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fan_flashworks2023-03-24 09:47 pm
apachefirecat) wrote in fan_flashworks2023-03-24 09:47 pm
Entry tags:
The Little Mermaid: Fan Fic: Sacrifice
Title: Sacrifice
Fandom: The Little Mermaid
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Eric/Ariel, Triton/Athena
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: It was a sacrifice neither was prepared to give.
Word Count: 1,363
Written For: Fan FlashWorks 402: Flow, 100 Fandom Hell: New Fandom, 100 Ships, #40: Ocean, and Fannish 50 #37. Ariel
Warnings: CHARACTER DEATH, MISCARRIAGE/STILL BIRTH
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
The water is flowing all around her. She can feel the voices of her father and their ancestors in the churning currents. There's a female voice that sounds both as though she is crying and singing simultaneously. The mermaid's voice sounds so familiar, almost soothing though nothing can soothe the Queen at this time. She was supposed to be a Queen, and she is a Queen, but Ariel fears she is not the Queen she should have become. The precious life now held in her arms is silent, cry-less testament to that new fear.
She has never doubted before. She has never doubted her love for Eric or for the land, never feared her decision to live among the humans and become one of them, but now she does. That mysterious voice stirs something deep within Ariel's breast and the recesses of her mind. Scuttle cries out from somewhere up above her in the bright, blue sky. It is such a strange sight to see all the birds, predator and prey, gathered in the most beautiful, cloudless sky their kingdom has had in months. If she did not know better, she would think the Gods were testing her will, teasing her with a beautiful, Spring-like day on the darkest day of her life.
Tears flow down Ariel's cheeks. She has not spoken in days now. Her husband has rarely left her side, but she had to slip away today. She had to come dispose of this body in the proper way of her people, not in the way his people want. They want to throw a huge event -- a funeral, they call it -- but this is both a private matter and the hardest one Ariel has ever had to face.
She is not alone, but her people give her space. The birds watch from above, and from a great distance, she can feel the weeping of her sisters and the solemn views of her people. If any of them hate her for what she is done, none of them speak it. None of them will, not today.
All the fish, the dolphins and even the sharks too, are out somewhere in the water, watching and grieving in their own ways. None will swim close to her today, not even Flounder, for they understand her need to be and grieve alone. Some understand her pain, at least on some level. She is not the first mother to be robbed of the joyful life of her child, and now at last, she understands the fear her father had so often acted upon. He'd wanted so desperately to keep her safe, but in the end, he had allowed her to make her own decisions, decisions that may well have led to her child's death.
The memories in the deep, dark recesses of Ariel's mind finally click. The mysterious voice, the woman's voice who had sang in the current louder and more emotionally than any other of the spirits, could it belong to her mother? Ariel cocked her head slightly to one side, not unlike the look she and Scuttle had both worn so often over their years of finding human things and questioning over them. Ariel has finally learned what almost every device is, at least those that are commonplace in her kingdom, but back then, the simplest comb or fork had fascinated them. Usually, remembering what they had first thought those objects were for would make Ariel smile, but not today.
Today, nothing can make her smile. Her heart aches with so many tears that they seem like they could overflow the ocean, but she has done this. She has allowed herself to fall prey to the siren's call, but not that the human sailors fear. She was called to the land, and she has paid the price, the very, very heavy price that she fears will mark her time and again for the rest of her unnaturally long life. Never before has she wished so greatly that it could be shortened.
A dog's bark pierces the solemnness of the death songs. Ariel barely twitches. She knows the voice well, but she is no mood for Max today nor anything or one of the humans' world. She does not even wish to face her own beloved husband. She would return to the sea right now, if it did not mean never being able to see him again. She loves him still, despite what, or rather who, has been cost them. She has loved him from the first time she set eyes upon him and, despite the rumors, not simply because he is a human Prince willing to love a mermaid.
She knows how kind is, strong yet gentle, and so full of love. He nearly died saving her from Ursula all those years ago, and she knows he will never hesitate to throw his life on the line for herself, any of their family, or even any of their peoples. She's seen him risk his life for animals, something that no other human, as for as Ariel and her people know, has ever been willing to do. But this one life, this one most precious to them, was not one for which they could have sacrificed themselves to save. If they had been able to, she knows they both would have without any hesitation.
She lowers her head, and her tears flow even harder and faster down her forlorn face. She'd had a name chosen, rather the baby be male or female. The castle servants had said that the baby needed to be a male for Eric's line to continue, but Eric had assured her time and again that he would love and adore their child no less if the baby was a little girl. It had been a girl, a precious, little girl who should have been so full of life, joy, and love.
But she had never been given the chance. Ariel is weeping soundly now, her loud cries drowning out the traditional songs of welcoming a new soul as it slipped pass the Great Waters and into the Great Ocean Beyond. She feels invisible fingers take hold of hers and pull with a force that was somehow both strong and gentle. Ariel's blue eyes crack open, and through the rising, supernatural mist above the water, she can barely make out the image of her father's sorrowful face. She feels his kiss, sees a flash of a merwoman with red hair and a face not unlike her own, and then they are gone as is her baby, being carried away by the current.
She's sobbing uncontrollably now. Eric drops to his knees in the sand beside her. For a change, he does not speak a word. He simply reaches out and gathers her into his strong yet gentle arms. He rocks her, trying to soothe her though she cannot be consoled. She doesn't regret coming to the land; that one thought is suddenly crystal clear in her mind as her husband's love surrounds her. She doesn't regret it for how can she when he loves her so greatly?
But she does regret what they cannot control. She does still mourn her child, and all the wonders that could have been in raising her baby and being a mother. She cares not about a Queen. Perhaps she is the Queen of the wrong land, perhaps not, but it does not matter. All that matters is her child is gone, but her husband loves her still as she does him. The birds cry out. The songs, both from the living and the dead, strengthen and rise with the receding tide.
Eric holds her still and strong and reassuringly. Ariel clings to him. This, too, shall pass one day, she knows, but his love for hers and hers for him will never cease. She only wishes that this cruel lesson was not what it took for them to be together. She only wishes this was a curse, a mirage, a spell by Ursula, anything but the cold, hard, cruel fact that it represents. They love each other, but human and mermaid were never meant to mate.
The End
Fandom: The Little Mermaid
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Eric/Ariel, Triton/Athena
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: It was a sacrifice neither was prepared to give.
Word Count: 1,363
Written For: Fan FlashWorks 402: Flow, 100 Fandom Hell: New Fandom, 100 Ships, #40: Ocean, and Fannish 50 #37. Ariel
Warnings: CHARACTER DEATH, MISCARRIAGE/STILL BIRTH
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
The water is flowing all around her. She can feel the voices of her father and their ancestors in the churning currents. There's a female voice that sounds both as though she is crying and singing simultaneously. The mermaid's voice sounds so familiar, almost soothing though nothing can soothe the Queen at this time. She was supposed to be a Queen, and she is a Queen, but Ariel fears she is not the Queen she should have become. The precious life now held in her arms is silent, cry-less testament to that new fear.
She has never doubted before. She has never doubted her love for Eric or for the land, never feared her decision to live among the humans and become one of them, but now she does. That mysterious voice stirs something deep within Ariel's breast and the recesses of her mind. Scuttle cries out from somewhere up above her in the bright, blue sky. It is such a strange sight to see all the birds, predator and prey, gathered in the most beautiful, cloudless sky their kingdom has had in months. If she did not know better, she would think the Gods were testing her will, teasing her with a beautiful, Spring-like day on the darkest day of her life.
Tears flow down Ariel's cheeks. She has not spoken in days now. Her husband has rarely left her side, but she had to slip away today. She had to come dispose of this body in the proper way of her people, not in the way his people want. They want to throw a huge event -- a funeral, they call it -- but this is both a private matter and the hardest one Ariel has ever had to face.
She is not alone, but her people give her space. The birds watch from above, and from a great distance, she can feel the weeping of her sisters and the solemn views of her people. If any of them hate her for what she is done, none of them speak it. None of them will, not today.
All the fish, the dolphins and even the sharks too, are out somewhere in the water, watching and grieving in their own ways. None will swim close to her today, not even Flounder, for they understand her need to be and grieve alone. Some understand her pain, at least on some level. She is not the first mother to be robbed of the joyful life of her child, and now at last, she understands the fear her father had so often acted upon. He'd wanted so desperately to keep her safe, but in the end, he had allowed her to make her own decisions, decisions that may well have led to her child's death.
The memories in the deep, dark recesses of Ariel's mind finally click. The mysterious voice, the woman's voice who had sang in the current louder and more emotionally than any other of the spirits, could it belong to her mother? Ariel cocked her head slightly to one side, not unlike the look she and Scuttle had both worn so often over their years of finding human things and questioning over them. Ariel has finally learned what almost every device is, at least those that are commonplace in her kingdom, but back then, the simplest comb or fork had fascinated them. Usually, remembering what they had first thought those objects were for would make Ariel smile, but not today.
Today, nothing can make her smile. Her heart aches with so many tears that they seem like they could overflow the ocean, but she has done this. She has allowed herself to fall prey to the siren's call, but not that the human sailors fear. She was called to the land, and she has paid the price, the very, very heavy price that she fears will mark her time and again for the rest of her unnaturally long life. Never before has she wished so greatly that it could be shortened.
A dog's bark pierces the solemnness of the death songs. Ariel barely twitches. She knows the voice well, but she is no mood for Max today nor anything or one of the humans' world. She does not even wish to face her own beloved husband. She would return to the sea right now, if it did not mean never being able to see him again. She loves him still, despite what, or rather who, has been cost them. She has loved him from the first time she set eyes upon him and, despite the rumors, not simply because he is a human Prince willing to love a mermaid.
She knows how kind is, strong yet gentle, and so full of love. He nearly died saving her from Ursula all those years ago, and she knows he will never hesitate to throw his life on the line for herself, any of their family, or even any of their peoples. She's seen him risk his life for animals, something that no other human, as for as Ariel and her people know, has ever been willing to do. But this one life, this one most precious to them, was not one for which they could have sacrificed themselves to save. If they had been able to, she knows they both would have without any hesitation.
She lowers her head, and her tears flow even harder and faster down her forlorn face. She'd had a name chosen, rather the baby be male or female. The castle servants had said that the baby needed to be a male for Eric's line to continue, but Eric had assured her time and again that he would love and adore their child no less if the baby was a little girl. It had been a girl, a precious, little girl who should have been so full of life, joy, and love.
But she had never been given the chance. Ariel is weeping soundly now, her loud cries drowning out the traditional songs of welcoming a new soul as it slipped pass the Great Waters and into the Great Ocean Beyond. She feels invisible fingers take hold of hers and pull with a force that was somehow both strong and gentle. Ariel's blue eyes crack open, and through the rising, supernatural mist above the water, she can barely make out the image of her father's sorrowful face. She feels his kiss, sees a flash of a merwoman with red hair and a face not unlike her own, and then they are gone as is her baby, being carried away by the current.
She's sobbing uncontrollably now. Eric drops to his knees in the sand beside her. For a change, he does not speak a word. He simply reaches out and gathers her into his strong yet gentle arms. He rocks her, trying to soothe her though she cannot be consoled. She doesn't regret coming to the land; that one thought is suddenly crystal clear in her mind as her husband's love surrounds her. She doesn't regret it for how can she when he loves her so greatly?
But she does regret what they cannot control. She does still mourn her child, and all the wonders that could have been in raising her baby and being a mother. She cares not about a Queen. Perhaps she is the Queen of the wrong land, perhaps not, but it does not matter. All that matters is her child is gone, but her husband loves her still as she does him. The birds cry out. The songs, both from the living and the dead, strengthen and rise with the receding tide.
Eric holds her still and strong and reassuringly. Ariel clings to him. This, too, shall pass one day, she knows, but his love for hers and hers for him will never cease. She only wishes that this cruel lesson was not what it took for them to be together. She only wishes this was a curse, a mirage, a spell by Ursula, anything but the cold, hard, cruel fact that it represents. They love each other, but human and mermaid were never meant to mate.
The End