Other Fan Fiction ❯ Reprise ❯ Vocal Romantic Stimulation ( Chapter 24 )

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CHAPTER 24: Vocal Romantic Stimulation

The Coral Corral, as Gil's grandfather had named it, had lots in common with human ranches, like a barn. It was globular like a giant snail shell and carved from sea rock, but it was a barn. Instead of a fence, ropes tied the seahorses' prehensile tales to stakes in the seabed. Giant seahorses had the broad chest and musculature of fine stallions.

They poked their snouts into patches of kelp, looking for brine shrimp and plankton. One of them, colored porcelain with a pineapple mane and amber eyes, crept right up to her. A regular horse might be looking for an apple or sugar cube, but this one was content to observe. It regarded her for a moment, then sneezed.

Elsa shirked back, startled, then laughed at herself.

"That's Whitecap. She's getting over a cold," Gil said.

Bubbles floated out of the seahorse's snout.

"They're beautiful," Elsa said.

"When we were little, Ariel's sisters picked the prettiest horses. Ariel wanted the fastest. She'd race anyone she could find."

Elsa had seen how fast Ariel could swim. "Please, don't pick the fastest one for me."

"I won't. I think... Ripple is more your style."

He swam to a peach-colored seahorse, nibbling at the seaweed. "I need to grab the saddles. You two get to know each other." He detached the tether, slammed it in her hand, then swam into the barn.

The seahorse didn't even know it had been detached. It kept eating placidly. Meanwhile, Elsa's breath quickened and her blood tingled. This seahorse could zip away any second. Then what would she do? Where was Gil? He seemed to be taking forever.

What was she doing here anyway? This was the sort of thing for Anna, not her. She was a queen. She didn't go sightseeing on seahorseback with a boy... merman... whatever.

And forget about being human. What were they going to talk about? What if she couldn't think of anything to say? Stupid Ariel and Rapunzel, setting her up like this.

Gil emerged, carrying two clamshell saddles under each arm. An ochre mermare trailed behind him.

"This is Seaspray." Gil said. Seaspray nuzzled Elsa, pushing his nose into her hands. Gil attached the saddle and bridle to Ripple, who stood like an old patient dog.

"Go ahead and get on while I prep Seaspray," Gil said.

"Get on?" Elsa muttered to herself.

Any princess was expected to learn equestrianism. She learned at age eight how to ride a horse into town, on parades, or recreationally. But those times, she had two legs to straddle the horse.

Ripple raised its head, as if sensing someone was about to ride. Where did her tail go? Up the seahorse's back? Or was she supposed to ride on her stomach, like a sled? She tried laying in the saddle's cradle, the reins under her arms like a seat belt.

"What... what are you doing?" Gil appeared above her, riding sidesaddle with his tail to the side.

"Just... uh..." She repositioned herself to mirror how Gil was sitting. "Getting comfortable."

"Is this the first time you've ridden a giant seahorse?"

"No!" Elsa said. "No... no, no, no. Well, yes."

Gil smiled. "It's easy. Just keep clear of the dorsal fin--that's how they propel themselves. And use the reins to tweak their ear-fins." Gil positioned Seaspray alongside her. "I know this great spot on a drop-off. You can see all of Atlantica from there. Er, if that's where you'd like to go."

"That sounds wonderful," Elsa said.

Gil snapped his reins--a dull thwack in the underwater environment--and Seaspray took off. Ripple followed without prompting.

The joy of swimming as a mermaid, unencumbered by gravity or awkward legs, was forgotten as soon as the seahorses took off. Elsa's fingers trembled as the water singed her cheeks and surged through her hair. They slipped in sinuous motion, but despite the terror, she couldn't stop grinning. And unlike regular horses, there was no roar of galloping hooves. She could actually have a conversation.

"Is this fun or what?" Gil asked.

"This is amazing!" Elsa shouted, unladylike. She tried pulling the reins, a little away from Gil. Then notice their seahorses' tails had intertwined. "Do they always swim like that?"

"In a pair, they do. It's easier to swim that way. It's also how to tell if they're more inclined to couple. Ripple and Seaspray are actually mates."

"Oh." Elsa felt a blush, although she didn't know what she had to be embarrassed about.

"Not- not that I did that on purpose. I just thought... Ripple's a gentle ride-" Gil said.

"No, no, I understand." She cleared her throat as Gil looked away.

The seahorses soared over a wilderness of tangled polyps and dense seaweed. Turtles bobbed up and down in their wake. They passed a gargantuan sphere of silver fish swimming in synchronization, like shooting stars en masse.

Gil pulled them back at a crossroads. A manta held up a green clamshell and red clamshell while rainbow-colored mackerel zipped by.

"How was last night for you? Was it fun?" Gil asked.

"The dance? Oh, yes. It was like a fantasy."

Gil grinned. "You've really never been to Atlantica before?"

"Nope," she shook her head. "This is a whole new world... for me."

The manta let them through and they continued further into the void, wheeling like a glittering train. Gil pointed out what looked like an underwater waterfall. White and sand and silt filtered off a high shelf in a slow cascade, like a shower of glittering diamonds. They passed reefs full of stony coral and whipping tendrils of kelp, mighty geysers, underwater plumes of lava, and curtains of tickly bubbles.

At a smooth cliff face, Gil pulled back on his reins. Seaspray rose higher and so did Ripple. Once at the top, Gil dismounted. He tied the reins around a piece of driftwood embedded in the ground. Elsa shimmied off her horse.

"Don't look yet," Gil said.

Elsa closed her eyes. "At what?"

It sounded like Gil was tying up Ripple. Then his hands rested on her shoulders. Elsa's stomach flipped. He rotated her, then pushed a few lengths forward.

"Okay... now."

Elsa opened her eyes and gasped. Atlantica's expanse lay before her. The castle glowed with divine radiance, towering over the surrounding domain. Mermaids darted in and out through umber archways of old ruins and pewter globe labyrinths as big as houses. Millions of tiny dots--fish and other sea creatures--coursed through the kingdom in swirls of cream and lemon.

"That there's the marketplace." Gil pointed to a low area with rows of cramped stalls and performers. "Way in the distance you can see Eel-lectric city." A pinkish-purple haze glowed in the darkness, vibrating with energy.

"This is incredible," Elsa said, after many minutes of astonishment.

Gil pulled something out of his saddlebag. "I figured we could have a picnic here, if you want."

"Yes, please," Elsa said, forgetting about the bland, salty sea food.

He unrolled the sack. Most of the food was green or blue--some kind of sandwiches, a bowl of mushy soup, assorted vegetables. "We've got sea cucumber sandwiches, kelp wraps, coral blossom stew. And these are my favorite. Seaweed cookies with little plankton drops." He took a bite of one. "Mmm."

Elsa tried one. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. Certainly not a cookie, but a fair substitute.

"These were the only things I ate when I was little," Gil said. "I asked my mother to make them all the time. More than seaweed cake or prawn pie."

"So your mother wasn't a noblewoman," Elsa said, deducing that they had no servant or chef.

"Her? Naw. That's part of the reason we don't have a grand castle or anything."

"So you're not a formal part of the kingship. Does that get to be a problem?" Elsa asked.

"No, I like it just fine. We don't strut around with medals or crowns. I mean, yeah, it's a rougher life, but I think it's more satisfying. You see a new foal prancing around and you think 'I did that, I made that happen'. I wouldn't trade it for the castle."

"What do you like best about being a sea horse rancher?" Elsa asked before taking a bite of sandwich.

"I don't know. The whole thing--working with my family, following my own schedule, that feeling you get when you rest after a long day of hard work."

"It must be great to do something you're passionate about."

"What about you?" Gil asked. "What's your job?"

"Well, I'm, uh... sort of, uh... I'm kinda... royalty too."

"Really? That's awesome. Do you come to the castle often? Cause I've never seen you before last night."

Gil's gorgeous eyes widened, and Elsa had to look away. She rolled a piece of fruit in her hands. "Look, before this goes any further, there's something you should know. I'm not really a mermaid."

Gil took a breath, looking out onto Atlantica. "You're human. I kinda figured that."

"You did?"

"Well, for one thing, you don't seem so natural on a seahorse. And truth be told, you look nothing like anyone else. I mean in a good way. Your hair is so white. Only old merpeople have hair that light." He stammered, flailing his hands. "Er, I don't mean you're old. It was just, I mean-"

"It's okay," Elsa laughed. She explained how Ariel had transformed her, focusing on their friendship and leaving out the crisis. "It doesn't bother you that I'm human? I thought there was some sort of taboo around humans and mermaids."

Gil shrugged. "True. But it seems to have worked out for Ariel. Besides, I think we have a lot in common. We're both royalty, but we're not big fans of grandeur or bureaucracy."

"We both have horses and ranches. Parties and music and literature," Elsa added.

"I think attitudes about the human world are starting to change. And that's thanks to Ariel. Merpeople aren't as afraid as they were before. Myself, I never had a problem with humans."

"That's good." Elsa played with the still unbitten fruit in her hands. "I'm actually a queen. Of a kingdom called Arendelle."

"Wow, a queen. You'll have to show me on a map. Is it a big kingdom?"

"About the size of Atlantica, I guess." She glanced onto the shining city. "But not as beautiful."

"As long as they don't have six bickering sisters, I'm sure it's a fine kingdom." Gil chuckled.

Elsa sighed. "It's no different. I don't think my people like me much."

"What? Go on. Why?" Gil said, with disbelief.

"They think I'm... cold."

"Oh, come on. That's not-"

"No, they're right. I keep my feelings inside. I'm pessimistic. I put duty first. And I'm always anxious around people."

"You don't seem that way now."

"Maybe because of Atlantica. It's so alive and jubilant. I wish I could stay down here forever--I've never been happier. Maybe because I don't feel like I have to be myself."

Gil sidled closer to her. "Sometimes, we all just need someone willing to break the ice."

He reached over and held Elsa's hand. She didn't cringe as usual when touched by surprise. Instead the sensation was warm, comforting, like a fuzzy blanket.

The two of them held hands and watched the city of Atlantica transition to night.

"Oh... This... wasn't what I expected," Rapunzel said, voice descending from disappointment. Behind her, the stone dropped back over the cavern's entrance.

"It's like a museum." Rapunzel picked up a cracked glass cylinder with a hanging spring. "This is where you kept all the human stuff you found?"

"Uh-huh," Ariel said.

"What about all these books? Do you think we could find something about the grain here?"

"I don't think any of them go that far back. Besides, they're all destroyed."

Rapunzel looked over the floor. Glass shards, ripped books, and torn frames of art. "Did a whale get in here?" Rapunzel asked.

"No... my father." Ariel floated in the middle of the room, hanging her head. "When he found out I'd fallen in love with a human, he exploded. He destroyed every human thing I had with his trident."

Ariel twirled the same trident in her hands. Uncomfortable, she leaned it against the wall next to a charred boulder. She hadn't been in her grotto since all her possessions were destroyed. There had never been a reason to come back. In fact, it started her on the path that made her human.

She picked up a flat, wood-stained box lined with velvet. "I used to have twenty thingamabobs. Now there's only three. Two gadgets. Not even one gizmo."

Rapunzel looked over her shoulder. "Those are corkscrews."

"Yes, I know that now. I know a tapplehooper's not a pen. It's a door, not a house hole. Carpet is not floor softener."

Rapunzel sidle-swam along the shelves, inspecting the trinkets. There were parts of scissors, binoculars, a sextant, the handle of a violin, the lens of a telescope. "He really did a number on this place."

"The funny thing is, he only ever lost his temper with me. He'd do anything for his people. They loved him. He was wise, responsible, and gracious. And my sisters, he never lost his patience with them."

"Because they always did what he said," Rapunzel said, picking up the end of a pocket watch.

"It sounds like he could have taught them more. Someone at the Mermaid's Ball told me things aren't going so well. They never agree on anything, so they can't make any decisions."

"The court conductor said Atlantica's nervous about its future. Which makes sense, with the new rulers. And no one knows what to think about humans anymore."

"I think they're especially angry at me. They think I hate being a mermaid. I think they resent that I left."

"Maybe they were just taking it out on you?" Rapunzel said. "I never had sisters so I don't know."

"Why can't they just be responsible for their own kingdom? Why can't they learn to put aside their differences and do what's best for Atlantica?"

As soon as Ariel said it, she froze. What she had just said was the exact opposite of how she treated her own kingdom. Her port city was being deprived of its most valuable resource. And she wasn't stepping in to stop it.

Nor was she acting as the rightful queen. Her sisters were sitting in on committee meetings, signing laws. She wasn't taking the time to learn her new role in the human world. But she had no problem forcing her views on them.

"What's this?"

Rapunzel pointed to an askew square slab on the bottom shelf. Ariel scratched her head. She pulled it out and heaved it on the floor. Behind was a half-sized treasure chest, stained black.

"Oh," Ariel said with realization. "Remember how I told you I used to go exploring in shipwrecks, looking for treasures and human artifacts?"

"Yeah."

"Not all of them were very nice."

She pulled the box out. It had a flat top and dark iron metal bands. Two rings hung on each side. "I kept this box locked away. I'm not sure why. I didn't know if it was dangerous or not. But something about the ship I pulled them from... I just knew they weren't things that represented the best of humanity."

"But you kept them anyway."

Ariel shrugged. "They were human stuff."

"But maybe now there's something we can use," Rapunzel said.

Ariel jimmied the rusty lock open. The top tray held a stiletto knife and a vial labeled poison.

"What's this do?" Rapunzel picked up a metal pear.

"I don't know. But when you turn the crank it does this." The bottom of the pear split into three segments, spreading further away. It didn't answer Rapunzel's confusion, so she closed it back up.

Under the tray lay a black metal box. "I never opened this," Ariel said. "I don't think I wanted to try." The lock crumbled as soon as Ariel touched it. Lichen and barnacles had eaten it away. She flipped the lid.

Inside were papers and folders. Many held long, fluid script that had eroded to scrap.

"Look at this map," Ariel said. "Here is Arendelle, Corona. But what are these islands where the lines are connected?"

"That's the Southern Isles. And the trade routes all lead back to the Weselton. I learned about this when I was helping Anna out with government stuff." Rapunzel picked up the documents and began reading. "Hmm... remuneration... currency of international... Interesting..."

"What?" Ariel asked.

"They're banking records. Super old. But if I'm reading them right, they're all debt notices to other countries and families. With Weselton as the creditor. And this..."

Rapunzel picked out a letter, in plain script and lower quality paper. "'Enclosed are the alleged documents, along with the evidence of forgery. Note the stamp. The Southern Isles did not adopt this logo until three years after this document would have been written. Compare differences in the wreath and crest. There are too many leaves. Our spymasters are locating the forger and will have a handwriting analysis ready upon your arrival. The international banquet will be a perfect time to present your findings. Most nations that also received these debt notices will be there, so have your evidence ready by then. And give them hell.'"

"So Weselton forged documents saying that other countries owed them money?" Ariel asked.

Rapunzel paged through. "Looks like it."

"I wonder if this is something we can use against them. When we get back to land," Ariel said.

Rapunzel smiled. "Maybe. Money doesn't make much difference when there's a cannon aimed at your head. But if no one discovered they were counterfeit, they are still binding, even if they're from three generations ago. This would have been the Duke of Weselton's grandfather. Most of them are beholding to the Westergaard family."

"If they're still around, I imagine they wouldn't be happy to hear how they were swindled," Ariel said.

"It's lucky this was behind a rock or it would have been destroyed. It looks like the only things that survived were this box and this thing." She held up a clear glass bottle with a rolled up paper inside. "I assume this was from your 'message in a bottle' collection."

"I don't have a 'message in a bottle' collection."

Ariel examined it. It looked too new to be something of hers. All her objects were encrusted with grime and barnacles.

"Oh my gosh... oh my gosh. This is my letter." She sprang up. "This is what Arcius sent me. He didn't forget about me after all." It was strange referring to such a villain so excitedly. "Unh, I can't get the cork off."

Rapunzel tried, but failed as well. "How come we can't get it out? Magic?"

Rapunzel scratched her head as they stared at the innocuous bottle propped on a rock. "I guess we could break the bottle."

"Before that, we should take it back to the palace. Maybe there's something there we haven't thought of."

Gravel scraped against stone near the cavern entrance. Elsa slipped in and sashayed toward them, her cheeks glowing. Rapunzel and Ariel glanced at each other.

"So... did you have a good time?" Rapunzel asked.

"Oh, yes," Elsa replied. "We saw the giant sea lily garden, the seal pup park, the cave with all the crystals that shine like stars. It was amazing."

"Uh-huh," Rapunzel said with anticipation. "And what about Gil?"

"Gil? Oh," she coughed. "Yes, Gil is nice."

"Nice? Really? That's all?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yes, he's nice. He's a very nice, handsome, young man," Elsa said.

"Did you say handsome?" Ariel asked. Her eyebrows raised.

Elsa slumped into a grin. "Okay, he's amazing. He's so passionate and honest. A little awkward when it comes to personal questions, but funny. I couldn't believe how comfortable I was with him. It must be the sea air."

She twirled in the middle of the grotto, bubbles effervescing around her. "He didn't even talk about himself, he wanted to know about me. By the end, I was telling him things I'd never say to someone I'd only known a day. I told him about the time I got a cold on my sister's birthday, but I was so determined to give her a proper party, I kept ignoring it, until I was so feverish I was incoherent and dancing and I almost fell off the clock tower."

Elsa stopped spinning. She held her head. "Oh my gosh. Did I really tell him that? I can't believe I said that." She covered her eyes. "Please, quick, change the subject."

"We found this bottle," Rapunzel said, holding it up. "It might be Ariel's note from Arcius."

"But we can't get it open," Ariel added. "Even though it just looks like a cork. Which makes us think even more it might be from Arcius."

"Maybe there's something at the palace that can open it," Rapunzel said.

"So let's go," Elsa said. She opened the giant stone slab for them, a big smile on her face. Rapunzel and Ariel gave each other a knowing glance, and followed.

They swam across the blue expanse, side by side.

"We found an interesting bit of history in the grotto," Rapunzel said. "There was a lockbox with some debt notices inside. A bunch of counterfeit bank ledgers from a certain country we've been dealing with--the Duchy of Weselton."

"Weselton? But they've never borrowed from any countries. Not as far as I know. Wait..." She put a finger to his lips. "If I remember history right, Weselton came to power ninety years ago."

"That's when these documents would have been made. I'm guessing whoever was supposed to get this information wasn't successful."

"Maybe someone sent a naval force to Weselton to investigate, but they were lost at sea. So the evidence never got to them. And no one knew about it until now." Ariel said.

Rapunzel nodded enthusiastically. "And if that's true, Weselton's owes a huge stack of interest a bunch of kingdoms and important families. Once we get to land, we could contact Commander Ansel and see if any of those families are still..."

Rapunzel and Ariel realized Elsa had fallen behind. She had stopped in the middle of the water, staring at something in the distance.

"What? What is it?" Rapunzel asked.

Ariel looked at what Elsa was staring at. "That shipwreck? I had a nasty chase with a shark there once. That wasn't long... before..."

She trailed off as Elsa started towards the wreck. The ship had settled on a chunk of protruding rock. Tattered netting and what was left of the sails drifted back and forth. Torn out patches of hull allowed easy ingress. But it was in one piece. Even the mainmast was intact.

Elsa swam under the bow to where the vessel's "chest" would be.

"Elsa? What is it?" Ariel asked.

She reached up and wiped away the sea slime that had gathered on the hull. Bordered by lines of crocuses, there lay a giant stylized "A".