The day had been perfect; an entire day at sea, much to the delight of both the bride and the groom.

The ceremony had taken place at midday, with a small party following on from that as the boat made its way around the bay where Eric's kingdom was situated before it was scheduled to return to the palace, where the guests, as well as those who had remained in the kingdom, would gather in the palace for a banquet and ball until the early hours of the morning.

Spending time at sea after the ceremony had given the citizens of Atlantica the opportunity to join in the celebrations should they wish to, as many had, though most had departed after the ceremony.

The sun was just beginning to kiss the horizon as the boat began to make its way back to shore, a two hour journey so that fireworks might light the night sky on its return to the palace docks.

It had been a year precisely since Ariel's first day as a human, meaning that their wedding had closely followed Eric's nineteenth birthday. Neither he nor Ariel had been happier than they had this past year, since the defeat of Ursula, and this day marked not only the end of their first year together, but the beginning of many more years to come.

The couple had danced their way through the past hour, parting only when close friends of Ariel's had announced that they would be returning to Atlantica. The Princess had left her husband's side to say goodbye to them, leaving him to mingle with the guests, as she did upon her return.

Seeing his wife's happiness in getting to know those around her, Eric saw the perfect opportunity to catch a breath of fresh air. His wedding attire combined with a dense crowd of dancing people had left the young Prince feeling rather warm, and he sought the sea air to cool him down.

He made his way up to the front of the boat, away from where the guests were gathered, where a few people were chatting amongst themselves, obviously having had the same idea, or merely seeking some peace and quiet. Eric acknowledged them with a smile as he passed, not stopping until he reached the bow of the vessel. Closing his eyes briefly, he took a deep breath, gripping the side of the ship as it sliced a path through the calm water, throwing up spray as it did so.

A gentle voice broke Eric from his thoughts, and he turned to face a beaming Carlotta.

"You've managed to compose yourself I see" he said cheekily, a smile taking over his features.

The housemaid laughed at this, and shook her head fondly, making her way over to the boy she'd known since his infancy and wrapping her arms around him. He returned the affection without hesitation, resting his chin upon Carlotta's shoulder with a contempt sigh.

"Thank you" he said quietly.

"Whatever for darling?" asked Carlotta, pulling back and looking at her boy quizzically.

Eric smiled, showing his dimples and shrugged. "For always being there, and for helping to arrange today. It's been more than I ever thought it would and that's mainly thanks to you."

Carlotta's eyes suddenly burnt with tears, and she had to blink hard to fight them back. "Oh, Eric," she said, pulling him into another tight hug. "It's nothing less than what you and Ariel deserve." She paused, cupping Eric's face in her hands. "I'm so proud of you darling, and I know your parents would be too."

Those words left Eric fighting back tears of his own

At the stern of the wedding boat, Ariel had just about spoken to all those present, and was looking around for an indication as to where Eric might be. She was making her way through the crowd, when an unfamiliar figure stepped into her path, a short man, just slightly taller than her, with thin brown hair greased back so that it stuck to his scalp.

"Hello" she greeted cheerfully.

The man continued to stare at her, his eyes narrowed as if he were trying to figure something out, his lips pressed together into a tight line. The length of time he spent staring at her began to make the Princess feel uncomfortable, and she was about to excuse herself when a tall woman stepped up beside him.

"There you are Villads, I've been looking all over for you" she snapped.

The man – Villads – didn't seem to notice that the woman had spoken, or that she was there at all for that matter, and continued to stare at Ariel.

"Princess," he finally spoke, his voice almost snakelike, "Villads Jørgensen." He held out a hand, which Ariel took, just as Eric had taught her. This was the way in which humans greeted each other, but when Villads hand remained limp in her grasp, she wondered if she might have done something wrong, and pulled away quickly.

"Sorry," she said quietly, her cheeks heating up when both the man and woman smirked at her, "it's nice to meet you, are you friends with Eric?"

"Associates" replied Villads, stepping closer to Ariel, lifting a hand to push her hair back, his hand rested on the back of her neck. The action sent shivers down Ariel's spine, was this another form of greeting that Eric hadn't told her about, how was she meant to react? He leaned in closer, bringing his lips to her neck.

The young Princess suddenly felt afraid at the unfamiliarity of the action. Eric had kissed her before, but never like this, never in a way which hadn't filled her with joy. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened, filling with tears as they desperately sought out Eric.

"Come on now Princess, don't be scared" whispered Jørgensen, his breath hot against Ariel's skin.

She let out an almost pathetic whimper, pulling away and taking a few steps back, shaking her head. Why would Eric invite someone like this man to their wedding? Would he think her stupid if she called for him now; called for him to help rid her of this man?

He took another step towards her, and she backed away, stopping only when she came into contact with the side of the boat. Her breath quickened and she glanced around frantically, her eyes only coming to a stop when she noticed a familiar figure standing at the front of the boat.

The seventeen year old picked up the skirts of her dress, running along the edge of the ship, and away from the sound of mocking laughter with tears streaming down her face.

"Eric!" she cried, as soon as she felt she were close enough for him to hear, her voice coming out as a choked sob. She was relieved when Eric turned around, his eyes locking with hers as he strode quickly towards her.

"Ariel, what's happened?" he asked in surprise as she threw herself into his arms, burying her head against his chest. He held her close, one hand on the small of her back and the other rested gently on the back of her head, his fingers brushing through her hair as he shared worried looks with Carlotta.

Ariel sobbed softly for about five minutes until Eric lifted her chin, his sky-blue eyes meeting hers as he spoke his next words. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer, she couldn't, what could she say?

Eric seemed to understand from her hopeless look that he needed to try a different tactic, and glanced over her shoulder to see Grimsby approaching.

"Grim, did you see what happened?" he asked.

"I didn't, but apparently Villads Jørgensen was getting a little bit too friendly with Ariel."

Eric's eyes widened, and his mouth suddenly felt dry. He looked down at Ariel, who seemed so small and fragile in this instance. It was then that he realised that tears which ran down her cheeks were those born of fear and despair, and that broke Eric's heart.

"Hey," he said softly, wiping his thumb across Ariel's cheek, "it's alright, I'll sort it out. I won't let him hurt you."

Ariel nodded, and then hung her head. "I'm sorry," she said, "I was just scared, I didn't know what to do."

"That's okay, it doesn't matter; it's him who's in the wrong Ariel not you, he's the one who should be apologising."

Ariel found herself comforted by those words, and a small smile gracing her lips as she dried her eyes. She trusted Eric completely, and knew from experience that he sorting things out for her always made everything a hundred times better.

The Princess stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Eric and pulling herself close to him.

"I love you" she whispered, staring out across the ocean. An ocean so peaceful that it almost made her forget about her encounter only minutes ago.

Eric smiled, kissing the top of Ariel's head. "I love you too."

The Prince turned to Carlotta, who was still shaking her head disapprovingly at Grimsby's recent news.

"Lottie would stay with Ariel please, I need to go and talk to Villads?"

"Of course dear, but you be careful" replied the housemaid, knowing that Villads Jørgensen could be dreadfully spiteful if he wanted to.

Eric nodded once, and placed his hands on Ariel's shoulders holding her in front of him. "I won't be long" he said, giving his wife's shoulders a gentle yet reassuring squeeze. She smiled, and kissed his cheek before watching him make his way to where the wedding guests were mingling.

Eric stepped aside, allowing Villads into a small office room aboard the ship; a room where Grimsby had set out the preparation, including the guest list and the schedule, not that Eric or Ariel had bothered to pay much attention to timekeeping.

The Prince shut the door behind him as he entered the room, walking over to stand behind the desk, his blue eyes meeting with those of his councilmember as he searched for the right words.

"Villads what happened? What did you do to Ariel?" he asked, his words heated. He'd never gotten along with Villads, the shorter man never thinking of anyone but himself. He thought he was the most important person in all the kingdom, perhaps the entire world, and he acted it too. He'd never said a nice word to Eric, and whereas the Prince had been able to withstand that, he simply wouldn't let him treat Ariel in the same way.

"It was merely a greeting, nothing more, she's a beautiful woman, wasted as your Princess I'd say."

The way Villads spoke made Eric's skin crawl, but he did his best to ignore his words; words born of spite.

"She is beautiful," he replied, "but doesn't give you the right to just-"

"I have the right to do as I please!" shouted Villads, his voice raising to more than Eric thought he was capable of, and echoing off the walls of the small room. "Your precious Princess is an embarrassment to this kingdom and-"

"Don't you dare talk about her like that!" interrupted Eric, silencing the councilmember. He took a calming breath before continuing. "If ever I needed a reason to dismiss you from your post then it was what you've done today Villads. Consider yourself let go."

Villads stood stunned as Eric dismissed him from his post, as if he had the power to do so.

"It doesn't work like that, you don't have the right" he hissed, his eyes narrowing more, if that were even possible.

"Whether I can or cannot, that's precisely what I've done," stated Eric firmly, "and I guarantee you I'll have the support of the rest of the council once I tell them what you've done tonight. I won't stand here and simply allow you to talk in that way about the woman I've married."

Villads had never seen such confidence in the young Prince, his normally calm sky-blue eyes filled with anger and authority the likes of which he'd never shown before.

The fifty one year old councilmember scowled at the young Prince, seeming to try and strike him down with willpower alone. He had been on the council for more than twenty years, to be treated in this way by the Prince who had stolen his chance of power was infuriating. If Eric hadn't been born then the council would have control of the kingdom by now; and there wouldn't be any fish folk around that's for sure.

He was fed up of being treated as less than the highest authority, and decided that if he was to be dismissed from the council, then Eric would be too.

Faster than he'd moved in years, Villads grabbed the decanter of whiskey from the mantelpiece, before throwing it to the ground. It shattered immediately, and the alcohol splashed across the rug and the wooden floor on which it lay.

Eric stared in shock at the action, his eyes widening in surprise and confusion. But his heart leapt to his throat when Villads took the gas lamp in his hands.

"Villads, no!"

Too late.

The glass lamp shattered, the flame catching on the high proof liquid that covered the floor, engulfing the doorway in flames. But the crackling of fire on wood did nothing to drown out the screams of the councilmember as the flames caught his clothes.

The Prince froze, caught in a stupor of shock and horror as he tried to make sense of what was happening. As if a switch had been flicked he came back to himself, reaching into the flames to pull out the burning man. No matter what Villads had said, Eric couldn't bring himself to just stand and do nothing. He winced as the flames came into contact with his hands, the pain bringing tears to his eyes, which already stung due to the smoke.

Throwing Villads out of the fire, he hit down the flames which had caught the sleeves of his jacket, and quickly took off the garment, tossing it over Villads in an attempt to smother the flames. It worked, though Villads' body remained motionless… lifeless… and Eric was powerless to do anything, for the only exit was in flames. Flames which were quickly spreading in all directions.

The smoke was choking the young Prince, drawing harsh coughs from his throat and making his chest hurt. He tried calling out for somebody, anybody, but found his voice too weak to be heard. He dropped to his knees to try and escape the thick smoke.

As long as Ariel got off, that was all that mattered.

"Fire!"

Ariel, Carlotta and Grimsby turned quickly at the sound of panicked screams, to see people rushing in all directions. Orange flames burst onto the deck, eating away at the wooden vessel, and creating a large hole in the centre of the boat. The flammable decorations gave the fire something to climb, and soon the flames rose high into the night sky.

The wedding guests were being ushered into rowboats by the sailors on board, as Grimsby rushed towards the chaos in an attempt to keep everybody calm.

"Your majesty, you need to get into a boat, now!" instructed one sailor, Frederik Nielsen, rushing towards the bow of the boat where Ariel and Carlotta stood stunned, "it's not safe."

"Where's Eric?" cried Ariel, ignoring what the sailor had said. Her panic rose when he remained silent. Immediately she began screaming Eric's name, glancing around frantically for any sign of her husband.

A sudden explosion, caused by the fireworks on board, shook the boat, sending people tumbling overboard, and Ariel suddenly found herself immersed in frigid water. She broke the surface spluttering, glad that one of the first things Eric had taught her was how to swim, how to coordinate your arms and legs so that you stayed afloat. Unfortunately for Ariel, her wedding dress was far too heavy for her to be able to swim efficiently, the waterlogged fabric weighing her down; and just as soon as she broke the surface, she was once again submerged.

The Princess flailed her arms and legs in a blind panic, still so unused to not being able to breathe underwater, surprised that every time she tried to inhale she only ended up choking. She tried calling out, sending bubbles rushing to the surface, which was getting further and further away by the second. The former mermaid struggled fruitlessly, her lungs burning as they tried to inhale breath after breath of seawater. As her vision began to fade, and her struggles became weaker, the Princess was suddenly immersed in a blinding flash of light.

Ariel drew a shuddering breath as a strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around her. A familiar deep voice echoed around her head, but the words were muffled, for she had gone without sufficient oxygen for too long.

She suddenly found her head lifted, a worried bearded face staring down at her.

"Daddy?" she muttered between breaths.

The sea King breathed a heavy sigh of relief, drawing his youngest daughter in close to his chest as she came back to herself.

Ariel shot upright abruptly, glancing round with a set panicked expression, her breathing elevating until her eyes came to rest on the green of her tail. The wedding dress had disappeared, leaving her only in purple seashells. She looked up at her father, and wrapped her arms around his neck, thanking him over and over again.

"Ariel, what happened? What did they do to you?" asked Triton, anger evident in his voice.

"Nothing," replied Ariel, "daddy they…" She trailed off, colour draining from her face. "Oh no," she gasped, "Eric!" The mermaid swam quickly upwards, stopping only when she breached the surface.

The scene that greeted her was one of utter chaos, humans were struggling to stay above the surface with their garments weighing them down. Some had managed to climb onto a rowboat, while some merely hugged debris in an attempt to stay afloat. The wedding boat was almost completed engulfed in flames by this point, and slowly sinking below the surface of the ocean.

"Ariel!"

The Princess spun around, coming face to face with Carlotta, who was desperately hanging onto a piece of wood, an unconscious Grimsby in her spare arm.

"Gosh dear, are you alright?" asked the maid, as Ariel swam towards her.

"I'm fine," replied Ariel with tears in her eyes, "Carlotta where's Eric?"

The maid simply shook her head, worry etched into her brow and a look of utter despair set upon her features. She looked as though she may burst into tears at any moment, which is exactly how Ariel felt. The seventeen year old turned to her father.

"Daddy, you have to help them, help them get back to shore," she said hurriedly, "I need to find Eric."

Triton paused for only a moment before nodding, turning to help the humans into the smaller boats, assisting Carlotta and Grimsby first as Ariel began the search for her husband.

Eric cried out, the agonising pain in his chest reaching new heights, paralysing him as he lay helplessly against the wall of the small office room. The fire was so close now that it licked his skin every few seconds, and no matter how hard Eric tried, he simply couldn't find the strength the break the window behind him. He was blinded by the smoke that stung his eyes, causing tears to run down his cheeks.

Villads' body had long since been eaten up by the flames, and the young Prince was certain that the same would soon happen to him, leaving Ariel widowed after only hours of being married. He thought of her, praying that she had managed to get off safely.

It wasn't meant to end like this. This day was supposed to be the beginning, the day that they finally became one, the day that both land and sea united. This was the start of his life, and Ariel's too, a life they would spend together.

A life that never was.

He thought of Carlotta, of Grimsby, the two people he had trusted all his life. They had been his parents since the age of six, when his own had so tragically died. The had raised him… helped him… loved him, and he was never going to get the chance to say thank you.

He began to cry, tears of pain and sorrow and the boat became submerged, the water quenching the flames, but crushing the Prince, pinning his body to the wall as it flooded into the room forcefully.

He couldn't breathe. Not that it made a difference, he'd barely been able to breathe because of the smoke anyway. He'd lost too much air, and within seconds, his world, one which had been shaping up so nicely, disappeared.

Ariel stood alone. The wind whipped around her, the skirts of her wedding dress being blown around so forcefully that she had to fight to keep her balance. Tears slipped down her cheeks, yet no sound escaped her lips, for she had cried enough already that day. A day which had started out so perfectly, but had quickly become the worst the young Princess could remember.

She had found Eric. His body floating lifelessly in one of the rooms of the wedding boat. She had found him hours after the fire, hours after the boat had sunk. Perhaps if she'd found him sooner he might have made it.

Dragging his body back to shore had been by far the most difficult thing she'd ever had to bring herself to do. She'd known he was dead, known that no matter how hard people may try, he wasn't going to wake up.

She'd watched as Carlotta and Grimsby had wept, cradling their boy's body as they knelt upon the sand, not caring as the fine grains stuck to their wet skin and clothes. The kingdom was in shock, mourning the loss of their Prince, who had been taken long before his due time.

Only nineteen.

He had been ruling the kingdom with Grimsby's assistance for a mere three years, and shown the qualities of somebody who would one day become the greatest ruler this land had ever seen. But that chance had been cruelly taken away.

Ariel looked down to the ocean below her, the way the waves crashed against the rocks, eating away at the cliff face. If her father had known her intention, he'd never have agreed to give her back her legs. Or perhaps he would have? He must've known there was no way his daughter was ever going to find happiness again, perhaps he thought this was what was best.

Carlotta had tried to talk to her, tried to tell her that everything would be alright one day. But even as she'd spoken those words, it was obvious that she didn't believe them.

The year she'd spent with Eric had been the best of her life, for she had achieved something that she never had under the sea. She had lived. And not only lived, but lived with the man she loved by her side. A man so kind, so caring that she often had to remind herself that he was real.

Those eyes, the colour of a clear sky on a summers day, so full of life and kindness… they would never open again. He would never again smile, or laugh. He'd never take her hand in his, or run his fingers through her hair. He'd never again whisper that he loved her, that everything was going to be okay. Oh how she needed those words now.

Ariel looked up at the sky, stars shining as bright as ever, the moon following its course across the sky as it had last night, and would tomorrow night, as if nothing had changed.

Ariel remembered looking up at those very same stars with Eric, as he taught her of planets and constellations, the likes of which she'd never heard of before.

Perhaps he was up there, among those stars, watching her.

Fixing her gaze upon the brightest star, Ariel took a single step closer to the edge of the towering cliff and, taking a deep breath, held out her arms… and fell. For how long she didn't know, and what happened to her body afterwards didn't matter, for she would be free, free from sadness and from loneliness, and she would see him again.