WILD UNCHARTED WATERS: RANI'S UNDERSEA ADVENTURE

chapter iii: two worlds, one heart

As Ariel surfaced, when no one was looking, and I made sure to block my magical essence from Ursula, and I used a magical gateway to get to the source of the loud booms and bangs.

It was coming from a ship, and men that were lighting up fireworks, At once, I transformed back into a human once aboard, and I was wearing what people would usually wear back in the 1800s. I wore something similar to my Rainbow Fish mermaid outfit, but without the silvery rainbow.

Men were shooting off fireworks and cheering and shouting, I saw, and I guess they were celebrating something. I remembered from the animated Little Mermaid that when Daddy's Ariel surfaced, she saw that they were celebrating Prince Eric's birthday. I had to wonder if my universe's Prince Eric was celebrating his birthday. I went for a closer look.

I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

An it's hey to the starboard, heave ho! Heave ho!

Look out lad! A mermaid be waitin' for you

In mysterious fathoms below! The sailors all sang.

Among them was a young man, trim and tall, dark hair, pale skin and blue eyes. He had a keg of beer in his hand as he celebrated with the sailors.

"I'll sing you a song of the King of the Sea!" the young man shouted.

An it's hey to the starboard, heave ho! Heave ho!

The ruler of all of the oceans is he

In mysterious fathoms below! (Heave ho!)

Heave ho! Heave ho! Heave ho! The sailors all sang, the young man joining, and then was hoisted up and down laughing.

Suddenly an older man dispersed the sailors, saying that that was enough.

"Oh, come on, it's 'is birthday!" One protested.

"Mate, ya serious?!" I heard a familiar masculine Cockney voice with the sailors' protests. I knew who it was. His hair was wild with a shock of white hair on the right side of his head, his skin was pale, dark eyes odd, and always had a razor with him.

Sweeney?! I thought. What's he doing here?

I noticed there was an old English sheepdog in the midst of all the partying, and he was going to the edge of the ship, perhaps smelling something. I saw a shock of ginger red locs. Ariel had somehow got on to the side of the ship, on a boat looking in.

"Oh, come on, Grimsby! We were only having a little fun! Everyone else is!" the young man said, and right away, I knew it was Prince Eric by the way he was dressed.

"You, sire, are not everyone else. It's time you separated yourself from the rest of the crew, and behave in a manner more becoming of a future king." The older man named Grimsby, tall, slim, gray haired and rather important.

"You mean be more like my father was? Cut off from the rest of the world?" Eric didn't seem too pleased with his role as a royal. My guess was that these two had this conversation many times.

"Eric, you know what I mean." Grimsby countered. "When you came to us 21 years ago, the King and Queen took you in and treated you as one of their own. Now that you've come of age--"

"Max! Max, what are you doing over there? Come on!" Eric noticed that his dog Max was on the side of the ship, but he didn't seem to see Ariel, but I did. He ushered the dog back.

Ariel didn't see me. She must have thought I was still in her grotto, but I was here on the ship.

"And now that yo've come of age, your responsibilities are at home. Your father would have expected that." Grimsby continued once Eric finished guiding his dog.