A Little Mermaid Love Story

Chapter 12

The next day
[Both couples wake up early in the morning and get ready. They have eliopsomo topped with feta cheese, caramelized onions, and roasted tomatoes alongside some Greek yogurt, and some pischies. They finish getting ready and then Hercules and Megara take Ariel and Eric and take them to the pier. They say their goodbyes to everyone and get back on their ship back to Seahaven. At around 9:30 am, they arrive back to their kingdom and are greeted by the palace staff in hugs. They take their luggage and jewelry including their rings back to their bedroom and notify them that they would be going to Atlantica for a couple of days. Ariel and Eric go to the beach where King Triton was waiting for them]
{At the beach}
King Triton: My little Ariel, welcome back, good to see you, Prince Eric
Eric: Please, just call me Eric, it's nice to see you too, your highness
King Triton: Then call me Triton
Eric: Will do
King Triton: Now, I hear that you two want to go to Atlantica
Ariel: Yes, daddy, I want to show Eric where I came from
King Triton: Very well then, come into the water
(Both of them get into the water and with his trident, King Triton turns them into merpeople)
Eric: Wow, I'm a merman, not gonna lie, this feels weird, cool, but weird
Ariel: It does feel strange having my tail back
King Triton: Come
(Eric takes a deep breath and all three of them dive down)
{Underwater}
(Ariel giggles)
Ariel: Eric, you don't have to hold your breath, remember, you're a merman
(Eric lets out his breath)
Eric: Oh, right
Ariel: We're gonna have fun, let's go
(They swim to the palace)
<after half an hour>
(They arrive and go inside)
{Inside the palace}
Eric: It's beautiful down here, the ocean and the palace
King Triton: Thank you, now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a lot of things to get done
Ariel: Alright, daddy, I'll give you a tour of the palace, Eric
Eric: Let's go
(They swim away)
[Ariel shows Eric the throne room, the kitchen, the vault, the music stadium, the stable, the gardens where her parents' statues were, and her and her sisters' bedroom]
{In the throne room}
Attina: Father, Father
King Triton: Finished, thank you, Sebastian
Sebastian: Of course, your highness
King Triton: What is it, girls?
Alana: Is Ariel and her husband here yet?
Adella: We're so excited to see them
King Triton: Yes, they are, they got here half an hour ago
Sisters: What?!
Aquata: Why didn't you tell us?
King Triton: You lot are always running around everywhere, how was I supposed to know where you all are if you don't tell me, besides I had work to do
Arista: Well, where are they?
King Triton: Ariel is showing him around the palace
(Ariel and Eric are seen swimming up)
Ariel: And that's where we sleep
Eric: They don't look that comfortable
Ariel: Trust me, the seashells are softer than they look
Sisters: Ariel
Ariel: Girls
(They all rush to each other and group hug)
Andrina: We miss you
Ariel: I miss you all too
Attina: So, this must be your husband
Eric: It's a pleasure to meet all of you, your highnesses, my name is Eric
(He bows his head and they bow it back to him)
Alana: Likewise, prince Eric
Eric: Please, just call me Eric
Adella: Hmm, handsome, polite, and humble, I like him already
Ariel: I knew you would
Aquata: Have you shown him the marketplace?
Ariel: I'm going to
Arista: Let's go over there together, we were helping Alana with her new shop
Ariel: Alana, that's amazing, congratulations
Alana: Thank you, we're still cleaning up, but we'll get it open to the public soon
Ariel: I bet you will, Eric, you wanna go to the marketplace?
Eric: Absolutely
Andrina: Let's go then
(They all head out)
Sebastian: Well, they all seem to get along with him
King Triton: I'm glad
{With the others}
[They show him the marketplace, they show him the shops, and they continue helping Alana clean up the empty shop that her father had bought her. By the afternoon, everything was clean, spotless, and shining]
Alana: Thank you so much, everyone
Attina: You don't have to thank us, that's what family is for
Adella: As much as I love this, I'm starving, it's noon, which means it's lunchtime, and again, I'm hungry
Aquata: Well then, let's go to the marketplace and get some lunch
Arista: Our usual spot
Andrina: Of course
(They all leave and Alana locks up)
{At the marketplace}
Attina: Here it is, Eric, Gino's cafe, the best lunch shop, ever
Ariel: You know, she's right
(They go inside)
{Inside Gino's}
(It was full of people)
Alana: Gino
Gino: Ah, the principessas, how are you all doing?
Adella: Good, thanks
Gino: And I see our little Ariel is back, oho, this must be that human prince, your husband
Ariel: Hey, Gino, it is, this is Eric, my father turned us into merpeople, so we could come down here
Eric: Nice to meet you, sir
Gino: None of this, sir, business, call me, Gino
Eric: Of course
Gino: Your usuals?
Aquata: Of course
Gino: And for your husband, Ariel?
Ariel: Same as mine
Gino: On it
(He goes back to the kitchen and the group sits down at their usual table)
<after half an hour>
(Gino brings their lunch out)
Gino: Alrighty then, Attina, Arista, and Ariel, four kelp-wrapped sandwiches with spiced shrimp, topped with walrus cheese, light algae sauce, two coralberry bubble teas, and two beach plum bubble teas. Alana and Adella, sea cucumber sandwiches topped with walrus cheese and algae sauce wrapped in seaweed, and two fat-free water apple bubble teas. Aquata and Andrina, a marsh grass salad with walrus cheese and spiced shrimp with a beach plum bubble tea
Attina: Perfect, thanks, Gino
Gino: My pleasure, principessas, enjoy
(He leaves and the girls start eating)
Ariel: Just give it a try, you'll like it, I promise
Eric: Alright, I trust you
(Ariel starts eating and Eric takes a small bite)
Eric: Ok, not bad, pretty good, actually
Ariel: See, I told you
(They finish eating, Attina pays, and then they leave)
[After lunch, the girls go back to the palace while Ariel shows Eric, all the places where she had her adventures including the shipyard. She also properly introduces him to Archimedes, Urchin, and Gabriella. She also shows him the orcas, spot, and stormy, the seahorse, and then they go back to the palace, which takes them a full hour]
{In the palace}
King Triton: Ah, there you two are, dinner is ready, we've been waiting for you all
Eric: Sorry, your highness
Ariel: Yeah, sorry, daddy, we've been out exploring
King Triton: That's quite alright, just join us
(They sit down and the servers bring out the food)
[Everyone eats sea lettuces with spicy pink shoal peppers, a stew made out of crawdads, pickled crayfish, and spicy river peppers, and they also eat spiced shrimp. The adults drink Posidonia wine while Ariel and Andrina drink sargassa tea. For dessert, they have silt-cherry sea foam. After dinner, the mermaids take Eric down to the club to show it to him and dance around. The group doesn't come back until 10:30 pm, they then get ready for bed, and the girls go to sleep, while Ariel and Eric stay in the spare guest room since they were married and couldn't share a bedroom with Ariel's sisters]