CHAPTER 13: The Little Blockade

"I... I... I... I'm sorry. I..." Rapunzel stammered.

Ariel ducked under the water.

The door drifted open wider as Rapunzel's hand unconsciously pushed against it. She was no longer sure what she was seeing.

Ariel's head rose. "I guess it's silly to hide. Not like I can go anywhere." She waved Rapunzel in.

"You... you... you're a..." Rapunzel took a step in. "A real...?"

"Yes. And Elsa knows too. It's... kinda how we met."

Rapunzel sat on the privy while Ariel told her story, starting with her transformation in another bathtub. When she got to the part about stealing her father's trident, Rapunzel glanced at the long, golden fork laying in arms reach of the tub.

Of course, to explain why that was important, she had to go back to the beginning, when a fateful ship sailed over her grotto. Then she could explain the storm, the shipwreck, and how Elsa and her met. If she wasn't immersed in water she would have had a dry throat several times over.

Rapunzel stayed silent during her story. The only time the fair-haired maiden had interjected was to ascertain detail or weed out some falsehood. Now, Rapunzel's bright eyes scoured her body.

"Can... can I touch it?"

Ariel was confused. She was talking about her tail. "Oh. Sure, I guess."

Rapunzel stretched out her hand as if nearing a snake. When she made contact with the soft, moist surface, she gasped. "It's so... strong."

"Strong?" Ariel expected her to say "slimy", "gross", "cold", or something to that effect.

"It must be all muscle in there. I can feel it pumping under the skin... er, scales."

Ariel smiled. Since this started, she'd been thinking of this as a weakness, not a strength.

"Does Anna know?" Rapunzel asked.

"No. The fewer people that know, the better. Although, I'm not doing such a great job of that, am I?"

"So that's why it's so important we find whoever did this spell. You can't even go home to your husband."

"Right. The longer this lasts, the more chance of someone finding out. You can't keep something like this a secret for long."

"So this is where you sleep then?" Rapunzel asked.

"I've got my salt here. The water's cold enough. Better than a barrel."

"But as soon as sunrise comes, you'll be back to being human." Rapunzel stood up. "I have a ton of questions, but I'll let you get some rest."

"Thanks. I'm don't think I'll be going back anytime soon. And thanks for keeping this secret."

"Don't worry. I never break a promise." Rapunzel shut the door and exited.

The next morning, Elsa summoned all necessary parties to the castle's conference room. Those parties included Anna, Rapunzel, and Ariel, plus a smattering of local representatives and councilors. Elsa sat primly at the head of the table, greeting each as they entered. She bade Rapunzel, Ariel, and her sister to sit closest to her.

"Thank you all for coming. As you know, times have been tough lately. I know everyone in Arendelle thinks I'm to blame."

"No, they don't," Anna said, grasping Elsa's hand.

"Well, some of them still might. But now I think there's actual proof that my powers are not the cause. Because both Rapunzel and Ariel," she gestured to each side, "have experienced the same thing. A sort of 'backsliding' to parts of our past."

"Like how you didn't used to be able to control your power," Anna said.

"Yes. But we learned the only thing capable of doing this is some ancient magic. A powerful and corrupting magic. But Rapunzel says there's someone in Corona with the same name as a person who took that power."

"That's all you're going by? A name?" one of the councilors asked.

"I trust Rapunzel. And it's the best we've got." Elsa added to herself And if this leads nowhere, I have no idea what to do. "So, I've gathered you here to announce we'll be leaving for Corona immediately. A small fleet is being prepared. Rapunzel, Ariel, and I will be heading off as soon as it's ready."

"Why are you going?" Anna asked. "Why can't you send someone else? It's Rapunzel's kingdom."

"I know. I just got back and I'm leaving again. I'm sorry." Elsa looked at Ariel and Rapunzel. "But this involves all of us, somehow. It's not a coincidence. We need to seek this out together."

"What about Arendelle?" a councilor said. "You're abandoning it again?"

"Princess Anna will be the appointed regent until my return. Don't forget, she kept the kingdom stable in my absence, in spite of an ice storm."

Another councilor coughed. "I'm not quite sure that was Anna so much."

Elsa arched her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Madame Tora nodded. "I think all the council agrees. Perhaps you should consider leaving Rapunzel and taking Anna. She is your sister after all."

"Leaving Rapunzel? But she's from the place we're going to," Elsa said.

"Or leave Anna. We don't care. As long Rapunzel stays," Tora said.

"Why?" Elsa asked.

Rapunzel looked around nervously, considering her options--shouting out, taking Elsa aside, jumping out the window seemed viable. She could latch onto something and swing by her hair.

A messenger boy burst into the council chambers holding a scroll of paper. His face was beet red from running.

"Queen Elsa! There's... you better... this note... from the watch."

Elsa took the envelope from the exhausted page. It wasn't even sealed with wax, it had been so hastily written.

Elsa read the few lines. She stood up. "Telescope. Does anyone have a telescope? Monocular? Anything?"

One of the guards next to the window produced a small, pocket-size telescope. Elsa held up the eyepiece and looked out the window towards the ocean.

"Elsa?" Anna asked.

"An armada. Advancing on Arendelle. From Weselton and the Southern Isles."