Part 1: The Fisherman

Catch of the Day

Kristoff gripped the rigging of his small fishing boat, The Ice Harvester and once again checked the nets to see if he had caught anything. Somewhere nearby, Kristoff heard Sven grunt, as the large brown husky (the size of a reindeer in Kristoff's opinion) grabbed a loose rope in his teeth and brought it to Kristoff to tie off.

"Thanks bud," Kristoff smiled at his companion, and took the rope from his only friend's jaws.

Kristoff sighed as he began to secure the rope. He was one of the few fishermen left in Arendelle that didn't belong to the Weselton Fishing Company, which made his job a great deal harder. The Duke of Weselton had long since claimed several areas for his fishermen alone, and the King made no move to oppose him, considering they both were widely known for hating the sea. He sighed as he tied the knot and continued around his small vessel to check and make sure that it was sailing smoothly. Kristoff may not have had the cheapest of prices, but the fish he did sell was at a fair price, and he did have returning clients such as Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna, but even with Oaken's help it was getting harder to make ends meet.

Kristoff was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when he heard Sven's booming bark over the waves hitting the boat. Kristoff, knowing what that meant, rushed to the net to find (sure enough) the net was straining against its hooks on the side of the boat.

Quickly he grabbed the ropes and began to pull the net onto the deck. He managed to haul it up an inch before the net jerked causing the small fishing boat to lurch violently.

"Ah, Sven, help please!" Kristoff half yelled half yelped to his furry companion.

Sven rushed to the rope and gripped it with his muzzle, digging his paws into the wooden deck and growling angrily at the net that stubbornly refused to rise out of the water. After several minutes of pulling and cursing, the net slowly rose out from the watery depths and Kristoff pulled the net into the long tank to reveal-

Kristoff's breath caught in his throat, and even Sven seemed at a loss, for in the net, hissing and snarling was, "A mermaid," he whispered reverently, "A real live mermaid."

The mermaid that was tangled up in his net was by far the most beautiful and terrifying creatures he had ever laid eyes on. Its fish tail was a bright green, its skin strangely tanned and freckled, its hair was a dark strawberry blond tied in two braided pigtails, and its aquamarine eyes were narrowed angrily.

Kristoff was yanked out of his staring when the mermaid began to thrash in the net, and its glare focused on him and it hissed loudly. Kristoff felt himself jump a few steps back, at its violent sound. Kristoff couldn't believe his luck; the king had put a large bounty for any of the sea she-devils that were brought before him. It was widely known that the king held a spectacular hatred for the she-demons, though no one seemed to know why, though the hatred was shared by the Duke of Weselton, and commander of the Arendelle fleet, Admiral Hans Westergard. It was perfect he reasoned; turn in the mermaid for the bounty and he would finally be able to buy the last much needed supplies for the winter. The mermaid hissed at him again and Kristoff smiled, as he stared at the she-demon, its lips curled into a snarl, and it eyes filled with anger and... Fear.

Kristoff's smile faltered. She was afraid of him. Sven let out a loud bark and the mermaid jumped slightly, causing some of the water in the tank to spill out. She looked at Sven wide eyed, and when he barked again she flattened herself against the far side of the tank away from the large hound. Kristoff suddenly remembered something Granpabbie had once told him about mermaids.

"The creatures of the deep are neither good nor evil, just like the men that roam on land. It is the fact they are different from humans that make them as feared as they are. The Mer are wondrous creatures and very intelligent, but they also know that they are hunted, which make them avoid interaction with the surface dwellers all together. Those that are seen are rarely allowed to live, and it forces them to fear and hate humans all together."

Kristoff looked at Sven for a long time, his thoughts only interrupted by the hissing of the mermaid, and the lapping of the ocean against the boat. Sven cocked his head to one side and let out a small whine. Kristoff knew what that meant, and slowly reached into his boot and pulled out his knife.

The mermaid's eyes widened even more, and the fear became more pronounced on her face when the knife came out of his boot. She continued to try to press herself to the far end of the tank away from him and Sven, making herself as small as possible.

"Look," said Kristoff softly trying to look as non-threatening as possible (while holding a knife), "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I'm just going to cut the net, okay? Please don't bite me."

The mermaid blinked, and the anger changed to confusion, and though the fear remained. Kristoff cautiously approached the tank and felt around the net for the opening. After a few minutes groping the net, he finally found what he was looking for. The mermaid's tail had been caught in a rather painful looking way, which was why she hadn't simply swam away, Kristoff reasoned, as it would have ripped her fins. He slowly grabbed the part of the net that had caught and turned to the mermaid.

"I need you to stay still okay," he continued in his calm voice, "I'm going to cut the net, and I don't want to cut you too."

He wasn't really sure if she understood him, but he turned back to the net and began to gently saw off the net that had snagged on the mermaid's fin. After a few more minutes the net finally slipped off of her tail, and Kristoff pulled the net off of her. The moment the net was free the mermaid jerked violently, one of her fins hitting his hand causing his knife to go flying.

"No!" He cried and rushed for it, but he saw it flash once before he saw a splash, signaling that it was now sinking into the depths. Kristoff felt his shoulders sag, he had liked that knife. He turned and saw the mermaid staring at him intently.

"It's alright," he sighed, putting on a smile, "I'll get a new one. I've had that one for so long it's probably time to trade it in anyway."

The mermaid frowned and tilted her head, looking slightly confused, "it was a gift from my dad, or so Granpabbie tells me; I never met my parents so I wouldn't know."

The mermaid continued to look at him, though he now thought he saw a trace of sadness in her eyes. He slowly walked up to the tank and reached out to her. She jerked back and hissed at him, her seashell bra clinking against the rim of the tank.

"Relax feisty-pants, I'm just going to pick you up and then drop you back in the ocean, okay?" Kristoff said, smiling kindly to the jumpy Mer.

He reached for her again, and though she eyed him warily, she did not struggle against him when he gently lifted her up and carried her to the edge of the boat. She suddenly bucked and the mermaid flew from his grasp, knocking him against the deck. He heard a splash, and rushed to the side of the boat, and saw the last of the ripples fade from where she had hit the water. He sighed again, and got to work putting on a second net to cast out to the water. He tied the net to the side of the boat, and then went to unfurl the sails, deciding that it was best to fish in a different part of the sea. Even when he caught several fish, both enough to pay for his supplies, and the cost to repair his net, he found himself unable to stop thinking of the mermaid. Kristoff shook himself, and turned The Ice Harvester back toward the fjords of Arendelle to sell his wares. Even though he mostly concentrated on yelling orders to Sven, and navigating his way back to port, he couldn't help wishing that he had gotten her name.

BatteriezNotIncluded here. Yeah, I know, I should be working on The Mourning Angel's Tears (I need an acronym for that) but this idea wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down so I guess I'll be working both fics. Please Follow, Favorite, and leave constructive criticism.