Years have passed since Ariel found her place between the land and sea. As queen of Atlantica and a mother of two, she has worked tirelessly to bring peace between merfolk and humans. But peace is fragile—and when a mysterious rift opens beneath the ocean floor, disturbing ancient magic, Ariel is forced to face a truth long buried: the ocean remembers everything.
The story begins as Ariel’s daughter, 17-year-old Melody, dreams of exploring the deeper oceans, where no map dares to reach. She stumbles upon an ancient artifact hidden inside a glowing cave—an hourglass made of coral and enchanted pearl. Unbeknownst to her, the relic is tied to the lost Time Keepers of the Sea, guardians of memory and destiny. When Melody touches it, time fractures, and Atlantica begins to fade—its history, people, even its music slowly vanishing. Ariel, sensing the magic’s pull, returns to the surface to consult her old friend Scuttle and the now-grown Prince Eric. But answers lie not above, but below—in the forbidden Trench of Echoes, where the ocean stores its forgotten songs and cursed souls.
Joined by Melody, Flounder's son Finn, and a witty sea-turtle named Tiko, Ariel dives into the Trench to find the last living Time Keeper—an ancient seer named Nireya, who reveals a heartbreaking truth: the only way to mend the shattered timeline is to journey into the "First Song"—a place beyond the laws of the ocean, where the origins of merfolk were written. There, Ariel faces trials that test her heart, her memories, and her identity. She must relive the moment she gave up her voice, confront the regret of losing her father King Triton, and understand the depth of her legacy—not just as a daughter or queen, but as the bridge between worlds.
Meanwhile, Melody, caught in a parallel current of time, sees a future where Atlantica has turned into ruins and she is the last of her kind. Racing against vanishing stars and shifting tides, she must find her way back and help her mother before the ocean’s memory is lost forever. In a climactic finale set in the swirling maelstrom of forgotten time, Ariel sings a new song—one that blends the music of merfolk, the voice of humanity, and the pulse of the ocean itself. With her voice, the timelines realign, and the ocean breathes again. The Little Mermaid 4: The Tides of Time is a story of legacy, love, and the courage to remember who we are—even when the world tries to forget.
