Snowpiercer, A Frozen Story
Chapter One: A New Adventure
A blanket of gold, reds, oranges, and greens covered the rolling hills of Arendelle. The lake, too, reflected these beautiful colors, and all those who sailed into port felt like they were entering a dream world. The fields were brown, ready for harvest. All along the countryside, villagers could be seen in their fields cutting down wheat with their sickles, plucking potatoes, and tending to the livestock. Arendelle was busy preparing for harvest.
Things were also busy at the Palace of Arendelle. The young monarch, Queen Elsa, had been sitting upon the throne for just a little over a year now. While the beginning of her reign had been a little interesting, to say the least, in due time, she had proven herself to be a more than capable ruler and a worthy heir to the throne of Arendelle.
The young Queen Elsa dipped her quill into the inkwell and continued writing her message to the royal family in Iberia for the recent loss of their Queen mother. "I wish to offer you my deepest condolences for your loss." She paused for a moment as the warm afternoon sunlight flooded over her. She looked up towards the fireplace in the room. Above it rested a fine portrait of her father and mother, finished not long after their untimely deaths. Elsa's eyes drifted back to the parchment. "I know that there are no words that can ease the grief in your hearts, but I sincerely hope that you are comforted this this time by the warm thoughts of those around you." After a few more sentences, she signed her name at the bottom and sealed the parchment with the official seal of Arendelle.
Another letter finished, and only seventeen more to answer. Elsa sighed as she looked at the stacks of parchments and piles of scrolls waiting for her attention. No matter how diligent she was to keep up with the demands, it always seemed like more came. She gently sighed as the situation reminded her of an old story her father used to read to her—Hercules and the Hydra. When one head was cut off, two would grow back. She glanced at the letters—when one was answered, two more arrived.
A knock came at the door of the study. The Queen looked up. "Yes, Kai?" She almost winced at the sight of him, wondering if he had more letters to deliver.
"Your Majesty, I wished to remind you of your appointment…"
"Drackenberg!" Elsa dropped her quill, splotching ink over the top of her desk. Her eyes darted over to the tall grandfather clock in her study. Elsa quickly set her parchments and books aside and began cleaning up the mess.
"I'll take care of it, your Majesty," Kai came forward to begin cleaning up the mess. "I've already prepared the conference room for your use."
Elsa gave a small sigh of a relief, a smile creeping up on her tired face. "What would Arendelle do without you, Kai?"
"I imagine it would meet disaster by nightfall," He chuckled, heartily.
Elsa smiled and bid him goodbye with a small nod. She walked speedily, for Queens do not run, down the hallways and stairwells of the palace to reach the first floor. Guests were frequently entertained in the conference room adjacent to the grand foyer and staircase.
"Your Majesty!" Two palace guards saluted her as she approached the large oak doors of the conference room. She nodded her head slightly, and they opened the doors for her.
The large wooden doors opened up into the lavishly decorated conference room. Carpets as blue as the sea sprawled across the floor while the walls were trimmed in the finest dark woods and intricate carvings for which Arendelle was so famously known. The warm afternoon sunlight poured into the room from the large windows on the west wall. The spacious room contained lots of comfortable sofas and armchairs, desks and tables for examining documents and maps, and plenty of smaller tables decorated with finely woven doilies for taking tea. The room was empty. Thank goodness!
Elsa's eyes instinctively went to the clock again. She had a couple of minutes to spare. Four chairs were organized around a round coffee table with a silver tea set. She sat down in the closest chair and looked at the empty one next to her. Anna was supposed to be here. Elsa paused in thought for a moment, feeling a twinge of guilt twist her stomach. She had barely seen Anna in the past couple of days. She had been so busy with trade agreements and revising tax laws that she had forgotten to connect with Anna.
A knock struck against the door. Elsa, sighed as she rose. Anna never knocked, so that could only mean that it was the delegation from Drackenberg—right on time, of course. (The people of Drackenberg were known for their punctuality.) The Queen quickly smoothed out her long teal dress then reached up to make sure the strains of her platinum blonde hair were in their proper place as well. She gently cleared her throat. "You may enter."
Kai, servant to the royal family for many years, extended his arm forward, ushering in two finely dressed gentlemen. "Your Majesty," He bowed when he saw his Queen. "I present, Prince Severin of Drackenberg and Ambassador Volker of Drackenberg."
The Prince, dressed in a dark blue jacket trimmed in gold and red, came forward and bowed to the Queen. The Queen returned the gesture with a small bow of her head and a curtsy. "Please sit down, gentlemen." She motioned her hand towards the armchairs across from her. She took her seat as well.
"May I offer you gentlemen some tea?" Elsa motioned to the silver tea set sitting on the small table between them. When they both complied, Kai began preparing the tea for the company.
"Rumor has it that the Queen of Arendelle thoroughly enjoys her tea," The Ambassador spoke up, as he received his cup and saucer from Kai.
Elsa was about to take a drink, but she paused. "Usually, I dismiss rumors as not worth my time and concern, but this one, I cannot deny," She smiled, graciously.
The Ambassador gave a polite chuckle and nodded. "It is good to know that the chamomile tea that we have brought from Drackenberg for your Majesty's pleasure will not go to waste."
"Thank you for your generosity. It most certainly will not." Elsa took another sip of her tea. The Ambassador, who she had only met once previously, seemed cordial enough, but the Prince remained rather quiet, yet attentive to the conversation thus far.
The Prince sat in his seat, holding his saucer on his lap, while leaning back into the plush chair. His gaze remained rather uncomfortably fixed on Elsa herself.
Elsa avoided the gaze of his earthy brown eyes and set her tea in her lap, but still, it was her duty to make conversation. "I hear it is your first time to Arendelle, Prince Severin."
"Ah, yes," The Prince spoke up, as if he were not shy at all. "It is the first time I've had the privilege of visiting this beautiful country. Forgive me for relying on rumors once again, your Majesty, but I've also heard it said that, 'the only thing that rivals the beauty of Arendelle is the beauty of its Queen.' Now, I see this rumor to be quite true."
The cheeks of Elsa's porcelain white skin flushed. "You are much too kind, Prince Severin." She took this moment to stir in more sugar to her cup of tea—a lot more sugar.
The Ambassador shook for a brief moment as he felt a sudden chill run up his spine. He mumbled a quiet apology, looked around the room, and then continued drinking his tea.
Prince Severin reached up and stroked his charcoal black beard and mustache, propping his elbow on the armrest and leaning in further. His steely gaze remained upon the Queen.
Elsa glanced up for a moment, to check if the Prince was still staring, and he was, so she averted her eyes once more. She could hardly stir any more sugar into the tea so she pulled the spoon out and looked up to Ambassador Volker. "I assume that you requested this meeting to discuss some matter of business, Ambassador. Is everything well at the Drackenberg Embassy?"
"Ah well," The Ambassador sat up in his seat. "When I found out the Prince was going to pay us a visit…"
"I requested to have an audience with the Queen of Arendelle," The Prince said.
"Oh, is that so?" Elsa said. "What can I do for you, your Highness?"
"I'm glad you asked," Prince Severin sat up in his chair with a bold smile. "My short time in Arendelle has given me the privilege of experiencing the wonders of this tiny Kingdom. Drackenberg and Arendelle have enjoyed cordial relations in the past, but I think it is time that stronger alliances and bonds are formed between our two kingdoms."
Elsa tried her best to keep her attention on the Prince, but the way his eyes seemed to bore a hole right into her, she sought relief anyway possible by glancing around at random objects in the room, down to her shoes, or to the silver tea set on the table. Maybe she should add some more tea to her cup of sugar?
"And how would you propose our two kingdoms create a stronger alliance?" She asked, trying to sound casual.
"By just that," Prince Severin said. "A proposal."
She should have seen that one coming.
The Prince sat on the edge of his seat and leaned in towards the Queen. "I would like to see our two kingdoms united in marriage. As the second son to the King of Drackenberg, I would be honored to unite with Arendelle's queen in marriage." He kept his chocolate brown eyes on her, waiting for a response.
Elsa quickly put her tea cup to her lips, only to find that her sugar tea was frozen solid.
The fireplace started flickering wildly. Both the Ambassador and the Prince glanced around the room. The Prince exhaled, and then watched his breath float out before him.
"Oh my," was all the Ambassador could say.
Elsa's chair and completely frozen over, covered in a thin layer of sparkly frost. She hastily set her teacup and saucer down on the silver tea tray. "I'm sorry about that…" She stuttered. "I'll take care of it." She waved her hand out in front of her to warm the temperature of the room. Instead, she froze over the entire tea set and table.
"I see." The Prince slowly put his tea set down on the frozen table and then leaned back. He rose up from his chair and the Ambassador quickly followed. "Thank you for hosting us for tea, your Majesty, but we really must be returning to the Drackenberg Embassy now. We have much work to do there if we are to get our trade ships out of port by winter."
"Oh, well, I…um…" Elsa stammered. "I understand. The needs of the people never cease."
"Ah, yes, indeed they do not," The Prince said, slowly backing away.
"Enjoy the chamomile tea, your Majesty," Ambassador Volker backed away in tow with the Prince. He bowed as he came close to the door.
Before Elsa really was able to process what happened, the two guests from Drackenberg had already left the room. She glanced around for a moment. The tea tray and her seat were still frozen. She sighed and waved her hand, unfreezing them.
The grandfather clock struck three o'clock. This had to be a new record of scaring foreign dignitaries away from the palace. At least Anna wasn't here to tease her about it. Elsa put her head in her hands.
"Is everything alright, your Majesty?" Kai entered the room, even before the doors could stop swinging from Drackenberg's exit.
"Yes, everything is alright." She sighed and put her hands down in her lap. She looked up at Kai with a renewed, but forced, smile; however, she immediately frowned at the sight of his solemn face. "What's wrong?"
"Your Majesty, your sister wishes to see you. She says it's urgent," Kai said.
"Did she say what she wanted?" Elsa rose up from her seat.
"No, your Majesty. She sent one of the maids to come for me first. She said that your presence was required in her bedchambers."
Elsa's eyebrows furrowed even more. The last time Anna requested for the Queen's presence urgently was when she had broken one of palace statues and felt horribly guilty about it.
Kai led the way to Princess Anna's room. They arrived at Anna's bedchambers with a whole crowd of maids and servants crowding the doorway. Kai announced the Queen's presence, and the maids and staff scurried out of the way. Elsa came into the room and saw her sister lying in bed.
"You look horrible," Elsa gasped.
"Thanks, Els." Anna said, sounding like someone was pinching her nose. Her puffy red eyes contrasted horribly with her unusually pale white skin. A few of the servant girls continued moving around the floor, trying to clean up after Anna's sick.
"Oh, Anna, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Elsa bit her lip. Oh why hadn't she checked on Anna earlier?
"Didn't want to worry you," Anna sniffled. "I thought I'd be able to pull through it, you know: get some rest, stay inside, drink some tea—obviously not."
Elsa pushed through the horrid smell and sat down on the bed next to Anna. She put her hand over her sister's warm forehead and brushed the locks of strawberry red hair out of Anna's face.
"I'm so sorry, Els. I know you were counting on me and…"
"Hush," Elsa said. "I'm sure it wasn't your intention to fall ill." Elsa's eyes narrowed, playfully. "Or was it?"
"You know me," Anna half-coughed half-snickered at the same time. "But seriously, what are we going to do? I missed the Drackenberg appointment…"
"You didn't miss much there," Elsa glanced away. The only thing Anna missed was a perfectly good story to tease Elsa with for the rest of their lives.
"…and I'm not going to be able to go to Albion," Anna reached up and blew her nose.
Elsa sighed and looked out the window for a moment. Anna was set to sail tomorrow for Albion. It was the Princess' first diplomatic mission, one that would be of importance to both kingdoms if everything went well.
"You know how those Albion royals are," Anna continued. "They get really offended over the slightest things. If I don't show up there, they probably won't talk to us ever again."
"There are worse things in the world." Elsa continued to dote on her sister. "I suppose I'll have to go in your stead."
Anna's eyes opened wide. "Are you sure? I mean, wasn't the whole reason of me going in the first place was so I could help you out?"
"Yes, and when you're well again, I'll make sure I put you to good use." The Queen playfully poked Anna's shoulder. "I don't like the idea of leaving you behind when you're sick though."
"Oh, I'll be fine." Anna waved her hand. "Kristoff and Olaf can look after me. Plus, you know, Kai and Gerda are always here."
"Fine. You'll just have to tell that Mountain Man of yours to get down here and take care of you instead of chasing after the next ice haul," Elsa teased.
"And who was it that named him 'Royal Ice Master and Deliverer?'"
"You do have a point there."
Anna laughed heartily until her sore throat got the best of her. She coughed for a few moments before settling down.
"Easy, now." The Queen stopped chuckling.
Anna sighed contently as her eyelids started to droop. "Kristoff's a good man. He always takes care of me."
"And for that, I like him." The Queen pulled the quilt over Anna higher.
Anna closed her eyes, feeling exhaustion overtake her. "I hope you can find someone like Kristoff, Els."
Elsa tensed. "Um…"
"You know," Anna yawned. "…someone who will love you always and take care of you when you need it."
"That's what I have you for, little sister." Elsa stood up and tucked the quilt around her sister's body tighter.
"That's not…" Anna yawned again. "…what I mean."
"Sleep, Anna."
"Okay." Anna was out like a candle.
Elsa towered above her sister and watched as her baby sister fell into deep slumber. She then turned back towards the door. She instructed the castle staff to take care of Anna, and then she headed to her own bedchambers. She had packing to do if she was to be ready to sail for Albion by morning.
The Queen, wearing a dark blue traveling dress with silver buttons and clasps, stood waiting in the grand foyer of the palace early that morning. The sun had barely woken up, but Elsa was scheduled to leave at the crack of dawn. However, her sister had no concept of what sunrise meant. Elsa stood in the large foyer waiting for her sister to come and say goodbye.
"Your Majesty, you belongings have already been taken down to the docks. They are being loaded as we speak." Kai said, while moving past her to attend to another task.
The Queen nodded. "Thank you, Kai."
Like many other rooms of the palace, the grand foyer was filled with colorful paintings and portraits of long deceased family members. As Elsa gently paced down the wall, she stopped before one particular painting.
A man, bearing similar features to her father, stood proud and regal with a crown upon his head and the royal scepter in his hands. Elsa, too, held these items at her own coronation as well as her father and those who came before. His hair was darker and so were his eyes, but the cheekbones left no doubt. This man was an echo of Elsa's past. Elsa's eyes trailed downward to the golden plaque placed on the wood frame: King Leifr Tryggvason, First King of the Saffron Dynasty. This was beginning of Elsa's family as rulers of Arendelle.
The doors at the top of the stairs cracked open. Elsa turned and looked up the staircase.
"Easy now, your Majesty. Easy." Gerda said as she hovered over Princess Anna, making sure the girl didn't trip and fall over the stairs.
A bemused smirk appeared on Elsa's face as she watched her sister, walking like a zombie, approach. The younger girl's hair shot up in all directions, and her eyes seemed sewn shut. "I really think you should have let me come to your room," Elsa called out.
"Non…sense," Anna yawned between syllables. She reached the end of the end of the stairs and rubbed her tired eyes. "My sister is going on a trip. The least I could do…"
"…is drag yourself out of bed when you have the flu," Elsa interjected, crossing arms over her chest.
Anna wrapped her robe tighter around her body. "I wanted to say goodbye," She paused for a moment, biting her lip. "…properly."
Elsa gently sighed, feeling grief and compassion wash over her all at once. Without words, the two sisters embrace one another tightly.
Anna nuzzled her head into the crook of Elsa's neck. "Please come back to me," Anna said, barely above a whisper, echoing the fear of losing yet another loved one to the sea.
"I will." The forming tears in Elsa's blue eyes froze before they could roll down her face. After a few more moments of tenderness, Elsa pulled away, running her hands down Anna's arms. She then reached up and adjusted the collar of Anna's robes. "Please do not burn the palace down while I am absent."
"No promises," Anna said, sniffling from her cold. "Especially with this fever and all."
"No wild parties either."
"It wouldn't be a wild party without you."
Elsa smirked. "Take care of yourself."
"I love you," Anna was overcome with her emotions, letting two tears roll down her sickly reddened cheeks. Elsa repeated those three words back.
"Your Majesty," Kai approached. "Are you ready for your escort down to the docks?"
Elsa turned to him and nodded. "Yes, I'm ready." She gave her sister one last smile and left with a polite bow.
The docks were brimming with life and energy. Conversations, business deals, and laughter filled the air as the people of Arendelle worked diligently to support their families and their country. They, of course, found time to take a break when they saw that their beloved monarch was passing through the crowds.
At the far end of the docks, the HMS Falken awaited Her Majesty. It was a fine brig with two very tall masts that reached high up into the blue sky; the clean, white sails looked like the clouds above. The crew of the ship was neatly dressed in forest green coats trimmed in purple and gold, white pants, black boots, and small black caps. The small crew of twelve was a fine example of Arendelle's Royal Navy.
Once the crew heard the news that the Queen was approaching, they doubled their efforts and worked to make sure that everything was perfect. Elsa began her ascend up the loading ramp of the ship.
A short and wiry man, with greying hair and beard, reached out his hand as Elsa approached. She reached out and took it, allowing herself to be helped onto the ship. "Welcome, aboard, your Majesty," The man said.
"Thank you."
"The name's Captain Algren, your Majesty." He bowed to her. "The Falken, the men, and I are all at your service."
The crew, who were bustling up and down the deck, stopped and bowed to the Queen. "Your Majesty," they chorused in unison before returning to work.
"The Falken is ready to depart when you are, your Majesty." He began walking across the deck, motioning for the Queen to follow him. "Depending on the seas, we should arrive in Albion within four to six days."
"Good," Elsa said. "Let's set sail as soon as possible." Elsa looked back to the docks—they should leave before she could change her mind about this whole sailing business and run back to land, she thought.
"Right, your Majesty." The Captain extended his arm. "Let me show you to your quarters and then we'll be off."
Despite the fact that she had been Queen for almost a year now, she still could be humbled by the display of loyalty and kindness her subjects showed her. She was given the Captain's quarters as her room for the trip, and her belonging were properly moved and carefully placed inside.
After taking the Queen to her quarters for the journey, the Captain left the room and immediately started hollering for the sails to be let loose. Elsa heard the furious stopping of feet run up and down the deck as the sailors obeyed their captain.
Elsa sat down on the rich red velvet blanket that covered the bed. She didn't like sailing, that's for sure, but she sure wasn't going to sit in this room the whole trip. Quickly, Elsa got up and started scrambling through her trunks. The Queen hurriedly tore out of her thick traveling dress and found something more appropriate for being up on deck with the sailors. She put on a pair of grey leggings with a royal blue skirt. A loose flowing white shirt adored her upper body along with a leather girdle strapped around her midsection. She slipped on a pair of short leather boots and headed out the door to the deck.
The ship was already beginning to maneuver out of his position at the docks. The gentle morning wind started to tickle her face.
"Full sails!"
Elsa stood for a moment, watching the crew scurry around the decks, pulling and tugging at long ropes that reached high up into the ship's sails. Elsa took her first step forward gingerly, but with each step, she grew bolder. The crew started to notice that the Queen was on deck. Surprised looks would appear on their faces at the sight of her, but they often would quickly settle into a smile.
The sails were quickly up, and the ship started speeding into Arendelle's harbor. The tall snowy peaks that walled the fjord off looked stunning in the morning sunlight. Elsa went to the starboard side of the deck and leaned over to look into the water. Her eyes then turned forward, as her locks of platinum blonde hair started to dance across her forehead. In the distance, where the mountains opened up, she could see the deep blue sea. She took a deep contented breath of fresh air. Perhaps this little adventure to Albion wouldn't be so bad after all.