“Hmm…”

“What?! What!?”

The plump brunette woman in a scullery outfit ignored Eric and continued to examine Ariel. “Say ahh.”

“Why?”

The part-maid, part-physician scowled at the girl from behind her glasses. She wasn’t sure whether the red-head’s question was legitimate or sass. “Just say ahh.”

“Hmm… If you wish… Ahh…”

Her doctor had quite placed the tongue depressor in her mouth by the time the girl had clamped her mouth shut back again. Quickly becoming agitated, she said, “Girl…!”

“Carlotta,” interrupted Eric. “I don’t think Ariel knows what you’re doing. Be nice to her.”

“I’m sorry Eric. I’ve just got a pile of duties hedged up behind me… Say ahh…,” the maid continued to talk as she continued diagnosing Ariel. “I’m just so overworked… I hate being stalled like this… Not that I mind helping you, or this poor dear here. It’s just, ugh!”

“I understand completely.”

“Well,” Carlotta straightened herself, “overall, she’s quite fine. It seems like she’s had some head trauma, which may account for some odd quirks in the following week. Unfortunately, it seems the damage to her vision… is permanent.”
Eric’s demeanor became very sad, feeling for the beautiful girl he cared for so much now. Ariel, seemingly sensing his disappointment, said, “Oh, I’m not distressed. I knew it was permanent. I’m willing to sacrifice my vision to be here.”

“That’s a very positive outlook to have, miss,” said Carlotta, picking up the coral tiara sitting on a table beside her and placing it upon Ariel’s head. “I mean, your highness.

“Now, Prince Eric maybe you could take the princess to the room you had arranged for her.”

“Oh, yes, of course.”

“And change her into the clothes you got for her…” Carlotta was still confused by how the girl had managed to change into the wreckage without her sight.

“Here Ariel,” said Eric taking the shipwrecked princess’s arm and guided her out of the washing room. He certainly felt guilty guiding the royal to another deception, but he feared telling the truth. It was a gut feeling. The type of gut feeling no person could ignore. So Eric followed the rules.

He counted all the lies he had told so far- Number one, and the biggest, he Eric, lowly son the actual heir’s caretaker, and aspiring Ship Captain, was Prince of the Land. Number two, taking Ariel to a make-shift doctor’s office. On the bright side, Eric was faithful enough to the girl that he wouldn’t take her to a fake doctor. Carlotta was trained. But it had been years since then… On the other hand, Eric trusted Carlotta, proof being that she agreed to keep his secret. Now came the hard part- getting others in the kingdom to help him, too.

He knew he couldn’t keep a secret princess hiding in the castle forever. News of her appearance would break out eventually, all the way to Prince Filbert, who would surely delight in a new way to ridicule Eric.

The only for-sure thing was that he loved Ariel. And somehow he would have to make her love him.

The couple came to the wooden door that marked the princess’s room. Now the acting began.

“Well, your highness, my fellow highness, I’ve managed to provide for you this magnificent room, right above the water.”

In reality, the room was far from magnificent. It was dirty and drafty. Technically, it was above the sea, and Eric had actually given Ariel his bed, which he had transported to the chamber room when he first brought Ariel to Carlotta.

“Do rooms normally smell like this up here?”

“Eh, um, sometimes.”

“Oh, then… Well, thank you Prince Eric. I do appreciate it,” said Ariel gratefully.

Eric blushed, but not because Ariel was so sweet, but because she deserved much better, and if she had been found by Prince Filbert, she would have gotten it. But he did try to provide for her, and that was enough, right?

“I’m afraid that you will have to dress yourself, Princess, but I can fix you a bath right now.”

“A dress?” she asked. “A bath?”

“I guess these items would seem luxurious to anyone after what you’ve been through. I’m very happy to help.”

“Umm, yes, thanks again.”

“Mmmhmm,” Eric grinned as he walked into the bath room. It was much better than the rest of the room, but it had a working faucet, a rare commodity in the castle, and a well-kept secret. As far as Eric knew, he was the first one to visit this room in years, as it was originally to be his, but Grimsby changed his mind, wanting to be closer to his new found son, but not before he had given Eric the keys.

Eric stayed in the bath room until the tub was filled with the cold water. He hoped that the princess wouldn’t mind the temperature of the water, as she was probably used to warm water back home.

Back home! Eric had forgotten that somewhere, far from here, there was another kingdom, totally distraught, looking for their missing princess. Eric would have to take responsibility for this, after all, he didn’t want to end up being the next Paris. He’d speak to Ariel, later, about her home. Maybe even, if she wanted to, he could go with her back home, and they could be together, forever.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Eric was startled when he felt water slipping over to his thigh. With much force, he shut off the water faucet. “There!” Eric smiled, hands on his hips. He walked back out to the bedroom where he found Ariel sitting contently on the bed.

“Here, Ariel, let me help you up,” Eric took Ariel’s hand and lifted her up to her feet. “Here’s the bathroom door, and here’s the tub. I’ll place your new clothes right over here. If you need any help, I won’t be far away.”
“Okay… Thank you Prince Eric,” said Ariel.

“You’re very welcome,” he returned, leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Ariel was set for the time being, but now he had to decide what to do for the rest of the day. They couldn’t stay in the castle, but he would also need to fix the situation about him being the Prince… Maybe Grimsby would help him?

No, that was unlikely. You can’t deceive a princess, Eric… You should have told me you found her, Eric… How could you hide a princess, Eric!... This was very childish of you, Eric… I don’t care if you love her, Eric… You’re a commoner, she’s a princess, Eric!... Yes, Grimsby would most assuredly disapprove of his scheme. But why should he care? He was finding true love!

Eric was slightly relieved not to hear anything coming from the bathroom because that meant Ariel was doing just fine. He still felt there was much more he could do for her, I mean, he wasn’t, he couldn’t tell the truth to her, and he wasn’t sure the feeling of guiltiness was worth it.

“I’m finished!” called the princess’s voice from the bathroom.

“She’s finished? Already? But it couldn’t have been five minutes…” Eric asked himself. He walked forward to the door, and grasped the handle and almost walked in, but then rethought the idea and knocked. “Are you decent?”
“Well, I do try to lend a helping hand, so yes!”

“No, I mean, do you have all your clothes on?”

“Um, oh, well, yes!”

Eric then opened the door. “Ohhh, Ariel…”

“Well, how do I look?” asked the blushing girl.

“I think… you got a little confused…” Eric was surprised at the state of the princess’s wardrobe. The only two things that she managed to put on properly were her bra and her shoes. Everything else was a complete misfire. She had wrapped her hair into a ponytail with her undergarments, and used a ribbon as a kind of necklace. Somehow, she had also turned her black and teal outing dress inside out and draped it around her body.

“Here, let me help you,” and Eric straightened out her outfit. In the end, she looked quite pretty in the clothes he had picked out for her, and she was very grateful for his help.

“Thank you… so much, for helping me, your highness… It’s all new,” she said.

“Um, you’re welcome. I’m sure it must be very hard.”

“You wouldn’t believe it.”

“Well, would you like to do something?” Eric asked, touching the girl’s shoulder. “I mean, if you were up to it we could go and…”

“Visit, explore!?”

Eric nodded his head, “yes”, and Ariel literally jumped out of her skin with joy.

“Oh thank you Eric! Thank you!” She hugged the sailor. “This will be so much fun!”

“Okay, let’s go then!” And the two walked out of her room into the corridor of the castle.

Being that they were on the Mediterranean coast, you’d think that the castle would be quite warm, and the décor would showcase that, but no, not in the castle of Prince Filbert. For some odd reason, every room, every piece of space was cold, and dank, and dark. Grimsby had confided in Eric that it wasn’t always like this. Filbert’s parents had kept a joyous atmosphere around the palace. Unfortunately, Filbert never really got to understand his parents’ rule, so he learned nothing, and most of the people in charge, technically his advisers, did not want the extra hassle of creating a warm environment. This had led longtime servants like Carlotta to become depressed. Once Carlotta had told Eric that she would leave the palace, some day. But that seemed unlikely to happen. It was an easy job, with lots of benefits. Shallow benefits, maybe, but even the best people are most easily attracted by things that are shiny on the surface, no matter how rotten the ground beneath is.

“So, where are you taking me?”

“I was thinking to the marketplace, or to a lagoon, and then maybe dancing?” Eric replied.

“Dancing! Oh I can’t wait to try!” Ariel exclaimed.

Eric couldn’t be too befuddled for long, as, to his horror, he heard footsteps from ahead.

“Ariel! You gotta… You gotta hide, behind that tapestry!”

“Hide? Tapestry? What?” she asked, extremely confused. Eric took her hand and snuck her behind a tapestry depicting the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box.

“Just one second, I promise,” Eric told her.

“Okay, Eric… But you better explain this!”

“I will! I will!” he said, anxiously, now walking back to the middle of the hallway.

“Ah, Eric!” came a creaky old voice.

“It’s my long lost father!”

“Where were you my boy?” Grimsby asked.

“Um, out on the beach,” Eric sighed, delighted at being finally able to tell the truth.

“Well, I’m on my way to a conference, but I have something very important to tell you later… Wait, why are you out here? The entrance to the beach is all the way…”

“Ha, well, just wanted to take a jog,” the dark-headed young man replied hastily.

“A jog?”

“Yes, yes, but, shouldn’t you being going to your conference?”

“Well, I am already late… Good bye,” finished Grimsby, about to walk off.

“Bye father!”

Eric was relieved that was a close call.

“And Eric?” Grimsby was far from Eric, but knowing his sense of humor, he’d drop a bombshell, like ‘I know you were hiding a Princess behind that tapestry’ or something.

“Eh, yes?”

“Be careful.”

That wasn’t so bad. But what would Ariel think? She had heard their entire conversation.

“Here, Ariel,” he ushered the girl out, and his tone of voice was one of shame.

“Eric? Was that man your father?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered.

“And why did you hide me from him?”

“Because, Ariel… I have a hard time saying this but…”

“You haven’t been entirely truthful with me?”

“Yes, how did you know?”

“Because I recognize the disappointment, when one is beginning to like, even love another, but they fear telling them the truth, because it might jeopardize your relationship. Because, the truth might just turn the other person away?”

“Yes, yes! Ariel, you understand! I can tell you now!”

“I’d rather not know, because I still can’t tell you… as far as I know you are the kind-hearted Prince Eric of a kingdom who has a great deal of friends, a ‘long-lost’ father, and a love for the beach. As far as you know, I’m the Princess Ariel who has been shipwrecked and lost her sight, but one girl who is very happy to be here with you.”

“Okay, Ariel, were liar lov-” Eric stopped himself. “Liar friends.”

“Well come on friend!” said Ariel taking Eric’s arm. “Show me your kingdom.”

Your kingdom. The pang of guiltiness was still there, but at least now it was subdued.