The Little Merman

In the briny depths off the coast of a tiny seafaring kingdom once existed a wondrous, hidden realm of merfolk. This underwater kingdom was ruled by a stern yet fair queen, Tritania, who was more than satisfied to keep her kingdom and the human world as separate as can be. The Sea Goddess had blessed the queen with six beautiful daughters and a son before the king's tragic, untimely death, whom she all loved dearly. In truth, Tritania blamed the humans for her husband's demise, and did everything she could to keep her children safe from them. Most of them obeyed her orders... except one.

The young prince, Ari, had always been fascinated with the human world ever since he was a fry. He loved his mother, but his curiosity and thirst for knowledge was too strong to ignore. Every chance he got, he sneaked out of the palace with his fish friend, Floundra, to scavenge shipwrecks nearby and often collected small treasures to bring back to his secret grotto. If he came across an item he'd never seen before, he consulted his wisened seagull friend who roosted on the surface to find out what it was and what the humans used it for. Every time he learned more about the human world, his desire grew just a little more to experience it for himself.

He knew very well though that his mother would never allow it. He was her only son, her youngest, and the future heir to the throne. For all these reasons Tritania kept him closest of all to her side, and chastized him the worst whenever she caught him sneaking out or fiddling with one of his human treasures. Despite her efforts, Ari's love of the human world and yearning to be a part of it could not be quashed... a fact that was forever cemented one fateful night he saw a ship sail over his grotto.

Ari, unable to stop his curiosity, swam to the surface to investigate. He had never seen actual real-life humans up close before, and they were even more wonderful in person than he ever could have imagined. The humans were enjoying some sort of celebration, laughing, drinking and dancing merrily on board the ship. All, that is, except one. Sitting by herself and looking exceptionally bored was a young woman, about Ari's age. Even in the men's sailing uniform she wore, Ari thought she was the most beautiful being he'd ever seen. At her side was a strange, hairy creature that she stroked affectionately and talked to while the others made merry.

"Some birthday party, huh, Max?" she sighed, her intense blue eyes fixed on the horizon, "why are all princes so dull and boring? Why do I have to get married anyway? There's a whole ocean out there waiting to be explored. I'm not gonna sit around and wait for someone else to explore it!" Ari climbed the railing of the ship to get a closer look, wishing with all his might that he could talk to her. His mother always told him that humans were dangerous though, so he kept his distance. The beautiful young woman's eyes suddenly flicked toward him, widening with curiosity. "What on earth-?"

Ari ducked out of sight, diving overboard again before he was caught. No sooner had he done so, the wind began to pick up and the billows churned ominously. "Hurricane A-comin'!!" A human in the crow's nest called. Alarm bells rang out and all merriment ceased immediately, replaced with mad scrambling to batten down the hatches and secure the sails for the impending storm. Ari watched all this, his heart pounding with fright. Being a creature born of the sea, he knew that their efforts were fruitless. Before the humans even had time to prepare, the storm was upon them. The ship was tossed about like a cork on the waves, battered by gale-force winds and sheeting rain. Lightning forked in the blackened sky above them, striking and setting fire to the main mast.

The young woman worked hardest of all, desperate to save her comrades. She ordered every man to abandon ship, shoving them into lifeboats personally before even considering her own safety. After every human except herself was safely off the burning ship, the sinking vessel pitched and yawed and snapped in half. The young woman was flung overboard, striking her head on a piece of flotsam as she hit the water.

Ari operated totally on instinct and dove in after her. His tail propelled him swiftly into the churning dark sea, where the young woman's body floated lifelessly toward the bottom. He caught her around her middle quickly and headed back to the surface at top speed, hoping he wasn't too late. When they breached the surface, she sputtered and coughed, but her eyes remained closed. Ari was stricken by how much lovelier she was up close, and couldn't resist giving her the smallest kiss. It took all night, but eventually he was able to carry her back to the shores of her kingdom. She was still unconscious, so he slid up onto the beach with her a while longer just to keep her company as the sun rose behind him.

"You're absolutely incredible," he murmured, moving a wet strand of hair out of her face, "the most incredible thing I've ever seen. What I wouldn't give to stay here with you... forever." Without thinking about it, Ari began to sing his woes to her softly, not realizing that her eyes were at last beginning to open. Voices cried out from up the beach, which stopped his song short. Afraid that he would be captured or killed like his father, Ari dove back into the water to hide before the newcomers arrived. As he peeked at the scene from behind a rock, he recognized some of the humans from the ship. They were elated and relieved to find the young woman alive and helped her to her feet, asking if she was injured.

"Wh-Who was that?" She mumbled, rubbing her head and looking toward the sea, "That man.... He had... b-beautiful voice...."

She nearly fainted into the arms of one of her comrades, who simply shook his head and chuckled, "Easy there, Princess Erica; come back to the palace and rest. You've definitely earned it."

Ari watched as the humans left the beach, feeling as if his heart would burst with joy and longing. "Erica," he sighed, "Oh, how I wish I could be a part of your world... forever." He realized then that it was dawn, and that he had stayed out all night. "Oh no," he lamented, "Mother will kill me!"

He was reprimanded harshly, as expected, for sneaking out again. Luckily, Queen Tritania had no knowledge of his adventure with the ship, so the boom lowering wasn't too bad. From that moment forth, Ari spent nearly every waking moment in his grotto. He slipped off to the beach several times as well, hoping to catch a glimpse of the princess he had fallen so madly for. Scavenging the wreckage of the ship, he discovered a painting of her that he took to his grotto. He studied every line of her face, falling more deeply and madly in love the longer he looked upon it.

As stealthy as he thought he was being, someone had been watching his activities from the shadows. Word was sent to Queen Tritania, who stormed over to his grotto personally. "What in the Seven Seas is all this?!" she roared, "Ari, you were warned to stay away from the human world! You deliberately disobeyed me!! Why?!"

Ari clenched his fists and towered over his mother angrily. "You're wrong about the humans," he shot back, "they're wonderful, and kind! They care for each other deeply, and create such beautiful things!"

"They're monsters," the queen snarled, "killers and demons, Ari! They took your father from me!!" Her eyes fell on the painting he had on display in the middle of his collection, and the tridant in her hand began to glow. "I won't let them take you, too," she declared, then raised her weapon.

Ari dove in front of the painting, shielding it with his body in desperation. "Mother, no!" he begged, "I love her!! Stop!!"

The queen's eyes filled with a rage and pain Ari had never seen before. Her face twisted up in anger, and she cast him aside roughly. Before his eyes, she destroyed every one of his human treasures, ending with the painting. As the bits of wood and canvas floated in the sea in front of him, Ari shook and tried to hold back his tears. "I hate you," he whispered, barely able to contain his anger. Without waiting for a response, he swam out of her sight, covering his face so she wouldn't see he was sobbing.

He swam for what felt like hours, until he reached the very borders of their kingdom. He threw himself upon a rock and began weeping shamelessly, until the creatures who'd been watching him slinked forth from the shadows. It was a pair of moray eels, who circled around him with pitying looks. "Poor boy," one tusked, and the second echoed the lament, "poor, sweet boy. Your mother doesn't understand. Your mother doesn't care." The first eel swam closer and smiled, "We care. We know someone else who cares, too... someone with great power, who can help you."

Ari sniffed and wiped his face,"Who? Who can help me? Take me to them, please!"

The pair of sea serpents bowed to the prince, then began leading him silently further away from the kingdom. The water grew darker and colder around Ari the farther they traveled. They came to an ancient ship graveyard, in the very center of which laid the skeletal remains of an enormous sea monster. Floating in the skull's pried-open jaws was a tall, lean man. He was definitely one of the merfolk, but instead of a fish tail like all the other merpeople Ari knew his lower half was comprised of a mass of black and orchid octopus tentacles.

"Welcome," the stranger smiled warmly, beckoning Ari closer, "It has been far too long, Little Prince. You most likely don't remember me, do you?" Ari shook his head, trying not to stare at the stranger's tentacles. The kindly stranger offered a deathly pale hand and bowed deeply, "My name is Ursulo; I am a sorceror, and at one time I was your father's most trusted advisor. You look like your father very much. Did you know that?" He then turned and propelled himself through the maw of the skeleton, "Come in, please; make yourself at home, Little Prince."

What remained of the skeleton's throat served as a corridor, which Ari was honestly nervous traversing. The ground was carpeted with thick kelp that grabbed and tangled around his tail as he passed over it, almost like it was actively trying to hold him back from going any further. He pushed through it eventually though, making it into the belly of the dead beast. The creature's ribcage was open to the sea above them, but had been made into a surprisingly cozy living space. A large cauldron sat in the middle of the room, which Ursulo gravitated toward automatically.

"Let's see," he murmured, running his long, white fingers over the rack of bottles and jars nearby, "Turning a merman into a human is really quite an easy thing... but it's the minutia and the details that's tricky. There's logistics to consider, and factoring in ease of mobility... and we haven't even discussed the matter of payment yet."

Ari's heart dropped, and he lowered his head, crestfallen. "I-I don't have any money," he admitted, "...but I can get some. Just let me rush back to the palace and-"

A tentacle shot out on its own without requiring Ursulo to turn around, suctioning itself over Ari's mouth. Ursulo raised a finger backward a moment later, further silencing the prince. "I don't require gold," he quipped, then winked over his shoulder, "what I want, you already have. You just don't know it yet. Now, stay there quietly like a good boy and let me work my magic, hmm?"

Ari obediently nodded, shivering when the tentacle pulled away from his face. Ursulo hummed to himself as he started throwing things in the cauldron, making it billow and froth with foam and change colors rapidly. He pulled one last bottle off the shelf, but before dropping it in turned back to Ari. "The spell is almost ready," he grinned, "I'll take my payment from you now, before I finish." He snapped his fingers, and a glowing scroll suddenly appeared in front of Ari's nose.

Ari read over the scroll quickly, squinting at the print at the bottom which was far too small to make out. "You want... my voice?" he asked, confused, "Don't I need that? How will I tell her who I am, if I can't speak?"

Ursulo tutted and waved his hand dismissively, "You don't need to talk. Human girls prefer the strong, silent type anyway. You've got a pretty face and a nice body; that'll do plenty talking for you!" He offered Ari a pen, his black eyes more menacing and unfathomable than a bottomless abyss. "Your voice is what I require," he said lowly, "pay the price... or leave."

Ari gulped nervously, then slowly plucked the pen from Ursulo's grip. He signed it quickly, earning a wide grin from the sorceror. The scroll disappeared as soon as it was signed, and the octopus man floated back to his cauldron. He poised to throw in the bottle, then stopped again with a sharkish smile, "Oh, I should tell you: the spell is only a temporary fix. You have exctly three days to find the princess and have her fall in love with you. If she kisses you before sunset on the third day, then and only then with the spell become permanent. Are we clear?"

Ari nodded his understanding, then Ursulo cast the final bottle into the cauldron. The contents began to glow with a golden hue, and a spectral hand crawled out of the mist. It crept closer to Ari, who suddenly felt the strange compulsion to start singing. As soon as his mouth opened, the hand dove down his throat. Before Ari could react, the ghostly hand pulled back out. Bizarrely, he could hear himself still singing after the hand withdrew, but the sound was no longer coming from his body. Clutched in the hand's grip was a shimmering pearl, that glowed in time with his song. The hand withdrew further, coiling itself into a gilded shell hanging from Ursulo's neck. The next instant, the sea around Ari began to boil. He felt a searing, agonizing pain as his tail suddenly ripped in two, shortly after which he realized he couldn't breathe anymore. He clawed his way toward the surface on instinct, leaving the skeleton and the sound of Ursulo's maniacal laughter behind.

The next thing Ari knew, he was coming to on the beach. His head and throat both throbbed with a dull ache, and his legs-...

Wait... his legs?

He looked down, shocked and delighted to see that he indeed had a pair of legs where his tail once was. If he could have crowed and whooped, he would have, but without a voice all he could do was grin idiotically. He sat in the sand for quite awhile, wiggling his toes and admiring his strange new anatomy, until he heard someone approaching. He tried and failed to stand several times before getting it right, then stumbled over toward the scuppered remains of an old boat to hide. He quickly tied a swath of torn sail around his waist for modesty, then looked up and startled to see a familiar face staring at him through the wrecked hull.

"Hello, there," the princess smiled. She was wearing a lightweight riding costume with her long dark hair tied back, but her kind face was unmistakable... as was the slobbering, hairy creature that was her constant companion. It brought its massive black nose closer to Ari's face and snuffled curiously, then began lapping it gaily with his tongue. Ari laughed soundlessly and pushed the creature away, but it did not yield its affectionate mannerism until Erica pulled it back. "Down, Max," she chided, then offered her hand to Ari, "Sorry about that. Are you hurt? Here, let me help you."

Ari blushed and accepted her hand up gratefully, but had forgotten that he didn't quite know how to balance properly on his new feet. He wobbled dangerously and nearly fell over on top of the princess, but she caught his waist to steady him. "Whoa," she giggled, "it's okay; take it slow. I've got you." Her intelligent eyes narrowed at Ari's smiling face, and there was a hint of recognition in them. "You... look familiar," she mused, "have we met before somewhere?" Ari nodded vigorously, which earned another melodic laugh. "I thought so," the princess said, "I never forget a face. What's your name, kind sir? If I hear it, I might be able to place you."

Ari opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He grimaced in frustration at remembering he couldn't speak, frustration that the princess immediately picked up on. "What's wrong?" she asked, "Can't you speak?" Ari shook his head dejectedly, placing a sullen hand on his neck. The princess smiled warmly again and brushed his damp red fringe out of his face, "It's alright, really. You look like you could use some help... and some pants. Why don't you come with me, and stay in the palace for a while? Would you like that?" Ari nodded eagerly, then blushed when he realized he might be acting too eager. The princess was amused by him all the same, and started walking him toward her horse. She let him ride and led it by the reins, which was a strange but intriguing experience for Ari to be sure.

At the palace, Ari was given a bath and his first ever set of human clothes to wear. They were very nice and the fabric felt quite soft against his skin, which he liked, however it took him a while to figure out how to put on the trousers that went with them. After a fair bit of trial and error he got them on, only putting them on backwards once, then a servant was sent to his rooms to escort him downstairs to dinner. At the table, he tried his best to fit in and be the suave, sophisticated human man he thought the princess would find attractive. She delighted at his behavior, even when he got certain things wrong (like how to use his fork properly). He felt like a fool whenever he made mistakes, but it seemed like the princess didn't mind. If anything, his foolish, curious antics seemed to charm her even more. "You're quite the unusual man, my friend," she giggled, "but rest assured that's not a bad thing." After dinner they took a walk around the palace, which Ari was very proud of how quickly he'd gotten good at.

They stopped in the courtyard, in front of a large stone fountain. Ari studied the arching water with intense fascination for a while, until he heard the princess sigh. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this," she muttered, "but I have a feeling you won't tell anyone." Ari sat beside her, intrigued, and took her hand, waiting for her to continue. A sad smile played on the princess's lips, "I have to get married soon. I'd prefer to rule on my own, as I have been ever since my father was lost at sea. My advisors, however, keep pressuring me to wed and produce an heir. It's the smart choice, I know..." her chin dropped into her hand with another sigh, "...when I marry, I just wish I could marry for love instead of advantage. That's why I haven't chosen a suitor yet."

She looked over at Ari again, then smiled, intrigued, "What about you? I assume, with your looks, there must be a lady in your life, despite the fact that you're a mute." Ari blushed and grinned bashfully, shaking his head. He kept Erica's hand in his, amazed by how soft and small it was. It felt like her palm belonged there, pressed tightly to his, and he never wanted to let it go. Erica chuckled warmly and stood, pressing a friendly kiss on his cheek, "No, hmm? That's alright. I have confidence the lucky girl will turn up soon." With that, she escorted Ari back to his quarters, then bade him a fond goodnight.

The next day, Princess Erica took Ari on a grand tour of her little kingdom. Everything absolutely blew him away: the birds in the sky, the sight of children playing and laughing in the square, the butcher and his wife squabbling, all of it. Most intriguing was the human's incredible variety of food. Ari sampled every baked good, fruit, sweet and meat that was presented to him, and the princess was deeply amused by both his appetite and delight at tasting every dish. While Ari was enjoying their exploration, he found he enjoyed the sound of Erica's laugh more. Being with her, in her world, was everything he dreamed it could be and more. He didn't think about his mother or sisters, nor did he give a second of thought to Ursulo's spell... until the sun began to set, that is.

The princess ended their day of fun with a boat ride in a small lagoon behind the palace that fed into the sea. Fireflies danced all around the couple, crickets chirped sweetly, and a loon cooed a soft, haunting lullaby. Erica's eyes sparkled in the moonlight, and she ever so slowly began moving closer to Ari. "I don't even know your name," she murmured, smiling, "but I've never felt like this with anyone before. Have you?"

Ari shook his head slowly, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He closed his eyes and tilted his face, breathing soft and shallow in anticipation as he could feel the warmth from Erica's face on his. Seconds before their lips would have touched though, something stuck the bottom of the boat and they capsized. The water was shallow enough to stand in, but the mood was definitely ruined. Erica, surprisingly, still managed to laugh. "I guess we'd better head back," she smiled sheepishly, "if we don't get out of these wet clothes, we'll catch our deaths for sure." Just like the night before, she led Ari to his chambers, and bade him goodnight.

"That was close," Ursulo growled, drumming his fingers on the oversized pearl he used as a crystal ball, "much, much too close! I have to think of a way to keep them apart for good... but how?" His dark eyes lowered to the shell hanging about his neck, that he was absent-midedly sliding back and forth on its chain. An idea stuck him, and he started to grin wickedly, "Yes... Yes, that's perfect! Flotsam, Jetsam! Return home at once." The image in his crystal ball went dark for just a moment as his minions gave an acknowledging blink, then faded away entirely. Ursulo sped back to his cauldron and examined his ingredients again with a deep, dark chuckle, "Daddykins has a date with the princess."

Ari leapt from bed the next morning bright and early, eager to see Erica. It was his last day to try and get her to kiss him, and he couldn't fail now. He dressed himself more quickly than he ever had before (putting his trousers on right first try this time), then hurried down for breakfast with a huge smile. He skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs though when he heard Erica talking to the head of her servants. "There must be no delay," she was saying, "we must be wed today, before sunset. Nothing else is acceptable."

Ari's heart soared, and he took a few more steps forward down the stairs. He was overjoyed to hear Erica's decree, as he assumed she was planning to marry him, but his heart crashed into his stomach when he saw another man at her side. He stood tall and straight as an arrow, a coy, cunning smile on his lips and his hand resting on the small of Erica's back. Erica stared forward blankly, her eyes hollow and fixed unblinkingly on her manservant. The servant seemed delighted at the news, but he kept looking at the strange prince dubiously, "Y-Yes, your highness. This... does seem awfully sudden, though. Are you quite sure this is the man you intend to make your groom? I've never even seen-"

"My orders were clear," Erica said, her tone flat but firm. "I will marry Prince Vaughn, today. No questions asked."

Ari clutched his chest and let out a soundless sob, then raced back upstairs. He couldn't understand what had happened. Who was this strange man, and why had he come now, of all times? He was so close to making his spell permanent, and now his hopes were dashed. He returned to the beach and sat in the shallows fully clothed, waiting gloomily for sunset and to accept his fate. As the hour grew later, he watched the princess board her wedding barge with Prince Vaughn behind her. He glared bitterly at the prince, but couldn't resist looking upon the princess one last time before the spell was broken. He swam up to the side of the ship and climbed the railing, just as he had the night they met, as she marched slowly down the aisle. Prince Vaughn was waiting for her, smiling as he fiddled with a thin chain around his neck. Ari looked at the chain again, shocked, recognizing the shell pendant hanging from it.

Anger and confusion raged in his breast when he realized Prince Vaughn was Ursulo in disguise, cursing himself for not seeing through the charade earlier. In a fit of anger and betrayal, Ari climbed over the railing and tackled Ursulo. The guests and servants cried out in alarm at the brawl, but Erica stood calmly by and watched. "Guards, seize him," she barked, "throw him overboard, this instant!" The guards grabbed up Ari, pulling him off Ursulo as ordered. Ari kicked and fought, trying desperately to communicate that Prince Vaughn was not what he seemed. As a last ditch effort, he snatched the shell off Ursulo's neck. The gilded pendant shattered completely against the deck, releasing the pearl that held his voice inside it.

Erica blinked and rubbed her eyes, looking as if she might faint. "What? Wh-Where am I?" She frowned down at herself, utterly confused, "What am I wearing?"

The guards looked from their princess to Ari to Prince Vaughn, just as confused as she. Ari took the opportunity to get one of his hands free again and grabbed the pearl, swallowing it. As he'd hoped, his voice returned to where it belonged, and he cried out to to princess desperately. "Erica, it's a trick," he screamed, "Prince Vaughn is-!"

Before he could utter another sound, a tentacle wrapped tightly around his throat. "You're too late, Boy," Ursulo hissed, pointing at the sun behind him, "Look!" To Ari's dismay, the sun had begun to dip below the horizon behind the palace. Pain rippled through Ari's lower half a second later, as his legs once again knit back together into a fish tail. The guards dropped him in shock and backed away, drawing their swords automatically. Tears streaked down Ari's face as he looked up at the princess.

"I'm sorry," he sniffed, "All I wanted was to be with you... to be a part of your world." Erica's eyes lit up with recognition, but before she could say anything Ursulo dove overboard and dragged Ari with him.

The two fought and wrestled all the way back down to the bottom of the sea, but Ursulo was much stronger than Ari. "You failed," he growled, holding the prince's throat in his hands, "which means now, you belong to me... forever!!"

A beam of golden light suddenly shot across Ursulo's arm, causing him to let go of Ari. He looked up in shock to see Queen Tritania before him, her trident poised and ready to fire again. "You leave my son alone, you spineless cephalopod," she hissed, "you were banished for a reason! Begone from my sight now, and never return!!"

Ursulo's angry expression softened then into a smug, simpering grin. He bowed, mockingly, then shook his head, "Your Excellency... it has been far too long. Unfortunately, that won't be possible." He grabbed Ari's arm and held him close, petting the prince's head snidely, "You see, the Little Prince and I have a contract; very binding, and unbreakable, I'm afraid... unless, you're willing to take his place?"

Queen Tritania looked at her son, shocked, sad and disappointed. "You foolish boy," she whispered, tears in her eyes, "what have you done?!"

"Tick tock, your Majesty," Ursulo crowed, tightening his grip on Ari, "will you take his place and pay his debt, or not?" Ari gasped and struggled, his eyes widening in alarm as he appeared to be shrinking. His tail rooted in place to the sea floor, and he felt himself becoming weak and willowy. The scroll Ari had signed popped into existence over his head then, and Ursulo smiled his sharky grin, "Well? What will it be, Tritania?!"

After a moment of indecision, Tritania looked at her son forlornly. A sob tore itself from her lips as she raised her trident, striking out Ari's name on the contract and replacing it with her own. Ari immediately felt his strength return and his tail broke free of the sea floor. To his horror though, his mother began shrinking away. In the blnk of an eye she was transformed into a small clump of kelp, leaving nothing but her crown and trident behind.

"Yes," Ursulo laughed, snatching up both, "It's mine! The crown, the kingdom... it's finally mine!!!"

Ari's fists clenched and he grit his teeth, fueled by anger and grief. "No," he spat, "it's not! Not yet!!" He lunged at Ursulo, grabbing the tridant's shaft in an effort to wrestle it away from him.

Ursulo quickly overpowered him again though, and began strangling him with his tentacles. "You have outlived your limited usefulness," he hissed, "die now!"

Just as Ari began to lose consciousness, a harpoon sailed by Ursulo's face. The barb sliced his cheek and impaled one of his tentacles, pinning it to the bottom of the ocean. Ursulo howled in pain and anger, letting go of Ari instinctively, then looked up to see where the harpoon had come from. Erica was in the water above them, glaring down at the octopus man. She swam close enough to grab Ari's wrist and dragged him toward the surface, desperate for a breath of air.

Ursulo was furious. He wrenched the harpoon free and broke it in two, then began chanting in an ancient, arcane language. The sea below him filled with ink, and he began to grow steadily.

Erica and Ari didn't notice at first. They were too busy flopping onto a rock together, trying to catch their breath. The sea began to churn and the sky darkened above them, alerting them that something was afoot. Before either could speak, Ursulo suddenly emerged from the sea. He towered over them as a giant, almost as large as the castle itself. He stirred the sea with his trident, creating a massive whirlpool, then held it in the air to summon a maelstrom. Splintered remains of sunken ships resurfaced, battering the rocks and the wedding barge mercilessly. Erica watched the scene in despair, then looked to Ari for help.

"I have to save my people," she said, "I have to get them to safety! Do you think you can keep that monster busy for a bit, until I do?!"

Ari nodded, "I can try. Hurry, Erica, but be safe!"

Erica turned to jump off the rock, but stopped suddenly to give him a kiss. "For luck," she explained. She then tore off the bulky skirt from her wedding dress so that she was in just a bodice and pantlets, and swam over to the barge to rescue the people on it.

Ari steeled himself and turned his attention to Ursulo. There wasn't much he could do against a five-story monster, but he had to do something to buy Erica some time. His eye caught some of the wreckage floating nearby, and he was struck suddenly with inspiration. As fast as he could, he swam to the splintered half boat and crawled aboard. Using a half-rotted piece of rope, he pulled himself upright. He couldn't stand without feet, so he used the rope again to tie himself tightly to the ship's helm. "Let's hope this works," he muttered, then began slowly steering the wreckage toward Ursulo.

Ursulo never saw Ari coming. He was so fixated on Erica and trying to sink her wedding barge that Ari moved his broken ship right up to Ursulo without noticing. Ari bellowed a battle cry as he rammed the fractured ship into Ursulo head on, spearing the octopus man on the end of the jagged figurehead. Ursulo bent forward, holding his gut with a gasp. His eyes went wide with shock and a gurgle escaped his slack lips, out of which a mixture of ink and blood dribbled. The octopus man's eyes grew dim, and rolled back into his head as he came crashing down into the sea once more. Ari couldn't untie his rope in time, and was sucked down into the waves after him. The sea was so dark and choppy that he couldn't see anything, meaning he was totally blindsided when an enormous thrashing tentacle crashed down on top of him.

He lay there, dazed, under the crushing weight of the oversized limb until a blast of golden light cut through it. A pair of arms embraced him tightly, while the hands attached to them began fretting and petting his face. He blinked, still a little groggy from the blow, then when his vision cleared began to tear up. "M-Mother...?" Tritania, fully restored, nodded, and he hugged her back tight enough to break bone. "Mother! Mother, I'm so sorry! I love you so much! I'm sorry for everything!"

Tritania smiled sadly, then her eyes raised toward the surface, "Everything? Are you sure about that?" At her son's confused expression, she sighed and kissed his brow. "I'm sorry, too," she said, "for not understanding. For... holding you too tightly when I should have let you swim free." She brushed her son's fringe out of his face with a sniff, then did her best to smile again, "You really love her, Ari, don't you?" Ari nodded, then hung his head in despair. He knew he could never be with Erica or live with the humans, a fact that his mother was sure to remind him of soon.

To his surprise, Tritania didn't say another word. The water around him began to froth a moment later, and a shimmering silvery-blue light surrounded him. His tail began to tingle, and it was becoming harder to breathe. His mother smiled at him, still sad but nodding her approval. Before he truly couldn't breathe any longer underwater, he pressed a kiss on her cheek, then paddled toward the surface.

Erica was waiting for him. Her men were combing the water dilligently, looking for him, but they stopped when she waded out to him on sight. Her face broke into a shocked smile when she realized he was standing, dressed in a gleaming white set of trousers. They embraced tenderly, then Erica turned to address her people. "We owe this man our kingdom," she declared, "he has saved us all with his bravery and cunning. Therefore, I have it in mind to marry him, this minute." At the shocked exclamations breaking out around her, Erica motioned toward the beached barge with a giggle, "I mean, it won't do to let a wedding as grand as this go to waste, would it? Everyone, back on board... uh, but we won't be setting sail this time. All hail, Prince-...!" She paused then and blushed up at Ari, "How careless of me: I still don't know your name. Please... tell it to me now."

Ari returned her bashful smile, "It's Ari... Ari of Atlantica. And, I actually am a prince, if you believe it."

Erica giggled and kissed him again, "Ari: what a wonderful name, for a wonderful man."

There was much celebrating and feasting in the kingdom for multiple days at the union of the prince and princess. Ari had never been happier in his entire life, but he did occassionally glance back toward the sea. When he did, he thought he saw his mother and sisters bobbing in the surf, smiling back at him. He waved, grateful for everything they had done for him, and doubly grateful to his mother for the incredible gift she had granted him. As the sun set he watched them finally swim away, then returned to the palace with his beautiful bride in his arms.