Under the dimming orange glow of the rising sun, Alana stared down at herself in disbelief.
Her tail was gone.
Well in a way.
Where her shimmering blue tail once was, there were now translucent legs formed entirely of flowing water. They moved naturally, bending at the knees and ankles, each step rippling softly like a calm tide. The water felt cool, soothing against her skin.
"I'm… standing up?" she said in a confused yet excited voice.
She took a cautious step forward.
Then another.
Her eyes widened, and a small gasp escaped her lips.
She suddenly started taking several large, unsteady steps, nearly jumping in excitement.
Just then, she made a quick turn and lost her balance—but before she could fall, Lioro grabbed her and helped her regain it.
"Here, walk like this…," Lioro said, grabbing her hands and showing her how to walk properly.
Alana tightly gripped his hands and controlled the watery legs to follow Lioro's lead.
"I'm walking!" she exclaimed in a giggling voice, her body trembling with newfound excitement.
Cid crossed his arms and observed the scene before commenting,
"It's like a portable mermaid converter."
Alana stopped, turned toward him, narrowed her eyes, and said,
"You're still scary."
Cid blinked, then suddenly formed a giant black net using his slime suit.
Seeing the familiar scene, Alana quickly grabbed Lioro's arm and hid behind him.
Lioro shook his head and said,
"Anyway, before you traumatize her again, we should move."
Alana asked curiously,
"Move… where?"
Lioro glanced toward the distant lights beginning to sparkle beyond the cliffs, the towers of Arendelle rising proudly against the rising sky.
"You said you wanted to see the surface, right?" he said. "Specifically… the kingdom."
Alana paused.
The realization hit her.
'With these legs… I can visit the human kingdom…'
With excitement came a feeling of unease.
'But won't it be dangerous…?'
What if most people on the surface weren't good like Lioro, but instead like that demonic human Cid?
"Will it be… alright?" she raised her head and asked Lioro in a soft voice.
"Are you worried about something?"
"I am a mermaid… so won't it be a problem?"
"Oh, that? Don't worry, I have a solution."
Cid suddenly added,
"Worst-case scenario, we erase some memories and throw you back into the ocean."
Alana immediately paled.
----
A few minutes later.
Alana stood awkwardly beside the cliff path, now completely hidden beneath a large dark robe with gold outlines that Lioro had taken out of nowhere.
The fabric pooled around her feet, obscuring the faint glow of water beneath. The hood was pulled low over her head, shadowing her face.
She peeked out nervously, feeling like a little thief.
As a royal princess of the sea, this was the first time she had experienced something like this.
It kind of filled her with excitement…
"Is… is this really enough?" she whispered. "What if someone notices?"
Lioro adjusted the robe slightly, making sure no watery parts were visible.
"As long as you don't scream 'I'm a mermaid' in public, you'll be fine."
"And so what if they notice? Not to mention our strength— even the king and queen are with us."
Cid nodded.
There was really no one in the kingdom who could pose a threat to them.
Alana suddenly remembered that these two were the ones who had repelled the witch.
And right now, both of them were walking on either side of her, like bodyguards.
Now that she thought about it… it really made her feel safe.
A small smile unconsciously appeared on her face as she looked forward to seeing the surface.
As they descended toward the kingdom, the sounds of Arendelle grew clearer.
Laughter.
Music.
The distant clatter of hooves and carriage wheels.
The warm hum of life.
Since Anna and Kristoff were getting married, the entire kingdom felt like it was celebrating a festival.
Alana clutched the robe tighter around herself, her heart pounding.
"So many people…" she murmured. "They're everywhere…"
"As a mermaid, how does it feel to see so many humans?" Lioro asked.
"It's a little overwhelming…" she replied.
Lanterns lined the streets, glowing like captured stars. Shops bustled with activity—bakers pulling fresh bread from ovens, merchants calling out cheerfully, children running past with ribbons in their hair.
Suddenly, the smell hit her.
Fresh bread.
Roasted meat.
Sweet pastries.
Her eyes were instantly drawn to the delicacies of the surface.
Noticing her gaze, Lioro took out some funds Kristoff had given him and bought one of everything for Alana to try.
Alana looked at everything in excitement before taking a bite.
New flavors instantly exploded in her mouth, some she enjoyed, others not so much.
'It tastes good, but nothing is as good as that… burger…'
Alana stopped eating the pastry and turned toward Lioro.
"What's up?"
"That… can I have another burger?"
"Hm? Sure."
It seemed diabetes had a chance of taking over the ocean too.
Taking a bite of the burger, Alana said without hesitation,
"I love the surface."
As she was eating, Cid silently came beside Lioro and said in a voice only he could hear,
"So when are we emptying Triton's treasury?"
'And I was just wondering why this bastard captured the mermaid…'
Lioro gave Cid a dissatisfied look before silently giving him a thumbs-up behind his back.
Cid instantly grinned. They truly were like-minded people.
As they passed through the main street, Alana kept bumping into Lioro, either from distraction or nervousness.
"That building is huge!"
"Their clothes are so colorful—they cover their entire bodies and not just their chests…"
"Why is that child holding a frozen stick? It's called ice cream?"
"Wait, what is that? A dog?"
Suddenly, Alana stopped and looked ahead.
The castle.
Its white stone walls gleamed under the lantern light, banners fluttering gently in the evening breeze. Towers stretched toward the sky like something out of a dream.
"I always saw it from a distance before…"
It looked even better up close.
Alana smiled and said in a sincere voice,
"Ariel was right… the surface is nice."
For a brief moment, neither Lioro nor Cid spoke.
Both of them turned their heads and silently looked at each other.
'You're a piece of shit.'
'Yeah, you too.'
The moment lingered longer than expected.
The lantern light reflected softly in Alana's eyes as she gazed at the castle, her grip on the robe loosening just a little. The faint sound of music drifted from somewhere within the walls.
Then—
Her watery legs wavered.
"Ah—"
Lioro reacted instantly, steadying her by the shoulders.
"You're getting distracted again," he said.
"Sorry," Alana muttered, her cheeks faintly turning red.
Alana exhaled softly.
Standing here outside felt nice.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?" Lioro asked.
"For showing me your world," she said, then turned to Cid and continued, "And for not eating me…"
Cid: ...
After sightseeing a little more, they arrived beside the sea.
Alana removed her cloak. The Water Spirit Nokk separated from her body, letting her fall gently into the ocean.
"Lioro! Cid! Thank you for today!" Alana shouted in a grateful voice while waving her arms.
Lioro and Cid replied with waves of their own.
Seeing the smiles on their faces(mainly Lioro's), a feeling of reluctance suddenly welled up in her heart.
"I… can I come see you again…?" she finished in a mosquito-like voice.
Lioro and Cid secretly glanced at each other before smiling brightly and giving her a thumbs-up.
"Of course! We're friends!" ×2
Alana felt her heart warm. With a sincere smile, she opened her mouth and started singing.
If tides should part and paths align,
If shores should call my name,
I'll follow the light, your world and mine,
And meet you here again…
Lioro heard the song. It sounded nice, but nothing like what he had heard about a mermaid's voice being captivating.
Suddenly, he noticed one of his rings glowing continuously…
He seemed to understand something and quickly removed it.
Almost instantly, his mind was filled with a soul-soothing voice.
So till that day, remember me,
As I return to the sea,
Friends on the shore, friends in the deep,
This song… my promise will be.
Alana finished her song and stared directly at Lioro. Seeing his stunned expression, she smiled happily before turning around and swimming back into the ocean.
Lioro let out a sigh. It truly was a beautiful voice.
Alas, he had only heard half of it, since its effect had been canceled by his ring.
Beside him, Cid removed the slime suit blocking his ears and said,
"So… I noticed you didn't recall your water spirit."
"….." Lioro remained silent.
"It's following her, isn't it? You piece of shit," Cid smiled.
"It's for her protection—"
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that."
Okay, he was a little interested in Triton's weapon that could control the ocean.
He wasn't going to steal it, just study it so he could recreate it for his own use.
As for treasure? He already had too much.
----
Back in the ocean.
Alana swam deeper, the sounds of the surface fading behind her. With every stroke of her tail, the world she had just experienced felt more and more like a dream.
Her fingers brushed her lips unconsciously.
The image of Lioro passed through her mind.
Friends on the shore… friends in the deep…
The words echoed softly.
Before she could drift too far into her thoughts—
"ALANA!"
The roar shook the surrounding waters.
She flinched.
Ah.
She remembered.
She was late.
…Very late.
Alana quickened her pace, darting past coral towers and glowing sea plants until the familiar outlines of the undersea palace came into view. Pearlescent walls rose proudly from the seabed, guarded by various fish standing at attention.
The moment she crossed the palace boundary—
"There she is!"
"Princess Alana!"
"We found her!"
Several fish rushed toward her, expressions torn between relief and panic.
One of them spoke hurriedly.
"Your Highness, where have you been?! The patrols couldn't find you anywhere!"
Alana forced a small laugh.
"S-sorry… I got a little carried away by the currents."
The guards looked at each other in confusion.
"Princess, please return quickly—the king is—"
Before he could continue—
A massive shadow descended from above.
The water itself seemed to tremble.
Alana stiffened as a towering figure emerged from behind the palace spires, trident clenched tightly in hand, his flowing white beard swaying like seafoam.
King Triton.
His eyes locked onto her instantly.
"Alana."
The single word carried more weight than any storm.
She shrank slightly, looking like she had done something terribly wrong.
"…Father."
Triton blinked in confusion.
Why was one of his most sensible daughters suddenly started acting like Ariel?
It seemed her disappearance carried great secrets!
Inside the throne hall.
"Do you have any idea," he thundered, "how many search parties were deployed for you?!"
"I'm sorry," Alana said quickly. "I didn't mean to—"
"You disappeared without warning, daughter," Triton continued. "For hours. Just like a certain someone!"
He stopped and visibly pointed at a red-haired mermaid hiding behind a pillar.
"Yes! I am talking about you, Ariel!"
Ariel, who had been caught peeking, quickly hid behind the pillar again.
Triton ignored her and said to Alana in a solemn voice,
"Alana, what if you had been in danger—"
"I wasn't in danger," she suddenly cut him off. "I met someone."
King Triton froze.
Had his most lovely and obedient daughter just cut him off?
A bad feeling welled up in his stomach.
'Wait… did she just say she met someone?'
King Triton blinked and asked cautiously,
"…Met someone?"
"Yes. He was amazing, strong, and good-looking…" Alana finished with a blush.
Ariel, hiding behind the pillar, was dumbfounded.
'Was this really her sister?!'
King Triton was even more shocked.
W-what?
D-did one of his daughters finally fall in love?
W-was he finally going to be a grandfather?!
King Triton barely contained his growing excitement.
Clearing his throat, he said in the calmest voice he could manage,
"Ahem! Lovely daughter Alana… can you tell Papa who this lucky merman is?"
Alana suddenly fell silent. Her eyes widened as she bit down on her lip, refusing to speak.
Triton, confused by her reaction, suddenly thought—
'Did something happen? Don't tell me some bastard merman dared to play with my daughter and leave?!'
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed right.
King Triton exploded.
"WHO IS IT?!"
The ocean trembled.
"WHO IS THE BASTARD WHO DARED TO BREAK MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER'S HEART?!"
His trident glowed brightly with power.
"Tell me, Alana!"
Triton's glowing eyes fixed on his daughter.
"Tell me his name! I will bring him back! I will find his merman ass—"
"Human," Alana suddenly interrupted.
"…?"
King Triton's brain failed to register the word.
From behind the pillar, Ariel suddenly rushed out, shock plastered on her face.
"He's human, Father…"
"H-human…? Human?!"
The ocean was not calm that night.
----
Ps: Well shit, my stranger things fanfic got blocked. The reason? I saw there was a 15k words req for it to be listed in ranking, since i was writing it as a side project i only wrote 1k words each chap, it was on chap 11, so i decided to add 5k filler words in chap 1, and it got banned lol.
sad.jpg(I kinda deserved it ngl.)
I'll re-upload it later since the chapters are saved, also lucky you guys, getting so many chapters lol. Enjoy the new year everyone.