Author's Note:
After writing a series of one-shots for my Frozen Song Parodies fic, I was inspired to write my first full-length fic based on these one-shots. This fic will explore the relationships between the Arendelle royal sisters, Ice Master Kristoff, and the disgraced Prince Hans, amongst others. It will incorporate a heavy bent towards magic and mysticism, and draws a little inspiration from Norse mythology, hence the title (and cover art) of this fic. The story begins one month after the events of Frozen. Please enjoy, I would love to know what you think.
Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or any of its characters, just the plot.
Prologue: A Peaceful Day In Arendelle
The sun shone brightly in the clear summer sky, warm rays of light bathing the kingdom of Arendelle in a soft, comforting glow. The streets were filled with people going about their daily lives. Men and women strode leisurely, enjoying the pleasant weather, while children played in the streets. Horses neighed and merchants peddling various goods yelled to any and all passersby for attention. It was the very portrait of a perfect, picturesque kingdom.
But it had not been like this little more than a month ago. Back then, for a terrifying three-day span, the kingdom had been plunged into one of the worst snowstorms in its history—a seemingly eternal winter in the middle of summer! What was the cause of this terrible event? As it turned out, the mysterious, considerable power over ice and snow belonging to Arendelle's young Queen Elsa. When her powers were accidentally revealed during her disastrous coronation, Elsa had fled and unwittingly cursed the kingdom with an all-encompassing winter, freezing the fjord and preventing ships from coming in or out. It had taken the brave efforts of Elsa's younger sister, Princess Anna to help the Queen restore the summer and reverse the damage she had done during what was now known as the Great Freeze. The accompanying defrosting of the winter was appropriately referred to as the Great Thaw.
The damage from the Freeze was still palpable in many sections of the city proper. Numerous houses had walls and roofs boarded up as repairs were still being done to restore sections of buildings damaged by the raging blizzards and creeping frost. Although the Thaw had prevented the calamity from being worse, the many crops destroyed during the Freeze could not be brought back, and the kingdom's resources were set back considerably. Worse, the rapid change in temperature, from a cold so biting that metal could stick to skin, then to an oppressive, sweltering summer heat, resulted in further structural damage to many of the town's buildings. Repairs had been costly and the Crown had been busy trying to ensure the proper aid was given to those in need while repairing relationships with those foreign diplomats who were stranded and suffered damages—like frozen ships—during the Freeze.
But just as Elsa and her advisors were hard at work trying to get the kingdom back in shape—and they had been fairly successful thus far—the teenaged Princess Anna remained as carefree and energetic as she had ever been. The opening of the castle gates meant an unprecedented and heretofore unknown freedom to the younger princess, and she was determined to enjoy it to the fullest. She made her best effort to explore every nook and cranny of the city, to meet as many people as possible, as though she was trying to make up for the thirteen years trapped within the castle in a single month's time.
Indeed, the day's atmosphere might as well have been a reflection of the Princess's mood. Her bubbly, carefree personality never failed to bring joy and laughter to the citizens of Arendelle. Seeing her prance around in such a devil-may-care way, twin-braided strawberry-blonde tresses bobbing in the wind, could bring a smile to the face of even the most bitter and ornery individuals.
To Anna, this was just one of those beautiful days where it would be such a crying shame for people not to enjoy themselves.
She ran around town greeting people, strangers and acquaintances alike, trying various foodstuffs from the vendors, and purchasing small items from the merchants. She giggled happily when townsfolk returned her greetings and eagerly engaged them in conversation, providing answers to such queries as to how she was doing, how Elsa was faring as Queen, whether she could make more public displays of her powers, and so on. The children she encountered were especially fond of talking about Elsa's magical powers, always questioning Anna about when Elsa could come to town and entertain them with snowmen and ice skating.
"Princess Anna! Princess Anna!"
"Where is Queen Elsa?"
"You have to make her come here! We want to see her do the magic!"
Anna grinned back at the children, blue eyes sparkling. "I'd love to see her do that too, but I'm afraid Queen Elsa's been very busy being Queen and taking care of the kingdom. But I'll do my best to convince her to come down here sometime to play with you all!"
The children expressed their disappointment before running off. Anna smiled, never did those young children fail to brighten her day, reminding her of her younger days playing with Elsa as small children. Her smile vanished however, as she thought back to the thirteen years spent with barely any contact with her sister, always present in the castle but usually locked in her room. Elsa might as well have been a ghost during those long years of isolation, a phantom straddling the edge of existence, and Anna had been so, so lonely.
Anna resolved to return her thoughts back to the present, pushing aside the bitterness of the past. She and Elsa had made up for those years of isolation, and never again would the two allow themselves to be separated. Elsa had promised her that she would always find time for her sister.
With that thought, Anna made sure that she would remember to ask Elsa to find time for the children of Arendelle as well. She had missed out on years of fun with her sister, and she was determined not to let Elsa's ability to entertain youngsters ever go to waste.
She would make sure Elsa didn't refuse. Her sister could be such a stinker at times, using her workload as an excuse not to make the appropriate time for others. But there was always one thing that Anna knew her sister couldn't resist. Which just so happened to be the one thing she herself craved most in the world...chocolate!
Catching sight of her destination, Anna walked straight toward the town's dedicated chocolate shop, where she greeted the elated owner, asking for a large box of Elsa's favorite chocolates. The Queen and the Princess were the store's most loyal customers, and the store owner always made sure they came away satisfied.
After making her purchase and thanking the owner, Anna made her way outside, strolling leisurely across the road. Unfortunately, she was not careful to look around her and nearly crashed headfirst onto a pair of horses pulling a rather large stagecoach.
"Whoa, there! My lady, please watch out!" yelled the driver of the stagecoach, forcing his steeds to a halt.
"Whoops, I'm sorry! I wasn't looking! Did I scare your horses? I'm so, so sorry! Excuse my clumsiness!" Anna apologized profusely.
Immediately recognizing the princess, the driver went into a full bow. "Your Highness!"
Suddenly the carriage door opened, and out stepped a well-dressed, middle-aged man with brown hair streaked with gray and a pointed beard. "What is going on? Why are we stopped?"
When his eyes fell upon Anna, he immediately gave her a respectful bow. "Your Highness, Princess Anna, I was not expecting you to be here! It is a pleasure to be in your presence on such a fine summer's day!"
Anna curtsied, then replied, "A pleasure to you as well. Uh, who am I speaking to?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. I forgot my manners. I do believe we haven't been formally introduced, although I have met your sister. I am Borgermester Mattias Tunell, mayor of Arendelle city proper. I am in charge of making sure this township runs smoothly."
"Nice to meet you as well, Borgermester Tunell. I've heard El—Queen Elsa speak very highly of you. You're one of the men in charge of making sure the town has adequately recovered from the Freeze, am I correct?"
"That is right, Your Highness. Her Majesty the Queen has been very generous on giving us the resources we need to make timely repairs to all the buildings that were damaged during the winter storm. I am happy to say that most of our work has been complete. Normalcy has been restored to the lives of most of Arendelle's citizens. We couldn't have done it without Her Majesty's aid."
Anna nodded in appreciation, but understood the unspoken truth that had the eternal winter never occurred, Elsa would not have had to devote so much time and resources to making up for all the damage she caused. Her initial days as ruler had, to say the least, got off to a rocky start. But Anna was glad that in little time, all was well, and the kingdom's highest-ranking officials had warmed to Elsa's leadership.
"Ah, I feel you should meet my children, Princess Anna. Edvin! Sanna! Please come out, there's someone very important I want you to meet!" Tunell called to the carriage.
Two youths emerged from inside the stagecoach, stepping out onto the cobblestone pavement. The first was a young man of middling height, clean-shaven with brown locks, who appeared not much older than Anna herself. The second was a teenage girl with long brown hair twisted into a single loose braid.
"This is my son Edvin, he is training to be a future governor, and this is my daughter Sanna, her name was in fact inspired by your own, Princess Anna. My wife and I decided we wanted Sanna's name to reflect your own when she was born some two years after you."
Edvin bowed politely. "Your Highness. A pleasure to meet you."
Sanna gazed at the princess with a shy, wide-eyed expression before remembering her manners and curtsying deeply. "Your Hi-highness."
"Very nice to meet you, Edvin and Sanna," said Anna, wearing a friendly smile.
"If I may, Your Highness," Tunell said. "My daughter Sanna has expressed an interest in working in the castle. She has been most fascinated by the Queen's magical powers, and would want nothing more than to serve her Majesty in a direct capacity."
Sanna flushed with embarrassment, turning to her father pleadingly before facing Anna. "Your Highness...I-I don't want to intrude...I understand if you don't have a need for more s-s-servants."
Anna laughed. "Oh Sanna, don't worry, I certainly think the castle could use more servants! Ever since my papa reduced the staff thirteen years ago, I've felt the castle was so empty at times. In fact, Elsa's been doing her best to hire new faces to join our castle staff. I suggest you come to our castle for a visit, Sanna, the gates are always open!"
With a wink, she added, "I'll even put in a good word on your behalf when I speak to Elsa."
"That would be most excellent, Princess!" Tunell replied.
"Dad!" exclaimed an embarrassed Sanna before she thanked Anna profusely.
Soon Tunell and his family were on their way, and Anna couldn't help but smile. They seemed like very good people, and she was happy that Elsa had such competent men like Tunell to assist in running the kingdom. Now she had to add vouching for Sanna as yet another request to mention to Elsa when they next talked.
Things are really going to get even better now. It's crazy how more than a month ago, I had practically given up any hope of ever being friends with my sister, let alone getting to meet everyone in our kingdom. How things can change so quickly... For the first time in forever, life is good.
Within the confines of her study, Queen Elsa shuffled uncomfortably. Her joints were beginning to feel stiff from repetitive motion and hours of sitting down reading and signing a veritable mountain of paperwork. Sighing with exasperation, she got up from her desk and walked to the window. The afternoon sun was already beginning to set, indicating the lateness of the day. Although the courtyard was largely empty, she could see her magical snowman Olaf playing with Princess Anna and some children outside. She smiled upon noticing her sister enjoying herself. Sometimes Elsa felt jealous that her sister could live so carefree while she had to shoulder the burden of responsibility for overseeing an entire kingdom—no easy task, as today's work could attest. But there were ultimately no hard feelings. This was her job as firstborn and Anna had her own responsibilities. Plus, Anna's happiness was innately tied to her own. As long as her sister was happy, so was Elsa.
Although she had finished her dinner with Anna hours ago, Elsa was still busy with the day's work.
Ruling a kingdom is not easy. How was Papa able to handle it so well? I guess I'll just have to put the rest of this off for tomorrow.
She thought back to her conversation with Anna at dinner, and all the adventures the princess had partaken in that day. After purchasing some chocolate for the two of them, Anna had nearly bumped into a horse-drawn carriage...again. Elsa shook her head in disbelief. Anna really should learn to watch where she was going. But hearing of Anna's conversation with Borgermester Tunell and his children had warmed her heart.
After her powers were revealed and she had opened the gates to the rest of her kingdom, Elsa made it one of her priorities to increase the castle staff that had been significantly reduced during her time in isolation. For the past few weeks, she had made an effort to hire additional staff to relieve the incumbent servants of some of their workload, and to provide additional employment opportunities for those in need.
Someone like Sanna Tunell seemed like a good choice as one of these potential new hires. They could always use an additional maid, and Sanna was the daughter of a man Elsa trusted to take care of the people of Arendelle, ensuring that everything ran smoothly. She wanted to meet Sanna in person before making a decision, despite how unusual it was for the monarch to personally interview hires outside of the highest-ranking positions.
There was a knock on her door.
"Your Majesty?" Kai's voice inquired.
"Please come in, Kai."
The stocky head servant strode into the room, bowing courteously. Kai was the castle steward and had served the royal family for years, even before Elsa and Anna were born. He was intensely loyal to the crown and Elsa considered him to be one of the few that she could truly confide in. During her years in isolation, Elsa had spoken to Kai about her problems, and he was one of a small handful who knew of her powers beside the former King and Queen.
"Your Majesty, I apologize, but there are more documents that require your signature. Thankfully, these are less important than what you've been working on today, so you can safely put these off until tomorrow."
Elsa sighed, but thanked the loyal steward nonetheless.
As Kai bowed and turned to leave, Elsa suddenly called out, "Kai. A word with you, please."
"My Queen. Anything you ask."
"Kai, please be honest with me. Sometimes I wonder how I can handle everything that I have to be responsible for as Queen. Have I been a good ruler? Do you think...would Papa be proud of me?"
"Queen Elsa, if I may speak freely."
"You may."
With hardly a moment's hesitation, Kai responded.
"I feel—no, I know, that you have been doing the best you can given the hand you've been dealt. And all in all, you've made a wonderful Queen. The people of Arendelle really couldn't have asked for a better ruler. You have shown unparalleled compassion and wisdom beyond your years in the many difficult decisions you've had to make during this trying first month. Really, I think that if your father could see you now, dear Elsa, he would be proud, extremely proud of his little snowflake."
Unshed tears started brimming in Elsa's eyes upon the mention of her father's nickname for her when she was a small child.
"I...thank you, Kai. That is what I needed to hear. I am glad that you feel that way." She forced a smile. "You may take your leave, Kai."
Kai bowed again before departing the room.
Elsa allowed the tears to fall as she reminisced about her father and all the encouragement and guidance he had offered during her years in isolation. Her father had prepared her endlessly for a future where she would be Queen, and Elsa had dutifully listened to and learned every lesson he gave her. She knew that her father had prepared her well for the realities of leadership, yet at times she felt that the overwhelming burden of ruling a kingdom was just too much to bear. She really wanted to believe Kai's words however, especially his inspiring words about her father being proud of her. Thinking of her father sent many fond memories coursing through her head before she forced herself to turn to something else.
She turned her thoughts to her sister.
She looked forward to spending the rest of the evening with Anna, no longer concerned about the day's work. Exhausted, she decided to try using her powers for leisure. Think happy, positive thoughts, Elsa.
Her mind swirling with images of her playful little sister, Elsa motioned with her hands, and a perfectly sculpted miniature figurine in Anna's likeness appeared on the desk in front of her. She smiled at her handiwork.
Not bad, if I must say so myself. It was definitely one of her finer works, and she admired the minute details on the tiny figure.
She sighed. As much as she was beginning to appreciate the beauty of her powers, she still struggled to keep them in control during high-stress situations. Adding the responsibility of trying not to harm others to her duties as Queen could very nearly stretch her breaking point. Trying not to think of these problems, she turned her full attention back to the ice figurine. Caressing it softly, she allowed herself to think of her sister, as a wide smile played on her face.
As long as I have you, Anna, there's nothing that I wouldn't go through to be the best Queen—and the best sister—that I can be.
A/N: "Borgermester" was a title that meant mayor in Scandinavian countries. It is still used today in Denmark.
Not much action in this chapter, as I plan to set things up slowly and do a lot of psychological exploration of the characters before we really delve into the action.