Writing Camp - Celia Octon

Week 1 Chapter 4

Ursula finds out that the king plans to take Ariel as a mistress. Ariel wants to inform the queen to ask for her help. Ursula thinks that it's a suicide move and would not interpret for Ariel. Ariel looks for the queen anyways. The queen surprisingly takes it quite well and agrees to help. She betroths Ariel to the crown prince Erwin. This devastates Ariel, as the man she loves is prince Eric. Ursula suggests that they return back to the ocean, but Ariel disagrees, wanting to conquer prince Eric's heart. Ursula warns Ariel that she is going against the queen's help, and that nothing good would come out of it. Ariel doesn't listen.

Scene 1: Hallways of the royal palace.

Ursula wakes up in the middle of the night. She feels thirsty. Trying to find the kitchen, she gets lost in the hallways. She ends up wandering to the king's study and overhears the king talking to his aid about how beautiful Ariel is, and how she would give him beautiful children.

Scene 2: Ariel's room

Ursula tells Ariel about what she heard the night before. Ariel is in panic. Ursula suggests that they return to the ocean. Ariel disagrees, not wanting to give up on Eric.

Ursula: there is no one on the surface who can, or will help you, your highness. We must return to the sea where his majesty resides.

Ariel shakes her head. She paces in her room, her eyes dart from one thing to another, almost as if trying to literally look for a solution. Then she finds it. The portrait of the queen. She points to it.

Ursula: (this b***h???) you can't be thinking that her majesty would help you, ma'am!

Ariel tilts her head to the side, brows scrunched in curiosity.

Ursula: she will see it as a slight on her! When that happens, we would be lucky to still be alive at all! No. We cannot do that. *pauses to think* I will contact his majesty to receive you back in the ocean. Forgive me, your highness. This is for your own good.

Ursula leaves the room. Ariel sits in the room. She hears the laughter of her sisters as they tease her about the incident on the surface. She feels the ministers' stares on her back- some of them in disdain, others in desire. She leaves the room too, and she would not return until she has found the queen.

Scene 3: at a secluded area of the beach

Ursula swishes her feet in the water while trying to hold up the end of her dress. Sure enough, the anklet that Poseidon had put on her starts to glow and react with the water. She strains her eyes, trying to look for any signs of the great king or someone under his command coming to find her. An obscured image of the king comes into view, but the luminescent particles in the seawater soon scatter. Ursula tries again further away from the shores. The same results. Short on time, she finds another way to get her message across to Poseidon. She picks up an empty crab shell from the sand and etches a message onto it, which tells of the situation on the surface. Then, she calls on her sharks and asks them to deliver it to the submerged palace. After doing so, she hurriedly returns to the palace, her dress soaked with sea water.

Scene 4: at the queen's chamber

Ariel had interrupted the queen in her tea party, despite the prevention by her servants. The queen excuses herself and deals with Ariel. Now faced with the queen, but without a voice to communicate, Ariel is frustrated. With the paper and quill provided by the queen, Ariel first tries to write down her words. She soon realises that despite speaking the same language, the surfacers use a different set of symbols to signify their words, so she has to instead rely on drawing. Fortunately, the queen is able to understand her.

Queen: hm? Are you trying to tell me about the king's plans to take you as a mistress? How amusing. So? What is it that you want from me?

Ariel shakes her head fervently as she clasps the queen's hand. She then lowers herself onto the ground and looks up to the queen. The queen laughs.

Queen: do you not want it? This arrangement?

Ariel looks earnestly into the queen's eyes.

Queen: well, I'll see what I can do for you. Come dine with us this evening.

Ariel breathes a sigh of relief and brings the queen's hand to her forehead as a sign of gratitude.

Scene 5: in the hallway outside of Ariel's chamber

Ursula returns just in time to see Ariel sneaking back into her room. She calls out to her, shocking the poor girl out of her skin.

Ursula: your highness! Where did you come back from?

Ariel avoids Ursula's eyes.

Ursula: please tell me that you didn't go to the queen!

Seeing Ariel still avoiding her gaze, Ursula can already guess what had happened. She hurriedly ushers Ariel into the room before discussing the matters.

Ursula: what did the queen say? Did she hurt you anywhere?

Ariel waves her hands in the air while smiling triumphantly. She waves a hand from back to front over her own head then opens her mouth and brings her palm towards her lips.

Ursula: what? Why?

Ariel scratches her cheek with her pointer finger. Ursula sighs heavily and lowers her head to her palms. Then she raises her head up again.

Ursula: that does not matter anymore. Your father has probably gotten my message already. His men should be here soon to escort you back.

Ariel shoves Ursula to show her anger. Ursula falls back. Ariel continues to push and urge her out of the room. She then closes and locks the door, leaving Ursula in the door way.

Scene 6: in the dining room

despite having been informed by the queen's maid, Ariel arrives last at the dining hall. At the table in the middle of the grand hall sits four people. As Ariel and Ursula enters, both of their eyes are caught on one single person who is sitting at the table along with the monarchs. Prince Eric looks perplexedly at Ariel, but his gaze lingers on Ursula. The king is surprised, but not displeased with Ariel's presence.

"Come, my dear. Sit next to me," the queen calls.

Ariel quickly toddles towards the queen. Ursula follows. Ariel sits and Ursula stands nearby.

"Welcome, lady..." the king trails off.

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Ariel, your majesty," Ursula answers in her stead. The table is silent. "Her highness's voice has not been well, so I was assigned speak on her behalf, sir."

The king laughs it off. "Is that so? It must be very challenging for you to be in this foreign land then, Princess Ariel."

Ariel's lips pull into an awkward smile.

"What about the lady's name?" Eric asks, his question directed at Ursula.

Ursula's eyes glimmer as she stares into Eric's curious ones. "My name is-" She looks at Ariel, at the king and the queen. "My name is... C-Celia, your highness."

"Celia huh?" Eric mumbles to himself.

"Good, good! We're all introducing ourselves now," says the queen. "Let's all get to know each other. I am Catherine. This is my husband, King Henry. In front of you are Prince Eric, and Crown Prince Erwin."

Ursula notices the king looking cautiously at his wife. Ariel looks at Ursula. "Her highness is very honoured to meet your royal majesties and highnesses," says Ursula.

"Where do you hail from?" Eric asks.

"We come from... a kingdom, sir," Ursula answers while looking at the king.

"Do you boys remember 'Atlantis'?" the king asks.

Erwin, who had been slouching suddenly perks up. "You mean where the mermaids live?" he asks.

Ariel grins smugly. "How come you can walk on land? Are you floating right now?" Erwin continues to ask. He lowers his head under the table to find out. Ariel and Ursula who had no concept of human's decency suddenly feels conscious about the edge of their dresses.

Henry and Eric continue to eat normally while Catherine laughs. "He has quite the imagination, don't you think?" she says to Ariel.

"Your highness!" Ursula exclaims. Erwin pokes his head back up. "Her highness, Princess Ariel would prefer to look at your face while eating."

A look of realisation appears on Erwin's face. "Is that so?". He goes back to eating, but is more attentive to the conversation. "So, about your tails?" he asks Ariel. "His majesty, King Poseidon the fourth has granted us legs, sir." Ursula replies.

"Yes. It seems he wants the next generation to get to know each other better," says the queen. The king looks up from his plate at her. "What do you mean?" he asks. The queen smiles and takes a sip from her goblet. The tables falls into silence again, awaiting the queen's next words.

"She is about the same age as Erwin. Don't you think they would make a lovely couple?" Catherine says. Ariel snaps her head towards her too. Her face shows a mixture of shock and confusion. Meanwhile, Ursula is just starting to grasp the situation.

"What? Are you not satisfied with the crown prince? Perhaps you would prefer the king more?" the queen asks, smirking slyly.

"Please excuse my master, your majesty. Without the aid of her voice, her actions can appear misleading. She is grateful for your suggestion," says Ursula.

Ariel turns towards Ursula. Ursula closes her eyes and shakes her head to signal Ariel to give up. Ariel feels the room spinning around her. The pull of gravity that she was able to ignore since the first time she walked becomes much heavier now. She forgets to breath and ends up gasping for air.

"Your highness!" Ursula exclaims, getting closer to Ariel. Ariels grabs her hand and Ursula knows that she is done with the meal. Ursula calms her voice and addresses the king and queen. "Please pardon us, your majesties. My master is not feeling well and wishes to return to her chamber to rest," she says.

"Oh, how unfortunate, Ariel," the queen says. " Do make sure that she rests well so that we can start making arrangements for her and Prince Erwin," she says to Ursula. Ursula helps Ariel get on her feet before turning to the queen.

"Of course, your majesty." she says, bowing, then she she helps guide a disoriented Ariel towards the hallways.