The Imagination Latibule: The Little Mermaid - Eric

Chapter 3

Sebastian opened his mouth to protest, but he knew you were right. "You could have been hurt child. King Triton would have been devastated. Just... don't do it again."

"I won't," you said, although both of you knew you were lying. But it pacified Sebastian for the time being, and he left to attend to his crustacean duties, leaving you to spend your day daydreaming about the handsome Prince Eric, and the day you'd be able to be on land again.

The following day, whilst the princesses were clearing up the reef from debris damage, you decided to pay Ariel's grotto a visit. You adored her collection; heaven forbid Triton ever found out. Occasionally if you found human objects on the seabed, you would drop them off there. Whilst you never told Ariel it was you, she knew it was, and that's how your friendship blossomed. 

You swum through the vines hiding the entrance to Ariel's grotto to see an array of new trinkets, including the statue of Eric that sunk moments before he did. Then you saw Ariel arranging a group of what Scuttle called dinglehoppers, although you knew they were forks. That wasn't right; she should have been with her father. The only reason she wouldn't be was if...

A fight. You sighed. They had more and more of them, and you knew it would have been about humans. Ariel leant back against Eric's statue, sighing fondly. Oh, if only she knew what the real version of him was like. You were about to swim over to say hello, when you heard Sebastian swimming by, muttering in panic under his breath.

That couldn't be anything good. You decided that speaking to Ariel could wait, and instead secretively followed Sebastian on the well travelled path to Triton's throne room. You knew Sebastian could easily crack under pressure, and braced yourself for the worst, that little did you know, was yet to come. 

"The crab, Your Majesty," you heard the guard say as Sebastian scuttled through the entrance and you swum over the top, watching from the windows.

"Come over here, Sebastian," Triton said, almost mischievously.

"Breathe, Sebastian," Sebastian muttered to himself. "Remember, guilty is as guilty acts." 

"Don't overreact," you thought, hoping your wish would somehow reach him. "Remain calm."

"Yes?" Sebastian asked, his voice higher pitched than you'd ever heard a voice go. He cleared it with a cough. "Yes, Your Majesty?" 

"Sebastian, have you noticed that both Ariel, and y/n have been acting peculiar lately?" Triton asked.

"Peculiar, sir?"

"Mm-hmm. Distracted, daydreaming, disappearing for hours. You haven't noticed?"

"Say no, Sebastian," you quietly urged.

"Oh... Well, I, um... Uh, I actually haven't, you know, um... that is to say, I didn't, um..."

Triton held out a single finger, shushing Sebastian's who's stalked eyes receded into his head.

"Sebastian... I know you've been keeping something from me."

"Keeping something?"

"About Ariel, and y/n. Is my little one in love?"

You sighed with relief, bubbles escaping your lips as you clamped your hands over them to not reveal you were listening. King Triton thought that you and Ariel were sneaking around? You chuckled to yourself. He was wrong, but you were more than happy for him to keep thinking that if it kept him from the truth of the humans and grotto. 

But Sebastian didn't make the same connection you did. 

"Oh, I tried to stop her, sir! I tried to stop y/n from going to the surface! I told her to stay away from humans --"

"-- Humans? --"

"-- and when I saw Ariel with that statue, I..." 

"Humans?" Triton's rage was mighty as he flew from his chair, staring at Sebastian with his trident alight with fury.

You knew what was coming. You had to warn Ariel. 

You swam as fast as you could back towards the Grotto. Sebastian's loose lips would give away the location within a minute, and you had to get there first. 

But you weren't quick enough. As you shot through the vines, Ariel's name on your lips, you saw King Triton emerge from behind the statue. Ariel, face fallen, glanced at you, and then at Sebastian who was with Triton. 

"You broke the rules." Triton said, floating down towards you. "You went to the above world." It wasn't a question. He knew your guilt.

You breathed shakily. "There was a shipwreck. A man was drowning." 

"She had to save him," Ariel said, immediately taking your side.

"You should have let him drown. They're savages."

"You don't know that," Ariel cried.

"They killed your mother."

"But that was one man. Why blame every human?" you protested. "She wouldn't."

"Enough," Triton shouted. "That's enough from you y/n. And you, my daughter. This collection, this... obsession. It has to end." He raised his trident to the statue and you both cried out. 

"Eric had nothing to do with it," you shouted, before realising you couldn't take back what you'd said.

"Eric? Eric? Have you lost your senses completely?"

"If you would have just heard him, Your Majesty. He's compassionate and kind and--"

"He's a human! You're a mermaid!"

"But that doesn't make us enemies," Ariel fought.

"Promise me you will never look for him again. And you will never go to the surface," Triton said. Both you and Ariel shook your heads.

"I can't," she said.

"Promise me, Ariel!" 

"I can't lie to you. I won't."

Triton looked at you, expecting you to promise so Ariel would follow your lead, but you didn't meet his eye as you shook your head. "I can't either. I'm sorry." 

"I swear, I will get through to you," he said, and then he raised his trident, swimming upwards to the centre of the room. 

"No! Please!" you cried as Triton destroyed half of the grotto with a single pulse from his trident.

"Father, stop!" Ariel begged as she grabbed the weapon, but he pushed her away, destroying more of the trinkets as they turned to ash.

"It's for your own good," he said, and both you and Ariel let out a gut-wrenching cry as he destroyed Eric's statue. When the dust settled, you floated there numbly, watching as Ariel curled up with the remaining stone, crying softly. 

Triton paused as he swam by you to leave, and you held in a feeble sob as he pressed the tallest point of his trident to your chest, a blue glow transferring from you to it. You felt your tail go numb, and knew immediately what he had done.

 "You will never set a foot on land as long as you live."