Author's Note: This is the sequel to "Elsa, the Great" if you haven't read that yet I suggest you do before reading this story though I think most aspects of this story will be easy enough to pick up on without having read the previous installment. I'm so excited to start writing this adventure, please leave feedback and reviews. They are greatly appreciated, help me write better and also keep me motivated.
Hope you enjoy!
-Chapter One-
"Einar? Einar! Where are you?" Elsa wore a light blue and white bunad as she shuffled through the halls of the castle. She jerked her head to the left and right as she passed by the decorative halls of the castle. Elsa could hear the new wood creaking beneath her feet as she entered the south hall. The castle has been mostly restored from Hans' attack on the castle five years before but it was quite clear where the damage had been done.
The new renovations looked a bit too modern compared to the more historic aesthetic of the rest of the castle. It was still very easy to see the lines where new wall, flooring and décor had to be placed, clashing with each other in a rather vexing way. There was little Elsa could do about the situation; she had made a public commitment not to use up all of the kingdom's best resources to build the castle. So much of the kingdom had been destroyed and they needed the supplies more than her.
"Einar?" Elsa picked up the pace as she began to walk forward she ran into Lucy who was straightening a painting that had become crooked overnight due to a gust of wind seeping into the castle halls. The painting was of Elsa's great grandfather on a horse standing in front of the fjord. It was a rather majestic image of him, and Elsa pondered what her painting would eventually look like. Dismissing her self-indulgent thoughts for another time she approached Lucy who smiled at her.
"Good morning your majesty, how can I be of service to you?" asked Lucy now finished with the painting. Lucy had on some white gloves, which she was now placing to the side as she stood up straight in the presence of her queen.
"I'm looking for Einar. It's time for his music lesson and I don't want to keep Carina waiting. Have you seen him recently?" Elsa continued to peer around the area as Lucy thought to herself.
"I saw him just a few minutes ago, he was being chased by princess Anna and prince Kristoff. I believe they were playing" recalled Lucy who immediately noticed the tinge of annoyance in Elsa's demeanor.
"Ah of course, my sister and her husband…always distracting Einar from his studies. Thank you Lucy, as you were" said Elsa as she moved down the hall.
It wasn't that Elsa didn't think Einar should have time to play and be a kid, it was more about keeping him focused and driven. Anna and Kristoff weren't the most studious of people and she didn't want her son to become too enamored with a carefree attitude. Not that Kristoff or Anna were carefree people, but they often transferred their desires to play like children again on Einar. And Elsa could already tell it was slowing Einar's learning process down.
Elsa walked into the grand hall and immediately saw Kristoff and Anna giggling amongst each other, Elsa kept her regal face on as she approached. "Have you two seen Einar? I heard you were chasing after him" inquired Elsa as Anna snickered a bit more.
"Well we haven't seen Einar in quite a while. I WONDER WHERE HE MIGHT BE?" yelled Anna as she tilted her head towards the curtains where Einar's shoes could be seen poking out from underneath. Elsa couldn't conceal her grin any longer as she stared off at her blissfully unaware son hiding a purple curtain.
"Yes, we haven't been able to find him. He must be lost somewhere" said Kristoff with boosted volume as well. Kristoff smiled at Elsa who slowly walked over towards the curtain.
"Oh no! You lost my son! What ever will I do?! He must be really gone! Oh, I am such a terrible, terrible mother!" said Elsa in an over exaggerated tone displaying her sub par thespian skills. Then Elsa yanked the curtain away revealing her Einar who laughed and then groaned.
"How did you find me momma?" asked Einar his bright brown eyes staring up at his mother. Einar was four years old but had a quickly maturing face, yet his eyes were bright like his mother's though he did not get her eye color. His hair was a constant battle, it was combed back now but it was curly and when left to it's own device would sprout out like a wild bush. His skin was a rich mocha color that was the envy of many in the kingdom already. His jaw was sharp like his mother's and he definitely had her smile but he carried himself like his father; clearly he mimicked Lamin as best he could.
"I could see your shoes poking out from behind the curtain sweetie" answered Elsa honestly. Elsa kneeled down to be at the level of Einar.
Einar crossed his arms in frustration "Awww! It was a good place" huffed Einar as his mother gently touched his arm.
"Next time you'll be ready" assured Elsa as she took Einar's hand and began to lead him out of the ballroom. But not before exchanging a playful glance with Anna and Kristoff who waved goodbye to them. As they exited the room Kristoff and Anna cooed like two birds.
"Oh Kristoff, he's so adorable!"
"He is."
"I feel a little guilty stealing him away from Elsa."
"Why? He enjoys our company just as much as his parents."
"Yeah, but don't you think it's time…you know…we had a kid of our own?"
"What's the rush Anna? I mean we're still young this is the time to explore and just take in each other's company. If we had a kid we might not have been able to make that fishing trip up north last summer."
"I mean I guess that's true it's just…well I don't know, this is an awfully big castle not to have children running around."
"There are children, what about Krista? She's always showing up."
"Krista is training to be a soldier and she's a twenty year old soul trapped in an eleven year old body it seems. She never wants to play with me for sure."
"That's because you don't know how to use a sword."
"They scare me! Besides no matter what she won't be my daughter. I'd rather just have one of my own."
"You can't decide if you have a daughter or a boy."
"I'm not saying that, I'm saying I just want a kid of my own, pay attention Kristoff."
"I am! I am. I just…having a kid is a big step honey."
"It's one I'm ready to make."
Before Kristoff could argue further with her Kai entered into the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but the queen is busy and I need someone to sign for a gift sent to us." Kai appeared genuinely concerned to be interrupting such a private conversation but Anna wiped any hesitation out of his mind as she cracked her knuckles.
"Welp looks like it's go time for the princess! Not a problem Kai, lead the way." Anna followed Kai out of the ballroom as Kristoff lagged behind; pondering how he was possibly going to win the argument the next time it came up.
Meanwhile Einar was finishing up his music lesson with his keyed fiddle, he had a natural inclination towards the nyckleharpa which was a complex instrument to play at any age due to it's mixture of keys and strings but Einar tackled it with precision and could already repeat very basic tunes, they were slower paced but impressive nonetheless.
As Einar finished his piece Elsa and Lamin smiled and lightly applauded while Olaf jumped up and down like a ball. "Oh yes! Yes! That was wonderful the best music I've ever heard!" Einar just smiled at the snowman in delight as he put away his nyckleharpa and thanked Carina for the lesson. As Carina exited the room Elsa and Lamin approached their son; with warm arms.
"That was great son, you're getting better each week" cooed Lamin with pride. Einar stared up at his father who ruffled up his hair affectionately. "You'd better get washed up for supper. Tonight were having chicken soup!" Einar beamed and then turned to his mother.
"Momma, after dinner can I take a ride on Kristoff's sled?"Einar was basically jumping up and down in place with anticipation. Lamin turned to Elsa and raised an eyebrow playfully.
Elsa didn't want her son riding on Kristoff's sled, he went too fast sometimes and it was dangerous. She didn't even like Anna riding in it to be honest, and the thought of her son on there frightened her. "Einar, we've talked about this. Not unless I'm with you, and besides it'll be dark after supper."
Einar pouted "But momma, Kristoff rides in the dark!" Einar stepped towards his mother as he made his simple but compelling case.
"Kristoff has been sledding his entire life, you're not ready."
"But momma!"
"Einar, not now it's time to eat, now go get washed up."
"I just want to ride in the sled for a little while!"
"Einar! I said NO!"
Einar bowed his head in frustration and left the room. Elsa instantly felt regret for yelling at him, but she remained still. Lamin gave her a disapproving look and she gritted her teeth "Don't give me that look, you could have backed me up a bit." Elsa turned her shoulder away from Lamin's position.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Lamin as he approached his wife. Before the discussion could continue Lucy knocked on the doorframe.
"Dinner is ready" said Lucy calmly. Elsa and Lamin signaled non verbally that they would be attending soon. Lucy nodded her head understanding and exited the area. Lamin and Elsa sighed and decided it best to come back to this later.
Einar was still sulking at supper while everyone else ate like someone was going to take the food away from them. At dinner tonight were Kristoff, Anna, Elsa, Lamin, Olaf and Kai. The conversation was light at first but as dinner went on the casual conversation began to taper off.
Kai was the first to speak on the more serious matters "Your majesty, the rebuilding process of the kingdom has been on schedule since the attacks. However we have run into a problem with some of the wood necessary for some homes. We are running low on the reserves and the harsher winter months are approaching."
Anna twirled the spoon in her hand "What about the western forest? Those are good trees for timber." Anna glanced around to ensure her suggestion was at least somewhat valid.
"Unfortunately your majesty if we were to take more wood from that forest we could kill it off permanently. That area is very delicate." Kai folded his hands together, he clearly had considered that option as well.
"Well perhaps we need to look at opening trade up with some new kingdoms. Ones that have the timber we need" suggested Lamin as he corrected himself and took his elbow off the table.
"That is always a possibility, but we need something to trade with." Kai could see Kristoff's eyes lighting up so he stopped him before he could talk "And no, ice will not do." Kristoff sighed in disappointment.
"What about masonry? We have an abundance of stone, not to mention minerals that might be useful to some kingdoms." Elsa cocked an eyebrow. She was waiting for someone to argue with her suggestion, but it never came. Just as a smile was settling into her face a wild thought dashed across her mind. "What if we considered reopening trade with the Southern Isles?"
The room grew dead with silence. Lamin turned to Einar and lightly spoke to him "Einar, why dont you go up to your room for a moment? Us grown ups need to discuss a few things." Einar moved to protest but then saw his mother eye him with a stern look and so he left the table.
As soon as Einar's footsteps were heard fading off in the distance Elsa signaled to people she was now ready to hear their objections. Olaf was surprisingly the first to object "Didn't Hans try and kill Anna and you?"
Elsa nodded her head knowingly. "Yes, and when he tried again I took care of it." There was a cold tinge to that response.
"Elsa, you can't be serious. There is a reason Hans became so vile, he was treated worse by his own brothers. He was not the bad apple in the barrel, the whole lot of them are rotten" argued Anna.
"Not to mention the Southern Isles isn't exactly known for it's timber trade. We'd be opening ourselves up for attack and for very little on the side of even the most optimistic of results."said Kristoff with extreme clarity.
Elsa turned to Lamin who was still in the midst of pondering a response. "Elsa, even if they could be trade partners...we killed their youngest son. Neither of us could ever trust each other." Elsa's face immediately read that Lamin's answer was not the response she wanted to hear.
Elsa folded her hands neatly at the table "Well if anyone has any other better suggestions. I'd like to hear them now."
Einar was headed back towards his room, he wasn't tired but there wasn't anything else to do. Sometimes Krista would be around and he would try and play with her, but she thought his games were too silly and they'd end quickly. He just wanted to have a little fun. "If only I was older" he mumbled to himself.
At that moment Einar spotted from a hall window Kristoff's sled. Grinning mischievously he thought up a quick plan. Fetching a light coat he sprinted outside.
Einar approached the sled and saw that Sven; Kristoff's plucky reindeer was sleeping. He knew Sven would never let him ride the sled without Kristoff around so he tip toed around Sven and unlatched his ties to the sled. Then quietly Einar pushed the sled away from Sven and aimed it at a small hill. It was a small hill that led to a large field, at the end of the field was a lake.
Einar wasn't allowed by the lake at night normally, but he figured that if he was already sneaking a ride on the sled what harm could going to the lake do? Besides, they'd be busy talking about boring king and queen matters for a while. He'd be back in his room well before they knew he was gone.
Einar lifted himself into the sled and scooted himself to make the sled move closer to the edge of the hill. Einar scooted as much as he could but the sled wasn't budging much. He grunted as he tried to push the sled from the inside, but he wasn't strong enough. "Come on! Come on! MOVE!"
Einar's loud voice woke Sven from his slumber with a spark. Sven got up and kicked a little bit; giving the sled the needed push to go down the hill. Einar screamed in joy as the sled picked up speed going down the hill. As Sven gained his bearings he realized what was happening. He rushed after Einar who was going down the hill much too fast.
Einar was laughing; unaware of the imminent danger. Einar only began to realize the trouble he was in when he tried to slow the sled down, it wasn't possible without Sven. Einar let out a gasp as the sled hit a bed of rocks and propelled him right into the lake. Einar also came to another revelation during this moment: he couldn't swim.
Elsa and Lamin were headed up to Einar's room in silence, the dinner hadn't gone great. Elsa was heavily criticized for her thoughts on trade with the Southern Isles and was forced to put the issue to rest.
As they opened the door to Einar's room they realized that he wasn't there. "Einar?" called Elsa into the dark room. Taking a moment she then ran to Einar's window and peered out. She saw an overturned sled in the snow and a frantic Sven pacing around in circles. "Einar!" she yelled as she dashed out the door.
To Be Continued...