Ariel could feel her heart racing, as both princesses sped out of the castle, going as fast as their fins could take them. Ariel's eyes were glued to her grotto; now that the drama of her father was over with for the night, she could relax in the comfort of her sanctuary. Lena held on tightly as the speed of Ariel was on a different level than anything she had ever felt before; even the sight of Flounder and Vink behind them felt like a blur, as the mermaid got faster, she has surpassed the speed of a shark, and had the bloodlust for what she wanted, as the entrance to her grotto quickly came into view.
All of her fears, all the little problems, and lies that her father had arrogantly and aggressively spewed down her throat ever since she was little were melting away as the red-haired mermaid grabbed hold of the heavy rock once again, allowing Lena, and the others to enter the only place where she felt calm.
Ariel could feel her hands shaking for a moment, and as she felt a tingle of happiness, something only possible that was beyond the comfort of her sisters, the little piece of the ocean, her shrine to humanity that Daddy viewed as a sin, but not to her; it was the whole world.
These human treasures, their shipwrecks and shortcomings—those were the only things that mattered anymore; they showed Ariel that the world had more history, more to see beyond the vast blues of her father's ocean, it was the unknown that she needed to explore. Ariel wondered if Lena ever felt the same, or if her love for the human world was simply a hobby or mere excitement over the little details of each new find? Ariel quickly shook her head as the princess swan gently up to a box full of random bits, and bulbs, and gizmo's galore, eying the excitement that Lena was feeling as the blond princess dug and looked at everything in her collection with a grin that rivaled her own, something that didn't last long, as she gazed upon her old music box.
"Hey, I've got a question for you, Lena, do you think my collection's complete? Like do you think I have enough or is this becoming a silly little struggle to feel different and away from my father?" Ariel let out, as the red haired mermaid slowly spun a globe, as her emotions started to sway a little.
"Oh! Well, it's a wonderful collection that you have in here, and it far surpasses my own collection, and no, Ariel, I don't think that it's enough. Because if you think about it, we're only in one part of the ocean; there have to be countless wrecks and places where treasures can be found, not to mean who knows what lies on the actual surface world. We could probably spend years, even decades, looking and trying to find them all; no way any collection would be complete." Lena said, grabbing a small whisk from Vink's fins, going up to Ariel, and showing her the little toy making bubbles, giving Ariel a grin. As the mermaid pulled out a pipe and let flounder blow into it, sending a burst of bubbles into Lena's face, sending the mermaid into a fit of laughter, as the sounds of happiness echoed throughout the grotto, as the four friends grabbed and used whatever they could to have fun.
"Hey, Ariel? What's up with the crab, Sebastian, was it? He seems like he always has a guilty look on his face around you. I saw him for a brief moment, hiding behind the king, but he never talked as if he tried not to exist; did something happen between you guys to make him seem off? Because when I saw him at the concert, he was happy, smiling and full of life when he was around your sister's and the others." Lena whispered, causing Ariel to look down at the ground, gazing at one of her treasures that had gotten dusty and lost to time. It was a small item, but to Ariel it was a bitter remainder of when the friendship between her and Sebastian had faded.
"It was about the memories back then; we used to go on so many adventures, looking for treasures; each one was more personal than my longing for the world above, but a little piece of our friendship, across the years. Me, Flounder, Sebastian, Ollie, and Gabriella, Urchin, my sister's, in some way or another, a piece of treasure or the tiniest thing of jewelry was special. That was until the most evil sea witch returned to the palace, and that's when everything went downhill! Like always, me or Daddy solves the problem, but at the price of Sebastian, having to tell my father a little more about my adventures and how Ursula nearly used it to overtake the kingdom and control the sea.
"This little toy wand was from the human world, something I saw some kids playing with, dropping it into the sea, and I grabbed it during the day when we went to a magical friend again; it was the most treasured secret possible, one in this kingdom that would have affected everyone. After that day, things changed between us; my sisters stopped joining me, focusing on being good little girls for my father, knowing that it broke my heart; my friends still followed but had to stop knowing his eyes were still lingering angrily around me, and all I had left was flounder to keep me company. I know that things would've been different if I didn't involve others, or maybe it was meant to happen, because the magic wand was the closest thing I had ever felt to having a different life before he completely banned the idea of the human world once again." Ariel declared, looking down at the want for another moment, watching it sparkle as she quickly hid it under the sand, away from her dark thoughts and crazier desires of chaos and power. It was best to leave the past and return to the happier moments of now, as the bright light of fireworks ignited the night sky, causing the group to look up in awe. Something was happening above, as it meant humans were above them, and that meant the rare chance to see more and experience them even closer than ever before. However, little did they realize tonight wasn't going to be a simple boat party. As the eyes of the witch gazed up at the night skies burst of colors, soon it was only painted in black smoke and red flames of destruction.
—--
Trish sighed as the eldest daughter sat next to her sisters; each of them was more focused on what to do than the last. The idea that Trish had was crazy at the moment, with the family debating whether for the eldest sister to become the Queen once they returned home to the palace. It was quickly becoming known throughout both sides of the palace that the King's weren't as reasonable as they seemed, or rather, Triton was more like an unstable dictator, while their father was a shy, kind soul who dared to defy someone more powerful than him.
Out of the six older sisters' only Trish was keen for the throne, as the other daughters either didn't have the same desire for political tasks, unless it was the only hope of the kingdom, compared to Attina and the others, whereas any one of them was seen for the throne. However, it did beg the question of what was the best way to tell the King's this information, and what would be done if they didn't like the response of the daughters overtaking the sea? Not to mention, the people within the kingdom would have their own fears, joys and expectations towards all of them for daring to replace their own father's judgment and way of life. Trish knew that her kingdom would be okay, as they were so peaceful and reasonable, it was unreal. However, that wasn't the case for Attina and her sisters, as the history of her kingdom was like hearing a broken fairy tale.
The list of battles and issues ranged from Trident going off on his daughter's, destroying human ships and islands, to the battles against sea witches. Although it felt hollow to the future Queen, as he had also fought kingdoms for treasure's power, and it was becoming less about the safety and wellbeing of his people. Not to mention the great era of silence where music, laughter and hope were taken from everyone; the rumors of him locking up his daughter's like prisoners for the wonderful gift of music. The happiness that was delivered in the concert would have never happened without Ariel and her family defying the fool and forcing him to cave into one of the bare needs for a kingdom to thrive, a community that cares and expresses itself.
"I think it would be best to continue this issue tomorrow. Is it probably best for Lena and Ariel to return? Surely their opinions should be counted towards dealing with our father's and the royal matters at hand!" Trish whispered, swimming away to tell the daughters of Triton, as the others simply nodded. It was a hard issue to talk about and one that felt like a big descent into madness and control that was bound to last several days.
"Hopefully tomorrow will be more fortunate? I'd hate to see Lena and Ariel be bound to the decisions of everybody, but options are few and far between. Besides, surely they'll see that this is the better outcome knowing that we care for them, compared to how Triton cares for them." Trish whispered, letting out a sigh as the princess decided to let Attina know that decisions were on hold till tomorrow, when the Kings would be out of the palace for a few hours. Maybe then they would band together to overcome this foolishness and rebuild the ocean to a peaceful place once again, just as the late Queen Athena hoped for!
—--
Deep within the dark, and murky waters, did a figure roam, grinning with a twisted grin, as she stood outside of her sister's hideous hideout.
"It's time we meet Big Sister Ursula; hopefully you'll be more inviting and willing to cooperate since the last time we've spoken. Hmm, ungrateful fool is probably trying to plot the downfall of Triton again; let's see what happens when I step into her little world." Cassandra whispered, swimming into the mouth of her sister's domain, unaware of the fact that eyes had been following her since the beginning; after all, nothing escapes the world of family. Suddenly, Cassandra stopped in her tracks as she felt a shiver run down her spine. As the sounds of laughter boomed throughout the cave, her sister knew she was here!
"Sister, please come inside; I won't bite you! Please come and give your big sister the satisfaction she craves; surely you'll be a dear and prove that you're still better than Morgana." Ursula boomed as the sea witch grinned deeply in the shadows of the sea, ready to begin the downfall of Triton once and for all.