DISC: I 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: I'm so sorry for the long wait for this story!

"I Remember Music"

Chapter 11-The First Piece of the Puzzle

Ariel sat in the dining room later that night, trying hard to remember something-anything. She had enjoyed herself when she had hung out with Arista, but now she was starting to feel frustrated again.

"Hey, El," Andrina greeted as she swam into the room. She sat down in the chair next to her youngest sister and gave her a warm smile. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Ariel replied.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" Andrina asked kindly.

"I know," Ariel assured her.

"Did you have a good time with Arista?"

"Uh-huh," she replied.

"What is it?" Andrina asked, noticing her little sister was close to tears.

"I just want to remember again! I wish I could remember driving Sebastian crazy or making Daddy mad, but I can't remember anything." She finished tearfully.

Andrina was about to make a remark about driving Sebastian crazy, but she could tell now wasn't the time.

Just then, Aquata joined them. She raised her eyebrow in concern when she saw the tears in Ariel's eyes and the worried look on Andrina's face. She was about to ask what was going on when Ariel made eye contact with her before practically attaching herself to her as the flood gates opened wide.

"Ariel, it's okay," Aquata comforted. 'I have you, you're okay. Did you and Andrina have a fight?"
"No!" Ariel answered tearfully

"El's frustrated because she can't remember anything yet," Andrina explained.

Aquata nodded. She came over and sat in the chair Ariel had been sitting in as she held a now trembling Ariel in her arms.

"Ariel, you'll remember soon. You just need a little more time. You're doing a really good job of finding your way around the palace."

Ariel let out a frustrated sob just as their father joined them. He frowned in concern when he saw the state his 'little Ariel was in.

"What's going on?" He demanded. "Is Ariel's head hurting her again?"
"No, Father," Aquata answered. "She's just upset."

"Ariel?" Triton tried. "What's the matter, dear?"

Ariel ignored her father as another sob escaped her lips. She locked eyes with Aquata before saying the three words that cut her eldest sister to the core.

"Fix it, please!"

"I'm gonna try," Aquata said determinately. "I promise you." With that, she was about to swim out of the room when their father's voice stopped her.

"Where are you taking her?"

"Somewhere that will hopefully help her," she replied. "Are you coming?" She added, turning to Andrina.

"Uh-huh," Andrina replied. She followed her two sisters out of the room and out of the palace. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Aquata answered. She led the way to a place that became familiar to Andrina as they neared their destination.

"Why did you bring us here?" Her younger sister questioned the minute she saw the fair grounds come into view.

"I have a hunch," Aquata replied.

The two mermaids stopped short once inside. Aquata got comfortable and hugged Ariel close. Her youngest sister had calmed down a little, which made both elder sisters sigh with relief.

"Ariel, I want you to do something for me," Aquata instructed kindly.

"Okay," Ariel whispered.

"I want you to look around and tell me if you recognize this place."

"Aquata, what are you-" Andrina started to ask just as it dawned on her.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Ariel let her eyes wander around their surroundings.

"I'm gonna give you to Andrina now," Aquata told her. "I'll still be here."

Ariel allowed Aquata to hand her over to Andrina. She relaxed the minute she felt her best friend's arms wrap around her.

"El?" Andrina asked after a few minutes had passed.

Ariel suddenly shut her eyes tight as though she were in pain.

"Ariel!" Aquata and Andrina shouted in unison.

Ariel couldn't answer them due to the memory that had a strong hold on her. She clung to Andrina as though her world depended on it.

"Ariel!" Andrina shouted in an attempt to grab her attention. "El, come on, come back to me, come back to us."

Ariel opened her eyes a few minutes later.

"Andrina?" She asked weakly.

"Thank Mo," Andrina breathed. "El, I'm right here," she assured her. "I have you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ariel said a little shakily. "I'm fine. Andrina, I'm tired…really tired."

"I know, El. We'll go home soon. But first, I need you to tell me if you recognize anything about this place."

"A little," she replied.

Aquata kept her joy inside. She wasn't sure her plan would work, but apparently it had done some good.

"What do you recognize about it?" Andrina asked.

"It's a fair ground," Ariel replied. "In my dream, I got lost and you were looking…looking for me and calling my…calling my name…Andrina, I'm…tired…really tired…"

"Okay, El, we're going home." Andrina soothed. She led the way back to the palace with Aquata following close behind.

Getting back home, Andrina tucked Ariel in bed and made sure she would be okay before turning her attention to Aquata.

"What was Ariel talking about?" Aquata asked as she watched Andrina comb a hand through their baby sister's hair.

"She's remembering something," Andrina said in a joyful whisper. "When she was five, she snuck into my school chariot on the day of a field trip my class was taking to the fair. She got lost there and I was frantic with worry. I found her twenty-minutes later, but it was still scary. That's what she's been dreaming about. I think it's her mind's way of trying to regain her memory."

"Let's hope so," Aquata said.

"Andrina?" Ariel mumbled.

"Shh, shh, El, I'm right here," Andrina assured her. "I'm here."

Aquata sighed. She just prayed that Ariel would regain her memory sooner rather than later…

Ariel opened her eyes to find herself in the same room with the twinkling lights and statues as before. She knew exactly where to go this time. She just prayed she would be able to find her way out.

Following the same familiar path as before, Ariel managed to find her way out.

She woke up with a start soon afterwards. Realizing Andrina was the only one there, Ariel sat up, preparing to leave the room. She knew where she had to go and she had a feeling it was the key to help her remember.

"Ariel?" Andrina asked as her green eyes opened. "El, are you okay?"

"UH-huh," Ariel replied. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

"Okay. Be careful," Andrina advised. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"That's okay," Ariel replied. 'I'll be okay."

"Okay."

Once out in the hallway, Ariel took a quick bathroom break so she wouldn't be lying to her sister. She found she was thirsty as well.

After getting a drink, Ariel made her way to the room she had seen in her dream. She knew it had to be around here somewhere. She just knew it.

Taking a left when she got to the end of the second hallway, Ariel knew she was on the right track.

Hearing faint music up ahead, she sped up a little bit. She almost banged into the door, she was so excited! She stopped just in front of it with her right hand inches from the frame. Now that she was here, she wasn't sure whether going inside was such a good idea. Dreaming about it was one thing, but this was real. What if she disturbed something valuable or got lost in the depths of the room itself?

Shaking herself out of her temporary state of fear, Ariel took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Swimming inside, she was greeted by the sound of familiar music as well as the sight of dozens of different colored lights. The lights seemed to be winking at her from every inch of the ceiling above.

It was only when Ariel glanced ahead of her, did she see the statues. They were everywhere! She couldn't believe it. She had made it. She had finally found the mysterious room from her dream. Now if only it would help her remember.

It was then that she spotted something atop a statue in the middle of the room. It was a tiny box of some kind with a key on the side of it.

Feeling drawn to it, Ariel swam forward. It didn't take her long to reach the statue. She floated in front of it, not sure what to do next.

The tiny box, which now looked slightly bigger close up, was resting on top of the statue's base as though it had been waiting for her.

Reaching out a tentative hand, Ariel had barely touched the object's surface when she heard someone address her from behind.

"Ariel?"

Ariel pulled her hand back as though she had been burned and whirled around to face who had just spoken to her. She gasped when she saw it was none other than her father!