So, I went to the beach a few times last week since it's beach season here in Florida…and it inspired me to write on this story. I hope you like my addition and expect a bunch more since it's warm- playing-in-the-water-fun-time here. The ocean is calling and that always encourages me to add to this ficlette. Thanks for reading and please review ~Joela
"Andrina, no," Arista pulled her arm free from her sister's grasp. "This has gone too far as it is, we never should have been at the surface anyway."
"Daddy'll never know," Andrina smirked, "we just tell him we want to go see Ariel and he'll send us on our way."
"But you don't want to go to see Ariel," Arista folded her arms over her chest.
"Oh don't be such a grown up."
"I am a 'grown up'."
Andrina wrinkled her nose at Arista and frowned, "Please," she huffed sarcastically, "you're still young; and you're still my sister. And I vow to make you have a good time…even if we're going to see boys."
"I take my responsibility as 3rd sister, princess of the sea very seriously; and so should you."
Andrina snorted a laugh, "Yeah, two sisters ahead of you to the throne, three for me. I don't care to be a queen in any sense, I just like living. You're only 20 years old, don't be so high strung."
Arista sighed giving in to her sister's proposition, "Alright, let's go talk to daddy. But you're the one who's doing all the talking, because I'm not going to lie to him."
"Neither am I, we just won't tell him everything."
"You won't tell him everything," Arista corrected.
"Well, fine I won't tell him everything. But we will go see Ariel and Eric."
"Arista," Angel frowned stopping her best friend, "I don't think this is such a good idea."
"I know, but she's going if I go or not…and at least this way I can keep an eye on her."
"Okay," Angel said, "I was afraid you were actually beginning to agree with her."
Arista shook her white blonde locks around her face, indicating that she wasn't falling into Andrina's mischievous ways; though she would never admit it…she did want to go back up there, just to see the humans.
"Daddy," Andrina smiled, "I want to go up to the surface and visit Ariel…may I?"
"Oh," Triton stroked his beard thoughtfully, then shook his head, "I don't think that would be a good idea sweetheart."
"Please Daddy," Andrina whined, "I haven't seen her in a whole month, since the wedding."
"I don't like you going up there alone," Triton said, holding back the comment about Andrina's lack of responsibility that lingered on his tongue. He knew her better than he let on, and in that he knew that she often didn't pay attention to her surroundings and was liable to get hurt.
"No worries Dad," Arista appeared in the throne room at that moment, "I'll go with her if it would ease your fears."
Triton looked over to Arista, his most level headed and responsible child. After examining their faces he sighed, "Alright, I agree; but you have only one fortnight, then you'll return."
"Oh thank you Daddy!" Andrina threw herself into her father's arms and kissed him on the cheek.
"Come on now," Triton told his daughters, "we'll need to get you closer to the surface before we give you legs."
"Of course," Andrina smiled.
"Sebastian, go get those clothes that Ariel gave us for visiting her."
"Yes, your majesty," Sebastian bowed scooping one claw down in a graceful gesture.
Within minutes the two sisters were sitting along the shore side waving their father off and blowing him kisses.
"We'll be good, I promise," Andrina called.
"Well," Arista picked herself up on two wobbly legs, "we're here."
"It's fantastic!" Andrina attempted to leap up, but failed and landed nose first in the sand.
"Whoa, are you okay?" A voice called from just beyond the sand dunes along the sea shore.
Arista, who was trying to help Andrina up, glanced up to the beach knolls. Andrina also tried to look up but was still lying on her belly in the sand. Arista's heart skipped a beat in a fearful way, the two men headed in their direction were the two men she and Andrina had tipped earlier that afternoon; she just prayed the guys didn't recognize them. Arista caught Andrina grin ear to ear, but slowly her glee faded into embarrassment.
"Are you alright?" the taller, more muscular, dark haired, older looking brother asked helping Andrina to her feet and passing her off to the shorter, sandy blond haired man.
Arista blinked two emerald eyes up to the handsome massive man before her, who was now steadying her.
"We're okay, I think," Andrina coughed clinging to the good-looking blond brother. "We were shipwrecked."
Arista looked to her sister with a surprised look, but then realizing that was the best way to pass off where they were from, nodded, "Yes, we lost our boat and have been adrift for a few days."
"Oh my," the dark haired man said sympathetically as he lifted Arista off her feet, "that's terrible, you'll have to stay with us until we can figure out where you were headed, and can, hopefully, get you there. My name is Max, this is my brother Tom."
Arista looked up to the man who was holding her off the ground, "I'm Arista, and this is my sister Andrina."
"Are you alright Andrina?" Tom asked again helping her shift her weight onto him.
"Yeah, just a bit shaken up that's all. I'd forgotten what solid ground felt like." She snickered.
"Your hospitality is greatly appreciated," Arista said.
"No problem at all," Max told her.
"We live just there, on the beach," Tom said pointing just past the sea wall to a solitary shack that looked as though it had taken its share of beatings from storms and the ocean.
"It's very nice," Andrina grinned, "it looks quaint, the way a home should feel."
"It is," Tom said, "we live there with our mother. She's come to live with us since our father died a few years back, she's not been all the same since he left."
"I see," Arista said.
"She was just finishing up dinner," Max told them, "so I hope you're hungry."
"Starved," Andrina said as the group entered the wooden abode.
"Max? Tom? Is'at you?" The foursome heard a friendly elderly voice call from the back.
"Yeah ma, it's us," Tom called helping Andrina to a seat, then bobbing his head to swish a lock of pesky bangs out of his eyes.
"Oh, you brought company," the little old lady that appeared asked warmly.
"They were shipwrecked along the shore," Max said.
"Well I've made plenty of food, it'd be nice to have some guests. There won't be any fish tonight…the boys didn't catch anything today, they had a bit of an accident out on the boat."
"We don't like fish," Arista smiled relieved that the choice of entrée was not some sort of her kind.
"That's good, we're having chicken," she grinned.
"Mom, this is Arista and Andrina," Max said. "Lady's our mother, Gail."
"Thank you for having us," Arista and Andrina said together.
The sweet old lady presented them with a pleased smile and a nod as she turned and headed back to the kitchen.
"Tomorrow we're going to town and do a puppet show performance, for a few extra dollars," Tom told the girls, "would you like to come along?"
"We'd love to," Andrina nodded.
"You perform?" Arista asked Max.
"Sometimes," Max said. It was obvious that he was the level headed, somewhat shy brother, and Tom was the excitable motor mouth that didn't think before he spoke. Max leaned back in his seat and went on, "We go to town three times a week to do the marionette show and puppet show for the children. It's a lot of fun to be around the kids."
"I see," Arista smiled, "it sounds like fun."
"It is."
"If we go with you tomorrow, could you show us were the castle is."
"Sure," Max nodded, "it's just at the edge of town, along the sea shore. Town's about 3 miles away."