"Just… No matter what, please make sure my grotto is safe."
Ariel looked around at her sisters gathered on the shoreline. It was the day after her wedding, and now that she was trying to settle into her life as a human, she wanted to make sure the things she left under the sea were well cared for.
She told her sisters the day before, at the wedding celebration, to meet her here. She wanted them to look out for Flounder and to try to help their Daddy adjust to not living with his little girl anymore. She trusted them to help her with her requests, and thankfully, the girls were eager to. The now-former mermaid knew that things would seem different to her underwater family now that she wasn't there anymore, but out of love, she desperately wanted them to continue living their lives happily in Atlantica.
Ariel's grotto was the most important place to her. It was basically her entire life's work, having started her collection when she was about 4. She remembered the first human thing she had found: a simple, coral colored bag that she's used for collecting ever since. Though her Daddy had released the trident onto her safe haven recently, some things were still preserved.
The redhead planned to come back to Atlantica in one way or another. She did know that it wouldn't be soon, as she and Eric needed to adjust into their lives as a newly married couple. But when she did, she didn't want to go back to her grotto to find an empty, deserted room.
"Don't worry, Ariel, we will," Ariel heard Aquata say, as the other Daughters of Triton nodded in agreement. The princess looked at Andrina as she added, "Yeah, we won't let anyone touch your HUGE collection of human stuff."
As Ariel was about to thank them, she noticed Attina begin to speak up. "Hun, do you want anything from it? I mean… You're a human now. You could actually use this stuff, you know?"
The thought hadn't crossed Ariel's mind, but now that her oldest sister brought it up, she paused to think about the idea. Though Attina proved a point, Ariel had to disagree. She sighed and replied, "No.. No, I don't. I want things to stay exactly as they were." She paused, but none of the other mermaids said anything. The redhead looked up, making contact with each of her sisters as she concluded, "Thank you. I'll.. I'll miss you."
At her words, all the mermaids swam closer to the shore, embracing their little sister with a big group hug. "We'll miss you, too, lovely. But don't worry; nothing will happen to your grotto," Adella added, before looking dreamily up at the castle. She and the other sisters pulled away, heading back towards the ocean. "Now go get back to that handsome princey of yours!"
Ariel lifted a hand up in goodbye, a strong gust of wind taking the place of her sisters as the girls submerged back into the water. As frustrating and pestering as her sisters could be sometimes, Ariel really did love them and appreciate them, and she knew they felt the same way. Feeling relieved now that her grotto was taken care of, the princess turned from the ocean to walk back up to the castle, ready to learn everything she could about being a human.