His Mermaid Princess: A Huma fanfiction

chapter 6

Sebastian pov

I scuttle down de palace halls, me heart racin' like a ship sailin’ in a storm. Oh, how do I get meself into dis madness? I tell ya, I’m an educated crustacean! I got degrees in music, diplomacy, and enough sense to avoid trouble. Well, I thought I had sense. Yet here I am, chasin’ afta dat headstrong teenager again. King Triton trusts me wit de biggest responsibilities, de matters of state an' ocean harmony. But dis? Dis is not what I signed up for.

"Sebastian," I mumble to meself, "ya could be advisin’ de king 'bout politics, makin’ beautiful music, or even leadin' an orchestra. But noooo, ya gotta go runnin' afta a girl who tink she can break all de rules, like dey don’t exist!"

I flap me claws in frustration, hurryin’ down de coral-strewn path. Just ahead, I see dat girl—Uma. An’ she's swimmin’ alongside Flounder, of all fish. What dey up to now? I narrow me eyes suspiciously as I see dem approachin' a big ol' rock, one dat blocks some kinda cave entrance.

"Ah, so dis is de next bit of trouble she’s gettin’ into, eh?" I mutter, paddlin' quietly behind dem.

I stop jus' in time to watch Uma glance left an' right. She's nervous, lookin' like she expectin' someone to catch her in de act. But it ain't gonna be no one else—jus' me, de one who always gotta keep things from blowin' up!

Den she rolls dat rock aside, revealin' a hidden cave, and my little crab heart nearly stops beatin’. I try to sneak closer, my claws clickin' softly against de ocean floor as I approach. She swims inside wit Flounder, slippin' outta sight.

I need to know what she's up to, I tell meself. For de good of de kingdom!

But wouldn’t ya know it, as I try to slip in afta dem, de blasted rock starts rollin' back. Next ting I know, de ting catches my legs. "Oi! Dis not supposed to happen!" I yelp, pullin' meself free, but not without a good bounce.

I tumble forward, right into de cave, crashin' into some kinda hourglass. A cave? Why she sneakin' into a cave, an' why it gotta be so dangerous for me?

Once I get back on me feet, I look 'round de place, an’ me eyes go wide as de ocean horizon at sunset. De walls of de grotto, dey covered in human stuff! Bottles, forks, mirrors—tings from de surface world! Oh no... Uma. Not dis again.

I duck behind a large seashell as Uma settles herself on a rock, twirlin’ a fork in her hands like it's some kinda treasure. Flounder lookin' at her, his big ol’ eyes filled wit worry.

I strain to listen, me claws shakin’ a little bit. Dis can't be happenin’ again. She’s like Ursula all ova! An' I ain't gonna deal wit de fallout dis time—no sah!

"Uma, are you okay?" Flounder asks, his voice soft, like he tryin’ to calm a hurricane before it hits de shore.

Uma jus' sighs, flippin' de fork between her fingers. "If only I could make him understand..." she mutters, an’ I freeze in place.

Who she talkin' 'bout? Triton? No... she talkin' 'bout me king’s rules, I know it!

I slap a claw over me mouth, tryin’ not to let any sound escape. I gotta hear everyting. I inch closer, peepin' 'round de side of a stone pillar. Uma, she look troubled, real troubled. Dis not de same girl who’s always so headstrong, always so sure of herself.

"I just don’t see things the way he does," she says, her voice soft but carryin' a heavy weight, like de tide rollin' in at night. "I just don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things—could be bad."

Me whole body stiffens, de reality sinkin’ in like an anchor. She really doin' dis. She lookin’ at de human world wit dat same wonder, dat same fascination as Ursula did. But dis ain't gonna end well—ain't no way, no how.