The Prophecy of Hundrich
Chapter One
Elsa was sitting an a mahogany table, a potted plant made of ice crystals before her. She was shocked by what she had just witnessed. It was just a dream, Elsa. Just a dream.
She breathed heavily, fear washing over her as she stood up. Anna had to still be in the castle. Sleeping, most like. It was 4:00 a.m. after all.
Elsa had to check though. She stretched and sauntered toward the door. She knocked into a chair on the way. That wasn't like her—she was usually put together.
Then the vision swam before her eyes. Her dream. She had been searching everywhere for Anna, all though the castle, but her sister was nowhere to be found. Seeing Kristoff, returned from an ice delivery, he informed her he hadn't seen Anna either. Olaf, bouncing with glee, reported that he last saw Anna the day before, after he left Anna and Elsa alone to share a smooch before her door.
Soon it was discovered that Anna was nowhere in Arendelle. And Elsa didn't know where to find her. And then she began to scream…
"Elsa, Elsa, wake up! You're having a nightmare!"
Her eyes flittered open. Anna was looking at her, very concerned.
"You're still here," Elsa said.
"Of course I am. Was that what your nightmare was about?"
"Yeah," Elsa said. "I don't want to lose you."
"You don't have to worry about that," Anna said, snuggling against Elsa. "I'm not going anywhere."
Olaf bounded into the room with a plate of cookies. "Anyone want some shortbread?"
"Not before breakfast," Anna said. "Elsa needs something wholesome, after the nightmare she's had."
"A cookie might help though," Elsa said, shivering. Anna wrapped her arms around and helped her to her feet.
She reached for a shortbread but Anna swapped her hand away. "Only after you've eaten a proper meal. If you're still hungry at that point."
She led Elsa out of the room.
"What were you doing in the tutor room anyway?" Anna asked.
"I was going to surprise you with something. You didn't look at the table, did you?"
"I was too busy looking at you," Anna said, narrowly avoiding crashing into a suit of armor. Her gaze was still fixated on Elsa.
Kristoff saw them and called out, "Anna, I found the necklace of Potiphar that—"
A new hiree, Gertrude, came through with a painting covered in a heliotrope-colored sheet. "Excuse the intrusion," she said.
"Wait a sec," Anna said, grabbing the frame and tearing the sheet away. On the canvas was a lifelike portrait of Anna and Elsa in the nude, on Elsa's bedsheets.
"Gertrude! You were going to publicly display this?"
"I—I thought it would be fitting if everyone knew that the Queen of Arendelle and her sister—"
"You ought to be punished for this," Anna said, wagging her finger in Gertrude's face.
Kristoff was staring as if Anna surprised him beyond measure, acting the way she had just now.
"Anna, let her go," Elsa said.
"Thank you, your Highness," Gertrude said, staring to back away.
"Leave the portrait," Anna barked.
Gertrude did so, terrified, before racing off at a breakneck pace.
"Anna, this isn't like you," Kristoff said, but stopped abruptly when Anna began weeping.
"I don't know what got over me…I didn't mean to chide her like that…"
"How did you know what was beneath the sheet?" Elsa asked.
"It was transparent, wasn't it?" Anna said, peeking out between her fingers, as tears continued to stream down her face.
"It's not transparent at all," Kristoff said, on his knees examining it.
"Place it over the canvas, like Gertrude had it," Elsa instructed.
Kristoff did so.
"Do you still see the portrait, Anna?" Elsa asked, peering at her sister.
"I do see it," Anna said. The sheet doesn't conceal it at all."
"Anna, you can see through it. To our eyes the sheet covers what's on the canvas. For all we knew, it could've been a portrait of one of our ancestors. But you saw it for what it was even with the covering."
"Well, it's a good thing I did, isn't it? Otherwise all our servants would see us together on the wall naked and in bed."
"A few of them know already anyway," Elsa said.
"I don't mind them knowing," Anna said. "What bothers me is displaying it for everyone to see. There are some kooks who would make this out to be a scandal, you know."
"Yeah, until they're driven out of Arendelle," Elsa said.
"You can't drive everybody away who doesn't approve of us," said Anna. "We might not have many people left if we did that."
"If people don't like us lovers, they shouldn't be allowed in the kingdom," Elsa said fiercely.
Anna and Elsa were leaning in close, just about to share a passionate kiss when Kristoff began clapping.
"Well said. Now let's go have breakfast."
Anna seemed very taken aback, as if she'd forgotten he was there. Then she recollected herself. "Uh, why don't you take Elsa to the breakfast room? I've got to see to it that the portrait is safely hidden away."
"Let me hide it," Elsa said. "I'll join you and Kristoff afterward."
"Okay," Anna said, giving Elsa a shrewd look. "But if you have cookie breath when you turn up, I'll be so incited I'll have to kiss you."
Anna and Kristoff went out of the hallway into another, heading toward the staircase. Elsa tried not to let a surge of jealousy go through her. If it had been her with Anna they would've slid down the banister on either side together, laughing and shrieking all the way down.
Of course, finding a hiding place for the portrait was the best thing to do right now. Not that Elsa would've minded it being on display. She wondered who had painted it. She was certain that she and Anna had never been observed when they were in bed together. And yet the scene was of a fairly recent happening, about a month ago, when Anna had suggested that they explore each other without covers to inhibit their progress. Elsa had her leg over the end of the bed, her fingers coursing over Anna's left breast, while Anna squeezed her hip giddily.
Elsa lifted the portrait, decided it was too heavy, and then thought that turning it to ice might make it lighter. She stood against the wall, set to use her powers, when Olaf came out of an adjoining room.
"Hey Elsa. I've still got a full platter. Want one?"
"Olaf! Uh, sure," Elsa said, reaching for a cookie. She took a couple of bites while Olaf looked around. "What's that portrait of?" he asked.
"It's…a rather personal thing."
"Is it the frame of you and Anna in the nude? The one Gertrude had me paint?"
"You did? I mean, she did?" Elsa said. She shook her head. Why was she speaking like this? She was usually more together…
"Yeah. She wanted everyone in Arendelle to see what a happy couple you and Anna make."
"That was nice of her," Elsa said. "But really Olaf, you shouldn't paint people naked without their permission. It's not polite."
"Gertrude said you'd thank me after I did it."
"Well, it is nicely done," Elsa said. "You certainly have talent as a painter."
"Thank you," Olaf said.
"Now hurry along and tell Anna I'll be there shortly."
"Will do, buckaroo," Olaf said, waddling along through the hallway on his way to the stairs.
Elsa picked up the portrait, deciding that icing it over wasn't the best option. She then traipsed back to the tutor room, passing a few servants along the way.
When she got there she set the portrait on the table, beside the ice plant that was to be a surprised for Anna. Then she stood against the door and let frosty icicles shoot out of her fingertips till the portrait was completely immersed in shimmering white solidity.
What Elsa thought would happen would be that the portrait would be intractable…no one would see what was depicted on it. Instead however, it contracted, becoming smaller and smaller till the iced portrait was of a size to fit in Elsa's palm. She went over to look at it more closely, and saw that every line, every curve was still there. You could see her touching Anna's breast, only they were made of ice, both of them. And it reminded Elsa of when Anna was a frozen statue for a brief moment, jumping in front of Hans' sword to rescue Elsa from the dastardly death he had intended for her.
Elsa flung the miniature ice portrait away from her in frustration. She heard it shatter, and tears rose to her eyes.
"Elsa, where…am I?"
"Anna?" Elsa asked, looking around. Then she gasped. Anna was floating a few feet above the ground, only it was an Anna made entirely of ice. Not her flesh and blood sister.
"Elsa….I was just in the breakfast room with Kristoff, buttering a roll, and the next thing you know, I'm here! How did I get here?"
"I don't know," Elsa said.
"I certainly didn't walk here. I mean, I don't sleep walk or anything."
"You haven't done so before," Elsa said. "But I doubt this is sleep-walking. You're…made of ice, for one thing."
"I'm what?" Anna asked.
There was a pounding on the door, and Kristoff entered. "Elsa, Anna's in a deep sleep, no one can wake her—"
He stared amazed at the floating ice version of Anna.
"What's going on?"
"I'm not sure," Elsa said. "I think one of my spells must've gone wrong somehow."
"But I thought you could control your magic better," Kristoff said, sounding nervous.
"I can, most of the time I can. But my magic gets stronger as time passes. And it seems that this is an effect of it becoming more and more puissant."
"Is she all right, though?"
"Of course I'm all right, Kristoff," Anna said, motioning with her hands. "See, I'm not even frozen. Somehow my body is made of ice. But I'm not harmed or anything."
"Not right now," Kristoff said. "But can you get out of that state?"
"I'll see if I can," Anna said. She shut her eyes, and vanished.
"That doesn't look promising," Kristoff said.
"I'm as freaked out as you are," Elsa said, before covering her mouth with her hand She never used to be open about her feelings. Why was she now?
A moment later Anna burst in. Not an Anna made of ice, but her sister as she was supposed to be, in a lovely green gown, the very same one she wore to breakfast that morning. "It did it! It worked!"
She wrapped her arm around Elsa's neck, squeezing her as if afraid that if she let go, Elsa would vanish forever.
"What worked?" Kristoff asked. "Did you two plan this?"
Anna stood up. "I had a dream last night that Elsa turned me into ice, and the only way to get out of it was to wake myself up. I didn't expect it to happen in real life, though. Wow."
"You…had a dream that came true? Involving us?" Elsa asked.
"I always have dreams with you and I that come true," Anna said, running her finger along Elsa's nose, playing it as if it the fipples on a flute. This was usually a gesture that would reassure Elsa, but the latter's mind was wandering toward her nightmare, and how horrified she'd be if it came true…
"But how did you wind up here in the first place? In ice form?" Kristoff asked.
"How did it happen, Elsa?" Anna asked. "You must know what caused it."
Elsa related the story of the painting, how she shrunk it and threw it toward the corner.
Kristoff went over and picked up a think piece of ice, then brought it back to Elsa. "Looks like this is it."
"You can still see the outline of us on the bed," Anna said. "But how did I come out of this?"
"I'm not sure," Elsa said. "Nothing like this has ever happened before."
"You've never tried icing a painting other than this one?" Anna asked.
"This is the first."
"I think we should experiment, find out what it is," Kristoff said. And he flung the ice portrait at the wall as hard as he could. It rebounded, slammed into the side wall, and came down on the ground. And Anna fell to the floor, landing on a Persian rug, while her ice form floated above the spot where the card had landed.
"That was wicked cool," Anna said. "Though I'd prefer you'd try to catch me next time, Elsa. I don't fancy falling repeatedly today."
"I'd have caught you if I were standing nearer," Elsa said. "Pity I wasn't."
"I'm going to return to flesh now," Anna said. She shut her frosty eyes and woke up on the Persian rug an instant later, all traces of the ice Anna having disappeared from the room.
"That was neat," Anna said. "But what happens if I throw it? I mean, I wouldn't send myself into an ice form, would I?"
"You'd better try it," Elsa said.
Kristoff fetched it and brought it over to Anna, who flung it at the wall. It hit its target playfully and gravity brought it downward. But nothing happened.
"What? Why didn't it work?" Anna asked.
"You have to put force in it, I bet," Kristoff said. "When I was with the trolls, they told me about some types of magic that only work if you project anger into it. Elsa probably was angry when she tossed it, and I had a means of projecting my own anger, and so when it hit the wall you appeared for both of us. But you threw it like a kitten, and it didn't do anything because of that."
"I'll show you throwing like a kitten," Anna said, her temple throbbing. She thrust the ice portrait at the wall with such ferocity that all three of them were certain it would shatter this time, even though it hadn't before.
Elsa didn't have much time to ponder over this before she fell into a slump. Anna caught her body, and let Elsa's head rest on her lap while a frost version of Elsa…literally made of ice, like Anna had been before…hovered a few feet above the miniature portrait.
"This is an electrifying experience," Elsa said. "It seems that when you throw it, Anna, I'm the one who is iced."
"Why is that?" Anna wondered.
"I suppose it could be because you can't project yourself by doing it. When I threw it, you were iced, and when you tossed it, I became frozen like this."
"Why was it me who was iced when Kristoff threw it?" Anna asked. "Why not both of us? Since we're both in the portrait."
"I'm not sure why it works for Kristoff at all, or if it's always you who appears as ice. We have to test it out." She turned to Kristoff. "Are you up for a few hours of experimentation before your ice run?"
"I'm willing to postpone my departure as long as pleases you, my queen," Kristoff said, bowing.
"Good, then today we'll be experimenting for awhile. So long as that doesn't disturb your plans, Anna."
"My plans are secondary to spending time with you, Elsa," Anna said.
"All right then." Elsa shut her eyes, then opened them, looking down at her blue arm. "Why am I still floating here?"
"Oh, um…I think you need to think of something happy," Anna said.
"Something happy," Elsa thought. She shut her eyes again, and the time when she and Anna first tried necking rose into her mind. They had given each other hickeys. No one was to supposed to know about it, though.
Elsa's eyes shot open. Her head was in Anna's lap. "Wonderful experience, eh, sister dear?"
"Amazing," Anna said. "And now we both know what it's like."
"I wish I could stay in your lap forever," Elsa said.
"Why don't you? I wouldn't mind."
"We've got to figure out what the strengths and limitations of the ice portrait are," Elsa said. "Perhaps it only works a few times. Perhaps distance is a factor. There's so much to test. We can't just lie around here all day."
There was a soft knocking on the door. "Queen Elsa, I don't mean to disturb you but your meeting with the ambassador of Corona is to take place in two hours."
"Two hours," Elsa said so only Anna and Kristoff could hear. "That doesn't give us much time."
She spoke her next words at a higher volume, "I'll be ready, then."
They waited till they heard the padded footsteps drift away. Then they began testing the card and waking up. Elsa always caught Anna when it were her turn to appear out of the Ice Card, as Kristoff had taken to calling it, and Anna always let Elsa fall in an angle that she'd awaken back in her body feeling sexually aroused…her head against Anna's breasts, her hand on Anna's leg, and various positions of that sort.
Elsa had to move with agility to catch Anna after she threw the card, and Anna did likewise for Elsa. When Kirstoff threw it they could cuddle together without worrying.
Every time it was Kristoff throwing it, Anna was the one in ice hovering in the air. They could not figure out why this was, not without having someone else throw the Ice Card repetitively, and at this point Olaf was really the only one they could trust with it, and Elsa wasn't too keen on Olaf throwing it, for some reason. (She still hadn't told Anna that Olaf was the one who had painted them naked, though she supposed she'd have to at some point. The thought of keeping secrets from Anna, especially now, made her shudder.)
Then they tried this in different rooms. Like Elsa would toss the card in the ballroom while Kristoff and Anna were in the room with Rococo paintings that Anna loved so much. In these areas of experimentation, Anna and Elsa had to split up often, though they weren't apart for long because the ice forms of the other one always appeared a few seconds after the Ice Card hit the floor.
In order to not burden Kristoff (as they put it), when Anna was with him, she sat on a divan or in a chair, and in that case her body wouldn't fall when it woke up wherever Elsa was stationed at the time with the Ice Card. Elsa did the same but all three of them knew that Anna was the one Kristoff was still a bit hurt about losing the deeper companionship of he had hoped to have, instead of this perpetual friendship that he was forced to endure because Anna's heart belonged to someone else…
Two hours had gone by when Anna awoke near Elsa, clutching her for dear life. "Elsa, Kristoff…he's still a bit hurt about losing me."
"I thought he might be. But we're lovers. He can't come between us," Elsa said.
"I'm not sure he wants to come between us, actually," Anna said. "I…er, I saw into his mind just now…"
"You what?"
"You know how I saw through the sheet that was covering the portrait, even through you and Kristoff couldn't?"
Anna waited for Elsa to nod.
"Well, I saw into his mind, like that. Sort of. He wants…the thing that would make him happy, is another Anna. And the Ice Card gives him hope that it's possible."
"Another Anna? What do you mean?"
Anna played with her braid. "Well, see…he sort of hopes that the Ice Card will make it possible for there to be an Anna who can love him, while I'm with you."
"That's insane," Elsa said. "I thought he had better sense than that."
"Queen Elsa, there you are," said the valet. "The ambassador of Corona is waiting to speak with you."
"I'll be right there," Elsa said. ."Let me have a few more seconds with my sister first."
"All right. But he won't be happy if he's kept too long," the valet said, going on his way.
Elsa gave Anna a look. "I'll make sure Ergard gets Kristoff on his ice delivery as soon as possible." She started to go, then turned back. "Kristoff doesn't know you saw into his head, does he?"
"No," Anna said.
"Good. Keep it that way. I'm a bit skeptical about leaving you alone while he's here."
"I'll be fine, Elsa."
There was a pained look on Elsa's face.
"What?"
"Our father said the same thing to me when he went on the trip to Rapunzel's wedding. Except he said I'd be fine, and he and Mom weren't."
"Oh, Elsa," Anna said, hugging her and weeping.
They both cried sisterly tears, and clung to each other for a moment longer, their fingers unwilling to let go as Elsa went reluctantly in the direction of the exit.
Just before she had disappeared, after three returns for very elaborate kisses, as if afraid she wouldn't see Anna again, Elsa said, "Be sure to get the Ice Card. I don't want to consider Kristoff taking it with him and calling the ice version of you to him on his deliveries."
"But Elsa, Kristoff wouldn't do anything that deceitful. And I"d wake up if he did."
"Just promise me you'll get the card," Elsa said. "I'm scared."
"Kiss me once more," Anna said.
And they did so, passionately and vigorously, as if certain this action would never again be repeated, and knowing only despair could ensue were that the case.