Ariel

Prologue

"Madam Gertrude!" The guard shouted. He was getting quite annoyed with the lack of help around here. The queen was due any second and there was no one in sight.

"Madam Gertrude!" He tried again. She had to be around here somewhere. He internally sighed upon seeing a young, servant girl walking towards him. She curtsied before speaking.

"Sir, why is it that you're yelling for my mother?" She asked innocently. Her brown hair was neatly pulled into a braid that framed the left side of her face.

The girl's eyes only made her look even more innocent and naive. Large doe eyes that could make anyone melt.

"The king and queen are in need of her services." He said with no such emotion.

The young girl gasped slightly.

"Right away sir!" She said before she scurried off into the narrow passageways.

The guard rolled his eyes. Why does nobody keep him informed? The king will not be very happy to hear that Gertrude was not prepared for her duties.

His thoughts ceased once he saw the young girl leading Gertrude towards him.

"Madam Gertrude, could you please learn the importance of punctuality when needed by such royals?" He chastised. She bowed her head in shame.

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again." She apologized.

"I would hope not. Come, the king and queen are waiting." He said as he led her up to their bedroom. The queen was laying in bed as the king was kneeling on the floor holding her hand.

"Gentlemen, will you please leave the king and queen with just my presence?" Gertrude asked. The king nodded to his men as they all exited the room and closed the door.

"My queen, are you ready for me to begin?" Gertrude asked.

"Yes, please just make this pain go away." The queen begged. Gertrude was quick in cleansing her hands in alcohol, and wetting a rag with cold water.

"My king, take this rag to place upon her forehead, it'll help keep her temperature down." She graciously informed him as she spread the queen's legs.

"When I say push, I want you to give me a big push, okay?" Gertrude told the queen. The queen nodded before moaning in pain again.

"Ready, and, push!" Gertrude shouted. The queen gave a large push which resulted in partial progress being made.

"Come on! You're doing great! Push!" She coaxed. The queen obeyed and pushed some more.

"This is the last one, push!" The queen cried out in agony as she gave one final push. The little baby was finally freed.

"Great job, Mary, you did great." Gertrude heard the king whisper to the queen. The queen smiled before looking to me for her baby.

I wrapped the little baby in a pink blanket, and handed her over to her family.

"Congratulations, it's a girl!" Gertrude praised.

"What shall we name her, Patrick?" The queen asked.

"How about, Ariel?" Patrick suggested. Mary nodded.

"Our little Ariel." She kissed her baby's cheek. Gertrude helped the queen clean up before heading down to hug her own daughter, Lily.

The king and queen fell in love with their daughter instantly. Everyone in the kingdom knew of the child, and they couldn't be happier.

Everyone knew that baby Ariel would be married to someone of higher power. How could she not? With her golden hair, ocean eyes, and perfect complexion, every prince and king would long for her.

Over time, it wasn't just her looks that attracted people. It was her personality. The way she helped the poor kids like they were of higher rank, and the way her kindness radiated off of her in waves.

Everybody loved her.

It was also the fact that she could do al out anything she set her mind to. She had a melodic voice that could soothe trolls, and instrumental skills that could mistaken her for a mozart.

She was both loved and envied by everyone she met. The king and queen couldn't be happier. However, the king and queen wanted only the best for their little girl.

It was a tough decision, but they had to ensure that Ariel would have a husband when the time came. She was set to marry the neighboring kingdom's heir, Sir Carter.

They would have to wait a while, but they didn't know how fast those 16 years would fly by before they could even grasp them.