The Imagination Latibule: The Little Mermaid - Eric

Chapter 7

You woke up filled with nervous excitement, the type that pooled in the pit of your stomach and wouldn't leave. You dressed yourself in that blue dress that you'd quickly grown to love, pulled your hair back into a matching silk bow, and opted for much more comfortable shoes. Then, you padded down the cold stone stairs and out into the morning sunshine. It was gorgeous, and you took a deep breath as Grimsby greeted you.

"Good morning M'lady," he said with a bow. "I trust you slept well?" 

You nodded, and gasped as he lead you over to the carriage. You'd been in the back of a cart before but otherwise, this was the first time you'd be in anything that moved for you. You clambered in, and flung your arms wide as you heard a bark, and Max bounded up to you. Hugging the dog tightly, you laughed silently as it licked your face. Then you heard a chuckle, and saw Eric walking towards you.

"Looks like you made a friend there," he commented, pulling Max from the cart and ruffling his fur. "Come on, Max. We'll see you later." Eric slid into the cart next to you and you watched as he wound his hands around the reins. "Trot on, King," he said, clicking his tongue and urging the horse forward. You glanced around as the two of you left the castle, and you waved at Lashana and Grimsby who were watching you go. 

As you made your way around the island, Eric gave you a historical tour, telling you every fact about the place that he knew. Trotting on, you watched Eric tugging at the reins, guiding the horse down the track, and he noticed you watching. 

"Oh. Do you wanna try?" he asked, holding out the reins. "Here." You glanced at him and he nodded surely, and with that, the reins were in your hands, and you whipped them, spurring the horse onwards at a fast pace. Eric cried out, but then his worry turned to laughter as he watch you control the carriage.

Considering you were a complete novice, you weren't so bad at riding the carriage, but not perfect either. "Look out! Look out!" Eric cried as you dashed by a market stall at such speeds that the fresh fruit bounced across the ground. But it didn't stop you, and you smiled the brightest of smiles as the horse bounded on. As you rounded the corner, there was a group of... oh, you weren't quite sure the name of the animal, but there where lots of them spread across the road. "Careful!" Eric's hands wound around yours and the horse whinnied as he pulled the reins sharply back with a grunt, and the horse skidded to a halt. 

"Sorry about that!" he called to the man that had rushed out to his... goats! That was the word. The man shook his hands, gesturing that it wasn't a problem. "That was close," Eric said to you, and you worried a moment that he was unhappy, but then he burst out laughing and so did you. "That was fun," he said. "Here, I'll..." he trailed off as the goats bleated, blissfully unaware that they were about an inch away from being trampled, and Eric jumped from the carriage. 

"Let me give you a hand," he offered the man, who thanked him profusely. You watched a while as Eric herded the animals off the track. "This way. Come on. This way." But as you listened to his gentle voice, you heard another sound in the distance, of joyful music and laughter. You had to know what it was. 

Sliding from your seat, you rushed off the track and through the thicket, eventually reaching the beach, where a colourful market was in full swing, alive with chatter and singing and dancing. 

"Island berry?" A man asked, holding out a gorgeous fruit. You declined, wandering away from the stall and to another, where a man was selling coconuts. Before you'd ever been on land, Scuttle had told you stories of how much humans hated coconuts. If they ever saw one, they'd smash it to pieces. But you'd soon discovered that it was to get to the delicious liquid inside. 

"Coconut! Fresh coconut?" the gentlemen yelled, holding it out to you, and you shook your head. "No? You don't want it?" He shrugged, and continued shouting as you left. The place was loud and busy, but you loved it. You wandered by a stall selling dinglehoppers, and then to one that was selling hats.

"Hat for the lady?" the seller asked.

As he put one on your head, you heard an, "oh," followed by a chuckle as Eric appeared through a sea of brightly coloured fabrics. "There you are." 

You grinned and lifted the hat from your head placing it on his, and Eric smiled as the seller shook his head. "No, no, that's a women's hat," he said, taking it from Eric. "Try this."  As he turned to grab another, you reached up to the mans head and took the hat he was wearing, putting that on Eric's head instead. He laughed, watching you with an intense curiosity, but you were to curious about the rest of the world to notice as you rushed off to find the source of the music.

It was magical. A band and party and people dancing barefoot in the sand without a care in the world. You had to join in. Bounding into the centre of the group, you lifted up your skirt and started to dance, beckoning Eric to join you as he wandered over. He did just so, and the two of you danced the afternoon away, and you realised as you did so, that there was no one else you'd rather spend your time with. 

***

You rested your head against Eric's shoulder as you watched the world go by. He had control of the horse and cart this time, which was fair enough. This was bliss. You felt Eric's head rest slightly on top of yours, and sighed in contentment. 

"I love this time of night," he said as he slowed the horse, wanting to savour the moment. "Sometimes you'll see the eyes of a screech owl, up in the tree or-- Hey!" Eric cried out as a bird dived down and swiped the hat from his head. You caught enough of a glimpse to think it was Skuttle, but you weren't sure why she'd be stealing Eric's hat. 

"Hey, come back with that!" he called as he jumped from the cart. You laughed and followed him as the two of you rushed off the path and through the jungle, giggling as you went. "Watch out," Eric said, as he held a tree branch out of the way, and the two of you ran side by side. Then you slowed as you lost sight of Skuttle, only having her cawing to go off. "I think it went this way," Eric said, and without thinking, he wound his hand around yours so to not lose you in the shrubbery as you gave chase once again. "Hey, give me my hat back!" he cried, and the two of you slowed as you came to a clearing. It was the lagoon; the most gorgeous lagoon. Skuttle was circling above and you couldn't tell what mischief she was up to, but she'd definitely led you there. 

"You alright?" he asked and you nodded, breathing heavily but grinning none the less. Then suddenly, the hat was falling, and it landed on a small wooden boat dragged onto the shore. "Oh. All right then," Eric laughed, standing in the boat to get the hat. "I didn't want to lose this," he said, putting it back on. You smiled, clasping your hands together. You'd barely heard what he said as you crouched down by the boat, running your hands over the side. Eric watched you, and you caught his eye. He knew immediately what you wanted to do.