Ariel couldn't believe this was happening. She couldn't believe she was where she was now, standing with her other five sisters in front of the whole kingdom of Atlantica with their father. Sure, they had done it plenty of times when they were young mermaids: performing concerts, giving royal announcements, greeting other sea royals. But never, ever, did she imagine it would be for this reason.
Andrina, Ariel's playful, beautiful older sister, had been killed. And what was worse, she had departed in the same way as their mother had. A ship traveling to Ariel and Eric's kingdom had hit her. Andrina was a daredevil, and her friends had dared her to swim in front of the large vessel; but Andrina couldn't keep up. It was a horrible, tragic way for her to die, and Ariel struggled to keep herself from strangling her sister's friends.
When the guards swam in, holding the seashell coffin that held Andrina's body, all the sisters gasped, holding each other tightly. Ariel couldn't bare to watch as the guards respectfully lowered the princess into her grave, right next to the beloved Queen Athena.
All that could be heard were the muffled sobs of the remaining Daughters of Triton. The rest of the Atlanticans were silent, respecting the fallen princess and her family as they watched the scene. King Triton tried to keep a brave face on for his people, but everyone could see the tears streaming down his face.
Though she knew it wasn't her fault, Ariel couldn't help but feel guilty. The ship that had took Andrina was heading to her kingdom. She felt hurt, confused, angry. Just when her Daddy had finally trusted all humans, Ariel knew he would never trust them again. And Attina, always having been hesitant to go on land, would probably never use her locket ever again.
Before sand was piled over the grave, each of Andrina's sisters carried something important to their sister and placed it in her grave. Attina put in Andrina's dolphin-racing medals, Aquata put in Andrina's favorite stuffed animal. When it was Ariel's turn, she gently put in Andrina's locket, the link between their two worlds. King Triton put in Andrina's signature pink headpiece, and then the sand fell over the sea grave.
The Triton family waded in the water before the grave, staying quiet except for a few sniffles as the rest of the Atlanticans left. Finally being alone, the family embraced each other, crying in their Daddy's arms. Finally, after saying one final goodbye, each swam off separately to mourn alone.
Ariel knew there was only one place to go. She tried to hold in her tears until she got there. But as soon as she saw the statue of her mother, she burst into tears, sitting by the base of the statue as she grieved for her sister.