Part of Your World (Disney Twisted Tales) - Liz Braswell Page 0,9
mto the light or waggle to make the golden disk extra obvious. He remained, despite the years and accumulated wisdom, likable, down-to-seafloor Flounder.
"My Queen!"
He swooped m front of her, ignoring Sebastian, and gave the low bow that was required of all but Ariel usually tried to stop—at least from him and Sebastian.
Ariel cocked her head at him: go on.
"I've just had some strange—really, really strange—news from a plaice, who heard it from a turtle, who heard it from a dolphin....Wait: I think it was the plaice from the turtle. There might have been another messenger in between. A bluefish, maybe?"
He felt Ariel's impatience before she even displayed it.
"There is a seagull on the surface who claims to have news for your ears only."
Ariel's eyes widened.
She signed carefully, spelling out the name.
Is it Scuttle?
"No, My Queen," Flounder said, trying not to show his own disappointment. "It was hard to make out through all of the...parties involved, but I believe it is a younger one, and a female."
Ariel practically wilted.
Seagulls were useless. Scuttle was a rare bird. Scattered but goodhearted, prone to flights of exaggeration, but a true friend. It should have been him commg to visit.
For several years after the day she lost her father, Ariel had tried to return to the land to see Eric and to take revenge on Ursula. But the wily sea witch had used her now very prosaic powers as a human princess to set guards all along the coast—officially, in "case of an enemy kingdom attack, or pirates." In some cases, close to the castle, guards were literally stationed in the water, up to their calves.
With Scuttle's help Ariel had tried to evade the guards, sneaking in while the gull whipped up a distraction. But it was never enough, and the men were all on high alert for strange, witchy red-haired girls.
After a while, and after much msistence from Sebastian and her sisters, Ariel gave up and returned to her life under the sea permanently. At the very least she could respect the memory of her father by devoting herself to her duties as queen. She had vowed to forget the Dry World forever.
Even Scuttle.
"But.. .it's a seagull. So doesn't that mean Scuttle has to be involved somehow?" Flounder pointed out, trying to cheer her up. "It would be realty, really bizarre if some random gull came to talk to you. But I didn't double- check on the origm of the story. I didn't want to break your ban on gomg to the surface."
Ariel swished her tail thoughtfully.
"Don't even think about it," Sebastian growled. "I know what you're thinking. It's just a silly seabird. Don't even consider it, young lady."
Ariel raised an eyebrow at him incredulously. Young lady? In the years that had passed smce the duel with the sea witch, she had aged. Not dramatically, but far more than a mostly immortal mermaid should have. There was something about her eyes—they were deeper, wiser, and wearier than when she was a young mer who had never been on dry land. Her cheeks weren't quite as plump anymore; the angles of her face were more pronounced. Sometimes she wondered if she looked like her mother... aside from her own unreliable memories, the only physical evidence of the former queen was a statue m the castle of her and Triton dancing together. But it was all pale milk}- marble, no colors at all. Dead.
Ariel's hair no longer flowed behind her as it once had; handmaidens and decorator crabs kept it braided and coiffed, snug and businesslike under the great golden crown that sat on her temples, like the gods wore. Small gold and aquamarine earrings sparkled regally but didn't tinkle; they were quite understated and professional. Her only real nod to youth was the golden ring m the upper part of her left ear.
"Young lady," indeed.
She didn't even have to sign. You cannot talk to me that way anymore, little crab. I am queen now.
Sebastian sighed, sounding old m his exasperation. "I'm sorry for speaking out of turn. I can't help it. Nothing good comes out of you going up there... nothing ever has. I just...I just don't want to see you hurt or disappointed again."
Ariel gave him the tiniest smile and tapped him once on the back fondly. Sometimes it was hard to remember that much of Sebastian's attitude was only for show. Underneath, he really did have—what he thought were— her best interests at heart.