A/N: I've been working on this story as a side project since December. It wasn't supposed to be this long. I aimed for it to be a concise, short story, but got ahead of myself, so I feel like the pacing is a little off throughout it with some parts being more quick and concise than others. So, I'd appreciate any feedback in that regard :)

The Man Who Stole from the Ocean

As a sailor at heart, Eric naturally enjoyed sea shanties. His shipmates had sung countless while out on voyages. Eric had his favorites, but after meeting Ariel, one song and its mention of mermaids intrigued him the most:

There's mermaids out there in the bottomless blue

An it's hey to the starboard, heave-ho!

Watch out for 'em, lad, or you'll go to your ruin

In mysterious fathoms below

Eric sang the song in his head over and over, a particular line always grabbing his attention: Watch out for 'em, lad, or you'll go to your ruin. Oh, how he wished he had listened to that warning! But at that time, he had brushed it off. His little mermaid would never drag him to his ruin.

And he was right. Ariel was completely innocent in all of this. She hadn't done anything wrong. They were once happily married, both bringing joy to each other. Eric had been blessed to be given the chance to live with Ariel. He wished he could go back to those days. He would miss them the most.

It all started off so promising. The Sea Witch was vanquished, Triton had given Eric his blessing to marry Ariel, and many of Eric's people accepted Ariel, all excited for her to one day be their queen. Everyone was happy. Ariel and Eric were happy.

Ariel loved being human. She was full of excitement whenever she learned something new, and her joy always brought a smile to Eric's face. Ariel had left her home and family to be with him and his people, but she always told Eric she'd never regret it. This new life had given her everything. She told him she felt complete and where she belonged, and Eric was proud he was able to give her the life she always wanted.

Their wedding was a joyous event. Land and Sea were brought together, and all in the world felt right, even Triton agreed. Their marriage meant so much for everyone, but that day, Ariel and Eric only thought of each other, and how they were both so excited to spend the rest of their lives together.

But they were only married for a few short weeks when Eric realized there were consequences he would have to face.

He was taking a walk down the beach one evening hoping the fresh air would help keep him awake after a busy and tiresome day of politics. It was an ordinary walk by himself until he suddenly felt he was not alone anymore.

Eric paused in his steps and turned around. A man stood behind him. He looked like a human and was dressed respectable like a man of high political standing, but his skin was pale, his lips were blue, and dark circles formed under his eyes. The man was soaking wet from head to toe, water continuing to drip off of him as if he had come from the sea. But despite his sickly appearance, his expression was neutral, as if he was comfortable in his condition.

"Prince Eric, I presume?" the man asked.

"Who are you?" Eric demanded, alarmed by the mysterious man's sudden appearance and the fact that no strangers should have been allowed on the beach. He didn't even hear the man come out of the water.

"I'm nobody anymore," he answered as if losing his identity didn't bother him. "But I am here on behalf of the Ocean."

"The Ocean? Is Triton alright?" Eric wondered, having nothing else to connect his explanation to.

A hand went to the man's heart. "Oh, I can tell you have a good soul. It's such a shame. Sometimes, we cannot help but make mistakes when we do not know."

"What do you mean?" Eric questioned, growing irritated with his lack of information. "Are you saying I have made a mistake? What have I done? I don't understand."

"You married a mermaid."

Watch out for 'em lad, or you'll go to your ruin…

Eric's heart sunk when he realized his mistake had to do with his wife, his little mermaid. "Ariel?" He questioned, almost in a whisper. Part of him knew his life was about to turn upside down.

"Yes, and you have not just married her, but you have stolen her."

"Stolen her?" Eric questioned. "But her father gave me his blessing. He's let her go to live her own life."

The man shook his head. "I'm afraid that is not enough. Yes, he is her father, but she belongs to the Ocean. You see, out of all the creatures the Ocean provides life for, merfolk are by far its prized possession; they are the most elegant and beautiful. The Ocean is very possessive. It doesn't want to lose one of these alluring creatures."

Eric had never heard of such a thing before. Surely, Triton would have warned him of such. Eric would only accept information from his father-in-law. "This can't be true. I don't believe you. It's nonsense."

The man shook his head and kept a stern expression signaling he was serious. "But it is the truth."

"Well...there must be some misunderstanding then," was all Eric managed to say..

"I'm sorry, but the Ocean's mind is set. You are considered a thief."

"A thief?! But a thief steals something that belongs to someone else. She is her own person. She doesn't belong to anyone," Eric protested. The whole idea of it seemed ridiculous to him and he wouldn't stand for it. His wife was not a possession, not even his own.

"You've forgotten what I have already said. She was born to the Ocean. This has never been questioned before. She is the first to leave."

Eric thought for a moment as he tried to process the man's explanation. Then, a distressing thought came to his mind. He asked the man that stood before him, "Does this mean she can't remain human?"

"The Ocean does not wish her to, but there is ultimately nothing it can do about it without physically harming her, which it does not want to do; she is too precious. This is not about her, however," the Ocean's representative explained. "It is about you."

Eric pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you are the thief that stole her heart, if you will mind the cliché," the man smiled. Eric found no humor in it, and the man continued, "It is you who took her. You have committed a crime, and you will be punished by the Ocean accordingly."

"How?" Eric questioned.

"Death."

Eric's heart dropped. Fear rose within him and blood drained from his face. He had no clue how to respond to that being his punishment. He didn't want his life to be so short.

"I am so sorry, but there is one thing you can do to avoid your death," the man informed.

"What is it?" Eric eagerly asked, hoping for the chance to save his life.

The man looked back towards the castle. "Return what you have stolen."

Ariel. Eric had to return Ariel to her home. But she loved being human. She dreamed of living on land since she was a child. How could he rip that life away from her after she fought and risked so much for it?

"It's not my decision. It's hers," Eric argued. "If she wants to live as a human, that should be up to her."

"The Ocean is very unforgiving," the man shrugged. "This is all I can offer you. This is your only warning. You have one chance. I suggest you use it wisely."

And with that, the man transformed into water, falling to the sand, dampening it, and was washed out to the sea he came from by the lapping waves, gone from Eric's sight.

Eric stood there and rubbed his eyes. What had just happened? Had a man made of water really just disappear right before him after telling Eric the Ocean despised him?

The prince ran the conversation through his head. He had stolen Ariel from the Ocean? And if he didn't return her, he would die?

But he looked around. Everything was calm. Perhaps he was seeing things from being overly tired; it had been a long day. Merpeople and sea witches were one thing, but a man made out of water? How ridiculous!

When he joined Ariel for dinner that night, still pondering over his troubling encounter, unsure of what to believe, she excitedly recounted all of the exciting things she had done that day. Eric smiled. She loved being human, and he would never want her to give it up for him. Her happiness came first.

That night, he decided he wouldn't bother telling Ariel what happened on the beach. It was not worth her worrying over it. Eric instead chose to ignore it. For all he knew, he was just tired and had been seeing things.

Eric successfully ignored his crime for two whole weeks. Nothing had happened, and he had begun to forget about the man. Then, the nightmares came.

They were all the same. He was drowning in the Ocean.

It pulled him under the water by his ankles, farther and farther away from the surface, from the air his lungs so desperately demanded. They burned, but the Ocean didn't care. It wanted him dead, for he was the thief.

In each dream Eric tried to fight back against the pull, but he had no use of his legs. His arms flared about, trying to swim upwards, but it was no use. He was pulled farther down into the dark and dreary water as he grew weaker and weaker. His arms felt too heavy to move, and the pain in his lungs became too intense and agonizing. Eric's body no longer worked.

But before the Ocean could fully take him, Eric would wake up, gasping for air, but alive and in bed next to his love who laid fast asleep. He did nothing about the dreams at first, other than worry, but with each they grew more and more intense. Finally, on the fourth night, he had woken so violently he had woken Ariel as well.

"Are you alright?" she had questioned, brushing a piece of hair out of his sweating face.

Eric looked at her, unsure of what to say. He had never seen so much fear in her eyes before. She was worried for him, but he didn't want to worry her further. "Yes, I'm alright. I just had a bad dream," he replied, and when she tried to inquire further as to what his dream was about, Eric simply pulled her close to him, urging her he was alright and for her to go back to sleep.

But she was already frightened by the sight of him so scared. Eric knew he couldn't keep having nightmares; they were only getting worse, and he feared he would truly die in one and never wake up. Eric didn't want Ariel to wake up next to his lifeless body, but he couldn't return her. He wouldn't have her give up her happiness and joy. Still, Eric didn't want to die. They hadn't even been together a year, and he wasn't satisfied with his life.

Eric only knew of one person who could have possibly had the power to help him out of the situation, so he had Triton summoned that morning, and found himself anxiously sitting at the edge of the empty dock waiting for Triton's arrival, wondering if Triton even knew the Ocean had a mind of its own.

At last, his father-in-law had arrived. "Is everything alright?" Triton asked, noting Eric's concerned expression and sudden summon.

"I'm not sure," Eric admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I may have gotten myself into a...situation."

"What do you mean?"

Eric described to Triton the man who represented the Ocean, how Eric was considered a thief, and the punishment laid before him. He mentioned the nightmares and how they grew in intensity.

"I understand I will die if she doesn't return to the Ocean, but I can't let her do that. She's so happy here. Being human is all she ever wanted, and I don't want her to lose that just because the Ocean has a grudge against me."

"That's very noble of you," Triton acknowledged, "but we don't want anything happening to you. This is your life we're talking about, Eric. Ariel especially wouldn't want to lose you."

"I know. I know" Eric exasperatedly said, running a hand through his hair. "I just don't understand any of this."

"Neither do I," Triton said, shaking his head. "I've never heard of the Ocean acting like this before—I didn't know it could—but listen to me. I'm going to return to Atlantica to search for more information and what can be done. You must tell Ariel what's going on. No more hiding it. Bring her here tomorrow morning. I think for your sake it's best she returns just until we figure this out, which we will."

"But what if she can't return to land afterwards. It sounds like too much of a risk for her," Eric protested.

"I will figure something out," Triton promised, looking Eric in his eyes. "Especially if I have anything to say about it. Now, be careful, please."

Once Triton left, Eric began his way back in. He didn't want to tell Ariel, but he knew Triton was right. Sending her home would buy them some time by making the Ocean happy again. Ariel would do it in a heartbeat to protect Eric, but he feared the Ocean would prevent her from returning to land. Still, Eric had confidence that if anyone could find a way to persuade the Ocean, it would be King Triton.

Eric was still on the dock when he received another visit from the Ocean's representative.

"Oh, my. You have made another mistake," he chastised from behind Eric.

Eric froze in his step; the man's voice had sent a chill down his spine. Slowly, Eric turned around to face him. "What do you mean? She's going back home with her father tomorrow. I am returning her, like you said."

"Are you though?" the representative questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Because it sounded to me like you were making plans with her father for her to leave the Ocean once again."

"Her father will straighten this out," Eric declared.

The man shook his head. "That is where you went wrong and angered the Ocean further. Now, you are asking for assistance from a higher power to escape your punishment. I told you, you only had one chance."

Eric's heart dropped. He was just trying to live happily with Ariel. "What does that mean?"

"You've refused to return what you have stolen. This means it is time to commence with your punishment."

Eric frantically shook his head. "Please, just give my father-in-law some time to sort this out."

"Whatever he thinks he can do, the Ocean will not let him."

"Tomorrow morning! It can be sorted by tomorrow morning!" Eric pleaded.

"Tomorrow morning indeed," the man confirmed. "Tomorrow morning you will meet your fate."

"Please," Eric once again begged. "I'm going to become king soon. My people need me. And Ariel. I can't leave her."

"It's the way it's meant to be. You could never truly be together. Tomorrow, she will lose just you, not the land too, thanks to your sacrifice. That is what you wanted, isn't it? For her to continue living on land enjoying her human life?"

Eric considered the man's words. That was what Eric wanted, wasn't it? He sighed. "How will I die?" Eric found himself asking, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"You will see another representative of the Ocean tomorrow morning like me, but he will not be a messenger, he will be an assassin sent to strike you down," the man explained. "But, since I can tell you have a good heart, I offer you this small piece of advice as mercy. It will not be pretty, and I doubt you will want your wife to see your murder. So, to spare her the sight, I suggest you make it easy and simply succumb to the Ocean. You'll figure out what to do."

Eric looked back out at the Ocean. He had spent countless days playing in it as a child, followed later by countless weeks out at sea on many voyages. Eric had loved it all his life, but now it would take his life.

"I'm sorry again," the man offered, shrugging, before walking to the edge of the dock and jumping into the Ocean, disappearing amongst the water he was created from.

Eric felt defeated. He didn't want to leave Ariel. She would be heartbroken by his death, but she could move on, he supposed. She'd get to continue her life on land, free from the Ocean instead of being trapped living unhappily within it. Ariel would get to continue the life she dreamed of.

He didn't want to die. The thought of it terrified Eric, as it would for any man, but he had to do so for Ariel's sake. He felt horrible, too, that he would be leaving a burden upon Ariel. She would be left to rule, but he knew she would do fine. Grimsby would help her, and she had a good heart to guide her as well.

And, with that, Eric's mind was made up.

That night, Eric made preparations. He left letters. He left one for Grimsby, in which he thanked him for all he had done for him and asked him to help Ariel become queen. In Carlotta's, he thanked her for helping to raise him and asked her to be there for Ariel. In both, Eric told them he was sorry it had to be this way.

The hardest letter to write was for Ariel. It pained him to say goodbye, but it would be the only way he could do so. He wouldn't be able to tell her in person, for she would surely try to stop him.

That night as they went to bed, Ariel chatted about her exciting day and the upcoming adventures they had planned earlier that month-adventures Eric now knew he would not be there for. She curled up next to him with a yawn, told him she loved him, and smiled as she drifted off to sleep. Ariel was so happy that night, and that only made Eric feel sick. He knew she would wake up to the news of his death tomorrow and realize they would never get to go on those adventures together. All of her happiness would be gone until she could find it again with time.

He held her close that night, telling her she meant so much to him and that he loved her with all his heart as she drifted asleep. Oh, how Eric would miss her. He would miss everything about her. She was perfect, and Eric knew he was blessed to have found her. He felt awful having to give up such a gift sent from the Heavens.

Eric never fell asleep that night, for the fear of nightmares and not wanting to waste away his last moments of life. Instead, he laid there, thinking of his life, all the things he had done and wished he could have been able to do. He held his wife, cherishing the moment before it would be gone.

Then, in the early morning, he felt it was time. He carefully got out from under Ariel, tucked her in, and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you," he said, taking in her beauty one last time before painfully leaving her side.

He then headed outside to the beach, his heart pounded, but he continued. He had to do this. For Ariel. For Ariel.

He then stood on the beach looking out at the darkness, the tide lapping ever so slightly against his feet. Eric took a deep breath, took one last look at his home, then stepped into the water.

Each step farther in he took agonized him as he waited for it to happen. Finally, it did.

It was just like his nightmares. The Ocean grabbed Eric by his ankles, yanking him under and pulling him deeper, away from the surface. But unlike his dreams, he did not struggle. This was for Ariel.

The Ocean was dark, nothing like what Ariel had described her home being like. It wanted to show none of its beauty to Eric. As it pulled him under, he saw nothing. No creatures, no merpeople to help him, no plants, no color, no hopeful lights. Only dark, cold waters surrounded him. It was all he could see. Eric felt very unwelcomed in its territory.

He closed his eyes, picturing Ariel's sleeping face one last time, reminding himself as the fear rose within him that this was for Ariel. Eric's eyes then opened wide as his lungs began to burn, unhappy with the unwelcomed water filling them. His limbs instinctively began to fight back against the Ocean's pull as his body's only desire was to escape and get more air.

But Eric knew he was taken too far down to even have a chance of swimming back to the surface before he would lose consciousness. There was no chance of going back now. His fate was secured.

He mused upon this, with his last bit of concentration as he felt the waters grow colder and colder around him. Eric had always felt that his destiny had been calling for him from the fathoms below. He had been captivated by the romantic idea, by that feeling, and was thrilled upon meeting Ariel, but now he realized it was not the chance of love calling him from below, but rather, his death.

And so close to his death he was in those fathoms below. Eric didn't think the world could go darker than it already was. Oh, how unfair everything was. He wished he could keep his eyes open for Ariel, but he wished the pain to be over and closed his eyes, pretending this was all a dream he would wake up from and find himself next to his love.

But it wasn't. And once Eric's heart ceased to beat, the Ocean was once again satisfied.

Triton was concerned.

He was very, very concerned for the life of his son-in-law.

The Sea King had stayed up all night reading old books and scrolls to find more information about the Ocean. Never before had Triton heard of the Ocean itself holding such power. Surely, if his father or grandfather knew they would have told him.

For years Triton had only thought of the Ocean as his home. He was very thankful for it; without it there would be no life for all merfolk, but he never thought of it as more than his home. Yes, magic found its way around all of the Ocean, but the Ocean was never its own being. Instead, all power was given to kings and selected individuals to see that things were taken care of under the sea.

But, during his research, Triton found an old scroll, hidden away centuries ago, containing information that confirmed what Eric had been told. The Ocean had its own mind, and it was possessive. It wanted each and every merperson, its most superior and beautiful creature.

This angered Triton. It meant Ariel could never be free, and did this mean Triton and his family had no true freedom their whole life?

In addition, he also learned that there was nothing he could do to save Eric from the Ocean's wrath if its mind was made up. Still, Triton was currently on his way to the surface to bring Ariel back home-return her-as Eric said he was told to do. Though it saddened Triton that the happy couple would be separated, Eric's life would be spared, and that, Triton knew for sure, was all Ariel would want.

And, still, Triton hoped that with more bought time, he might find a way to once again return Ariel to land with no consequences for Eric to face. She was happy up there. He wondered how Ariel was reacting to all of this. Surely, Eric would have told her already.

Triton's thought and swim to the surface was then interrupted when he saw someone on the ocean floor, rolled onto his side facing away from Triton. It was a human. There was no shipwreck around, so Triton wondered what had happened to the man.

He never once thought he might one day rush to the aid of a human, but Triton now did, though he well knew that it was too late for the man. As he moved closer to the human's side, Triton realized he recognized the man.

It was Eric.

Triton sunk to the sand next to the boy, rolling Eric onto his back. His lips were blue and his face was pale. There was nothing Triton could do to save him.

He scooped the young man into his arms, doing all he could do, and thought of Ariel and how she would be affected by the tragic event. It would devastate her. He could only hope that she would somehow find the strength to make it through her grief without losing too much of herself in the process.

Triton looked down sadly at Eric's lifeless body in his arms. "Oh, my boy. What have you done?"

Ariel groaned when she rolled over and felt that Eric's side of the bed was empty. She had assumed Eric had risen early that morning to get work done. She wasn't thrilled with him doing so, and he knew that. He always tried to make up for it by leaving a sweet note explaining his absence.

And on his pillow laid a note, neatly folded up. Ariel picked it up, smiling, and read it:

Ariel,
I wish I could get to say a proper goodbye to you, but this letter will have to do. By the time you wake up and read this, it will be done and I will be gone. Thank you for all the joy and love you brought me. These past few months have not been enough. I wanted to spend a long lifetime with you, but I must first think of your happiness. Please, enjoy your life on land as a human. Your father can explain more about what has happened. He knows everything.
I love you,
Eric

The smile disappeared from her face as she read it. Ariel was confused by the letter. What was Eric talking about? Why was he saying goodbye as if he was...gone? She didn't know why he would do such a thing, but all she knew was that something very bad had happened to him.

Still holding the letter and in her nightgown, she ran out of her room to find answers. In the hall she found an officer, hat in his hands, speaking to Grimsby. He was holding a letter, too.

"Grimsby? Where's Eric?" Ariel asked.

"Oh, Princess," the officer cleared his throat and was the first to speak, seeing as though Grimsby was in shock. "I'm so sorry, but there has been an…incident."

"What happened?" Ariel found herself asking.

"He drowned. He's gone," Grimsby had said, repeating what the officer had just informed him moments ago, still processing it himself. He was unaware he had even said anything out loud.

Ariel shook her head. "That doesn't make sense. How could he have drowned? He should have been asleep, not out in the Ocean!"

"I'm sorry, Princess, but your father found him this morning and brought him up to the docks for us," the officer informed.

Ariel still couldn't understand what had happened, but from his letter it sounded deliberate, as if Eric knew he was going to die. He had stated in the letter her father knew what was going on, and the officer had mentioned the docks. Despite the pleas of the men, she raced down the hall to go out to the docks.

She wasn't sure what she expected to see when she arrived, but when she did, she saw a crowd of men. No ship was docked, and none of them were sailors. They all had no reason to be there. At the end of the dock, in the water, she saw her father, who had no reason to be there as well, unless, like Eric had said, he had the answers.

Then, her attention shifted to what the men had been focused on. A body laid on the dock with a blanket draped over it, concealing its identity.

She paused mid deck upon seeing this, and all the men turned towards her. Ariel then began forward slowly, pointing at the body. "Who's that?"

None of the men replied, not knowing what to say.

"Tell me that's not Eric," she begged. When she received no answer from the men, she turned to her father to plead desperately, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please, Daddy, tell me that's not Eric."

Her father looked at her. "There was nothing that could be done," he said with a sad expression that made Ariel's heart break as he spoke. "He was gone when I found him."

Ariel fell to her knees and the tears began falling down her cheek. She felt as though something broke in her, perhaps it was the little bit of hope she still had that her worries were all wrong and Eric was still alive somewhere. It seemed as though her whole world had fallen apart. Eric was her whole world, and now he was gone.

Just as Eric had said, her father explained everything to her. He explained about the Ocean and how it was possessive. He explained about how it considered Eric a thief and Ariel was the item he stole. It sickened Ariel to think that the home she once loved so much thought of her as such, but it sickened her more to think that this was her fault. If she had never left the Ocean, Eric would have still been alive. If he didn't love her as much, he would have never done something stupid on her behalf. She should have known something had been wrong with the way Eric was acting and could have put a stop to it. It was all her fault.

Ariel then wished more than anything that she had loved Eric a bit more. She had already loved him with all her heart, but if only she had told him so a few more times or given him a few more passionate kisses it would have been enough for him to know that, no matter what, she could never live without him.

Her father had told her she was welcome back home anytime she wanted, but the Ocean no longer seemed welcoming to Ariel.

Ariel cried for days. Then, she did nothing, absolutely nothing, for days. She wanted to give up. How would she manage living in a new world without Eric to guide her as he had been doing so wonderfully the past few months? She couldn't, but she couldn't go home either-she wouldn't even think about giving the Ocean that satisfaction.

She wanted to die, to end her existence and suffering, to be with Eric again. No matter where she was, land or sea, she wouldn't be able to live without Eric, or at least knowing that he would be alive and safe.

But Ariel was never able to do anything to accomplish that. They had made sure someone was watching her at all times, and she was too tired to fight back.

She eventually realized something after a week of thinking. She realized that Eric had died so she could remain living as a human. If she didn't continue to do so, Eric's death would have been in vain. Ariel was also all his kingdom had left. She would inherit the throne.

So, Ariel made her choice. She would remain a human on land, and she would live.

But, perhaps, Eric's death was in vain. He had mentioned in the letter he wanted her to be happy. He had done this for her happiness, but Ariel couldn't believe he thought his death would bring her happiness. She knew he wanted her to be happy, but she couldn't, not in a world without her love. Instead, she did her best to honor Eric's death.

After his funeral, she plunged herself into lessons. They now went further than learning how to be just a queen consort and host tea parties. She was now going to be the sole ruler. She learned all the politics of Eric's kingdom, how to be a strong ruler, and, with Grimsby's guidance and Carlotta's support, she began leading the kingdom, all while still learning the basics of the human world. However, Ariel no longer felt the joy in discovering new things. She only needed to gain their knowledge to succeed.

A few years later Ariel was crowned Queen.

She never once thought of remarrying in the first years following Eric's death. Ariel knew she could never find anyone to replace Eric. Instead, she focused on her kingdom, implementing some ideas Eric had and seeing that they went through with dedication to him. His legacy would live on. He loved his kingdom.

Though her heart had been hardened since his death, Ariel ruled well. The kingdom became prosperous, and the citizens lived well.

Eventually, Ariel knew there was one more thing she had to do for her kingdom; she needed to give it an heir to ensure a proper succession of the throne. She couldn't hold off remarrying any longer, though she hated the thought of marriage now. What was the point of as long as you both shall live, if it only lasted a few weeks?

Ariel began seeing suitors and was cold and very dismissive of any man she thought was only trying to use her, and there were quite a few. Eventually, she found a nice, honest man who seemed to take pity on her. Though he could have tried, he never tried to take advantage of her situation and had told her he only wanted to make sure she had someone to take care of her. It was almost as if he was genuinely worried about her. Ariel never loved him, but she married him anyway because it was what she had to do for the kingdom. The only way she could possibly justify marrying someone other than Eric was that she was doing it for Eric.

Not long after they were married Ariel became pregnant. Her political activities slowed and once she became bedridden towards the end of the pregnancy, they suspected she was having twins.

During the very early hours of a rainy morning, Ariel gave birth to her first child, a boy. When the midwife gave him to her to hold, Ariel took him and held him close, feeling a bit of joy on that stormy morning for the first time in years. But then, she looked at the child's face, and she saw her new husband in the child, not Eric. It was not Eric's child. She had dreamed of starting a family with Eric and remembering that dream crushed her.

The midwife took the child away from her when the second child was ready to be delivered. It was another boy, and when they tried to hand him to her, Ariel pushed the baby away.

"No, I don't want the babies," Ariel declared, tiredly.

"But, Ma'am, they are your children."

"But they are not Eric's. They were supposed to be Eric's," Ariel said. "I want Eric."

Ariel's job was done. The kingdom had its heirs, it was prosperous, and Eric's legacy would last within it. Her new husband was an honest man who would rule well until the eldest child could be crowned.

One of the midwives told Ariel to keep fighting, to have strength, to keep her eyes open and keep living, but Ariel had already done that once before. It was too much to ask her to do so again. She would see Eric this time. Closing her eyes, she listened to the Ocean's waves roar and crash against the beach outside.

And, so, the kingdom found themselves mourning yet another ruler they loved dearly, and the Ocean would never get its prized possession back.