Part of Your World (Disney Twisted Tales) - Liz Braswell Page 0,105

she brought down destruction on them, like a true Old God tyrant. "I...don't...trust you/' she said.

'I don't expect you to. I don't trust you, either. But once m a while we may need to actually work together for survival. And as I said, I am, if nothing else, genuinely regretful for the way I spoke to you."

He's a regular Prince Charming, Ursula snorted to herself. If nothing else, it was amusing to see him spend all this effort trying to get her to go to a performance she never had any intention of missing. If he had a trick or two up his sleeve, well, it was nothing compared to what she had planned.

Performmg the opera outside, in the square, was better than she could have ever dreamed. All the people of the little seaside town would be there. A thousand victims to sacrifice, a thousand hearts bleeding together with the Kmg of the Sea.

Thanks to Eric and his generous apology dedication of the performance, there was no way the spell could fail. The powers released by all that death would grant her true magical mastery over the Dry World and the World Under the Sea. She would be unstoppable. Atlantica would fall. All would bow to her or fall to her wrath.

Ursula realized she was absently stroking the little bronze octopus and stopped it immediately.

When the day of the opera came she wished she had better clothes; it seemed a shame to attend Eric's opera m the rags of a maid. But she changed into what she had: slipped the trident into her hair: and looked for Scuttle.

"Right here: Ariel! Just a moment!" the old gull called. He was standing at the shorelme gazing mto a very calm tide pool at his feet, adjusting his chest feathers and preenmg his wings. "All set!" he finally declared and glided haphazardly over to her. "Wanted to look my spiffiest for everyone's big day."

Ariel smiled warmly and stroked him on his head. There was a bit of slick black seaweed around his neck, arranged to look a little like a cravat.

"Got me a nooserton," he said proudly. "Just like the fancy human birds."

"You look wonderful." She kissed him on the beak: then offered her arm. "Care for a ride? Just so you don't get tired too early." "It would be my honor to escort you, my lady," he said with a bow, then hopped lightly up.

Well, not that lightly. Ariel had to grind her teeth to stop from reacting. She had forgotten how heavy things were in the Dry World, even supposedly light thmgs, like birds.

They probably made for a very odd sight, strolling from the beach into town: a robed and mostly hooded maid with a seagull balanced on her arm. But there was no one around to see. The houses, churches, markets, and shops were mostly abandoned; everyone had gone early to get a good place to sit or stand for the free show. Ariel walked between the empty buildings, regarding them with mixed feelmgs.

If they failed, there was a chance she would be dead—or at the very least, a polyp—and never again free to go where she wished, either land or sea.

There was also a chance, if they succeeded, that her father, once returned to full power, would never allow her to come onto land again. He could make it so that no one could become human. Of course, she could always search for another way. But last time that had led to Ursula, and...

Her thoughts spun. There were objects in the window of a shop that she couldn't quite fathom: possibly candy, possibly gems and crystals. There were so many alien things about this world she still didn't know. There were so many more things in the rest of the world, both above and below the sea, that were yet to be discovered....

"You okay, Ariel? You seem a little, I dunno, worried or spacey or something," Scuttle said.

"I just...I was just thinking about past choices and future possibilities."

"Huh. Deep stuff. Well, the world's your oyster after today. I can't wait to see Triton again! You think he'll give me a medal or something? For helpmg? For starting this whole thing?"

"I'm sure he will," she said with a smile. It wasn't quite a lie. Despite her father's distaste for all air breathers, she would make sure her friends were properly rewarded.

They caught up with a few stragglers: families gathering small children onto their shoulders, limping soldiers, farmers from holds