Any day now. Any day. Ariel was full-term on her pregnancy, and she was just ready for the baby to arrive. She hardly fit into her maternity clothes, and everything hurt. Her feet felt swollen, she could hardly walk around without getting winded, and she was cranky. Granted, she knew this was going to happen, that she would feel this way, but that didn't mean she enjoyed it. This baby was bigger than Melody had been, and it only made the petite Ariel even more exhausted.

Feeling uncomfortable yet sleepy, the very pregnant princess decided to go to bed, though it was earlier than usual. She had been resting all day, simply watching the ocean from her bed, but she still felt tired. So after telling Eric to keep an eye out for Melody, she did her best to get comfortable in her bed. With the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shore, Ariel relaxed and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Ariel's eyes flew open, awakened by a sharp pain in her abdomen. It was about 2:00 in the morning, judging by where the moon was in the sky. She glanced over her shoulder to see Eric fast asleep next to her. Suddenly, another sharp pain penetrated her abdomen, and she clutched her stomach painfully, trying to register what was going on. After examining herself, Ariel gasped to realize that she was having a contraction; the baby was coming.

When the contraction ended, the redhead struggled to get herself out of bed, remembering that standing had helped her relax when she was pregnant with Melody. She quickly pulled her hair back into a ponytail, then waddled to the other side of the bed, clutching her stomach. Shaking to wake Eric, she said, trying to keep calm, "Eric. Eric. It's time. The baby's coming. Eric."

Eric would not lie, this pregnancy has taken an enormous toll on the kingdom, Melody, himself, and Ariel. The previous months were tedious and tiresome, but all of those days of waiting were well worth the wait. Ariel finally reached her final term in the pregnancy, which was a total sigh of relief for him and Ariel. Not intending to offend his wife in any way, but he did take notice that she appeared to be more round than in her pregnancy with Melody. He mused that is was either a boy or twins. Deep down inside, he was hoping for a boy.

Recently, Ariel's been sentenced to bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. Carlotta, being the ever-faithful enforcer to these sort of orders, sternly rejected to Ariel's plea to leave the master bedroom. Eric's schedule was far from being open, but he vowed to make daily checkups on her, to see the progress. All in all, everything seemed to flow smoothly. No harmful surges, no agitated screams. Yep. Everything was perfectly fine.

The day wore on, the sky's light blue shade now transformed to a twilight color, melody was safely snuggled inside her bed, and it was time for Eric to retire to his chambers as well. Knowing that Ariel was snoozing after a long day of bedrest, Eric slowly creaked the door open to see his wife's sleeping form. A tiny grin formed upon his face as he crept inside. In a split second, Eric changed into his night clothes and quietly climbed into bed. He nestled himself into the extra fluffy pillows, allowing himself to fully relax. After one last, loving look at his tranquil mermaid, Eric dozed off into a content slumber.

Muffled cries and constant pushes on his shoulder brought the sailor prince to consciousness. He blinked his drowsy eyes, gradually waking up and becoming more aware of the situation. Ariel's frantic yet hushed pleads caught his awareness immediately. It's time. Eric whirled his head to Ariel, who was hunched over. Eric speedily flailed the sheets away and swung his legs off of the large bed.

"It's okay. Okay. Okay. It's time. Here we go." he rambled on, spilling out heavy breaths and reassuring words. His hands gripped Ariel's hand, remembering that she desperately needed something or someone to hang onto during contractions. His alert, hazy blue eyes frantically searched in the darkness for a candle. He spotted one on the drawer by the bedside. While still grasping Ariel's hand, He light the candle with a match. "We're just gonna stand right here, okay. Doin' okay. You're doing fine, love." he complimented with a low voice. He absentmindedly wondered what the time was, but he had to focus on more important things. The baby was coming. It's time

Noticing Eric's alert nervousness, Ariel squeezed his hand. "I'm fine. I'm okay. Just.. get Grimsby to fetch the doctor," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. She was so excited, yet dreading the pain that was bound to come, especially towards the end.

As another contraction came, Ariel forced herself to sit back down on the edge of the bed, taking deep breaths. Feeling hot already, she grabbed a clip from the nightstand and pulled her bangs back from her sweating face.

The door started to creak open, and the princess turned to see Carlotta at the door. "Your Majesties…?"

"Carlotta. Doctor. Now," she managed to say, inhaling sharply as another strong pain surged through her abdomen.

"Remember to breath. Breathing helps. You need to breath." At this point in time, Eric wasn't quite sure if he was reminding this to Ariel or himself. Eric inhaled and exhaled through his nose as he assisted Ariel to the floor. He studied hard on the beads of sweat coursing down her soaked cheeks. Their interlocked fingers never separated. The sailor prince knew full well that his hand was probably the closest thing she had a grip on. He would let her pull on his hair if that would make her pain more tolerable and less excruciating.

His focused attention on Ariel paused for a quick moment as Carlotta timidly entered through the doorway. "Carlotta, go fetch the doctor. Quickly. Ariel's going into labor. The baby's coming!" he exclaimed urgently, waving his free hand back and forth, gesturing to hurry up. The expression on his face exposed all of his emotions. Worried, frightened, excited, exhilirated, anxious, and above all things…happy.

With a assured nod of the head, the head maid dashed out of the room to get the doctor. "Don't worry Ariel." Eric soothed, as he gingerly caressed her tangled locks. The strands felt wet, most likely due to the sweat dripping out of her head. Eric chewed his bottom lip, feeling completely useless. His wife was in agonizing pain and all he could do was pour out some sympathetic words for her to find comfort in. However, nobody could make him leave Ariel's side. He belonged right here, beside her. For support and love. "Carlotta's going to get the doctor right now." His eyes shone bright from the flickering candle light in the background. "Keep breathing, love." he advised, tucking a loose, wet strand behind her ear.

Ariel closed her eyes, keeping her attention on her breathing and Eric's voice. If she didn't think about the pain, then hopefully it wouldn't be as intense as it truly was. She just hoped the doctor would arrive soon, especially since it was the middle of the night.

Suddenly, the princess heard a small voice echo through the hallway. "What's going on..?" came a timid voice. Melody. Ariel looked towards the doorway desperately, just in time to see Grimsby ushering their daughter back to her room. Ariel breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Melody wouldn't have to see her in this state.

Another contraction came, more intense than the last one. Ariel clenched her teeth, urging herself not to scream. At least, not yet. She didn't need the entire kingdom waking up, and hopefully not many people would as the night wore on.

After what felt like ages, Ariel heard some hurried footsteps coming up the staircase. In a few moments, her doctor came rushing in, with a gentle smile on his slightly-wrinkled face. "Perfect timing, Your Majesty," he joked, only to receive Ariel's glaring eyes.

Eric's eye darted to the doctor standing in the doorway, accompanied by Grimsby and Carlotta. He gave the doctor an exasperated glare, not really in the mood for joking while Ariel was biting back horrid screams. "Yes, I should say so. Thank you for coming at such a short notice." he genuinely thanked as he briefly glanced at the small group crowded against the entrance way.

"Come in. Please, come in." Eric beckoned in a rushed tone. No more time should be wasted. If the baby was truly coming right now, then they needed to bring him or her out into the world without a minute to spare. Eric eyes became glued to his distressed wife. A tiny spark of fear began to swell deep down inside. Questions began to appear that were stored in the back of his mind. Questions of whether she would survive or if the baby would be healthy.

No. He can't allow doubt to surpass him. He had to strong and confident for himself and Ariel."Lay her down on the bed, Your Highness." the doctor commanded smoothly, placing elastic gloves on his hands. Carlotta gathered damp wash cloths while aligning the sheets back into place. Grimsby stood in the corner, witnessing the scene in the sidelines, not speaking unless spoken to.

With a gentle grace, Eric scooped Ariel into his strong arms. A few quick steps and soon Ariel was back to her original resting spot on their bed. "Keep breathing. Don't stop. You're doing great." He encouraged heartily, retreating back to the hold on her dainty hand.

Ariel said nothing as she was lifted onto the bed. She desperately wished there was some kind of medication she could take, something that would miraculously take away all the pain. She felt like a hundred swordfish were stabbing into her stomach.

She fell back into the bed, her head sinking into the pillows as she moaned. She gripped Eric's hand again, not wanting to hurt him but also wanting to push her pain onto something else. With her other hand, she gripped the side of the bed, squeezing that hand as hard as she could. She felt tired, pained, and weak.

When her current contraction ended, the doctor examined her. "Well, Your Highness, I think in a few minutes this little one will be ready to make their appearance." He smiled at the suffering princess, helping Carlotta arrange towels on the bed. When Carlotta smoothed out a baby blanket, Ariel was suddenly struck with what was happening, and despite her pain, she smiled.

Before another contraction hit, she looked up at Eric and said simply, "Well, I guess this is it. Just.. stay right here the whole time, okay?"

Every single dreadful emotion was etched onto her delicate, sweaty face. Just from taking one glimpse at the former mermaid, one could plainly tell that she felt completely drained and in extreme pain. Her grip on his hand swiftly tightened. Eric's teeth sunk into his bottom lip, holding back a yelp of slight tensity. His heart beat quickened as the contractions continued.

In spite of all the screams and pain that Ariel was exerting, a wide smile graced the sailor's prince's weary face. His pale blue orbs shined bright in the darkness. Finding that a smile was on her face as well, Eric released a little chuckle.

"The moment we've all been waitin' for." Eric replied joyously even though he could hear Ariel's faint voice.

"Get ready to push, princess." the doctor advised taking one glance at Ariel then back to the bed. Carlotta bustled over to the other side of the bed. She intertwined her hand with Ariel's, bringing it to her lips and leaving a kiss mark on her petite hand. Eric genuinely smiled at the caring maid before peering back at Ariel. "I got nowhere else to be, Miss Mermaid. I'm not goin' anywhere." he promised, squeezing her hand lightly.

Ariel nodded, feeling another contraction come on. She took a deep breath and pushed, feeling immense pressure and pain. She started screaming, no longer caring whether Melody or the whole kingdom heard her. The excruciating pain was almost unbearable. How could humans go through this kind of pain over and over again!?

"You're doing great!" The doctor shouted over her screams. "Almost there!" Ariel inhaled again, putting all her energy on pushing. Her grip tightened on both Eric and Carlotta as she screamed again, her face scrunched up as she struggled. With one final push and scream, the pressure suddenly disappeared and Ariel collapsed back onto the bed.

Within a few moments, a baby started to cry.

Ariel's scream heightened with each push. Eric couldn't stand to watch her wither in high pain. Eric closed his eyes, listening to her high-pitched hollers. He opened his eyes, gazing at the brave, marvelous, bright, courageous woman sitting in front of him. She possessed so much strength that no man had, in his opinion.

After what seemed like an eternity, something was heard. it wasn't Ariel's yells. It wasn't her low moans. It wasn't the doctor's commands. It wasn't Carlotta's soothing coos. It wasn't his encouraging words. No this was something completely different.

This was a baby wail.

A melodious, glorious, wonderful baby wail. Just from hearing the clamorous sound, it brought a dazzling smile to his face and tears pricking in his glossy eyes. Eric's grip on Ariel's hand softened as he locked eyes with the doctor who gently cradled the newborn in his arms. The doctor's tiny smile widened as he stared at the baby.

"It's a boy!" he shouted gleefully, laughing in celebration. Grimsby patted the doctor in the back, taking a gander at the bundle in his arms. "It's a healthy baby boy!" the doctor proclaimed, the boy's cries becoming softer by the second.

Eric could not peel his eyes away from the little boy. Their little boy. His little boy. A single tear flowed down his face. Pure loved surged through his sailor veins. This little individual captured his heart as soon as he uttered a sound. "You hear that, Ariel?" questioned Ariel, slowly turned towards her tiresome form. "We have a little boy."

Still breathing heavily, Ariel smiled, trying to catch her breath as her head lay on the pillow. She had done it. Again.She had brought a safe, healthy,humanbaby into the world.

She carefully picked herself off the pillow, propping herself on her arms as she glanced eagerly towards their baby. "A boy," she whispered, mostly to herself. When the doctor turned around to face the glowing mother, Ariel immediately noticed the bright red hair on the baby's head. She gasped slightly, feeling the tears run down her face.

She looked up at Eric and said nothing, simply smiling at her husband. She glanced over to the doctor. "Can… Can I hold him?" she asked, feeling so eager to meet her new son.

The doctor laughed lightly, his head bobbing up and down."Of course you may see your son." He stepped closer to Ariel, gingerly handing her son into her weak arms. The baby murmured in little spurts, his eyes not opening just yet. Eric scooted closer to his wife, his chest colliding gently with her shoulder. He gradually began to lean in closer, soaking in all of the boy's physical features.

10 fingers. 10 toes. Two teeny ears. Tiny rosy lips that were slightly parted. Two eyelids that were momentarily closed. a human being that was cradled in Ariel's arms. Eric's fingers brushed through his son's fiery red patch of hair. "He has the exact same hair color as you." Eric absentmindedly commented.

Grimsby and Carlotta gazed back at the bundle in the princess's arms. "Oh, he just a darling." the head maid cooed as she wiped away her teary eyes. "Looks just like his mother." she complimented, giggling at the connection.

"A fine boy, you two. Congratulations!" Grimsby congratulated, with a proud smile gracing his wrinkled features.

"Thank you Grims. Carlotta." Eric thanked the two with sincerity. The two smiled back at the royals, just as much love stored in their eyes and faces. Eric's eyes traveled back down to the baby. Ariel and Eric's son. The little boy began another little fit.

"Hey, little guy." Eric called lightly in a hushed tone. As if Eric couldn't get any closer, Eric scooted another inch. "It's okay. It's okay. Mommy and daddy are here."

Ariel gently held out her arms, taking their baby from the doctor. As soon as he was nestled safely in her arms, she felt a surge of unconditional love for him. It was uncanny how red their son's hair was; as Eric said, it was the exact same color as Ariel's.

"Shh," she cooed, bringing the crying baby closer and gently kissing him on the forehead. "You're okay. You're perfectly okay." Her eyes still glued to his little face, Ariel leaned back into Eric. She felt so relieved that her baby was perfectly healthy, just as Melody was.

"Thank you," she said quietly to the doctor, who simply nodded as he stood with Grimsby and Carlotta. As the baby calmed down, the room fell quiet, all eyes on the newborn.

The baby soon opened his eyes, making Ariel gasp. His eyes were a deep, bright green, a green that was so familiar to her.

"My fins," she whispered.

Eric's breath hitched as soon as his son relieved his bright, vibrant, green eyes. They looked familiar in some weird way. Eric quirked his head to the side, not really placing where he has seen that certain shade of green.

Suddenly, Ariel spoke. It was her tail. Her mermaid tail! Of course! For a second there, throughout all of the commotion, he must have forgotten that Ariel's true form was a mermaid. "Oh my gosh!" Eric cried in realization and awe. "That's uncanny." He commented, shaking his head in slight disbelief. Eric shrugged his broad shoulders. "I guess he did pick up a mermaid gene."

Carlotta, unable to contain her curiosity peeped up with the ultimate question that has pestered the couple ever since they knew of the pregnancy. "What are you going to name him?" Grimsby and Carlotta looked back at them with an expectant stare.

"Well Ariel," Eric began, gazing down at his little boy then back to his gorgeous wife. "what do you want to call him? I say Hayden." Eric suggested, but out of pure spite of telling a joke he added, "Or Maynard."

Ariel was so awed by her little boy that she had totally forgotten the baby was still nameless. When Carlotta spoke, Ariel good-naturedly rolled her eyes to herself, knowing this must've been the thousandth time she'd heard the question in the past few months.

At Eric's suggestion, the redhead shook her head, giving him an are-you-serious look. She laughed at the mention of the aforementioned name, discovering that her abdomen still slightly hurt. Glancing back down at their son, whose piercing green eyes were staring back up at his parents, she said with a nod, "Hayden. His name is Hayden. Hayden Triton Farvande."

"Hayden Triton Farvande. Has a great ring to it." he stated openly, glancing down at his teeny son swaddled up in a sky-blue blanket. "May I hold him?" Eric questioned after the longest time. He had been dying to ask that question but wanted to wait unto the perfect opportunity to pique.

Ariel nodded her head silently, giving Eric her award-winning smile. The royal couple made an easy and gentle transition of their newborn son. Hayden whimpered a little, what with being in the arms of a stranger. Eric shushed the darling baby, cradling him better in his strapping arms.

The two made eye contact. The boy stared questioningly at the man, knitting his dainty red brows together. Eric smiled. The smile did not fade, nor would it ever. He was holding his son. His son that he vowed to himself that he would love and care for unconditionally. His family was beyond perfect, the life that he was living right now was beyond his wildest dreams. For right now, at 4:30 in the morning, all of his troubles and worries ebbed away. At the end of the day, he was left with his trusted friends and Melody, Ariel, and Hayden.