Other Fan Fiction ❯ Reprise ❯ Enchantment Under the Sea ( Chapter 22 )

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CHAPTER 22: Enchantment Under the Sea

Elsa met Rapunzel in the hallway. "You look gorgeous," she said.

Rapunzel had oysters clipped to her tail, as she had seen some others do, and put a sangria flower in her hair. "Thanks. You too."

Elsa wore a sash around her waist with a set of sapphire beads hanging in ringlets from the center.

"Can you believe that dressing room? All the cosmetics and frills and ornaments? There were colors I didn't even know existed. And so many things to put in your hair," Rapunzel said.

Ariel swam up behind them. "All ready?"

Compared to her, Elsa and Rapunzel felt underdressed. She had traded her ordinary top for one with star-like glitter. A string of pearls wound around her tail down to the fluke. In her hair lay a tiara of honey gold accentuated with mint emeralds.

"All ready," Elsa said.

Ariel clasped them on the back and led them to the grand hall. Melodious sounds of the band beckoned them in. The mermaids looked dazzling in their bright vestments covered with jewelry. Mermen wore auroral sashes, medals, and metal shoulder pads.

The seahorse herald floating in the doorway coughed.

"Announcing, her royal highnesses, Princess Rapunzel of Corona, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and Queen Ariel of Atlantica."

The crowd cheered. Ariel leaned in to the herald and whispered, "Oh, no, I'm not actually a queen. I'm-"

Rapunzel grabbed her shoulder and pointed. "Are those neon eels? Wow. And look at those lantern fish. So many colors."

"This is the first time I've wanted to go to a ball," Elsa said.

Mermaids and mermen danced with each other in synchronized lines. On the surface, movements were limited to the floor. But in the sea, couples weaved in and out of lines, circled in spheres and loops. Just when they might run into each other, they rotated or slipped past in perfect grace. Spinning and diving and looping, but with the refinement of royalty.

The dance ended. The merpeople bowed to each other wherever they were--on the ceiling , in a corner, or floating in space alone.

The noise died down and Rapunzel heard Ariel describing people present.

"That is King Augustus of Olympia. They're kind of war-like, but they've never actually been to war. And his son Prince Thor is kind of snobby, but good at aquabatics." She gestured to the young man who had an odd blond mohawk with a ponytail. Both father and son wore gold-plated armor as their formal dress.

"Wait, Thor is a Norse name," Elsa said. "But they rule over Olympia, which sounds Greek?"

"Don't ask me. That fat one is King Orto." Ariel pointed out a rotund man wearing bright orange and holding up a goblet. He was laughing hysterically. "He's from Infernius, around a ring of undersea volcanoes. He's great at parties."

"How many kingdoms are there?" Rapunzel asked.

"Eight total. But they all unite under Atlantica's banner. Our kingdom is like the capital."

"Just as long as I don't offend anyone by doing something against customs," Elsa said, looking around nervously.

Now that the dance floor had cleared, the band struck up a bouncier tune. Merpeople cast aside their snack plates. Everyone from the highest lord to lowest knave swam to the dance floor. Rapunzel began shifting her shoulders with the beat.

"That's, uh... that's a pretty good tune," Rapunzel said. "Can anyone dance?"

Ariel laughed. "Go right ahead."

Rapunzel squealed and dove right in. She swirled around as if she were a goldfish in a bowl. Some of her neighbors gave her strange looks, given the human moves she was trying to make in a mermaid's body.

Ariel caught the eye of her six sisters at the other end of the room. They stood in a stolid receiving line as guests of great regard came up to them. Aquata's gaze pierced through the gyrating dancers.

"I think I better join my sisters," Ariel said. "It looks like they're welcoming guests."

"Can I come with you?" Elsa asked. "Dancing's not really my thing."

"Are you sure? It's pretty boring. Maybe go get some snacks first."

"Good idea," Elsa said. "I'll get some for you too."

Elsa positioned herself horizontal and swam to the snack bar. Ariel glided along the walls and set herself in her traditional spot at the end of the line. Alana and Andrina whispered hi, but a lean merman with a thin mustache approached, interrupting their conversation. Ariel recognized him as Satya, the viceroy from the Indian Ocean.

"Princess Ariel. I didn't expect to see you here," said Satya.

"Oh, I'm... just visiting," Ariel said.

"I heard you had gotten married, but didn't know to whom. Who's the lucky merman?"

Apparently, news of her breaking taboo hadn't reached all seven of the seas. "Oh, no one you know."

"Is he here tonight?" the viceroy asked.

"No, no, he had... other business."

The viceroy sniffled. "Must be important to miss the mermaid's ball."

"I'm sure he would have come if he could," Ariel said. Eric would like to see this.

"What kingdom is he from?"

"It's... it's a very small kingdom. Far away from here. You've probably never heard of it."

"Perhaps that is a blessing," Satya said. "If Atlantica wasn't so large, the queenship wouldn't always be in the turmoil it's in. You can hear the arguing all the way to the Caribbean. If three of them agree on something, it's a guarantee the other three won't. Too many crabs in the pot."

Ariel looked over to see if her sisters were hearing this. They were in conversation with other dignitaries, out of earshot. "Atlantica seems fine to me. The fish are happy, the music's playing," she said.

"Well, the nice thing about always being deadlocked is that nothing changes for the worse," Satya said. "Take for example, utility renovation in Eel-lectric City. They had dozens of proposals put to them. All kinds, good and bad. But they couldn't put their tail down on one because none were the perfect solution. They don't understand being a ruler means sometimes having to make a decision. Whether or not it's not all-encompassing. And the longer they take, the more citizens suffer."

"I... I didn't hear about that."

"See, you get it. I don't know why they can't. Anyway, I see the regent from the Gulf of Guinea. I must go to rub in my victory of our last game of pinochle." They shook hands again, said their goodbyes and swam off.

In fact, Ariel had only just "got it" She had watched Eric long enough to know if the kingdom had an issue to deal with, waiting did no good. It wouldn't get better on its own. And on occasion, he had made the decision that didn't make everyone happy. Raising taxes on crops meant angry farmers but, in the long run, better roads and schools.

To her right, a man was kissing Andrina's hand. She was doing her best trying to shake him off, but he wasn't getting the hint.

"Thank you. So much. Prince Finneas. Your sea cottage sounds lovely. I will definitely look into thinking about possibly being interested in joining you there for vacation someday."

Finneas waggled his eyebrows one more time and moved on.

"This happens all the time," Andrina said to Ariel. "They think these dances are just opportunities to court us. It's exhausting."

"Be lucky you don't have these problems," Alana whispered before facing another merman with a monocle. The dance music transformed into a crowd-pleasing mid-beat, encouraging couples onto the floor.

Rapunzel would not stop dancing her tail off. Twisting and turning to the beat while onlookers applauded. She was painting a picture that sound alone couldn't communicate, floating in a serenity no one could interrupt.

"Ariel!" someone shouted. A boy was waving and rushing toward her. Ariel cringed, remembering Andrina's and Alana's warning, until she recognized him.

"Gil? Gil, is that you?"

Her cousin Gil swam up to her. They hugged.

"I haven't seen you in years," Ariel said.

"I thought I'd never see you again." He brushed the stringy cinnamon bangs out of his face. "You went to live in the human world, right?"

"Right. But I'm here for... well, just lucky I guess."

Elsa swam up to them, holding a hand-sized seashell with various tidbits. She wasn't paying much attention, as her eyes were glued to the new food. "I didn't know what you wanted so I grabbed a bit of everything. Most of them taste like different combinations of sugar and salt. I bet they'd be great with some chocolate." She popped something rectangular and grainy into her mouth. "Thif one'f fticky. Like peanut butter and molaffeff. Also, thefe thingf that look like cupcakef are feaweed?"

"Gil, this is my friend, Elsa. Elsa, this is my cousin Gil."

Elsa looked up. Her eyes widened, mouth trapped in mid-chew. She swallowed. "Wow... I-I mean 'how'. How do you do? How are you?"

Gil's eyes didn't blink either. "Fine, fine... great... beautiful. I mean, I'm not beautiful. You're beautiful. Wait, what?"

Ariel smirked. "You know, Gil was just saying how he wanted someone to dance with."

"Oh... really?" Elsa muttered.

Gil offered his hand. "Would you like to?"

Thoughts of this new body, memories of the coronation two years ago, never materialized in her brain. She took his hand and let Gil lead her to the floor. Ariel grabbed the dish out of Elsa's hand before she dropped it.

The music followed the tempo of a waltz. Elsa fell into it naturally, vigilant of Gil's cues while gazing into his eyes.

"I don't dance all that much," Elsa said, clutching for things to say. "At least I can't step on your toes." She forced a laugh.

"Huh?" Gil said.

Agh, stupid. He didn't even know what a toe was. "Um, I mean, I'm used to a different kind of dancing."

"What kind?" Gil asked. He had amazing chestnut eyes. Elsa imagined Gil would be an archer in the human world. His chest was narrow and sculpted, with long lithe arms. Perfect for drawing a bow.

"Oh, um, the kind... from my kingdom. This is my first time in Atlantica. But Ariel's been great helping me out."

"How do you know Ariel?"

"Oh... it's a funny story actually." As funny as you can make trying to kill someone. "I was caught in a shipwreck- um, exploring one I mean. My tail... got trapped under some boards and Ariel saved me."

Gil smiled. "She does love her shipwrecks. You'd never guess she's such an explorer."

"I'm so often surprised by how looks deceive. Especially these days. I mean, look at all these people around us. They're all kings and queens and dignitaries. But I'm sure they've got secrets and things we'd never guess by looking at them."

"What's something I'd never guess by looking at you?" Gil asked.

Where would she start? She was a human. She was a queen. She had ice powers. Most recently, they had fought a wizard capable of bending time. Her cousin had hair seventy feet long that could cure wounds. There was plenty to pick from, if she wanted to end this dance right away.

"Oh... lots of things... If I started telling you my secrets, they wouldn't be secrets, would they?" she chided. Then wanted to throw her head in her hands for sounding like a nanny. "I mean, I just..."

"No, no, it's my fault. Sorry. I didn't mean to ask something so personal. But at least you're honest." He smiled.

She smiled back, realizing he was just trying to get to know her. "How about you? I know you're Ariel's cousin. I wouldn't have guessed that. Does that make you a prince?"

"Technically. But we don't hand out titles or rule any land. Unless you count the ranch for giant seahorses we own."

"You raise giant seahorses?"

"Sure. Most of the seahorses in Atlantica's stable come from us. When Ariel and I were merkids, we raced them into the kelp forests. In fact I was late today because one... well, it's a long story."

"Tell it," Elsa said excitedly.

"Okay. So we've got Starflash. He's usually good, but he's been getting ornery for some reason. I thought it was because of the new feed. When we got them all in for the night, he wasn't there. Now when a seahorse gets out, that's loads of trouble. They wander off and they're easy pickings for a shark."

"They must be hard to find too," Elsa said, spinning as he raised his arm. "It's not like they leave tracks."

"Darn near impossible. But I volunteer to go out and look for him. Which makes me easy pickings for a shark. But I'm thinking I can't just do nothing and write him off."

"That sounds so brave." The story made Elsa tense, even though he obviously survived. "Did you find him?"

"Yup. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world. Found him nestled up in some rocks under a plateau. And right beside him was a brand new baby calf. Can you believe it? I had no idea he was carrying."

"Wait, he had a baby calf?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, the males keep the baby in their egg pouch. Didn't you know that about seahorses?" Gil gave her a quizzical look

"Oh. No I didn't." Clearly this was something she should have known so Elsa redirected him. "So Starflash is all right?"

"Oh, yeah. It's the calf that's the ornery one now. Fatherhood must be taking it out of him. Little girl's always tail-wrestling. In fact, that's how she got her name--Curly."

Elsa couldn't stop grinning. Her cheeks were sore from smiling so much.

Trumpets sounded. Merpeople cleared the dance floor. Gil escorted Elsa off to the side as the herald stood at the end of the room.

"What's going on?" Elsa asked.

"It's time for the Atlantican Royal Dance," Gil whispered. "It's a tradition."

"Ahem-hem..." the seahorse herald said. "And now, for your enjoyment, the seven royal sisters shall conduct 'the dance of the princesses'."

The herald swam to the side as the crowd applauded. Arista and Aquata led the sisters two-by-two to the dance floor. They reformed into a circle, hands in the middle, waiting for the music to start.

The band played a smooth, low-toned melody of nobility and awe. They rotated along the circle, changing direction with the rhythm.

"First time we've done this all together in years," Adella whispered.

"Wasn't I here the year before?" Ariel asked.

"No," Arista snapped, still whispering. "You left after the first song. You said you had to write a letter."

"Arista, ease up. She's here now," Andrina whispered. She turned to Ariel. "Do they dance like this on the surface?"

"A lot like this," Ariel said. "We actually have a lot in common. There's an instrument just like the sea calliope. And they have a version of the crab scouts. And the same games and art and music."

Arista sniffed. "Good to know you've been having such fun since you left. Meanwhile we're just down here, running a country the size of the ocean."

"I have my own kingdom too, you know," Ariel said.

"Then the human world must be a real paradise. It can run itself without a leader."

"That's not true. We're having problems," Ariel said. And she knew exactly why--because of her. "It's hard... making decisions."

"You have no idea how hard it is, even when it's peaceful," Arista said.

The circle spun round and round, faster and faster.

"It's up to you all to share the leadership. Daddy always said working together was-"

"Don't you dare talk about Daddy," Aquata chimed in. "You didn't even come for his funeral."

"How could I have?" Ariel asked. "I was human. I was in a totally different world. How was I supposed to get there? I can't change back and forth."

"You should have found a way. They still have magic on the surface, right?" Aquata snapped.

"You got here, didn't you?" Adella added.

"That's different. And that's the whole reason I'm here. I'm trying to find a solution to get rid of it," Ariel said. Were they all taking the opposite side? The spinning faces whirled, spitting out arguments she couldn't keep track of.

"So you do hate being a mermaid," Arista said.

"No!" Ariel said.

"Daddy wouldn't have died if you hadn't gone to the surface," Arista said.

Arista, Andrina, and Alana gasped. "Arista! How can you say that?"

"Well, it's true. He died of a broken heart." Arista looked at Ariel. "When you left, everything went bad."

"That's not my fault," Ariel said. "This isn't my kingdom anymore, it's yours. I don't know why you aren't getting along, but it's not because of me."

"You had a responsibility to your kingdom. To Atlantica," Arista said. "Now you aren't here, so you don't know. You went to the human world and left us. I just hope you're proud of yourself. Because we're all miserable."

The music stopped, as did the conversation. All seven raised their hands in the air, reaching toward each other in a halted circle. The crowd was applauding, but no one saw the eyes making dirty glances at each other within.

The sisters turned away and swam from the dance floor, leaving Ariel in the center, breathing deeply.

Elsa didn't notice how stoic Ariel was. She was still clapping. "That was amazing," she said to Gil.

"Thing of beauty," Gil said. "Something about royalty makes it more elegant." He put his hand on her arm.

She seized, heart pounding. His touch felt like an invigorating blast of ice. "I- I- I- I-"

Her eye caught someone in green floating into the hall. It was Dudley, holding a large bound book.

"Oh, excuse me," she said. "There's... I... someone just came in... I need to speak with... not another guy, just... information... he has. Excuse me." She turned away and started to swim, cringing from that stew of nonsense.

"Oh... okay." Gil gave a confused, half-hearted wave.

Elsa turned back. "I loved dancing with you." Then turned around again. Ugh, why did she say that? It was true, but it sounded so awkward.

Elsa found the yellow ribbon trailing in a corkscrew from Rapunzel's maneuver.

"I'm not even tired," Rapunzel said. "This is so fun! I have a sugar headache from all the snacks. We should all dance together." She twirled around, her hair trailing behind.

"Dudley's here," Elsa said.

"Oh." Rapunzel stopped. "Let's get Ariel."

Ariel was still in the middle of the floor as others danced around her. She tugged on her arm.

"Wh-What?" Ariel said. Elsa pointed to the sea turtle in the doorway.

The three of them swam off the dance floor and approached him.

"Dudley, did you find something?" Elsa asked.

"Ah-huh," Dudley said in his weak little voice. He handed them the book wrapped around his flipper.

Elsa held it out for them all to read. "This book is ages old. Written by... Abirmus nyz Ikstus."

"He was an ancient sorcerer and scholar, before Atlantica was founded. This must have been deep in the archives." Ariel turned to Dudley. "How long did it take you to find this? It must have been hours."

"Uh... no... it was... on the shelf... right next to me... Just... rushed here."

Elsa studied the text. "It's talking about relics of the gods. Artifacts and fragments left behind... Here. 'The sands of time are a divine essence leftover from the creation of the world. Eternally falling from the beginning of infinity to its end. It has no guardian and no destructor. It always has been and always will be."

Ariel took over. "'A single grain made its way into the realm of mortals, where it faded into the terran macrocosm. There it lay for eons, indistinguishable from any other speck of earth'."

"'Until someone discovered its existence'," Rapunzel continued. "'By prying open the mouths of the long dead to hear the whispers of the gods.'"

"'Knowing what its power meant, sorcerers and necromancers went mad trying to find it. Mere preparation for pursuit meant tapping into ancient dark magics. Few remained uncorrupted. Those that weren't lost track of their goal, possessed by their power," Elsa said.

"What's the last thing it says?" Rapunzel asked. "Is there a way to destroy it?"

Elsa skipped to the bottom. "It doesn't say. It's all about the people trying to find it. Messing with fundamental essences, like hate and sorrow. The last man they mention, the madness and chaos deteriorated his spirit. He deteriorated little by little, until nothing remained but hate and anger. He became an incarnation of discord itself."

"Does it know who that was?" Rapunzel asked.

"No." Ariel took a deep breath. "But unfortunately, I do."