The Olympic Swimming Princesses
Team 1 Lane 1: Ariel as team captain, Moana, Sofia, and Pocahontas (performing the butterfly)
Team 2 Lane 2 Tiana as team captain, Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle (performing the breast stroke)
Team 3 lane 3 Merida as team captain, Jasmine, Elena, and Mulan (performing the back stroke)
Team 4 lane 4 Elsa as team captain, Anna, Rapunzel, and Aurora (performing the freestyle/front crawl)
It was early morning at Elena's house. She was already awake, but it was extra hard to wake up Sofia. "Sofia, wake up, you don't want to be late for training do you?" asked Elena as she shook Sofia gently. "But Elena, it's 5:30 in the morning and training isn't until nine." groaned Sofia as she rolled over in her bed. "Do you want to risk having to put our bags under the stands again? That's what happened to us last time." said Elena as she pulled Sofia's blankets off of her body in order to wake her up. But Sofia only yawned and rolled over and went back to sleep. Elena sighed and went to take a shower before trying to wake up Sofia again. At Elsa and Anna's meanwhile, Anna was already awake and doing her exercises in order to prevent muscle spasms during her training. Elsa as well, was awake, doing her exercises along with her sister. Elsa while being the captain of the freestyle team, firmly believed that staying fit had its benefits both during and after training and that's why they had been so successful at winning medals at many a competition. In fact, both sisters had a wall in their bedroom which was plastered with medals from previous swimming competitions and it had all started when they had been four years old. But one thing that all the competitors agreed upon, was that hunger was a big issue. Everyone had big appetites when they'd climb out of the 25-meter length pool and everyone was rushing over to a fast food restaurant to fill up their bellies as much as possible in order to feel contentedly full. At Merida's house meanwhile, the team captain of the back stroke team was lying on her stomach on her bed, flipping through an issue of Sports Illustrated which had a huge section of Olympic swimming champions from all over the world. Among them, were Michael Phelps of the USA and Ian Thorpe of Australia. Apparently, Merida wanted to be the female version of the Australian Olympic champion , nicknamed The Torpedo and she hoped that she would achieve big if she would ever be qualified to enter in the summer Olympics. At 6:00 sharp, her alarm clock went off with the sound of "Turkish Rondo." on her clock radio and with deep aggravation, she slapped her finger on it and rolled off of her bed rather lazily. It was time to get up to get ready for training. A few minutes later, she was in the shower, the song of "Pump Up the Jam." Running in her mind as she washed away the dead skin cells from the previous day's work out. At 7:30, all of the friends met at Tiana's house for breakfast. "We ought to eat light, as a rule, I don't advise swimming on a full stomach because it causes more weight and we want to be as light and as buoyant as possible." said Tiana with a warm grin as she made smoothies in the blender for her friends. "Not to mention the horrible cramps." added Merida as she poured herself a bowlful of frosted Mini Wheats. "Oh Merida, that's just an old wives' tale." said Moana with a chuckle. "Mum warns me about it all the time and it's no joke." said Merida firmly as she pours some milk into her bowl. She also puts in a handful of delicious blueberries. "You girls have it easy at least, I always have a hard time keeping my hair out of my eyes." said Rapunzel wistfully as she pours herself a strawberry smoothie into a large Champaign flute. "Alcohol and swimming don't mix." said Elsa firmly as she noticed what Rapunzel was doing. "It's just a smoothie Elsa, no harm done." protested Rapunzel as she added some bananas on the top as well as a purple bendy straw. "She's right Elsa, it's just a smoothie." said Anna as she pats her elder sister on the shoulder. Elsa then breathed a huge sigh of relief. Ariel was the only one who hadn't said anything the whole time that the others had been discussing things back and forth. She slowly and methodically ate her Rice Krispies with strawberries as the other princesses chatted gaily. She was thinking hard about the swim meet the following week that they all had to compete in and it was giving her lots and lots of eternally sleepless nights. Her father of course, supported his daughter's active lifestyle and he hoped that she would someday win a gold medal. But he was also worried that she wasn't getting enough sleep for her brain to function properly. Even Jasmine and Belle seemed to be thinking about the big event on the following Friday. At 8:00, the girls decided to head over to the pool complex where they did their intensive 5-day training. "I hope that we do our absolute best today, we have a huge swim meet next Friday." said Ariel as she addressed her team members in the girls' locker room as they prepared themselves for training. "I've been thinking hard about it too Ariel, being taught to swim from an early age has its perks." said Moana as she gave her friend a big hug. "We're all in this together Chief, don't worry because some day, we'll earn you a gold medal and you'll go to the summer Olympics, just like you've always dreamed of." said Pocahontas as she chucked Ariel on her shoulder with encouragement. "Yeah and even then, we'll be cheering you on from the stands as you do the butterfly for a hundred meters and you'll win a gold medal for that event." added Sofia cheerily as she too, gave Ariel a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. "Thanks girls, I know that together, we can accomplish anything if we put our minds to it." said Ariel with a grin as the four friends gathered for a quick team group hug. Merida on the other hand, had already changed into her green and gold body suit and her latex bathing cap which had a Scottish flag depicted on its front, was on her head and it was holding her crazy mane of red locks in place. Elena had her Mexican flag swimming cap, while Mulan had her Chinese flag bathing cap and Jasmine had her cap with the flag of Saudi Arabia on it. They were known as the team that were the four corners of the Earth. Ariel had named her team the Flying Pisces. Tiana on the other hand, had named her team the Phenomenal Frogs and Elsa had named her team the Floating Icebergs. In fact, she and Anna had thought up the name, since they swam very fast and Elsa was known for her ice powers. "All right team, listen up, we got a big meet coming up next week and we got to be fit if we want to get first place." said Merida importantly as she faced her team mates. "Now Merida, you know that we're much stronger than you're led to think." cautioned Mulan as she gave Merida a dirty look. "Jasmine has the upper body strength to lift a cord of wood." added Elena as she too gazes at Merida's serious face. "One of these days, I don't know, maybe the captain of the team of The Four Corners of the Earth will go to the summer Olympics and win a gold medal and she'll be flying high on a magic carpet after having taken her place on the Olympic podium to receive the medal." said Jasmine as she gives Merida an encouraging squeeze. Merida's face then forms into a great big grin as she hugs Jasmine back with eager determination. "Well, what are we waiting for? We've got a training session to do." said Tiana excitedly from across the pool deck. "We're ready." Said Rapunzel as she puts her latex bathing cap onto her head, her hair snuggly tucked away inside of it. "Let's go Floating Icebergs." Exclaimed Elsa as she puts on her goggles. Soon, the teams were in full practice mode. They practiced diving in from the starting blocks, getting their hands and feet synchronized for the fastest swim possible, turning once they reached the opposite wall, breath control, ways to avoid water going up their noses and ears and so much more. After a session lasting about two hours, it was time to hit the showers. After the girls exited the showers, they did stretches on the pool deck in order to avoid muscle spasms. "Great job team, we'll be back here tomorrow, same time same place." said Elsa as she addresses her team mates in the locker room after the session was over. "Sofia, we need to work on your arm movements a bit more, but you did a great job otherwise." said Ariel as she helped Sofia put on her purple dress. "Thanks Ariel, I need to practice my arm movements a bit more, it's kind of hard to remember everything in one session." said Sofia as she put on her necklace. "I'll be helping you next time Sofia, I'm not just a team captain you know, I'm also your personal coach." said Ariel with a loving smile. Moana and Pocahontas meanwhile were congratulating themselves for a good job done by having themselves each a nice tall glass of water. Merida was sitting on a bench and tying her boots while Mulan was studying her team captain with interest. Earlier, Merida had given every one of her team mates a pat on the back for doing such a good job with their back stroke skills. It was important for Merida to let her team know how they were doing as often as possible, since according to her, it kept them motivated and got them achieving goals together as a team. "So Merida, shooting arrows this weekend? I could use the practice for self defence." said Mulan as she studied her friend closely. "I'm always at the archery grounds on the weekends, that's what I do in my spare time, it helps me relax after a hard week of training you know." said Merida with a grin. "The same reason that I do self defence and karate on the weekends." said Mulan with a grin. "If you like, you're free to join me in an archery competition." Said Merida as she zipped up her pool bag. "I'll teach you how to make those delicious sweet and sour chicken balls you like so much, even if they aren't authentically Chinese food." offered Mulan with a grin as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She knew that Merida often went to eat Chinese food at Golden Dragon after she did her training sessions. Mulan's father Fa Zhou, worked there and often, Mulan was seen there entertaining the guests as they entered and she read them their fortunes. She was the one who gave Merida those paper umbrellas in her drink every time she went. "Then meet me at noon on Saturday, that's when I usually ride down to the grounds to practice." said Merida as she rose up to get ready to leave. "Okay, I usually leave my session at 11:30 in the morning, so that will give me just enough time to have lunch." said Mulan with a grin. In another corner of the locker room, Belle was addressing Rapunzel, Sofia and Ariel about the book club meeting that upcoming Saturday. "Remember, I want each of you to add a book to the book list so that we can have suggestions about what to read next. Anyone can join the Beauty Rose Book Club if they wish, it doesn't cost anything, all you need is knowledge and an open mind." said Belle with a grin. Ariel had already had an idea on what book to recommend. "What about "The Old Man and the Sea?" It's by Earnest Hemmingway." said Ariel with a huge grin. "Good one Ariel, we'll have to read that one soon." said Belle with a wide grin. "What about "To Kill A Mockingbird?" asked Rapunzel with a warm grin. "Good one Rapunzel." said Belle with a wide grin. "What about the entire "Magic Treehouse." Series?" asked Sofia with a huge smile on her face. "We'll have to look at that one Sofia, but great suggestion." said Belle with a grin. Later on, Ariel, Moana, Rapunzel and Merida were all crowded in a booth at McDonalds and they were chowing down on Big Macs and French fries and they were slurping down fruit smoothies, which were quite delicious. "Merida, slow down pretty please, you'll choke yourself silly." said Moana now concerned for her friend. "But I can't help it Moana, I'm starving." Said Merida with her mouth full of hamburger patty along with cheese, special sauce, pickles and everything that went onto a McDonalds Big Mac. "If you choke, we'll have to execute the Heimlich maneuver on you." said Ariel in a sing song voice. "Lassie, I'll be fine, you don't need to worry over me like that." said Merida after she took a long slurp of her blueberry pomegranate smoothie which she had chosen earlier. Rapunzel sighed and took a long swig of her mango pineapple smoothie that was cool to the touch. Across the aisle from them, sat Elsa and Anna along with Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora and Tiana. Even if Tiana made gumbo for her friends quite often, she loved a good treat now and again. Today, she was eating a chef salad with a fish burger. Speaking of Tiana, she was hosting a huge cook off that weekend and she hoped that her friends would show up and cook their best dishes. The only problem was, that her big event was on Saturday and most of her friends were occupied with other events that they had planned. Merida had archery, Mulan had self defence, Belle had her book club and both Elsa and Anna were busy with planning weekend adventures together. Jasmine was roller blading with her friend Elena and they always went to the rink on Saturday afternoons. Aurora always slept in on the weekends, so she couldn't attend many events. Snow White said that she'd definitely attend Tiana's cook off. So did Cinderella, since she had nothing planned for the weekend. Moana usually loved to do kayaking on weekends and if that wasn't enough, she swam for leisure, often floating on her back in a hot tub in her birthday suit at Maui's house. Pocahontas always tagged along wherever Moana went and they always had a lot of fun together. This weekend, Moana and Pocahontas had planned to go camping in the woods with the bare essentials. But there was also the big swim meet that upcoming Friday that was on the back of everyone's mind. Everybody wanted to be able to go to the summer Olympics. But only four could be picked to go to the Olympics as decided by FINA rules. Ariel and Merida of course, hoped that they would be two out of the four to be selected into the Olympic team. As for the other girls who wouldn't be in the games, they would solemnly swear to go to the games and cheer on their team mates. But that upcoming Sunday, the girls had all decided to have brunch at somebody's house. This, even Sofia couldn't turn down. That evening, after supper had been eaten and the dishes cleared away, Merida went upstairs to relax in the tub. She needed time to think about next Friday's important swim meet. She absent-mindedly turned on the jets and lay back in the warm water as she read through a fashion magazine. There was a section depicting celebrities in fashionable swimsuits. So many young men and women from many different countries in fashionable swimwear. And yes, Ian Thorpe was among them, smiling his sunniest smile in front of the camera. As she leafed through the magazine, she barely noticed her mom coming into the bathroom to put away clean towels, washcloths and hand towels. She then laid Merida's pyjamas onto the bathroom counter and smoothed them out. Lately, Elinor had noticed that her daughter had a lot on her mind. After all, she was the captain of the backstroke team, otherwise known as The Four Corners of the Earth. Many a time they had had fund raising events to help get money for the teams and a few times, Merida's team had gotten a lot of funds. One time in particular, they had sold chocolate chip cookies and a lot of people had bought them. Elsa and her team always sold fruits, such as apples, oranges, bananas and pineapples among other fruits. Ariel and her friends always sold lemonade by the pitcherfuls and it was quite popular since Ariel always used her secret recipe. Tiana of course, sold pizza that she made at her restaurant and the teams always divided the money equally if there was some left over for themselves. Sure enough, on the towel rack next to the sink, Merida's green and gold body suit and bathing cap were hanging there to dry for the next day's session. Her towel with the huge Scottish flag was also hanging up there to dry prior to being washed for the next day. Elinor smiled when she saw how relaxed that Merida was while soaking in the tub as she browsed through a fashion magazine of the latest swimwear. Elinor knelt down by the bathtub and massaged some face cream onto her daughter's face. The fresh smell of lavender was enough to relax Merida and she sighed contentedly as she let her mom give her a soothing facial. Elinor then noticed that as she gave Merida her facial, the tension in her forehead and facial muscles seemed to relax. This made Elinor feel good to be helping Merida relax after a hard day practicing at the pool. Next, Elinor took some body oil and massaged Merida's shoulders and hips as she lay splayed out in the bathtub, which was full of silky smooth bubbles that smelled just like fresh flowers in a Scottish forest. As soon as Merida lay her magazine on the table by the bathtub in order to wash her hair, Elinor did it for her. "Sweetheart, you've got a lot on your shoulders, I thought I'd do this for you, you do have a swim meet next Friday and we can hardly wait to see you doing the back stroke with your team members." said Elinor as she gently massaged the shampoo into her daughter's wild red locks. "Oh Mum, I'm actually both excited and nervous about the meet next week, I honestly don't know how we'll do." said Merida as she ducked down to rinse her hair. "I think that you're under estimating yourself my dear, your dad and I are extremely proud of all you've accomplished over the few months that you've been training." said Elinor as she towelled off Merida's hair for her after she had surfaced from under the bath water. While Merida had been underwater rinsing off her hair, her dad timed her with a stop watch for the fun of it. According to the time, she had held her breath for five minutes and eight seconds, which meant that she had beaten her previous record of five minutes flat. After she was all clean, she decided to pretend to be a tuna fish under the ocean. So, under the water she went again and she came up again for a breath periodically. When she came out of her bath, wrapped in a towel with a huge relaxed grin on her face, she was shrivelled up like a prune. The next day, back at the pool, everyone was back at it, practicing hard for the swim meet that was exactly a week from that day. At the end of that day's session, each of the team captains decided that they could knock off early since they were ahead of schedule. So, for the next hour and a half, they leisurely swam around the pool and enjoyed it tremendously while doing so. Even Merida dove off of the diving board and swam underwater with Ariel to see who could get to the other side of the pool first. As it turned out, it was a tie. Next, each princess took turns going down the water slide. In fact, they slid down two by two and the last pair were Merida and Ariel who broke into a crawl as soon as they entered the water. Soon, they were at Domino's Pizza and cutting slices to celebrate the end of a long and hard week. When everyone went home that afternoon, they all had a nice long nap due to how tired they all felt. The next day, at noon sharp, both Merida and Mulan were at the archery grounds. Mulan watched amazed as Merida let her arrow loose and it hit the bull's eye dead center. "Wow, that was the best shot I've ever seen!" exclaimed Mulan as she watched Merida retrieve her arrow. "I've been doing this since I was six." said Merida with a large grin of her own as she looked at Mulan with admiration. Next, Mulan took aim and her arrow hit the bull's eye. "One to one." said Merida excitedly as she noticed this. They had a few more rounds until they got tired. In the end, Merida won the tournament with flying colors. Next, as Mulan had promised, she taught Merida how to make the sweet and sour chicken balls that she so adored from Golden Dragon. In fact, they turned out so well that Merida had to make some more in order to satisfy herself. In the end, she froze the uneaten half of the chicken balls so that she could have them at a later date. Merida also taught Mulan how to make Scottish meat pies and she loved them so much that she too had to freeze some of her food for later. The next morning late, everyone met at Aurora's house for Sunday brunch. She was busily flipping pancakes in the kitchen. "Hi girls, ready for brunch?" she asked as she flipped another pancake in order to cook it properly. Elsa grinned as she produced a large pitcher of fruit punch for the brunch. "I made this with Anna's help last night." said Elsa with a warm grin. Everyone brought something for the brunch so that they didn't need to cook anything else. Cinderella had brought over cheese Danishes which looked very delicious, Snow White brought bacon, ham and sausages, Merida brought hash browns and oat cakes, Pocahontas brought fruit salad and muffins, Moana brought some homemade toast she had spent the entire evening making with her mom over an open fire. Mulan brought the eggs which were scrambled and loaded with salt and pepper, Anna brought banana bread that she had made all by herself without any help, Ariel brought chocolate chip banana loaf which was just fresh out of the oven, Tiana brought over the baked beans and chicken sliders which she had made. Belle brought a gigantic pan full of chocolate croissants and she also had a large pot of tea if anyone wanted to have some. Elena brought along some blueberry and strawberry waffles with the maple syrup and butter and they looked delicious. Jasmine brought yogurt with granola and pop tarts. Rapunzel brought along some delicious cinnamon rolls with chocolate chunks in the middle. Sofia brought the cereal and milk and everyone spread out their brunch items on the counter buffet style. Soon, Aurora's pancakes were ready and everyone got out a plate and filled it with food. Everybody enjoyed their food and they all sat in front of the huge TV set and ate their brunch in stunned silence. A Disney movie was on the set and it was "Fantasia" which Ariel had put on the DVD player. This was the relaxation before the crunch of the practicing for the swim meet that upcoming Friday. After everyone ate their brunch, they went and refilled their plates to go get more. That following Thursday, everyone was at the pool complex. It was their last day of training before the meet. Each team captain were busily briefing their teams about how best to achieve the shortest time possible across the pool for the judges. Eventually, they got through their usual training session and everyone did so well that the captains decided to have a splash party. So, for about an hour and a half, the girls fooled around the pool and had a blast. Merida even went over to the kiddy pool and got the sprinklers and created a huge waterfall. Then, the princesses swam two by two through the waterfall. The last pair to swim through were Moana and Merida and both were smiling sweetly at each other and their arms were linked as they floated serenely in the water. It was just after noon when everybody got out of the pool complex. Everyone decided to go to Domino's Pizza for their lunch and they all had a swell time. "Okay girls, when we go home, I want you all to wash your body suits and bathing caps and make sure that your towels get washed as well." said Ariel to her team as she faced them at a round table at Domino's. Merida told her team to do the same, as did Elsa and Tiana. Everyone agreed that they all had a big day tomorrow and they all wanted to be ready for it. "I know that you're all nervous, but as teams, we can do this." said Elsa excitedly to her team at her table, which prompted her team mates to high five their enthusiastic team captain. "The other swimmers will be washed away like a big tidal wave!" declared Merida enthusiastically as she pumped her fists in the air. "Go Phenomenal Frogs go!" cheered Tiana, Snow White, Cinderella and Belle in enthusiastic unison. "Everybody knows that the Flying Pisces will take a flying leap into the lead and touch the wall first." said Ariel with a cheeky grin on her face. "May the best team win." Said Rapunzel as she raised her glass in celebration. "I have to agree with Rapunzel on that one, let the best team win." said Belle with a grin. "So, this afternoon, rest up as much as you can, because tomorrow is a big day." said Elsa with a warm grin as she dipped her garlic finger into some Donair sauce. "I'm already thinking of turning on the hot tub and going for a nice long soak." Said Anna with a grin as she snuggled in close to her sister. "That isn't a bad idea sis, I could use the relaxation myself." said Elsa as she lovingly put an arm around Anna's shoulders. "I'm going to go take a long and lovely nap." Said Aurora as she let out a loud yawn. "I'm going to lounge on my bed and read a long book." said Belle as she took another sip of her lemonade. When she arrived Home, Merida threw her body suit, bathing cap and towel into the washer and turned it on after putting in the laundry soap. Next, she went outside to relax in the sunshine. Elinor found her lying in the hammock the breeze rustling her curls and framing her face as she slept. Elinor smiled sweetly as she spread out a blanket on top of her daughter so that she could feel more comfortable as she slept on the hammock. "I'll wake you up for supper." she whispered into Merida's ear as she bent over her to give her a loving kiss on her forehead. Moana on the other hand, went for a leisurely swim in her swimming pool and Ariel had come along with her. Both were sitting on floaty chairs and enjoying how relaxing it was just to float in the water and not have to move at a fast speed through it. Cinderella, Tiana and Snow White had gotten together and gone on a baking spree to relax. Jasmine had gone on a flight on her flying carpet and as she drifted through the clouds, she let her mind wander. Pocahontas and Mulan went on a canoe ride and they had a great time. Rapunzel had decided to wash out her long hair and as she got it dried off, she hung out on her veranda and let it trail out behind her and the sun dried it all off in mere seconds. Aurora had her nap and she got a lot of beauty sleep. Elsa and Anna were hanging out in their hot tub and they had the piano music playing in the background as they sipped fruit smoothies that Olaph had made for them. Belle was sprawled out on her bed and she was reading her edition of "Twilight." And she was almost done reading it. Elena and Sofia were having a spa day at Elena's house and they were painting their finger and toenails. "We'll be the prettiest girls at the swim meet tomorrow." said Sofia with a smile as she admired her purple nails. "I know we'll look really nice when we're through." smiled Elena as she admired her sea green nails. Later on, Miranda and Roland came to pick up Sofia to bring her for a nice supper at Dairy Queen. They were extremely proud of their daughter and they wanted to celebrate her achievement. The next day, everybody was up bright and early. Their body suits, bathing caps and towels had been freshly washed the evening before and everyone had huge smiles on their faces. Everyone was both excited and nervous, but they knew that doing their best was all that really mattered. First of all, the team captains came onto the decks and they were followed by their three team mates. The rules of the meet were as follows, each team captain would do their swimming, then one at a time, their team mates would perform their individual strokes. All of the princesses' families had come to watch them swim and cheer them on. Among the throngs were King Triton and Queen Athena and King Fergus and Queen Elinor and Ariel's sisters and Merida's triplet brothers. Sofia's family was there as was Moana's family and her grandmother were also there. Elinor had her camera at the ready since she didn't want to forget this day for as long as she lived. Sure enough, there was Merida, dressed in her green and gold body suit and the bathing cap that depicted the Scottish flag on it and she waved energetically at the camera. Next, all four team captains posed for a group photo and They all did a high five for the camera. Before long, the team captains got onto the blocks and their assigned lanes. "We have Ariel in lane 1, Tiana in lane two, Merida in lane three and Elsa in lane four! May the best team win!" boomed the announcer over a loudspeaker. Each team captain got themselves into position to start their swim. In the audience, everyone whooped and cheered. The other princesses were seated off to the side so that they could watch their captains do their performances. Ariel, Tiana and Elsa were on the starting blocks while Merida was in the water facing the pool's edge whilst grasping onto handles that would allow her to pull out into her assigned lane. As she got herself into position, Fergus turned on the video camera to capture her swim. The next thing that everybody knew was, was that the beeper went off and the princesses were in the flight of their dive. Both Elsa and Ariel had done a grab start whilst Tiana had done a track start. The judges were amazed as Ariel entered the water in the smallest hole possible. "Look how beautifully Ariel dove in and did her break-out!" beamed the commentator. Ariel's family beamed. They knew that she was an excellent swimmer. Merida was already in her crawl as she pulled with her arms and got into a stream lined position. All four captains maintained their speed as they swam across the 25-meter length pool. They were to do four laps around the pool which totaled to a hundred meters. When Merida reached the opposite wall, she did a tumble turn before flipping onto her back again. Both Ariel and Elsa did an open turn while Tiana did a tumble turn. "Sweetheart, you're doing great, just keep swimming!" crowed Elinor excitedly as she watched the pool deck intently. Everyone in the audience was cheering them on as the foursome swam their laps. When Merida was nearing the end of her swim, she noticed that the energy was getting intense. Everybody and their kingdoms were pulling for her to qualify for the summer Olympics in Sydney Australia. As soon as she climbed out of the pool, she wrapped her towel around her waist and sat in the spot that Jasmine had occupied. It was now Jasmine's turn to do the back stroke. Moana, Anna and Cinderella got ready to do their swimming. Those that had already swum, were free to go to the showers and sit in the spots where their team mates had been sitting to watch the race to cheer them on. Also, the judges were tallying up their scores and everybody hoped for a spot for the Olympic swimming team. After Moana, Cinderella, Jasmine and Anna had swum, it was time for Sofia, Snow White, Elena and Rapunzel to get onto the blocks. In between the second and third teams to go swimming, there was a break for a quick lunch. The last team to compete was Pocahontas, Belle, Mulan and Aurora. The other girls had stuck around to cheer on their team mates. By this time, Merida and Ariel were seated with their families and they were enjoying every minute of cheering on their friends. After they were finished, the judges went ahead and tallied up everybody's scores. The four highest scoring princesses would go forth to the summer Olympics in Sydney. For the princesses, it was a long, agonizing wait. Nobody knew exactly who was going to the Olympics. Finally, the heat sheet was printed out with the results. It was hard for the girls not to run over and check who was the top four. The referee blew her whistle and waited for the crowd to settle down so that she could make her exciting announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to announce the top four swimmers who will go to the summer Olympics in Sydney Australia. We have had a lot of great swimmers and it was incredibly hard for us to come to a decision. But with that in mind, we had four girls who exceeded their times and one in particular executed a beautiful tumble turn before the finish." she said as she took a dramatical pause for breath. Merida's eyes popped open. Had she really performed that beautiful tumble turn before the finish of her race? None the less, the underwater camera had shown her doing an exceptional tumble turn. Also, her dad's camera footage proved it as well. Also, the timers had timed it as well. "So, will the top four ladies please step forward." said the referee excitedly. Sure enough, Ariel, Merida, Tiana and Elsa stepped forward, the whole aquatic center filled with excited cheering. They were going to go to the Olympics! "All right, we did it!" shrieked Tiana as she held both arms up jubilantly in the air. Elsa found it hard to stay graceful and poised, she did an excited 360 twirl in front of the captivated audience. Ariel burst into tears of joy as she saw her father's proud face smiling at her from where he was seated. Merida was all excited and she pumped the air with her fists exclaiming that it was all the luck of the Scottish and she had a look of ecstatic pride on her face as she gazed out at the crowd. Before the awards were given out, Elinor came forward, tears of happiness and joy streaming down her cheeks as she proudly hugged Merida. "We're going to have a party tonight and all your friends can come." said Fergus as he fondly squeezed Merida's shoulder. Next, the awards were given out and the girls got blue ribbons. Hopefully, they would be getting medals at the Olympics. Even the others who weren't going to the Olympics got ribbons for doing their best in the swim meet. None the less, their families were extremely proud of them for all their hard work. After they were given their ribbons, they had a group photograph taken for the local newspapers. Whilst the girls were in the locker room gathering up their belongings, Merida told her friends all about the party that her parents were planning. "That sounds great Merida, we'll all be there." said Rapunzel as she grabbed her bag from its shelf. "Sure, you girls deserve it for all the hard work we've been doing." said Moana with a wide grin. "I hope that there will be some good grub there because I'm starving." said Tiana as she rubbed her tummy hungrily. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that Tiana, knowing Dad, there'll be enough food to feed a whole armada of hungry swimmers." reassured Merida as she patted Tiana's back for a job well done that day. Later on, the princesses gathered up at Merida's house for a celebratory barbecue. They had also brought regular bathing suits so that they could use Merida's family swimming pool. As soon as they got there, Moana grabbed a floaty chair and went for a leisurely float around the pool. Aurora lay in the hammock and Belle lay at the side of the pool on a lounge with a good book. Ariel as well, grabbed a floaty chair and went for a float around the pool. Merida sat at the edge of the pool with her feet in the water and she drank a fruit smoothie pool side. Elinor sat beside Merida and did the same as she put her arm lovingly around Merida's shoulders. Rapunzel pulled out her guitar and began playing it and she had gotten a few of the guests in a sing along. Sofia was playing a game with Harris, Hubert and Hamish and they were having fun tossing a big beach ball around. Jasmine was lying on a blanket and she was working on her tan. Cinderella, Pocahontas and Snow White were joining in Rapunzel's sing along and they were having a blast. Tiana was helping Fergus with the grill and she was expertly flipping burgers over as well as hotdogs. Mulan was sitting on a bean bag chair near the singers and she was just savoring the moment right where she was. Elsa and Anna were busily making snow cones for everybody. Even if they were tired out from swimming, they were quite happy to be spending time together with their friends. When they were finished making snow cones, they opened up some bottles of bubble blowing liquid and they started blowing bubbles. Elena got an idea and grabbed a Super Soaker 2000 and had fun soaking Elsa and Anna as they blew bubbles. She succeeded in waking up Aurora and Aurora went ahead and set up the sprinklers and splash pad for the kids. Belle eventually got up from her lounge and went inside to prepare a huge pitcher of pink lemonade. Eventually however, the food was ready and everybody gathered at a large table to eat. Hamburgers, hotdogs, steak, asparagus wrapped in bacon, chicken, sausages, corn on the cob, potato salad, macaroni salad, fruit salad, devilled eggs, ham slices, pork kabobs, French fries, onion rings, cheesy potatoes, potato chips and much much more was laid out on a counter buffet style so that everyone could serve themselves. Even fish was served as well as lamb and pizza slices. There was even Chinese food to be had. This was really a grand party as far as the food and drinks were concerned. When everyone had eaten enough, the desserts were brought out. There were so many to choose from, including the snow cones that Elsa and Anna had made. But the crowning glory of it all was the gigantic Kit Kat ice-cream cake that Fergus had picked up for the party on the way home from the swimming pool complex. "Now that you four made it to qualification to go to Olympics, you should probably taper off a bit so you can have the best energy for your swimming." said Pocahontas to Ariel as she sat beside her in a patio chair after they had finished eating. "You're right Pocahontas, we don't want to be slow and make lots of mistakes." said Elsa with a warm grin as she sipped some lemonade from a champaign flute. "At any rate, I'm extremely proud of my big sister." said Anna as she gave Elsa a kiss on her cheek. "I'm really proud of you too Anna, even if you didn't get picked to go perform in the Olympics." said Elsa as she lovingly squeezed Anna's hand. "I won't be performing, but I'll definitely be watching." said Anna with a grin as she gave her sister a big hug. "I'm going to need all the encouragement I can get during the freestyle events." said Elsa with a warm grin. After the party was over, the two sisters were relaxing in their hot tub while the jets were massaging their aching and tired muscles. The next three weeks was full of preparations for the summer Olympics in Sydney. Everyone had to be familiar with the FINA rules and they had to make sure that they were representing their individual countries. Merida was representing Scotland, Elsa was representing Norway, Ariel was representing Canada and Tiana was representing the United States of America. Even if they were four team captains, in this event, they were going as a full-fledged team. As for their friends, they would be going to Sydney as well so that they could be front-row spectators. Finally, the day came where the princesses had to depart from Nova Scotia in Canada. From Halifax to Vancouver, it was a smooth 6-hour flight with Air Canada. Once the Airbus A320 touched down onto the British Columbia tarmac, the four athletes began to get excited. Next, they were to meet their connecting flight with Qantas from Vancouver to Sydney, which would be a very long flight. Fifteen hours and eighteen minutes in fact. Luckily, Ariel, Tiana, Merida and Elsa had had the presence of mind to book First Class tickets with Qantas so that they could enjoy the ultimate in luxury and comfort as they flew in the sky. They had also booked First Class seating with Air Canada so that they could be fully comfortable for the long flight. Also, since the seat could turn into a fully lie-flat bed, they could arrive at their destination rested and refreshed. The other princesses had also booked First Class tickets and they too, couldn't wait to be fully pampered on their journey with the airline which was nicknamed The Flying Kangaroo and which had been founded in Winton Queensland on November 16th in 1920. Once the princesses reached Vancouver, they went to reclaim their baggage and go through Customs and Immigration. Once they got to their assigned gate, they decided to look at the airport departure board to see when their flight to Sydney would arrive. But Merida didn't feel like sitting down. She decided to go browsing in the many duty-free shops that were near to the gate. Little did she know that she was being followed. Moana and Ariel as well as Rapunzel had followed behind Merida and they too, wanted to do some shopping. All of a sudden, something caught Merida's eye. It was a Mr. Big chocolate bar. She thought that she might as well buy it, since she loved to take snacks with her whenever she travelled anywhere. She also got a huge bottle of orange juice and after she had paid for her purchases, she took a long swig from the bottle. This would save her from having to ask the flight attendant for a pre-departure beverage. Moana bought herself a pack of M&Ms and a bottle of chocolate milk, since she wanted something to treat herself with. Ariel couldn't make up her mind what to buy. There were so many great options to choose from. T-shirts, hats, magnets, mugs, food and much more met her eyes. In the end, she bought a poster of Ian Thorpe for Merida which was autographed by the Olympian himself and Ariel bought herself a crossword puzzle book and a package of Oreo cookies and a bottle of grape juice. Rapunzel bought herself some sour cream, bacon and onion chips as well as a huge bottle of water. Soon, all of the other princesses did some duty-free shopping while they waited for their flight to arrive. Truth be told, their flight arrived an hour earlier than previously announced. "Guess we're going to catch an evening flight." said Merida as she glanced out of the large window at the apron where planes were constantly arriving and departing. While the Qantas flight was unloading, Ariel, Elsa, Merida and Tiana took a group picture with the tarmac in the background so that they could start celebrating their great adventure before it would even start. While they had flown from Halifax to Vancouver, they had eaten lunch and watched a few movies. Their final hour in the air had consisted of consuming their evening meal and occasionally glancing out of their windows to gaze down at the vast Canadian landscape. Since the princesses were flying First Class with Qantas, they were allowed priority boarding. So, they grabbed their carry-on bags and proceeded to board the Boeing 747-400. Their suitcases were being loaded into the cargo hold in the belly of the jumbo jet. In this airplane, all of the princesses were seated two by two. So, Ariel and Merida decided to buddy up and sit together. Since they had very comfortable First-Class seats, they were spaced a few paces apart. Immediately once they sat down, they fastened their seatbelts and shoulder straps. Once everybody was settled in for their flight, the captain came over the public address system. "I'd like to give a sincere welcome aboard to everyone, especially our athletes who are going to be competing in the summer Olympics in Sydney. On behalf of all of us here at Qantas, we wish them good luck and to always do your very best, even if you don't win a medal" he said with a sunny smile to his voice. At once, all of the princesses clapped their hands and cheered excitedly. Even the flight attendants were smiling knowingly as they heard the cheers and clapping. They had certainly wished them good luck as they had helped them get settled into their seats. Soon after, a safety demo was played and the plane was taxiing down the taxi way on its way to its designated runway to take off. Once the plane took off and was in cruise flight, Ariel turned on her TV monitor to watch a movie. Merida put on her headphones and plugged them into her phone so that she could browse the internet without disturbing the other passengers. Aurora turned her seat into a bed and immediately went to sleep, since the trip was making her feel quite tired. Jasmine on the other hand, was very relaxed because she loved flying. She was contentedly browsing the Qantas magazine and she was enjoying the interesting information that she was reading. Most of the other passengers were listening to music, watching movies or just relaxing in their seats. Occasionally, Merida glanced at the moving map on her TV screen and it fascinated her to see all of the things that they flew over. When they flew over Hawaii, however, her eyes drooped heavily and she thought that it was time to turn in for the night. So, she went into the bathroom to change into the Qantas pyjamas that had been provided in her amenity kit and she brushed and flossed her teeth. While she was in the bathroom, one of the flight attendants turned her seat into a bed. Ariel on the other hand, was already fast asleep and she had her blanket all the way up to her chin. Unzipping her carry-on bag, Merida took out her stuffed horse and snuggled up with it. Ariel on the other hand, had a stuffed dolphin and it was nestled in the crook of her arm as she slept. Soon, Merida was also sound asleep under the covers. Since they were flying First Class, they had been given pyjamas so that they could be more comfortable. "So much for those lads and lasses in Economy." thought Merida as her head hit the soft pillow. Merida was so tired, that she didn't wake up until an hour before landing in Sydney. Ariel was now awake and she had just finished eating her breakfast. Luckily, meal service was still in full swing and Merida got something to eat as the flight attendant came by with the breakfast cart. "Did you sleep well?" asked Ariel curiously as she took out a brush to brush her hair. "Lassie, I slept like a log." said Merida with a grin as she buttered her toast. "So did I, I was tired out from all the traveling we did so far, but it's not over yet." said Ariel with a grin as she put her hair into a ponytail. "We actually arrived two days before the opening ceremony, so we'll have to rest up a bit before we get to swimming." said Merida as she glanced at her calendar on her phone. "We still have to do our warm-ups before every race though." reminded Ariel as she flipped open the Qantas magazine. Merida sighed as she stabbed her scrambled eggs with her fork. An hour later, the plane was in a holding pattern due to the busy air traffic due to the curfew being lifted. As the plane descended through the clouds, the princesses noticed that in Sydney it was raining buckets. Luckily, there wasn't any wind or thunder and lightening. So, when the plane touched down onto the runway, it landed in a puddle and the water got onto the wings. This made Moana and Merida grin when they noticed this. "We have a splash down." said Rapunzel with a giggle. Next, the plane taxied to the gate and the girls waited for the other passengers to disembark before they got off of the plane. Once everyone else had gotten off of the plane, all of the princesses stood up in unison and grabbed their bags and they exited from their seat rows. Next, they all got in a line and got off of the aircraft. The flight attendants grinned as the Olympians passed by them on their way off of the plane. Once their airport duties were done, they took the shuttle to their Sydney hotel. The princesses were going to be two girls to a room and so, they all got into their groups so that they could get their room keys. Next, they went to the Olympic building so that they could register. Once they got registered, the registration girl at the desk gave them their schedule for the Olympics. They had been given the princesses' swimming records prior to their arrival and they knew that they were qualified Olympians. So, Ariel, Tiana, Merida and Elsa stepped forward for their meet sheets. The others were just going to be watching their captains swim, so they took the opportunity to get tickets for the events. They were ready to support their friends and hope that they would win a gold medal. Once they did that, they returned to their hotel rooms to unpack their bags. Since the hotel rooms were quite large, each princess had an allocated side to their room. In Ariel and Merida's room, Ariel had the ocean view window while Merida had the bed by the wall. Each girl had their own dresser and both had their own drawer in the large elaborate bathroom. When Ariel came back from putting her bathroom essentials away, she noticed that Merida was sprawled out on her bed and she was staring down at her phone. Her mom had sent her a message asking how her flight had been. She had even said that they'd be watching every moment of the Olympics because she was in it. On the other hand, however, Merida wanted to get some rest before she would go exploring the city. Ariel decided to have a nap as well, since it was still early in the morning. They ended up sleeping until nine local time. By this time, Tiana and Elsa had come into the room with some snacks. Ariel sleepily opened her eyes and went to pull open the heavy brocade curtains that were currently closed at the wide window. Merida sleepily rolled off of her bed and sat up whilst rubbing her eyes. Just the smell of fresh apple and orange juices was enough to wake up the girls. "We walked to McDonalds to get us champs a snack." said Elsa with a grin as she set a large paper bag onto the table by the window. Inside of it, reposed four egg burgers with eight hash browns. Tiana had been carrying the tray with two glasses of apple juice and two glasses of orange juice. She set the tray down on the TV stand which also served as a large work table. As soon as Ariel brushed out her hair, she took her glass of orange juice and her egg burger and hash browns and sat down in a chair by the window. Merida sat in the swivel chair at the work table and grabbed the glass of apple juice and she immediately took a long slurp of juice while she had her eyes glued to the TV set. An episode of "The Big Bang Theory" was on the channel the TV was tuned to and it drew Merida's interest like a magnet attaching itself to metal. Elsa and Tiana each took a seat and they too, commenced eating their mid-morning snack in silence. After they were done eating, they put their trash into the trash can and both Ariel and Merida decided to get changed into clean clothes. They put their bathing suits under their outfits so that they could go swimming at Bondi Beach later on. In fact, all of the princesses had the exact same idea of spending a day at the beach before they had to spend their day in the Sydney Aquatics Center during the Olympics. Once they got to the beach, they set up a huge beach blanket and put up four gigantic umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun. Next, getting into four groups of four, the princesses sat under their umbrellas to relax. Aurora immediately shut her eyes and went to sleep, since the fresh air was enough to lull her to sleep. Sofia as well was asleep under one of the umbrellas, since the flight had tired her out a great deal, even if she had slept on the flight from Vancouver. Ariel had a magazine with her and as she lay on her stomach, she browsed through its glossy pages. Merida was doing some relaxing exercises as she lay on the beach blanket. Later on, they daubed on the sunscreen and took off their clothes, revealing their bathing suits underneath. They were all going to go for a leisurely swim in the ocean. As soon as they got into the water, they began to have a great time and they forgot all about where they were or why they were even there. While they were swimming in the blue ocean, a lot of them were using floatation devices and they were having a great time. They wouldn't be allowed to use these floatation devices during the Olympic games however, but right now, while they were swimming for leisure, they could do whatever they jolly well pleased. After a while, it was time for the girls to have lunch. They had organized a picnic basket and they happily sat on their blanket and enjoyed their lunch with eager appetites all around. After they ate their lunch, they went for a long walk on the beach and Merida happened to meet Ian Thorp as she walked along the promenade. She was so pleased to meet the Olympian that she just had to take her picture with him. Then, he gave her a poster of himself for her bedroom wall and the poster was autographed. Next, the girls went for another swim before the afternoon would fade away into evening. Two days later, everyone was up early because it was the opening ceremony of the summer Olympics and everybody wanted to look their absolute best. Everyone agreed that they're wear their gowns for the opening ceremony, but when it would come for the swimming events, they would wear their iconic body suits and bathing caps. Once they got to the Olympic stadium, everyone got in line for a group photograph. Later on, when the ceremony was broadcasted live on TV, Elinor and Fergus as well as the other princesses' families were glued to the screen. Sure enough, out in front, right beside the flaming Olympic torch stood Ariel, Elsa, Merida and Tiana and all four girls had broad smiles on their faces. Sitting in the live audience were Moana, Sofia, Pocahontas, Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Anna, Rapunzel and Aurora and Elena, Mulan and Jasmine and they were all eager to cheer on their team captains during the swimming events. Also, they were hoping that each girl would win a gold medal for their individual specialty stroke. After the opening ceremony was over, the princesses went to have a huge barbecue on the beach as a celebration. "To those of you who are competing in the Olympics, good luck." said Elsa as she made a toast to her companion athletes. "I must agree with you Elsa, I hope that each of you reign victorious in our swimming competitions." said Anna enthusiastically as she raised her glass of Hawaiian punch for a toast. Everyone took a long swig of their drinks as they drank for good luck for the coming days and they eagerly hoped that they would each win a medal. After the BBQ, they went to sing karaoke. Rapunzel had found a karaoke bar not far from their hotel and she had wanted to have some fun before they had to settle down to spectating her friends in the Olympics. Merida kicked it off with a rendition of "Gillis Mountain" and everyone applauded when she was finished. Then, she went ahead and sang "Tell My Ma" by the same group as before. In fact, everybody loved the sweet sounds of the Rankin Family and whenever Fergus and Elinor went on a road trip with their family, Merida always slipped in one of their CDs to listen to. Once Merida was done, Ariel stepped onto the stage and she sang a beautiful version of "When You Say Nothing At All" which she always enjoyed listening to while taking a bath at home. Elsa and Anna did a duet of "Rainbow Connection" which everyone danced to. Tiana however, decided to liven it up by singing "If You're Going to Play in Texas" by Alabama. As she sang, she even did a little dance of her own. Moana then stepped up to the mike and sang a rendition of "Tiny Bubbles" which she'd practiced every time she was soaking in a tubful of bubbles herself. Pretty soon, everyone had had a turn singing a song at the karaoke bar and it was time to return to their hotel to get ready for the next day's events. Just as Merida and Ariel returned to their hotel room, their phones were ringing off of the hook. It was their parents wishing them good luck in the Olympics. In Tiana and Elsa's rooms, their families were also calling to wish them luck. Next, they got themselves changed into their pyjamas and they got wound down for bedtime. As soon as Merida and Ariel were relaxing in bed, Merida turned on the TV to listen to some music before going to sleep. Instead of the music channel, Ariel snatched the flicker and switched it to the Olympics. They were going to watch the opening ceremony so that they could re-live the moment. Sure enough, there they were in their beautiful gowns and they all had huge smiles on their faces. Then, Merida saw the shot of herself standing by the huge Olympic torch. Then, she saw herself picking it up and holding it high above her head. Merida was so pumped that she tore off her blanket and jumped for joy right on the bed. She didn't care if the people below her heard the bed creaking as she jumped on it. As Merida celebrated happily by jumping up and down on the bed and shouting excitedly, Ariel took her video on her phone. She immediately sent it to Fergus and Elinor for them to see. Then, when the program was finally over, Ariel shut off the TV. But Merida was still at it. That's when Ariel pulled her down by her waist. "Hey! I was just getting started." Groaned Merida as Ariel lovingly tucked the blanket around her body. "Merida, I know you're hiked up, but we've got to get to sleep because tomorrow is going to be a very busy day." reminded Ariel as she shut off the lamp and turned on the night light. "But I'm not sleepy yet, give me five more minutes." Pleaded Merida as she reached for her magazine on the night table. "Okay, but in five minutes it's lights out." said Ariel, now acting motherly. "You're sounding like my Mum." Mumbled Merida as she rolled onto her stomach. "Don't you want to be well-rested?" asked Ariel as she lies back in her bed. "You do have a point lassie." said Merida with a sigh as she smooths out her glossy magazine. Ariel took this time to write in her journal. Once she was done, she checked on Merida. She was sound asleep with the magazine flush against her cheek. Ariel sighed, carefully took the magazine away from her room mate and gave her her stuffed horse to cuddle with. Merida sighed contentedly and slept deeper. Soon after, snores began to emanate from Merida's nose as she slept comfortably. Ariel shut her blue eyes and rolled over to go to sleep herself. As she slept, she hugged her stuffed dolphin. For now, everything was peaceful in their large hotel room. Since the other princesses were only spectating, they were free to stay up as late as they pleased. But Belle chose to curl up with a good book from the hotel's extensive library in the lobby and she lingered there until the front desk clerk closed up for the night. Sofia had kept Belle company from an opposite armchair and she too, had been contentedly reading. But by eleven o'clock, she was fast asleep in the comfortable armchair. Belle smiled and carried a heavily sleeping Sofia to their hotel room on the first floor. In fact, Sofia was sleeping so heavily, that she hardly noticed Belle undressing her and getting her into her nightgown and tucked into bed with her stuffed rabbit. Next, Belle got into her own bed and went to sleep with a broad smile on her face. Rapunzel meanwhile, had taken herself to the spa for a relaxing soak and massage and she was out of there by ten o'clock. Since she had a hotel suite, she decided to turn on the TV and watch a movie. Aurora, who shared the suite with Rapunzel was sprawled out on the couch and she stared dreamily out of the window. The next day, everyone was up early. Elsa was the first one up out of the four Olympians. She stretched, went to have a shower, then she strode downstairs to the restaurant to have some breakfast. Next, Tiana was awake and she too, went downstairs for breakfast. Both Ariel and Merida got up together and went downstairs for breakfast. Soon, all of the princesses were downstairs eating a hearty buffet breakfast. Rapunzel was slowly sipping a late as she sat at a table by the window which looked out onto the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Ariel and her other Olympian friends were consuming a light breakfast of cereal and fruit so that they could be as light and buoyant as possible. Sofia however, grabbed herself a bowl of cereal and some light and fluffy blueberry pancakes since she had longed for them since she had left home. Moana sat herself down at Rapunzel's table and ate a hearty continental breakfast. Belle however, was just happy to be enjoying a chocolate croissant with a cup of tea with milk and sugar as well as two boiled eggs. Anna ordered herself a café moca and she contentedly ate a whole plateful of French toast with maple syrup all over them. Elena had herself some eggs and some delicious chorizo sausages and cheese with peppers, olives, onions and mushrooms which was all wrapped in a flaky tortilla. As the girls ate their breakfast, they chattered gaily about the day ahead. Ariel, Merida, Tiana and Elsa on the other hand, were excited yet nervous. They weren't exactly sure how they would fair out in their events. As Elsa quietly ate her breakfast, Anna lovingly squeezed her sister's hand, reassuring her that she loved her, no matter if she won a gold medal or not. Elsa lovingly put her arm around her sister's shoulders and Anna did the same, resulting in the two hugging each other. Anna then kissed Elsa on her cheek and she hoped that she did her very best during the freestyle event. There would also be a 4x100 relay where Ariel, Tiana, Merida and Elsa would all swim a leg of the race in 25 meter distances. Today though, the butterfly and breast stroke events would be held. Tomorrow would be the back stroke and freestyle events. The third day would be all about Individual Medleys and the fourth and final day would be the 4x100 relay. During the whole course of events, the girls who were spectating would be cheering on their Olympian friends. Once they got to the Sydney Aquatic Center, the Olympians checked in and got changed in a large locker room. "Okay girls, let's do a warm up." said Tiana as she commenced to do stretches on the pool deck after having come out of their locker room. Ariel, Merida and Elsa also took their strides in the warm-up session and by the time that the referee and the starter showed up, the girls were all warmed up and were ready to start their race. They also had their body suits and bathing caps on and the judges thought that they looked fabulous. "Are you sure you're ready to compete?" asked Ariel to her companion athletes. "We've got this Ariel, I'm sure of it." replied Elsa as she gave her friend a good-luck handshake. The first competition was the butterfly events. Tiana, Merida and Elsa were a little nervous, but they had practiced and trained for this competition for months. In fact, they hoped that they'd end up on the back of a Wheaties box. Soon, the event was on and all four girls stood on the blocks, two feet above the pool and they were looking very confident. As soon as the gong sounded, all four girls did a track start and flew off their blocks. Ariel was already ahead of her other competitors and she was executing her movements perfectly. None the less, her team mates were cheering her on at full force. As soon as Ariel finished her race, she pressed her fingers aggressively into the touchpad on the wall and she climbed out of the pool with a huge grin on her face. "Well, I did my absolute best." she said with a warm grin as she sat down for a rest. Not long after Ariel and her companions finished their heat, the winners were announced. As it turned out, Ariel got a gold medal, Tiana got silver and Merida got bronze. "Don't worry girls, you'll each get your gold medals yet." said Ariel as she took her place on the Olympic podium. Elsa in this event, came out in fourth place, but she knew that the events weren't over quite yet. When the event was televised later, Ariel's family cheered when they discovered that Ariel had received a gold medal. There she stood on the podium, grinning proudly as her medal hung around her neck. By the time that the butterfly event was over, it was time for lunch. Since the girls knew that they had another event after lunch, they decided to eat sandwiches and salads. They wanted to be as light and buoyant as possible. Next, the breast stroke event was held. This time, Tiana felt that she could do something to earn herself a gold medal. As she predicted, she beat her previous record and won a gold medal. She beamed as she stood proudly on the podium. After the breast stroke event was over, that day was finished. But the television broadcast wasn't until later. Now that everything was over for that day, the girls rushed to the showers and got changed. When they arrived back at their hotel, they went straight to the restaurant for their supper. Everyone was so hungry that they loaded up on all kinds of yummy treats like pizza, burgers, chicken pieces and fries and a whole lot more. For dessert, everyone had ice-cream on the beach. Afterwards, they gathered around the TV in Ariel and Merida's room to watch the day's events. Everyone was very happy with their achievements that they had done. But Merida was so tired from swimming that she went straight to bed at eight thirty so that she could get some sleep for the next day's events. Ariel's and Tiana's families however, wasted no time in calling them and congratulating them on the winning of their medals. The next day, it was time for the back stroke event as well as the freestyle event. Merida knew that she would reign supreme once it came to back stroking. Heck, it was her specialty stroke. She had been taught the back stroke when she had been a little girl and she was the best back stroker on her team, even if she was the team captain. The next thing that Merida knew, was that she was grasping onto the special handles that were on the edge of the pool. She was in place and she was anxiously waiting for the beeper to go off. Her other three companions were also participating in the back stroke event. As soon as the beeper went off, Merida was off like a cannon from an aircraft carrier. When she was halfway done, she made an excellent flip turn and then she made her way back to the starting line. She was so tired that she floated towards a ladder and she tiredly dragged herself out of the water. Luckily, she had remembered to warm up before she had started her race, so she didn't feel stiff and sore. Soon after, the heat sheet was printed and the winners announced. Merida was pleased as punch to get a gold medal and she excitedly made her way up the steps of the Olympic podium and she waved excitedly to the audience. All of the other princesses cheered as they watched Merida receive her gold medal. She was all smiles as she placed the gold medal around her neck and she smiled sweetly as her picture was taken for the newspapers. By the end of the day, everyone was tired yet happy. "Hey girls, want to hit the spa after supper?" asked Rapunzel as she turned to the Olympians. "A soak in the hot tub sounds so relaxing." sighed Elsa lazily as she stretched her arms way up. "I could use a massage." Said Ariel as she slowly rolled off of her bed. Merida however, was flipping through her magazine and she stopped on the page where she spotted Ian Thorpe. Next, she went into the bathroom and did some flexing in front of the full-length mirror. After supper, all of the princesses hit the spa. Elsa and Anna sat in the hot tub together and they enjoyed how good the water felt. Merida was enjoying a nice facial as she relaxed on a lounge. Even Moana was at the spa getting a therapeutic soak. When Merida and Ariel got back to their room, Merida went straight into the bathroom for a nice long bubble bath. But before she could even get out her supplies, Ariel came into the bathroom and prepared the bath for her. She got the bubbles all soft and fluffy and it resembled a huge bunch of fluffy white clouds. Then, she placed Merida's phone on the bathroom counter so that she could listen to some relaxing music while she had her bath. Before Merida knew it, she was under the suds washing her hair within an inch of its life. But as soon as she re-surfaced, her phone was ringing. Her mom was calling to congratulate Merida on winning her gold medal. She had just seen the whole event on TV and she could hardly control herself when she had seen Merida climbing up the stairs to the Olympic podium to claim her gold medal. In Elsa's room however, she and Anna were celebrating Elsa's victory of getting a gold medal. Their parents had just called and the sisters had decided to celebrate with popcorn and Kool-Aid. They also watched a movie and they had fun doing it. The next two days were the individual medley events and the 4x100 relay that all four girls were to compete in. A week later, there was the semi finals and each girl was to compete their specialty strokes. Then, the finals were finally upon them. Ariel performed the butterfly flawlessly while Tiana glided through the breast stroke. Merida made waves while she did the back stroke and Elsa splashed through freestyle. Everyone's eyes were glued to the pool as the foursome executed their moves. As for their proud families, they were glued to their television sets and they were practically on pins and needles as they were filled with excitement to see how the event would turn out. As a result, all four girls got a gold medal for superb performance in their swimming abilities. Now that the swimming was over, the girls were free to do as they pleased. Would they go straight home or stay and watch the rest of the Olympics? In the end, they decided that they had had enough to do with the Olympics and they would do some sight seeing until the culmination of the Olympics. The next day, they took a flight to the gold coast and went to all of the theme parks there. Their favorite theme park was Wet and Wild Gold Coast where they spent a lot of time sliding down water slides and relaxing in the hot tub and family pool. They even went to Surfer's Paradise to do some surfing and enjoy the high life. They even went shopping for souvenirs. They even got little surprises for their families back home. Next, they came back to Sydney and enjoyed the many attractions there, such as the Sydney Aquarium and the Botanical Gardens and Circular Quay. They even went to visit the Toranga Park Zoo and they had a marvelous time taking pictures with the different animals. They also had a great time eating at the different restaurants, such as Red Rooster and Betty's Burgers, Nando's, Noodle Box and a good many fish and chip shops. Merida of course, felt right at home when she went to have fish and chips because it was one of the dishes that her dad knew how to cook very well. They even attended an Aussie BBQ where they had to bring their own drinks and they served themselves with many meaty delicacies that was offered at the event. They even attended a rugby game where they ate meat pies and enjoyed drinking soft drinks. They even saw an Aussie Rules football game and the home team won. They also went to Queensland to swim at the Great Barrier Reef and take lots of amazing pictures of the marine life. They even went to Australia Zoo to see the huge salt water crocodiles. On the last full day of their Australian adventure, they returned back to Sydney after visiting Uluru the night before and a day trip to Melbourne to take an amazing helicopter ride to get a bird's eye view of Australia from the air. Their very last full day in Sydney, they returned to Bondi Beach for one last dip in the Pacific Ocean. Moana however, grabbed a surf board and went for a surf. Ariel and Merida on the other hand, boarded a motor boat and went on a leisurely cruise around Sydney Harbor, where they got a side by side view of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Merida got out her phone and took a photo of the two landmarks side by side. As Moana caught a wave, the sun began to inch its way below the horizon. From the beach, Rapunzel took a picture of Moana surfing with the sunset as a backdrop to a memorable adventure. Tomorrow evening, the girls would be attending the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics and the Olympians wanted to be there so that they could show the world what achievements that they had proudly accomplished. After their day relaxing at the beach, the girls headed to Domino's Pizza for a celebration meal. When they sat together at two tables with seven to a booth, they were all smiles as they looked over the menu. They ended up getting a Works pizza with garlic fingers and all of the yummy treats to go with it for a celebration of hard work on the Olympians' part. After supper, they went out for ice-cream and then, they hit the karaoke bar again. Once they arrived back at their hotel, they all rushed to the pool and spa to relax. The next day would be a busy day, so they wanted to keep as low key as possible to conserve their energy for the ceremony the next day. The next morning, everybody was up bright and early so that they could get their outfits and looks picture perfect. First thing, they had a nice continental breakfast at the hotel restaurant and then, they went straight to the hair salon to get their hair and nails done. Merida didn't really want anything done to her hair, except perhaps a bang trim. The hairdresser however, wondered how on Earth she kept her wild mane of curls in good shape. "All it needs is a good brush and shampooing." said Merida as she sat in the hairdresser's chair. Rapunzel on the other hand, was having a harder time getting her needs met. "Once my hair is cut, it turns brown and loses it's magical powers." she said her voice croaking. In the end, she got it nicely shampooed and styled. Elsa on the other hand, went ahead and had her dead ends cut off as well as her bangs. She also got her hair shampooed with a sweet smelling shampoo and she was so in love with it, that the hair stylist decided to give her a travel sized bottle of it. "I'll ship a full-sized bottle to your home address if you love the shampoo that much." she said with a warm grin on her face. Ariel was just happy to get her red hair washed and give it a bit of a wave. "I've never seen hair so light and bouncy before in my life!" exclaimed the hairdresser. "I was a mermaid once and the ocean made my hair that way." Said Ariel with a chuckle to the young man who was washing her hair at the sink. "Well then, that would explain it all." Said the man as he let Ariel's hair soak in the shampoo. Tiana on the other hand, got a hairdresser from Louisiana and she was quite willing to do whatever Tiana wanted to do with her hair. Tiana decided that she wanted a few curls in her hair as well as put it up into a high bun. Once their hair was all done, it was time for nail polish. First up, it was time for pedicures. At one point, Aurora even fell asleep since it was so relaxing. Merida was engrossed in a magazine as she let her feet soak in lukewarm water. As soon as the nail polish was dry on their toes, it was time for manicures. Merida was surprised to learn that her manicurist was Scottish and she too, had red hair with curls in it. By the time they were done at the hair salon, it was lunch time. "There's a McDonalds just around the corner." suggested Moana as she looked at a map of the street they were on. "I'm hungry for tacos." said Tiana as she rubbed her tummy hungrily. "I'm hungry for pizza with bacon on it." said Rapunzel, her mouth now watering. "What about KFC?" asked Ariel excitedly as she glanced across the street. "Girls, I have an idea, what if we split up into groups of four and we'll each go to a separate restaurant, take lunch to go and meet in the park." suggested Cinderella. "I love that idea, let's do it." Said Anna with a grin as she took Elsa's hand. "As sisters, we ought to stick together." said Elsa with a grin as she began to organize the groups. Rapunzel joined them, since she was their cousin. Aurora then joined the threesome. "It looks like we have one group sorted out already." said Merida to Ariel as they buddied up together. "Looks like we have another." budded in Moana as she and Pocahontas came towards them. Cinderella and Snow White along with Mulan and Jasmine formed another group whilst Sofia, Elena, Tiana and Belle formed another group together. One group headed for McDonalds, another went to Taco Bell, another went to KFC and another went to Domino's to order food to go. Next, they all met in the park at a picnic area. Merida was glad that Ariel had picked KFC, because she loved their fried chicken immensely. After lunch was over, everyone went to the Olympic center to have their pictures taken and get ready for the closing ceremony of the Olympics. As the foursome admitted later to their friends, they had tears in their eyes as the final words were said during that ceremony. They all got to watch it on TV before going to bed. They had to get up early because they had a flight to catch to London. Once in London, they would travel onward to Halifax and then, drive three hours homeward on a big bus. The next morning, it was time for departure. Everyone had started packing the night before so that the bulk of their packing was done. Now, all they had to do was pack some last-minute essentials and make sure that nothing was left behind. Finally, when everyone was ready to check out, they grabbed their room keys and headed for the elevators. They then proceeded to check out and then, they made their way to the shuttle that would take them to the Sydney Kingsford Smith airport. Elena also had some extra luggage to carry. Sofia was so heavily sleeping at five in the morning that she had been slowly lifted out of her bed and carried out to the shuttle after being dressed and had gotten her bags packed for her. Sofia only awoke when they got to the airport at half past six that morning. Once everyone was checked into their Qantas flight, they proceeded to security to get checked. Once that was complete, they went to get some breakfast. Luckily, the girls had First Class seating on both Qantas and Air Canada so that they could travel in style all the way home. It was eight o'clock when the plane took off from the runway and was making its way towards London. It would be a long-haul flight, but the girls were glad to be seated in First Class, for they were fully comfortable and they could watch as many movies as they wanted to. They could also eat when they wanted to and even get some more sleep. Most of the girls however, decided to get up a few times and do some stretches and walk down the aisle a few times to get some exercise. The girls' families were tracking this flight, because they knew that their girls were returning home as Olympians. When they touched down in London, it was shortly after seven thirty the next day. But due to the girls traveling through the International Date line, they had gained a day. Now, they had to transfer through London Heathrow to their gate for their Air Canada flight to Halifax. But they had a long wait at the airport. Their plane to Halifax was going to be a mid-afternoon flight. So, they explored London Heathrow all morning and they ate lunch at one of the restaurants. Merida ate her very first beef Wellington at the restaurant and she found it quite delectable. At two o'clock, the flight to Halifax was ready to depart. When it touched down in Halifax, it was shortly after seven in the evening. So, the girls decided to stay in Halifax over night so that they could be on the road during the daylight hours. Luckily, they had eaten their supper aboard the Air Canada flight and it had been very delicious. When Merida got to her hotel room, she immediately called her mom to tell her that they had arrived safely in Halifax and they would be arriving in Yarmouth the next afternoon. Elinor was quite pleased to hear this and she could hardly wait to see her beloved daughter again. The next morning, everyone was refreshed and ready to head back to Yarmouth. Sure enough, their bus arrived to pick them up at ten o'clock and they went up the steps in single file. Once they were on the bus, they sat down in comfortable seats. Immediately, Aurora fell asleep after she had put her carry-on bag up onto the overhead rack. It was going to be a long three hours to Yarmouth, but the girls knew that they would be well taken care of during the last leg of their long journey home. When they got to Liverpool, the driver decided that they stop for lunch. So, everyone flocked to McDonalds for Big Macs and fries. Sofia got a Happy Meal and she took her time eating it. While at McDonalds, they also had some ice-cream treats. Moana and Merida both had hot fudge sundaes and Ariel had one as well. Rapunzel had a McFlurry with Oreos in it and she slurped down every last drop. Soon enough, the bus was refuelled and the girls continued on their way home. At the Yarmouth bus station however, the girls' families were waiting for their arrival with excited anticipation. As soon as the big yellow bus came to a stop, everyone cheered. Elinor however, eagerly searched the crowd for her daughter's smiling face. Sure enough, she found Merida slowly making her way from the back seat of the bus with all of her luggage dangling from her neck and shoulders. Once she approached the door, Elinor took Merida's duffle bag from her left shoulder and hauled it with ease towards their waiting van. Fergus took her suitcase which had been placed in the bus's cargo hold while Merida's brothers took her backpack and camera case. Soon, all of the girls were reunited with their families and they were tired yet happy to be back home. While Fergus drove the van to their house, Merida leaned against her car seat and shut her eyes. She was very tired since she had had to get up early that morning in preparation to head onto the bus. Now that she was an Olympian, she would be able to relax for a few days. The four girls' picture had made it on the back of a Wheaties box and all of the girls had gotten that cereal so that they could put the picture onto their bedroom walls as a memento. As for the four Olympians, they had their gold medals for a special souvenir and they would remember this amazing adventure for years to come. Merida also had two posters of Ian Thorpe on her bedroom walls and she felt as if this adventure was all a dream. As soon as everyone was rested from their journey, they had a special party to commemorate the victors of the gold medals. And so, with swimming practices and meets still to go, the girls tried their hardest and hoped and dreamed of the next summer Olympics to come.