Post by Coral on Jul 11, 2004 12:08:52 GMT -5
Part III- If Only
The next morning Ariel found herself longing to go to the surface. She didn’t go though, because Eric had told her it wasn’t safe. Lyra was not the first mermaid to be caught by the nets, just the first that hadn’t been freed before breaking the surface. The humans here were not used to seeing mermaids flitting about, and apparently were not inclined to treat them as intelligent beings. Ariel was very glad that the people of Eric’s kingdom were more open-minded. In the last two months, many of Ariel’s mer-friends had shown themselves to the townspeople around the castle.
Ariel wandered out into the garden, humming to herself and gazing up at the surface every now and then. She plucked a flower and sat down on a rock, twirling it in her hands.
“I followed you last night.”
She whirled around, startled to see Waverly behind her. Her fingers released the flower, and it floated down to rest on the sand. “Whatever for?”
Waverly swam forward to where he was next to Ariel. “I wanted to know if it was true. If you’re really in love with a human.”
Ariel stared at Waverly. His voice was fairly dripping with disdain as he said the word “human”. She held her chin up and met Waverly’s gaze. “Well, it is true. And Eric is in love with me.”
“How do you know he won’t just use you?
“Because he isn’t like that. He loved me before he knew who I was, and when he did find out, it didn’t change the way he felt.” Ariel moved away from Waverly, his presence suddenly feeling overbearing.
“What about us, Ariel? I thought we might have something. You were the first thing I noticed about Atlantica.” Waverly closed the distance between them.
Ariel backed up a little more. “There was never anything between us to have. I was just a child!”
Waverly reached out and grabbed Ariel’s hand. “And sixteen isn’t a child?”
Ariel jerked her hand away. “Seventeen now. I’ve always been fascinated with humans, and Eric has always been fascinated with the stories about us. He would never allow anything to happen to me!”
“How do you know he’ll always feel that way?” Waverly questioned, his eyes reflecting hurt and confusion.
Ariel softened her tone when she saw the look in his eyes. “I don’t. But I’m willing to take the chance.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “Eric is your only hope of getting Lyra back. He is the only person up there who sees her as an intelligent being, who is incredibly homesick and more than a little scared. Eric is the only thing standing between her and death.”
Waverly opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. A muscle in his jaw twitched, and then he whirled around and swam away.
Ariel breathed a sigh of relief as he disappeared from sight. Not for the first time, she wondered why she was the only one who didn’t think all humans were bad. She knew that marrying Eric would slowly change that perception in Atlantica, but she wasn’t so sure it would make a difference anywhere else.
Eric kept glancing out the window as the talks wore on. Lyra was still out there, and he could tell she was scared. The young mermaid put on a brave face whenever one of the guards looked at her, but she wasn’t as brave as she pretended to be. If only he could get a chance to talk to Stefan about it!
Later that afternoon, Eric unexpectedly got his wish.
“I am getting the impression that you are slightly distracted,” Stefan remarked as he stood next to Eric, who was looking out the window.
Eric chose his words carefully, Grimsby’s advice from the night before uppermost in his mind. “I admit that I am. I find your son’s attitude towards the young mermaid rather disturbing.”
Stefan raised an eyebrow. “Oh? In what manner?”
As much as he wanted to tell Stefan the real reason he felt this way, he didn’t. He couldn’t. Ariel’s safety was much more important. So he went with his second reason. “I am of the opinion that it is no more right for a human to imprison a mermaid like this, then it is for a human to imprison a human for the same purpose. She is a living, breathing, thinking being.”
“The first two I can believe, but I’m not so sure about the thinking part.”
Eric took a deep breath to calm himself. He hated this attitude more than any other he’d come across since meeting Ariel. “How else do you explain our belief that they are creatures of myth? They obviously exist, and it takes some creative thinking to fool us about their existence for hundreds of years.”
“I will concede you have a point there,” Stefan agreed. “I can’t say you’ve completely convinced me, but you have a valid point.”
Eric stifled a sigh. This was not going to be easy. He had to have a Plan B ready to go at a moment’s notice. Since business was concluded for the day, he nodded politely and excused himself to get Max. They both could use a walk outside.
It was a beautiful evening, but Eric found he could not enjoy it as he usually would. He kept seeing Lyra’s sad face, and couldn’t seem to stop himself from imaging his precious Ariel in the same situation. Would there ever be anyone besides him willing to champion a mermaid’s freedom?
Before long, Eric found himself in the secluded garden where Lyra was being kept. How he wished he had some good news for her.
“Any luck?” she asked upon spotting him.
Eric shook his head. “None. If I can’t get talk them into letting you go, I’ll carry you down the beach myself.”
Lyra smiled sadly. Then she noticed Max. “What is that?” The girl pointed her finger at the hairy dog.
“This is Max, he’s a dog.”
Max barked and seemed to be grinning at Lyra. Lyra stared at the hairy, four-legged creature. He was huge! “Is he nice?”
“Yes. He only bites sea witches who are in disguise.”
That got a giggle out of the mermaid. “Did he help kill Ursula?”
Eric laughed. “He likes to think he did. When you get out of there you can see what he feels like.”
Lyra smiled hugely. “I’d like that!”
The next morning Ariel found herself longing to go to the surface. She didn’t go though, because Eric had told her it wasn’t safe. Lyra was not the first mermaid to be caught by the nets, just the first that hadn’t been freed before breaking the surface. The humans here were not used to seeing mermaids flitting about, and apparently were not inclined to treat them as intelligent beings. Ariel was very glad that the people of Eric’s kingdom were more open-minded. In the last two months, many of Ariel’s mer-friends had shown themselves to the townspeople around the castle.
Ariel wandered out into the garden, humming to herself and gazing up at the surface every now and then. She plucked a flower and sat down on a rock, twirling it in her hands.
“I followed you last night.”
She whirled around, startled to see Waverly behind her. Her fingers released the flower, and it floated down to rest on the sand. “Whatever for?”
Waverly swam forward to where he was next to Ariel. “I wanted to know if it was true. If you’re really in love with a human.”
Ariel stared at Waverly. His voice was fairly dripping with disdain as he said the word “human”. She held her chin up and met Waverly’s gaze. “Well, it is true. And Eric is in love with me.”
“How do you know he won’t just use you?
“Because he isn’t like that. He loved me before he knew who I was, and when he did find out, it didn’t change the way he felt.” Ariel moved away from Waverly, his presence suddenly feeling overbearing.
“What about us, Ariel? I thought we might have something. You were the first thing I noticed about Atlantica.” Waverly closed the distance between them.
Ariel backed up a little more. “There was never anything between us to have. I was just a child!”
Waverly reached out and grabbed Ariel’s hand. “And sixteen isn’t a child?”
Ariel jerked her hand away. “Seventeen now. I’ve always been fascinated with humans, and Eric has always been fascinated with the stories about us. He would never allow anything to happen to me!”
“How do you know he’ll always feel that way?” Waverly questioned, his eyes reflecting hurt and confusion.
Ariel softened her tone when she saw the look in his eyes. “I don’t. But I’m willing to take the chance.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “Eric is your only hope of getting Lyra back. He is the only person up there who sees her as an intelligent being, who is incredibly homesick and more than a little scared. Eric is the only thing standing between her and death.”
Waverly opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. A muscle in his jaw twitched, and then he whirled around and swam away.
Ariel breathed a sigh of relief as he disappeared from sight. Not for the first time, she wondered why she was the only one who didn’t think all humans were bad. She knew that marrying Eric would slowly change that perception in Atlantica, but she wasn’t so sure it would make a difference anywhere else.
Eric kept glancing out the window as the talks wore on. Lyra was still out there, and he could tell she was scared. The young mermaid put on a brave face whenever one of the guards looked at her, but she wasn’t as brave as she pretended to be. If only he could get a chance to talk to Stefan about it!
Later that afternoon, Eric unexpectedly got his wish.
“I am getting the impression that you are slightly distracted,” Stefan remarked as he stood next to Eric, who was looking out the window.
Eric chose his words carefully, Grimsby’s advice from the night before uppermost in his mind. “I admit that I am. I find your son’s attitude towards the young mermaid rather disturbing.”
Stefan raised an eyebrow. “Oh? In what manner?”
As much as he wanted to tell Stefan the real reason he felt this way, he didn’t. He couldn’t. Ariel’s safety was much more important. So he went with his second reason. “I am of the opinion that it is no more right for a human to imprison a mermaid like this, then it is for a human to imprison a human for the same purpose. She is a living, breathing, thinking being.”
“The first two I can believe, but I’m not so sure about the thinking part.”
Eric took a deep breath to calm himself. He hated this attitude more than any other he’d come across since meeting Ariel. “How else do you explain our belief that they are creatures of myth? They obviously exist, and it takes some creative thinking to fool us about their existence for hundreds of years.”
“I will concede you have a point there,” Stefan agreed. “I can’t say you’ve completely convinced me, but you have a valid point.”
Eric stifled a sigh. This was not going to be easy. He had to have a Plan B ready to go at a moment’s notice. Since business was concluded for the day, he nodded politely and excused himself to get Max. They both could use a walk outside.
It was a beautiful evening, but Eric found he could not enjoy it as he usually would. He kept seeing Lyra’s sad face, and couldn’t seem to stop himself from imaging his precious Ariel in the same situation. Would there ever be anyone besides him willing to champion a mermaid’s freedom?
Before long, Eric found himself in the secluded garden where Lyra was being kept. How he wished he had some good news for her.
“Any luck?” she asked upon spotting him.
Eric shook his head. “None. If I can’t get talk them into letting you go, I’ll carry you down the beach myself.”
Lyra smiled sadly. Then she noticed Max. “What is that?” The girl pointed her finger at the hairy dog.
“This is Max, he’s a dog.”
Max barked and seemed to be grinning at Lyra. Lyra stared at the hairy, four-legged creature. He was huge! “Is he nice?”
“Yes. He only bites sea witches who are in disguise.”
That got a giggle out of the mermaid. “Did he help kill Ursula?”
Eric laughed. “He likes to think he did. When you get out of there you can see what he feels like.”
Lyra smiled hugely. “I’d like that!”