The Little Mermaid is my favorit-est classic Disney movie! :D

So, I thought it was about time that I wrote an Ariel story :)

Disclaimer: Me? Nope

"Eric, what's this?" she asked excitedly, pulling him toward it. It was a big black… thing, with white and black pieces all lined up in the front. There was a stool in front of it, also black, and it looked very elegant. Her Prince laughed.

"That, Ariel," he said, "is a piano. It is a musical instrument—"

"Like a snarfblat?" she interrupted, curious. Eric looked confused.

"What's a… snarf-blat?" Looking around the room for one, but finding no pipe, Ariel left the room and found Grimsby, and borrowed his, much to the servant's surprise.

"Miss Ariel?"

But she had already left.

Showing Eric the snarfblat, he eyed her amusedly as she explained how Scuttle had told her that it was used as a musical instrument, though he had been out of practice and couldn't show her how it was played. As soon as she finished her explanation, the Prince began laughing good-naturedly.

"So that's what you were doing at dinner when we found you? That explains a lot."

Ariel blushed, remembering the awkward silence that had followed that day.

"Um… but what's a piano, Eric?" He smiled and tilted his head a little.

"Like I said, it's a musical instrument. Here, I'll play it for you," he said, and sat down at the instrument as Ariel watched, fascinated.

Closing his eyes, he placed his fingers on the white parts of the piano and pressed down on them. They sounded beautifully, and he pressed other ones, each adding to the forming melody, until it became music instead of random notes.

Ariel gasped. Eric was playing her song, the one she had sung to him when she had saved his life, after the storm. She sat down on the tiled floor as her love continued playing, concentrating on his music.

She gazed at the Prince, awed by the music (even though it was her song) for she had never heard it played beautifully, only ever sung. When he finished, he grinned at his sitting Princess and extended his hand to her. She took it and stood up.

"That was wonderful!" she exclaimed. Eric's cheeks turned pink.

"You were the one who created the song, Ariel…" It was Ariel's turn to blush.

"Yes, well, I had never heard it played on a… piano? before," she smiled.

"Would you like to learn how to play?" he asked; "I can teach you if you like." The former mermaid's eyes widened.

"Really? Oh, thank you, Eric! I'd love to learn!"

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Ariel sighed as she remembered first seeing the strange, elegant instrument. She sat on the floor of her secret room (which Eric had given to her: Carlotta was the only other person who knew it was there), watching the ocean sun slowly set. Seagulls squawked as the sky grew darker and darker.

The horizon did not show any sign of Prince Eric's galleon.

Please, Eric, come back soon…

He had gone on a business trip to talk to other leaders of the country. Ariel had been too sick to go, and her Prince did not want to endanger the health of his beloved any more than it already was.

Ariel sighed again.

Three days. Eric had told her that he would be gone no longer than that.

Before the sun sets on the third day…

Shaking her head, she got up and dusted her skirts off. Looking back once more at the horizon through her window, she left the room and closed the door quietly.

She walked to their bedroom, hers and Eric's, where the piano was. Sitting down at it, she began playing, just like Eric showed her.

What would I give, to be where you are?

What would I pay, to stay there beside you?

What would I do, to see you, smiling at me?

Where shall we walk?

Where would we run?

If I could stay all day in the sun

Just you and me,

Then I can be

Part of your—

She whipped around as the door suddenly opened, revealing the tall, lean figure of Prince Eric. She gasped.

"Eric!" she cried out in happiness. Laughing, he pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, I missed you so much!"

"I know, I missed you too. How are you feeling?" he placed a hand on her stomach.

"I feel fine," she replied. "It was just a cold, nothing bad."

"Good, I was worried," he said, and hugged her again. She breathed in his scent and sighed.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing… how was your trip?"

"Eh, it wasn't too bad. Max had fun, but Grimsby was taking care of most of the stuff there. I had to listen to the officers and governers talk about… a lot of boring things," he said, smiling. Ariel looked at him shyly through her scarlet bangs.

"I've been practicing playing the… piano while you were gone." Eric grinned at her.

"I could tell. You played beautifully," he complimented, and, lifting her up, he carried her to the shore, laughing with his beautiful Princess, to dance with her under the night sky by the sea.