“Is it back to searching the castle again, then?” Eric asked aloud, partially to the seagull. “Well, if that’s what we have to do, that’s what we will do. Guess I’d better expand the search to the rest of the grounds, too, huh? I wish you could help. I could use another set of eyes. Ones that aren’t easily fooled by magic. I wish I had an animal friend who could watch Grimsby for me. I’m afraid Max isn’t much up to the task.”
The bird squawked again and shook its tail. Almost like it was saying, Yes, but what can you do? Then it settled down to preen itself.
Eric laughed and reached out to scratch it on its neck, like he would have Max. The bird seemed to enjoy it immensely.
I deserve this, Ariel thought as she delivered the news of her failure again and again and again. Of course the general populace was disappointed. She expected the frowns and the occasional dramatic tears.
Telling her sisters was extremely unpleasant. They wept real tears and swished their tails back and forth in dismay. And then they swam off, all but Attina, who gave her a quick hug before leaving.
The Queen’s Council was also disappointed—though not terribly surprised, and quick to talk about the future, and Ariel’s loyalty to her people, and how maybe further rescue attempts should be turned over to those who weren’t the acting queen.
“We should send an army of merfolk—with legs—up through the castle, and seize it,” the captain of the merguards suggested. Her eyes shone and her partner, a giant bluefish, nodded eagerly. “It will be like battles of old, sword against sword! We will retrieve the king triumphantly and remind humans of our might!”
“And while you are waving your shiny swords, the humans will be shooting at you with their guns,” Ariel said wearily. “That’s why I wanted to do this alone—and stealthily. To limit the loss of life.”
“Forget the army. Use the power of the sea,” a merman senator suggested. “Use your trident and teach the humans a lesson!”
“Yes,” Ariel said, leaning back on her throne. “I’ve actually thought of that. I could destroy the castle and everyone in it with one mighty wave. The advantage of killing Ursula this way is that my father and all of her prisoners would be transformed immediately upon her death and released directly into the sea.”
Flounder and Sebastian exchanged surprised—and shocked—looks. Had she really considered this?
Ariel turned her eyes to the glowing dome of the surface to avoid seeing their faces. Yes, she had thought about it.
If her goal was truly just to get her father back and wreak revenge on Ursula, it was probably the most direct and efficient route. A giant tsunami wiping out a kingdom’s castle and all within…Some would call it a natural disaster, but others would suspect the truth and tell stories. Maybe people would start respecting the sea again, properly. Maybe they would stop fishing it out and dumping their garbage into it.
And, from an artistic perspective, how utterly apocalyptic and perfect: destroying her enemy and possibly her lover at the same time. Very Old God. They’d be singing about her for centuries.
One side of her mouth tugged into a wry smile. The old Ariel wouldn’t have even had these thoughts; she would have dismissed them immediately as horrific and unthinkable.
Now she could think them. She just couldn’t do them.
“No, guys,” she said aloud. “I’m not actually killing everyone in the castle in a tidal wave of utter destruction.”
Sebastian and Flounder looked chagrined that she had read their minds—but also relieved.
“Your Majesty, I must attend the Planktonic Life Interior Committee meeting,” Klios the dolphin said apologetically, with a bow. “I will continue to ponder our problem of rescuing the king. But for now, other duties call.”
“Yes, go. We could all use a break anyway,” Ariel said, rubbing her head for the second time that week. “We’ll reconvene on the next tide to discuss further.”
As most of the council swam off, Sebastian approached her, sideways and slowly. “Well, then, while we are taking a break thinking about all this…maybe we can talk about something else? My next masterpiece, maybe? A celebration of the tides. A celebration of the sea. A celebration celebrating the return of your voice, starring…”
Ariel narrowed her eyes at him.
“…well, your voice?” He gave her a winning crabby grin.
“Queens. Do not. Sing. Sebastian.”
“But Ariel, now that you can sing again…”