The Secret Room
"Why again are you cleaning your office?" Anna asked.
Elsa finished wiping the dust off her desk, satisfied at the outcome. "Because I haven't cleaned it in a month. It needs straightening up."
Anna had offered to help Elsa cleaning her office earlier that day. She wasn't a fan of cleaning, but she loved helping her sister. It was the perfect time for them to bond together. At the moment, Elsa was emptying out her drawers, throwing away anything that she didn't need. Anna was over by the bookcase, reorganizing Elsa's books.
"I can't believe how many books you have. Have you read them all?" she asked.
"Not all of them, but a lot of them. A lot of those books are about monarchies and commerce. I don't have too many books to read for pleasure."
"What's your favorite book?" Anna asked.
"Hmnn. That's tough. I'd have to say that I really like "Robinson Crusoe." It's a pretty powerful book," Elsa replied.
"That's the one with the guy whose trapped on an island for many years, right?" Anna asked.
Elsa nodded.
"I love that book!" Anna exclaimed.
"Really? You can borrow my copy if you like. It should be on the third shelf up."
"Awesome! Thanks Elsa! I haven't read it in a long time."
Anna looked at the third row of the shelf, and pulled the copy of "Robinson Crusoe" out. When she removed it, she noticed a keyhole behind it. Was there a door behind the bookshelf?
"Hey, Elsa, is there another room in here?" She asked.
"No. Why?"
"There's a keyhole behind your copy of "Robinson Cruesoe." It looks like a door keyhole."
"Really? Let me see," Elsa said, walking over to the bookshelf. Sure enough, there was a keyhole hidden behind where the book once was.
"Does the bookcase swing outward, like in the books we used to read when we were kids?" Anna asked.
"I doubt it. This was once papa's office. I don't think he would have had a bookcase that swung out."
Anna wasn't convinced. She walked over to the other end of the bookcase, grabbed it with both hands, and pulled it towards Elsa. It was heavy, but Anna managed to move the bookcase out of the way. When she let go, she looked at what the bookcase was concealing. It was a door! From the looks of it, it looked like a door to another room.
"Wow! I never knew that was there," Elsa said.
"This is so neat! Let's go inside!" Anna said, excidetly.
"I doubt it's even unlocked," Elsa said.
Anna twisted the doorknob, opening the door up wide. Anna and Elsa took a peak inside. They saw a long, dark corridor that seemed to go on forever. It looked like a secret passageway.
"Whoa, that's something else," Anna said. "Let's see where it leads."
"Ok, but let me light a candle first. It looks pretty dark in there," Elsa said.
She retrieved a candlestick from her desk, struck a match, and lit it. Elsa led the way into the secret tunnel, holding the candle out in front of her so that she and Anna could see. They walked for what seemed like an hour, going down the dark corridor. It was like it was leading to nowhere.
"Why do you think they built this tunnel in the castle?" Anna asked.
"I'm not sure. I have no idea where it could lead too," Elsa said.
Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel, and saw another door. Elsa opened it, stepping inside. As she moved the candlestick around, she saw furniture, books, a tea set, and many other things. It was a room that she had never been in before. On the left, she saw a long red curtain. Elsa pulled the string, sliding the curtain out of the way. As soon as the curtain parted, a large window appeared, and sunlight poured into the room, revealing everything that was hidden by the darkness.
It was very large; much larger than Elsa expected. On the far right of the room was a fireplace, which obviously hadn't been used in many years. Dust covered almost every inch of the room, making it look like a blanket of grey. As the sisters looked around, they wondered what was the purpose of this room.
"Why would papa build a secret room in the castle? Did he want to hide something in it?"
Elsa walked over to the table, wiping a finger across it. "I have no idea. It looks like a parlor," she said. "A very dirty parlor."
Anna wandered over to the fireplace. On the mantle, she saw a revolver in a small stand, in a glass case. She instantly recognized it.
"Elsa! That's papa's pistol!" she said. "Remember him shooting it when we wre kids?"
"I sure do. He was the best shooter around," Elsa said.
Anna picked up the case, removed the glass, and picked up the pistol. She held it in her hand, examining the intricate patterns carved into the barrel. Elsa noticed, and quickly grew concerned.
"Anna, put that away, it's not a toy," she said.
"Relax, Elsa, I bet it's not even loaded!" Anna said, pointing the pistol up to ceiling, and pulling the trigger to prove her point. To her surprise, a bullet shot out of the pistol, going straight through the ceiling. Anna quickly lowered the gun, looking at Elsa all the while. She was not pleased.
"Whoops," Anna said. "Sorry."
"I told you not to play with it. You could have been hurt!" Elsa snapped.
"You were right. I won't touch it anymore."
They turned their attention to over things in the room such as the large portrait in the center. It was a painting of an Arendelle ship, sailing the seas. Dust had covered most of it, but they were still able to admire its craftsmanship.
"So what are we going to do now?"
"What do you mean?" Elsa asked.
"What are we going to do about this room? Are we going to use it for something?"
"Maybe, but I don't know what we'd use it for," Elsa admitted.
Anna thought about it for a minute, eventually coming to an idea.
"How about we turn it into a place where you and I can relax together. You know, a place to go when we need to take a break from working."
"That would be nice. We'd have to really fix up the place though. This room needs major renovations," Elsa said.
"We can do it! And I'm sure Kristoff and the staff would help us. We can really turn this place around!"
"That sounds like a great idea, Anna. I could use a place to go to burn off some steam. We can even repaint the walls!"
"Yes! What's your favorite color?" Anna asked.
"Blue," Elsa answered.
"Mine is green. We can paint one side of the room blue, and the other side green."
"That would look very nice," Elsa agreed.
"Well, come on, let's start cleaning up this place. Lord knows it needs it."
Elsa laughed. "I thought you hated cleaning."
"I usually do, but this is a fun project. A project that I get to do with my sister!"
Elsa smiled. "I'm looking forward to it, Anna. We'll make this room look like no other room in the castle."
For the next few weeks, Anna, Elsa, began renovating the room. They wiped away all the dust, took out the old carpet, and replaced it with a new one, and painted the walls blue and green. In no time, they had turned a long-forgotten room into a stylish place to relax. Now whenever Elsa takes a break from work, she invites Anna to join her in the room for a time of relaxation, and sisterly bonding.
It was fun working with Elsa.