Jenny, Dag and Alarik belong to @patricia-von-arundel. This is based off of your Mermaid AU here and @couragedontdesertme's TDOE story here.
Rating: K+
"Where are you going?"
Jenny winced. She thought Dag would be too engrossed in his books to notice her leave. So much for that.
"Swimming."
Dag huffed, crossing his arms. "Why do you have a bag and a flashlight? You don't need those to swim."
Jenny rolled her eyes. "No duh. Why do you care? Go back to your books. I'll be back before Mama and Papa get home. I'm just doing some exploring."
Before Dag could say anything else, Jenny dove off the dock.
As soon as she hit the water, she could feel herself change. Membranes closed to protect her ears, while another slid into place in her throat, allowing her to breathe. She flipped around to watch her favorite part, her legs fusing together, green-blue scales growing up and down, while her feet elongated and spread to form two flukes.
The transformation complete, Jenny flicked her tail and started off towards her destination, elation filling her. That was until she heard the unmistakable whistling trill of her underwater name, along with a tug on her fluke.
She spun to find Dag directly behind her, his hand movements frantic.
"Mama and Aunt Anna said to never go into the cave alone!"
Jenny shrilled a sound that would have brought her a scolding from Mama, her hands cutting sharply through the water.
"Make me stop."
She flicked her tail and took off, refusing to look back as Dag whistle-shrieked in frustration. But she knew he wouldn't follow her- he wouldn't risk breaking the rules.
His loss, then.
Shortly beyond the dock, the shore grew steep, and she found the cave's entrance. It was a dark hole in the rock, just large enough for one person to pass through. Only the top showed at low tide- by high tide, it disappeared.
Once past the entrance, the cave widened drastically, forming a large cavern at least ten feet across. Even though it was underwater, the light from the outside reflected across the space, casting an ethereal blue glow and making the walls above the waterline sparkle like diamonds.
But Jenny had no interest in the cavern, beautiful as it was. Her attention went to the dark spot near the rear- the entrance to the rest of the cave system. This hole was wider than the one leading back outside, and only faintly illuminated.
Jenny swam up to the hole, and paused. Mama and Aunt Anna had taken them to the cave before, but, as Dag had said, they'd been told to never go alone. And they'd only ever been allowed to swim about the main cavern, never any further.
Mama never said anything beyond the back tunnels being dangerously confusing and often small. But late one night while Aunt Anna was visiting, Jenny overheard them talking in hushed voices. She couldn't catch everything, but she did hear two words clearly.
"...the secret…"
Jenny knew of her mother's task- to protect and guard the great secrets of the world. And perhaps, one such secret was hidden away in the depths of an underwater cave.
Today, Jenny would find out.
As long as she made sure she was back before Mama and Papa returned- and made Dag swear to keep quiet- she was certain she'd be just fine. Checking once more that her bag and flashlight were in place, she swam into the hole, feeling a rush of elation.
For several minutes, Jenny swam without the flashlight, her dark vision allowing her to see clearly. As the tunnel began to curve and twist away from the main cavern, she was eventually forced to turn it on as the light fully receded.
She took her time, marveling at the strange formations and making sure she marked each turn with a colored piece of string stored in her bag that she could follow on her way back, the way Uncle Kristoff had taught her. With the exception of some tiny fish she didn't know the name of, she swam alone.
But as time wore on and her string began to run out, Jenny realized that she would need to turn back, or risk getting caught. She tamped down the feeling of disappointment, and turned around, following the path she marked.
Perhaps in her earlier excitement, Jenny had failed to notice just how treacherous the tunnels were. With silt kicked up from earlier, it was difficult to see, and more than once she cut herself on sharp ridges, or ran into the walls. And how had she not noticed the numerous tight passages she had to wriggle through?
It was in one such passage, as she struggled to fit her shoulders through, that Jenny's tail knocked a stone loose. There was a shudder, and in the space of a breath, the rock fell onto her tail, just before her flukes.
Jenny screamed.
The flashlight fell from her fingers as she thrashed, trying to back out of the hole, but failing to budge an inch, and eventually gave up as the pain in her tail grew overwhelming. Grey crept into the edges of her vision, and she sagged, whimpering softly. The flashlight had rolled further down the passage, providing only the faintest light, and leaving her section in complete darkness.
"Mama…"
…………..
"Jenny, Dag, we're home! Please come help with the groceries!"
Elsa placed the tote bags on the table next to the ones Alarik had placed there and rubbed her legs- she would need to transform soon. Long car rides made them ache. She heard rapidly approaching footsteps, and then Dag came around the corner, his eyes wide and worried.
"Dagn what-"
"Jennywenttothecave." He was breathing heavily, his words coming out in an unintelligible rush.
Alarik knelt down in front of Dag, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Dag, deep breaths. Slow down. What's going on?"
Dag took several steadying breaths, although his hands still twitched nervously. "Jenny went into the caves by herself. And she's not back yet."
Elsa gasped, and rushed to the back door. She heard Alarik instruct Dag to stay put, and then he was by her side, placing a gentle hand on her arm.
"Elsa, wait, we should-"
Elsa shrugged his arm off, shaking her head. "No. I am not waiting. That cave holds a secret for a reason. I'm going to find her." She didn't wait for his response, but instead broke into a run, reaching the end of the dock in seconds.
Elsa dove cleanly into the water, and as the transformation took hold, she called out in a long tone, magic carrying her voice further than it naturally would go. Minutes later, she received a response.
I'm on my way.
Elsa wasted no time waiting. She sped to the cave, calling Jenny's name even before she entered. She swam into the cavern, praying to every great force she knew that Jenny would be there, looking guilty, but okay.
Her heart sank when she beheld nothing but water and stone. She could feel the trace of her daughter's passage in the water-magic and their family connection allowed that much- but it clearly led into the tunnel she avoided looking at.
Jenny had gone in. She hadn't come out.
She heard the clicks and whistles of her name, and turned to see Anna enter the cave. Just as she had, her sister scanned the area before her eyes landed on the dark entrance in the rear.
"Let's find her." Anna's hands moved with quick confidence, and she took Elsa's hand before leading her to the entrance.
Anna pulled out glowing stone from the pouch at her waist and lifted it, illuminating their path as they made their way through the tunnel. At the first junction, she pointed to a bright green string tied around a rock.
"She marked her path- she's using Kristoff's knots. I recognize them- we need to go this way." Anna signed.
Despite the situation, Elsa felt a small glow of pride in Jenny's thinking. If only she hadn't done it here.
They followed the strings, pausing occasionally to call out Jenny's name. As they traveled further and further in, with no response, Elsa's worry grew. Was Jenny injured? Was that why she couldn't respond? Or was she-
"Elsa!" Anna whistle-clicked her name, and when Elsa looked where she pointed, and off a small branch from where they swam, she caught sight of a faint beam of light.
Almost simultaneously, she and Anna called out Jenny's name as loud as they could.
There was an agonizingly long moment of silence.
"Mama? Aunt Anna?"
The relief of hearing her daughter's voice felt like a blow to the chest. But Elsa could hear a clear note of pain there as well.
"We're coming!" Elsa called out, and followed the small passage, her eyes fixed on the light, heedless of any danger. The light grew brighter and brighter, only to reveal a fallen flashlight. Elsa panicked for a moment, before Jenny called out again.
"I'm over here Mama! Over here!"
Elsa picked up the flashlight and aimed it down the tunnel.
"Jenny!"
She swam up to her daughter, biting her lip when she saw the scratches covering her shoulders and arms. Jenny started forward from the tiny hole she was in, but stopped suddenly with a cry of pain.
"I'm stuck! A rock fell on my tail, and I can't back up at all! It hurts! Mama, it hurts so much!" Jenny's face contorted, and Elsa bit her lip, trying to keep from crying out herself. Instead, she took Jenny's face in her hands, brushing a thumb across her cheek. Once Jenny's breathing was slower, Elsa moved her hands away.
"I know it's hard, but try to stay calm. We're here now, and we're going to get you out."
Jenny nodded, and Elsa pressed her hands to the rock, letting her power rise to the surface of her skin. The stone creaked and cracked, expanding enough until Jenny was able to push backward, her eyes wide with amazement. Elsa and Anna followed her to find a massive rock pinning Jenny's tail to the cave floor. Even if she had been able to back up, she wouldn't have been able to push a stone that size from the angle it landed.
Once more, Elsa's powers came into play. With a sheet of ice beneath the rock, and her and Anna's combined strength, they were able to free Jenny. As soon as they did, Elsa felt bile rise in her throat. Jenny's tail was swollen and bent out of shape. She wouldn't be able to move it, let alone swim out.
"Jenny, I'm going to put ice around the injury to keep it from moving, alright? Then we'll get you out of here."
Jenny whimpered and nodded, turning away as her tail was encased in a thin layer of rigid ice. Once it was done, she rested her head on Elsa's chest, face contorted in pain.
"I'm sorry Mama, I'm so sorry."
Elsa ran her hands through her daughter's hair, fighting back her own anguish. "Shhhh, I know little one. Let's just get you home."
………..
The soft brush of waves against the sand was almost as soothing as the feel of the cool water against her aching tail. Jenny slumped against the inflatable raft that Papa had brought out for her, feeling exhaustion overtake her.
It had taken Mama and Aunt Anna over an hour to get her through the tunnel- with Jenny unable to do more than push with her arms, they had to work her through the tight passages and turns. By the time they'd made it back to the dock, evening had fallen and the moon was rising.
Aunt Anna left them there to fetch Yelena. After examining Jenny's tail, the old healer had determined that she'd likely broken several bones and would need to remain in the water until her tail healed.
That would take at least a week. Mermaids healed fast, but not overnight. And transforming back would only make the injury worse.
Footsteps in the sand brought Jenny's attention back to shore, and Mama appeared, carrying an inflatable raft. She anchored it next to Jenny's, then sat in the water, her tail's brilliant blue scales reflecting the fading light.
"Papa and Dag are finishing dinner. But I wanted to have a chance to talk to you before they came out."
Jenny looked away, feeling her cheeks flush. "I know you're mad at me. I'm sorry."
"I'm upset, yes. But mostly because I was so scared I would lose you."
Mama's voice hitched, and Jenny fought the urge to whimper. Because in that moment, Mama's words brought to life her own similar fear- that she would never see her family again.
"That cave… there's a reason a secret is hidden there. Not just because no one notices it. The cave itself is enchanted to protect it."
"On the way back… the tunnels got smaller, didn't they?" Jenny braved a look, and she could see tear tracks on Mama's cheeks. Acting on instinct, she reached out, and Mama took her hand, squeezing firmly.
"Yes. The falling rock as well. You were lucky because you're half mermaid. You wouldn't have made it as far as you did otherwise. Anna and I can pass because we are guardians, and that's why I was able to get the passage to open again. If we hadn't been there…"
This time, Jenny couldn't hold her whimper back. She moved closer to Mama, and when her arms wrapped around her, Jenny let the tears fall, clinging to her mother tightly.
"Shhhhhh, there, there little one. You're safe now." Jenny's shoulder was suspiciously wet, but she didn't care. All that mattered was she was safe.
When they pulled apart, Mama stroked the hair back from Jenny's face, a wry smile on her face. "I assume that you will not travel back to the tunnel alone again?"
Jenny shook her head vehemently.
Mama's smile grew. "Hmmmm. Some day, when you are older, I will show you what is in there. But for now…" Mama nodded towards the shore, and Jenny could see Papa and Dag approaching with a wagon, the aroma of dinner wafting out over the water.Jenny grinned and snuggled close to Mama. She was home, she was safe, she was loved.
