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: This story came to mind after watching TLM: Ariel's Beginning for the first time. My friend, Amanda helped me write this and I had fun writing it with her!

"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 strung 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 foundation, 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…