458Chapter Thirty Three
A/N: I do not own any characters with the exception of OCs. Everything else belongs to either JK Rowling or Disney.
*ducks incoming projectiles* Sorry! I didn't mean to have such a long pause between updates. Unfortunately, I got distracted by another story and its plot fairy bit me where the sun don't shine. Strike while the iron's hot if you know what I mean.
Hope you're all doing okay in terms of COVID-19. it's been pretty bad over here, though thankfully my state hasn't had it too rough. Knock wood.
Please let me know your thoughts on the chapter! I hope you enjoy it! :D
Andrina made her way to the throne room, thankful for the lack of fin traffic in the halls. If anyone had hindered her, she might have lost her nerve in going to her father.
Alana and Ariel obviously didn't want anyone to know where they were going, she thought as she continued to make her way down the hall. If I do this, they'll probably never talk to any of us again.
Except for the fact that there's no way they'll know, a nasty little voice echoed inside her brain. Father's the Sea King after all—both Alana and Ariel know that father has informants across every body of water. It would be easy for them to assume that's how he found out.
Taking a steady breath, Andrina swam into the throne room where, unbeknownst to her, her father was currently in a meeting with Attina.
"Father, I—oh, my apologizes," Andrina said as she realized what she had interrupted. "I can come back if you're busy?"
"Andrina, it's alright," Attina said with a smile. "Father and I were just finishing up."
"What can I help you with, Andrina?" Their father asked. Andrina took the time to look at her father. The weeks with Ariel missing seemed to age him even more than he already had in the ten years since their mother's death and Harry's disappearance. His beard, if possible, seemed whiter and it almost appeared as if he hadn't slept in days.
"Andrina?" Attina's voice broke into her thoughts and Andrina flushed at being caught woolgathering.
"My apologizes father," she said with a slight bow of her head. "Aquata, she had a theory as to where Alana might have run off to."
"Where?" Attina asked, her attention fully on her younger sister as she swam up next to Andrina. "We've searched all of her usual hiding spots."
"Aquata kept her map," Andrina said simply and Attina gasped, as if realizing exactly what that meant.
"What map?" Their father asked.
"Did Alana know?" Attina asked, their father's question going unanswered.
"What map?"
"What, that Aquata kept it?" Andrina asked. "Yep. Knew exactly where it was too."
"Girls!" Triton exclaimed, causing his two eldest to look at him. "What is this map you're referring too?"
"The map mother would make," Andrina said quickly, as if stemming off a reaction. "On our trips on our eighth birthdays and onward."
Triton seemed to turn still, as if thinking about their mother still hurt him in some way.
"I thought we got rid of those?" Attina asked after a few minutes of silence, as if allowing their father a chance to think.
"Did you?" Andrina asked with a chuckle as Attina shook her head. "Neither did I. However, I never showed Alana where mine was. Aquata did."
"Why would she do that?" Attina groaned.
"Have to ask her that," Andrina shrugged before looking at their father, who was still deep in thought. "Father, the map…the map marked the route mother used to take us for our visits to the Black Lake."
Attina gasped and Andrina braced for an outburst. While she logically knew their father wouldn't be mad at her for delivering the news, Andrina knew her father would still be angry.
"Contact with the Black Lake is strictly forbidden! Alana knows this!" Triton exclaimed, his eyes growing dark with anger. If he had his trident, it probably would have been glowing orange.
"If she thought Ariel was there, she might go regardless," Andrina stated. "Father, I speak for all my sisters that if we thought one of us was in danger, we'd do whatever it took to get them back."
Triton was silent and Andrina couldn't help but worry that she had overstepped. Attina was usually the only one who could say something like that to their father without fear of punishment from their governess for talking out of turn.
To her surprise, Triton began to chuckle. "Just like your mother," he said, a hint of wistfulness to his voice before growing stern. "You're absolutely certain you believe that's where Alana has gone?"
Andrina looked over at Attina before focusing her gaze back at her father. She gave but a single nod of her head.
"Very well," Triton sighed. "I must stay here to manage the searches in the other corners of the realms. I'll need to send—"
"Father, let me go," Andrina spoke up. "Attina's needed here, to focus on her queen studies and to look after the others. Our sisters can help you organize the search parties from here and Lord Black will certainly contact you if it's something I can't solve."
"No, absolutely not. You know the law—"
"Yes, father. Contact between the Black Lake and Atlantica is forbidden," Andrina nodded. "But isn't it worth bending the law if it meant we not only got back Alana and Ariel but your trident as well?"
"Nicely played," Attina muttered.
"Why thank you," Andrina muttered back, her eyes focused on their father who seemed deep in thought once more, as if trying to come up with a counterargument to the points she had presented. "Father, you said that we shouldn't leave any stone unturned. Avoiding the Black Lake when we have a possible lead to at least Alana's whereabouts seems like a very large stone to me."
Triton nodded but remained silent. Both girls waited on tenterhooks for their father's decision.
"You'll go with a guard," Triton said, his voice leaving no room for arguing. "You'll go only to the Black Lake and I'll expect daily contact from either you or Lord Black once you've arrived."
"Yes father," Andrina nodded, knowing it wouldn't be worth it to fight the security measures. Their father had already had two daughters run off and a son disappear, no need to risk another child vanishing.
"Father, isn't Thomas from the Black Lake?" Attina asked. "It would benefit Andrina to have someone who knows the area."
Triton nodded. "I'll reach out to his captain and have him report here. Andrina, how quickly can you be prepared to leave?"
"I can be packed in an hour, father," Andrina said, mentally making her list of what she'd need.
"Good," Triton nodded. "Go, prepare a bag and be back here. You'll travel by the fastest coach in our possession—there will be no delays in your journey."
Andrina knew that wasn't a promise her father could keep. There were plenty of things that could cause delays that were outside of his control but she kept silent. Giving a bow, Andrina swam out of the throne room as quickly as she could.
"Well?" Adella asked as Andrina burst into their shared room. "What happened?"
"He's sending a party to the Black Lake," Andrina said as she grabbed a small tan bag. All she would really need would be a hairbrush, toothbrush and kelp paste and the small bag of savings she had stored in her trunk. Oh, and her map. Even if Thomas knew the way to the Black Lake, Andrina didn't want to risk getting lost.
"Father's actually sending someone to the Black Lake?" Adella gasped.
"What were you thinking?" Attina asked, bursting into the room and cutting off Andrina's response to their sister. "Offering to go like that?"
"I was thinking that someone needed to and that Alana might be more willing to go with her sister than a random guard they've never met before," Andrina stated.
"I should be the one going," Attina said, seemingly calming down but Andrina knew her sister was just getting warmed up. "I'm the eldest."
"You're also the future queen and the only one of us who actually knows how to run the kingdom," Andrina shot back. "You know perfectly well that we're called 'the Heir and the spare and the spare and the spare and the spare and the spare and the spare.'"
"That doesn't mean father wants something to happen to you," Attina told her. "Neither do I for that matter. Promise me you'll be careful."
"Wait," Adella's voice broke through their argument and both girls looked at their younger sister. "Father's sending Andrina?"
"And Thomas," Andrina said, looking back at Attina. "I know you still hold feelings for him, Attina"
"He was my suitor once," Attina sighed. "But guards can't court princesses. Guards can't court anyone. Besides, a princess needs a prince."
"Bull," Aquata scoffed and everyone jumped as they hadn't realized she was there. "Mother always taught us that what the heart wants is more important than protocol. Besides, the few months you were with Thomas were the most relaxed we've ever seen you."
"You deserve happiness too, Attina," Andrina said, giving her older sister a small smile.
"If you go to father, I'm sure he'd—"
"No," Attina said, cutting off Adella's response. "Father's already been pushed enough with bending the law concerning contact with the Black Lake. Once this whole mess is cleared up, I'll consider going to father."
"Don't wait too long," Adella said. "Thomas might decide the single life is best."
"Oh nonsense," Aquata chuckled. "You've all seen the longing look he sends to Attina whenever he's standing guard when we greet father in the morning. He'd wait until the oceans dried up if that's what it took."
"Or until Attina's queen and can do whatever she wants," Adella countered.
Andrina shook her head and chuckled. "A guard would be an excellent brother in law too," she added. "Since father already did a full background check on him before he was able to join the palace guards, he already knows his history."
"Please, give it a rest," Attina sighed, though her cheeks flushed at the thought of potentially marrying Thomas. "I promise I'll give it some more thought when you get back Andrina. Now, promise me you'll be careful?"
"I promise," Andrina said, throwing her bag over her shoulder.
"Okay," Attina nodded. "At least you're not running off into the dead of night like some other sisters I could mention."
"Hey, if father had said no, I would have considered that option," Andrina said with a chuckle. "I just would have let you know first."
Attina shook her head as Andrina swam out of the room, making her way back to the throne room.
"You took less time than I thought," Triton said, looking up from a report. "Thought you'd still be packing."
"Time was of the essence," Andrina said. Sure she had her nightly rituals and creams but she could live without those for this. Her sisters were more important.
Triton nodded and they waited for Thomas to arrive, the awkward silence growing longer and longer the more time went by.
"Sire?" Thomas' voice broke through the quiet and if Andrina didn't know Thomas' heart belonged to her sister, she would have kissed him. "You sent for me?"
"Yes," Triton nodded. "Has your captain told you anything as to the reason for your summons?"
"No your majesty," Thomas said, his back still ramrod straight as he stood at attention near the doorway. "He only told me that you needed me to report to the throne room straight away."
Triton nodded. "Good," he said. "You and my daughter will be going to the Black Lake to investigate a possible lead as to the whereabouts of Alana."
"Yes your majesty," Thomas said and to his credit the news of their destination didn't seem to phase him.
Bet he wishes it was Attina accompanying him on the journey, Andrina thought with an inward smirk.
"Sire, when will we be leaving?" Thomas asked.
"Now."
