Giving Fantasia: The Taking Fantasia Sequel

Chapter 86: Hello Dearie

Chapter 86: Hello Dearie

Ariel sunk into the ocean. She sunk deeper than her undersea grotto. She sunk deeper than the city of Atlantis. She sunk deeper than the kingdom of Atlantica. She sunk to deepest, darkest chasm that even sea monsters feared to go.

The fish chased her, Flounder in the lead. "Ariel!" they called, swirling in her wake, "Ariel! Wait! There's something wrong on the surface! A ship –"

Ariel dove behind a curtain of luminous jellies. The pale tendrils undulated over her head, back, and toes, as she disappeared into the deep.

"Ariel!" the fish begged. "Ariel please, come back! We need you. We –"

Nothing. Not even a ripple. Ariel was gone.

The ocean was a mystery. Ariel still hadn't solved all its secrets, or tamed the monstrous depths. But she was not afraid. She was not afraid to venture from the safety of her grotto. After all, she was the Silent Siren – she could vanish without a sound...

...except for the sounds inside her head. 

It was awful – Ariel's thoughts were mercenary. And it wasn't that the guardians had fought, or that Peter had accused Wendy of infidelity. Peter's accusations had been sickening, but Ariel knew, deep, deep down, that they were untrue. 

What upset Ariel was that Jim placed Wendy first. When Ariel had tried to explain Wendy's actions, he read her lips but didn't listen. He discarded all assurances, rejected common sense, and ended a blossoming future – Wendy's future. He forced Wendy from Peter Pan.

Oh, and incidentally...Jim also sought her father... and neglected to ask for Ariel's hand.

He didn't even think of Ariel. Wendy came first.

Did she even matter?

Ariel cried, tormented by the thought. She hated herself for thinking it but the notion stuck. Peter's accusation was too possible to disbelieve, and Jim's actions spoke louder than words. Jim protected Wendy: Ariel was second. Just like Eric had said.

Ariel curled into a ball. She wept, hair flowing over her face.

She was tired of waiting. She was tired of trying. And she was tired of communicating between the guardians when no one listened. So she melted into the water, one hand on her stomach and the other massaging her throat. Her fingers tangled in Jim's seashell locket. Bitterly, Ariel wound the chain, intending to tear it off.

Then she heard Lana. 

And Adella.

And Cordelia.

And Maris, Marina, Coral, and Limpet. 

Her sister. Her cousins.

But... they were dead?

Bewildered, Ariel gaped upwards. She rubbed both ears, unwilling to believe the voices were real. Perhaps they were a stray echo, an ocean trick. But the melodious laughter was unmistakable – it belonged to her sister and cousins.

Ariel was stunned. She didn't know what to do. 

But then she heard her friends – Flounder, Marlin, Nemo, Dori, all the fish from the pod. They were crying for help. And interlaced with their pleas were the shrieks of wicked mermaids.

Ariel kicked. Generating a current with her trident, she swam for the surface. The mermaids' laughter cresendoed as she sailed over basalt spires. Whether the antagonizers were indeed her cousins Ariel was still unsure but the issue was immaterial. Her fish were in pain.