The Palace Guard [Treasure Planet/The Little Mermaid]

Chapter 23 - Part 2: War with Ursula

Well everyone, it's time for the battle! Warning: there will be a bit of violence and gore, so if you're a child or are very squeamish, feel free to jump ahead or skip it.

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"Are you sure we can trust a crab and a fish?"

Silver had asked that for the tenth time in the past hour. After they found Flounder and Sebastian swimming in the very tide pool Ariel mentioned, Jim had asked the both of them to go down and ask Ursula to come up to the surface for a final show-down that evening. Both sea creatures reacted as if they hated the idea, but if they wanted Ariel back, then it was worth going to the sea witch a second time. Well, third, if the visit with the sea witch where she took Ariel's voice was included. They hesitated and looked as if they communicated with each other, and they finally left. Honestly, Jim wasn't sure if they even understood him.

"We have to hope," Jim said as he sat on a rock near the tide pool, and Silver stood off on the beach, on the wet sand. "Ariel said that they would understand us."

"Let's hope they did, Jimbo."

"Hey, if aliens and other creatures can talk to us on Montressor, then that fish and crab can understand us, right?"

"I suppose so. Why can that lass talk to them and not us?"

"Because she's a mermaid. She said back on Montressor that only sea creatures can talk to other sea creatures."

Jim gave up trying to convince Silver that Ariel's friends were helping. He sat there on the rock for a little while longer and watched Eric throw a stick for Max on the beach. Eric had said that he would vacate the premises as soon as the battle started. Lieutenant McHillen was off near the path up to the castle, speaking with a group of about two-dozen other cadets. All of them had their long guns and swords with them. Jim smirked, remembering how ecstatic all of them were to fight. He didn't blame them—he was bored stiff while he was a palace guard. He would have loved to see this kind of action. They planned on shooting holes through the octowoman. Well, Silver planned on blowing her up, but whatever worked to stop her. Would killing her stop the spell, though?

"Heads up!" A stick landed on a rock near Jim, and he looked over at Eric, who waved at him. "Sorry! The wind caught it!"

"It's alright!"

At that moment, a yellow fish swam into the tide pool, and the little red crab scurried onto the rock that the stick landed on. "Hey, Founder and Sebastian! So? What'd she say?" The crab nodded, and Jim exhaled. "She's coming? When we planned?" He nodded again, and Jim looked at Silver who got close to the tide pool. "See, Silver? Told you they understood us. They went down there and talked to her."

"Alright, alright, Jimbo, you proved me wrong. Look, the crab's waving at ya."

Jim looked atSebastian again, and the crab indeed waved at him with his claws. He put his claws down and started pointing to the ocean. "What? You're trying to tell me something..."

Sebastian made a gesture like he put something on his head, but Jim didn't understand what it. Giving up with that, Sebastian pulled some seaweed from the tide pool, put it on his head like hair, and then took up the stick that sat there on the rock. He stood as straight as a crab could. A lot of hair, the staff...

"King Triton?" Jim guessed, remembering all that gray hair and the trident that the sea king held that time he came to the surface to talk to Ariel. The crab nodded vigorously and threw off the seaweed and tossed the stick. Jim asked, "Wait, what about King Triton? Does he know about this?" The crab nodded, and Jim's pulse rose. "You talked to him? Is he coming?" The crab nodded, and Jim let out a gasp and stood up. He looked over at Silver with a shocked expression, and Silver had a similar expression cross his face. They both realized the same thing...