"Poor Arius..." Flounder sniffled.
"I didn't mean to tell, it was an accident!" Sebastian insisted.
Their chatter was interrupted by a large shadow swimming over them. They noticed that with two mysterious eels with a yellow eye each, Arius swan with them.
"A-rius? Where are you going?" He swam up to Arius' face. "A-rius, where are you going wit' all 'dis riff-raff?"
"I'm going to see Ursula," he responded without giving it much thought.
Sebastian gasped, trying to pull him back by his tail. "A-rius, no! She is a demon, she is a monsta!"
He glared back. "Why don't you tell my father? You're good at that." He brushed him off his tail, swimming away.
"But...but I..." Shaking off his guilt, he said to Flounder, "Come on!"
-
Flotsam and Jetsam swam towards a purple light in Ursula's lair. Arius stopped, rethinking going in, until they beckoned, "This way..."
He followed them in, passing shriveled up polyps, shrinking down upon seeing him. Arius looked at them disgustedly and a bit afraid. One latched onto his arm, screaming, but he pulled away, stopping at the entrance.
"Come in...come in, my child," a voice called. "We mustn't lurk in doorways...it's rude." A purple octopus crawled out, her tentacles spread out. "One might question your upbringing." She reached over, tussling Arius' bangs. "Ohhhhh, is this how they're wearing their hair back at the palace nowadays?"
Arius cringed away from her as she tossed his hair away from her.
"Of course, I wouldn't know." She let herself drop down completely. "I've been banished forever by your dear. Old. Daddy." She showed all her teeth through her big, painted lips, uglier than Arius could have ever imagined when she snarled at him, then thing away with absolutely no grace, but obviously the star of her own show. "Reduced to living in the wretched hovel for all eternity. And for what?" She pretended to let out a sob, looking even uglier, if possible. "Because I was ambitious?"
The eels looked back at her sadly.
"Because I made a few pitiful attempts to elevate my station in life?" She flopped onto one of the eels, her butt in the air.
"You tried to overthrow my father!" Arius reminded her, exasperated by her pity attempts.
Ursula laughed, waving him off. "Oh, these things get so blown out of proportion." More seriously, are added as she swam to her vanity, "At and rate, I've reformed. I only do good these days. Now then." She sat, rubbing hair gel in. "You're here because you have a thing for this human. This, er, princess girl. Not that I blame you. She is quite a catch, isn't she?" She chuckled, Arius trying not to swim away from just how weird this octopus lady was.
"Well, angelfish." She took out a shell-looking thing and squeezed it, red coming out. She coated her lips with it as she said, "The solution to your problem is simple." She pursed her lips, smacking off the excess. "The only way to get what you want...is to become a human yourself."
Arius gasped lightly, asking in disbelief, "Can you...do that?"
Ursula smirked, turning to him slowly. "My dear, sweet child. That's what I do!" She swam down to him. "It's what I live for. To help unfortunate merfolk. Like yourself!" Her tentacles wrapped around him as she swam up. "Poor souls with no one else to turn to..."
Ursula:
I admit that in the past I've been a nasty
They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch
She worked it by her eels, letting them circle her.
Ursula:
But you'll find that nowadays,
I've mended all my ways
Repented, seen the light, and made a switch
"True? Yes," she assured, getting right on Arius' face.
Ursula:
And I fortunately know a little magic
It's a talent that I always have possessed
A puff of purple came from her cauldron.
Ursula:
And here lately, please don't laugh
I use it on behalf of the miserable, the lowly, and depressed
She conjured up two puffs that turned into a fat mermaid and a nerdy merman.
[I have no idea if it's "here lately" or "dear lady". I've heard both. But Arius isn't a lady so whatever.]
She leaned in to Flotsam and Jetsam, whispering, "Pathetic."
Ursula:
Poor unfortunate souls
In pain, in need
This one longing to be thinner, that one wants to get the girl
And do I get them? Yes, indeed
She snapped her fingers, the mermaid thinning out and the merman buffing out. They hugged each other.
Ursula:
Those poor unfortunate souls
So sad, so true
Hidden away, Sebastian and Flounder coward down, hiding from the sea witch.
Ursula:
They come flocking to my cauldron, crying, "Spells, Ursula, please!"
And I help them? Yes, I do
Now, it's happened once or twice,
Someone couldn't pay the price
And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals
She held her hand out. The mermaid showed she and her boyfriend had nothing. So with a fist, she caused them to turn into polyps.
Ursula:
Yes, I've had the odd complaint,
But on the whole, I've been a saint
She grabbed a garland of pinkish seaweed, throwing it over her head, then shimmying down, her breasts shaking from how overweight she was.
Ursula:
To those poor unfortunate souls
"Now. Here's the deal." She wrapped a tentacle around Arius and swam him to the cauldron. "I will make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days. Got that? Three days." She held up three fingers and rolled the 'r' for emphasis. "Now, listen, this is important. Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get dear ol' princess to fall in love with you."
Three balls of light rose and fell in the cauldron before a crown rose up.
"That is, she's got to kiss you. Not just any kiss. The Kiss of True Love."
A heart rose in the middle of the crown, glowing bright.
"If she does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain human. Permanently."
An image of Arius running with legs rose. He smiled at it until Ursula continued.
"But, if she doesn't..." The figure grew a tail out of his bottom half. "...you turn back into a merman and you belong..." The essence got trapped in a seashell necklace that she had in her hands. "...to me."
"No, A-rius!" Sebastian cried, raising from his spot. Even Flounder got ready to swim out to help. Flotsam and Jetsam, though, tied them up, silently telling them to shut up.
Ignoring them, Ursula turned Arius' head to her. "Have we got a deal?"
"If I become human..." Arius looked away, realizing what it meant. "...I'll never be with my father or sisters again."
"That's right!" Ursula said in mock-realization, cupping her chin. "But...you'll have your girl." She chuckled, teasing, "Life's full of tough choices, innit? Well..."
Ursula:
Come on, I know you need a little magic
And magic is my specialty du jour
A bouquet popped up in Arius' hands before fading.
Ursula:
Don't just stand there looking sick
Would I kid you? Play a trick?
Like I told you, I don't do that anymore
Her tentacles dragged him away.
Ursula:
So I think you outta take my little bargain
Yes, I think you outta take my little deal
Sure, it's hard to leave your life,
But you could have a princess wife
Why don't you let me take that dream and make it real?
"Oh! And there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. You can't get what you want for something, you know." She turned away with superiority. [
"But I don't have any -" [Lies. You're a prince.]
"I'm not asking much. Just a token, really, a trifle. You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is...your voice."
Arius put his hand on his chest. "My voice?" he asked, a bit confused.
"You got it, sweetcakes. No more talking, singing, zip." She popped the 'p'.
"But without my voice...how can I -"
Ursula:
You'll have your looks
Your handsome face
And don't underestimate the importance of...
bOdY lAnGuAgE, hA!
She shook her hips, trying to look attractive.
Ursula:
The girls up there don't like a lotta blabber
They think a man who gossips is a bore
Yes, on land it's much preferred
For people not to say a word
And after all, dear, what is idle praddle for?
She took a few potion bottles and threw them from her shelf down into the cauldron.
Ursula:
Come on! They're
Not all that impressed with conversation
True gentlemen avoid it when they can
And she'll dote and swoon and fawn
On you, dear, if you're withdrawn
It's he who holds his tongue who's a real man
She threw a tongue in for food measure.
"COME ON, YOU..."
Ursula:
Poor unfortunate soul
Go ahead! Make your choice!
She popped up around Arius, then swam around the smoke that was floating up from her spell.
Ursula:
I'm a very busy woman and I haven't got all day
It won't cost much
Arius leaned over the cauldron, where the smoke had made two silhouettes about to kiss, but Ursula broke through it, screaming in his face.
Ursula:
Just ya voice!
You poor unfortunate soul!
It's sad, but true
If you want to cross the bridge, my sweet, you've got to pay the toll
A contracted and feather pen made of a fish's skeleton appeared in front of him.
Ursula:
Take a gulp and take a breath
Then go ahead and sign the scroll!
She leaned in to whisper to her minions.
Ursula:
Flotsam, Jetsam, now I've got "em, boys!
The boss is on a roll!
She twirled her tentacles together and flung herself up.
Ursula:
This poor. Un. Fortunate soul...
Arius grabbed the pen and signed on the line. He twirled the pen, letting the contract roll up and float back to Ursula, who grinned sadistically and finished up her potion.
Ursula:
Paliga, sarruga, come winds of the Caspian Sea
Now rings us glossitis and Mac laryngitis, la voce to me!
"Now, sing."
Arius:
Ah ah ah ah ah ah...
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah...
"KEEP SINGING!"
A pair of green hands crawled up to him and slithered down his throat, ripping out his voice box.
Arius:
Ah ah ah ah ah ah...
It pulled it out, Arius grasping his throat, his eyes wide. The hands bright out back to Ursula, sealing it in her seashell.
Arius' Voice:
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah...
Ursula began to cackle as Arius was raised up, the magic contouring hits body and splitting his tail in two sheds that limply hung. More light turned then solid and thicker, brown flesh covering them.
Once the light faded, Arius tried to make it to the surface, unable to kick. He tried to breath, but water filled his lungs, making him cough while he kept jumping for air.
Sebastian and Flounder rushed to him, each taking a leg. He kicked as hard as he could, the light coming closer.
A huge splash came out of the water as Arius rose, his hair matted back. Accompanied with his arms around his friends, he swam for shore.
-
"Don't worry, boys," Ursula assured her pets, putting the shell back around her neck. "He won't stand a chance without this. And just in case, I slipped a little somethin' extra in that spell of mine." She flopped around flamboyantly, declaring, "He'll kiss a princess, alright. But he won't remember which princess he needs to kiss. And it looks like his little friends got a wif of my smoke. Now it's just a matter of time. And then...he's mine..."
-
Erica looked out to the ocean, putting her flute down. "That voice...I can't get it out of my head..."
Y/n, by the sea, but not touching it, turned her head. "Great. You've gone crazy," she responded without missing a beat.
"Funny."
Max rubbed up against her leg, ears drooped.
"I've looked everywhere, Y/n...where could he be?"
-
Waking up, Arius moved his hair out of his face, just able to open his eyes. He looked down, remembering what had happened when he saw knees in the water. Slowly, he lifted one of his legs up and wiggled his toes, brightening.
"Well! Look at what the catfish dragged in!" Scuttle flew down, landing on his knee. "Look at ya! Look at ya! There's somethin' different!"
He nodded excitedly, not able to vocalize his excitement.
"Don't tell me, I got it...it's your hairdo, right? You've been usin' the dinglehopper, right?"
He shook his head, staying patient, but still excited.
"No? No, huh? Well, let me see...you wearin' makeup?"
He grinned, his sign for a no.
"No makeup."
Arius shook his leg, trying to give him a hint. Even as Scuttle bounced, however, he rattled on, "I gotta admit, I can't put my foot on it right now, but if I just stand here long enough I know that I'll -"
"HE'S GOT LEGS, YOU IDIOT!" Sebastian yelled at him, Scuttle jumping. "He traded his voice to da sea witch and got legs! Jeez, mon..."
"I knew that."
Arius tried to stand, completely naked, his legs shaking under him.
"Arius' been turned into a human!" Flounder explained. "She's gotta make the princess fall in love with him! And she's gotta ki...she's gotta kiss him!"
"And he's only got t'ree days!" Sebastian cried, adding stress on himself.
Arius fell over, landing in the water. Curiously, he began to poke at the thing that was where his tail used to be.
"Just look at him! On legs! On human legs!"
Bored with whatever that was down there, he stood again, gaining his balance better.
"My nerves are shot. This is a catastrophe! What would his fa'der say?! I'll tell you what his fa'der'd say!" He grabbed Flounder's face, still yelling. "He'd say he's gonna kill himself a crab, 'dat's what his fa'der'd say!" He began to march into the ocean. "I'm gonna march me-self straight home right now and tell him just like I shoulda done 'de minute -"
Arius dropped the piece of seaweed he had gotten stuck in his hair and, freaking out, picked Sebastian up, rapidly shaking his head at him.
"And DON'T YOU SHAKE YOUR HEAD AT ME, YOUNG MAN!"
He rolled his eyes.
"Maybe 'dere's still time. If we could get 'dat witch to give you back your voice, you could go home eit' all 'de normal fish and just be...just be..."
Arius' panic had turned into sadness, his eyes becoming big and pouting.
"...just be mi-ser-a-ble for 'de rest of y'ur life." He shook his head, muttering at himself. "Alright, alright. I'll try to help you find 'dat princess..."
He went from his sad puppy face to a grin once Sebastian promised. Kissing his head, he set him down.
"Boy, what a soft-shell I'm turned out to be..."
Scuttle flew to some wreckage from a ship nearby, picking up the sail. "Now, Arius, I'm tellin' ya, if you wanna be a human, the first thing you gotta dress like one. Now lemme see..."
-
"If Grimsby walks me down the aisle, will you give me away?" Erica asked as they walked along the beach, Max still at their feet.
"If you ever find the mystery boy, sure," she teased.
Max raised a brow and began to sniff in the sand, then ran off, barking.
"Max?"
"What, Max?"
They ran after him, kicking up sand in their skirts as they ran after the dog.
-
Scuttle held out his feathers, sizing Arius up. The sail had been tied around his waist, his chest left bare, so he looked very similar to how he did as a merman.
"You look great, kid. You look sensational."
Hearing something bark, Arius looked over frantically, seeing a furry animal run at him. He tried to run away, but it kept yapping at his heels. Looking around, he found a rock and got on top of it, the dog still barking from below.
"Max!"
"Max!"
Two girls ran over to him, one of them tugging at him to get him away. "Quiet, Max. What's gotten into you, fella?" She looked up, seeing Arius on the rock. "Oh...oh, I see."
Seeing her, he fixed his hair, smiling at her.
"Are you okay, sir?"
The other girl stayed behind with Max to keep him back, but then looked at him, her mouth dropping. She choked on calling out his name. Instead, she walked over to him, trying to play it cool in front of Erica. "I'm really sorry about him. But I swear, he's harmless."
Erica reached down to pet him, but then looked at Arius, who was still smiling at her. "You...seem very familiar to me..."
'Oh no.'
"Have we met?"
He nodded, basically ignoring Y/n. She had thought he would be happy to see her, but patiently waited.
"We have met." She grabbed his hands, her tone picking up speed. "I knew it! You're the one! The one I've been looking for! What's your name?"
Max, noticing Y/n trying to hide disappointment, cocked his head, but licked her hand, anyway.
"Arius."
But no sound came out. Disappointed, he put his hand on his throat.
"What's wrong? What is it?"
He tapped on his chest.
"You can't speak?"
He shook his head, pouting again, wanting for Erica to remember him...for some reason?
"Oh...then you couldn't be who I thought you were..." She looked away, embarrassed and upset.
Annoyed for Y/n that everyone was still ignoring her, Max lew fur out of his face. Arius did the same with his bangs. Then he brightened, trying to motion with his hands.
"What is it? You're hurt?"
He shook his head, trying to make waves.
"You need help?" Y/n suggested.
He nodded, losing his balance and falling into her arms.
No no no this is wrong this is wrong what's going on
"Oh...wow...you must've been through Hell."
He nodded, the weird feeling going away when Erica wrapped an arm around him and led him away. "Don't worry. We'll help you. Come on. Come on, you'll be okay."
He tried to look helpless when facing her, but then grinned at his friends, Flounder oblivious under the spell and Scuttle just...well...Scuttle.
But then he saw the other girl by his side.
"Arius?" she whispered.
He raised an eyebrow, confused, then turned away, Y/n stopping in the sand.
"Oh, boy..." Sebastian crawled at her feet. "Come wit' me, child. We've got a lot of explainin' to do."