The Voice, The Witch, and the Dark Lord

Chapter Six: Ariel's Grotto Renewed ("Part of That World")

"What have I gotten myself into?" said Sebastian to himself, exasperatedly. "I should be writing symphonies! Not chasing after some headstrong teenager!"
At that moment, Ariel and Flounder swam by, a good distance away from Sebastian.
Sebastian looked at the two, and decided to follow through with King Triton's orders, and swam hastily after them.
Ariel and Flounder swam to a cave that was guarded by a huge rock. Ariel moved the rock to the side, looking behind her to make sure no one was following them. But Sebastian was well concealed. They swam inside.
Sebastian hesitated, but swam after her in the end. This, he soon realized, was a mistake. The rock that guarded the cave rolled back into place, and Sebastian's legs were caught in between the rock and the cave's entrance. He used a nearby bunch of seaweed to pull himself free.
Sebastian then walked into a large room inside the cave, filled with various human items that Ariel had collected. She had forgotten that King Triton destroyed all that was in her grotto, but she had discovered plenty of other items from old shipwrecks, deserted places near the shore, empty reefs, and other places where merfolk had scarcely swam.
Sebastian looked around in shock, his two claws covering his mouth as he gasped in horror.
"Are you okay, Ariel?" asked Flounder's voice, coming from the center of the room. He swam close to Ariel, worried about her.
"If only I could make him understand," said Ariel in despair. "I just don't see things the way he does. I just don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things...could be bad..."
She held the fork in her hand, twirling it around, examining it, as she began to sing the song she sang in the same year she had met Harry Potter.
"Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who has everything?" Ariel placed the fork in an organized set of utensils, which consisted of a spoon and a knife. She looked at all the artifacts around her. "Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can one cavern hold? Looking around here, you'd think, 'Sure, she's got everything'..." Ariel swam over to a wall in the grotto. "I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty! I've got whozits and whatsits galore..."
Sebastian walked cautiously around Ariel's grotto, looking at every single item she had found and placed in the grotto. He came across a pair of black, circular glasses, with tape in the middle of the two lenses. There was a slight crack in one of the lenses, and it looked as though it had been underwater for a little under a year. Sebastian crawled up to it, and put his eyes through the lenses.
Ariel held up a box full of nuts, bolts, screws, and more. "You want thingamabobs?" asked Ariel to Flounder. "I've got twenty!" She set the box down and swam to a rock in the center of the grotto. "But who cares?" sang Ariel. "No big deal. I want more..."
Sebastian looked cautiously at Ariel, as she sang her song.
"I wanna be where the people are... I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancing. Walking around on those- What do you call 'em?" asked Ariel to Flounder. He shook his fins in front of Ariel. "Oh, feet!"
Sebastian rolled his eyes.
"Flipping your fins, you don't get too far," sang Ariel, as she swam throughout her grotto. "Legs are required for jumpin', dancin', strollin' along down a- What's that word again? Street... Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun, wanderin' free! Wish I could be part of that world..." She swam giddily about the room, daydreaming of life on the surface, although she had once lived on the surface herself, but had forgotten all about her deal with Ursula and her love for Harry. "What would I give if I could live out of these waters? What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?" She floated down to the floor of her grotto, embracing the sand on the ground, as Flounder dug himself a little hole in the sand and settled down in it. "Betcha on land, they understand. Bet they don't reprimand their daughters. Bright young women, sick of swimmin', ready to stand!" Ariel swam up to a high shelf and reached for a book; it was Harry's copy of Which Broomstick? that he had given to her the last time they met together before he told Hermione to settle the potion into the sea. "And ready to know what the people know! Ask 'em my questions, and get some answers!" She swam to a painting of a human standing by a candle. "What's a fire? And why does it - what's the word - burn? When's it my turn? Wouldn't I love?" She hastily swam to the hole in the top of the grotto, where the surface of the water was easily visible. "Love to explore that shore up above?" She reached with all her passion to the surface, then hopelessly let her hand drop down. "Out of the sea..." Ariel floated down to the floor of her grotto. "Wish I...could be..." whispered Ariel hopelessly. "Part of that world..."
At that moment, two eels emerged, subtly concealed by some of the treasures.
"Ssssick of sssswimmin'?" said Flotsam.
"Out of the ssssea?" said Jetsam.
"Hmmmm," said the two eels in unison whispers.
The voices frightened Sebastian, for he was close enough to hear them, although he never saw the two eels of Ursula. However, he jumped at the sound of the eels' hissing voices, and he made a great racket. Ariel and Flounder both jumped at the sound, at looked back.
"Sebastian!" cried Ariel, worriedly.
"Ariel!" said Sebastian, mixed thoughts coming into his mind. "What are you- How could you- What is all dis?!"
Ariel thought for a minute before answering. "It's just my...collection," said Ariel with a slight sheepish laugh.
"Oh, I see," said Sebastian, holding up a fish hook. "Your collection," said Sebastian calmly. Then, he burst. "IF YOUR FATHER EVER KNEW ABOUT DIS PLACE, HE'D-"
"You're not gonna tell him, are you?!" asked Flounder fearfully.
"Oh, please, Sebastian!" pleaded Ariel. "He would never understand!"
"Ariel," said Sebastian, attempting to reason with her. "You're under a lot of pressure down here. I'll just take you home, and you can get someting warm to drink..."
"What do you suppose...?" said Ariel, looking up. A ship floated over them. The last time Ariel saw a ship floating over her was before the Triwizard Tournament, and, sadly, she had forgotten it. Ariel swam off towards the ship in curiosity, like she inwardly wanted to do the last time. However, this time, she was older. And her passion for adventure, wisdom, and even rule-breaking had grown stronger since she was only a fifteen year old mermaid.
"Ariel?" said Sebastian. "Ariel!" shouted Sebastian.
Ariel broke the surface. She saw a huge ship, festive music coming from it, as well as decorative bursts of light (known to us as "fireworks"). She smiled and laughed lightly.
Sebastian and Flounder came up after her. "Ariel, what are you-" began Sebastian. He gasped. "Jumping jellyfish...!" exclaimed Sebastian. Ariel began to swim in the direction of the ship. "Ariel! Wait! Please, come back!" shouted Sebastian.
Ariel swam up to a ladder that was on the ship's side, used for climbing in and out of the ship. She looked at all that was going on through a hole.
A dog was barking and enjoying himself as he danced to the music. Suddenly, his nose hit the air, and he got a scent of some unfamiliar smell. The dog came closer to Ariel. She gasped and hid, but when she looked back, the dog was waiting there, panting. He licked her face generously.
"Max!" a voice called, and it was a voice similar to one Ariel's heard before. But where?
Ariel watched as the dog, whom she assumed to be named Max, ran over eagerly to his owner, a tall, black haired young man, wearing a white shirt, with blue eyes. Ariel stared at the boy intently, knowing that somewhere she had seen such a face. But there was something about the eyes...his eyes...that were different than what she had remembered...
"Hey, sweetie!" called a loud voice. "Quite a show, eh?" The happy, bright face of Scuttle appeared, as he flew down to where Ariel was.
"Scuttle!" said Ariel in a hushed shout. "Quiet! They'll hear you!"
"Oh, I got you," said Scuttle, dropping his voice. "We're on investigation..." He then raised his voices again, as he lifted a wing dramatically. "WE'RE OUT TO DISCOVER!"
Ariel frantically grabbed his beak, and hastily said, "Shh!" She then resumed gazing at the boy, and said, "I've never seen a human this close before..." Although, she has seen a human closely twice, as a mermaid, but her memory was erased in both cases. "Isn't he handsome?" continued Ariel.
"I don't know," said Scuttle. "He looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me..." But Scuttle was looking at the dog, Max.
Ariel laughed. "Not that one!" said Ariel. "The one playing the snarfblat..." She indicated the boy, who was playing, what we would call, the flute.
Just then, an elderly man motioned with his hands to have the music cease. "It is with great honor," said the man, "that I bestow upon our esteemed Prince Eric with a very expensive, very large birthday present!"
The boy, who was inevitably Prince Eric all along, said to the man, "Oh, Grimsby, you old beanpole! You shouldn't have!"
The man, who was Grimsby, said, "I know..." He walked over to a large lump covered by a sheet. He took the sheet off to reveal a life-size statue of Prince Eric.
The crewmen laughed, Eric looked at it in disgust, and Max growled at it.
"Wow," said Eric, trying to sound impressed. "It's, uh, it's really something!"
"Yes, I commissioned it myself," said Grimsby proudly. "Although, I'd hoped it would have been a wedding present..."
"Oh, come on, Grim," said Eric irritably. "Don't start! You're not still mad that I didn't fall for that princess from Glowerhaven, are you?"
"Oh, Eric," began Grimsby. "It isn't just me. Everyone in the kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl!"
Eric hopped onto the ledge on the ship, carelessly looking out over the horizon. "Oh, she's out there somewhere," said Eric. "I just haven't found her yet."
Ariel looked up at Prince Eric, and smiled softly.
"Well," said Grimsby, "perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough."
"Believe me, Grim," said Eric, "I'll find her, I'll know. It'll just - bam! - hit me, like lightning!"