Chapter 1:
Three weeks had passed since the incident, an incident, that is how Elsa had heard members of the palace staff refer to everything that had happened three weeks before, they simply referred to it as a strange incident that had happened. She supposed that to them it truly had been nothing but an odd incident that had occurred, after all, they hadn't experienced it first hand like she did. It was true that they had lived through the sudden and accidental winter that Elsa had put Arendelle through but everything else that had transpired was simply second-hand news to them. They hadn't watched as Anna froze into an ice sculpture while saving Elsa from Hans the power-hungry madman. They hadn't watched as Elsa sobbed over her sister's ice cold body or been there to witness the moment when Anna's act of love had saved her from being trapped as an unmoving ice version of herself. They hadn't been there when Elsa finally realized that love was what gave her true control over her powers, and they hadn't been there to experience the moment when finally after thirteen years of separation Elsa was finally able to truly embrace her sister and show Anna how much she truly loved her.
For Elsa, everything that had happened had been a life-changing experience, and she knew that no matter what she would never forget it. But at that moment Elsa had other things to focus on, after all, she was the queen and she had duties to attend to. For the time being, she had to focus on the important documents that sat on the desk in front of her. There was a large pile of them and each one was about something different. Some were letters about her coronation, others were about Arendelle's peace treaties with other kingdoms, and there was even a letter from the Duke of Weselton, which Elsa was going to make sure was sent back to him unopened. However the letter was not what Elsa was focusing on, instead, she was going over a map that detailed the route that ships took when they were karting trade goods from Corona to Arendelle and vice versa. The king of Corona had expressed an interest in seeing if they could find a route that would allow for shorter travel time, and Elsa herself had thought the idea would certainly aid the two countries in the long run.
But before Elsa had even been looking at the map for twenty minutes the doors to her study were flung open and Anna came rushing into the room. "Elsa you have to come with me, I just saw the most amazing thing in the village! Well maybe not the most amazing thing, after all, I've seen your ice palace, but this is amazing too!" As Anna spoke her words began to jumble together due to her excitement, and all Elsa heard from her sister was what sounded like a strange foreign language.
"Anna I can't understand you, please speak slower," Elsa said while trying to hide a smile and hold back a laugh. The queen of Arendelle loved her younger sister dearly and seeing Anna as excited as a child brought great joy to her, especially when Anna was so excited she couldn't sit still. Those instances always brought a smile to Elsa's face, and at times even made her want to burst into laughter. But just like any older sibling she sometimes found it hard to keep up with her younger sister who always seemed to have energy to spare. Now was one of those times.
"I said you have to come with me because I saw something amazing in the village!" This time even though the excitement and joy were still there in her voice Anna spoke as slowly as possible almost stopping between every word.
This time Elsa didn't hold back her laughter as she replied to what her sister had just said to her, in fact, the laugh lasted for almost a whole minute before Elsa finally spoke. "You don't have to speak that slowly Anna." Said, Elsa, after she finally regained her composure and stopped laughing.
For a moment Anna pouted as her older sister laughed, but the moment didn't last long and then she found herself laughing along with Elsa. Once the two stopped laughing Anna looked at her sister with a big hopeful smile on her face. Elsa knew what that smile meant. It meant that Anna wanted Elsa to join her on another one of her escapades into the village. Shortly after Elsa had decided to open the gates of the castle and keep them open Anna had started making frequent visits into the village, and more than once she had dragged her older sister along with her. It wasn't that Elsa didn't enjoy visiting the village and seeing her subjects it was just that she was still getting used to large crowds of people. For thirteen years Elsa had been alone, locked away in her room afraid of hurting anyone with her powers. For years Elsa had thought of her ability to create and control ice and snow as a curse, it had only been recently that she had started to see her powers in a new light.
But those thirteen years had done their damage and had left a mark on Elsa. A mark that was healing now but that she knew would never fade, and because of those thirteen years Elsa still had trouble interacting with others, or even truly understanding them. But even though interacting with her subjects was still awkward and at times daunting for her the queen of Arendelle knew that she would eventually cave into her younger sister's request and go with her into the village. After all, that was the whole reason Anna had come bursting into her older sister's study, she had said she had seen something amazing in the village and that she wanted Elsa to see it too. But that didn't mean Elsa couldn't have a little fun before she finally caved in and went along with Anna to see whatever it was the other girl had seen. "So you said I had to come with you to see something in the village that is amazing?" The older girl said while she looked back down at the map she had been going over before.
Anna nodded enthusiastically in response to Elsa's question and even hopped up slightly because she was so excited. "It is amazing Elsa you'll love it I just know it!"
"I'm not sure Anna, I've got important matters to deal with here," Elsa responded as she slowly ran a finger down the outlined route she had been studying earlier. It was true that she had important things to take care of. But it was also true that she had been working since the early hours of the morning, and that a break was just what she needed to help her refresh her mind, and see things in a different light. But even though Elsa knew that she would cave into her sister's desire to head out to the village she also knew that she hadn't finished having her own fun yet, and so she pretended to be completely transfixed by the map in front of her.
When Anna saw that Elsa truly looked as if she was going to go back to working on whatever document she was going over the young princess couldn't help but frown and stomp her foot. "But Elsa you've been working all morning! In fact, you've been working all week! I've only gotten to see you at meals lately." Anna was upset and it was clearly evident in her tone, it almost sounded like her voice was trembling and that she might cry. Her voice no longer held the excitement it had only moments ago, and this fact greatly upset her older sister.
Elsa's hidden smile dropped and when she looked up at her younger sister she saw that Anna's eyes did, in fact, hold unshed tears. No longer was the queen of Arendelle amused with teasing her sister and making it seem like she was too busy for a trip to the village. So she did the only thing she knew would bring back the princess of Arendelle's smile, she gave in. "I suppose I should take a break," Elsa said in an apologetic tone. "A village trip does sound nice, besides I am interested in finding out what this amazing thing you saw is."
The second Anna heard Elsa say she would go into the village with her frown instantly turned back into a smile, and it almost appeared as if she hadn't been close to tears at all. "You'll really come with me?!" Anna asked her voice filled with hopeful joy and when Elsa nodded in reply she once again hopped with excitement. Before Elsa knew it Anna had rushed around her desk, grabbed her hand, and dragged her out of her study. "You'll love what I have to show you, Elsa, I just know it," Anna said with glee as she raced through the halls of the castle dragging her sister along with her.
As the two sisters raced through the halls of the castle Elsa couldn't help but smile. Running through the castle again reminded her of her childhood, of times when she and Anna would hide from the castle staff and see how long it would take to find them, of moments when they would dance about the ballroom in their slippers together. For so long Elsa thought she would never have gotten to experience moments like that again. She feared that she wasn't worthy to have moments like this. But her she was happily being dragged along by her younger sister, about to be a part of whatever adventure Anna had planned for them. It was like she was a child again, she was happy, happier than she even thought she deserved to be. But as long as she had Anna by her side she would try to accept that happiness with open arms.
As these thoughts ran through Elsa's head, just like she herself ran down the halls and then the stairs with Anna she found herself glancing out one of the castle's open windows and finally noticed for the first time that afternoon what a truly beautiful day it was in Arendelle. The Sun was shining brightly down upon the thatched roofs and cobblestone streets of the village and the way it hit the fountains down below in the courtyard made it appear as if the water was made of
moving crystals. But even though these sights were beautiful what really captured Elsa's attention was the townsfolk themselves. For even though they all seemed so busy they made sure to wave to one another and even occasionally stop to hold a friendly conversation for a few minutes before continuing their business. Arendelle truly was a wonderful kingdom and seeing her subjects so happy made the smile that was already on Elsa's face grow even wider. For so long Elsa had feared that her people wouldn't accept her and that she wasn't the ruler that Arendelle deserved. At times she still feared that she wasn't the right person to rule Arendelle, but whenever she saw the citizens of Arendelle happily going about their lives it gave her hope that she was doing what was right for her kingdom and that she could be a good Queen for the people.
As Elsa gazed out the window she felt a tug on her arm that snapped her out of her reverie. She realized that during the time she had spent staring out the window Anna had been trying to get her to start moving again and when she finally turned to look at her younger sister she saw that Anna was staring back at her with a confused look on her face. "I'm sorry Anna, I was lost in thought."
"It's okay," Anna replied. "But we have to hurry or we'll miss the amazing thing I want to show you."
"What exactly is this amazing thing Anna?" Elsa asked, her curiosity peaked. "You still haven't told me."
"That's because I want it to be a surprise! Now Hurry up Elsa!" The younger girl answered while grinning from ear to ear, and before she knew it Elsa found herself being dragged along by her sister once again. Soon the two girls were running through the doors that lead into the courtyard, and once they were in the courtyard Elsa found herself glancing over at one of the fountains that she had seen from the open window. The way the light of the sun shone off the water of the fountain truly was breathtaking. But before Elsa could truly take the time to admire the sight she found herself being lead out the open castle gates and into the busy streets of the village.
As the sisters walked through the village streets Anna continued to talk about the amazing thing she was about to show Elsa. But no matter how much Anna talked about it she wouldn't reveal what it was. "It's a surprise, Elsa, you can't tell someone what the surprise is, otherwise it isn't a surprise," Anna said in a matter of fact tone.
"I suppose that's true," Elsa replied with a smile. "I just hope it isn't too far."
"Don't worry it's just around this corner!" Anna said as she lead her older sister around the side of a building and brought her to an open area of the village that was just a ways away from the docks. Once the two rounded the corner Elsa could suddenly hear music playing, and when she looked for the source she found a group of people dancing around a band. The band members were clearly other villagers who had decided to come together and play a few tunes to help the hours pass by a little more quickly for the villagers who were busy with work. Elsa smiled at the sight and then turned to look at Anna who was now standing beside her with a huge grin spread across her face.
"You were right Anna this is amazing," Elsa told her sister before turning back to watch the band
and the dancers. It truly was a beautiful sight, it filled Elsa's heart with joy to see her subjects acting so happy and carefree, especially so shortly after they had experienced a near endless winter that was caused by her and her inability to control her powers. Elsa had gained better control over her powers in the few weeks since she had figured out how to thaw Arendelle but they would always be connected to her emotions, and at times she feared she would lose control of them again. But seeing her subjects so at ease helped relieve some of her fears, after all if they weren't worried, she supposed she could worry a little less.
Suddenly Elsa felt her sleeve being tugged on and realized that Anna had been calling her name. "I'm sorry Anna I was distracted," apologized Elsa, "what was it you were saying?"
"I was saying I think we should join in," Anna replied before she looked back over to where the dancers were gathered around the band with a smile on her face.
"I'm not so sure Anna," Elsa said with hesitance in her tone. It wasn't that Elsa couldn't dance, she had taken lessons when she was a child like all royals did, but she had never really gotten the chance to put her lessons to use and the thought of dancing in a crowd made her nervous. Even at her own coronation, she had politely declined every offer she had gotten.
"Come on Elsa it isn't like we'll be waltzing or anything!" Anna giggled. "We can dance however we want to, and no one will judge us."
"It's just there are a lot of people here Anna," Elsa said as she looked out over the group of people.
"The people of Arendelle love you, Elsa, they aren't going to make fun of you."
Elsa let out a sigh and tried to will her nerves away before she spoke again. "I know that it's just that I don't think I'm ready yet Anna, I still have trouble just talking to the groups of people."
Anna nodded to show her understanding and then smiled at her sister before taking her hands in her's. "Maybe if you dance with the villagers and forget about your worries for a while it'll help you move past those nerves!"
"Wait, what?!" Cried Elsa but before she could truly understand what her sister was saying she was pulled forward again and soon enough she found herself in front of the band and the people who were dancing. For a second everything seemed to stand still, the band stopped playing, the people stopped dancing, and Elsa could feel everyone's eyes on her. But just as quickly as time seemed to freeze it began again and the villagers were all bowing and wishing Elsa and Anna good day. Elsa felt completely out of place due to her sister's sudden actions so all she could do was smile and wave, she feared that this awkward moment would last until she got Anna to agree to leave, but then she heard the sounds of the band's instruments starting up again. For an instant, she thought they would start playing a lively tune again and everyone's attention would be back on enjoying themselves again but instead, they began to play a slow dignified waltz. A waltz worthy of a queen.
Elsa felt even more uncomfortable then she had just a moment before. She felt as though she had ruined everyone's fun, and she wanted to try and tell them that just because she was their queen it didn't mean they had to act differently than they usually would, but before she could say anything Anna was kicking up her heels and dancing the strangest jig Elsa had ever seen. Anna's dance didn't suit the music the musicians were playing at all but Anna didn't seem to mind because she just kept dancing, and as she danced she started to twirl, jump, and spin as fast as she could. For a moment Anna's strange dance didn't seem to do anything to lighten the mood of the situation but then suddenly some of the villagers started laughing, a few even started to dance Anna's strange dance with her, and the musicians started to play faster and faster to keep up with the pace the dancers were setting.
Elsa felt her shoulders sag with relief and she let out the breath she had been holding in. She was so glad that Anna had found a way to break the tension that she couldn't help but smile. It amazed her how unafraid her younger sister was to just be herself. Elsa had spent so many years of her life hiding a part of herself, that at times she still had trouble believing that now she was free to truly be herself and let the world know who she was. But before she could really dwell on that thought she found herself being pulled forward again, but this time Anna was pulling her into a ring of dancers and all Elsa could do was join in otherwise she would have fallen on her face. At first, she had a little trouble figuring out the steps of Anna's strange new dance but thankfully Elsa had always been a quick learner so it only took her a few minutes to master them out and once she had mastered them she found herself actually having fun.
So for the next hour, Elsa found herself dancing with her sister and the villagers or when she found herself too exhausted to dance simply clapping along to the music. Eventually, though the sun began to set and the crowd began to disperse, the musician packing up their instruments and the dancing villagers set off for home.
"That was so much fun!" Anna said as she twirled one last time before linking arms with Elsa. "Did you have fun?" She asked as the two began to head back to the castle.
Elsa smiled at her sister and nodded. "I did actually, it was a nice break."
Anna grinned from ear to ear. "I knew it was just what you needed, you've been spending way too much time in your office."
Elsa shook her head slightly but continued to smile as the two walked and the castle became visible in the distance. "I'm the Queen. I have important work to do Anna."
"I know that, but even a Queen needs a minute to herself every now and again. It isn't healthy to be working twenty-four seven." Anna said matter of factly as they began the walk across the bridge that lead to the castle gates.
Elsa sighed slightly, she knew Anna was right but she still felt like she had a lot to prove and to make up for. For a moment she considered bringing these thoughts up to Anna but before she could she noticed Kai the royal handler waiting for them just beyond the gates, inside the castle courtyard.
"Kai?" Anna said her eyebrow rising in confusion as she and Elsa stepped through the gates and over to where Kai was waiting for them. "What are you doing here? You never wait for us out here.
Kai bowed to the two sisters before he began to explain why he out in the courtyard waiting for them. "I'm afraid that I have a rather urgent matter to tell you both about, and I wanted to tell you as soon as possible." Kai then turned to Elsa so that he could tell his news to her directly. "A letter has arrived for you, Your Majesty."
"A letter but Elsa gets letters all the time. Why would a letter make you feel like you had to talk to us right away? It isn't from the Duke of Weselton again is it."
"No, Your Highness the letter was not from the Duke of Weselton."
"Then who?"
Elsa could feel it as the cold wind started to swirl around her, and she knew that Kai and Anna could feel it as well just from the way they were looking at her. She knew Kai would never bother her with something like a letter from the Duke of Weselton. He would have simply delivered the letter to her and let her deal with it in her own way and in her own time like he been doing for the last few weeks. No, she knew that Kai considered it to be a matter of grave importance that she and Anna knew who had sent the letter before she had discovered it while going through the mail in her study. But Kai didn't seem to realize that his simply being there to tell her gave her an idea of where the letter had come from and who had sent it, and that idea filled her with a confusing mixture of emotions. A mixture of emotions that her powers seemed to be trying to react to in many different ways.
First, it had been the cold wind, but then the wind had stopped and ice began to spread from beneath her feet, but just as quickly as the ice had begun to spread it stopped as well and a small flurry of snow had begun to fall directly over Elsa's head. For a moment it seemed like Elsa's powers had become out of control again but then she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly counted to ten. Within a matter of seconds, the flurry vanished and the warmth of a passing summer breeze melted away the few snowflakes that had littered the cobblestones of the courtyard.
Elsa had read about the breathing exercise in a book about maintaining one's composure and had remembered how her father had always counted to ten when he was dealing with a stressful situation and she had decided to use them together shortly after The Great Thaw. She had quickly discovered that by combining both techniques she could calm herself down to a point where she was able to focus on one feeling at a time instead of feeling like all her emotions were her hitting her at once like a tidal wave, and because she was able to focus on one feeling at time it kept her mind from creating multiple worse case scenarios and gave her better control over her powers. So at that moment, she decided to focus on remaining calm and finding out what it was that Kai considered so important. So after taking another deep breath she looked Kai right in the eye and asked the question she knew he was waiting for her to ask. "Who sent the letter Kai?"
Kai looked down at the ground for a moment and when he looked up he had a regretful and apologetic look on his face. "It was sent by… The King of The Southern Isles."