"Your highness, your parents have arrived." A young maid said.
"My parents?" Ariel repeated. "I wasn't aware they were visiting."
"Yes, they wanted to surprise you."
"Thank you, Audrey."
Ariel placed her book she was reading down on the night stand beside her bed and headed down. She found her parents and her three unmarried sisters standing in the entrance way.
"Risti! Lani! Deli!" Ariel shrieked. She ran over to her sisters and gave them a hug. "I missed you guys so much."
"Oh my gosh, Ari, you have to tell us everything!" Arista said.
"Ariel." King Triton spoke up.
"Daddy. Mother." Ariel went to give both her parents a hug. "How come I didn't hear you were coming?"
"We wanted to surprise you, sweetie." Queen Athena smiled. "How are you?"
"I'm really good, actually." She smiled.
"Where's Eric?" King Triton asked.
"He went into town to do some business. He should be back soon."
"I'm assuming you both are getting along?" He said.
"We're great." Ariel smiled. "And I know you are all thinking this so no, I'm not pregnant."
"No?" Her mother questioned. "You sure? You've been together long enough that you should be."
"I'm positive. Anyways, you guys can just hang around here or go into town. I'm going to go back up to my room."
"Can we come?" Adella asked. "We need to catch up."
"Let's go down to the beach then." Ariel said. Her sister's followed her down to the beach and they all sat down on the sand. "Isn't the view just gorgeous? The sunset is the best."
"Yeah, but I want to hear about Eric." Alana said.
"Yeah me too." Arista said.
"He's very sweet." Ariel replied with a smile. "But he gets very jealous very easily."
"Jealous of what?" Alana asked.
"Me. Danny came to Denmark's ball two weeks ago, I think it was, and Eric got jealous because I hugged and was talking to him."
"So how is it?" Arista asked.
"How's what?"
"She means when you consummated." Adella said.
"Oh... Honestly it was painful the first and second time, like very. We actually just consummated our marriage a week ago so that's why I told mother and daddy I'm positive I'm not with child."
"A week ago? You've been married for what, almost three months?" Alana said.
"I wasn't going to consummate with a man I didn't know, or only knew for a day, on our wedding night, Alana."
"It makes sense." Adella said.
There was silence between the four sisters before Ariel broke it. "Eric told me he loves me."
"What?" Alana said. "He loves you?"
"Do you love him?" Arista asked.
"I don't love or hate him." Ariel said, gazing out into the ocean. "I don't know how I feel." She could hear Max beginning to bark which meant Eric was back. "Come on, Eric is back."
"Does he own a dog?" Adella asked.
"Yeah, his name is Max and he's a little sweetie." Ariel smiled. They walked back up the steps and found Eric talking to her parents.
"Good, good." King Triton said.
Eric smiled when he saw Ariel and wrapped his arm around her, giving her a kiss on her cheek. "What have you been up to all day?"
"I've been reading." Ariel said. "It's a rather interesting book. I found it in the library."
"Since when do you read books?" Arista asked.
"Since I haven't had my sisters to go messing around with." She said. "I'm glad you all came to visit. I miss you."
"Well we were hoping for some good news." Queen Athena said.
"I think that I haven't killed Eric yet is good news." Ariel said. "Or I didn't kill myself."
"What?" Eric asked, looking at her. Ariel replied with a smile and hug. "You're awful. Why did I agree to marry you again?" He joked.
"I was just thinking the same about you, Eric."
"Well your father and I are glad you have taken a liking to Eric, Ariel." Athena said. "Just a little disappointed your not bearing a child yet."
"I'm in no rush, mother. Our main priority was getting to know each other more than having a child. But hopefully soon we'll have news like that to share."
"I'm sorry to be disturbing." Grimsby said. "But Prince Eric, we have some things we must go over."
"Please excuse me, sir." Eric said. "And I'll see you in a little bit."
Ariel nodded and watched as he exited the room with Grimsby. "How long will you be here for?"
"We're leaving tomorrow night." Athena said. "We're going to visit Aquata next."
"Oh, I wish I could come. I feel like I haven't seen her in forever."
"You should come then." Alana said. "Daddy could have the captain bring you back before we go home and..."
"Afraid not." King Triton said. "We're taking a different route back."
"It's okay, really. I should stay with Eric anyways." Ariel said.
Ariel's parents and sisters stayed at the palace that night. They ate dinner with Ariel and Eric and then went up to their rooms. Her and her sister hung out in her suite laying on Ariel's bed together.
"Okay, you girls, except for my girl, has to go." Eric said entering the room.
"No, we're having a sleepover." Ariel said. "You can go sleep in a different room tonight."
"You're kicking me out of my room? Since when did you become the boss of my palace?" Eric asked walking closer to the bed towards her.
Ariel smiled. "Since I married you." Eric picked Ariel up, newlywed style in his arms, causing her to laugh. "Eric, put me down."
"No, you're sleeping with me tonight in this room or another."
"Eric come on." Arista said. "We haven't seen Ari for almost three months."
"Yeah, just give her us tonight. We're leaving tomorrow." Alana said.
"Tomorrow she can be all yours." Adella said.
"Yeah, Eric."Ariel said. "Put me down."
"Alright, but only because your sisters are leaving tomorrow." Eric placed Ariel back on the floor and gave her a kiss. "But I'm expecting you beside me in our bed tomorrow. No exceptions."
Ariel smiled. "Of course." She climbed back into bed when her husband left the room and saw her sisters staring at her. "What?"
"You and Eric!" Alana shrieked. "And you say you don't love him? He clearly loves you."
"Yes, he does, but I don't know if I ever will. I'm attracted to him but being attracted to someone is one thing and loving someone is another. I don't know... I'm trying really hard to fall in love with him, but I just don't know if I ever will."
"I think you will. He seems like a great guy." Arista said.
"He is." Ariel smiled. "He really is and that is why I'm trying very hard to love him."