someday I'll be
Part of your world!”
This turned out to be a stroke of luck for Ariel, who, after expressing this, swam back down to Atlantica. She felt rather giddy and excited. She’d actually met a real human–a prince, no less! And he was so beautiful. He was even more handsome close up, what with his strong jaw, and dreamy blue-
“Ariel!”
The mermaid looked over her shoulder to see Sebastian and her best friend, Flounder, behind her.
“Are you crazy, child? He’s a human! You know your fadder-“ Sebastian was cut off quickly by Ariel.
“Daddy won’t have to know. Besides, Sebastian, I love him.”
**************************************************
“For the last time, Grim, she was real. I spoke with her and as I said, her name is Ariel. She said she’d come back tonight.”
“Eric, I would have seen the young lady. The only way she could have left is by way of the beach.” Grimsby replied, exasperatedly. The two were lounging in the palace’s sitting room, debating the existence of Eric’s “dream girl.”
“No..she dove back into the sea.” Eric replied, suddenly confused. “But where could she be going?”
“That’s exactly my point. It must have been a dream.” Grimsby responded serenely.
“No, she was real!” Eric protested so fiercely that it made Max, who was lying at Eric’s feet, jump.
“For heaven’s sake, Eric, you’re going to give that poor dog and myself heart attacks.”
“Sorry.” Eric answered sheepishly. “She’ll be here, Grimsby, I know she will.”
What if Eric had woke up during Ariel’s song the morning after the storm? What would he think? Can Ariel still get her happy ending? Will King Triton find out? And where exactly does Ursula fit into all this? Find out in Of Dances and Dinglehoppers!
Chapter 1–A Siren, a Storm and a Song
The colorful fireworks exploded in the sky above the Royal Galleon, the Sea Angel. Aboard the ship, sailors were dancing and playing instruments to celebrate Prince Eric’s eighteenth birthday. The guest of honor himself was playing a fife and dancing with his sheepdog, Max. And watching all of this from a safe distance was the youngest daughter of Triton.
The redheaded mermaid watched the fireworks in awe, not really knowing what they were, but amazed nonetheless. She was aware of Sebastian, the royal court composer and now her guardian, gasping.
“Jumping jellyfish!” he exclaimed. But Ariel wasn’t listening. She swam toward the ship excitedly. “Ariel!” the crab called.
Ariel started climbing the broadside of the ship and hid there so she could see what was going on. She saw the sailors dressed in striped uniforms performing some kind of a jig. She heard music coming from a strange stretchable instrument. She examined all the humans on the deck interestedly. She spotted a short, furry, human sniffing the deck and approaching her. Ariel drew back, frightened. After a minute or so she turned back toward the deck to be met by the furry human’s relentless tongue. A high whistle interrupted the human, who ran towards the sound. A masculine voice called the other human, and Ariel looked through the hole in the deck. And that’s when time froze. As the smaller human scampered around the taller human, Ariel looked at his face. The taller human looked a few years older than her, and he had thick and wavy raven hair. His eyes were a greenish-blue. Ariel was sure that she had never set eyes on anyone or anything more beautiful than him.
“Hey there, sweetie! Quite a show, eh?” Scuttle, a seagull and friend of Ariel’s, shouted.
Ariel motioned for him to keep his voice down low. “They’ll hear you!” she warned
before looking at the handsome human once more.
“Oh I gotcha, I gotcha, we’re being intrepidacious–we’re out to discover!” The mermaid cut Scuttle off by grabbing his beak.
“I’ve never seen a human this close before.” stated Ariel as she gazed at the man playing the snarfblatt. “Oh..he’s very handsome, isn’t he?”
Scuttle looked at the smaller human in confusion. “I dunno..he looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me.”
Ariel giggled. “Not that one. The one playing the snarfblatt.” She sighed dreamily.
**************************************
“Silence, silence.” Grimsby’s voice ordered over the music. “It is now my great honor, and privilege, to present our esteemed Prince Eric with a very special, very expensive, very large birthday present.”
Eric smiled at his caretaker. “Aw, Grimsby, you old beanpole, you shouldn’t have!”
“I know.” Grimsby replied sincerely. “Happy birthday, Eric!” he said as the sailors unveiled his gift.
Eric raised an eyebrow. A giant statue of him? He was grateful, but it just wasn’t his thing. He didn’t really think much of himself, but the pose suggested otherwise. But he decided
to be polite about it.
“Uh, gee Grim.” he chuckled. “It’s uh, it’s really somethin’.” he commented, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Yes, I commissioned it myself. Of course I had hoped that it would be a wedding present.” Grimsby said suggestively.
I knew it! Eric thought before laughing. “Come on, Grim, don’t start.” he replied as he took the spyglass Grimsby was holding. “You’re not still sore because I didn’t fall for the
princess of Glowerhaven are you?” He asked, tossing the spyglass back to Grimsby.
“Oh my!” Grimsby cried as he caught the spyglass. “Oh, Eric, it isn’t me alone–the entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl.”
Eric sat on the railing of the ship. “She’s out there somewhere.” He said, looking out at the sea. “I just..I just haven’t found her yet.”
“Perhaps you haven’t been looking hard enough.”
“Believe me, Grim, when I find her I’ll know.” Eric told the older man, sitting up. “Without a doubt, it’ll just bam hit me–like lightning!”
As if the heavens were listening, they thundered loudly. Lightning tore across the sky.
“Hurricane a’comin! Stand fast! Secure the rigging!” yelled the lookout from the crow’s nest.
Eric jumped back onto the deck and followed the lookout’s orders, pulling on the ropes of the mast with the other sailors. He looked up to see the helmsman get blown away from the wheel. The Italian prince sprinted to the helm and took the wheel, yanking at it with all his might. However, he lost control when lightning struck the mast.
“Look out!” He shouted over the howling wind, pointing at the rocks looming in front of them. He lost control of the wheel and was thrown overboard with Grimsby and everyone else as
they struck the rocks. Luckily, someone had been thinking and had released the lifeboats. Eric hauled himself up into one and helped Grimsby get in. He counted heads quickly. Everyone was here except–“Max!” Eric dove into the raging waters and climbed back onto the burning ship, and dove out of the way when the fiery mast broke and fell onto the deck, setting it alight.
“Jump Max!” Eric called as he held out his hands. “Come on, boy! You can do it, Max!”Thank God I taught him this trick. He caught the sheepdog and ran for the railing, but tripped under Max’s weight. The dog was thrown overboard. Eric tried to follow, but his boot broke through one of the wooden planks on the deck. That is to say, he was attached to the ship.
Eric tugged at his boot, but after a couple of seconds, he removed his foot from it and ran to the railing barefooted.
“Eric!” Grimsby glanced up at the ship frantically, holding Max. Eric looked at Grimsby and then turned around to see the flames engulf the barrels of gunpowder on the ship’s deck. The galleon exploded, knocking Eric unconscious and tossing him into the sea.
*************************************
Ariel watched as Eric’s ship was set on fire in horror. She had been blown off the ship by the wind and was now a safe distance away. It was ironic, how not that long ago she would have given anything to see a real fire. The Fates had granted her wish in a terrible, sadistic way. When she saw Eric’s body fall into the sea, she was shaken out of her stupor. She dove beneath the waves and surfaced frantically, searching for him. She wouldn’t let him die. She couldn’t. The thought of him dying was..unbearable. There! She finally spotted the prince floating on a piece of driftwood and swam over to him. He slipped beneath the waves, and Ariel hurried after him. She grabbed him by the armpits and pulled him above the surface so he could breathe. “It’s alright, I’ve go you.” she whispered as she pulled him to shore.
***************************************
“Is he..dead?” Ariel asked Scuttle worriedly. He knew everything about humans. He must know if Eric had survived the storm or not. Eric was lying on the beach unconscious, with
Ariel hovering over him.
“It’s hard to say...” Scuttle picked up the human’s foot and pressed it to his ear. “Oh..I-I can’t make out a heartbeat.” He announced solemnly.
“No, look! He’s breathing.” Ariel removed a stray hair from his face. “Oh, Scuttle, just look at him. He’s so beautiful.
“What would I give to live where you are?
What would I pay to stay here beside you?
What would I do to see you smiling at me?
Where would we walk, where would we run
If we could stay all day in the sun?
Just you and me
And I could be
Part of your world”
Ariel sang softly to him, caressing his cheek whenever he stirred, and brushing his hand against her cheek lightly. She marveled at his handsome form as she sang, not once taking her blue eyes away from him.
******************************************
The first thing Eric noticed was that he had a headache. But not for long. Something brushed his face lightly, and he instinctively touched it. A hand. His other hand was touching the other person’s face. He would have pulled away, but two things stopped him. Number One: Her skin was so soft. Like the glimmer of the sunlight on the sea. Number Two: Her voice. To say it was beautiful would be an understatement. He opened his eyes to see his savior, looking radiant, her face highlighted by the sun’s rays. She was beautiful. Apparently, she had noticed that he was awake and turned to go, but Eric stopped her, taking her hand again. “Wait! Please..” He pleaded.
************************************************
Ariel gasped when the prince awoke. But just as she was leaving, he reached out and grabbed her hand. She said nothing, and instead looked into his eyes, her own eyes betraying her fear. But his voice was so comforting, and his eyes..
To reassure her that he indeed would not harm her, he brushed her hand against his face as she had done a moment ago. “Please..don’t go.” When he saw that she wasn’t leaving, Eric continued. “Was it you who saved me?” The girl nodded. The Italian smiled, showing his lovely dimples. “Thank you. Don’t be scared, I’m not gonna hurt you.”
Ariel smiled back, and after a moment’s hesitation, decided to speak. “You’re welcome. But I really do have to go.”
“Oh..but before you do..please, tell me your name.”
Ariel paused and then answered, “Ariel.”
“Ariel? That’s kind of pretty.” Eric felt like an foolish person. It was a beautiful name! “I’m Eric.”
“It was nice meeting you, Eric.” Ariel replied before preparing to dive into the water. But then she realized that Eric would see her tail.
“Eric!”
“Grimsby?” Eric turned and when he did, Ariel jumped back into the sea. Eric turned back to her. “When will I see you again?” He asked.
“Tonight. Here again?”
“That’s fine.”
Ariel smiled at Eric again, and started swimming away, wishing that she could stay with him.
Eric watched Ariel go, but was ambushed by Max and his merciless tongue. “Haha! I’ve missed you, too.” He chuckled. “Come on, Max!”
“Eric!” Grimsby hurried over to the young man and pulled him to his feet. “You really delight in these sadistic strains on my blood pressure, don’t you?”
“A girl..rescued me. Her name was Ariel. She was..singing. She had the most beautiful voice!” Eric stumbled, and Grimsby caught him.
“Ah..Eric. I think you’ve swallowed a bit too much seawater. Off we go! Come along, Max.”
Eric, in his groggy state, didn’t consider the fact that the girl had been swimming in the opposite direction of the shore, which meant that there was nowhere for her to go except for the sea. Nor did he hear her voice, clear and strong, proclaiming her love for him as she sang:
“I don't know when I don't know how
But I know something's starting right now
Watch and you'll see
Someday I'll be
Part of your world!”
This turned out to be a stroke of luck for Ariel, who, after expressing this, swam back down to Atlantica. She felt rather giddy and excited. She’d actually met a real human–a prince, no less! And he was so beautiful. He was even more handsome close up, what with his strong jaw, and dreamy blue-
“Ariel!”
The mermaid looked over her shoulder to see Sebastian and her best friend, Flounder, behind her.
“Are you crazy, child? He’s a human! You know your fadder-“ Sebastian was cut off quickly by Ariel.
“Daddy won’t have to know. Besides, Sebastian, I love him.”
**************************************************
“For the last time, Grim, she was real. I spoke with her and as I said, her name is Ariel. She said she’d come back tonight.”
“Eric, I would have seen the young lady. The only way she could have left is by way of the beach.” Grimsby replied, exasperatedly. The two were lounging in the palace’s sitting room, debating the existence of Eric’s “dream girl.”
“No..she dove back into the sea.” Eric replied, suddenly confused. “But where could she be going?”
“That’s exactly my point. It must have been a dream.” Grimsby responded serenely.
“No, she was real!” Eric protested so fiercely that it made Max, who was lying at Eric’s feet, jump.
“For heaven’s sake, Eric, you’re going to give that poor dog and myself heart attacks.”
“Sorry.” Eric answered sheepishly. “She’ll be here, Grimsby, I know she will.”
