#ariel wanted to explore land before she even met eric she wants to KNOW things and was adventurous and curious | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

fearsbellsarchived · 5 years ago

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[me? Thinking about a gf fairytales au instead of being productive? More likely than u think!!! think ou.at buT BETTER and w/o the real world dimension hopping part. under the cut bc i just copy/pasted my tags from forever ago to put them in one place

mabel and dipper are hansel and gretal

paz is sleeping beauty

bill is maleficient

if we’re gonna get disney about it wendy as merida

i LOVE the idea of tambry as rapunzel???

mabel can also be like...eric from the little mermaid

so mermando can be ariel

gIDEON AS URSULA/VANESSA IN THAT VEIN THO

bill is also rumplestilskin

stan can be the huntsman (idk from which story cause theres a fEW BUT)

ford is the sorcerer from fanstasia

ford is teaching dipper magic....and instead of a true love’s kiss that’s how he wakes paz (maybe?)

the northwests made a deal w bill like in the most famous version of rumplestilskin but instead of wanting paz for himself he just wanted to steal her body at 16

so when they lose the deal they ask for help from ford and ford’s like “yo i can maybe change the deal??? a little bit???” so instead of bill taking her over when he goes to she falls asleep

so dipper wasnt supposed to wake her up but he found her and fords notes and he and mabel went on an adventure

bill is all the villains

billains

so stan has to leave mabel and dipper in the woods (idk y it wasnt for long the twins are just impatient) so stan disappears and the twins are like “lETS EXPLORE THE WOODS”

they come across some creepy old house w a lot of spiderwebs (can u guess the villain yet?)

an older woman comes out and is like “why are you guys lost in the forest?”

mabel points to the glitter trail “we’re not lost”

dipper looks behind them ‘mabel!!! where’s all the glitter?!”

(ACTUALLY MAYBE ITS YARN???)

so they lose the trail

meanwhile stan is losing his fucking mind

he follows the stray glitter but it’s blown all over

he feels “LOST IN THE WOOOOODDDS!!!”

so the old lady offers for them to stay the night bc its getting late

dipper is SUPER sus but he plays it cool surprisingly

mabel is So In!

long short...stan eventually saves them from darlene’s trap

usually shes just a maneater but look

when u live in the woods u do what u can

so stan hauls them back to their cottage

dipper knew there was weird shit out there but he wants MORE

he starts going through his great-uncle’s journals (*cue the dipper squee*)

he reads about bill and his deal w paz’s parents

he’s like....’maybe we should rescue her?’

ford wont tell him why they cant

so dipper and mabel sneak out

they steal the grunkles’ boat

mabel falls over board???

dipper tries like HELL to save her

but then he sees mermando save her

SO MABEL IS SAVED BY MERMANDO!!!

gideon (who had long-loved mabel from afar) finds out

he visits the merman to trick him

all mabel remembers is his voice

so YES mermando trades his voice for legs just like the movie

sue me okay w his distinct accent it makes sense!!!

so the twins get sidetracked bc mermando shows up out of nowhere

they dock on a small island for a pit stop and thats when ‘kiss the girl’ happens

they dont kiss so they move on

they dock on another stretch of land the next day

AND GIDEON APPEARS

the twins have only heard about him from their grunkles so mabel hears his voice and goes *heart eyes*

mermando is Distressed

dipper is Focused on getting to this sleeping princess

mabel makes fun of him for liking her

SO GIDEON HAS MERMANDOS VOICE!

at one point dipper catches him w/o the amulet that makes him sound like mermando

and he tells mabel and its kinda like “the hand that rocks the mabel” or whatever the ep was called

it takes dipper and mermando being threatened (and gideons voice slipping) for her to catch on and she breaks up w him

dipper wants to throw him overboard

they just leave him on the next inhabited island they find

mermando got his kiss but decides to go back to the ocean anyway

he promises to write

mabel is Sad

SO BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED ADVENTURE!

the twins come across a land near the one paz is on and decide to stop for food and to stretch their legs and other hygiene things

they find out there’s some archery thing going on and mabel is like ’ooooh can we try?!’

turns out its for neighboring kingdoms’ princes to win a princess

mabel and dipper think this is RIDICULOUS so they crash it

mabel steps up to shoot and everyone’s like ‘wHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?’

then dipper steps up beside her. neither of them have shot a bow before

they shoot at the same time. mabel’s like thisclose to the bullseye. dippers too far right

THEN!!! PRINCESS WENDY COMES OUT OF NOWHERE

DIPPER AND MABEL ARE IN AWE OF THIS VALKYRIE. THEYRE BOTH READY FOR HER TO KILL THEM BC THEY THINK ITLL BE AWESOME

but wendy is like ‘ACTUALLY ILL SHOOT FOR MYSELF THANKS’ and splits like three arrows down the middle w her accuracy

she looks at mabel and dipper and is like ‘u dudes look fun! ive never seen u before who are u???’

and they’re like ‘WELL!’ and launch into detail about their adventure w overlapping voices and sound affects and VAST description

anyways. i cant decide how old people are rn okay

so wendy is like “hey dad??? im going on an adventure w these guys!” and her dad is like “unusual but u DID just win ur own hand. so ill allow it”

“YES! can i take soos too?!”

“sure!”

sO THEYRE OFF AGAIN!!! lemme tell u the ship is filling faST!!!

they get to paz’s land. and the first thing they find is a girl in a tower with long purple hair.

everyone is pretty much just making ‘wtf’ faces for like....ten minutes.

finally wendy calls up the tower like “YO! WHATS W ALL THE HAIR?!”

tambry leans out the window w a bored expression and goes “its mine. im tambry. who r u?”

they introduce themselves and are like “u wanna come on our adventure?”

then....ROBBIE APPEARS!

and he knows where the princess is!!!

”oh yeah. her. shes also in a tower. its got a door but its guarded by gnomes.”

then robbie climbs tambrys hair pecks her cheek and ducks in the tower

they decide to head for the tower robbie directed them to. but they have to pass the castle. Northwest Castle

robbie warned them about the northwests. said that the princess was one and before she disappeared she was the snottiest brat hed ever met

so they became friends despite the fact that he plays music for a living (and not very well either)

her parents told her of the spell when she was twelve

so robbie’s like “they are not nice people and neither was she??? most of the townsfolk are glad shes asleep tbh”

but dammit! dipper came here for an adventure!!! he wasnt going to stop just bc the princess wasnt what he expected!

so they continue on!

mabel is like “maybe she doesnt KNOW how to be nice!”

and soos is just excited to be there!

and wendy is just...u kno...chill

they start to get close to the castle and they feel like they’re being watched

and then soos notices the PEACOCKS!

they assume theyre spies for the king and queen. which is half true?

they can also warn bill if someone is near pacifica

oh damn imagine that

being stuck asleep w a DREAM DEMON in ur head

sorry for the accidental psychological torture paz

WHICH IS THE ONLY TORTURE SHES HAD!

i think to make up for risking her life as a baby ther parents were like “we’re just gonna spoil u rotten and PRETEND u do no wrong eVERYTHING IS FINE”

so dipper is reading the journal and he FINALLY gets to the true loves kiss part of the deal

and he looks around at the party like “oh shit true love what do we do???”

mabel suggests he at least try and everyone agrees that yeah okay thats the back up plan

but dipper wants to use a SPELL!!!

so the king and queen see him w the journal and remember ford having the same one

so everyone is brought to the king and queen

theyre like “pRINCESS GWENDOLYN?!”

bc this is MY STORY and if i wanna give wendy a more princess-y name thEN I WILL

i say as i continue to refer to mason as DIPPER!!!

SO THEYRE MEETING THE NORTHWESTS!!!

wendys like “yes that is me the princess” and then everyone else introduces themselves...w dipper introducing himself as mason bc it just sounds more fairytale-y

soos is jesus (hey zeus! not jee sus)

soos is like....wendys bff/personal servant but mostly bff

so they explain their adventure to the northwests as quickly as possible

preston is no patient man and he’s is like “tbh its probably important she be here for her 18th bday soooo??? as long as she wakes up by next year why not???”

but only bc dipper was like “i wANNA USE MAGIC I DONT WANNA KISS HER THATS PLAN B!!!”

plus u kno...even if he DOES whats the guarantee itll work???

the guarantee is me being a filthy shipper tHATS WHAT!!!

so they continue to the tower!

there is probably a sidequest thingy with giffany bc i liked that episode

also soos needs more screentime im sorry

SO THEN!!! FINALLY!!!! THEY MAKE IT TO THE TOWER!!!

WHICH IS!!!

IN FACT!!!

GUARDED

GNOMES!]

also theres a manotaur/multi-bear sidequest i just thought of bc i like THAT episode!!!

is this gf, a fairytale, sk.yrim, or a d.n.d campaign now??? WHO KNOWS!!! ITS NOT ME!!!

SO THEY GOTTA GET PAST THE GNOMES!

first they offer safe passage in exchange for mabel as their queen

after thats declined theyre like “or the redhead. well take her!”

this is also declined

finally jeff tells them to attack

at first the party tries to fight them off and they do okay

uNTIL SOME GNOME WEAPONIZED SCHMEBULOCKS RAINBOW PUKE!!! (i think it’s toxic tbh but i dONT REMEMBER)

finally mabel just pulls out her trusty crosSbow (aka “GRAPPLING HOOK!”) and they just make a tightrope to the window above the door

wendy goes first and NAILS it

then everyone else follows

soos almost falls and gets left to the gnomes but everyone helps him balance and they all make it through the window

coincidentally. the window leads to the princess’s room

OH MAN WHY DIDNT I USE THE PTERODACTYL?!

oh well. anyways.

everyone is looking around the room and like...taking it all in

dipper takes a moment...then walks over to the princess

he isnt sure if waking her will also wake the demon

crossover even more w my old paciphera au??? idk probably not

so dipper tries the spells he narrowed it down to

none of them work

all his friends have returned to the princess’s room and mabel is like “u gotta kiss her brobro!”

so dipper...poor poor dipper...just leans forward and kisses her

paz pretty much snaps her eyes open when dipper is a half inch from her face while he’s pulling back

and even tho she was forewarned she wasnt expecting DIPPER so she SCREAMS

dippers ears are ringing

she shuts her eyes and stills her breathing and sits up.

AND SEES EVERYONE ELSE AND SCREAMS AGAIN

“i dIDNT EXPECT U TO BRING *FRIENDS*!”

so once shes a little more calm they explain the whole adventure to her

paz feels a little honored they came all this way just for her

also since True Love beats everything bill is like.....back in his home dimension. also paz has been fighting him for like....over a year.

so paz is like....ready to Go. u kno. just wants to go HOME.

they get pazs shit together and exit the tower through the door

she says goodbye to the gnomes. all by name.

“oh yeah mom and dad made them my personal guard when i was like...eight. theyve been prepping for this my whole life. they’ll meet me back at the castle.” so then she starts telling them about herself and her last like

two years of being asleep w a DREAM DEMON

“sometimes i got the weirdest nightmares??? and they never ended. but when i woke up i couldnt remember anything specific.”

she and dipper talk away from the group. he tells her about how hes her true love and everything “okay well. we’ll have to lie to my parents and say it was a spell. bc they will NOT approve of us being true loves and if they hurt you...”

“then they hurt *you* too!” dipper finishes (idk maybe a combo w a soulmate au thing?)

meanwhile mabel is like...whining about boy problems??? and wendy is like “this is y boys r dumb.”

soos is like...wandering off. I WANNA INCORPORATE MELODY BUT WHO SHOULD SHE BE?!

paz and dipper start like....arguing about how to deal w her parents

apparently they actually ARENT that nice. if she doesnt marry a prince they’ll give her over to bill completely...or something idk

SO theyre nearing the castle!!!

theyve written theyre grunkles okay no worries. also mermando.

thats y mabels complaing about boys.

mermando and that manatee wife of his!!!

paz is not exactly ready to face her parents so she convinces the party (roll for charisma) to go the long way

which is actually just circles

anyways

we run back in to melody and soos and the party is like ‘wHOOPS WE DIDNT EVEN NOTICE GLAD U DIDNT GET EATEN BY A SPIDER LADY!

maybe melody is like....a fairy???

something light and ‘childish’ bc thatd fit her personality

soos is like “ive BEEN here. u dudes have been going in circles.” and everyone glares at paz.

“im sorry!!! i just dont want to go back!!!”

“ur dad made us promise to have u back for ur 18th bday.” says dipper while he tries to stay mad at his future wife

paz is like “YEAH SO HE CAN MARRY ME OFF TO A PRINCE!!!”

idk why paz and dips are being better at being soulmates here okay i was like....sleep-drunk when i first wrote this

so the party has a choice to make.

take paz back home where she wont be able to be w her TL (which in some cases has probably led to death) OR!!!

sneak her out and take her home w them?!

wendys probably gotta go back to her own kingdom tho.

and soos wants to stay w melody

U KNOW WHAT I JUST REALIZED?!

sTAN NEVER GOT TO BE SOOS’S DAD!!!!

SORRY SOOS!!!

so anyways

mabel and dipper decide to help her sneak out

luckily she knows all the blindspots

it takes longer but they finally make it back to their ship

they say theyre goodbyes to soos and melody and paz wishes them well in her kingdom. she promises to return when shes ready to rule

they load the ship and sail to wendys kingdom next

they stay a few days to recuperate

paz has trouble sleeping bc when she does the nightmares come back.

cue a kat.niss/pee.ta thing where paz sleeps next to dips bc it keeps the nightmares away

wendy has to explain why soos isnt w them to her dad who kinda shrugs it off?

“u proved u can protect urself.” or something.

after like.....a whole fucking year the twins are heading home.

paz and dipper sleep together on the ship too bc its just fucking easier

paz is nervous to meet the grunks

she and dipper arent exactly....dating??? its def more like soulmate au

where theyre AWARE theyre supposed to be together but they dont even rly know if they WANT to be together.

paz is p much “i dont rly wanna be w anyone else. ill let u kno if that changes.” and dips is like “tbh same.”

mabel is already planning a big royal wedding.

iDK Y BUT I WANT THEM TO FIND OUT THEYVE BEEN ROYALTY ALL THIS TIME??? probably just bc i LOVE that trope!!! but theyre not so its whateves.

so they FINALLY get home. mabel has been writing letters this whole time. to mermanso. to soos and melody. to wendy.

shes the captain of the dip.ifica ship and shes gotta keep her crewmembers in the know!!!

the twins also wrote to the grunks the whole time so!!!! no worries!!!

paz tries writing to her parents...but she can never find the right words.

meeting the grunks isnt as bad as she thought???

stan loves her off the bat. partially bc shes rich and bc she doesnt take shit

ford is pleased to meet the girl he saved and shes v v thankful to him for saving her life as best he could.

it takes her like a YEAR to write the letter.

she promises her parents she’ll return. AFTER shes married.

at this point she and dipper ARE together. they figured all theyre confusion out and are just living the good life!

mabel and wendy are doing the long distance thing. shes still friends w mermando.

robbie and tambry found paz and they write back and forth.

u CAN TAKE ROBBIE AND PAZ SIBLINGS FROM MY DECOMPOSING HANDS!!!

everything is as happily ever after as it can get.

and then dipper proposes despite knowing what it means.

BUT THATS A WHOLE OTHER ADVENTURE!!!!

*end credits roll. an epic theme song starts playing*

#💎 OUT OF DIAMONDS. ╱ out.#[i did this forever ago anD I FINALLY MOVED IT TO AN ACTUAL POST OF IT'S OWN]#[im planning on writing this tbh but if u got some rp ideas hum <<]

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magnificentbluebirdobservat-blog · 6 years ago

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My Idea For The Live Action Little Mermaid

Make a live action Live action Little mermaid movie with an alternate ending. In this alternate ending, which takes place directly after Triton turned Ariel human and she kissed Eric on the beach.

Triton turns himself human and walks on land to join them. He explains that this isn’t a permanent change. He says that he’s giving Ariel and Eric 3 years to see if their relationship will work.

But that he has 2 conditions:

1) Ariel will spend a year on land, learning about being human

2) Eric will spend a year in the ocean, learning about the sea

The show will be 2 seasons.

Each season will have 10 episodes.

Season 1: Ariel’s Journey

Season 2: Eric’s Journey

For this to work Disney would need to hire TV actors for the live action movie who could then go on to play on the tv series. So huge big-name actors won’t work, due to how much it would cost to pay them and scheduling conflicts with other movies) Also, the actors would have to be able to sing. (I’ll take suggestions)

Season 1:

1x01: Ariel’s New Beginning.

Summary: Ariel is given her own room in Eric’s castle and, now that she has her voice back. This is kind of a getting to know each other episode. Eric only knew Ariel when she couldn’t talk, and Ariel only had 3 days to seduce him. Let’s slow things down between them. Eric wants to redo the date they had in the movie and talk to her.

1x02: Ariel The Vegetarian

Summary: Ariel finds out about how much fish the Kingdom eats and tries to put a stop to it. Ariel and Eric argue over it, and both make good points. In the end, Eric tells Ariel that while he can't control the rest of the kingdom, he can control himself. He promises that she will never see another dead fish in her dining room and the two eat a nice salad at the dinner table.

1x03: Ariel’s First Day Of School.

Summary: Now that Ariel has her voice, she turns to Eric for answers to all the questions that she has burning inside. At first Eric is enthused and open to answer any question that she might have, but as the days go on, he slowly becomes irritated with all of her questions. Then when she wakes him up in the middle of the night to ask him about a question he snaps at her, he quickly apologizes and the two talk. Eric asks her to ask him her question in the morning. But after a walk-in town where Ariel sees a child pestering her father with questions and sees the expression on the father’s face is similar to the one Eric has been giving her, she decides that she doesn’t want that kind of imbalance in their relationship. This leads her to talk to Grimsby, Eric's manservant and confidant, who recommends that she go to school. I’d like there to be a nice relationship between Ariel and her teacher.

1x04: Ariel And The Queen

Summary: Ariel finally meets Eric’s mother. Ariel, who lost her mother at a young age, wants to bond with her, but Eric’s mother doesn’t like her. This isn’t resolved in this episode. The episode ends with Eric reassuring Ariel that he likes her and saying that his mother will come around with time. I’d like Ariel’s mother to slowly warm up to her, a bit each episode, not admitting that she likes her to at least 5 episodes.

1x05: Ariel Makes A Friend

Summary: Ariel meets Eric’s sister and the two become fast friends. Eric’s sister does not believe in mermaids and is afraid of the ocean. Ariel tries to convince her that mermaids are real and teach her not to be afraid of the water. (Make sure the two interact at least once in every episode after this one)

1x06: Ariel Meets The King

Summary: Ariel meets Eric’s father. Eric’s father is nothing like her own. He seems to be a gentle king and he and Ariel grow close. Eric’s father tells Ariel a story about having met a mermaid once when he was younger, with a beautiful voice (Hints of it being Ariel’s mother)

1x07: Ariel: The Matchmaker

Summary: Ariel thinks her Eric’s sister has a crush. Ariel tries to figure out who it is. Once she figures it out, she tries to help her friend out, even singing a reprise of kiss the girl while the two are together, but it ends hilariously with her Eric’s sister recognizing her voice and asking what she’s doing. There are 3 possible endings 1) Eric’s sister gains the confidence to ask out the guy herself. 2) Eric’s sister friend doesn’t have a crush on that guy but instead likes a girl who works at the same shop and gains the confidence to ask her out. 3) Eric’s sister friend doesn’t have a crush at all and reveals that she’s never really been attracted to anyone in the town (Asexual ending)

1x08 Ariel’s Surprise Visitor

Summary: Ariel’s sister, Andrina, comes to visit. Andrina is 16 (one year older than Ariel), and is a humorous genius who likes jokes and sarcasm. At first, Ariel is overjoyed to have her sister on land with her. But Andrina seems to adjust to land better than Ariel did, understanding basic things like what a fork is for, etc. And Andrina seems to get along well with Ariel. Ariel begins to worry that maybe Andrina would have been the mermaid better suited for the Kingdom on land and imagines a scenario where Andrina recused Eric instead of her. Later, Andrina admits that she doesn’t like it on land and that she’s glad that she only had Triton turn her human for a week. Ariel thought she would be happy that Andrina was leaving but finds herself wishing her sister would stay. When Andrina goes back in the ocean, Ariel sits on the beach and we end the episode with Ariel looking sad.

1x09 Ariel’s Homesickness

Summary: Ariel misses her family and the ocean. Eric notices her depression and tries to cheer her up. Ariel pretends to be happy, but she isn’t. This leads to her having a one-sided conversation with Max over whether she wants to stay on land. Eric hears her talking through a crack n the door and looks upset. This leads to Eric taking Ariel on another tour of the kingdom and trying to talk things up, and hovering around her more (basically trying to smother her with love) but he keeps catching her looking at the ocean. Then he walks in her room and finds her listening to a seashell. He realizes that this isn’t working and decides to talk to her about it. He lets her know how happy he is that she’s with him and that he’s sorry she’s homesick. He asks if there’s anything that he can do, and Ariel just wants to be alone. This leads to a moment between Ariel and Eric’s mom where his mom admits that she’s grown fond of her and wouldn’t be happy to see her go. She asks Ariel what she misses about the ocean and Ariel tells her. Then we’d have the camera pan out with Ariel talking and Eric’s mom’s hand on her shoulder. Talking about the ocean and what she misses will help and we’d see her smiling and walking with Eric’s mom later.

1x10 Return To The Sea

Summary: It’s the day before Ariel and Eric go to spend a year in the ocean. Eric feels guilty for being nervous about going, especially with how easy Ariel gave up everything. After a conversation where his father asks if Ariel is worth it, Eric decides that he’s ready. We end the episode with Triton turning Eric into a merman.

Season 2: Eric’s Journey

2x01 Part Of Your World

Summary: Eric is having trouble adjusting to life under the sea. Ariel is trying to help him. (Role reversal) Eric and Ariel explore the sea together and she shows Eric the place where she collected treasures from Land.

2x02 Eric & Arista: Finders Keepers

Summary: Arista has been trying to control her kleptomania, but in a moment of weakness she stole something. Now Eric has to help her return it because she doesn’t want her sister’s to find out.

2x03: Eric & Aquanta: The Lost Seahorse

Summary: Aquata’s seahorse, Mr. Fuzzyfinkle is missing. Arista didn’t take it. Eric goes on a journey to help Aquata find it. Eric confesses to having his own personal childhood thing at home and understands. Frame the episode like a noir detective episode under the sea.

2x04: Eric & Adella: The Relationship

Summary: Adella and her boyfriend had a fight. Adella goes to Eric to help her fix things between the two of them.

2x05: Eric & Alana: Merman cosmetics

Summary: Alana wants to start a merman cosmetic line and needs to test her makeup out on Eric. Her makeup has a weird effect (possible choices; turning Eric’s skin a different color, making Eric mute, making Eric grow scales on his face, or some other random thing) and they need to work together to fix it.

2x06: Eric & Attina: The Mother

Summary: Attina has been like a mother to her sister’s ever since they lost their real one. She’s not supportive of Eric taking her baby sister away to live on land forever. Attina has always been a little overprotective of her sisters, blaming herself for her mother's death because her tail fins were stuck in a rock when the pirate ship bore down on the kingdom, and her mother swam out into the open to free her, causing Athena to be crushed by the bow of the ship. Eric tries his best to prove himself to Attina. I’d end the episode on a cliff-hanger with a pirate ship coming.

2x07: Eric & Attina: The Pirates

Summary: Attina is still giving Eric the cold shoulder. The two are arguing when pirates attack. Arista’s fin gets stuck and Attina goes to help her. It brings back a flashback to what happened to her mother. Eric helps rescue them. This leads to Attina realizing that Eric is an okay guy. While she admits that she still doesn’t want him to take Ariel away, she acknowledges that Ariel could have picked a worse man to love.

2x08: Eric & Ariel: Battle In The Ocean

Summary: Eric gets in trouble (kidnapped, chased by a shark, held hostage by one of Ursla’s followers, etc.) and Ariel has to work together with her sisters to rescue him.

2x09: Eric & The King Of The Sea

Summary: Triton and Eric spend the day together. Things between them are tense. But slowly thaw as the two get to know each other. At the end of the episode, Triton offers to turn Eric into a mermaid permanently, so he and Ariel can stay in the ocean. Eric asks for time to think about it.

2x10: Eric & Ariel: The Decision

Summary: Eric has been thinking about Triton’s offer. After seeing how happy Ariel is with her sisters, with flounder, and her dad, he begins to question whether going back to the Kingdom on land would be the best thing. It’s almost time for Triton to turn them human and send them back to the surface. Eric proposes to Ariel while they are still mermaids and offers to stay in the ocean with her. Ariel thinks about it and tell Eric that she wants a life with him, and she wants it on land. The two are turned back into humans and they walk out of the ocean to meet Eric’s family.

Now there are 3 options for what comes next:

1) We have a third season on land focused on the engagement.

2) We have a movie based around the engagement with someone against mermaid/human relationships trying to put a stop to it.

3) We make the wedding the season finale.

And that’s what I would do with the live action little mermaid.

#the little mermaid #live action disney #live action little mermaid #My idea #How i would do it #Just ideas #ariel #prince eric #Eric has a family too #idea for disney

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swanqueeneverafter · 7 years ago

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29. Ariel, Pt.2

Maritime Kingdom. Past. Inside Maritime Castle. (Snow White and Ariel are both wearing ball gowns.) Ariel: “Wow! It's even better than I imagined. Do I look okay? Is this how people dress?” Snow White: “You look fantastic.” Ariel: “Does it fit right? Because it just feels a little...” Snow White: “Tight? It's a corset. It's supposed to be.” Ariel: “How do you know all these things?” Snow White: “In another life, I was a princess.” Ariel: “Well, perhaps you'll be one again.” Snow White: “I doubt it. But tonight, you can be. (Ariel laughs softly. Snow White picks up a fork:) Remember what I taught you. (She shows Ariel the fork:) What's this?” Ariel: “Mini-trident. ...Salad-trident?” Snow White: “Fork. Salad fork. (Ariel pockets the fork:) Oh. It's really not that valuable.” (The Prince appears at the top of the staircase.) Snow White: “There. Look. Is that him?” Ariel: (She laughs:) “Yes. That's him. He's just as I remembered. Less wet... But more handsome.” (Their eyes meet and they smile at each other.) Snow White: (Whispers:) “Go to him.” Ariel: “Just... walk over there?” Snow White: “Love at first sight doesn't need much prompting.” (She pushes Ariel forward. Ariel walks over toward Prince Eric but trips over her own feet) Ariel: “Oh! Uhh!” (Eric approaches her.) Prince Eric: “Would you like to dance? (He holds out a hand and helps Ariel stand:) Might be easier than walking.” Ariel: (She laughs nervously:) “No one's dancing.” Prince Eric: “Well, that's one of the perks of being the prince. If I want to dance, (He holds out his hand:) I can. (He nods to the musicians and music starts to play:) I'm Eric.” Ariel: “Ariel.” Prince Eric: “You look familiar. (He bows and she curtsies:) Have we met?” Ariel: “I don't think so.” Prince Eric: (A look of realisation forms on his face. He takes her hand and they begin to dance:) “I know where it's from.” Ariel: “Where?” Prince Eric: “I was in a shipwreck. I nearly drowned. Someone saved me. I didn't see them, but... I've had a recurring dream since then, of a face. Your face.” Ariel: “That can't be. I'm new in town, so... How could I have possibly saved you?” Prince Eric: “I know. Ursula's the one who saved me. And in doing so, she showed me a vision of my future. That's the face I saw. That's you.” Ariel: “Ursula is just a myth.” Prince Eric: “Is she? 'Cause you're right here in front of me. Now what brings you to our kingdom?” Ariel: “Well... I wanna see the world.” Prince Eric: “Then you and I have something in common. I'm leaving in the morning... a grand expedition... to do just that.” Ariel: “What?” Prince Eric: “I've been planning it for years. This shall be my final Ursula ball, for tomorrow, I'm exploring the unknown lands... the desert from this realm to Agrabah.” Ariel: “You're actually doing it. I've always wanted to see the world.” Prince Eric: “Then come. I see it in your eyes. You want to. Unless I've misread things.” Ariel: “No. Um, I mean... Yes. I mean no.” Prince Eric: “I'm pressuring you. That's unfair. How about this? Tomorrow morning, I'll wait for you. If you show up, I'll be filled with joy. If you don't, well... I may be heartbroken, but I'll understand. So nice to meet you, Ariel.” (He bows and she curtsies, and the crowd applauds. Ariel walks away toward Snow White and a full length mirror.) Evil Queen's Palace. (The Evil Queen and the two guards from earlier that were chasing Snow White are looking into the Magic Mirror at Snow White speaking to Ariel.) Evil Queen: (Disgusted:) “Ugh.” Guard 1: “That's the woman that rescued Snow White. The red hair. It's unmistakable. I thought she had a tail, but yes, I'm sure.” Evil Queen: “Next time you let someone fall to their death, make sure they're actually dead.” Guard 1: “She looked dead.” Evil Queen: (Turning to him:) “No. Death looks more like this...” (She flicks her wrist and the guard's neck snaps, and he drops dead.) Guard 2: “Sh-shall I lead more knights after Snow White?” Evil Queen: “You boys have proved unequal to the task. (She is about to kill him, but then her face changes and she smiles:) ...No. I've got a new idea.”

Neverland. Present. (Peter Pan is looking through a telescope with Felix standing beside him. Through the telescope Peter sees Mary Margaret, Emma, and the others heading through the woods.) Peter Pan: “Look at them go. So determined to find their missing friend.” Felix: “Speaking of that friend... What should we do with Neal?” Peter Pan: “It's time to move him. Take him to the Echo Cave. (Felix gestures to several Lost Boys, signalling for them to lower Neal's cage:) The game is about to get interesting.” Neverland. Mr. Gold’s Camp. (Mr. Gold sits staring at the doll in his hands, as Belle appears beside him.) Belle: “You don't know what to do, do you?” Gold: “No, I don't.” Belle: “Come home to Storybrooke.” Gold: “And just leave... Henry, my family behind?” Belle: “Come with me, and we can start a new family. Our own family. That's what I want. Don't you?” Gold: “No, you... you can't want anything. You're just a figment of my sub-conscious.” Belle: “No. No. I'm really here. Take my hand. Believe in our love, and we can go back. Take it, Rumple. Please. Come home to me.” (Belle starts choking, and Regina approaches, her hand stretched out as she chokes Belle with her magic.) Regina: “Enough of this.” Gold: (Runs over to her:) “Regina!” Regina: “Are you really going to fall for this?” Belle: “Rumple, st... stop her.” Regina: “Don't listen to him.” Gold: “What are you doing?” Regina: “Showing you the truth.” Belle: (Belle collapses:) “Aah!” Gold: “No!” (Gold starts to move toward Belle but Regina stops him.) Regina: “Look who you're really dealing with.” (Belle is consumed by a cloud of smoke and it is revealed to actually be the Shadow, which then flies away.) Gold: “Pan.”

Neverland. Elsewhere. (The foursome are travelling through the jungle. Hook & David trail behind as Emma begins to talk to Mary Margaret.) Emma: “Why are you so keen for Neal to be alive?” Mary Margaret: “What do you mean? Aren’t you?” Emma: “If he's still alive, sure. I mean he knows how to get off this island.” Mary Margaret: “And that’s all? (Stops and turns to face her:) Emma, I get what you're doing, you know. You don't want to open yourself up to the hope that he's alive, but you should.” Emma: “Why?” Mary Margaret: “Because you deserve a happy ending, Emma. And happy endings always start with hope.” Maritime Kingdom. Past. (Snow White and Ariel are sitting on a bench in the ballroom, talking to one another.) Ariel: “This was a terrible, terrible mistake.” Snow White: “You met him. It's a start.” Ariel: “More like an end. I can't ask him to give up his dream for someone he just met.” Snow White: “Maybe you're the dream.” Ariel: “Maybe. But I can't make him choose. It's not right.” Snow White: “You can't make him choose? Or you don't want to make him choose? You're afraid.” Ariel: “Of what?” Snow White: “Of his choice.” Ariel: “There is nothing about any of this... that's easy.” Snow White: “So take my advice. Do the hard thing. Be honest. No secrets. Open your heart to love. It is so worth the risk, even if you get hurt. Then you'll know... you'll know you tried.” Ariel: “I just need some time to think.” Snow White: “Well, you have three hours. So I'll be here if you need me.” (They take each other's hands, and then Ariel walks away.) Maritime Kingdom. Past. By The Ocean Shore. (Ariel, in her human form, is back in her regular clothes and standing by the water.) Ariel: “What should I do? That's right, I'm talking to you, Ursula, mythical goddess of the sea. Eric thought you brought us together, but we both know that's lie, so... Tell me, between girlfriends, what do I do? Nothing, huh? Well, what should I expect from a long-dead myth? You gave me legs, but that's it, right? No answers? Thanks... for nothin'. (The Evil Queen emerges from the water. She has tentacles like an octopus':) Ursula?” Evil Queen: “Hello... Ariel.”

Neverland. Mr. Gold’s Camp. Present. Regina: “What is this? Amateur hour? Did you really believe that was Belle?” Gold: “Why are you here?” Regina: “Well, for starters, it appears I'm saving your ass. You were about to be Pan's lunch.” Gold: “Oh, what do you care?” Regina: “I care because I've been camping with the Charmings for days and getting nowhere. If we're gonna get Henry, I need you. I need Rumpelstiltskin.” Gold: “Well, the problem, dearie, is that Rumpelstiltskin can only stop Pan by dying.” Regina: “You're not gonna die at anyone's hands but my own. We're the two most powerful practitioners of magic who have ever lived. The Evil Queen and the Dark One joining forces? I'd say we can find another way to handle one smug teenager.” Gold: “You've never faced him. I have. And I know what killing him requires. And that is–my life.” Regina: “Well, as much as I want to, maybe we don't have to kill him. If that's the case, then... Maybe we can find another way... something to contain him, some other fate.” Gold: “A fate worse than death.” Regina: “Now we're talkin'. There's my malevolent imp. Is there a spell you know? Something we can enact?” Gold: “No. But back in my shop, I might have just the thing.” Regina: “Well, why didn't you bring it with you in the first place?” Gold: “Because I came here to kill him and die in the process!” Regina: (She laughs:) “Well, I could've told you that wasn't gonna happen. You forget, dear. I've known you a long time. I know all about your survival instincts.” Gold: “Yeah, well, they just kicked in.” Regina: “Good. So now we just need a change of plans. We need to get back to your shop, pick up this magical item, and then all of our problems are solved.” Gold: “Crossing realms? Is that all?” Regina: “Yes. That's all.” Maritime Kingdom. Past. (Ariel is on the beach, staring at the Evil Queen, who is disguised as Ursula.) Ariel: “You're... real.” Evil Queen: (She laughs:) “As real as the legs you're standing on.” Ariel: “I'm sorry if I was rude before. I...” Evil Queen: “My dear sweet child. Don't fret. I understand. But you're also in luck. I can help with your... dilemma.” Ariel: “With Prince Eric? I have to tell him the truth, don't I?” Evil Queen: “Bah! Your friend was mistaken.” Ariel: “Are you sure?” Evil Queen: “Of course I'm sure. If you tell him the truth... that you're from two different worlds... he won't accept that. Or you.” Ariel: “How is this helping again?” Evil Queen: “What if I told you that you could keep your... legs? That you can walk on land, be a part of his world... Forever, without ever telling him your secret, that you're a mermaid? Would you be interested?” Ariel: “Of course.” (The Evil Queen chuckles to herself.) Maritime Kingdom. Past. At The Docks. (Snow White is sitting at the edge of the docks, when Ariel runs up to her.) Snow White: “What is it? What happened?” Ariel: “Something amazing. And not just for me, but for the both of us.” Snow White: “What are you talking about?” Ariel: “I received a gift... a gift that will allow me to spend the rest of my life with Eric, and a way for you to escape your evil queen.” Snow White: “How is that possible?” Ariel: “Look.” (Pulls out a bracelet and puts it on Snow White's wrist.) Snow White: “What are you doing?” Ariel: “This is no ordinary bracelet. (A dark green smoke forms around Snow White's legs:) Look.” Snow White: “Ohh.” Ariel: (She helps Snow White sit down:) “Here.” Snow White: “What's happening? Oh! Oh!” (Snow’s legs transform into a mermaid's tail. She starts to fall, but Ariel helps her to stay upright.) Ariel: “You're a mermaid.” Snow White: “Ariel... What have you done?”

Ariel: “The bracelet is magic. I got it from Ursula. By wearing it, you get my tail, and I can keep my legs. That's the price, but it's a good price. Don't you see? You can escape. You can travel to my land... a land where the evil queen cannot follow. And you can have a life, a wonderful life, under the sea.” Snow White: “Ursula gave you the bracelet?” Ariel: “Yes.” Snow White: “Ursula is a myth. She hasn't existed for thousands of years. She's not real.” Ariel: “Yes, she is.” Evil Queen: (Approaching:) “Actually... It's not entirely true.” Ariel: “What's going on?” Evil Queen: “Well, well, well. Look at the catch of the day.” Ariel: “Ursula?” Snow White: “No, this isn't Ursula. This is Regina, the Evil Queen.” Neverland. Present. Outside Of Echo Cave. Mary Margaret: “The tracks lead directly into that cave. This must be where Pan is keeping Neal.” David: “If the cave is some sort of prison, why aren't there any guards posted to stop us?” Hook: “Because this prison doesn't require guards. (Sighs:) Echo cave.” Mary Margaret: “You know it?” Hook: “All too well. I lost half my crew inside those rock walls. The only way to rescue someone from inside is to reveal a secret.” Mary Margaret: “A secret? That's all?” Hook: “Your darkest secret. Echo cave derives its name from an old saying... ‘the deeper the lie, the more truth in its echo.’ The cave demands that you reveal a truth about yourself. A secret you would never admit to anyone.” Emma: “This is ridiculous.” Hook: “Don't kill the messenger, luv.” Emma: “Even if we spill our guts, how do we know Neal's still alive in there?” Hook: “Because this is what Pan wants. He wants us to rescue him.” David: “Why?” Hook: “So that we reveal our secrets. He believes once we do, our secrets will destroy us.”

Maritime Kingdom. Past. At The Docks. Evil Queen: “Having trouble with your fin?” Snow White: “I'll figure it out!” Ariel: “Snow, the bracelet.” (Snow White attempts to remove the bracelet.) Evil Queen: “The wearer can't take it off. Oh. Did I leave that detail out? For once, Snow, you won't be able to run away.” Ariel: “You tricked me?” Evil Queen: “You went to a long-dead octopus for advice, and you're going to blame me for your problems?” Ariel: “This is wrong.” Evil Queen: (As Ariel goes to help Snow:) “Unh-unh-unh. Sorry, dear. You're not helping her.” Snow White: “Ariel, get out of here.” Evil Queen: “For once we're in agreement. Get out of here, mermaid!” Ariel: “Not if you're gonna hurt my friend.” Evil Queen: “You have a choice. Your friend's going to be hurt either way. The real question is whether you're going to join her. Or are you going to run off and get your happy ending? Hmm? Go on. There are no second chances.” Snow White: “It's okay, Ariel. I can't keep running forever. You have a chance at happiness. That's something the queen will never have. Eric is going to leave any moment. Go to him.” Evil Queen: “Listen to her, Ariel! Are you really going to give up the love of your life...? For a friend?” Ariel: “I'm sorry.” (She walks away.) Evil Queen: “Now... Where were we? Oh, right. The catch of the day.” (She uses her magic to start choking snow White, who gasps for air. Ariel runs up and stabs the Evil Queen in the neck with a fork. Regina cries out in pain, and Ariel runs to Snow White, takes the bracelet off, and throws it into the ocean.) Snow White: “What are you doing?” (Her tail changes back into legs, and Ariel regains her tail.) Ariel: “Hold your breath.” (She dives into the water with Snow White, and they swim away to safety.)

#sq #swanqueen #Swan Queen

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icharchivist · 6 years ago

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What people actually hate on Ariel for acting like a queen in the sequal? I don't care about TLM 2 but it's not like Ariel changed herself. She was married at sixteen and we don't know how old she was when Melody was born. By that time she was still sailing around and seeing her mer family. I doubt all she does is sit around too. As a queen she has to travel so it's not like she'd never leave. There's also the fact Ariel enjoys land stuff more the sea stuff. She ditched the Sea orchestral -

2 but loves dancing. She probably didn't have a problem with fancy banquets on land for all the different stuff they had she liked like thing a ma bogs and activities. I don't know about anyone else but when it came to Melody Ariel called all the shots while Eric was supportive of everything his wife decided. Even turning back into a mermaid to explore the ocean (w/a revenge obsessed sea witch on the loose) alone in search of their daughter while Eric searched w/his army. Basically Ariel -

3 matured over the years of becoming a adult and a mother. Of course she's going to show responsibility as a queen and take care of her people. The first movie showed she loves them and she would want to help Eric care for them. She's not going to revolve her whole life around fun or putting her own needs first. Ariel sacrificed her connection to the sea just because she thought it would protect her daughter from a dangerous enemy (that had almost killed her). Ariel still had her freedom/will.

Oh yeah i definitly agree!!

arg undercut bc a bit long and i’m just complaining ahah

I don’t think i’ve ever seen people openly criticize Ariel for that though my bad for the wording, I just wonder if people thought Ariel “gave up on her dreams to travel” because we don’t see her travel at all and as a Queen, because of the evil sea witch and the threat on Melody, the castle was on a lockdown. There’s no way to tell if Ariel had moved inlands during those years but the thing is just that we don’t see her eventually travel - however it doesn’t mean it’s not there. I mean by that that a lot of people only take at face value what is directly showed and don’t take the time to make some critical thinking about it.

For exemple in general, the “marrying a man they just met” thing that is always told against Disney’s characters: Almost all of the original princesses before Disney started to get meta about their “you can’t marry a man you just met” since, what, Enchanted i think? , well... most of the marriages we see are generally after a transition that could just as well suggest a timeskip.

Snow White isn’t shown marrying the prince so when is up to anyone’s guess, Cinderella has a timeskip although it was hinted at that the prince would like to marry asap (or at least the King would want to), Aurora doesn’t get married on screen but if anything her bethroal with Philip was planned before her birth so it’s hardly “her” fault, Ariel suggests a passage of time, Belle isn’t shown marrying and we know she spent multiple months with the Beast, ect.....

Yet people complain all the time about that “don’t marry a man you just met” that it becomes text in Disney’s movies mocking the trend, from less offending Tangled “it took us years to marry” that they had to precise, to full on parody with Enchanted, and to odd text with Frozen that takes itself so seriously about what an issue that is in comparaison to actually how often this trope is used in princess movies.

So by extension this is something that can be said for every of the Disney princess’s goals about how they wanted to say, explore the world, but “bouhou now i’m married with a man so i can’t do that” and?? what???

Like one thing that made me think about that is that parody (no shade to the ones who made it tbh they actually replied to the return of the song saying they oversimplified everything), but while this song is just a parody a lot of people actually /think/ those things and i’m just.. what... what.... just because you don’t see them in their lives post wedding doesn’t mean they gave up on their dreams.

SO aNYWAY back to Ariel, I think people would use the fact she’s “stuck in the castle” in the sequel as an indication of her “giving up on seeing the world” and that’s... Very much unfair over the fact like you said, she could have seen more of the world before Melody’s birth, that she still acted like a responsible queen both toward her people and toward Melody, and if anything, the life as a Human Queen fits her - she wanted feet to dance and run the street? Well she makes ball, she dances, it’s part of what she wanted too.

It makes me think in the sequel she does tell Melody that at her age, she was just as much a “fish out of water” and Melody doesn’t believe her because Ariel is so at peace in the human world - but that’s exactly it. The Human world in itself was enough for Ariel to feel at home, to feel great where she was. She hadn’t given up on her dreams by meeting Eric, she’s fullifying them.

I’m not a huge fan of the Disney Direct to DVD’s sequels but as far as this one goes it made a good job responsabilizing Ariel while still making sure she has her freedom (even if limited due to the Sea witch) and her being comfortable with the life she chose, that implies things outside of Eric as well, and Eric doesn’t hold her back from making her decisions to leave when it comes the time to do so. Eric always showed an intense respect in what Ariel wanted.

So completely agreed for her development, but i just know how people take the stuff we don’t see and think “huh so there is no possible scenario i can imagine to fill that so Disney says women are housewives” despite the fact.... it’s just them filling blanks with them jumping to conclusions and then accusing the story for not filling the blanks for them. Which in the case of TLM where both Eric and Ariel expressed still wanting to see more of the world before meeting is just *raises eyebrow* because why wouldn’t they explore the world together since that’s what they both wanted?

idk just.. *sighs* people are so nippicky. I say in a post that nippick everything people ever nippicked about.

#ichasalty #dkjhfdkf #Anonymous #ichareply #ichafantalks disneymovie

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ryik-the-writer · 8 years ago

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CHAPTER 5: Choppy

A03

-,-,-,-

Belle sighed as Ariel drug her down the docks. She would never understand how her friend could walk around all day in four-inch heels and not slow down while her feet where numb from wearing flats.

“Come on Belle!” Ariel shrilled, her shopping bags flapping against her sides. They had spent the day exploring the shops of Storybrooke. The town was small but had a variety of things to buy, and Ariel was a sucker for homemade things like soaps and jewelry. Belle was more practical had only bought lunch for the two them, as Storybrooke didn’t have a bookstore. She was thankful the town had the library, even if it was ill-stocked.

As much as she wanted to have fun with Ariel, her mind kept wondering to Rumple. Was he mad that she didn’t show? Hurt? Relieved?

“Here we are!” the redhead grinned.

Belle lifted her hand to block out the sun so she could look up at the thing Ariel was smiling about. Before her was an ancient ship, well-maintained and bustling with sophistication.

“It’s gorgeous.” Belle commented. “But something tells me you didn’t bring me all the way down here just to admire an ancient relic, now did you?”

“Indeed she didn’t lass!”

The girls followed the call to a man perched on the mainmast, his face shadowed by the afternoon sun. Suddenly he dropped down and Belle jumped away just in time for him to land right in front of her.

Belle blinked back the white dots and whiplash blinding her vision. When it cleared, she saw the gleaming smirk of the rugged man in front of her.

“Hello.” The man greeted, all charming smiles and sparkling blue eyes.

“Hi...” Belle returned politely, though she wanted to give him an earful for nearly landing on her.

“Belle,” Ariel said as she wrapped her arm around her shoulders, “this is Captain Killian Jones.”

“Of the Jolly Roger!” the captain shrilled with an exaggerated bow.

“Charming.” Belle deadpanned. “Ariel, could I talk to you for a second?”

Before the redhead could respond, Belle drug her a few feet away.

“Not that this isn’t completely interesting,” Belle said through a forced smile, “but why did you bring us to this showoff?”

“Okay!” Ariel gasped. “Yesterday during the intermission at the town meeting, I met someone.”

Belle glanced at “the Captain”. “Him?”

“No…well, yes, but he came later.” She pointed just behind him to a man in a white turtleneck coiling rope.

Belle arched an amused eyebrow. “I see.”

“You and me both!” Ariel giggled. “Anyway, he’s third mate on the Jolly Roger and his boss gave him permission to invite us for a boat ride.”

Belle physically blanched. “We? How do I fit into this?”

“Come on Belle! I can’t be on a ship full of hot guys alone! It’s…unlady-like.”

“Ariel, no!”

“Please Belle! We’ve both been stuck in Merlin’s basement for weeks! I want to get out, meet people, maybe have an epic romance! And you deserve the same…and a tan. Please?”

It was on the tip of Belle’s tongue to turn her down, but Belle couldn’t deny Ariel the chance at companionship just because she wanted to be with her sea creature.

“One trip around the bay and then I’m done.”

Ariel squealed, pulling Belle into a bouncing hug. “Great! I’ll ask the Captain where we can change into our swimsuits!”

“That piece of string you bought does not qualify as a swimsuit; and I’ll stick to my shorts.”

“Suit yourself!” Ariel shrugged, turning and waving to the men. “We’re ready!”

Belle reluctantly followed her friend, sparing the sea a longing look before she boarded The Jolly Roger.

Though she tried to stick to Ariel’s side, her friend eventually wondered off with the third mate—Eric, as he introduced himself as—thus leaving Belle with Captain Showoff.

“Comfortable, m’lady?” He inquired as Belle situated herself near the head of the boat where he was steering.

“Yes, thank you.” Belle returned, flipping open the book she had brought with her.

“Could I offer you a drink?”

Belle sent him a look over the pages. “I rather the man who’s steering us in the ocean not be intoxicated, thank you.”

The Captain roared with laughter and Belle briefly wondered if she could swim to shore from the distance.

Luckily, the Captain became blessedly quiet, focusing on steering the ship in to calm waters. Even with the newfound peace, Belle found it difficult to focus on her book or relaxing. Her mind kept returning to thoughts of her sea creature friend. She kept seeing glimpses of him in the waves that brushed along the ship and mistook the sound of the gulls as his tale slapping the water.

“Love, is it?”

Belle looked up at the Captain who was watching her with an amused smirk.

“What did you say?”

The Captain stepped away from the wheel and took a seat on the barrel across from her.

“Only love can put a lady is such a mood.”

Belle glared at him. “I’m not in a mood. Or in love.”

“You are the first woman who hasn’t been completely giddy to be on my ship. And since I know I am the perfect host who can charm a woman into a good time, it must be you.”

Belle scoffed in disgust at the man’s cockiness.

“Perhaps I’m the way I am because I’m in such undesirable company!” Belle shouted at him, jumping from her seat and preparing to find Ariel.

“Are you talking about me or about the poor sap who broke your heart?”

Belle paused mid-step at the Captain’s proclamation. She shot back around and walked towards the smug man.

“Mr. Jones, was it?”

“Captain Jones, if you don’t mind.”

“Well, Captain, know this: I am here as a favor to my friend. I have no interest in getting to know you or talking to you. So if you would please just get us back to the docks as quickly as possible, I would quite appreciate it!”

Jones was still, looking over Belle’s flushed cheeks before smiling.

“It’s not love at all, is it? It’s heartbreak.”

Belle’s heart clenched. It was true, as much a she didn’t want to admit it to herself or the man who suggested it. Her heart hurt for her sea creature, to see him and deplete her conscious of the guilt she felt over him.

The captain wordlessly circled her and pulled out a cooler with his foot, pulling out two bottles of beer and holding one out to Belle.

“I’m not much on relationship advice, but perhaps talking about it will ease the pain the foolish bloke inflicted on you.”

Belle took the beer from him, leaning over the wood and looking into the water.

“He didn’t hurt me. I…think I hurt him.”

Jones moved beside her, following her gaze to the waters.

“We always hurt the ones we love without meaning to.” He shrugged and took a sip of his beer.

Belle glanced uneasily at Jones. The comment did not sit right with her, and she hoped he wasn’t on the receiving or receiver end of a bad relationship.

“If he truly loves you, he’ll forgive you.”

Belle snorted humorlessly. “I asked something impossible of him. I asked him to lay down a piece of himself for me, and now that I’ve thought about it I was so wrong to do it. I just…hope when I find him to apologize that he’ll want to hear it.”

“He will.” Jones confirmed. “Lovely lass like you, he’ll probably give you the world.”

Belle rolled her eyes. While Captain Killian Jones was not the wisest when it came to advice, just having someone unsuspecting to tell her dilemma to.

And perhaps there was truth in his word. Maybe Rumple would forgive her, and they could begin anew.

Jones raised his half-empty bottle. “To forgiveness?”

Belle lifted her mostly full one. “To hope.”

Out in the distance, a school of sting rays scattered when the ancient ship blocked their path.

Rumple emerge from the calm waves, glaring at the offending mass that disrupted his sea friends schedule. He recognized the heap of wood. It one of the very few ships on the harbor that didn’t leak the sticky black ink into the waters. However, the humans who boarded it often through their glass bottles and other garbage overboard, sometimes accidentally or intentionally.

Rumple shuddered at the memory of all the turtles and dolphins he’d just barely saved when they got ensnarled in the strange waxy rings or ropes.

No such objects were being thrown overboard today, so Rumple saw no reason to sit and dwell on the despicable creatures above. Just as he was about to dive back into the waters, a movement on deck caught his eye. He sunk down until just enough for his nose-up to be exposed and then eased back slightly.

He gasped when he caught sight of Belle, beside her a man. He couldn’t see Belle’s face, but he knew from experience with every imaginable sea creature that body language was the deciding factor. And Belle’s stance looked tense.

Rumple growled through is sharp teeth, his instincts kicking into full gear. That…creature was the reason she didn’t appear this morning? Had it forced her aboard his ship? Is that why she looked so miserable? He would not tolerate this! With a plan in mind, he dove back into the waters.

Belle felt the jolt before it made its presence known. It was the way the liquid in her bottle began to shake violent before the ship stopped so suddenly that Belle and the captain lost their balance and flew to the ground.

Belle was the first to recover. She grabbed hold of the deck and pulled herself up, her head spinning. She looked out into the ocean, looking for the reef or the bolder that must have caused the crash.

She didn’t quite believe what she was seeing at first, didn’t quite recognize the creature exiting from under the boat until the setting sun hit the golden scales on Rumple’s tail and spine. She gasped, looking around to make sure she was the only witness. By the time Jones finally pulled himself to his feet, Rumple was deep enough to go unseen and Belle relaxed.

“It must be the hinged rudder.” Jones groaned. “Old blasted thing must have gotten caught.”

Belle nodded, turning away from the water. “Did you hit your head?”

The Captain smirked at her concern. “Fear not, I’m very stable.”

“I’m sure.” Belle smiled through twitching lips.

“There’s a radio in my cabin. Come, we’ll call for help.”

Belle glanced back one last time at the waters and followed.

As they reached the cabin, Ariel and Eric were running to them, Ariel’s bathing suit slightly obscure Belle noted amused.

“Belle are you alright!” Ariel panicked, throwing herself into Belle’s arms.

“I’m fine.” Belle assured with a pat to her warm, slightly oily back. “The hinged rudder is jammed. We’re getting help.”

“I need to warn the rest of the crew.” Eric said.

“And I need to grab my things.” Ariel added.

Belle nodded and watched as they scurried off together. She then cautiously entered the captain’s quarters. He was giving a message into the radio so Belle looked around at the maps and outstanding number of books on the shelves. For the first time that day, Belle was impressed with the Captain.

One stack of books caught her attention. The spines read titles such as Merfolk of Myth, Creatures of the Deep, Legends of the Deep. She pulled the top one from the smiling, running her hand lovingly over the ancient cover. She looked around for more books of the nature but didn’t see any. She did however see a slight ajar door just behind the table holding the stack of books.

She stepped closer, intent on opening it. Maybe there’d be more books. Just as she was pulling at the door, the Captain’s hand slammed over hers, closing the door.

Belle’s gaze shot up to meet his blue eyes. There was a look them Belle couldn’t quite place, but his smile was large and bright.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, love. Lots of dangerous fishing gear in there.” He gave her hand a warm squeeze.

Belle snatched her hand from under his. “I’m a marine biologist; I’m more than capable at handling “fishing gear”.”

The captain cleared his throat, obviously looking for an escape on the situation.

He nodded at her hands. “Bookworm, are you?”

Belle clutched the book. “These are…interesting subjects.” Belle commented.

“Much of the world’s ocean is still undiscovered. Who’s to say these books aren’t miscategorized.”

Belle turned to him. “So you believe? In…the existence in these types of creature.”

“Don’t you?” he inquired, that look in his eyes again.

Belle thought about Rumple, about how meeting him had redefined everything she’d ever been taught, everything she had ever known about the ocean she studied.

“I believe…that anything is possible.”

The Captain smiled in appreciation. “Would you like to borrow a few?”

“Really?” Belle returned.

“Well I have to have some way to see you again. How about we go for a drink when you’re done with the books.”

Belle gave him an amused smile. While he was hardly her type and cocky beyond reason, she had honestly been in worse company.

“How about I return the books, and put maybe on those drinks?”

Something on the captain’s face changed, but still he smiled and did a slight bow.

“I’ll endeavor to be patient.”

-,-,-

Within the next hour, a rescue crew came and took Ariel and Belle back to the docks, leaving the crew of the Jolly Roger to discover what had stalled the ship. As it turned out, the hinged shudder was indeed jammed but Jones nor the rescue crew could figure out how such a well-managed ship would suddenly act up.

By the time Ariel and Belle were back on the docks, Belle’s tongue was throbbing from holding it so long.

“Well that was an adventure.” Ariel commented enthusiastically as they walked back to the town.

Belle shrugged. “At least I got some books out of it.” She said, patting her bag.

Ariel waved a piece of paper in her friend’s face. “And I got a number and an upcoming!”

Belle smiled at her friend’s good fortune and guiltily hoped that her new infatuation with Eric would keep her distracted. She needed to see Rumple now more than ever.

As they reached the end of the beach, Ariel yawned and stretched, shifting through her shoulder bag to find the flip flops she bought earlier that day.

“I’m beat.” She said as she kicked off her heels. “You want to go grab dinner in town, take Merlin back something?”

Belle quickly searched for an excuse. “I would but…I promised our guy I’d give him a call about the filters.”

“You can call him when we get back.” Ariel whined.

“I would, but it’s already,” she spared a look at her phone, “after 8 there so…”

Ariel nodded. “Got cha. Burger and fries?”

“And a sweet tea!” Belle said, her stomach growling with guilt rather than hunger. She hated that she was still lying to her friend, but Rumple almost put them in danger today and she did not want to introduce him to her friends until that business was taken care of.

She waited until Ariel was halfway down the street before she made a mad dash back down the docks towards the secluded beach where she and Rumple always met.

She stalked down the sand dunes, muttering curses under her breath until she reached more stable ground.

“Rumple!” she called out as she stalked into the water up to her ankles. She saw a slight movement behind the cluster of rocks.

“I know your there, come out!”

After a moment, the sea creature moved out from behind the rocks, only his head down to this nose showing.

Belle shook her head and dropped her bag onto the sand, wadding through the water towards him.

“What were you thinking!” she called out to him. “You could have caused a wreck! Someone could have gotten hurt!”

Rumple growled under the water, little bubbles sputtering on the surface.

“Don’t do that.” Belle demanded as she reached him. “Now come up!”

Rumple denied her at first, not liking the look in her eyes. It reminded him of an aggravated. As Belle’s glare intensified, he reluctantly came up to his shoulders.

Belle sighed, her anger diminishing now that she had yelled some.

“Why?” he muttered.

“What?”

His gold, reptilian eyes shot to her, filled with betrayal.

“Why were you with that shark!”

Belle was taken aback by his sudden wave of temper. “Captain Jones? I wasn’t there by choice, trust me.”

“You said you’d come back.” He growled lowly.

“I said I’d try.” Belle fought back. “I didn’t make any promises. But my absence doesn’t excuse what you did today. I saw you swim out from under the ship. You stopped the boat even after I asked you not to.”

“I didn’t make any promises.” Rumple sneered.

Belle gasped at his spite. “Yeah but…” she gaped, trying to find the words to exert her anger. But as he smirked, her frustration overloaded her calm and she screamed, splashing him as hard as she could.

Rumple stared in shock at Belle’s flushed, outraged face. Glaring, he splashed her back just as hard.

Soon, they were splashing back and forth, yelling over the sound of the water.

“Trouble maker!”

“Shark!”

“You could have gotten someone killed!”

“I knew what to do! That ship is full of filth!”

“I was on there; are you saying I’m filth!”

“Maybe I am!”

Belle stopped splashing, slightly hurt.

Rumple felt his anger evaporate like water on a seagull’s back the second he saw her face. “Belle…I didn’t mean it.”

Belle shook her head, letting her arms float in the cool water. “Look, I’ve been eating myself alive all day because I didn’t come and see you. I hated that I asked so much of you yesterday. I just…wanted to help you and Storybrooke and…everyone I could. I guess I was hoping one solution would solve a whole slew of problems.”

Rumple moved to her side, not able to meet her eyes. “You found something? To stop the ink?”

Belle smiled gently at him. “I have someone back home who can fix the oil problem. It’s up to the towns people now.” She reached out and gently lifted his chin, meeting his wide eyes.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Rumple.”

The sea creature nodded, smiling at her gentleness. “I’m sorry too, Belle.”

Belle shrugged. “I think we both jumped into this too fast. How about we start fresh?”

“Start…fresh?”

Belle giggled. “Start new? Reintroduce ourselves, so to speak.”

Rumple pondered the saying and then reached out his scaly hand. “I’m…Rumple?”

Belle laughed and took it in her own; it was so warm. “I’m Belle.”

“Belle.” Rumple sighed. The name still sounded so beautiful, like the breeze on a gentle day at sea.

Belle released his hand after a moment. “Well, I do have to go. I kind of fibbed to my friend to come here.”

Rumple frowned but nodded, following her until she was back on the sand.

“Will I see you again?” he asked quietly.

“I promise.” Belle announced with certainty. “I’ll be here early tomorrow morning. I’ll bring more pudding cups.”

Rumple perked up at the promise of the delicious treat.

She smiled at him one last time. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

He watched her trek up the sand dune, each step lifting the weight that had weighed him down all day. As the moon began to rise, Rumple returned to his den with new thoughts and plans for Belle ran through his head. Maybe he’d bring her a treasure tomorrow.

It wasn’t until he was lying down that night that another thought struck his mind and made his gut turn in anxiety.

That man on the ship…the Captain Jones…there was something about that name that made the scales on his spine stand on end…

But he couldn’t remember what it was.

#rumbelle #rumbelle fic #foxmurphy #@foxmurphy #Ryik's Fics #ouat au #rumbelle au #mermaid #mermaid!rumple

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ericjuneau · 8 years ago

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Reprise (Chapter 18) [Frozen/Tangled/The Little Mermaid]

CHAPTER 18: Island in the Sun

Elsa's decoded graph matched a small section of coast and isles. The coordinates pointed to a volcanic island in the seas between all three of their kingdoms.

At once, Rapunzel ordered the Barefoot Maiden be prepared to sail. Servants went on ahead to deliver the news while the three of them stayed to help. Rapunzel healed anyone injured. Elsa inspected the surrounding area, making sure any stray fires were out. Ariel helped with clean-up.

Before sunset, the girls rode back, heading to the docks. The few remaining crewmen were loading barrels of supplies, arranging ropes, and repairing sails.

The three of them climbed on board. Flynn stood on the deck with Maximus.

"Ansel's already on his way to Arendelle," Flynn said. "Took a scout ship. Sure was eager to get out and pound some heads."

"Good. He'll probably be there by the time we reach where we're going," Rapunzel said.

She stopped, feeling something tickle the back of her head. "No, Pascal, I told you, not this time. It's too dangerous. We don't know what we're getting into." She placed him on Maximus's saddle and gave him a pat. He groused, crossing his arms.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait? It's going to be nightfall soon," Flynn said.

"Then it's the perfect time for us to go," Rapunzel said. "I wish you could come with us."

Flynn shook his head. "We need to figure out how that fire started and how it got so out of control. Max insists we need to start while the evidence is fresh. But are you sure you don't want to bring any soldiers?"

"Fate seems determined to keep this quest to us three," Elsa said before Rapunzel could reply.

Two men walked up the deck plank, carrying a giant vat of water between them. "Princess Rapunzel, is this supposed to be on deck? It could be dangerous if it starts sliding on deck."

"I'm willing to take that risk," Rapunzel said.

"What do you need it for anyway?" asked Flynn.

Rapunzel, Elsa, and Ariel met eyes with each other.

"I... like..." Ariel stammered, "to take a bath under the stars. Yes, it's one of my nightly rituals. It's good luck."

"Speaking of night, it's time to shove off," Elsa said after glancing at the horizon.

The crewmen cleared the deck. Rapunzel and Flynn embraced while Maximus looked away awkwardly. Elsa pulled down the mainsail. Ariel took the wheel. Rapunzel hoisted the anchor and waved goodbye to her husband.

Once the ship was clear of Corona's ports, Ariel slipped off her clothes and jumped into the water tank. And not a moment too soon. The sun flashed before submerging into the ocean.

Ariel cringed as the transformation took place.

"You okay?" Rapunzel asked, coming to her side.

Ariel held up her finger, indicating to wait. Beneath the dark water, her legs melted together from top to bottom. Ariel released her breath. "I wonder if that's what childbirth is like. Thank you again for the tub," Ariel said.

"We missed you bunches last time. I'm so glad you can stay up here now, even if you can't move far."

Ariel sat back in her tub. "I don't think it even matters."

"What? Why would you say that?"

"Rapunzel, do you think I'm helping at all?"

"Of course! Why would you say such a thing?"

"Elsa can control ice and snow. You can heal people, plus your hair is super strong. I can't control my trident and I've got to stay out of sight for half the day."

"You are helping. Even if we weren't cursed, we'd want you along. I like the way we kind of complement each other."

"But you both have skills to make up for your faults. You know about art, astronomy, geology, strategy..."

"Well, when you have only a single room, you have plenty of time to learn," Rapunzel said.

"Elsa knows about queen things. Laws and government and national relations."

"You will too. It just takes experience."

Ariel looked into the burgeoning night sky. "I had six older sisters. I was so far down the chain of succession I never thought I'd be ruling anything. So I just played and explored and did what interested me. I never dressed up, hated putting things in my hair. My sisters got so mad when I got away with stuff. They yelled at me when I was daydreaming in lessons. One time I was late for the ball in my honor, and then left early anyway."

"You'll have your time to shine," Rapunzel said. "Believe me, it's not exciting dealing with all these politics either."

Ariel wondered if Eric felt the same way. He always got a certain look when he tried to explain something or the problem he was facing. Now, she knew it was because she always drifted away somewhere.

Rapunzel stood up. "I'm going to get some sleep before I take over for Elsa."

"I will too," Ariel said. "Good night." Her red hair swirled as she submerged. Above her, the sky wavered and wobbled through the water.

Ariel woke up in terror. She couldn't breathe. Vision blacked in and out. Her chest was about to explode. She flailed her arms until she found purchase beneath her and pushed.

Water sputtered out of her mouth. She took a great big gasp, still blind by wet hair over her eyes. Hacking, she pulled it away.

It was daylight. She was in the water vat, on the boat.

Elsa ran up to her, tipping with the motion of the boat. "Ariel? Are you okay?"

Ariel felt beneath her torso. She had transformed from mermaid to human in her sleep. The pain didn't even wake her up, if there had been any.

"I'm fine," she said. "Overslept. Do you think you could get me some clothes?"

Ariel dried off, got dressed, and joined the other two at the forecastle. Rapunzel's hands steered the wheel.

"There it is," she said, nodding forward. The island they were seeking lay straight ahead.

Ariel looked through the spyglass. The only flat land lay near the coast, where lush greenery garnished the beach. A mountainous volcanic peak in the center occupied the rest, belching obsidian ash into the atmosphere.

"Hmm," Ariel said.

"What?" Elsa asked.

"Nothing. It's just... I think this place is over the Abyss. It's an awful place. A dark chasm near Atlantica. Full of creatures I'd never seen before. The pit monsters are always feeding. They make huge undercurrents with their mouths. Makes it almost impossible to escape from."

"Good thing we're not going swimming," Elsa said.

The women anchored the ship, then took the longboat to the coast. Each wave crashed with the labored breath of a hunted animal.

The girls pulled the boat up past the tide. "Now what?" Elsa said. "Do we wait for someone?"

"Didn't the map have anything to say?" Ariel asked.

"No, it was just an outline of the island."

The girls kicked at the dirt, waiting for something to happen. No one felt comfortable moving on until they knew where they were moving on to.

Tired of standing, Elsa sat in the sand. Maybe this was all just a loss. She couldn't believe they had gotten all this way just to be stopped. What was the point of a map that only took you part of the way?

"Ohhhh. Now I get it," Rapunzel said.

"Get what?" Elsa asked. Rapunzel dug in her knapsack.

"The magician's gaze. That's what it was talking about. Look." She pointed in the distance to a jagged rock formation. "It's the rocks. It looks like a magician. See his pointy hat? And his nose?"

"Oh, I see it!" Ariel gasped. "That long thing is his arm doing a spell!"

Elsa didn't see it, but stood up. It was as good a place to start as any. They hiked up through the trees, approaching the rock site until they spotted an unusual clearing. Rapunzel burst through.

"Look!" She pointed up to the magician. "See his eye? We're under his gaze. That must be what the sonnet is. It's a way for us to navigate the island. 'I haply dote on thine magician's gaze / Command me spell bound my heart to find thine'."

"Like a treasure map," Ariel added. "So where do we go next?"

Rapunzel consulted. "The sun beweeps red tears of flame from rays / Doth brightest cans't to match thou brilliant shine.'"

"The sun's path... we follow the sun?" Elsa asked.

"Go west until we meet whatever the next thing is," Ariel finished.

Tracking the sun was difficult amid the trees, but they petered out as a smell of brimstone pervaded. Each of the girls were continually wiping their brows and drinking from the canteen.

"This island didn't look that big from the ocean," Ariel said.

"Do you hear that rumbling? Or rushing?" Rapunzel asked.

Elsa pulled back some bushes and a wave of noxious sulfur hit her nose. A rivulet of lava seeped out of the mountain, slogging down to the ocean, creating a steamy geyser.

"Oh, the red tears of flame. The sun is hot, so lava would be a river of sun's tears," Ariel said, delighted.

"So how do we cross it?" Elsa looked for a bridge, but could find none. She could make a bridge of ice, but was worried about it melting too fast. The library fire had shown her what happened if she didn't concentrate enough.

Ariel sidled along the bank toward the mountain. "Hey, there's a rope bridge here," she said. Ash and soot had so so blackened the rope, they hadn't initially seen it. Ariel stepped on, feet on the bottom rope, hands clutching the top.

"Be careful," Rapunzel called. "That rope looks a little-"

SNAP

"flimsy."

The bottom rope snapped. Ariel's feet dangled before the sharp tug broke the upper rope as well. Ariel screamed as she tumbled toward the lava. The rope arced, swinging like a pendulum towards the other side.

"Hold on!" Elsa said.

Ariel slammed against the cliff face, spinning like a child's toy, but kept her grip. Not far from the top, she climbed the rest of the way.

"All you all right?" Rapunzel called out.

Ariel took a few moments to catch her breath after heaving herself over the edge. "Just fine," she called out. "But how are you going to get across?"

Rapunzel tied the end of her hair into a knot and threw it over the chasm. "Tie it around that tree," she said.

Ariel tied it around the thickest tree she could find, smudging her body with soot in the process.

"Is this going to hurt you?" Elsa asked Rapunzel.

Rapunzel wound herself three times around another tree. "Not a problem."

Elsa shimmied along Rapunzel's hair, hanging like a sloth. She willed herself not to look at the river of lava, instead focusing on upside-down Ariel beckoning her across. Her shining red hair was like a beacon.

Ariel helped her up and over. "Now how are you going to get across?" Ariel called out to Rapunzel.

"Untie me!" she shouted.

Rapunzel's unwound herself while Ariel and Elsa loosed her. She shimmied up the tree to the top, then gathered her hair into a coil. Like before, she lassoed a barren tree branch on the other side. With its inertia, the knot wrapped around tight. Rapunzel gave it a few tugs, then took a breath. She had done this before after all.

She leapt off the tree branch and swung over the lava bed. The branch held--she was going to make it-

-she thought, until the hair unwrapped itself. Neither leaves nor dirt would cling to the magic hair. Rapunzel careened toward her friends, no longer arcing up.

Ariel and Elsa reached out for her. They grabbed her arms as she slammed into the cliffside.

"Phew, thanks," she said. Rapunzel smoothed out her hair and undid the knot at the end. They continued into the forest, away from the sun's river of tears.

"What's the next line?" Ariel asked.

"'Time's tyranny of tide calls forth impart / But tread most feather-light across its flow / E'er contra the raucous tow of mine heart / And bid us route to wedding's altar glow.'"

"Water. We're looking for water." They continued through the dense brush, whacking at palm fronds that got too friendly.

Another rushing sound met their ears. But unlike the last, this came from a cool frothing waterfall, ending in a torrential river out to sea. One misstep and the current would trip them, carrying them to be crushed or drowned by the rapids.

"Okay, so we're not wading," Elsa said. "And the water's moving too fast for me to freeze."

"Look at those rocks," Ariel said. "Do you think they're close enough for us to jump?"

A collection of stiff monoliths lay in the river, having avoided erosion or removal. Each had a flat surface and were spaced close enough to step to.

"I think so," Elsa said. "Who wants to go first?"

The first rock stuck out where the rushing water met the river bank. Ariel stepped on.

"Are you sure? Out of all of us, you've got the least experience on your feet," Rapunzel said.

"I'll be fine," Ariel said.

Her next target was the rock nearest the opposite river bank. As soon as she placed her first foot on it, the stone cracked lengthwise and began to sink. Ariel frantically waved her arms, straddling the rushing river. She was about to fall forward when Elsa grabbed her hand, the other holding onto Rapunzel's hair. They swung back to the bank where all three collapsed on each other.

"Okay, so that wasn't a good idea," Ariel said. "There's got to be some way across."

"Wait, read the sonnet again," Elsa asked. Rapunzel did. "Maybe that thing about time is a clue. 'Tread most feather-light across its flow'."

"But how do you fight against 'time's tyranny of tide' with a bunch of rocks?"

If the nearest rock wouldn't fall, then the key was to know which rocks would collapse and which wouldn't.

"Wait, I see it," Elsa said. "It's a clock. See how those rocks in the middle are the hands?"

Rapunzel nodded. "So we just need to trace the clock's face."

"Right." Elsa hiked up her leg and prepared to step onto the nearest rock on her left. "No... wait. It said 'contra its raucous flow'. That means..." She stepped on the right rock instead. It held her weight. "Go backwards. Counter-clockwise." The third rock held. Elsa took the lead as they all rock hopped along the semi-circle. Once on the other bank, they all sighed with relief and hugged.

"What sort of person lives here?" Elsa stuttered. "Whoever it is really didn't want to be found."

"Or wanted to be found by the right person," Rapunzel added.

The riverbank had a path to follow, so they took it. They were getting tired and sweaty from all this traveling. "At least when I turn back into a mermaid, I'll be able to wash this off," Ariel said. It felt like they had gone around the island twice now.

The path ended at an odd structure made of yellow granite. It was about twenty feet high, topped with a spire. No entrance, but inside was an archway. Through it, the main path branched into seven.

"'That, lo, the nupt of fruits bloom ripe thereof / By lost and lonely gods of yore. Let past / And future both attend the vow. For love / Bear guard through eyes of patience none outlast.'," Rapunzel read. The three looked at each other and shrugged.

"I'm assuming if we take the wrong path we'll get lost," Elsa said. They explored the area, but found no clues to the riddle's answer. Rapunzel sat in the shadowy shelter, but nothing happened. The eight paths lay before her, none distinguishable from another.

Ariel brushed away dust and moss from the shrine. There may have been an embossed engraving at one time, but weather had smoothed it away.

"Hey, there's a hole here." Sand fell out of a hole no bigger than her pinky. Ariel stuck the end of the trident inside. Dozens of tiny black spiders skittered out in all directions.

"Yarrgh!" Ariel jumped back, climbing into Rapunzel's arms. Her face grew hot. "I was not expecting that."

Elsa inserted a thin stick in. It went all the way through and poked out the other side. "Looks like it's just a hole. I was hoping it would be a button or something."

Rapunzel, cautiously, put her eye up to it. "All I can see is the other side."

Ariel walked around and looked into the hole's other side, facing where they had come from. She could see the path leading back to the river and nothing else. Elsa passed by. Ariel stood up and sighed.

"Anything?" Elsa asked. She was right behind her.

"Jeez!" Ariel said. "How'd you get here so fast?"

"Huh?"

Ariel scowled in confusion. She looked through the hole. Nothing but the original path. "Wait, do that again."

"What did I do?" Elsa asked.

"Walk behind me."

Ariel returned to the peephole. Elsa walked past.

"I can see you... somehow... looking through it this way."

Rapunzel came around and tried. Ariel walked across the branching paths behind her. "I do see you!" she said. "I don't know how, but I do. Magic?"

"Mirrors?" Elsa suggested.

"Do you see me now?" Ariel asked, strafing across.

"Not yet... now I do," Rapunzel said.

"Look where I'm standing."

The two turned. She was standing on one of the routes, feet squarely on the path.

"Oh, I get it. 'Let past and future both attend the vow. For love bear guard through eyes of patience.' Look to the past to guide the future," Elsa said.

"You have to look where you've been to see where you're going," Ariel finished.

Feeling optimistic, they hurried down the dirt road. Now they realized their path was spiraling up the mountain, further from shore. Finally they ended at the cliff face of the volcano. It appeared to be a solid wall.

Ariel knocked. "Hello?"

The three of them ran their hands along the rockface, hoping for a seam or trigger. "It can't just end here." Elsa banged her shoulder against the wall. She was tired, thirsty, dirty, and just wanted to go home.

"Look." Ariel pointed to a tiny panel, almost too small to be noticed without close scrutiny. Three pinholes in a column, next to three gems.

Rapunzel squinted one eye and pressed her nose up. "Let's see... that yellow one's a topaz, a diamond, and a red zircon. Does that have any meaning to anybody?"

Ariel and Elsa shook their heads. "There's holes. So something needs to be inserted," Elsa said.

"Is there any more to the sonnet?" Ariel asked.

"The last two lines are 'At nocturne sweet rends mine and thou to we / Whence put sweet Iris lock in pair'ed key'," Rapunzel said. "What does that mean? How can you put a lock in the key?"

"Do we have to find those gemstones? Are they rare?" Elsa asked.

"Pretty rare. Maybe they're around the island?" Rapunzel said.

Ariel toed the ground while muttering to herself. "Lock and key, key and lock...a lock that's a key... lock that's the key..." She crossed her arms and played with an idle tress of hair.

Elsa scratched her head. "Ohhhhhhhh... a lock! A lock of hair."

"Three of us. Three holes," Rapunzel said.

"Yellow, white, and red!" Ariel finished.

Rapunzel sorted through her hair until she reached an end, then wedged it into the hole with the topaz. Ariel did her own. Elsa stuck the end of her braid in as far as it would go.

Rock cracked and groaned as dust poured from the cliff face. The stone melted away to a doorway-sized hole. A sweet smell of perfume wafted out.

"I guess we go in," Elsa said. The floor had an ornately decorated platform, lacquered in gold trim and wisteria velvet that felt pleasant on their worn feet. As soon all three had stepped on it, the platform jerked to life and rose at a slant.

"What's happening?" Ariel asked.

"Just hold on," Elsa said. The three of them interlocked arms so no one would fall. "I think we must be going to the top of the mountain."

The darkness was unnerving without anything to gauge their progress. Then at the top, light reflected off some kind of gold frame. The platform stopped short, ending at a lavish room worthy of a sultan. Purple and blue body-size pillows lay scattered on the floor, next to glossy tables filled with fruit. Sapphire and emerald tapestries hung between thin violet curtains. The room smelled of lavender and vanilla.

The three stepped out. All three were hungry and tired, but too nervous and polite to simply start partaking.

Then a door at the north end of the room opened. A young, blond man came through, wearing a gold-trimmed white robe with wide triangular shoulder pads. His outfit reeked of old magic, but his face was that of a twenty-year-old, not an experienced wizard. He walked in confidently, a boyish smile on his face.

"Welcome," he said. "My name is Arcius Cansteth."

#Elsa #Ariel #Rapunzel #Tangled #Frozen #The Little Mermaid #Disney #fanfiction #reprise #fanfic #crossover #disneyprincess

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