From a sea of foam and bubbles came a beautiful woman with red hair and ocean blue eyes. They named her Ariel. She loved music but she could not sing or dance. She had no voice and her every step felt like walking on a bed of needles. She cried every night for her misfortune.
One day, while strolling along a lake, the prince of saw the beautiful Ariel whose legs were submerged in the water, weeping at her reflection.
The prince approached her and asked her what was wrong. She wrote on her sketchbook that she could not speak nor walk and it made her feel worthless.
The prince took pity on her and became friends with her. They exchanged letters every day and soon his letters became her favorite part of the day. He too fell for her. She was especially beautiful whenever she smiled and blushed.
And so he proposed to her and she agreed. They were set to marry on the day of his coronation. He brought her to live in his castle.
Ariel was happy beyond belief but closer to their wedding, she heard people gossiping about who their prince was really going to marry. It must be the princess from a neighboring country who came to visit. She was beautiful, well-spoken and knew politics.
But some people knew the prince had already promised himself to someone. He himself said that but realistically, she was not a great match for him. The king himself said so.
And so the servants thought it couldn't possibly be that crippled lady who couldn't even speak. She only had her beautiful face. The princess was a way better match.
Ariel cried herself to sleep that night.
She tried to talk with the prince multiple times but he was too busy with his coronation. One night after hours of turning and twisting, she finally couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to talk with the prince.
She decided to go out but using her wheelchair would be noisy and she wouldn't be able to climb the stairs so she left it. She tried her best to walk. She could stand up but walking felt like being stabbed repeatedly in the feet. It was so painful she almost collapsed on the bottom of the stairs.
But she had just reached the stairs. Thinking of her threatened future with the prince, she took her first step up. And up. And up. She collapsed on her knees on top of the stairs. She was shaking because of the pain.
A guard noticed her and tried to help. She said she wanted to see the prince. He refused because it was the middle of the night but after much stubbornness from her, he sighed and gave in. He carried her and silently made way to the prince's door.
He gently put her down and told her he'll be nearby to bring her back after she's done. Then he left. She smiled and happily opened the door.
She heard it first before seeing it.
Two people, in the bed, doing things only married people do. Ariel just stood there, frozen, with her legs shouting in pain just by standing.
It went on for hours but they finished and fell asleep, clutching each other tightly. Ariel didn't know how to react and could only stand still for the entirety of it. She couldn't handle staying silent anymore and slowly closed the door as quietly as she could.
When she turned around, the guard was walking towards her. He smiled and asked if she was done. He gauged that two hours was enough time for people to talk. She just nodded blankly.
He carried her but she had no reaction. He didn't know what happened but he guessed they had a fight. And so, on their way down he kept telling her stories. He also made sure he walked slowly.
