Eric awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright with a breathless cry as the recent memory of his little mermaid lying helplessly at the bottom of a whirlpool sped through his mind once again. The room around him spun, forcing the Prince to lie back and close his eyes until the dizziness subsided. His stomach felt as though it was doing somersaults, and he began to feel incredibly nauseous, a thin sweat forming quickly over his body. But, after a few minutes of simply lying still taking deep breaths, it passed just as quickly as it had arrived. The dizziness however… didn't, and with a quick glance at the clock, Eric decided to take a cool bath before Ariel woke up.

The couple were yet to convince Grimsby to let them share a room, so, for the time being, they remained separate, with rooms only a corridor apart.

When he returned to his room, damp ebony hair hanging in front of his eyes, Ariel was already sat on his bed.

"Morning!" she said cheerfully. Eric smiled despite the lethargic feeling that had consumed him since he'd woken up just under an hour ago. Suddenly, with her smile lighting up the world, everything seemed alright. There wasn't a shadow of a doubt that he loved her, or that that love was reciprocated by the former mermaid. It had been said by many a person that these two were perfect for each other, and there wasn't yet any proof to suggest otherwise.

"Morning," replied Eric, walking over and sitting beside her. "Did you sleep well?" Ariel nodded, wrapping her arms around Eric's muscular torso and planting a soft kiss upon his lips, causing his cheeks to colour slightly.

"You're up earlier than usual," stated Ariel. "Is everything alright?" Not wanting to worry her, Eric simply nodded.

"Fine" he replied shortly. Ariel smiled again, twirling a lock of his hair around his slender finger.

"Could we go into town today?" she asked, "there's always something new and I don't want to miss anything." Ignoring the sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach, Eric nodded, trying to seem enthusiastic, but not being able to shake the dizziness from his head.

"Of course we can, we'll go after breakfast."

True to his word, once the two had finished eating (which for Eric consisted of two half-mouthfuls of toast) they set of into town. It wasn't a warm day, yet the Prince still felt as though his skin were on fire, his choice of clothing much lighter that Ariel's, who skipped merrily alongside him, their fingers intertwined. Eric knew as soon as he'd agreed to it that coming into town today wasn't a good idea; but the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint Ariel, and so he persisted, despite the throbbing headache that had now replaced his dizziness.

Even though he had told her that he was fine, Ariel still wasn't convinced, though she was unsure as to exactly what was wrong. Eric had been moving a lot more carefully than usual, often with a dazed look in his eyes, and he certainly looked pale. Every so often she would feel him shiver, and wondered whether he was just cold, but his choice of garments told her otherwise. It wasn't until around midday that she discovered exactly what was wrong.

The couple were walking past the square where they had danced on their first day together, when Eric suddenly stumbled to a halt, grabbing hold of the pavilion as he swayed uneasily. Ariel turned to look at him, worry and fear taking over every other emotion as she placed her hand to Eric's cheek.

"Eric what's wrong?" she asked softly, trying to make herself sound calm.

The Prince didn't answer, instead he focused al his strength on staying upright. The dizziness he had felt earlier had returned with full force, and he was currently feeling incredible faint. He shut his eyes tightly and took several deep breaths before finally realising that there was no way he could win this.

"I need to sit down" he muttered, slowly losing the energy to resist the inevitable. Ariel could practically feel her heart breaking.

"Oh Eric, why didn't you say something sooner?" grasping his arm as he swayed towards her. "Come on, do you think you can make it to that bench?" But Eric already knew the answer, he was out of time. Before he could even reply to Ariel, the world around him caved in and he blacked out, utterly exhausted.

"Eric!" cried Ariel, as the Prince collapsed, not being strong enough to do anything but ensure that he didn't hit his head on the way down.

The entire town square seemed to freeze, staring at their Prince with wide eyes as he fell to the ground. Ariel could feel panic rising up inside her as she realised that Eric wasn't moving. He had landed on his side, face hidden by his arm, the other stretched out across the cobble stones. The Princess knelt down as a crowd of people surrounded her and Eric, openly expressing their concern and creating a din so loud that Ariel could barely hear herself think.

"That's enough!" said a woman, her voice loud enough to be heard above the growing crowd. "Would everybody please step back and give the poor boy some air!" Obediently the villagers shuffled back, leaving a distressed Ariel and an unconscious Eric surrounded by a sea of worried faces. With tears running down her cheeks, Ariel looked up to the slowly dispersing crowd.

"Help him," she choked desperately, "please, somebody help!" But before she could even finish talking, a woman had knelt down beside her, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright dear, calm down," she said, "it's likely he's just fainted. He'll be okay, just give him time to come to." Ariel nodded, and watched as the woman stood up and spoke quietly to a couple of the people around her, before kneeling down again and turning her attention to Eric and moving him carefully into the recovery position. She then placed the back of her hand to his forehead.

"Has he been feeling unwell recently?" she asked Ariel.

"I-I don't know," replied Ariel, "he just told me he needed to sit down." Only after a moment or two did she realise the severity of the question. "Why?" she continued.

"Well, he feels very feverish to me." Ariel was about to reply when another woman, one who Ariel recognised to be the owner of a nearby café that she and Eric often went to, emerged from the crowd with a glass of water and what looked to be a white table cloth.

"I'm afraid this is the best I can do" she said, handing the cloth to the first woman, who stood up and had two bystanders hold it over the Prince, shading him from the sun.

"Are you a doctor?" asked Ariel tearfully, her curiosity getting the better of her again as she looked towards the first woman, who smiled kindly before replying.

"No dear, I'm Freja, but I know what I'm doing," she said, "and I-" Her sentence was cut short by a quiet groan from Eric. Ariel nearly cried out in relief when she saw his eyes flutter open, but immediately felt like crying again when she saw how exhausted he looked. Taking care to be as gentle as she could, she took Eric's hand in her own, and, with the other, brushed his hair back from his eyes.

"Ariel" he murmured.

"I'm right here Eric" she replied, her voice laced with both love and worry as she realised that Eric looked to be in pain. But before she could voice her concern, Freja placed a hand on Eric's shoulder.

"Eric, do you think you can manage to sit up dear?" she asked, slowly turning him onto his back. There was a long pause before Eric replied, and even when he did, it was nothing more than a single nod.

In all honesty he just wanted to lie down for a while and try to clear his head, but knew that as long as he was on the ground, he was only drawing attention to himself, and that certainly wasn't what he wanted. Shifting his weight slightly, it soon became apparent that he was far too weak to sit himself up; something that both Ariel and Freja seemed to notice immediately, as they both took an arm and pulled him slowly into a sitting position. But the second he was even slightly upright, his vision blurred to the point where he could no longer make out anything around him and a strong sense of vertigo washed over him. The increasing pain in his head brought tears to his eyes and his body trembled slightly as he tried to keep from showing anymore weakness than he already had today.

Those around him could clearly see his pain and discomfort and decided that it was best to let him sit quietly for a while before making any further attempt to help him. The former mermaid felt useless, and scared. She had seen Eric unconscious before, when she had first saved him, and on the beach after their battle with Ursula; but both of those times had been caused by obvious situations. Today had taken her completely by surprise, because there had been no build up, nothing in the way of a warning. Seeing Eric like this only reminded her of everything she'd put him through after dragging him into the deal with Ursula, and she suddenly realised that this had been just as much her fault. She had exhausted him to the point of collapse.

But her thoughts were interrupted as Freja spoke up again.

"Eric you need to try and drink something," she said, handing him a glass of water, "just take small sips." Seeing how much his hand shook, Ariel quickly took the glass in her own hand, before lifting it to Eric's lips and tilting it only slightly so as not to spill any. Seeing a single tear slip from Eric's tired eyes drew a quiet sob from Ariel, and she gently brushed it away before pressing a tender kiss to his cheek.

"Hold on" she whispered.

Getting Eric back to the Palace proved to be almost an impossible job, seeing as he was so unsteady on his feet. A couple of the men from the village managed to get him into a nearby carriage, but that could only take his as far as the doors to the Palace. From there, two sailors helped the Prince inside, following Ariel who had rushed ahead to get Carlotta, and eventually got him to the comfort of his own bed. By this point Eric was barely conscious, and the sailors had to carry him more than just assist him.

As soon as Eric was in Carlotta's care, Ariel relaxed considerably, for she knew that there was no better person to help him than she. She watched from Eric's beside as the maid fussed over the boy she'd known since his infancy. But almost as soon as she'd arrived, Eric drifted back into unconsciousness. Ariel gasped and almost broke down in tears at this, earning a sympathetic glance from Carlotta.

"Oh, dear don't worry, he's just a little tired that's all" she reassured the Princess. Ariel nodded, unconvinced, and couldn't supress her tears any longer.

"It's all my fault!" she cried, burying her face in her hands and she sobbed. Immediately Carlotta's arms were around her.

"That's not true Ariel; you had no way of knowing this was going to happen."

"Carlotta, I made it happen! I've been dragging him around all w-week; I've should've know I was pushing him too far." The former mermaid fell to her knees, crying as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

"I don't deserve him" she choked.

Carlotta's heart broke to see Ariel so upset. Yes, she'd known her for less than two weeks, but already loved her, and cared for her as if she were her own daughter. Quietly and slowly, the maid knelt down beside the Princess, and lifted her head so that the two were looking directly at one another.

"Now listen to me Ariel, you mustn't blame yourself, that's the last thing Eric would want. Darling he loves you, cares about you more than anyone, believe me." The Princess managed a small smile and nodded slightly as Carlotta dabbed her cheeks with a handkerchief.

"Is he g-going to be al-alright?" she asked, her breath hitching with every couple of words.

"Yes. Yes he'll be alright; he'll feel much better after a good rest," replied the maid, standing up and helping Ariel up after her. "Why don't you sit with him a bit, compose yourself, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you when he wakes up."

Ariel managed a small smile then.

"Thank you" she said.

As soon as Carlotta had left the room, Ariel sighed; clasping Eric's hand tightly within her own as she watched each slow rise and fall of his chest intently from her seat in the wicker chair that Carlotta had placed at Eric's bedside. Today had started out so perfectly, and turned into a complete disaster within only a couple of minutes. Her Prince, her love, had deteriorated so quickly and now lay before her weaker than she'd ever seen anyone before; and she knew it was entirely her fault, no matter what Carlotta, or anyone else, said. She had done this, expected more from Eric than he was capable of and was now having to deal with the consequences.

Now that she and Eric were alone, she had time to think straight, and try to get her head around all of this.

It had been just over a week since their ordeal with Ursula, and the more she thought about that week, the more she hated herself. They had spent the first two days resting, with her explaining everything to Eric in as much detail as she could. Of course, he had listened, and taken the whole thing marvellously; but, looking back, Ariel realised that she should have given him time to process the information before bombarding him with questions of her own. But she hadn't, she'd spend the last week exploring everything that she could, her curiosity fuelling her to continue and begin again the next day. But Eric had been running on empty, wanting nothing more than to please her and not having the heart to put her adventure on hold. He had shown her the town several times this week and answered every question she'd thrown at him without hesitation, never once showing how tired he really was.

A tear slipped down Ariel's cheek, as she looked down at Eric, dark sleepless circles around his closed eyes, enhanced more by his pale complexion.

"I'm so sorry" she whispered. And she meant it. From now on, no matter what happened, no matter how much strength Eric showed, she vowed to always be there for him; and to watch over him as closely as he did her.