Chapter 5 - The Te Fiti Festival

A few days later, Anna was fast asleep in her bed one morning when her cell phone began to ring. She rolled over and grabbed it from her nightstand, seeing that Rapunzel was calling her. "Dammit," she muttered sleepily before answering it. "Rapunzel, it's..." She checked the alarm clock on her nightstand. "...eight in the morning. What do you want?"

"Cass and I were gonna go biking around the island," Rapunzel replied. "Personally, I'm just as excited as you are, but Cass wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Then what are you calling me for?" Anna groaned, yawning.

"She wants you to join in," Rapunzel replied.

"But why, though?"

"My best guess is she wants to get to know you better," Rapunzel explained.

"By wearing me out on a Victorian deathtrap?" Anna assumed.

"Hey, it could be fun."

Anna sighed. "Fine, whatever."

"Can you meet us at Cass's villa in an hour?" Rapunzel suggested.

"Sure," Anna replied. "Just tell Cass I don't have my own bike."

"She's got a spare one, just for you!"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Wonderful."

"I'll see you in an hour, Anna," Rapunzel said.

xXx

A couple of hours later, on a coast road on the other side of the island, Cass and Rapunzel were racing across the tarmac on a pair of professional racing bikes, all decked up in cycling gear. "You alright back there, Anna?" Cass called backwards.

Several feet behind them was Anna, wearing a tank top, shorts, and a bike helmet, panting. "Yeah," she replied sarcastically. "I'm fan-fucking-tastic. Nothing but gumdrops and ice cream over here."

"Sounds yummy," Rapunzel joked.

"How much longer are we doing this?" Anna asked.

"Oh, only another ten, maybe fifteen miles to go," Cass reported. "I thought you were enjoying yourself, Miss Gumdrops and Ice Cream?"

"Don't you know sarcasm when you hear it?!"

"Oh relax, you'll feel so good after this!" Cass insisted, pedaling on ahead.

"Unless 'after this' involves a hot tub and some lemonade, I doubt it," Anna retorted.

"Anna, just think positive," Rapunzel told her. "You might think that this is just tiredness, but it's doing your body a world of good."

"Well, it sure as hell doesn't feel like it," Anna said, pedaling harder in an attempt to keep pace with Rapunzel and Cass.

Eventually, the three of them came to a stop on a cliffside overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful scenic view, much like the one from Cass's villa.

"Not a bad view, eh?" Cass asked, smiling.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Anna panted, still winded from the ride.

"You think we should have taken her on such a long run?" Rapunzel wondered, feeling a bit concerned for Anna.

"I'll be okay," Anna said. "Just gotta...rest for a bit." She took out a bottle of water, opening it and taking a big swig.

"Do you think you'll have enough energy for tonight?" Cass asked.

"Tonight?" Anna asked. "What's tonight?"

"You mean you don't know?" Rapunzel asked. "There's this big festival here on the island tonight. There's gonna be loads of people there from all over the world."

"It's called the Te Fiti Festival," Cass explained. "I've looked into it. Hundreds of years ago, the original inhabitants of Motunui Island held a festival in honour of Te Fiti, the island goddess. They believed that by dedicating a day to praising her and making offerings of fruit and flowers, they would earn her favour and be ensured a bountiful harvest."

Anna nodded. "Huh. Sounds pretty cool."

"When Motunui was first colonized, they stopped having the festival for a good few decades," Cass went on. "But back around the turn of the century, the Islanders were able to start it up again, as a way of honouring Motunui's ancient culture."

"Plus, it's a great place to take a girl on a date," Rapunzel added, winking in Anna's direction.

Anna raised an eyebrow and frowned. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I say you take that girl of yours there," Rapunzel answered. "The one you met on the beach a while back."

"Who, Elsa?" Anna asked. "I don't think she does big crowds. Also, she's not my girlfriend!"

"Come on, Anna, if she's not your girlfriend now, she could be," Cass insisted. "I mean, you do like girls don't you?"

"I'm only 18," Anna replied. "I'm not sure who I like yet."

"Then at least try experimenting, girl," Cass insisted. "No harm in trying out your limits to see who you do and don't like."

Anna sighed. "Okay, fine, I'll ask her if she wants to come. Now, will you kindly get off my back about her?"

"We're just trying to help you find your soulmate, Anna," Rapunzel excused.

Anna rolled her eyes. "If Elsa were my soulmate, I'm pretty sure I would've had some kind of sign by now."

Cass looked at her stopwatch. "Okay, I've got some stuff to do for my job right now. Raps, can you see Anna home?"

"Sure thing!" Rapunzel agreed.

Anna looked over at Rapunzel. "Can we take it a little easier now, please?"

"Sure, we'll go nice and slow back home," Rapunzel agreed, as Cass headed to her villa.

"Thank you," Anna accepted and she and Rapunzel began to set off for the resort, at a much slower pace.

xXx

After taking a long shower to relax her tired muscles, Anna threw on shorts and a T-shirt and wandered out to the secret spot where she had first found Elsa. She vaguely remembered coming to this spot when she was younger, but the memories were still hazy.

As luck would have it, Elsa was there, relaxing her fins by the water's edge, taking in the fresh air. Anna knew Elsa hadn't been great the past few days, feeling a bit emotionally down. Anna had a strange feeling that it was because Elsa had confessed what had happened to her family the day they went to the grotto, but part of her knew there was something more. Thankfully, Anna could see a smile on Elsa's face, feeling relieved that her new friend was happy right now.

As Anna approached the secret spot, she said, as loudly as she dared, "Elsa, it's me."

Elsa smiled. "Oh, hi, Anna."

"Why are you out here like this during the day? People could see you."

"I'll be okay. Everyone's busy getting ready," Elsa replied. "Today's the day of the Te Fiti Festival, isn't it?"

"Um...yeah," Anna said, slightly taken aback. "How did you know?"

"Moana told me about it once," the mermaid explained. "It's the only time when it's safe for me to come out during the day."

"Ah," Anna acknowledged. "I get it." She then looked at the scales on Elsa's fin, seeing them glow in the summer sun. "Your scales look very beautiful in the light."

Elsa smiled. "I could say the same thing about your eyes."

Anna blushed, rubbing the back of her head. "So... you just chilling here?"

"Pretty much," Elsa responded. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

Anna blushed. "Well, um...I might...have an idea..."

The mermaid raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Well, since the festival is tonight," Anna said, hoping she sounded less nervous than she felt, "I was wondering if, um...maybe you...wanted to, er, go...with me...?"

Elsa's eyes widened with excitement. "Anna... is this what I think it is?"

"Um...I guess so," Anna replied.

Elsa jumped up and took Anna's hands in her own. "Oh, Anna, I'd love to! But…I don't have any human clothes."

Anna went red, looking down at the wet palms holding her hands. "I-I can find you some."

Elsa's eyes lit up. "Really? Y-you'd do that for me?"

Anna smiled. "Of course. What are friends for?"

The mermaid beamed like the sun itself. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Elsa," Anna replied. "We can go out shopping together later, if you want."

"Shaoping?" Elsa tried to pronounce the word.

Anna giggled. "You'll see later on."

xXx

A while later, Anna and Elsa were browsing the hotel shop for clothes for Elsa to wear to the festival. Elsa had borrowed some of Anna's clothes for now, but it was plain to see that they were a bit too small for the mermaid.

Elsa was grinning like a child at all of the clothes on display. "Wow," she said to Anna. "I didn't know humans had so many things they could wear!"

"Trust me, this shop doesn't cover the half of it," Anna remarked. "So, do you see anything that you like?"

Elsa kept looking around, eventually picking out a pale green sarong and a matching crop top. "I like these a lot," she said. "The colour looks like the sun reflecting on the ocean."

Anna smiled. "Yeah, they look nice. But you'll need shoes to go with them."

Elsa looked confused for a brief moment, then nodded. "Yes, I know what you mean."

"Oh and by the way, you're paying for them," Anna told her.

"Oh! Well then, it's a good thing I have these." Elsa then opened her hand to reveal three gold coins, taken from one of her scavenging trips. "Humans pay with these, right?"

Anna looked at the coins. "Elsa, people stopped using coins like these over 200 years ago."

Elsa groaned. "Aw, shark bait."

"Don't worry," Anna assured her. "I'm sure we can...work something out."

Elsa thought for a moment. "Maybe if you pay for the clothes," she suggested, "and then I can give you some of these coins?"

"How much are they worth?" Anna asked.

Elsa shrugged. "No idea. I know they must be valuable, though, considering how Moana reacted when I showed her one."

"Well, alright then," Anna agreed. "Come on, let's take this stuff to the fitting room. Can't have you going to this party with clothes that don't fit, right?"

"The clothes I've got on right now don't fit much either," Elsa admitted. "But I don't mind."

Anna giggled. "Well, you're taller than I am, so..."

Elsa then picked up a pair of sandals, looking at them confusedly. "These are weird shoes. Your toes must feel weird wearing these."

Anna laughed. "Elsa, you're such a dork sometimes. And I love you for it."

Elsa then blushed bright red.

The two girls headed towards the fitting rooms, but while Elsa walked in, Anna hung back. Elsa turned around, confused. "Aren't you coming with me?"

Anna shook her head. "No, I'll just wait for you out here."

"Alright," the mermaid replied uncertainty, walking into a fitting room and closing the door.

Anna then sat on a chair outside, hoping Elsa wouldn't have too much trouble with her new clothes.

After a few minutes, Anna heard Elsa's voice: "Anna? Could you please come here for a second?"

Anna walked over to the door of Elsa's fitting room. "What's up, Elsa?"

"Could you come in here, please?" Elsa requested. "I can't quite reach to fasten my top."

Anna flushed. "Y-you want me to fasten your top?"

"Yes, please," Elsa answered. "I-if it's not too much trouble, I mean."

Anna closed her eyes. It's alright, Anna, she thought. It's just a top. On Elsa's body.

She opened the door to the fitting room and stepped inside. "Okay, Elsa, I'm here..." Her voice trailed off. Elsa was standing barefoot before her, wearing the sarong and top that she'd picked out. But what Anna hadn't anticipated was just how...beautiful the mermaid girl looked.

Elsa smiled. "Okay. Thanks for your help, by the way. It's just so hard to reach the clasp in the back there."

Anna gulped. "Um... sure, I'll get it for you." As Anna grabbed the ends of the clasp on Elsa's top, her fingertips brushed against the smooth, creamy skin on the mermaid's back. It was soft to the touch, and slightly moist from being in the ocean. Anna's cheeks were as red as a tomato by this point.

"Are you okay, Anna?" Elsa then asked her. "Your cheeks are red."

"I'm fine," she replied quickly. "It's just...a little warmer in here than I expected."

"Are you sure?" Elsa asked her. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable again."

"No, no, Elsa, it's fine. I'm fine, you're fine, and gorgeous…wait, what?" Anna covered her mouth.

Elsa blushed as well. "I'm...what?" she asked.

Anna looked away. "I…I need to go…powder my nose," she stuttered. Fuck me, she thought. She quickly fixed Elsa's top, then left the fitting room and walked quickly to the nearest bathroom, locking the door and looking at herself in the mirror. "What the hell was that?" she asked herself. "I don't even like Elsa like that." But as she looked into her reflection's eyes, her mind filled with thoughts of Elsa. And at the centre of those thoughts was one word: ...Right?

Anna then groaned. "If there is a God in heaven, please let him or her make sure tonight doesn't go badly."

She walked back into the store, knocking on the door of Elsa's fitting room. "Elsa? Are you ready?"

"Almost," Elsa's voice called back, sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm just...trying to figure out...how to put...these stupid shoes on."

Anna sighed. "Let me help. I don't want you hurting yourself."

Elsa sighed. "Yes, I think that'd be best."

xXx

That evening, as the sun was beginning to set, Anna and Elsa left Anna's condo and headed for her car to go to the festival. As they walked towards the car, Elsa stopped, staring at it with wide, fearful eyes. "Anna...what's that thing?"

Anna giggled. "Calm down, it's just my car. I guess you've never seen one before, huh?"

Elsa shook her head. "You and Moana both told me about them, but...I didn't think they'd look so...scary."

"Elsa, this is a Fiat. It's the least scary looking car in the world," Anna pointed out. "If it were a Humvee or one of those really big Camaros, then maybe."

Elsa took a breath, calming down. "Sorry. I guess my father was right: you fear what you don't understand."

Anna opened the door for her. "Come on, just sit down and relax. I'll do the driving."

"D-driving?"

Anna smiled. "I'll explain on the way."

Elsa gently got into the car, twiddling her fingers nervously.

Anna buckled Elsa's seatbelt, then her own. "Safety first," she explained. She put the key in the ignition and started the car.

As the engine turned over, Elsa jumped a bit. "Meep!"

Anna giggled. "It's okay, Elsa, it's just the car." Anna drove to the beach on the other side of the island where the festival was being held. When they arrived, they saw the party was in full swing.

Elsa's jaw dropped. "Mother of Poseidon...it's so..."

"Crazy? Hyper?" Anna suggested.

"So...alive," Elsa finished.

There were people all over the place, a live band performing, and down on the sand, a huge bonfire was blazing brightly. It was like a combination of the Mardi Gras and a luau.

Anna grinned. "Come on, let's get down there!"

The two jumped out of the car and headed towards the party, Elsa sticking close to Anna so she wouldn't get lost amid the sea of people. "After Moana told me about this, I used to watch it from the ocean," Elsa said. "I never thought I'd get to actually be a part of it."

"I know!" Anna exclaimed. "Isn't it awesome?!"

"It's really busy," Elsa replied. "Are all human festivals like this?"

"Not all of them," Anna informed her. "Well, I don't really know. I'm not much of a party girl."

"Hey, Anna!" a familiar voice called out from behind them. Anna did a double-take and saw Cass and Rapunzel coming towards them. The two women were holding hands, and carrying margaritas with their free hands.

"Oh, hey guys," she greeted them.

"Hey yourself," Cass replied. She then looked at Elsa and smiled. "So this is the famous Elsa? I must admit, Anna, you bagged a real cutie."

Anna blushed. "How many times do I have to tell you: she isn't my girlfriend!"

Elsa just giggled. "Why didn't you tell me you had made some new friends, Anna?"

"Wait, she didn't tell you about me?" Rapunzel asked, wide-eyed.

"Not that I can remember," Elsa replied. "Hopefully she didn't tell you too much about me."

"She didn't tell us anything but your name," Cass stated.

"And that you worked at the resort," Rapunzel added.

"I work at the resort?" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Elsa, remember?" Anna said, glaring at her. "That's how I met you."

Elsa nodded subtly, then said, "Oh, right! How could I forget? Please, forgive me: my memory isn't the best."

Anna let out a soft sigh of relief. Crisis averted, she thought.

"You girls thirsty?" Cass wondered. "The drinks here are so good."

"No thanks," Anna replied. "I'm not old enough for alcohol anyway."

Elsa looked confused, but didn't say anything.

"Suit yourself," Cass accepted.

Elsa pulled Anna aside for a moment. "Question," she said in a low voice. "What's 'alka-hall?'"

"Simply put, nothing you'd want," Anna explained. "Trust me, I had an uncle who was a functioning alcoholic. You do NOT want it."

"I'll take your word for it," Elsa replied. She then returned her attention to Cass and Rapunzel. "I don't think I know your names," she said politely.

"I'm Cass, and this is my beautiful girlfriend Rapunzel," Cass introduced herself and Rapunzel.

"What about your...last names?" Elsa inquired. "I'm just curious. Mine is..." She shot Anna a 'help me' look.

Anna thought for a second, then said, "Clearsong. Elsa Clearsong."

"Oh, mine is Moore," Rapunzel stated. "And Cass's is Benson."

"It's nice to meet you both," Elsa said with a smile.

Cass looked Elsa up and down for a moment. "You're pretty cute. Where are you from, Elsa?"

Elsa froze, looking at Anna with panic-filled eyes. "She's from here," Anna said quickly. "Her parents moved here from...Norway, wasn't it?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes, that's right."

"I knew she was European!" Rapunzel declared. "You owe me ten bucks, Cass!"

"Wait, what?!" Cass exclaimed. "We didn't bet on this."

"Did too!" Rapunzel retorted. "I said, 'Ten bucks says she's from Europe.' To which you replied, and I quote: 'You're on.'"

Cass rolled her eyes. "Curse you and your photographic memory."

Rapunzel gave Cass a kiss. "How about this: you buy all of my drinks tonight, and I'll forget about this little bet."

"Deal," Cass replied. "And maybe we should get Elsa a drink while we're at it."

Anna started to shake her head, trying to get Elsa to not go through with it.

Elsa looked at her, then at Cass. "Well..." she said uncertainly. "I...I'm not sure if I should."

"Aw, C'mon, Elsa!" Cass teased. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

The mermaid sighed. "Can I talk it over with Anna first, please?"

"Sure, go ahead," Rapunzel agreed.

Elsa took Anna to one side and whispered. "Anna, what should I do?"

"Don't do it," Anna told her. "If you do, one of two things will happen. One, you'll get so drunk you cause a scene, or two, you die."

Elsa's eyes widened. "W-why would I die?"

"I don't know, maybe alcohol is like some kind of poison to you," Anna explained.

Elsa looked back at Cass and Rapunzel. "Anna, I want to fit in. I don't want them to get suspicious of me."

Anna sighed. "Fine, go ahead. But promise me one thing, okay? Promise that if you start feeling sick, you'll stop drinking and come find me so I can take you home. Deal?"

Elsa nodded. "Deal."

xXx

Two hours later

"And then the octopus said to the starfish, 'Sorry, I only got eight arms!'" Elsa cackled as she finished another drink.

Cass and Rapunzel laughed madly. "God, Elsa, you're-you're fuckin' hilarious, you know that?" Rapunzel slurred.

"And you ain't a lightweight, either!" Cass added. "You been drinking like a fish, girl!"

Elsa giggled as the bartender poured her another drink, which she quickly downed. "You don't know the half of it."

Anna was on a chair nearby, her face in her hands. "Jesus. H. Christ. On. A. Bike."

Elsa turned over to Anna and smiled. "Awww, is my little monkey all sad?"

"Elsa, haven't you had enough to drink?" Anna asked, in a rather cold tone.

Elsa shrugged. "You told me to stop if I felt sick. I don't."

Cass and Rapunzel both got up, grabbing Elsa and Anna. "H-Hey, wait!" Anna exclaimed as Rapunzel grabbed her hand.

"C'mon," Cass belched. "W-w-we're goin' down to the beach. Gonna check out that bonfire."

Anna sighed. "Fine, lead on."

"Let's go party like they do in Atlantis!" Elsa cried out in joy.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Just what I needed," she muttered under her breath. "A drunk mermaid."

The four girls humbled down to the bonfire, where several of the natives had begun their ritual dance, and the party guests had joined in the fun.

As the mid-tempo tropical beat boomed out of the speakers, Elsa felt a strange wave of nostalgia wash over her. This music was remarkably similar to the stuff that her father had played for her when she was young. She smiled, remembering how her mother had taught her to dance. "You don't need legs to dance, ma petite," she had said.

As if on instinct, Elsa began to groove with the music, her arms swaying and undulating in a graceful and elegant fashion.

Anna then saw Elsa, slowly becoming mesmerized in her movements. She walked closer to her and started to dance as well, her cheeks blushing pink.

"You like my dancing?" Elsa asked, cutely.

"It's...beautiful," Anna replied. "It's like water."

"That's the idea," Elsa said with a wink.

Anna blushed deeply.

Elsa reached out and held Anna's hands, smiling as they continued moving to the music.

Anna smiled back, gazing into Elsa's cool blue eyes. While she wasn't sure of her feelings towards the young mermaid, she knew that this was a festival she'd never forget. Even after the bonfire had started to die out, the two of them were still there on the sand, dancing the night away.

xXx

Author's note: Oh my, it seems our resident feisty pants is getting a crush ;) Also, drunk Elsa... IS FUNNY!
(I don't know what to say with these anymore)