Call of the Sea

Ariel let out a soft sigh as she hoisted herself up onto one of the many rocks in Mermaid Lagoon. She hated this place, and if she were being completely honest she hated the water. She didn't know why she hated the water, and she was sure there were people out there who'd think she was crazy but she didn't care. Ariel had spent the first sixteen years of her life as a mermaid and all she'd wanted at that time was to have two legs and the ability to explore the dry land. Sure once she'd gotten that chance things didn't turn out how she'd thought they were, and okay so maybe she hadn't been in love with Eric like she'd thought.

But being on land had given the opportunity to actually find love. Even if that person was a pirate, something she knew would upset her father if he ever found out. The thing was though Ariel knew the real Killian, the one who she knew would be back for her one day. And she couldn't wait for that day to come because it would finally mean getting away from Pan. Something she had wanting for a long time now.

"Thinking about your pirate again little fish?" She heard Peter say pulling her from her thoughts of getting away from him. "It's okay, you don't have to answer. I already know you were. Which means that I'm sure you'd be thrilled to know that he's come back for you. When you see him, tell him I said hello. Oh, and that if he and his little friends plan on leaving with the boy they're tough out of luck,"

Ariel let out another sigh, closed her eyes and laid her head back on the rock. She was glad Killian was there for her like he'd promised all those years ago. But she was also frustrated that it was so impossible to just be one step ahead of Peter. Even just once.

[ So this is long... and every post does not have to be this long! I just got a little carried away ]

Killian had never thought he would find himself in such a group as he now found himself in - and wandering around bloody Neverland no less. Snow White, Prince Charming...and the Evil Queen working together? If someone years ago had told him he'd be in this situation now, he would have said they were barking mad. And yet, here he was. Tensions had begun to run a bit high, but still, they were all cooperating more or less. Killian had come along because he knew Neverland well, much better than the rest of them - he, of course, had his own reasons for coming back to this dreadful place.

He had let the others know his main purpose for joining them on this journey, although he truly wished to see Henry back home and safe, as well. As he had wagered, they were all quite understanding (except perhaps Regina, who saw it as a distraction from finding her son) when he had confessed his wish to return to Neverland and rescue his love after years of being apart. It was true that they didn't want to take time to go find Ariel, but Killian was the one leading the way, so it was understood that they would not only rescue Henry, but also find Ariel and bring her back with them.

The forest that they wandered through was thick and Neverland was as confusing as ever. Killian absolutely hated the place - and to think that Ariel had been trapped here for so long. To endure so many years of not even hearing her voice, let alone actually laying eyes on her - well, it had been hell. And Killian had changed over the years; perhaps when he did reunite with Ariel she wouldn't recognize the pirate that she'd fallen in love with.

Pushing these thoughts away, Killian led the group through the forest. They were close to the coast now - Killian could smell the sea in the air. He had an idea of where Ariel might be, and he just hoped that he was right.

"Where are you leading us, pirate?" Regina demanded, sounding every bit as irritated as she looked.

"You're just going to have to trust me," Killian responded, and then in a lower voice, "We're going the right way." He only hoped that he was right. After all, it had been a long while since he'd been in this god-forsaken place, so there was no telling how it had changed.

[ I'm a long poster, too, so no worries. Also sorry this is so late! I just finished the last of my finals yesterday.]

Were this any other day Ariel would've leapt right back into the water to hide when she heard people nearing the lagoon. Only because were this any other day the people coming close would've been the lost boys and they wouldn't have been coming to get her out of the water. If anything they would've been there to torment her more. Honestly, they were just as bad as Pan. Of course, she was sure they hadn't always been as bad as him. Being on the island and around Pan, all the time though just changed a person. She'd seen it happen over and over again. Someone new would come to the island, Pan would find them and somehow within being here a month or so they'd slowly start to be just like him. And that wasn't a good thing.

Today though Ariel heard people coming and couldn't help but think that it could be Killian, and whoever he'd come to the island with. People she assumed Peter had been expecting given that he didn't seem at all shocked they were there. Ariel could only assume it meant Pan had captured someone whose family would do anything to get him back. And clearly they hadn't heard the rumours about Neverland, that or maybe they weren't afraid of this place. Which would be a mistake. Ariel wasn't even sure how long she'd been there anymore, but she was was more afraid of this place than anywhere she'd ever been.

She did, however, think it might be a good idea to swim a little bit closer to the shore so if it was Killian she'd already be right there waiting for him, and it wasn't she'd just slip under the water as fast as she could. She hoped it was him so badly, though. It'd been so long since she'd seen him that all she wanted was to kiss him, hopefully, break the curse on the bracelet keeping her trapped in the water, and then be reunited with him on dry land. Hopefully, she hadn't totally forgotten how to use her legs, because that would be a little unfortunate.

[ woo for longer posts!! You're fine! I was super busy this weekend anyway. I went canoeing Saturday and so wore out when I got home! And yesterday I hung out with friends so I wasn't really on this weekend. Congrats on finishing your finals, though! That's pretty big! ]

Although Killian hadn't exactly told the group that he was heading in the direction that he thought Ariel might be (as opposed to leading them straight to Peter Pan and Henry), he was sure that they wouldn't mind once they got to her. After all, Ariel had been Pan's prisoner for so long, she would likely be able to help them defeat Pan and save Henry. Killian didn't want to put all of that pressure on her, but he was worried that the rest of the group wouldn't care to bring Ariel back with them if she wasn't helping out in some way.

Killian could hear the others talking behind him: David and Mary Margaret seemed to be whispering amongst themselves, and Regina and Emma had taken to bickering again. Everyone was on edge, worried that they wouldn't get to Henry in time. Killian only had one thing on his mind, though: getting to Ariel and freeing her of Pan's curse.

The trees began thinning as Mermaid Lagoon slowly came into view, the water making waves against the rocks, seagulls and other island birds flying overhead. Killian could not deny the beauty of Neverland, and perhaps if he didn't know all of the dark secrets that lie beneath it's paradise facade, he could possibly enjoy himself in such a place. Since leaving it years before, however, all he could see was a prison that kept Ariel from him.

"What is this place?" Emma wondered as the rest of the group emerged from the trees.

"Mermaid Lagoon," Killian responded, his eyes searching the area for any sign of Ariel, any flash of red hair.

"How is this supposed to lead us to Henry?" Regina asked in a harsh tone, "Don't tell me that you brought us all the way here to rescue your beloved mermaid, pirate." Killian didn't respond; in fact, he had stopped listening to the others as they all began to talk, because he was walking toward the water. Ariel was still cursed, which meant that she was bound to the water - that meant she could honestly be anywhere in the surrounding waters of Neverland, but Killian had to start somewhere.

[Thanks! It's so great to finally be on summer break.]

Ariel couldn't hold back her smile as she swam closer to the shore and saw Killian coming closer. She didn't know who he was with, but she also didn't care because at least he was there. It was like this weight had been lifted off of her something, she felt like she could breath again seeing him. And even if it seemed like a totally hopeless mission to go up again Pan for any reason Ariel just had this overwhelming feeling that she and Killian would finally be leaving this place together. She'd made sure of it. Even though it wouldn't be easy she wanted off this damn island for good.

"Killian, I knew you'd come back for me," Ariel said once she'd come out of the water and was close to the shore. It'd been so long since she'd seen him that looking at him now she wouldn't have known who he was at first glance if she hadn't known he'd be the only one to come back for her. He looked a little more rugged than last time they'd been together, it was a good look for him, though.

And while it was doubtful that he was still the same person she'd known years ago her feelings for him hadn't changed. Ariel also didn't care about his past, then or now. Because she knew the real him. And the real Killian Jones may have been a pirate, but he wasn't a bad person. He sometimes got carried away with the wrong things, and she knew that he'd give up his life to save the people he loved. It was clear he'd do a lot for them after all because there he was standing on the shore so close to her. He'd returned to Neverland, a place you never want to end up honestly, to save her.

[ I bet it is! Sometimes I wish I could have the summer off from work so I could go out and enjoy it because is summer is pretty amazing. But that's now how things work sadly Lol. ]

Killian was frantically searching the area, afraid that Ariel wouldn't be here at all and that Pan might have locked her up in some sort of dungeon. He heard a voice to the side say his name, and although he had blocked out the voices of all of the other members of the group, her voice was loud and clear as it called out to him. Turning toward the voice, Killian's eyes fell upon the source: Ariel. She looked as beautiful as she had always been. Killian had been told that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but he felt as he always had when he looked at her - breathless, overcome with joy, like she was the only person who mattered in the world.

"Ariel," Killian spoke softly, not being able to help himself as mouth broke into a smile. He wasted no time in running to the edge of the shore toward Ariel, though he knew she couldn't leave the water entirely. He had lost count of how many years had gone by without seeing her face, and couldn't believe that it was finally over and he would be able to hold her in his arms again.

"How are you? Pan hasn't hurt you, has he?" Killian wondered as he drew close to Ariel at the edge of the shore, "Don't worry, we're going to break this curse and you'll come back with us. You'll never have to see this bloody place ever again." He could only imagine what it had been like for Ariel, essentially living in captivity. It made him angry to think that Pan had trapped Ariel for years, and Killian swore to himself that he would protect Ariel to make sure that nothing like it could ever happen again.

Ariel smiled up at Killian who stood on the shore, and she couldn't wait to break this curse and be right up there with him. The only thing she'd wanted since she'd been trapped here all those years ago was to be reunited with him on land, to get off this island, and to finally defeat Pan of course so this couldn't happen to anyone else. Now that Killian was back for her those things were possible. And she knew it was going to be hard to actually defeat Pan, she knew it would be hard to find a way off the island, but she was willing to do whatever it took. A mindset she felt everyone should have while they were in Neverland.

Ariel shook her head, "no he hasn't hurt me. Just trapped me in this stupid lagoon for the majority of my stay here." She told him kind of glad she was in the lagoon right now because it was that much easier for Killian to find her, which could've been part of Pan's plan. However, if he would've let her keep her legs like he had the first couple of months the likely hood of Killian finding her would've been very slim. Plus she could only imagine what could've happened to her if she would've been on land rather than in the water. The only reason he'd even thrown in the lagoon and trapped her to the water again with his stupid bracelet that wouldn't let her take it off was because she'd refused to help with his plan. And possibly because of the incident with a couple of the lost boys.

Killian was here now and surely the two of them together could get the bracelet off. She didn't know that it could just be taken off, but maybe true loves kiss, or maybe if someone with him knew magic they could use magic to get it off. After all, that's what was keeping it on her. Honestly, Ariel didn't know much about magics restrictions. She'd picked up on the basics and knew a little from before she'd gotten legs from the sea witch. Regardless of how much she knew though Ariel was glad that Killian still had the intent of getting her out of the lagoon and taking her off this island.

[Wahhhh sorry this took me so long! I'm currently in Japan and I was told that I would have WiFi right when I got here but I JUST figured out the internet situation. So sorry!]

Killian could hear the others (mainly Regina, but also Emma - Mary Margaret and David seemed to have a soft spot for true love) getting restless in the background, but he didn't pay them any mind. Now that he had finally set eyes on Ariel after so many years of being apart, he wasn't going to let her out of his sight until they had escaped Neverland. For a fleeting moment, he felt a bit uneasy that it had been so easy to find Ariel - he thought it would take much longer, and feared that it might all be part of Pan's game. Killian's happiness at finding Ariel, however, overpowered the sinking feeling that they were all playing right into Pan's hands, and he quickly forgot about it. His main priority now was to help Ariel, though he knew he would have to stay and help the others find Henry.

"Well, we'll get you back on dry land in no time, love," Killian promised her, "I swore I'd come back for you and I'm not going to leave without you." Although it had been years since the two had been together, it felt as though nothing had changed between them - even if Killian himself had changed quite a bit over that time.

"Now how do we get you out of there?" he asked, hoping that she would have some answers, though he wasn't too worried since they had multiple magic users in the group, "What is it that's binding you to the water?" Of course, the most powerful magic (or so Killian had heard) was true love's kiss. It might just do the trick of freeing Ariel, but without knowing what exactly was keeping her in her mermaid form, Killian couldn't know for sure.

[ you're perfectly fine! because I have been so busy here lately I've hardly had the time to get on and reply! And honestly right as soon as I'm finished with this reply I'm getting off and reading a little bit before I head to bed! I hope you're having fun or had fun in Japan... I don't know if you're still there or not ]

Ariel paid no attention to the people who surrounded Killian right now because the only thing she was really worried about was being on dry land with him again. She was a little worried that Pan had something big and awful planned for everyone given she knew he knew they were on the island. Ariel didn't know what he was planning, though, and even if she did she was with Killian now so at least they'd be able to figure something out together. It was, after all, common knowledge that two heads were better than one. At least that was the case with the two of them. Ariel could remember every time the two of them had had to put their heads together to figure out how to get out of some sort of situation and when they worked together everything worked out, usually. Other than the last time when clearly things hadn't gone well given that they were just now being reunited.

"I know once we get this bracelet off I'll be free. But I don't know how to get the bracelet off. And all I've been able to figure out about the thing is what others have told me which is that someone known in other realms as The Evil Queen cursed it and was trying to use it on Snow White whoever that is. But clearly, that didn't work because it ended up in the hands of Pan." Ariel told him kind of wishing she at least knew who some of the people were. She didn't however, probably because she'd spent her entire life either in the water as a mermaid or sailing the sea with Killian and his brother. She did spend a little time on land with Eric, but it hadn't been long. Barely a year if she was even there that long.

She wasn't sure that Killian would have any more of an idea on how to get the thing off than she did, but if he did by chance have any ideas she would be willing to try them. Because she just wanted out of the water, and of course to be reunited with him. There had to be something they could do though to get her out of the water.