Ariel met Prince Eric when she was a "Little Mermaid" swimming too close to the surface, against her father's orders. Eric was sailing the deep blue sea in honor of his birthday. Ariel was watching the ship from afar, enjoying being super close to a human being IRL, when a hurricane hit. As the crew abandoned ship, Eric went back on board to save his dog Max. Unfortunately, he got stuck on the ship as it started to sink. Ariel stepped up to save the day, frantically searching the wreckage to find the handsome human. She rescued Eric and brought him ashore, waiting patiently until he woke up. Once the pair locked eyes, it was all over. Ariel just had to wait for her Prince to "sha-la-la-la, kiss the girl" before they both knew for sure that there weren't any other fish in the sea worth chasing!