As Triton caught the longing gaze on his daughter�s face, his heart squeezed. Even though Ariel had grown accomplished at hiding it, he knew she was miserable. Perhaps I�m being too cautious, Triton thought. He did risk his life to save her.
His thoughts were interrupted by the first trumpet blast heralding their arrival. The king of Atlantica was forced to turn his full attention to the matters at hand.
It took a little longer than Ariel wanted to arrive at the palace. She usually never paid attention to the fanfare surrounding the arrival of visiting dignitaries, but this time she couldn�t help it. The citizens of Pacifica were lined up along the lane to the palace, cheering and calling out greetings. Instead of being impatient, Ariel decided to use the opportunity to practice being queen. She waved and smiled just as she�d seen other queens do.
When the conch stopped at the entrance to the palace, Triton squeezed his daughter�s hand. �Well done, Ariel. You�ll make a fine queen!�
Ariel looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. �Does that mean-�
�King Triton! We welcome you to Pacifica!�
Triton smiled at Ariel, silently promising himself he�d finish this conversation soon. He then turned his full attention to the merman who had greeted them, Prince Waverly. �Thank you.� The two shook hands, and Triton motioned to Ariel. �You remember my daughter, Ariel?�
Waverly took Ariel�s hand. �How could I forget?� he murmured. He then raised her hand to lips and kissed it.
Ariel put on her best diplomatic smile and withdrew her hand as quickly as she could without being rude. �Prince Waverly.� She was not however, able to keep the slight chill from her voice.
A brief look of puzzlement passed over the prince�s face, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. He motioned for them to follow him. �My father has been detained on another matter, but should be back by tomorrow evening.�
�That is not a problem,� Triton assured him. There was a squeeze on his hand and he knew it was Ariel expressing her happiness at his patience. He squeezed back. They followed Waverly into the receiving room to greet his mother, the queen. After a few minutes of greetings, Ariel and Triton were shown to their rooms to freshen up before dinner.
All through dinner, Ariel found Waverly�s attention directed solely at her. The only thing that got Ariel through the meal was the knowledge that Eric was suffering through the exact same thing.
About halfway through dinner, a shadow passed over the palace. Ariel smiled to herself, knowing it was Eric finally arriving. She would get to see him tonight after all! Then she noticed the fierce frown on Waverly�s face. �Is something the matter?� she asked.
�The humans have increased their fishing. One of the schoolchildren was caught in a net this morning and couldn�t get out. Her parents are hysterical.�
Ariel looked at Triton, silently begging him to let her go to the surface as soon as possible. Eric could get this girl freed if Ariel could get to him in time. Triton nodded ever so slightly, knowing was she was thinking and hoping it was true.
�How old is she?� Triton asked.
�Eight. Her name is Lyra and she is my cousin.�
Queen Mara reached over and patted her son�s hand. �The entire kingdom is quite upset. We have no idea what they will do to her.� Then the queen skillfully steered the conversation in another direction.
Ariel barely made it through the rest of the meal, then rushed to the surface as soon a she was able. She would never have imagined that Eric already knew of the captive mermaid.
Eric watched the hustle and bustle around him as the ship made port. He was more than anxious to get this over with and see what Triton had to say. But he also knew he had to be patient. If he rushed this treaty, it could spell economic disaster for both kingdoms.
Finally the gangplank was lowered. King Stefan and his daughter, Anna, dis-embarked first, followed by Eric and Grimsby. Eric kept a tight hold on Max�s leash as they walked to the waiting carriage. The dog would just as soon run off and explore the docks as stay close to his master.
There was very little conversation as they went up the hill to the castle. Eric kept looking out the windows hoping to catch any glimpse he could of the surrounding countryside. He had only been here once before, as a small child accompanying his father. The night was quickly closing in though, so his looking was in vain.
The carriage rolled to a stop a few minutes later and a coachman crisply pulled the door open and gave a low bow. As soon as King Stefan stepped out, a young man rushed up to him and whispered in his ear for a moment. The king�s eyes widened briefly, then he turned to Eric. �Have you heard the legends about merpeople?�
Eric was sure his heart skipped a beat. �Of course. Who hasn�t?�
�My son tells me that one was caught alive today. Would you care to inspect it with me and see if it�s for real?�
A knot of dread settled deep in Eric�s stomach. He managed a nod and followed the two men through the foyer of the castle and out into the rear courtyards. Please don�t let it be Ariel! he begged silently.
As they rounded the corner of a hedge, Eric caught sight of a tank filled with water. And the young mermaid inside had blonde hair. Eric relaxed.
Stefan stopped several feet from the tank and walked around it. The mermaid inside followed him, a defiant look on her young face.
�What should we do with it, Father?� Daniel asked.
Eric could not stay silent a moment longer. �She is not an �it�. She�s a little girl.� He stepped a little closer and the mermaid cocked her head and swam as close to the glass as she could. �Why don�t you just let her go?� he suggested.
�Whatever for?�
Eric turned his attention to the young man. �How would you like it if someone locked you in a cage and stared at you all day? She�s just a child and her family is probably worried sick about her.�
�How do you know she even has a family?� Daniel shot back.
�How do you know she doesn�t?� Eric countered. �And for that matter, how do you know she isn�t royalty? You have no guarantees that they wouldn�t start a war to get her back.�
�I think we can wait till the morning to decide what to do,� Stefan interjected. �Dinner will be served in an hour.� He looked at Eric.
�I�ll be in shortly. I�d like to walk around a bit and look around.�
The king nodded, then he and his son went back inside the castle.
�Eric, be careful with what you say about the merpeople,� Grimsby advised. �You know things that many people do not.�
�We are not leaving here until she is back in the sea where she belongs.�
�Just do it carefully.�
As Grimsby returned to the castle, Eric turned his attention back to the young mermaid and walked up next to the glass. The tank wasn�t very big, only about 5 feet tall, and maybe 8 feet square. He could easily get her out if it came to that.
�Are you going to make them let me go?� she asked.
Eric nodded. �You will get to go home. I promise.�
The mermaid lost her defiant look and sank to the bottom. �Do you really mean that?�
�Yes, I do.�
�Why?� she asked, staring up at him.
Eric sat down on the grass so he could look straight at her. �Because a mermaid saved my life. We�re going to get married.�
The girl�s eyes got big as saucers. �Are you Princess Ariel�s human?�
Eric couldn�t help laughing. �Yes, I am.�
�Wow! I never thought I�d get to meet you. I�m Lyra. Wait till I tell Waverly he doesn�t stand a chance! I�d pick you too.�
Eric smiled. Then he turned his head towards the sea as a soft melody filled the night air. He stood. �That�s Ariel. I�ll tell her where you are, and we�ll figure out a way to get you home.�
Lyra nodded and watched him go.
Eric broke into a run as soon as he found the path to the beach. He lost his footing halfway down and ended up sliding most of the way down the slope and filling his boots with sand. He heard the light sound of Ariel�s laughter on the still night air and smiled to himself. �Just wait till you get sand in your shoes for the first time. Then you won�t laugh.�
�Why ever not?�
�Because it is the most annoying sensation in the world.� He sat down next to her and pulled his boots off to shake out the sand.
Ariel watched him while he shook the boots out, still in awe of the little things humans referred to as toes. She had discovered quite by accident one evening that Eric�s feet were extremely ticklish. Her tail had brushed up against his bare foot, and he�s broken into a fit of giggles and pulled his feet away once he�d figured out what was happening.
�A young mermaid was captured this morning,� she said.
�I know.� Eric stuck his hand down in his boot to feel for sand. �She�s right up there.� He pointed with his free hand. �Is she royalty?�
Ariel nodded. �The king�s niece. They�re very upset.�
�That�s what I was afraid of. They seem to think she belongs in a carnival.�
Ariel gasped. �That can�t happen!�
Eric pulled his hand out of his shoe, set it down, and looked at his love. �I won�t let that happen. She will go home, even if I have to carry her myself.� He placed a hand on her cheek. �The only thing I want more than you, is for our people to respect each other. I want my home and your home to be comfortable with the other and accept it as something close to normal. That can�t happen if there are mermaids in carnivals.�
Ariel wrapped her arms around Eric and kissed him. �I love you. Would you tell Daddy that?�
�First chance I get. I�d tell him the moon is made of cheese if that would allow us to be together.�
The couple sat quietly for a little while, snuggled together and watching the moon rise. When they parted, it was with a promise of love and plans to meet again the next evening.