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Chapter 10: An Island for Two
(Elsa)
The sun was nearing the horizon, cascading its reddish, orange glow across the lush, beautiful island. The trees rustled as a breeze blew overhead and crickets chirped from beyond the lush foliage. Birds flew through the sky, squawking and chirping, as they disappeared into the forest beyond the beach. The tide washed up on the beach gently, covering the sand in white foam.
Elsa's eyes fluttered open. Her mouth opened wide with a yawn. She stretched her arms in the cool sand and then sat up. Beside her was Ariel, sprawled out on the beach still covered by the shade of the boulder they had taken refuge next to. Elsa averted her gaze to the beautiful mermaid lying beside her. Ariel's chest rose and sank gently with each slow breath. One arm was draped over her eyes and her tail was lying in the dark, wet sand, covered in the light, frothy sea foam. Ariel was dead to the world. Elsa felt the corner of her lips lift as she watched Ariel sleep.
Since arriving on the island earlier in the day, both Elsa and Ariel had been staying active. It had all started with Ariel throwing sand at Elsa which led to Elsa chasing Ariel along the beach while chucking snowballs at her. Afterwards, they played on the beach together: building sand castles, covering one another in sand, and making sand angels. It had all culminated in Elsa and Ariel laying near each other in the shade of a large boulder along the foreshore with the gentle high tide washing up on Ariel's tail from time to time so she wouldn't dry out completely. They had fallen asleep in the shade and now Elsa was awake several hours later with Ariel still sleeping.
Ariel's other arm, that hadn't been draped across her eyes, had been outstretched toward Elsa. The mermaid had offered Elsa a place to snuggle up next to her and even though Elsa hadn't taken the offer, Ariel had left her arm open anyway in case Elsa would have happened to reconsider the offer. Elsa twisted around and surveyed the lush foliage beyond the beach. The grass along the sand was taller than any grass she had seen before, waist high at the very least. There were large, green leaves along the grass that Elsa hadn't recognized as anything common in Arendelle. Looking back at Ariel, Elsa had an idea. She got to her feet silently and walked over to the foliage.
Beyond the lush foliage and the flower and fruit trees which lined the edge of the beach for as far as Elsa could see, there was the forest. The setting sun had brought out the fireflies and they thrived in the thick darkness of the island's forest. Elsa had to stand and marvel at the sight. It wasn't often that she got to see something so beautiful as the living night sky captured in a vast forest with crickets chirping to the elegant display of nature.
This island is beautiful, Elsa thought. It's a shame we have to leave so soon. She thought of Anna and how worried she would be if Elsa didn't arrive back in Arendelle on time, never minding the fact that her entire crew of guards and sailors had perished at sea.
As Elsa watched the display of lights flicker in the forest, her wide eyes and smile began to falter. The storm hadn't been her fault. It wasn't like the Great Freeze from two years prior. That had been her fault. She had no control over the storm out at sea and what had happened, yet she still felt guilty. She was the only one to have survived the storm and if it hadn't been for Ariel she would have perished just as everyone else had. Anna would have lost her sister for good this time and she would have to have taken the heavy burden of not only raising a child, albeit with her husband Kristoff, but becoming Queen of Arendelle as well—a position Elsa knew Anna was prepared for at this time.
Elsa shook her head at the depressing thoughts swirling around in her head and pushed them away knowing there was nothing she could do now for those lost out at sea. Her only purpose now was to get back home to Anna… and to find something suitable to cover Ariel with.
Elsa knelt down and examined the large leaves she had noticed when sitting on the beach. From afar they appeared larger than they actually were. She pulled a few from their roots and held them up to her body. She could certainly cover herself up with them, but she would need a lot of leaves to do so. Elsa began plucking the leaves from the dirt hoping to acquire enough to make a somewhat decent blanket for her mermaid friend.
As Elsa gathered more leaves, she could make out the dirt in the foliage. She leaned forward to grab some extra leaves a bit further back and as she pulled them free from the soil she noticed something large, green, and round. It appeared to be a rock, but the texture seemed to be a bit off. Elsa furrowed her brow and put the leaves down in the sand. She leaned forward into the foliage and tugged at the mysterious item. It came loose and while heavy Elsa was able to pick it up. She dropped it in the sand and realized it wasn't a rock, but rather an empty turtle shell.
She ran her hands over the top of it. The texture was smooth and the shell itself was a bit bumpy, but all-in-all it appeared to be in great shape. Elsa turned the shell over and running across the underside of it was what seemed to be a bony layer where the turtle itself would lay. Elsa ran her hand along the under layer confirming that it was in fact bone. Had the shell been without this bony layer Elsa could have used the shell for several different things such as a basket to carry things in or perhaps even a pan for cooking food. Elsa sighed begrudgingly and just left the shell in the sand, returning to pluck more leaves from the grass.
With a hand full of leaves in her arms, Elsa began to make her way back to Ariel. As she walked toward the mermaid she saw the small, life boat perched up on the sand and suddenly remembered the seaweed blanket that Ariel had made for her. Her eyes widened with the realization that she already had a blanket waiting for her. Elsa rolled her eyes and dropped her shoulders at her own annoyance. She dropped all of the leaves from her arms and ran over to the boat.
Elsa reached in and pulled the blanket out. Beneath it was Ariel's satchel containing her seaweed hair band and her decorative starfish along with the conch shell Ariel had given to Elsa as a gift. Elsa grabbed all of their belongings out of the boat and made her way back to Ariel. She carefully placed the conch shell and the satchel in the sand so as not to disturb Ariel and then she opened up the blanket.
Ariel's tail twitched as the foam from the high tide gently washed over her. Elsa took in the sight of the mermaid once more as she shimmered in the orange glow of the setting Sun. Ariel's lips were curved in a soft smile and her fingers twitched much like her tail was still doing. Elsa wondered what it was she was dreaming about when she felt her heart flutter in her chest. A warm blush enveloped her cheeks and she gently threw the seaweed blanket across Ariel's torso. She tucked the blanket under Ariel and smiled down at her friend. Brushing the backs of her fingers across Ariel's soft cheeks, she whispered, "Sweet dreams, my beautiful salmon."
Elsa fell back on her rear and peered out across the lonely sea. The waters were calm and with the exception of the chirping crickets behind her the island was silent. The Queen looked down at her person and realized she was still wearing the same nightgown from three nights earlier when her ship had sunk.
I should probably change, Elsa thought. Unfortunately, everything she had had with her was on the ship that was now resting in its grave somewhere under the sea. She shrugged and stood to her feet. I guess ice dress it is, then.
The high tide was slow moving and shallow which Elsa took comfort in. The last thing she would want is for the water to come in and sweep her away. Sure, she had a mermaid to rescue her, but being out in the water nevertheless was terrifying, especially after having nearly drowned. A shiver went down Elsa's spine as she remembered being trapped under the sail, helpless; she shuddered and forced the memory away.
Elsa slowly dipped her foot in the bubbly foam of the sea. She walked a few steps out into the water, allowing the tide to go up to her ankles. She looked back at Ariel, checking to see if the mermaid was still asleep. She felt nervous being naked around the sea creature even though Ariel obviously had no qualms about being naked around her.
She was nude when she saved me, after all, Elsa thought.
Seeing Ariel's arm still draped over her eyes, Elsa turned back toward the sea and began to undress. She removed her shirt, first. Her pert breasts sat on her chest with very little sagging to them. Her pink nipples were small and soft and as she ran her hands over them, they began to stiffen. Her nipples had always been sensitive to touch.
What really is the big deal about these? Elsa thought. I mean they're just breasts. Why do Ariel's breasts get me so flustered?
Elsa stood in the water gazing down at her chest. She thought about her first encounter with Ariel and how she had been bare chested. Her breasts were much larger than Elsa's and they hung freely from her chest with a bit of weight to them. Her nipples and areolas and surrounding flesh had been covered in green, glimmering scales much like her tail. As Elsa thought about Ariel's bare breasts, she could feel her cheeks warming. There was no doubt she was blushing and the more she thought about Ariel, the more her own nipples began to take shape—budding like tiny, pink thimbles and hardening like stone.
Another shiver went down Elsa's spine. She inhaled a slow, deep breath and focused on the task at hand: washing herself off.
Elsa stepped out of her panties and tossed them back to where she had tossed her shirt on the dry sand. She crouched down and cupped some water in her hands and poured it over herself. She wiped her skin down with her moist hands and did her best to clean up. Admittedly, she missed having soap and a washcloth, but this would have to do for now.
When Elsa finished, she stood up, her body glistening amidst the soft, orange glow coming from the beautiful sunset and turned back toward her clothes. She thought about putting them back on, but why bother? They were dirty, worn, and had begun to fade from the salt water. Using her magic, Elsa extended her arms and willed ice to form around her body.
The ice took shape starting at her forearms and materializing over her shoulders. It went down her chest and over the soft curves of her breasts and down to her abdomen forming the bodice. As it flowed past her curvy hips the dress flared out slightly so as not to be quite as tight as her regal ice gown that she often wore back in Arendelle. This slightly new design gave her legs more room to spread and left her feeling more comfortable. The water on her skin from her washing had turned into tiny crystals and had fallen at her feet. She didn't bother with shoes of any kind as heels seemed impractical on a beach.
When her magic had completely redesigned her in her new, elegant dress Elsa stared down at her body and smiled at her work. The light blue dress glimmered in the dying, soft light of the fading sunset. The ice felt comfortable against her cold skin and she felt a little bit closer to home this way. Elsa turned her head out toward the western horizon and watched as the last bit of sunlight disappeared. She turned back toward Ariel and in the dark she made her way to the mermaid.
# # #
(Ariel)
Ariel's eyes fluttered open to pure darkness. She lifted her arm from her eyes and stared up at the sky. The moon was shining bright and the stars twinkled in its silvery glow. Ariel ran her fingers through the silky, white sand and turned her head to where Elsa had been before she had fallen asleep. Her blonde peasant wasn't there, though.
Ariel turned over onto her stomach with sand falling from her back, her hair, and her tail and she looked up and down the beach for Elsa. The beach appeared to be empty, though. "Elsa?" Ariel said. Not hearing a response, Ariel shouted, "Elsa?"
Still, there was no reply. Ariel's heart began to pound in her chest. Where is she? Where has she gone? What happened to her? Ariel turned in the sand and positioned herself so she was facing where the boat had been. It was still in the sand which meant Elsa was still hopefully on the island.
Ariel turned and peered out across the sea. The water was calm and silent. It shimmered in the silver moonlight and reflected the multiple stars hanging in the black sky. As the high tide gently washed up the beach leaving a trail of seafoam in its wake, Ariel peered down at the sand and found Elsa's clothes. Her eyes widened and her tail began to tremble.
"Elsa!" Ariel shouted across the sea. Ariel dragged herself through the soft sand and headed straight for the sea. "Elsa, I'll save you!"
"Save me from what?" Elsa shouted from behind Ariel.
Ariel stopped and turned around. "Elsa?"
Further up the beach, the foliage began to rustle and out of the leafy grass came Ariel's beautiful, blonde friend. Her lips immediately curved upward as a crimson flush filled her cheeks and her tail began swaying back and forth. "I'm over here," Elsa shouted back at Ariel. "I'm getting fruit for us to eat. I was getting hungry and I didn't want to wake you."
Ariel sighed with relief. Her heart continued to beat heavily against her chest. She moved further up the sand, her tail slithering along the beach, until she met the blonde at the edge of the grass. "Don't scare me like that," Ariel scolded.
Elsa chuckled. "What? I'm fine. I was just getting fruit." Elsa geld up her arm showing off a red piece of fruit that Ariel didn't recognize.
"You had me worried. I thought something had happened to you."
Elsa smiled adoringly down at the mermaid. "I'm sorry. It's just that you looked so peaceful on the sand; I couldn't bring myself to wake you up, at least not until after I had acquired some food for us to eat."
Ariel felt a blush fill her cheeks. She remembered Elsa's clothing on the beach and she cocked her head. "Are you nude? I saw your clothes in the sand."
Elsa's body was hidden behind the tall grass. From Ariel's point of view, being on land and only having the length of her arms to lift her, she could only see so much. Without legs, Ariel couldn't stand as tall as a normal human.
Elsa chuckled and plucked another red piece of fruit from a tree. "No, I'm wearing clothing. I took my other clothes off so I could bathe in the sea and rather than putting them back on, since they were dirty anyways, I decided to use my magic to make myself an ice dress."
"You can do that?" Ariel asked, awed by the thought of magic being used in such diverse ways.
Elsa turned her head toward the mermaid and chuckled. "I can do a lot with my magic. It took me a while to get used to it, but now I feel more comfortable with it." She plucked an orange piece of fruit from a tree and then made her way toward Ariel.
When Elsa stepped out of the grass and onto the sand, Ariel couldn't help much marvel at the blonde. Her new ice dress sparkled against the silver moonlight. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. The dress drew her eyes to it and she couldn't turn away.
Ariel eyeballed the dress from top to bottom. Everything about it was stunning. She noticed Elsa giggle and then take off toward the spot they had been resting at near the boulder. "Are you coming?" asked Elsa.
Ariel just continued to stare at Elsa. How could you possibly get any prettier? I thought mermaids were supposed to be the most beautiful creatures in the world, yet your beauty is unfathomable.
"Ariel," Elsa giggled. "Are you coming or am I going to have to eat all of this fruit myself?"
Ariel, with her eyes still glued to the sparkling dress, dragged herself through the sand until she was sitting next to her blonde friend. She felt compelled to touch it, but she didn't want to ruin it. How sturdy was the ice? Would it fall apart if she touched it? She was hesitant, so she sat back and watched her friend mess with the fruit she had collected.
Sitting in the sand in front of Elsa was a basket made of ice. Elsa twirled her hand over the basket and it melted into a puddle, darkening the sand below it. Several pieces of fruit rolled away from Elsa and she reached forward and grabbed them. Elsa picked up an orange piece of fruit from the pile and wiped away the sand granules.
"Have you ever had one of these?" asked Elsa, presenting the piece of fruit to Ariel.
Ariel shook her head. "What is it?"
"It's called an orange," Elsa replied.
"Well, that's easy. It's colored orange and it's called an orange." Ariel pointed to other fruit sitting in the sand. "Is that one called a red?"
Elsa looked to where Ariel was pointing and burst out with laughter. She picked up the piece of fruit and giggled, "No, silly, this is an apple."
Ariel cocked her head in confusion. "But, that other one is called an orange and it's orange. This one is colored red and it's called an... apple?"
"That's just the human name for it," Elsa said, shrugging, stifling her laughter.
"Humans are weird," Ariel commented.
"You're the one with the fish tail," Elsa said, flashing a sly grin at Ariel.
Ariel feigned a gasp. "It's better than legs!"
"Only in the water."
"Well, I seem to remember a certain young woman nearly drowning because she didn't have a tail."
Elsa narrowed her eyes and then grinned at Ariel. "Touché." She offered the orange to Ariel. "You want to try it?"
Ariel's eyes returned to Elsa's glimmering dress. I want to touch it. I want to feel it. Ariel took the orange from Elsa and squeezed her long, thin fingers around it. It felt firm in her hand. She brought it to her mouth and took a big bite out of it, juices coating her lips and running down her chin. It was certainly different in taste from anything she was used to.
The hard, spongy covering of the fruit tasted awful to Ariel, yet the inside—the juicy, soft heart of the fruit—tasted sweet and sour. Ariel's lips puckered and her face contorted. She chewed through the covering of the fruit and spit it out, swallowing the juicy interior of the orange. Elsa was covering her lips with her hand and giggling at the mermaid.
"Ack, what? That was disgusting yet delicious all at once. Why do humans eat such weird things? You know, that's what's great about fish and shrimp and other seafood. You know what you're getting when you pick it out of the water. I grab a fish and I expect delicious, cold, raw meat; and, that's what I get! When I look at this," Ariel said, holding out the orange, "I expect... well, I don't know what to expect! But, I certainly didn't expect to like it and hate it at the same time."
Elsa continued to giggle at Ariel's ranting. "Ariel, you're supposed to peel the orange, not eat the rind with it."
The sour, citrusy taste still lingered in Ariel's mouth. She scraped the roof of her tongue against her teeth. "Nothing in the ocean tastes anything like this," she exclaimed as she held up the bitten-into orange.
"I know," Elsa said, digging the nail of her numb into her own orange and peeling back a bit of the rind. "Fruit is delicious and good for you."
Ariel watched as Elsa peeled her orange completely. She threw the rind into the sand and split the soft, juicy interior in half in her hands. Elsa handed one of the halves to Ariel. "Here, now try it."
Ariel stared the orange she had bitten into. "What do you want me to do with this?"
Elsa sat her half of the peeled orange in her lap. "Hand it to me. I'll peel it for you."
Ariel eyed the fruit. "I can do it," she said, defensively. Elsa pulled the hand that was offering Ariel the half-peeled orange back slightly as her eyes fell toward the sand and her smile faltered. Ariel shifted slightly in the sand and rephrased her last remark.
"I mean, I can do it," she said, her tone a lot less defensive and more friendly this time. She offered a smile at Elsa.
Elsa's eyes met hers and her downward curved lips slightly went up. "Thank you," Ariel said, wanting to see Elsa smile again. "Thank you for getting dinner."
That did it. Elsa beamed with a wide smile. Ariel smiled back at the beautiful blonde.
Ariel dug her sharp nails into the rind and began peeling away at the fruit. Unfortunately, her sharp nails also dug into the soft interior of the fruit and pulled most of it away with each piece of rind being pulled with the fruit. When Ariel was done peeling the fruit there wasn't all that much left of the soft, edible insides. Ariel pursed her lips and slumped her shoulders at her abysmal work.
She looked toward Elsa when she heard giggling next to her. Elsa, with orange juice coating her lips and running down her chin, was giggling softly at the mermaid's handiwork. "You peeled too much of it," she said, her voice showing her amusement.
"I've never done this before," whined Ariel. She dropped the orange, or what was left of it, into the sand feeling completely useless. "I should have let you peel it for me," she said in defeat. "I think I'm just going to go grab a fish." Her eyes wandered back to Elsa's glimmering ice dress. She felt a lump form in her throat. She still wanted to touch the dress.
"Before you do, perhaps you'd like to try this? You may like it more?" said Elsa, handing Ariel one of the apples. "You don't have to peel it or anything. You can eat it all... well, except for the core. Don't eat the core... or the stem."
Ariel took the piece of fruit. "You want me to eat this red?"
Elsa chuckled at Ariel. "It's an apple. Not all fruit are named after their colors. Actually, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure only an orange is named after its color."
"Apple," said Ariel. She repeated the word a few more times. "So, this is good to eat as it is?"
Elsa nodded. She quickly snatched the apple away from Ariel and wiped the sand from it and then handed it back. "There, now it's good to eat."
Ariel rolled the apple around in her hand, its shiny, red exterior reflecting the moonlight. She opened her mouth and took a big bite out of the apple. Unlike the orange, this piece of fruit was hard and not just on the outside, but on the inside, too. She chewed and as the sweet juices coated her tongue, Ariel found herself quite enjoying this piece of fruit. She swallowed her bite and took another large bite from the piece of fruit.
In a few more bites she had the apple eaten down to its core. Flecks of red peeling lined Ariel's lips and chin and when she was finished she tossed the core behind her. Rubbing her belly, she grinned with wide eyes, "Now, that was good!"
Elsa handed Ariel another apple. "Here, enjoy another."
Ariel gently took the apple from Elsa's hand this time and bit into it. Elsa peeled another orange and together they enjoyed their fruity dinner on the beach under the glow of the soft moonlight.
# # #
When they had both finished eating, they had lay together in the sand listening to the crickets chirp beyond the sandy beach, enjoying a light breeze coming in from the sea, and gazing up at the stars in all of their beautiful glory.
"What do stars mean to humans?" asked Ariel, after a long, comfortable silence between the two young women.
"What do you mean?" said Elsa.
"I mean, you know what they mean to me, to merfolk. They're the deceased merfolk watching down on their friends and family from the Great Sea above. Do they mean anything to humans? I would imagine they can't mean the same thing to you as they do to me since humans aren't even supposed to know mermaids exist."
"I know you exist," said Elsa, matter-of-factly.
"Well, yeah, but you're an exception. The rest of the human world doesn't know we exist." Ariel rolled over onto her belly with her arms crossed beneath her and her back arched. Gazing down at Elsa from this view she could see her beautiful icy blue eyes surrounded by pearly whites. Her eyes went over Elsa's small nose and then lingered on her lips. She hadn't felt a pair of lips against her own since Eric. As she lingered on Elsa's, she craved that feeling once more. Only did Elsa's voice bring her out of her trance.
"Stars are just... a way of navigation, I guess?" Ariel shook her head, focusing in on Elsa's words and not her lips or her dress, which she was still wanting to touch. "Humans look to the stars to find their way home. We look to the stars to find hope. They shine brightly up there reminding us that maybe there's more to life than just what we have here."
"Oh," Ariel said, her voice beginning to trail away. So, they don't see them as merfolk. The thought saddened Ariel. She knew her mother was up there looking down on her, but to the rest of the world, outside of the merfolk population, they truly were nothing more than tiny balls of light trapped up in the sky, only permitted to come out when the sun would disappear into the Underworld. "So, stars don't mean anything to humans other than a way of navigation? You don't even see other humans up there in the way that we see merfolk?"
"How could I?" said Elsa. She turned her head toward Ariel and gazed into the mermaid's sea green eyes. Ariel noticed her icy blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight again. "All of those stars up there in the Great Sea are merfolk looking down on us," Elsa said softly, her lips forming a smile.
Ariel couldn't resist a smile. Was Elsa's answer corny? Sure. But, did it mean a lot to her to hear Elsa say that she believed in the merfolk's legend of the stars? Yes.
"I believe," whispered Elsa.
Ariel's cheeks burned as a deep crimson blush filled her cheeks. She placed a hand over her heart and felt it thump against her chest with elation. She sucked in her bottom lip and chewed on it. A swell of tingles started in Ariel's chest and dispersed throughout her body as she stared into Elsa's eyes.
"Y-You do?" Ariel stammered.
Elsa kept her eyes on Ariel's for a few seconds longer before turning her head back toward the sky. "A beautiful, red-haired, little mermaid once told me that every star in the sky is a merfolk staring down on us, watching us from the Great Sea above. She told me that every year the souls of the deceased gather at Corona and float off together so none of them have to be alone when they meet for the great travel. That's a far more beautiful story than any story I have ever heard about the stars. How could I not want to believe in such a thing?"
Ariel scooted closer to Elsa in the sand. "You're the reason my father is wrong about humans," she whispered earnestly. Elsa turned her head toward Ariel again; their eyes locked. "It's humans like you who should want to make us come to the surface and explore life above the sea. It's the beauty in your heart to be open to such beliefs that don't even reflect your own customs that should make us want to come to the surface. You make me happy to have met you."
"You make me happy, too," Elsa said softly, her eyes never leaving Ariel's.
Ariel and Elsa lay in the sand for several minutes, quietly, just staring peacefully into each other's eyes as the gentle waves of the high tide came up the beach and the chirping crickets played in the background. Ariel traced her fingers in the sand between herself and Elsa. She slowly traced her way to Elsa's knee and when her finger touched the cold, glossy dress, she watched as Elsa's lips parted and a quick, low gasp escaped her mouth.
"Can... Can I touch it?" Ariel asked quietly, referring to Elsa's ice dress.
Elsa brought her knee slightly forward and nodded, a pink blush filling her cheeks as her eyes stayed attached to Ariel's.
Ariel traced her finger slowly up the curve of Elsa's knee. The slick, icy coldness of her dress sent chills down Ariel's spine. Never had she felt something so wonderful much less on a human. As her finger curved around the bend of Elsa's knee, her palm came down slowly and covered the body part. Elsa's eyes never left Ariel's despite her breathing beginning to quicken.
With her hand lying fully on Elsa's knee, she slowly began to rub her hand up Elsa's leg. The slick, cold dress remained still, yet underneath Ariel could feel Elsa's leg beginning to quiver, almost as if she were cold. Her hand slowly went up her thigh and as she caressed Elsa gently through the dress, it elicited a gasp from the blonde.
Ariel noticed her own body beginning to act weird as she gently, sensually made her way up Elsa's thigh. Her breasts tingled and under her dull, clamshell bra she felt her nipples begin to harden. Often times they would only harden when she was doing something she enjoyed or something that felt good to her. And, right now, caressing Elsa's thigh felt good to her, it felt right.
Elsa's entire face was flushed with crimson as was her neck and the upper part of her exposed chest. As Ariel's fingers traveled up her thigh and to her hip, Ariel stopped. Elsa's eyes were now closed and her breathing was labored. Her lips quivered and as she spoke, Ariel noticed the quavering of her voice. Elsa was nervous.
"What's wrong?"
Ariel slowly pulled her hand away from Elsa's thigh. "Your dress feels wonderful," Ariel whispered.
Elsa opened her eyes and began breathing heavily. "Why did you stop?"
Because I enjoyed touching you as much as you enjoyed having me touch you. Ariel lied, "I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"
Elsa was still recovering. Her body quivered in the sand. "I could eat, I guess," she stammered.
Ariel smiled. She sat up and stared down at her beautiful, blonde friend. "I like the apples, but they didn't do much to settle my hunger. I'm going to go and grab some fish. Is that okay with you?"
Elsa managed to sit up. Ariel could see that she was still quivering a bit. Sand fell from her arms and her hair and in the moonlight she looked like a queen, a goddess. Ariel's nipples were still erect under her bra.
"Uh, yeah," Elsa said, shaking her head.
"Okay, I'll be right back," Ariel said as she began to drag herself toward the sea.
Elsa got up and began walking away from the spot they had claimed as their own next to the boulder. Ariel turned around before disappearing into the water and said, "Where you going?"
"I'm going to get some sticks," replied Elsa, her voice still a bit shaky.
"Why?"
"If we're eating fish, I want to make a fire. I know you eat fish raw, but I'd like to have my cooked for a change."
Ariel shook her head as Elsa made her way back to the foliage beyond the beach. As she slithered her way into the shallow water, under her breath Ariel muttered, "Humans are weird."
# # #
About ten fathoms out from the coast of the island the sea was still and quiet. Ariel floated on the surface on her back with her hands tucked up under her head and her hair splayed out all around her like an octopus with its tentacles spread out in all directions. She stared up at the stars with a pleasant grin spread across her lips as she basked in the silver moonlight, her beautiful green tail glimmering and sparkling just like the stars of her ancestors above.
"As you've probably seen, I rescued someone," Ariel said quietly. "Her ship was caught in Poseidon's rage and it sunk like all ships do when facing the wrath of the gods. I tried saving everyone I could, but the water was too much for them and then there were sharks. There was blood everywhere and that only attracted more of the great white predators. Luckily, I managed to save one person.
"Mother, I saved a woman. I thought she was a man and I thought maybe I could find my new prince, but he turned out to be no prince. He's just a woman, but a wonderful woman," Ariel added quickly. "Don't let me underestimate Elsa. Oh, and that's her name: Elsa. She's beautiful and funny and charming and just a wonderful person to be around. I really like her, mother." Ariel pursed her lips and felt a blush envelope her cheeks. "In fact, I think I really, really like her!
"I know father would never allow me to be with her. He would tell me that all humans are the same, that all humans are like Eric. But, mother, Eric wasn't always a bad man. He was loving and protective when we met and when we were first married. He was humble and courteous and accepting of all of my flaws as a human. I know it didn't last, but I can't see Elsa being the same way."
Ariel sighed heavily. "Mother, I wish you were here. I wish you were here to tell father that being at the surface isn't bad. I wish you were here so I could talk to you about my feelings about Elsa. I wish you were here so I could just hug you again and feel you in my arms and lay my head on your breasts and listen to your soft heart beating."
Ariel sighed deeply and continued to drift atop the water for several minutes, silently, gazing up at the twinkling stars.
"Ariel." The voice flowed gently and serenely across the sea and as soon as Ariel heard it, her heart fluttered, her cheeks grew warm, and she smiled.
Ariel sat up in the water, her tail disappearing beneath the surface and her head poking above it with her breasts floating at the surface. "I'm out here still," Ariel replied.
"I got the sticks for the fire," Elsa said.
"I'll get the fish. I was just admiring the sky."
Elsa lifted her head. "It is beautiful. If I wave, do you think your mother will see me?"
Ariel brought her shoulders to her ears as another, warmer blush filled her cheeks. She loved hearing Elsa speak about her mother. It brought a sense of solace to her, since she knew Elsa would never get the pleasure of actually meeting her. "She may," Ariel replied.
Ariel watched as Elsa waved to the stars. "Hi, Athena. I just want you to know that your daughter is really wonderful. If I have to be stuck out at sea with someone, I'm glad that it's her."
Ariel covered her face with her wet hands. The cool sea water did little to relieve her burning cheeks, but then again her grin did little to relieve her hot cheeks as well. "Elsa," Ariel giggled embarrassingly, "stop it. You're embarrassing me!"
"Oh, and I forgot to mention that your daughter is gorgeous," Elsa shouted to the stars.
"Oh my gods, Elsa! That's it, I'm... ugh..."
Elsa giggled and fell on her rear in the sand. "I just thought I'd tell her the truth," Elsa shouted, giggling.
"You're so embarrassing!"
Elsa flashed Ariel a smile and a wink to accompany it.
As Ariel began to submerge she lifted her head to the stars once more. "She really is wonderful, mother. I love you." And with that Ariel completely submerged herself under the sea and began her hunt for a second dinner.
Well, in the past month I didn't get as much writing done as I had hoped. I worked a lot and when I wasn't working I was mostly sleeping. I also decided to become a vegetarian. It's something I've been interested in for a while, but I wasn't sure if I could give up meat. Turns out it's not that hard for me to give up meat. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for all of your support in the last month and thank you to my new followers as well. :-)