When Ariel awoke that morning, Eric was betrothed. Believing it was to her, she had run to meet him. She nearly collapsed when she saw a strange girl on the prince's arm.
Ursul, who had been standing in the shadows, saw the princess flee and smiled with wicked glee.
Upon the marriage's announcement, Eric was whisked away to plan the wedding while Bella was shut into her room to prepare. While the kingdom believed the future princess to be meditating on her future and taking counsel from her brother, the imposter was in fact being thrown down in bed by her lover.
She laughed wildly as Ursul leapt on top of her, immediately showering her in kisses.
"My jewel, my gem, my pearl!" He declared, kissing each of her cheeks and her nose. "How wonderfully you performed!"
She smiled, draping her arms around his neck as he tore her clothes open. He growled, pulling her legs around his hips. "These foreign appendages will never be as lovely as your true form."
She smirked and bent her knees, yanking his body to hers as she rolled him over so she straddled him.
He laughed and crossed his hands behind his head, looking up at her with amusement.
She sighed, tracing the muscles of his chest. "How far must I take the charade?"
Ursul frowned, sitting up so he held her in his lap. He took her chin in his fingers and turned her head back so she looked him in the eyes. "Until the last sunset." His gaze flickered suddenly to her lips. "Until the brat's time is up." He pulled her in for a deep, desperate kiss. As he pulled away he whispered, entwining his hand in her hair as he did. "Until we rule."
She sighed, nuzzling into him. "Until..."
He frowned at her sudden loss of energy, but leaned back in the bed and contented himself that she was his.
When servants came for them, they were clean and proper again, no one the wiser to their actions. Brother escorted sister to the ship and the two retired to separate chambers, on either side of the prince's.
Ariel had dived into the sea in an attempt to catch the ship and her sea life friends were doing their best to get her there.
Ursul was standing at the back of the ship, watching the sun lower with pure anticipation, a wicked gleam in his eyes. He leaned on the rail with both hands, savoring the dying light for all it was worth. When he saw the fiery red of Ariel's hair approaching on the water, he only laughed, joyfully anticipating even that coming confrontation.
The wedding began calmly enough, the lovely bride being escorted by the loyal butler at her brother's abdication. He stood at the back, on claim of wanting to take in the whole scene.
When the chaos began, Ursul was ready. The fish were allowed to flop and the birds to squawk because when Ariel climbed on board, silhouetted by the setting sun, Ursul grabbed her.
Ursul wrapped his arms around Ariel, pinning her limbs to her sides. He didn't need to worry about her screaming, since her voice was gone, and she was really too small to put up much of a fight. She had not recognized him at first, but his human form did not change his voice.
He held her tight to his chest and whispered in her ear, "When the sun sets on the third day..."
Ariel's eyes grew wide as she attempted to squirm from the witch's grasp. Ursul held her fast, grabbing her cheeks and forcing her to watch up the aisle as her prince wed another.
Ursul was unconcerned for his partner in crime. As chaos unfolded, she could not have been more calm. She used her fierce eyes and gentle voice to persuade the minister to continue, and held firm in her stance at the altar.
The shell, carefully tucked inside Bella's dress, was hidden from all, including the birds that pecked at her, desperately searching for it. She smirked as they tried, even winking at Scuttle, whom she recognized as Ariel's friend.
The bird fell back, startled, as something occurred to him. He began searching madly for Ariel.
Still at the back of the boat, Ariel watched with great pain as Eric said "I do."
Ursul laughed against Ariel, shaking her with it as he purred, "My compliments to your father, darling. Your guardian has proved quite the useful ally."
Ariel frowned in confusion, staring at the unknown bride's back as if willing the woman to turn.
Just as the last of the sun's rays bounced off the sea, the bride turned. She made eye contact with Ariel from the opposite end of the ship, and smiled, saying, "I d-"
And suddenly, the sun was gone. Ariel fell limp in Ursul's arms, her tail sprouting from her dress. With this change in events, the bride abandoned the altar mid phrase. Tearing off her veil and then her dress, Bella stood beside Ursul in her slip, smirking at Ariel as she tore the shell necklace from her throat and threw it down.
Ursul began cackling as golden smoke swirled up from the shell, releasing Ariel's voice and breaking the spell on Eric.
Ariel had her voice long enough to scream her prince's name and her prince had his freedom long enough to hear her before Ursul, with one arm around Ariel and one arm around Bella, fell backwards off the ship.
In the sea once more, Ursul used his regained tentacles to grab Ariel and drag her down to his cave.
Triton was waiting though, and blocked the path. When he demanded Ariel's freedom, Ursul simply laughed, presenting the king with the contract the princess had signed.
Upon his failure to destroy it, Triton turned to who he thought was a loyal guardian of his daughter and pleaded, "Do something."
Her eyes darkened and Triton fell back. Ursul smirked, lazily draping his arm around the former guardian. "Apologies, my king, but I've purchased her services for myself."
At the King's questioning frown, Ursul shrugged and kissed his partner's cheek.
She smirked, leaning into Ursul as she purred, "Everything has a price." She glided forward, leaving a pridefully smirking Ursul to hold the princess as his partner addressed the king. "What price would you put on your youngest daughter?"
Triton paled, gripping tightly to his trident.
The negotiator sighed and nodded. "The trouble children get us into."
Triton looked at her pleadingly. "How could you do this to us?"
She stiffened.
Triton waved towards Ariel. "You've practically raised her."
She frowned and turned up her nose. "No." She said plainly. "If I had, you wouldn't be in this mess." She held out her hand. "Now. What is your daughter worth to you?"
Ariel tried to scream out, but Ursul kept her mouth covered. She watched with tearful eyes as her father handed over the trident. The former king shriveled to the ground, his crown falling around him.
Ursul threw Ariel to the ground beside him, laughing as he picked up the crown. Turning to his partner, he set the crown on her head and kissed her passionately. She pulled back with a wicked gleam in her eyes as she pressed the trident into his hands.
