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Contrary to what he is sure his youngest child believes,Triton does not enjoy yelling at his daughters.When Sebastian appears in the throne room with a sheepish Ariel and Floun-der trailing behind him,the sea king tries to calm the swell of anger that immediately rises within him.He is not successful.He watches Ariel glance around as if she’s hoping her sis-ters will pop out from behind the coral and tell her that she’s right on time.But no one else is here,because she is late. Again.
He holds up a hand as Ariel opens her mouth to speak.“Do you realize how irre-sponsible this is?Your sisters are only here for one phase of the Coral Moon.Can you imag-ine any one of them missing the gathering?”
Ariel glances down at her fins and shakes her head.“No.You’re right.I’m sorry.”
Flounder swims forward.“It wasn’t Ariel’s fault,”he interjects.“We were...we were ex-ploring,and a shark chased us,and—”
“A shark!”Triton exclaims.There aren’t any sharks close to this palace,which can mean only one thing.“You went to the ship-wrecks again.Those waters are dangerous!”
“You don’t have to worry about me.”Ariel crosses her arms defiantly.
It’s almost funny how children never seem to understand the impossibility of such a thing.He reaches out and gives Ariel’s arm what he hopes is a comforting squeeze.“I do worry,Ariel.This obsessionwith humans has to stop.”
She sighs.“I just want to know more about them.”
“You know all you need to know.”
Ariel gives him an unimpressed look.“I barely know anything.You won’t even let us go to the surface.”
Not this again. Triton rubs his temples,his headache returning.“Why do you have to be so strong-minded?Just like your mother.”
“I am her daughter.”
The sea king hums in agreement.“Yes, foolish enough to be taken with the human world.”
“If you would just try to understand—”
“I have tried,”he says,his deliberate tone leaving no room for argument.At this point his patience is wearing thin.All he wants to do is protect his daughter,after not being able to protect...
He is tired of having this conversation.“I have tried to understand you long enough.But as long as you live in my ocean,you’ll obey my rules.”His voice rises,filled with a force that startles both him and Ariel.“Do you understand that ?”
Ariel flinches.It’s a tiny movement that greatly pains his heart.He hates seeing the hurt that is clear on her face.Still,he remains firm.He has to get through to her.They stare at each other for a beat longer before Ariel swims away without another word.Flounder hesitates for a moment before following her.
The sea king sighs.Sebastian scuttles up to him.
“Children—you give them an inch,they swim all over you.”
Triton stares a moment longer at the spot his daughter left before he turns to Sebastian.“Was I too hard on her?”He used to hate it when his own father yelled.He wonders if he ever worried his parents half as much as Ariel worries him.
“Definitely not!”Sebastian assures him.“It’s like I always say,children got to live by their parents’rules.”
“You’re absolutely right.My Ariel needs constant supervision.”
Sebastian climbs up onto Triton’s shoulder and bobs his head in agreement.“Constant.”
“Someone to watch over her.”
The crab continues nodding.“All the time,day and night.”
“And you’re just the crab to do it.”Triton smiles.
“And I am just the crab to—Wait,what?”Sebastian backs away at the sea king’s pointed look.“No,no,I serve you ,Your Majesty,as your honored majordomo.”
“There is no better way you can serve me than to make sure my little one stays out of trouble.”Triton imagines all the extra hours he’d have in his day if he didn’t have to spend so much time worrying.It’s a perfect plan.
Sebastian starts to protest again.“But I, ah—”
“Go!Go!”King Triton shoos the crab away.No better time to start than right away.
Resigned,Sebastian drops his head.“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The crab marches from the throne room, mumbling something about being an educated crustacean and not a babysitter for headstrong teenagers.
Triton knows the task leaves Sebastian less than enthused,but he really does need the help.He sighs and is hit with an overwhelm-ing wave of longing.He misses his wife.How is he supposed to raise a child as elusive and stubborn as Ariel without her?
Ariel can barely see straight as she flees from the throne room.Her body moves of its own accord,leading her to the place that has become a refuge whenever she’s feeling troubled: her hidden underwater grotto.
She discovered it by accident when she was in need of a hiding spot after a similar ar-gument with her father.Since then,it has be-come her secret place,filled with the treasures she’s collected over time.All around her are impressive brass fixtures,ivory carvings,books, paintings,and bottles of every shape and size.Being surrounded by so many wonderful hu-man things usually makes Ariel smile,but now she sits in the center of them with her head lowered,feeling nothing but heavy hurt.
A concerned Flounder settles beside her.“Ariel,are you okay?”
“He doesn’t even hear me!”Ariel sits up and lets out a frustrated sob.“I’m just not like him.I don’t see things the way he does.”He thinks she’s the stubborn one,but she just wants him to listen to her.“I don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be so bad.”
The creativity and ingenuityof humans amazes Ariel.The treasures she has discov-ered are beyond anything she could have dreamed up herself,and she’s sure there are more out there.
Ariel picks up a small brass statue in the shape of an unfamiliar animal.Turning it gen-tly between her fingers,she gazes at the object’s reflective sheen.An incrediblysad girl frowns back at her.
She has always dreamed of seeing the world beyond their waters.It may be silly.She knows there’s so much she has right here.She’s the daughter of the powerful sea king,and she knows that her father loves her.It should be plenty,and yet...
As she moves through the grotto,her hands gently ghost over the different objects she has collected.Ariel closes her eyes and imagines herself running along the beaches with the sand under her feet.She wants to know how it feels to stand and let the sun beam down on her face.She wants to be away from the ocean’s grip,to wander with a free-dom she has never felt down here.She wants to feel connected to the great big world her mother always knew was out there.
Through the grotto’s opening,Ariel can see the surface,where the moonlight tries to break through.She drifts upward,reaching out her hand as if she can get close enough to touch it.There’s a whole world up there,one she feels so close to and so far away from at the same time.
An unbearable yearningfills her heart.As she nears the grotto opening,a sudden burst of colorful light flashes across the night sky.What’s happening up there?
Curiosityburns all the way to the tips of her fins.Her father may not understand,but she needs to break free.Ariel doesn’t let her-self think twice.She swims straight up through the grotto opening,toward the sur-face.
“Ariel,don’t!”Flounder calls.But noth-ing can stop her now.
For the first time in her life,Ariel surfaces.