Ariel and the Adorable Snowbeast

Chapter 3 - The Glorious Sight

When magic was as natural as flowers, there was a beast who lived in a cave by the sea. No one has seen this beast, nor learned to understand how the beast came to be in such a place. The tale came from the discovery centuries ago. After being forced to stay in town because of a blizzard, one wanderer ventured along the road leading to the caves cliffside. He heard the cry so fearsome, so frightening that the beast did not need to be seen -- the wanderer knew what he heard, and knew it was a monster brought from the snow, for magic rules these lands.

As the myth goes.

Inside the meeting hall of his kingdom, Prince Eric steps before the crowd of his worried people. Ariel stays by his side, gazing at him with worried eyes. The people seemed flustered and frustrated, as the merpeople were about humans in the land above.

"Please, everyone," says Eric, hands raised, "all we know is that there hasn't been such snowfall upon our kingdom in centuries."

"What about the snow beast!" a concerned citizen cries out.

"Yeah!" "What about the beast!" "How are we to defeat it?" More worries ripple through the meeting hall, enough to cause a frenzy of worry.

 Outside, the gray clouds that cover the blue in the sky become heavier, darker. The wind whistles through the thin cracks in the glass windows, just as it was in the castle before the mighty storm. Ariel can see the change.

As Eric continues to gather his peoples' attention, the ever curious mermaid gathers the blue skirts of her winter dress, watching her feet step off the platform. She trails through the filled meeting hall to the window beside the hearth bursting with fire under a cauldron. She can smell the beef roasting in the stew boiling within, gazing out the window pane.

Quite not shut, snow has drifted onto the sill, fresh as Ariel places her warm fingertips upon the frozen flakes. The heavy clouds have fallen; the trees blow sing with the wind, the skinny branches grabbing tight onto the trunks. White falls from the gray. First, gently -- enough to make Ariel gasp and smile with wonder at the glorious sight of snowfall.

Then, the sky suddenly furious and the wind stronger. The snow is chaos; the wind howls like packs of wolves. To the noise, the people stop their bickering at the Prince. A hush falls over the meeting hall. Only the fireplace cackles, the cook cutting carrots into the cauldron.  On the platform against the opposite wall, the Prince gazes up to the ceiling, his jaw stern. He knows what is to happen once more. 

Jumping from the platform, he carefully meanders through the meeting hall to Ariel at the window. He gently takes her hand, kisses her forehead. "Come with me," he whispers, and leads her to the busy kitchen before others start looking out the window, too.