"I just don't know what were going to do with you, young lady," King Triton said. Ariel had swum as fast as she could but the concert was long done when she made it to the castle. Now she was inside, standing before the kings throne.
"Daddy, I'm sorry, I just forgot," Ariel defended. She stood timidly, with her hands clasped behind her back.
"As a result of your careless behavior-"
"Careless and reckless behavior!" Interrupted Horatio Thelenious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian, the Crab court composer, from above the Kings golden crown. Everyone called him Sebastian for short.
"-the entire celebration was, uh..."
"Well, it was ruined! That's all! Completely destroyed!" Sebastian swam up to Ariel and heartedly continued, "This concert was supposed to be the pinnacle of my distinguished career." Then he pointed at Ariel. "Now thanks to you, I am the laughing stock of the entire kingdom!"
At this, Flounder, who had been standing right outside, stood in front of Ariel and said, "But it wasn't her fault!"
Upon seeing the proud king, he felt his fear set in once more. King Triton was a hell of sight, with a long, white beard and intelligent grey eyes. He was a large man, as in he had broad shoulders and chest.
Flounder gulped. "Uh, oh, first, uh, the shark chased us. Yeah, yeah. And we tried to... but we couldn't, and he," Flounder growled, "and, And we woah," he spun and then sighed. "And then we were safe. But then the seagull came, and it was, 'this is this, and this is that, and-'"
"A seagull?" Asked King Triton, registering what that meant. Founder gasped and covered his mouth, hiding in Ariels red hair as she gave him an angry look. "What? Oh! You went up to the surface again, didn't you?" He stood up and swam forward. "Didn't you?"
Ariel gave a weak smile and said, "Nothing happened..."
King Triton scoffed. "Ariel, how many times must we go through this? You could've been seen by one of those barbarians, by one of those humans!"
"Daddy, they're not barbarians," Ariel snapped.
"They're dangerous. Do you think I want to see my youngest daughter snared by some fish-eaters hook?" He held up her face by the chin but she pulled back.
"I'm 16 years old. I'm not a child any-"
King Triton raised his voice and said, "Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young lady! As long as you live under my ocean, you'll obey my rules!"
Ariel clicked her tongue in frustration. "But if you would just listen-"
"Not another word! And I'm never, never going to beat of you going to the surface again. Is that clear?"
Ariels lips trembled and she fled the scene with Flounder behind her.
Flounder helped her get the coral colored bag and they made sure no one was around before heading to their secret place.
She moved the rock that covered the entrance of the cave, looking around once more before going in. The rock closed behind her. She looked up at the blue tinted cave. It would be lightless for not the hole at the top. It was too small for Ariel to fit through but let in enough light to luminate the cave. The moonlight reflected off the many shiny, human objects held inside. There were rows upon rows of the many artifacts and trinkets Ariel had collected over the years. Her collection. Precious and dear to her heart.
Ariel often times came to dote upon them, looking through and organizing the hundreds of items. But today sh did not. She laid over a rock at the bottom, inspecting the dinglehopper sadly.
"Ariel, are you okay?" Asked Flounder.
"If only I could make him understand," Ariel answered. "I just don't see things the way he does. I don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad." She held up the dinglehopper. "Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?" She placed it next to a knife and spoon on a candle holder. "Wouldn't you think my collections complete?"
"Well you seem to have everything," Flounder said.
She looked up at her collection. "I mean, just look at this trove. How many wonders can one cavern hold?" She sighed. "Lookin around here you'd think as you do, 'sure, she's got everything'."
Ariel swam up and bubbles surrounded her as she showed Flounder a few trinkets that jingled. "I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty, I've got whozits and whatzits galore."
Ariel smiled took out a wooden box to reveal the instruments in side. "You want thingamabobs? I got 20." But then she sadly put it back. "But who cares, no big deal, I want more."
She laid over a rock and looked at the shimmering moon reflected off it, it's slow swaying to match the waves up above. "Flounder, I want to be where the people are." She looked at a stone figure of two people dancing. "I wanna see them dancing, walking around on those..." she paused. "What do ya call 'em?" Founder held up his tail fins. "Oh, feet."
Flounder giggled.
Ariel looked down, she had no feet. "It's just that flipping your fins, you don't get too far. Legs are required for jumping, dancing, strolling along down a," she held Flounders fin. "What's that word again? Street."
Ariel swam up to the hole in the cave. "Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun." A school of fish pass by. "Wandering free, how I wish I could be part of the world."
Ariel allowed herself to sink to the floor. "What would I give if I could live out of these waters? What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?" She smiled at the thought.
Then Ariel flipped over and put on a thinking face, her hair flowing lightly around her. "Betcha on land, they understand, you know? That they don't reprimand their daughters." She perked up. "Bright young women, sick of swimming," she looked back up at the hole. "Ready to stand."
Ariel took a book from one of her shelves. "I'm ready to know what the people know." Ariel showed Flounder. "Ask them my questions and get some answers." Ariel looked at a painting that had a burning candle. "Like what's a fire and why does it- what's the word? Burn."
Ariel swam to the hole above the cave once more. "When's it my turn, wouldn't I love to explore that shore up above?" She reached out with her hand, yearning to get out of the sea, wishing she could be part of that world. The human world.
Founder looked at her sadly as she retracted her hand and sank back down.
That's when there was a lot of sudden crashing and splashing around. Flounder hid in a helmet and Ariel gasped. She noticed a crab tangled in her things.
"Sebastian," Ariel said, the accordion he had landed on playing softly.
He coughed, spitting out the pipe in his mouth, and jumped up. "Ariel, what are you- how could you- what is all this?" He pushed away a pearl necklace.
Ariels mind raced for an answer and she played with her hands nervously. "It's uh... it's just my collection." She tittered and grabbed at her floating hair. She tugged at lightly, how could she be this stupid?
"Oh, I see," Sebastian said sarcastically, with a wide smile as he observed a fish hook. "Your collection, hmm." He threw threw fish hook angrily. "If your father knew about this place!-"
Flounder swam to him and in a begging matter asked, "you're not gonna tell him, are you?"
"Oh, please, Sebastian," Ariel implored. "He would never understand."
Sebastian smiled with his huge teeth and said in his Jamaican accent, "Ariel, you're under a lot of pressure down here. Come with me, I'll take you home and get you something warm to drink."
He was genuine. Yes. Sebastian wanted Ariel to be happy. He was only tough on the exterior, a shield he had built up for himself. He knew her well after all their practices for the Concert. Sure, he was still furious about her missing it and therefore putting a black taint on his reputation, but he understood her.
Sebastian tried to lead Ariel by the hand to take her home. But there was rumbling and Ariel looked up to see a dark shadow passing above. In fact, everything under the sea seemed to darken. "What do you suppose...." She swam out of the cave and upwards.
"Ariel..." Sebastian said. Then he said a little louder, "Ariel?"
It was as if she couldn't hear him. It was as if Ariel had not just been yelled at by her father. She swam to the surface, the place she knew she couldn't go to.
Ariel broke the surface of the water, looking around at the rainy scene. Dark clouds moved about lazily above her. If only the ocean could have taken a piece of that calmness. It was horrible, thrashing waves coming over her every second. She wiped the hair from her face looking up at a magnificent ship. She could hear the sailors struggling above deck.
Sebastian and Flounder found their way up as well.
"Jumpin' jellyfish!" Said Sebastian when he saw the human ship.
Ariel smiled, despite the gloomy storm, and made her way over. She effortlessly went through the waves, jumping about as a dolphin would. All the while Sebastian would call after her, "Ariel? Ariel! Please! Come back!"