Chapter 2 - Elsa, A Mysterious Stranger
"Wait...who are you?" Anna asked. "How do you know my name?" Had she met this mermaid before? And if so, how did she not remember it?
The mermaid looked sad, moving away. "I forgot," she murmured. "The magic..." Anna could see her face drooping and her bottom lip slowly wobble as if the beautiful creature might cry.
"What magic?" Anna demanded to know, sitting up. "Just what the hell is going on?!"
The mermaid shook her head. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I was a fool to think you'd remember."
"Remember what?"
"The time we shared," the mermaid answered. "A very long time ago."
"Wait...I've met you before?" Anna was getting more questions than answers.
The mermaid nodded. "My name is Elsa. We met many years ago, when you first came to this island with your parents."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on," Anna said. "I remember that vacation like it was yesterday. I'm pretty sure I'd remember meeting a fucking mermaid."
Elsa sighed. "Let me explain. The day you left the island, I kissed your cheek as a way of saying goodbye. But it wasn't until years later that I realized: when I kissed you...I accidentally put a spell on you."
"What kind of spell?" Anna asked.
"A spell to erase your memory. Within a few weeks of that day, you would have forgotten everything about who you were and where you came from. But I was young, and my magic was weak. So the only thing that you forgot about...was me."
"We were... friends?" Anna then asked.
Elsa nodded. "You would come to visit me every day. You taught me all about your world, and about humans. And I would teach you about merpeople and sirens."
"Wait, what's a siren?" Anna inquired.
"Well, it's a..." Elsa looked down. "Never mind. You have to go, now. Before Moana catches you out here."
"The resort director? She knows about you?" Just then, everything clicked. Elsa must have been the "wildlife" that Moana was talking about.
Suddenly, Anna heard a voice saying "Ahem." She jumped as if she'd heard a gunshot, and turned around to see Moana standing behind them, wearing a red nightgown and pink piggie slippers. "I thought I told you no going out after dark."
Elsa looked up at her. "Moana, please," she said pleadingly. "This is the girl I told you about. The one who taught me about humans."
"Elsa, if she tells anyone about you, who knows what could happen," Moana argued.
"No, Moana. I can trust Anna." Elsa then closed her eyes, a pale blue light swirling around her tail, splitting it in half and transforming it into a pair of slender human legs.
"Woah!" Anna exclaimed.
Elsa slowly stood up, arms pinwheeling as she tried to keep her balance. Once she was on her feet, she looked Moana in the eye. "She didn't tell anyone about me before," she said. "Why would she tell anyone now?"
"Because now that she isn't a child, people might believe her," Moana countered.
"Moana, I trust this girl," Elsa repeated. "I've trusted you for the past three years, haven't I?"
"Okay, okay, time the hell out!" Anna butted in. "Can someone please explain to me what the fuck this is all about?!"
Moana groaned. "Come on back to your condo. I'll explain everything there."
"You better," Anna stated. "All this talk about magic mumbo-jumbo is giving me a headache... although that might be from the water pressure."
xXx
A few minutes later, the three had returned to Anna's condo. While Anna and Elsa sat on the couch together, Moana was making coffee. She took two cups of coffee and brought one over to Elsa, who was now wrapped up in a beach towel. "I assume you're thirsty, Elsa."
"Yes, I am." Elsa sipped the coffee. "Mmm, this coffee stuff is the best. Although, seaweed tea is much sweeter."
"So…" Anna said, tapping her fingers on the table. "Is anyone gonna give me the big explanation?"
"Well, as you've probably figured out by now, I'm a mermaid," Elsa began. "Well, half mermaid, half siren. Merpeople like me have been living in the seas for centuries."
"So there are more of you?" Anna inquired. "Can all of you grow legs like that?"
Elsa shook her head. "No, only sirens can grow legs and use magic."
"And since you're half-and-half..." Anna said.
"Yes," Elsa replied. "I can use the magic to turn myself into a human."
"But there's a lot more to it than just that," Moana put in. "Miss Baker, Elsa is the only known mermaid/siren hybrid in existence. She can't stay in the merpeople's kingdom of Ashelora, because she'd be captured and put in prison. And she can't stay in the siren kingdom because-"
"Because they would eat me," Elsa finished.
"Wait-they're cannibals?!" Anna exclaimed.
"More like mermaid sharks with hypnotic powers," Elsa corrected her. "So…no, not cannibals."
"That makes me feel so much better," Anna commented, shivering at the thought of being torn limb from limb by a horde of ravenous sea creatures.
"That's why I've been living here, in the waters around the island," Elsa explained. "I have nowhere else to go."
"So then…how did Moana get wrapped up in all this?" Anna's eyes widened. "Oh my god is she a mermaid too?!"
"No, I'm human," Moana told her. "I found Elsa one night a few years ago, washed up on the shore. She'd been injured while scavenging a shipwreck, and I helped patch her up. I've been keeping her hidden ever since, so no one can hurt her. That's why you're not allowed on the beach at night: it's the only time when Elsa can come to the surface."
"And I screwed it up," Anna groaned.
"No, I guess I couldn't always expect everyone to follow the rules," Moana said. "And for the record, no, your friend Kristoff doesn't know about her. The only people who know are sitting in this room."
"So what happens to me now?"
"I don't know, but I can't let you go away from this resort knowing what you know," Moana answered. "I'm sorry, but you know too much."
Anna sighed, rubbing her temples. "Aw, crapbaskets."
Elsa looked at Moana, confused.
The Polynesian woman patted Elsa's shoulder. "I'll explain later," she said quietly.
Elsa nodded. "Alright."
Moana then returned her attention to Anna. "Look, Miss Baker, if Elsa trusts you, then so do I. But we just can't take any chances. I promised Elsa that I'd keep her safe, and that's a promise I intend to keep."
Anna then stood up. "Then I'll do that too. I'll protect Elsa as well. Even if I have to stay on this island for the rest of my life."
Elsa's eyes widened. "Anna, isn't that a bit extreme?"
"Look, if I can't go away from here, I might as well make the most of things," Anna replied. "And if you need protection, I'm happy to oblige."
Elsa smiled. "You did promise to come back to see me all those years ago, and…you were very kind to me."
"I'm kind to everyone," Anna stated. "My mom says it makes me too naïve."
"I say it makes you a good person inside," Elsa stated. "And…I could use a friend. I can get lonely some days."
"Well, consider me your new friend," Anna said, smiling. "Maybe you can help me remember everything I forgot."
"Oh, I'd be happy to," Elsa agreed. "And you can stay here for as long as you want."
"Wait, I can't. I'm only here for two weeks."
"She's right, Elsa," Moana told her. "She paid for two weeks."
"I'll pay for her stay, don't worry," Elsa told her. "I have some gold stored in my cave from some of the shipwrecks I've scavenged. One of those coins is probably worth a stay in this condo for six months, correct?"
Moana sighed. "Fine. You win, Elsa."
Elsa smiled. "Yay!"
"So does Elsa sleep underwater, or does she have her own place here as well?" Anna asked.
"I'll stay with you, if you don't mind, Anna," Elsa suggested. "After all, this condo is a lot warmer than a cave under the ocean."
"Wait-a cave?!" Anna asked in surprise and shock.
"Well, it's more like a little grotto," Elsa admitted.
"That sounds awesome!" Anna exclaimed.
Elsa shrugged. "It's okay, I guess. It's a little dark, and it gets cold at night, especially during..." Her voice trailed off, and she sat there rubbing her chin in thought for a few seconds. "During...what's the word for that time when that cold white stuff falls from the sky?"
"Winter, Elsa," Moana answered.
"Yes, winter!" Elsa said, snapping her fingers.
"Well if you girls are planning on turning in, no sense in me being here any longer," Moana told them. "I'll check on you in the morning, Elsa."
Elsa nodded. "Thanks, Moana." She blew her a kiss.
Anna giggled. "What's with the blowing kisses?"
"You told me when we were little," Elsa replied. "That's how humans say goodbye to their friends. They wave, or they blow kisses."
After Moana walked out of the condo, Anna looked into Elsa's eyes. "By the way…I never did get the chance to thank you for saving me."
Elsa smiled. "Why wouldn't I? You're my friend, Anna."
"Well, good. I just hope I don't forget you this time."
"Don't worry. I'm in full control of my magic now. I won't let that happen again." Elsa then looked Anna over. "You haven't physically changed much."
Anna giggled. "Is that a good thing?"
"It is," Elsa told her. "It means the girl who called me pretty is still pretty herself all these years later."
Anna blushed. "Wow...thanks, Elsa."
Elsa then yawned. "I think it's time I get some sleep. I always feel more tired after I drink coffee."
"Yeah, I'll turn in as well," Anna replied. "I need my beauty sleep too."
Elsa blushed. "Um, Anna, can I ask a small favour?"
"What is it?" Anna asked.
"Well, when I stay with Moana in my human form, and I get in bed, she always does this...thing that makes me really comfy. She calls it 'tucking me in.' Will you, um...will you do that for me, please?"
"Ummmm…okay," Anna agreed. She then walked over to the couch and tucked Elsa into the blanket. "Comfy?"
Elsa nodded. "Thanks, Anna."
Anna smiled. "Goodnight, Elsa."
"Goodnight, Anna," Elsa replied. Then, in a slightly guttural voice, she added, "Kruun kaurh."
"What was that?" Anna asked.
"The language of merpeople," Elsa explained. "It sounds different when we sing."
Anna giggled. "It sounded like you were burping."
"Yeah, I know," Elsa replied. "That's why we usually only sing in that language. We speak in...English, I think it's called."
"What did you say?" Anna inquired.
"I said, 'Sweet dreams.'"
Anna smiled, blushing at Elsa's cuteness. "Sweet dreams to you too, Elsa." And with that, she headed off to bed.
xXx
Author's note: I suppose now that Elsa is finally in the fic again, I can mention my biggest inspiration for this. Yes, it was none other than the OG Elsanna Mermaid fic, Shore, written by athpluver. It was one of the first fics I ever read and is one that left a really big impact on me. So, athpluver, big Elsanna writer extraordinaire and host of Elsanna week, if you are reading this fic, here's to you and whatever you are writing now!
Oh and fun fact, in my drafts for this chapter, Moana was actually holding a shotgun xD
Anyway, see you next time!
