#tarzanau

The creature rolled over, revealing a terrified young mermaid, holding a yellow flounder. 

“What would you do if I wasn’t here?” Asked Eric, to the crew.

“Let her go,” said the captain, eyes locked on the creature. 

“That’s what I hoped you’d say.” Eric took a step towards her. 

The mermaid threw the fish towards the water, though she missed. A crew member nearby stooped, scooped up the flounder, and threw it overboard, since it looked like that’s what she wanted. 

“Is that your friend?” Eric asked. 

The mermaid gave a tiny nod.

“It was really brave of you to save him. I have a knife, are you okay if I cut you free?”  

Again, the mermaid gave a small nod, and zeroed in on his knife. 

Eric approached her carefully and pulled the net away and cut some of the strands. He made his way over her body, gradually freeing her from the net. When he got to her hair, he winced. “Oh, I’m sorry, your hair is really tangled. I might have to cut it.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered. 

He startled slightly, surprised to hear her speak. “Okay, I’m going to start cutting.” He took hold of her hair and tugged away from the net, making it go taut. At that point, it was a matter of slicing the bottom few inches of her hair off and she was free. 

“There! It’s not even, so you’ll have to trim it on your own.” 

The mermaid looked down at the net, where clumps of her hair still lay tangled. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

Eric looked around at the crew, seeing that they were still shell shocked. They were watching him, but no one looked ready to intercede. 

“Let’s get you back in the water, okay?” Eric stooped and lifted her, one hand around her waist, one under her tail. 

The mermaid scrambled to get a hold of him so she didn’t fall. She ended up wrapping her arms around his shoulders. 

“I got you,” he assured. He carried her over to the lifeboat, and set her gently inside. 

The crew then moved automatically, lowering Eric and the mermaid down to the water. 

Once the boat was in the water, Eric helped her to perch on the edge of the boat. 

“Hey, you know…” he began, “a few days ago, I was in a boating accident. My ship sank and I almost drowned. A young woman saved me and brought me to shore. She sang to me a song about being part of my world.” 

The mermaid stared at him wide eyed. 

“Would you happen to know anything about it?” 

“It was me,” she said shyly. “I’m not supposed to be around humans, but I couldn’t let anything happen to you. So I brought you to shore…” 

“You saved my life.” 

“And you just saved mine.” 

He shook his head. “This was easy. I still owe you. I’m Eric, by the way.” 

“My name is Ariel.” 

He smiled, “that’s a lovely name.” He rested his hand on top of hers. “I’d like to make it up to you. There’s a grotto on the south shore.” He pointed at the mainland in the distance. “It’s hidden behind a waterfall. Would you meet me there tomorrow night? We can talk about your reward then.” 

“My reward?” 

“Yes. You see, I’m a Prince, and I’d like to give you something meaningful. Something your heart desires. So think about it?” 

After a moment, she nodded. “Alright Eric, I’ll come tomorrow night.” 

“It’s a date then.” 

She blushed. “A date! Yes! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Flustered, she shimmied and splashed into the water. Embarrassed, she peeked above the surface at him. 

He smiled and wiggled his fingers at her. She returned the gesture, and dove under water. 

“Ariel!” Flounder shouted, swimming to her. “I was so worried! I thought they were going to kill you! I was just about to go get your dad!” 

“No no, I’m fine!” Her face was warm. “He was so kind.”

“He?” 

“Prince Eric,” she beamed. “He wants to see me tomorrow night.” 

“You can’t! It’s too dangerous!” 

“Oh don’t be such a guppy! He’s a perfect gentleman and everything will be fine!” 

Flounder fretted the whole time they swam back home. “Ariel, your hair!” 

Ariel ran her fingers through her hair, noticing the ends were uneven. “No one will notice!” 

“Don’t count on it!” 

—

Ariel got away with it for several hours. She assumed she was in the clear, until dinner came around, at which point one of her sister’s noticed and blurted out, “oh Ariel, what did you do to your hair?” 

Ariel fell silent. “I got…snagged on a reef, and had to cut it.” 

“Let me see,” Triton demanded. 

Ariel rose from her place to float in front of him. “It needs to be evened out, but it’s not that bad…” 

“What did you cut it with?” He asked sternly. 

“A sharp rock.” 

He took her by the shoulder and turned her around gently. Though his hands were gentle, his eyes were passionate. “You’re lying to us, Ariel. You know I don’t like lying.” 

Of course she did, but the truth would make him go ballistic. 

“The truth, Ariel,” he urged. “I won’t let you leave until I hear it.” 

Ariel closed her eyes in defeat. “It’s…a long story. Please don’t be angry.” 

Triton frowned harder, but inevitably sighed. “Okay, I’m listening.” 

Ariel swallowed. “Flounder got caught in a fishing net, and I tried to save him, but I got caught instead.” 

“What!” Triton shouted. 

Ariel flinched and spouted out the rest of her story in a rush. “I was pulled up on the ship, but the humans didn’t want me, so they cut me free from the line, cutting my hair; and put me back in the water.” 

She peeked her eyes open to see her family staring at her in shock and awe. 

“Do you have any idea how lucky you are?!” Attina shouted. “Humans would never let a mermaid go!” 

“They did! And they were really nice!” 

“It doesn’t make any sense! I’m certain they’d sell a Mermaid for gold!” Said Alana. 

Ariel winced again. “Actually…I think he let me go because I saved him from drowning.” 

Triton grabbed her arm, not painfully, but strong. “Explain. Now.” 

“That storm, a few nights ago? I was out exploring…and I saw him sinking. I just…couldn’t let him die. So I swam him to shore. I stayed for a little while making sure he was breathing, and I sang to him. When I noticed he was conscious, I left. He remembered me, and made sure I was taken care of and released me into the sea. He was so nice, daddy.” 

Triton let her go and began to pace back and forth in the chamber. “Ariel, Ariel, Ariel…” 

“I know, daddy! But I couldn’t not save Flounder! And I couldn’t bear to see a human die. Not when I could save him! I’m sorry, but I had to!” 

Triton pinched the bridge of his nose. “As Attina said, you are extremely lucky to have run into the small minority of humans that weren’t violent and greedy. Next time, you won’t be lucky and who knows what will happen!” 

Ariel shamefully held herself. 

“What’s more, the humans now know that we exist! They’ll be out with nets for years to come, trying to catch us! You’ve compromised our safety!” 

“Oh no no, I don’t think they will. They said they were going to let me go! You could even ask Eric, I’m sure we’re safe!” 

“Eric?” Triton asked, his eyes narrowing. “Who is Eric?” 

“The young man I saved and cut me free. He’s a prince!” She swallowed. “A-and he said if I met him in a secret place, he’d reward me for saving him.” 

“No! Absolutely not! I forbid any more contact with these humans!” 

“But daddy—!” 

“But nothing, Ariel! I almost lost you today! Who knows what else this so-called Prince is trying to do to you? He’ll probably have an army waiting to take you at this ‘secret place’!” 

“If he wanted to take me, he wouldn’t have let me go today!” She argued back. “I know you don’t like humans but can’t you just give him a chance?” 

“Why should I?!”

“Because I—“ she stopped and bit her lip terrified of the confession she almost made. 

“You what, Ariel?” He asked, dreading the answer. 

“I…like him. I want to see him again.”

“You don’t know anything, child.” 

“You’re so stubborn! Why can’t you believe there’s at least one human out there that wants to be friends with us? What if you came with me and talked to him?! Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to have an ally on land?” 

“Ariel! That’s enough!” The King’s triton glowed in his anger. 

Ariel knew it was time to drop it. She bowed her head and stayed quiet. 

“I think you’ll find that I’ve been very understanding of late. I welcomed the Key Bearers on your word, something I never would have done before. Now you will have to trust that I know what’s best for you, and contact with humans is not it! End of discussion!” 

“Then end of dinner,” Ariel snipped and swam off to sulk. 

Triton settled back into his seat as the other girls very quietly finished their meals. In the end, no one spoke and they all slowly trickled away from the table. 

—

Ariel sat on her stool, using two mirrors to see her hair. “Oh, it is really obvious, isn’t it? That’s a really straight cut! No wonder he saw right through me!” 

For a while, Ariel attempted to trim her hair, but wasn’t successful until her sisters returned from dinner and volunteered to help. She was just thankful none of them had any comments to make about her recklessness. They were all strangely quiet. 

Before bed, Attina kissed her forehead and said, “we’re all really happy you’re safe.” And that was it. 

In the morning, Ariel awoke from her restless sleep and prepared to join her family for breakfast. She’d eat as quickly and quietly as possible and then hide so she could slip away to meet Eric at sunset. 

Her plans changed, however, when she arrived at the breakfast table. Before she even sat down, her father was speaking. 

“Ariel, I had a meeting with the council this morning.” 

She froze, terrified of what he would say next. 

“We came to an agreement. I shared my arguments, as well as yours, and we decided that you have a good point. It would be worthwhile to ally ourselves with at least one kingdom on land. So, tonight, I will accompany you to meet with this Prince Eric.” 

“Really?!” She shot out of her seat, sending bubbles everywhere. 

“Of course, I will be prepared for the worst. I desperately hope it doesn’t come to that, but if he doesn’t come alone, I will take matters into my own hands.” 

“Oh daddy! Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!!!” She swam to him and kissed his cheek. 

The rest of the day, Ariel was floating through air. She picked flowers to adorn her hair, and flipped through her accessories to find what he might like best. 

Of course, when you’re the most excited for something, time drags on for too long. Ariel struggled to find ways to occupy her time. 

But when the sun started to make its descent, she was at the throne room, eagerly waiting for King Triton to finish his meeting. 

He met her eyes and her broad smile and sighed. “A promise is a promise. Lead the way.” 

She gave an excited wiggle and started off. 

“Oh daddy, he’s so nice! He was so gentle when he put me back in the water, and he’s so handsome! I just know you’ll like him!” 

“Ariel, I’m not meeting him to approve a romantic relationship between you. I’d like him as an ally. You’re a mermaid, and he’s a human. No matter how much you like him, you have to remember that.” 

Ariel visibly deflated. “But daddy–” 

“It’s against the laws of nature, Ariel, not my rules. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.” 

After a moment of contemplation, she nodded sagely. “I understand. It’s just…not fair. I’ve never met anyone like him before.”

“You’re only sixteen, more boys will enter your life.” 

“I guess.” 

Though this grim thought hung over her head, Ariel was still excited to see Eric again. She led her father to the secluded grotto hidden behind the waterfall on the South side of the mainland, just as Eric had described it. It was small and private. The only ways to get to it are from under water, or walking carefully behind the waterfall. 

Eric was already there, sitting on a rock. He straightened his back when Ariel emerged, and his eyes widened when Triton emerged a second later. “Ariel! You came!” 

“I said I would.” She eagerly swam over and lifted herself out of the water to sit next to him. 

“Ariel…” Triton warned. 

“Daddy, this is Prince Eric. Eric, this is my father, King Triton.” 

Eric swallowed thickly. “You don’t happen to be the same King Triton that's the son of Poseidon, are you?” 

“One and the same.” 

Eric blushed but pushed on. “Well, it is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. Your daughter is so full of compassion and mercy. You must be so proud of her!” 

It was Triton’s turn to feel bashful. This young man really was as nice as Ariel said. No matter, he was still a human. “I almost forbade Ariel from this meeting, but she made a compelling argument. Our people need an ally on land. Would your Kingdom consider an alliance with Atlantica?” 

Eric’s jaw dropped. “Y-Yes! Yes of course! Well, I don’t know how helpful we would be in underwater aid, but we can do what we can?” He rubbed the back of his neck. 

“After Ariel has been seen by humans, I fear human curiosity will be spiked and your kind will try to search us out. If you could keep an ear out for those participating in such actions—“ 

“Oh! Yes, I understand completely. After we set Ariel free, I talked with the crew on the ship. The older men had had experiences with Mermaids and said they always steer clear of ‘The Children of Posideon’ less tragedy befalls their ship. Being a seaside Kingdom, keeping in his good graces is a fisherman’s duty. They said only a lowlife would hunt a mermaid.” 

Triton sighed in relief. “That puts my heart at ease, Prince Eric, thank you.” 

“Of course, Your Majesty. And I will stay vigilant and squash any rumors of mermaid sightings I can.” He turned to Ariel. “Now, Ariel, have you decided on a reward?” 

“Reward?” Asked Triton. 

“For saving my life. Of course, when your grandfather is a god, I’m sure anything your heart desires is a little easier to obtain, but if there’s something, anything I can do for you…” 

“You should be even,” said Triton. “You saved her life.” 

“That’s what I said!” Ariel laughed. 

“Cutting her free from the net was nothing compared to what she did for me. If I hadn’t been there, one of the other crew would have freed her. But if she hadn’t been there that night, I would have drowned. So please, let me thank you.” 

“Well,” Ariel began, biting her lip. She bravely reached out and touched his hand. “I’m fascinated with your world. I’ve found so many treasures from wrecks. I had been showing them to my friend Scuttle, a sea gull. But would you share your world with me?”

Triton let out a growl. “Why do you insist on this dangerous hobby of yours? I’ve already told you to stop!” 

“But daddy, if I go to Eric, then you know I’m with someone trustworthy! And he can tell me if he’s heard any rumors!” 

Eric spoke up, “Ariel, I would love to share my world with you, but your father has to be okay with it first. I don’t want to endanger you by having you sneak out to see me.” 

King Triton, as powerful and long lived as he was, was far from ignorant. He knew more about the worlds’ order than most.

He knew his daughter was a Princess of Heart and what that meant. That often meant he was overprotective of her, more so than her sisters. After all, she was a key to so many things, and would be sought after by those who wished to use her. 

But that also meant she had a partnering Prince. A man that would put his life on the line to protect her. While the prince wasn’t necessarily free from darkness in his heart, he was more resistant to it than others. 

More resistant than even Triton himself. 

And as Triton looked between the two, watching the way they shared glances with each other, he could tell that Ariel had found her prince. 

He was just hoping it would have been a merman instead. 

Triton sighed, shaking his head slightly. “You definitely get your stubbornness from me, Child. Alright. You may visit Prince Eric when you wish. I would like to be told when you are going to see him.” 

Ariel lit up like a firework.

“Prince Eric,” Triton addressed him. 

“Yes sir.” 

“I expect you to educate her well. Keep her safe from all the harmful human items that fall into the sea. And, if anything happens to her while she’s with you…I’ll have your head.” 

Eric nodded sagely. “I understand, your majesty.” 

“Don’t stay out too late, Ariel.” He bid them both adieu and submerged back underwater. 

As he returned to Atlantica, he expected to feel dread and regret at his decision, but instead, he felt rather confident. Perhaps having a trustworthy coach would sate Ariel’s desire for the surface world and she would stop getting into dangerous situations. 

But, since her Prince happened to be a human, there would come a day where he would very likely have to give her legs and say goodbye to her.