Chapter 4 - Secrets, Best Left Buried
The next morning, Anna was awakened by a strange smell coming from her kitchen, accompanied by a familiar voice humming a cheery tune. She got out of bed and went into the kitchen, and was greeted with the sight of Elsa, still barefoot and wrapped up in her beach towel, cooking seaweed and fish over the stove.
Elsa looked over at her, smiling. "Oh, good morning, Anna. I thought I would come and make you breakfast."
Anna smiled a bit. "What are you cooking there?"
"Steamed seaweed and tuna," Elsa explained. "It's a traditional breakfast for merpeople."
"Tuna?" Anna asked. "I didn't know merpeople ate fish."
"Of course we do," Elsa explained. "Bigger fish eat smaller fish all the time. We only eat certain kinds of fish, though. I mean, you humans don't eat every kind of land creature, do you?"
"No... but I know a few people who might," Anna remarked. She smelled the pot that the fish was being cooked in. "Mmmm, smells good. How did you learn to cook? I mean, how can you cook underwater anyway?"
"Well, we have underwater vents of lava," Elsa said. "We use those the same way humans would use a...stove, right?"
Anna giggled. "Yeah, that's right."
"And Moana showed me how to use one," Elsa went on. "I learned a lot of things from her, just like I did from you."
"She's probably a great teacher," Anna admitted.
"As were you," Elsa replied.
Anna smiled. "So if this is what merpeople eat for breakfast, what do sirens eat?"
Elsa looked down. "L-live...live fish. Sirens will eat anything that crosses their path."
"Even humans?"
She nodded. "To a siren, human flesh is one of the rarest and most delicious kinds of meat."
"Glad you didn't inherit that part of being a siren," Anna remarked.
"Actually...I think I did," Elsa admitted. "At one point, before Moana found me, I was so afraid of being discovered by humans that I stayed in my grotto for days and days, without eating. I was so hungry that the next time I left my grotto, I ate the first fish I saw. I wasn't gentle; I just...ate it alive, like a shark." She looked down, ashamed of herself. "When Moana found me, I was little more than a siren in a mermaid's body. But she helped bring me back to myself. And I swore to myself I'd never lose myself like that again."
Anna swallowed nervously. "Y-you're not gonna...?"
"No. If I hurt you, I'd never be able to forgive myself. As long as I don't go for too long without food, I'll be okay."
"Well, good thing you can make yummy food for us both." Anna sniffed the food again. "Assuming I find this yummy."
"You'll love it, trust me."
Elsa set a plate in front of Anna, then handed her a fork. "Here you go. Tell me what you think."
Anna picked up a piece of tuna, popping it into her mouth and chewing it. "Mmmmm, not bad. Just like having sushi."
Elsa tilted her head to one side. "What's 'soo-shee?'"
"It's a food from a part of the world called Japan," Anna informed her. "It's probably not that far from here, actually."
"I probably couldn't go there anyway," Elsa said. "It's safer if I just stay here on the island."
Anna chewed a bit of the seaweed. "Mmmm, not bad either. Maybe you should work in the restaurant up at the hotel?"
"I'd prefer to just cook for you," Elsa stated.
"I'm just trying to help you make the most out of being here, Elsa."
"I know you are, Anna, but I've been here a lot longer than little old you."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Elsa ruffled her friend's hair. "Come on, I'm gonna show you my collection today, remember?"
Anna nodded. "I know. I'm really looking forward to it. But we have to wait an hour first."
"What? Why?"
"If humans go swimming less than an hour after eating, we could get cramps. And if we get cramps, well...we might, you know..."
"Drown?"
"Yeah."
"Oh... I didn't think of that."
"Hey, you're learning every day, Elsa."
Elsa nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am. And maybe when we get to my grotto, I can show you some of my magic."
"What can you do with your magic anyway?" Anna asked. "Besides growing legs and erasing memories?"
"Well, like I told you, I can enchant my voice and make it hypnotic."
"Come on, that can't be all you can do," Anna argued.
"Anna, I'm not a sea witch," Elsa reminded her.
"I know. I'm just asking."
xXx
Sometime later, after Anna's food had gone down, she and Elsa stood at the side of the beach, ready to head into the water. Anna had changed into a green two-piece bikini, and her strawberry blonde hair now hung freely.
Elsa took off her beach towel and laid it on the sand. "I'm gonna go in first, okay? The water will change me back into a mermaid."
"Be my guest."
Elsa stepped into the water, a pale blue light swirling around her legs. Soon, they had melded together into her tail, and her feet had turned into fins. She swam out a little further from the shore, then waved to Anna. "Come on in!"
Anna rushed into the water and swam over to Elsa. "Alright, so what do we do now?"
"Now, I make you able to swim with me," Elsa replied. "Tilt your head to one side for me."
Anna did as Elsa told her. "What exactly are you gonna do?"
"Don't worry, this won't hurt," Elsa promised. "Well, it might tickle a bit." She then placed two fingers on Anna's neck and they glowed blue for a brief second."
Anna felt a strange tingling sensation on her neck, then a sudden rush of air on both sides. She gasped. "W-what did you do?"
Elsa giggled. "That's something else I can do with my magic: I gave you gills. Now you can breathe air and water."
"Wait, what?!" Anna exclaimed. "Are these permanent?"
The mermaid shook her head. "No, they'll go away after a few hours. But I can make them last longer, if you'd like."
"Well, let's just see how today goes. Anyway, enough talk. Let's get to swimming!"
"Follow me, then," Elsa said, diving under the water.
Anna followed her, taking a deep breath to get herself used to breathing water. She could see the mermaid just ahead of her, her braid trailing behind her.
Elsa started to swim deep into the water, cornering around coral and rock till she came to a large deep trench in the seabed and swam into it.
Anna followed her, calling out, "Hey, wait for me!"
"Hurry up, slowpoke!" Elsa called back from down in the trench.
Anna kicked her legs and swam as fast as she could.
Elsa turned again into a small opening in the rock face, swimming down a rather tight tunnel.
Anna followed behind her, pulling herself along the rocks with her hands in order to avoid hurting herself.
Eventually, Anna saw a light at the end of the tunnel and found herself in a large undersea cavern. The cavern was vast, filled with all manner of things Elsa had found over the years. Gold coins, lost treasures, discarded items from forgotten ages. And the centrepiece of it all, an intact sailing ship, preserved by the sea water.
Anna stared at the treasure trove, eyes wide and mouth agape. "Sweet Christmas..."
Elsa sat on a small rock, feeling proud of her collection. "Welcome to my world, Anna."
Anna swam up beside her, sitting down. "And you...live here?"
Elsa nodded. "This is where I stay during the day. I kinda found this place by accident when I was little, and I just sort of claimed it as my own."
Anna looked at the shipwreck that was the centrepiece of the whole collection. "Was that there before you came here?"
"Yep," Elsa answered. "It must've just drifted in here after it sunk."
Anna swam all over the ship, seeing skeletons of the crew and the remains of a black flag. "Ohhh! This was a pirate ship!"
"Yeah. But I think you'll want to see my greatest treasure." She motioned Anna over to what looked like a large blue clam sitting on a rock pedestal. She opened it up, then moved aside so Anna could see. Sitting inside the clam, resting on a magenta-coloured pillow, was a large, brownish-yellow nautilus shell.
"Hey, Elsa, isn't that the shell you shared with me the other night?" Anna pointed out.
"No," Elsa said, shaking her head. "This shell is much more important. I could tell you why, but...I think it'd be easier if I just showed you." She picked it up, holding it with two hands. "Are you ready?"
Anna nodded, excitedly. "I was born ready."
Elsa raised the shell to her mouth, her lips parting and pressing against the opening. The shell glowed softly, and an orb of golden light came out of it, travelling into the mermaid's open mouth and down her throat. It glowed again once it reached her Adam's apple, then faded away.
Elsa took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She then began to sing again, in her native tongue. The orb glowed again in her throat, making her voice echo slightly.
The song swirled around Anna, filling her mind with its sweet melody. The human girl's eyes went glassy, and her lips turned up in a contented smile. She was under the spell of that beautiful voice, and she would obey its every command.
Elsa frowned. "Anna... how do you feel?"
"I feel wonderful, Mistress," Anna said in a complacent voice.
"No... please don't call me that," Elsa told her.
"But you are my mistress," Anna said. "I will do anything you ask."
Elsa sighed. "Then it's time to break the spell." She put the shell to her lips again, and the golden light travelled out of her body and back into the shell.
Once it was back inside the shell, the haze cleared from Anna's eyes, and she shook her head. "Whoa...what just happened?"
Elsa put the shell back on its pillow. "This shell holds the enchantment that makes my voice hypnotic," she explained. "I mesmerized you."
"Wait-you mind-controlled me?!"
Elsa looked down. "In a sense, yes."
"Wow…I didn't even feel a thing."
Elsa nodded. "That's what sirens do. They mesmerize their victims with a song, luring them in...and then they devour them." She shuddered. "That's why I left my shell here, where nobody can ever find it. I don't want that kind of power."
"I can see why," Anna remarked. "If just a few words can make me a slave, think what someone else could do with it."
"Exactly. That power is too great for anyone to handle, even me."
"Why don't you just destroy it?" Anna asked.
Elsa looked down. "I can't," she said softly. "That siren shell…it belonged to my mother."
"Oh..." Anna then swam to Elsa and put her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Elsa."
Elsa shed a few tears. "It's...it's okay."
Anna looked into Elsa's eyes. "Your parents...did they...?"
Elsa nodded, confirming Anna's fears. "It was two years after you left. My parents thought that if we were far enough away from the merpeople and the sirens, we'd be safe."
"What happened?"
"They found us," Elsa replied. "My father was executed for treason...and my mother was torn apart in front of my eyes." The mermaid began to cry softly.
"Oh my God…." Anna felt her heart break at her friend's tale. "Elsa…."
Elsa buried her face in her hands, still crying. "They…they ate my mama…."
Anna embraced the mermaid, stroking her hair. "Shhh," she said softly. "Shhh. They can't hurt you now."
Elsa wiped the tears from her eyes, watching them drift away in the current. "Yes…you're right. They can't hurt me. They're too busy hurting each other."
After a few seconds of silence, Elsa said, "Anna...can I ask a favour?"
"Anything you want, Els," Anna replied.
"Will you let me...hold your hand?"
Anna blushed. "I-I've never held another girl's hand before."
"You don't have to," Elsa told her. "But…it would mean a lot to me."
"I'll do it," Anna agreed. "If it makes you happy, I'll do it." Anna took the mermaid's hand, her fingers intertwined with Elsa's.
Elsa then looked into Anna's eyes and the two of them touched foreheads, Elsa feeling a strong bond between herself and Anna.
"Anna?" Elsa said softly. "Thank you for being my friend."
"I'll always be your friend, Elsa," Anna promised. "I'll be your best friend forever."
xXx
After spending some more time in the grotto together, Anna and Elsa decided it was time for them to head back to the surface. Although Elsa was fine now, Anna knew her friend was still very deeply hurt from having to relive her tragic past.
When they returned to the beach, Elsa sat on the sand for a little while, still in her mermaid form.
"You okay, Elsa?" Anna asked. "If you want me to leave you alone, I understand."
She sighed. "It's been more than ten years since I lost them," she said. "But...it never stops hurting."
"I'm not an expert on this sort of thing," Anna told her. "But I've heard it gets better with time."
"Yeah, I guess so," Elsa said flatly.
Anna knelt down beside the mermaid, her hand on her shoulder. "Just remember, I'm always going to be here for you. I'm not leaving you."
As Elsa's tail transformed back into legs, she looked into Anna's eyes. "I don't want you to promise me that," she said. "Promises are too easy to break."
"I swear it, then," Anna said, smiling a bit. "I swear, I'll always be here."
Elsa looked forward, out at the ocean. "It's so hard to believe all the things that my people have done have happened without even one of your kind noticing until now."
"Yeah," Anna replied, handing Elsa her towel. "Just goes to show you how ignorant humans can be."
Elsa got up, wrapping the towel around herself.
Just then, Anna heard Kristoff's voice calling out for someone. "Olaf? Where are you?"
Anna's eyebrows jumped up. "Quick, Kristoff's coming! Elsa, you gotta hide."
"But why?" Elsa asked. "I've got legs. He won't know anything's off."
"Yeah, but you're not exactly on the guest list of the resort," Anna pointed out. "And besides, this beach is private property."
Elsa looked over Anna's shoulder. "Too late for that now. You'll have to cover for me."
Anna turned around to see Kristoff jogging towards them. "Hey, Anna," he said, panting slightly. "Sorry to bother you. I'm looking for a little kid, about five years old. Short brown hair, blue eyes, name of Olaf Svellson. You seen him?"
Anna shook her head. "Sorry, Kristoff, but I haven't seen anyone. I've been snorkelling all day."
Kristoff groaned. "Aw, shit…Moana's gonna kill me for this."
"Maybe we could help," Anna offered. "It's the least we can do."
"Who's we?" Kristoff wondered.
Elsa waved politely. "Um...hi," she said, a bit shyly.
Kristoff looked at her, smiling. "Who are you?"
"This is Elsa," Anna introduced her. "She's my-"
"I'm a friend of Anna's," Elsa interrupted. "Same as you. She's told me all about you."
"Funny, Anna's never mentioned you before," Kristoff stated, folding his arms. "But what the hell. If you're a friend of Feisty-pants, you're a friend of mine."
"Good," Elsa accepted.
"So where's this kid got to?" Anna asked.
"Haven't a clue," Kristoff answered.
"Well, where did you see him last?" Elsa inquired.
"I didn't see him," Kristoff replied. "Moana just told me to go find the kid after his folks started complaining at the front desk."
"Look, we'll just split up and find this kid," Anna stated. "We'll cover more ground that way... or something like that."
Kristoff nodded. "Sounds good. Anna, you have my phone number, right?"
"Still have it after all these years," Anna replied.
"Good," Kristoff said. "You and Elsa check around the pavilion. I'm gonna look around inside the hotel itself. If you find him, call me. Otherwise, we'll meet up back here in an hour. Sound good?"
"Alright," Anna agreed.
Elsa looked at Anna. "Remind me why you roped me into this?"
"I didn't," Anna replied. "You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Elsa rolled her eyes. "I'll go along anyway. Maybe helping this kid will help me."
"Help you what?" Anna asked as they walked towards the resort's outdoor pavilion.
Elsa shook her head. "Never mind. Let's just get this done with."
"Right," Anna agreed.
The two young women walked through the pavilion, looking around for Olaf. "Hmm," Elsa muttered to herself. "If I were a small human child, where would I be?"
Anna pointed to a series of large, colourful structures set up nearby. "A playground, maybe?"
"Play…ground?" Elsa asked. "I'm not familiar with that. What is it?"
"To a five-year-old kid," Anna explained, "it's paradise. Come on."
"Are you sure? It seems a little too obvious."
"Yeah, but the kid's five," Anna said, leading Elsa towards the playground. "'Obvious' is the name of the game."
"I suppose you have a point."
They stopped on the edge of the playground, a large structure made of wood, metal, and plastic that was designed to resemble a miniaturized version of the resort. "Remember," Anna said, "we're looking for a five-year-old boy with short brown hair and blue eyes."
Elsa nodded. "I know."
Elsa and Anna started to search the area, looking for the young child. After about a minute, Elsa paused, seeing a boy on the swings who matched the description they were looking for. She quickly made her way to Anna and said, "I think I found him. He's over here."
"Good work, Els," Anna replied.
Elsa then walked back over to the boy and knelt down. "Excuse me…are you, Olaf?"
The boy stopped the swing, looking at her with wide eyes. "Yeah," he said.
She smiled. "My name's Elsa," she said kindly. "My friend and I have been looking for you. We're gonna take you back to your parents, okay?"
Olaf shook his head. "My mommy told me not to go anywhere with strangers."
"Well, that's fine," Elsa replied. "Then we'll just stay here until your parents come and get you. How does that sound?"
"Okay." He was still staring at her. After a few seconds, he asked, "Lady, are you an angel?"
Elsa giggled. "I'm a mermaid, actually," she said. "Don't tell anyone, though. It's a secret." She winked.
Kristoff soon ran onto the scene, standing by Anna. "I got here as fast as I could," he stated.
"Good, because we found your missing kid." Anna pointed to Elsa.
Kristoff smiled, watching Elsa talking to Olaf. "Wow. She's good."
Elsa then walked over to them, holding Olaf's hand. "Here you go. He says he's sorry for running off on his own."
"Thanks, Elsa. I don't where Anna met you, but you're a real lifesaver," Kristoff replied. He then looked down at the little boy. "Come on, little fella. Let's get you back to your folks."
"Okay," Olaf replied. He gave Elsa a warm hug. "Bye, lady!"
Elsa giggled again. "Bye, Olaf. Be good, okay?"
"I will." With that, Kristoff took the boy's hand and led him back towards the hotel.
Anna stood at Elsa's side. "I didn't know you were so good with kids."
"Neither did I," Elsa admitted. "Come on, I should get you home too."
"Alright," Anna agreed. "Think you can make some more of that tuna and seaweed for dinner?"
"Sure," Elsa replied. "I should still have some leftover ingredients from this morning. If not, it shouldn't be too hard to go find more."
"Yay." Anna then smirked. "I'll race ya back home!" And with that, she then darted off.
Elsa ran clumsily after her. "No fair! You know I'm not good at running!"
"Then get good, scrub!" Anna called back.
Elsa groaned as she stumbled on her legs. "Anna, I swear to Poseidon."
xXx
Author's note: I think Elsa needs a hug. Like a really big, warm hug.
