Work Text:
Dear New Friend,
I hope this letter finds you well. I’m sure it must be strange to get communication from someone you’ve never met. The manner in which it was delivered was probably pretty jarring as well. The friend I asked to find me a penpal isn’t exactly known for his subtlety. Which, of course, brings me to why I find myself seeking a penpal in the first place.
My name is Jasmine, and I am the daughter of the Sultan of a land called Agrabah. For most of my life I was sheltered, commanded to stay within the walls of the palace and not experience anything of the world. Recently my life has undergone drastic change. I’m betrothed to a man I deeply love—something I never thought was possible before—and it’s like the entire world is now open for me to explore. There is a freedom the likes of which I’ve never known that now sits at my fingertips. As much as I’m grateful for that freedom, though, I am also afraid of it. There is so much that I don’t know. I have no experiences to speak of, which is something I want to fix as soon as possible.
Anyway, I would be very grateful to be able to communicate with someone from abroad. I think it might help me to open up, to learn, and to grow. Hopefully the trust I have placed in my friend to find someone for me to exchange letters with is not misplaced. He did insist that he knew the perfect person.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
Jasmine
~*~*~*~*~*~
Dear Jasmine,
You are certainly not wrong in saying that your friend doesn’t do subtlety. It was shocking to say the least when he wandered up out of the blue. It was also surprising that he actually is blue. I’m used to a lot of things being blue in my life, though, so I don’t suppose it was too bad.
Now might be a good time to mention that I’m not exactly human. Humans have always fascinated me, but up until a couple of years ago the only things I knew about them came from stories and what items my best friend and I could find in sunken ships. My father is Triton, King of the Merfolk. We live beneath the sea. I’ve never heard of a Sultan before, but Genie tells me that a Sultan is a ruler of humans in the same way. Let me see if I can make a guess from what you’ve told me: your father was overbearing, repeatedly told you the things you ‘have to do’ as his daughter, and didn’t want to let you out of his sight. Trust me when I say that I can relate.
I hope you don’t mind, but I asked Genie to give me a few details about what you’ve been through that caused such a change in your life. My situation wasn’t exactly like yours. Instead of an evil sorcerer it was an evil sea witch trying to take my father’s throne. I stupidly agreed to a deal she offered me. She gave me legs so I could walk among the humans and try to gain the affection of my one true love. The only price she asked was my voice. It was a trick, of course. She used my voice to ensnare my prince (his name is Eric, and he’s wonderful) and keep me from fulfilling the terms of our deal. Then, she convinced my father to trade himself for me. It’s definitely a change in perspective to realize that your parent loves you so very much.
It worked out alright in the end. Eric helped to defeat the witch, and my father finally grew to approve. We’re going to be married soon—I promised we’d wait at least until after I turned eighteen—but I just couldn’t turn my back on where I came from completely. It’s Daddy’s magic that lets me walk on the land now, and he doesn’t ask anything more than that I continue to come home and visit. It helps, I think, that I have six older sisters who are still happy beneath the waves.
I hope this letter is readable to you. I first learned to write with squid ink and broken shells on seaweed, which is quite a bit different from quills and parchment. It’s been years and I’m still getting the hang of it. I would definitely like the opportunity to practice, though. If underwater life and nosy crustaceans are enough of an interesting worldly experience for you I’d love to continue exchanging letters.
Anxious for your reply,
Ariel
P.S. I’m not sure how often this might come up where you live, but never trust eels. It only ends in pain and the near destruction of your entire kingdom. Also, they’re creepy.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Beneath the shade of some gauzy fabric curtains on a palace terrace, Princess Jasmine tried to keep her eyebrows from climbing into her hairline. Clutched in her hands was a long scroll of parchment. It smelled like salt and something airy. The handwriting on its surface was a bit large and unsteady, but she could read it just fine. When she’d asked the genie to find her someone to talk to so she could get a sense of the world beyond the desert home she knew she’d figured he might set up correspondence with another princess, but she never thought he’d find someone who would understand her situation so well.
“When I’m good I’m good,” Genie teased, appearing beside her in a puff of blue smoke. He nudged her side with his elbow. “Am I right?”
Jasmine laughed. “You certainly are.” She read through the letter again, trying to imagine what might have happened to her new penpal with all the details she didn’t have in the few short paragraphs. There was so much of a story there. She could only hope that Ariel would be willing to share the whole story.
“Excellent!” In a flurry of ‘poof’ noises and rapid fire chatter Genie flitted about the terrace. She could follow about every third word, but given that she was pretty sure he was mostly patting himself on the back she decided to tune him out instead. She dragged a basket out from beneath the bench she was lying on and rummaged around for her lapdesk and writing materials. She’d calm Genie down enough to explain whatever delivery system he’d come up with after she’d started her next letter.
Dear Ariel,
I think this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...