NOTE: I did not write this story. My friend, Street Mouse, wrote and published it on the fan fiction website. I love Disney pirate stories and I really like this one so far, so I wanted to share it. She gave me permission to post it on here for you. I hope you guys like it, too.
-------------------------------------

PROLOGUE:

Ariel paced back and forth in her private sleeping quarters. The ship swayed, causing her to slightly lose her balance. She paused to recompose herself and looked down at the bed. The captain had laid out a white nightgown for her and she reached out to touch it. The lace felt scratchy under her fingers. She bit her lip and took a step back, away from the bed.

Ariel had boarded the ship a couple weeks ago and was nervous from the start. She was afraid of the ocean. The first night she had a nightmare where she drowned and died slowly. She had the same dream every night for a couple days until she finally refused to sleep until the reached shore; which she prayed would be soon. She would do everything she could think of to avoid going to sleep, even mopping the floors and cleaning the dishes.

But now Ariel was so tired, she could hardly stand. Her body felt heavy and exhausted. She changed into the nightgown, turned down her lantern and then lowered herself into the bed. Once she was lying down, however, the memory of her dream came flooding back. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and gripped it tightly.

The moonlight shone dimly through the curtains over the window, casting eerie shadows around the room. The ship swayed again and Ariel's heart started to race. Lightning flashed across the sky and Ariel's grew wide.

"Please, no," she whispered.

There was another bolt of lightning, this time followed by thunder. Ariel sat up. Before she knew it, big rain drops were hitting her window and the ship started rocking. She jumped out of bed and hurried to the door. She pulled on it, but it didn't move. She had forgotten the captain had locked the door to make sure she actually slept that night.

The sound of glass shattering on the floor made her turn around quickly. The rocking of the ship had caused her lantern to fall onto the floor. Ariel banged on the door and called out. After a couple of long moments, the door opened and the captain came in.

"You need to go to sleep," he said.

Ariel shook her head. "There's a storm; we're gonna sink."

"We'll be fine."

"It's just like in my dream. We're all gonna drown."

"No we're not. Now, get in bed."

"Please don't make me go to sleep. We have to get to shore." Ariel tried to make a break for it and run out of the room, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"It's time to go to sleep. You're weak, Ariel; it's not good to let your body become sleep deprived."

He brought her back to the bed and made her sit down. As soon as his hands were off her, she jumped back up. He pushed her down on the bed. As she struggled to get away, the captain tied her hands and legs to the posts of the bed with the sheets. Hot tears filled Ariel's eyes.

"Please..." she pleaded.

The captain head towards the door. "It'll be morning before you know it."

Ariel tugged on the sheets trying to free herself. "Please don't make me go to sleep. If I do, we'll drown."

The captain ignored her and left, locking the door behind him.

Not seeing any other option, Ariel settled down in her bed. It'll be all right, she told herself.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Ariel eventually fell asleep. She had tried to fight it, but she was so tired, she had no choice but to succumb. She had the same dream that haunted her in the beginning. She tossed and turned in her sleep, letting out small whimpers.

A loud crash jolted Ariel awake. To her horror, her window had been smashed by a wave and water was slowly pouring into her room.

"Somebody help me!" Ariel cried out, trying to free herself.

The storm had become more severe and the ship was rocking violently. Ariel called out again, but there was no response. She managed to get one hand free and quickly untied her other hand and her feet. She jumped out of bed, ignoring the freezing water swirling around her knees. She started banging on the door and screaming out as loud as she could.

"Let me out!"

She could hear the crew running around and shouting from above her, but no one could hear her. The more the ship rocked, the faster the water poured in; it was now up to her waist. She hurried back to the bed and stood up on it. Another large wave smashed through the window, pulling the curtains down. The force of the wave shoved the ship to side and Ariel fell off the bed. The water seized her and started pulling her. She grabbed the post of the bed as an anchor.

"Ariel!"

Ariel breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a voice call out her name. "Help me!"

"I can't get the door open!"

He banged on the door repeatedly and Ariel assumed he was trying to kick it down. Another wave crashed over the ship. After the sound of wood cracking echoed out, the ship started sinking. Ariel screamed. The current pulled Ariel away from the bed, towards the hole where her window used to be. She frantically reached out to grab on to anything, but her wet hands just slid off everything. Before she knew it, she was forced out into the ocean. She was being pulled towards a small whirlpool. She tried to swim towards the surface, but her curtains wrapped around her legs and started dragging her down.

Ariel's lungs started to burn as she struggled to breathe. She tried to untangle the curtains from her legs, but couldn't get free. Pain welled up in her chest. It felt as if something was putting pressure on her chest and she thought it would actually be crushed. She could no longer see the surface.

After several minutes, Ariel stopped struggling as everything went black.