I Remember Music-Chapter 1

[arielfan4ever]

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Andrina’s special name for Ariel.
Enjoy!


“I Remember Music”

Chapter 1-The Accident


Triton gasped as he watched his youngest daughter rush forward to save Sebastian. He cried out to her, but she hadn’t listened.
A part of Triton hadn’t expected her to listen. She was a head strong one and she always put others before herself. That was one of the many qualities Ariel shared with her mother.
“No!” Ariel cried. Without a second thought she dove forward and pushed Sebastian out of the way. This caused her to slam into Marina instead. The impact sent both of them flying, but Ariel received the brunt end of it.
Triton watched in horror as his youngest daughter-his Ariel-hit the side of a coral reef, her head hitting first.
Wasting no time, Triton sprang into action. He was at his daughter’s side within seconds.
Putting a hand on his daughter’s neck, he felt for a pulse. Feeling a faint one, Triton thanked Athena and hoped Ariel would be able to pull through.
Without a word, Triton gently lifted Ariel into his arms and swam off.
Sebastian started to follow him, but the King shook his head.
“You need to go back to the palace and tell the girls what happened. I’ll send word as soon as I can.” With that, he was gone.
Sebastian did as he was told even though he wanted to make sure Ariel was going to be okay. He had never disobeyed a direct order from the King before-well at least not one that pertained to the girls-and he wasn’t going to start now.


Ariel sighed as she opened her blue eyes and tried to gage where she was.
The place felt familiar, but she couldn’t pin point it at the moment.
Shaking her head of some dizziness, she tried to figure out what was going on.
No sooner had she stretched out her arms in an attempt to swim, she felt a hand on her shoulder. The touch was familiar and safe. Ariel would know it anywhere. IT didn’t matter that she hadn’t felt it since she was three years old, she still remembered who it was.
“Mom?” Ariel asked in disbelief. She turned around and met the kind, gentle green eyes of her mother, Athena.
Athena smiled at her youngest daughter before nodding.
Ariel didn’t return it. She was too confused and she wanted answers. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy to see her mother, far from it.
It was just that everything had happened so fast, the young mer-princess wasn’t sure what was going on.
“Mom?” Ariel repeated. She wasn’t sure she was seeing right. She was still feeling a little dizzy, but she didn’t know why.
“Yes, sweetheart. It’s really me.” Athena replied. She reached her arms out and Ariel wasted no time in diving into them as though she was three once again. She had missed her mother’s embrace so much.
“Wha-what’s going on?” Ariel asked, still in her mother’s arms. “Why do I feel so strange? And why am I alone? Where’s Daddy? Where’s Sebastian? Where…” Her voice trailed off as she realized what had happened before she found herself alone. “Sebastian! Oh my gosh! Is he…”
Athena hugged her daughter close, wanting to bring her some comfort and reassurance.
“Ariel, calm down, sweetie. Sebastian’s fine, thanks to you. You saved him and I have never been more proud of you than I am right now.”
Ariel nodded. This made her feel better, but only a little. She still had a lot of questions for her mother.
“If everyone’s fine, why are you here? I-I mean not that I’m not happy to see you, but…”
Athena gave her daughter a gentle smile.
“It’s okay, darling. I totally understand. I’m here to help you. You’re about to go down a long road, but you won’t be alone.”
Ariel gave her mother a confused look.
“What do you mean?”
Athena sighed. She knew she couldn’t tell Ariel everything, but she needed to help her out a little bit.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” She asked.
Ariel thought for a moment before it came to her like a tidal wave crashing over rocks.
“I saved Sebastian from Marina and then everything went black.”
Athena nodded.
“You’re in a coma, sweetheart. Your body needs time to heal and then you’ll wake up. Until you do, I’m going to be here to help you. But after you do wake up again, you’ll have a long recovery ahead of you. But you won’t be alone.”
“I don’t understand.” Ariel confessed. “What do you mean by ‘coma? Will I be okay?”
Athena nodded as she put an arm around Ariel comfortingly.
“You’re going to be just fine.” She assured her. “I promise. It will take you awhile to recover once you awaken, but you’re gonna be fine. Now, come with me.”
Ariel hesitated, but one look into her mother’s green eyes and she found herself obeying her.
When they got to their destination, Ariel gazed around before giving her mother a confused look.
“What are we doing here?”
“This is part of your recovery. There are some things you need to know and this is the place to find them out. Trust me.”
Ariel nodded. She didn’t have a problem trusting her mother.


Meanwhile, Triton was waiting for word on Ariel’s condition. It felt like he had been waiting forever, but it had only been a few hours.
When he had first brought Ariel in, he had explained to the doctor what had happened.
Dr. Arainia assured the King that Ariel would be fine. She then started examining the injured princess.
“She has a few bruises from the impact.” Arainia explained. “The bruises will heal on their own, but our biggest concern is what will happen when she wakes up.”
“What do you mean?” Triton asked. He wanted Ariel to be okay. He loved her so much and all he wanted was for her to open her eyes again.
“She might have some memory loss when she awakens. If that happens, she’ll get her memory back in time. But let’s wait until she wakes up to see what her prognosis is. Right now, she needs rest and so do you. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you.” Triton replied graciously.
“It’s my pleasure.” Arainia said. “I’ll be back to check on her in a little while.” With that, she was gone.
Sitting by Ariel’s bed, Triton sighed as he gazed down at his shining pearl and then up at the sky.
“Athena, please, watch over our little Ariel. Let her be okay. She just has to be.” With that, Triton began the longest night of his life…

[arielfan4ever]

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Andrina’s special name for Ariel.
Enjoy!

A/N: Here is the next chapter! I hope everyone likes it!


“I Remember Music”

Chapter 2-Aquata’s Promise


Meanwhile, back at the palace, Sebastian had gathered Ariel’s six sisters in the living room to tell them the bad news.
He didn’t know how to break it to them, but he knew they had to know what was going on.
“Girls, I have someting I need to tell you.” Sebastian began. “It’s not going to be easy, but you need to know.”
As the eldest, Aquata knew right away that the news wasn’t good. She sat up straighter and gave Sebastian an anxious look.
“What is it?” She asked. “Is Father okay?”
Sebastian nodded.
“Oh yes, Aquata. You’re Fada is fine.“
Attina spoke up just then. She gazed around the room and realized one of her sisters was missing.
“Hey! Where’s Ariel? Shouldn’t she be here too?”
Arista scoffed from her place on the couch.
“She’s probably exploring again and lost track of time.”
Sebastian shook his head. He ignored Arista’s comment as did all of her sisters. They knew how Arista could be sometimes.
“Actually, Ariel is who I need to talk to you about.” Sebastian began. He prayed he would be able to tell them what had happened without anymore interruptions.
“Is she in trouble again?” Andrina asked. Her voice was full of concern, but Adella just giggled.
“Ariel’s always in trouble!” She commented. “That’s nothing new.”
Attina burst into a fit of giggles as did Adella and Arista.
Aquata and Andrina were the only ones not laughing as well as Alana.
“Is Ariel okay?” Alana asked. She hadn’t spoken until now.
“I wish I could say yes, but I’m afraid she’s not.” Sebastian replied.
“I knew it!” Arista piped up. “She got herself in trouble again, didn’t she?”
“ARISTA BE QUIET!” Her five sisters chorused in unison.
Arista was taken aback, but did as she was told. She normally didn’t listen to her sisters, but something told her it was best to do so this time.
Sebastian cleared his throat in an attempt to regain control of the situation.
“Like I said, I’m afraid Ariel isn’t okay.”
“What do you mean?” Aquata asked. She was worried now. “Please, tell us what happened. We have to know.”
“Ariel’s been in an accident.” Sebastian said. “Your Fada took her to the hospital and they’re taking care of her now. He told me he would send…” But the rest of his sentence was drowned out by six female voices asking questions all at once. “What kind of accident?” Aquata asked.
“Can we see her?” Andrina wanted to know.
“Is she hurt badly?” Alana inquired anxiously.
Sebastian felt helpless. He couldn’t answer any of their questions, but he knew who could.
“Come with me.” He commanded. “We’ll go see your Fada and he can give you the answers you’re looking for. He’s down there with Ariel now.” With that, he led the way out of the palace living room, Ariel’s sisters following him anxiously.


Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Triton was waiting anxiously for Ariel to awaken. He prayed and hoped she would be okay. He knew the accident was partially his fault. If only he had listened to Ariel, then this never would have happened.
As Triton gazed down at his youngest daughter’s still form, he sighed.
“Ariel, I’m so sorry.” He said, sincerely. “I’m so sorry for everything. This is all my fault. I love you so much, dear. I just want you to get better. You have to open your eyes again. Please.”
A few minutes later, the King glanced up to see the rest of his family coming towards him. He gave Sebastian a look, but the crab just shook his head.
Triton nodded in understanding. He then turned his attention back to his six remaining daughters. He could tell they were concerned and in Andrina’s case, very anxious.
“Father, what happened?” Aquata asked. She was the first one to speak up. “Sebastian told us Ariel was in an accident, but he wouldn’t give us any details. Is she going to be okay?”
Triton nodded and Aquata breathed a sigh of relief. She reached her hand out cautiously towards her sister’s unconscious form, but stopped uncertainly.
“You can touch her,” Arainia assured her as she came in to check on the youngest mer-princess. “It’s okay. You won’t hurt her. In fact, physical contact by her loved ones will help Ariel recover faster.”
“Really?” Alana asked. She had never heard that before.
Arainia smiled at the young mergirl.
“Yes. That goes for all of you. You won’t hurt her. And talking to Ariel will help her too. Even if you just tell her about your day, it will help her wake up faster.”
“Ya-you mean she can hear us?” Andrina asked tearfully. She was worse off of all her sisters. She and Ariel were very close and she felt as though she was losing her best friend.
Arainia gave Andrina a sympathetic look.
“Yes, sweetheart. It’s okay.” She then asked in a gentle tone, “Are you and Ariel close?”
Andrina nodded as a few tears coursed down her cheeks.
Triton saw this and took his second eldest into his arms. He had a feeling Andrina was going to take Ariel’s accident the worst besides Aquata. This was because Andrina and Ariel were practically inseparable.
“Shh,” Triton soothed. He hugged Andrina close and stroked her hair. “Ariel will be all right. She’s strong. We’ll get our Ariel back.”
Andrina tried to believe her father’s words, but it was hard. She loved Ariel so much and she didn’t know what she would do if anything ever happened to her.
Chancing a glance at her best friend lying in the hospital bed, Andrina gulped back a sob of fear.
Ariel had a seaIV in her left arm and a few bruises covered her right cheek and upper chest.
Turning her face away from the sight, Andrina buried it in Aquata’s shoulder as her eldest sister took her from their father.
“You all can stay tonight,” Arainia offered. “But after tonight, I have to insist that only two of you are in here at a time. That’s so Ariel won’t become overwhelmed when she wakes up.”
“We understand.” Triton assured her.
Arainia nodded. She checked Ariel’s seaIV to make sure it wasn’t twisted and then left the room after checking the princess’s vitals.
“I’ll take the first watch.” Aquata offered. “I’m the eldest and it’s my job. After all, I…I promised…” Her voice trailed off as she fought hard to control the tears threatening to fall.
Triton nodded. He knew what Aquata was referring to without her having to say anything else.
“You may have the first watch.” He told her. “Then the next day Andrina can sit with her. Then the rest of you can have your chance.”
Arista was about to protest, but she thought better of it. She was worried about Ariel too, but she knew how close she and Andrina were.
Needless to say, it was a very long night. Triton didn’t get much sleep and neither did the others. Andrina and Aquata especially.
Aquata started at every sound she heard, thinking Ariel was waking up in pain. She also made it her job to take care of Andrina.
Her younger sister wasn’t getting much sleep due to being worried about Ariel.
Finally near morning, everyone drifted off to sleep. It wasn’t a restful one, but it was rest nonetheless.
Somewhere around ten in the morning, Arainia came to check on Ariel. She woke everyone up by accident and Triton suggested that they all leave except for Aquata.
The King remembered the rule and he also had some things to do.
“I’ll send word if anything changes, You’re Majesty.” Arainia promised.
“Thank you.” Triton said. “You’ve been very kind to us.”
Arainia nodded.
Andrina had a hard time leaving Ariel, but Triton assured her that she would be staying with her soon.
Once they had left, Aquata sat down beside Ariel’s bed and took her little sister’s hand.
“Ariel, I…I-I’m…I’m so sorry. I know I didn’t cause the accident, but I’m the eldest. I’m supposed to protect you and I didn’t’ do my job. I’m so sorry!”
Aquata couldn’t hold it back any longer. The tears cascaded down her face like a sudden rainstorm.
As the tears continued to flow, Aquata’s mind floated back to a conversation she and her mother had just before she died.
Thinking about this particular event only made Aquata cry harder…


Aquata grinned as Athena took her into her arms. She loved spending time with her mother. She understood her mother had seven children to take care of, but she liked it when it was just the two of them.
“I like spending time with you.” The ten-year-old said, snuggling into her mother for a cuddle.
“Me too, sweetheart.” Athena said, sincerely. “Me too.”
Silence fell over the two just then.
A few minutes later, Athena broke it.
“Aquata, I need you to promise me something.”
“Sure, Mom. Anything.” Aquata said earnestly.
Athena smiled lovingly down at her eldest daughter. She knew she could always count on her.
“I need you to promise me that you’ll always protect your sisters and look out for them. There may come a day when I’m not here and I need you to take care of your sisters, Ariel especially. She’s so young and she needs someone to show her the way. Will you promise me you’ll try and do that?”
Aquata nodded. She had no idea what her mother was talking about, but she always listened to her parents.
“Yes.” She said. “I promise.”
“Aw, that’s my girl. I love you and your sisters so much.” With that, Athena hugged her eldest close, relishing in the time they got to spend together…


As Aquata’s mind floated back to the present, she cried harder. She was sure she had let her mother down and she knew she had definitely let her baby sister down. She had broken her promise and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
“I’m sorry Mom!” Aquata sobbed. “I’m so sorry! I broke my promise! I broke my promise!”
In a nearby corner, Ariel and Athena stood, listening to Aquata’s heart wrenching words.
Athena wanted to go over and embrace her eldest and convince her of the truth, but she knew she couldn’t. It broke her heart to see her daughters upset, but she knew Aquata would be okay in time.
“Mom?” Ariel’s voice broke Athena out of her thoughts.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Why does Aquata blame herself? It’s not her fault.”
Athena sighed.
“I know, honey. But she thinks it is. It has to do with something that happened when you were three years old. A year before…well Aquata and I had a conversation and she’s feeling guilty for something she didn’t do.”
Ariel frowned.
“Will she be okay?”
“Yes. Once you’re okay, she’ll be fine. You’re the heart of our family, Ariel. You always were. You brought your family back together after I was gone. It takes a special person to do that.”
“What do you mean?” Ariel asked. She was still gazing at Aquata worriedly.
“Your heart.” Athena explained. “You love everyone and everything and that shows when you put others before yourself.”
Ariel nodded in realization.
“Like Sebastian?” She asked, trying to make a comparison.
Her head was still sore and thinking too much made it hurt.
“Exactly.” Her mother confirmed.
Ariel nodded. She sighed as she too tried to fight the urge to tell Aquata the truth.
“If only I could help her.” Ariel said aloud.
“You’ll get your chance.” Athena assured her.
Ariel nodded as she went back to watching the scene before her…

[arielfan4ever]

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Andrina’s special name for Ariel.
Enjoy!

A/N: Well, this story is just on a roll! This next chapter is a little more intense. The next one will be coming soon. I promise.

“I Remember Music”

Chapter 3-Andrina’s Prayer


Before Aquata knew it, the night had passed and it was morning. She was staying with Andrina because her sister was afraid to stay alone with Ariel. She didn’t want to hurt her and she was sure she would if she was left alone with her.
This wasn’t true of course, but Aquata humored her and volunteered to stay during Andrina’s first watch. She just prayed that Ariel would wake up soon. She just wanted to know she was okay.
After Triton had left, Andrina stayed a few feet away from Ariel’s bedside. She didn’t know what to do and she felt really unsure of herself. For the first time, she was afraid to be with her best friend. She loved Ariel so much, she didn’t want to hurt her.
Ariel wanted desperately to tell Andrina it was okay, but she knew she couldn’t hear her. Despite this, she had to try.
“Andrina, it’s okay.” Ariel encouraged. “You wont’ hurt me. You could never hurt me on purpose. I know that.”
Andrina swam forward, suddenly feeling a little better. She didn’t know where it had come from, but she felt somewhat reassured.
Aquata saw her sister’s actions and gave her an encouraging smile.
“It’s okay, sis.” The eldest mer-princess encouraged, echoing Ariel’s words. “You won’t hurt Ariel. You’re going to help her. In fact, you just might be the one who helps her wake up.”
Andrina shook her head. She didn’t think she could do that. Little did she know how true Aquata’s words were.
“That’s it.” Aquata said as Andrina reached out to take Ariel’s hand. “It’s okay.”
Andrina cautiously reached forward and took Ariel’s free right hand with her left one. She squeezed it gently and let the silence speak for her. For the first time ever, she didn’t know what to say to her best friend.
Sensing Andrina’s uncertainty, Aquata tried to help her out.
“It’s okay to talk to her.” She coaxed. “It’ll help her wake up.”
“What do I say?” Andrina asked, her voice shaking a little.
“Just talk about anything.” Aquata suggested. “Tell her what’s on your mind. She’ll hear you.”
Andrina nodded. She glanced back down at Ariel before gathering the courage to speak.
As she was about to start, Andrina noticed the seaIV in Ariel’s left arm and it just made her more nervous.
Aquata saw this and tried to reassure her little sister.
“That will come out once Ariel wakes up and can drink something. She’ll be fine.”
Andrina nodded.
“Don’t focus on that.” Aquata advised. “Focus on Ariel and how much you love her and want her to wake up.”
“Okay.” Andrina said. She glanced back down at their sister before attempting to speak again.
Taking a deep breath, Andrina started to talk. Her voice was strong at first, but Aquata knew it was just a matter of time before she broke down too.
“It was quiet without you there this afternoon. I know if you were with me we would have hung out and explored the attic or just talked until Sebastian called us for lunch. It’s not the same without you at home, sis. We really miss you. ..I-I really miss you. Please, you have to come back to us. You have to come back to me. I can’t lose you. You’re my…You’re my best friend. I-I love you! I love you. Please, wake up. Please!” With that, Andrina couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. She broke down just as Aquata had a few hours before.
As she listened to her sister and best friend speaking, Ariel fought hard to hold her own tears back. She hated seeing any of her sisters in pain, but seeing Andrina cry hurt her most of all.
“You’re not gonna lose me.” Ariel promised, even though she knew Andrina couldn’t hear her. “I promise, Andrina. You’re not going to lose me. I love you too.”
Athena smiled when she heard her youngest daughter’s words. She knew her Ariel was a fighter and she would be just fine. She also knew she had a long way to go before she was fully recovered.
Aquata came over to where Andrina was sitting and gave her a much needed hug. She needed the physical comfort as well.
“You’re not going to lose Ariel, Andrina. We won’t lose her either.” Aquata tried to assure her upset sister. “She’s going to be just fine. You’ll see.”
“You don’t know that!” Andrina shot back tearfully.
“Yes I do.” Aquata told her. “I know that because Ariel’s strong. She’s never let anything stop her before. This time won’t be any different.”
Andrina just leaned into Aquata and let the tears fall. She let her older sister hold her and prayed she was right.
It took awhile, but Aquata was finally able to get Andrina to sleep. She knew Andrina was supposed to be watching over Ariel, but she wanted their sister to get some rest as well. She needed it if she was going to do her part to help their sister come back to them.
There wasn’t a doubt in Aquata’s mind that Andrina would be the one to help Ariel. She just had to convince Andrina of the same thing.
But as she gazed down at her sleeping little sister, something told Aquata it was going to be easier said than done…


Aquata was woken up a few hours later by her father’s voice. She looked down to see Andrina was still fast asleep. She hated to move her, but she had no choice. It was time for Alana to sit with Ariel and the other two had to go home.
Rubbing her eyes, Aquata gazed up to meet her father’s blue ones.
“Is it time to leave already?” She asked, stretching slightly.
Triton nodded.
“I’m afraid so. But you can come back later on.” He glanced down at Andrina before his gaze traveled back to his eldest daughter. “So how did it go?”
Aquata frowned and shook her head sadly.
“Not that well. Andrina was really scared. She held Ariel’s hand and talked to her a little, but then she broke down.”
Triton nodded.
“Well maybe she’ll be better the next time. You two will have two watches each. Hopefully Ariel will wake up soon.” He held his arms out for Andrina. “I’ll take her.”
Aquata shook her head.
“It’s okay, Father. She’s not that heavy. I can manage.”
“If you’re sure.” Triton said.
Aquata nodded.
“I’m sure.” With that, she left.
Once they were gone, Triton gazed down at his daughter. HE had asked Sebastian to bring Alana down after lunch, so he had a little time alone with Ariel.
Sitting down in the coral rock that Andrina and Aquata had occupied a few hours before, he took his daughter’s hand and started talking to her. He prayed it would help her come back to them. Arainia had said that talking to Ariel would help her wake up faster. The only question was, how long would it take?

[arielfan4ever]

DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own Andrina’s special name for Ariel.
Enjoy!

A/N: Here we go! This chapter has a pretty good cliff hanger, if I do say so myself. I won’t be updating until I get back from a friend’s house, but I hope this chapter does the job until I come back!


“I Remember Music”

Chapter 4-A Long Road Ahead


It had been a solid week since the accident and Ariel’s admission into the hospital.
She was still comatose and her father, sisters, Sebastian, and Flounder worried for her greatly.
Each of the girls, as well as King Triton would watch over her for periods of time each day…


Meanwhile, Ariel sighed as she tried to get some rest. Her mother had explained that she would need it for the days ahead.
Even though Ariel trusted her mother, she still wasn’t sure what was going on. She understood her body needed rest in order to heal, but she hated seeing her family torn apart because of her.
When she voiced her thoughts aloud to her mother a few nights after she had been in the hospital, Athena tried to put her daughter’s mind at ease.
“Ariel, I want you to listen to me.” She instructed.
Ariel did so without a second thought.
“The accident was not your fault. And what happened afterwards wasn’t your fault either. You saved Sebastian’s life.”
“I know but…” Ariel’s voice trailed off as she saw the earnest look in her mother’s emerald eyes.
“It wasn’t your fault, sweetheart.” Athena insisted. “Please, try to stop blaming yourself.”
Ariel heaved a sigh while resting her head in her mother’s lap.
“I’ll try.” She told her. “But I won’t be easy.”
“That’s my girl. And I know it won’t be easy, but you’ll pull through.”
Ariel fell asleep shortly due to pure exhaustion.
Even though she was still a little confused about everything that was going on, she felt safe and that helped her sleep easier.


A few days later, Sebastian had asked if he could sit with Ariel before Alana took her turn.
The crab hadn’t been to see his good friend yet and he knew he owed her that much.
After all, if it hadn’t been for Ariel, he would have been crab cakes for sure.
Sitting next to Ariel on the bed, Sebastian wasn’t sure what to say at first.
Now he knew how the girls felt when they had taken their first watches.
After a few minutes of silence that seemed to last forever, Sebastian spoke. He didn’t know if Ariel could really hear him, but he had to get this off his mind. Besides, Ariel had always listened to him before. And he had a feeling it would be no exception this time either.
“Ariel, I…I don’t know what to say.” The crab began. “You saved my life and I’m grateful you did what you did. But I also feel guilty because now you’re here instead of at home. You’re hurt because Marina was after me and you risked everything to save me. Dat means more dan you’ll ever know, girl. I hope you come back to us soon. De palace isn’t de same without you.”
Sebastian didn’t know what else to say after that, so he kept a silent vigil by Ariel’s bedside until Triton came back with Alana right behind him.
Once the King was satisfied that Alana would be okay, he and Sebastian left.
Alone for the first time since Andrina had taken her first watch, Alana tried to keep the tears at bay. She was worried about her sister and she wanted nothing more than for her to be okay.
“Ariel, I know you can hear me, so I’m just going to talk and get some things off my mind. I hope that’s all right.” With that, the young mer-princess began to speak.
“Pearl invited me to a party yesterday, but I didn’t feel like going. I guess I didn’t feel like going because you weren’t there to tag along. It made me remember the time we went to Eelectric City and got caught in that big storm. I protected you then, but I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you now. I’m really sorry.”
Alana took a deep breath in an effort to keep the tears back.
For the next hour or so, Alana chattered to Ariel about every day things as well as some things she knew only Ariel would truly listen to.
Before Alana knew it, her shift was almost over. She was proud of her elder sister who was, although still very shaken over her youngest sister’s condition, was now comfortable with Ariel alone and could stand watch by herself.
Even though a year apart in age, Alana and Ariel weren’t terribly close. But that did not mean that any of the elder girls didn’t love their youngest sister.
“I went to a party the other night sis…Met a boy, his name’s Jeremy. He’s so cute.”
Ariel was once again unresponsive.
“We even went out on a date already…however it just wasn’t the same…I guess what I’m trying to say is that my heart wasn’t in it. It wasn’t in it because I didn’t have you to actually listen to my ramblings afterwards. The others either don’t care or are too busy. I mean even though you laugh it off sometimes too, you still listen…” Alana was close to tears but she held them in. “Please wake up Ariel…Please?” A lone tear fell upon Alana’s face, as she quickly wiped it away.
Hearing a quiet knock, Alana looked up to see Andrina’s head poke through.
“Your shift’s up. Go grab a bite to eat.”
“Thanks” Alana said as she bypassed her sister out the doorway.
Andrina quietly swam up to Ariel’s side. Taking Ariel’s hand in hers, she just stared down at the red-head.
“You know we’re all worried about you…even Atina and Adella…I think Father, Aquata, and myself most of all though.”
Taking a deep breath and sighing, Andrina continued.
“This is really hard on all of us, we miss and need you Ariel. For as close as we are, I never realized how dull and quiet the palace actually is without you laughing or brightening it up. I think Father is most concerned and troubled by your condition. He’ll never outwardly admit it to the six of us, but I think I’ve gotten him to come close. He needs you Ariel…I think…I think you remind him most of our mother. Mom…” Andrina’s voice trailed off in remembrance.
She looked above, somehow knowing her mother was watching over everyone.
“Mom, please make sure Ariel is okay…Please? We need her, we really do need her. I don’t know what will happen to Father or us if we lose her. We can’t lose her…please Mother. We can’t.” Andrina’s tears fell, with she not bothering to wipe them away as her sister had.


Meanwhile, Ariel had just woken up from another short catnap, when her mother said she needed to talk to her.
“You’re going to wake up soon.” She told her daughter. “Your body has gotten the rest it needs and it’ll soon be time for you to go back to where you belong.”
Ariel nodded, even though a part of her wanted to stay with her mother forever.
“Are you sure I’m ready?” She asked.
Athena nodded. She grinned while ruffling Ariel’s hair.
“I know you’re ready. You can do this, Ariel. I believe in you. Even more than that, your father and sisters do too. They love you so much. They need you.”
“I know.” Ariel said. “But I’m going to miss you.”
“I know you will.” Athena assured her as she took her youngest into her arms. “I’m going to miss you too. But I’m never too faraway. Just look in your heart and I’ll be there. And remember, I left you with a gift. A gift that can never be taken away from you. A gift that when used correctly can shine light into the darkest of places.”
Ariel nodded.
“Music, right?” She asked.
“Yes.” Athena replied. “Whenever you sing or listen to music, I’ll be there.”
“I love you.” Ariel said as she let her mother hold her for the last time.
“I love you too, sweetheart. I love you too. That’s something that will never change.” With that, the two spent a little more time together before Ariel started her long journey of recovery…


It had been another few hours, with King Triton poking his head in and giving Andrina a small break. He too looked for Athena to watch over their youngest in what could probably be considered a frightening time for her.
Andrina sat by the window, Ariel’s hand once again in hers. She thought she heard a soft moan, even a slight shift in Ariel’s hand.
Still remaining in the position that she was in, Andrina’s eyes solely concentrated on Ariel’s face. It began to twitch and Andrina’s face grew to a hopeful grin.
Finally the tightening pressure on Andrina’s hand from Ariel’s gave Andrina the confidence that Ariel was indeed going to be just fine.
Soon Ariel’s eyes began to flutter open. Blinking, and finally focusing, Ariel stared into Andrina’s brown eyes.
“Ariel…” Andrina breathed in relief, not yet wanting to call their father in just yet. Calling in her other sisters, Sebastian, and Flounder would just be too overwhelming.
Ariel cocked her head to the side. Andrina was not sure if Ariel’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, or were just trying to grasp her surroundings after a week of darkness.
After a minute of staring, Ariel broke the silence.
“Who are you?” Ariel asked, clear confusion evident in her voice.
Ariel stared at her sister in confusion. She wasn’t sure where she was or who was sitting next to her. A part of her felt safe with this person, but another part didn’t know why.
“What did you say?” Andrina asked. She wasn’t sure she had heard Ariel correctly.
“Who are you?” Ariel repeated. Her voice was full of confusion and fear. “Where am I?”

[josh89]

omg i love it this story is so great please continue on with it..