Elsa sat at her desk, rifling through papers and grumbling. While she knew she was queen, she still wasn't used to the paperwork and didn't like in the least. One paper caught her eye.
Queen Elsa
You have been requested at a council meeting at two thirty on November the fifth.
Please do not be late.
Your Council.
A snowflake fell onto the parchment and Elsa tried to take a deep breath to calm herself down, but it didn't work. What right did her council have, calling her to a meeting she didn't organize first? She should be the one calling the meetings, not some group of middle-aged men that were at a lower rank than she was.
"Hoo! It's cold in here!"
Elsa turned slightly, spotting her sister closing the door to her study. "Sorry about that," she murmured.
"Something wrong?" Anna put her hand on Elsa's shoulder, not telling her quite how cold her sister's body was to the touch.
Elsa sighed. "It's the council again. They organized a meeting without my direction. I don't know what this one is about either; they didn't tell me in their letter." Elsa jerked a hand in the direction of the letter.
Anna picked it up, resisting the urge to shiver. She made a little sound like a scoff, chucking the paper back on the now snow-covered desk. "Men," she said curtly, with a hint of a grin at Elsa. "Am I right?"
Elsa chuckled faintly. "It would seem so." She noticed her sister was shivering and took one deep breath after the other, trying to get the snow to stop. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking of you."
Anna smiled at her sister. "It's alright. You have bigger things to worry about." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Like the fact that it's two o'clock?"
Elsa jerked in her chair, leaping to her feet. "Oh! I need to get ready!"
"Elsa?" Elsa looked to her sister, who was smiling knowingly. "Make sure you look like a queen."
Elsa nodded with a smile. She went into the joining room where her bedroom was, putting on her ice dress, but putting her hair up and out of the way, pulling the regal card. She brushed purple eyeshadow over her eyelids, ran a bit of pink over her lips, and flicked the mascara brush up. She blinked at herself in the mirror before snapping her fingers and creating a pretty ice tiara. She was queen, and wasn't about to let anyone forget that.
Elsa walked with purpose to the council room, slightly peeved at seeing the men already there and engaged in conversation. The room went silent as the doors opened and she stepped in, sitting at the head of the table. She gazed around the table, meeting everyone's eyes and hoping to make them squirm in their seats; she succeeded a little.
"Well?" she asked. "Why was I summoned here like a dog?" She put bite in her words, showing that she was still quite angry being addressed like that.
One of the head councillors, whom Elsa thought was named Jorn, cleared his throat. "The truth is, Your Majesty, that we have come to talk about… a king."
Elsa raised an eyebrow slightly. "You have a queen already," she told them. "You don't need a king."
Another councilman, this one named Eric, swallowed. "You see, Queen Elsa, we do need a king for… heirs."
Elsa felt her blood start to boil. "I just gain my throne and you're already thinking of my death?" She had to remember to reign herself in, not get out of control just yet.
"We're concerned for the future, Queen Elsa," Jorn chimed in. "With Arendelle being known for having… an Ice Queen, we are not getting as many trades in and out of here."
Elsa slowly curled a fist to contain herself. "That's not true. We stopped trade with the Southern Isles because their prince nearly killed me and the princess. I personally have been going over the trades and they are better than they have been for the past fifteen years."
"While we agree with you, Your Majesty," Eric said, placing a hand on the table to prove a point. "The truth is that eventually we will need to have an heir, and joining with another kingdom would make ours that much more powerful. Which is why we have contacted neighbouring countries and kingdoms about this matter, and they have begun to send suitors."
Despite her best efforts, the temperature was slowly dropping as Elsa processed this information. "You mean you consulted the kings without me? Sent for suitors without my permission?" Elsa's voice was dangerously soft.
"Your Highness, it was in your best interest –"
A wind whipped through the room, causing the men to cry out in surprise and slight fear. Elsa stood to her feet, her hand on the table. "I am your queen," she nearly snarled. Her eyes were icy slits as they roved around the room. "I will be addressed as so." She blinked, her mind working. "I suppose the suitors cannot be recalled?"
"N-no, Your Majesty," Jorn stammered.
"Then I shall see them one at a time when they arrive. And next time," Elsa added, clicking toward the open doors as snowflakes followed her in a flurry, "I make the decisions."
The servants knew to stay away from their very angry queen as she went to the only person she knew would understand her. She sat on the bed and composed herself, the snow fading eventually.
Anna rubbed Elsa's shoulders. "It will be okay, Elsa. Just put on your Ice Queen costume and scare them all away!"
Elsa shook her head. "It's not that easy, Anna. Even though they shouldn't have done that behind my back, their reasons for doing it are right."
"But do you really want an arranged marriage?" Anna asked. "I thought you wanted to find true love, like I did."
"Of course I do," Elsa murmured. "But not everything gets a happy ending quite like yours, Anna. Maybe I will find love in an arranged marriage. Mother and Father did, so why couldn't I?"
There was a slight pause before Anna spoke again. "What do you think they'll be like?"
"I don't know… I don't want someone to marry me because of my looks, or because they'll get more power in Arendelle," Elsa admitted. "I would want them to marry me because they see it as a good opportunity to join our kingdoms, nothing less."
"That makes it sound like a business deal!" Anna protested. "Like you're an object to be bought!"
"That's how it works, Anna," Elsa said sadly. "You can't just fall in love and expect it to work out okay. Life doesn't work like that. At times, marriage really is just for the good of something. Perhaps he and I will grow to be friends and have a fondness over years."
Elsa could hear Anna shaking her head behind her. "It just isn't right. Not for my sister. Not after all we've been through. Your happy ending can't end in a business deal!"
"They get here within the week…"
Anna sighed. "I guess we'll have to see how this goes."
It went… interesting to say the least. One man after the other thought it was a good idea because 'why not?'. Others were just captivated by what Elsa's appearance was, and even more were nearly too afraid to approach her because of her 'dangerous magic'. Just when Elsa was losing hope, she got a surprise.
"Queen Elsa?"
Elsa looked up to see a young woman standing before her. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she was good-looking with wavy auburn hair that went past her shoulders, timid, but hopeful nearly purple blue eyes, and a peachy complexion. She was wearing men's clothing with a purple and silver and black overcoat that opened up at her hips and hung to her feet, black pants, grey boots, and darker grey leather gloves.
"Can I help you?" Elsa inquired. "Are you introducing the last suitor?"
She chuckled, flushing a little and glancing at the ground. "Um… I am the last suitor."
Elsa sat up taller in her throne, curious. "But… you're a woman. I thought my suitors would be male."
She rubbed the back of her neck nervously with her gloved hand. "I snuck in. I wanted to meet you personally and privately. Without my father or brother getting in the way." She met Elsa's eyes, something none of the other suitors did. "My name is Dahlia. Of the Northern Islands."
Elsa stood, walking down the few steps to face Dahlia. She smiled at her. "I'm Elsa."
"So! Tell me everything!" Anna blurted over dinner. "How were the suitors?"
Elsa blinked. "They were okay, I guess. None of them stood out as anything spectacular. Except…"
Anna leaned forward. "What? What? Elsa, tell me!"
Elsa's lips twitched in the beginnings of a smirk. Her sister was still like a little kid. "Well, one of the suitors, the last one, was certainly interesting. First off, it was a young woman."
Anna nearly choked on her bite of food. "What? What was a young woman doing there?"
Elsa shrugged. "She said she wanted to meet me without having her own family there and getting in the way. Her name is Dahlia. She seemed very nice. I'm meeting her in the library for tea in the morning."
Anna beamed. "So, you'll finally have a friend besides me, huh? Well, I'm happy the day went so well for you."
Elsa smiled. "So am I."
The next day, Elsa found herself excited to see the strange young woman again, though not enough to rush through her make-up. She walked down the hall to the library – easily Elsa's favourite place in the entire castle – and opened the doors to see Dahlia already sitting there.
Elsa frowned a little. "Have you had to wait for long?"
Dahlia shook her head. "Only a few minutes; I just got here." She smiled. "Wearing the same dress again, I see?"
Elsa looked down at her ice dress. "It's my favourite one," she confessed. "Plus, it's the most comfortable one I have." Dahlia was still dressed like a man, but had more earth tones and didn't have her overcoat. She wore a tan shirt that stopped at the elbows, brown leggings, and comfortable-looking light brown boots. "Why do you dress like a man?"
Dahlia glanced down at herself and shrugged. "I figure it's more practical. That way I don't have skirts swishing about my feet when I'm trying to get to a place fast."
Elsa smirked a little, sitting across from her. "I suppose that makes sense." She reached for the teapot. "Did you sleep alright in your room?"
Dahlia nodded. "It was nice to have silence in place of my brother's incessant snoring."
Elsa let out a sudden laugh before her hand covered her mouth. "Does your brother share a room with you?"
Dahlia shook her head. "He sleeps in the next room over, but his snoring is so loud, I'm surprised you don't hear it over here in Arendelle!"
Elsa laughed a little again. "You mentioned your father as well before. Are they the only family you have?"
Dahlia's expression darkened for a second before she hid it behind her teacup. "Yes. My mother passed away a long time ago, and I never had any other siblings. But I don't want to talk about them, tell me about you! I travelled a long way to find out more about the mysterious Ice Queen of Arendelle." Dahlia set her chin on a hand. "What's this queen like?"
Elsa felt suddenly odd. She had never talked about herself to anyone besides Anna, who already knew so much about her. She hesitated and Dahlia noticed.
"If you don't want to talk about seriously personal things, we could just play something my brother and I used to play when we were children," she suggested.
"What's that?" Elsa asked.
"20 Questions, but you have to ask each other questions back and forth," Dahlia said. "For example, I would ask you what your favourite colour was, and you would answer…" Dahlia gestured to Elsa.
Elsa blinked rapidly. "Oh! Um… blue. True blue specifically." She paused. "And then I go?"
Dahlia grinned and nodded encouragingly. "Yes! You go. If you want to answer the questions you give, you can do that too. My favourite colour is purple. Deep mountain purple."
Elsa thought for a second. "What's your favourite animal?" She hesitated again. "Sorry, that one's stupid…"
"No! I like that one. Hmm." Dahlia tapped a finger on her chin and Elsa took another sip of tea. "Snow leopard. They're so pretty. And they're a form of cat." She grinned at that.
Elsa chuckled. "You like cats?"
"I love them! Probably way too much for their own good. My cat, Tori, sure knows I love her. You?"
"I love them as well. I would say, however, that my favourite animal would have to be a timber wolf. Their howls are so haunting at night, and the way the moon makes their pelts look silver is so majestic."
Dahlia grinned at her.
Elsa blinked again. "What?"
"You don't talk to many people, do you? People that you want to, that is."
Elsa shook her head. "Just my sister. Why?"
"Because it shows. You have a true love for art, but you've been keeping your head down working too hard that you don't know how to show your passions."
Elsa sat back in her chair. Dahlia was right. She looked around at the library. "This place was my only escape," she confessed. "A world between other worlds."
Dahlia stood. "Which one is your favourite? Show it to me."
Elsa nearly jumped to her feet in excitement. She led Dahlia to the back of the library where there was a little alcove. She reached down and pulled a large turquoise-bound book out onto the floor and sat down beside it; Dahlia sat next to her.
"'The World's Mythology'," Dahlia read from the cover. She looked up at Elsa. "You like myths?"
Elsa nodded, turning her gaze from Dahlia to the book. "I probably have it memorized by now, I've read it so much," she murmured with a chuckle. She ran her hand affectionately over the cover.
Dahlia reached over and hovered her hand over Elsa's. "Why the gloves?" she asked softly.
Elsa's shoulders sagged. "The council wants me to wear them. To 'prevent another eternal winter' they said." She shook her head. "I've gotten used to them. I shouldn't have expected them to accept all of me…"
Dahlia took her hand back. "I'm sorry… I wish they would listen to you. But…"
"But…" Elsa sighed. "I'm not a man."
The pair went their separate ways soon after that, agreeing to meet up at ten again the next morning in the library for tea again. This went on for close to a week, and throughout that week, Elsa found she was growing close to Dahlia, despite having only known her for several days. They would talk about a great many things, from simple things like what their favourite desert was – Elsa was astonished to learn Dahlia preferred French vanilla to chocolate – to things that struck deeper, like the real reason Arendelle lost communication with everyone for thirteen years. But despite Elsa telling a near complete stranger her deepest and darkest secret, Dahlia didn't treat her any differently, which made Elsa feel even stronger feelings for the young woman. She wasn't quite sure what was happening, but all she cared about was that she was happy. Her council kept trying to push that there were plenty of male suitors that wanted an audience with her, but she ignored them.
One morning, as they were having their tea in the library, Dahlia reached across the small table and picked up Elsa's hand. Elsa wasn't quite she what she was doing, but she didn't say anything against what was happening. Dahlia began taking off the pale blue glove from Elsa's hand, one finger at a time. Index, middle, ring, pinky, and lastly, the thumb. Dahlia pulled the fabric off, leaving Elsa's hand bare on the table. Dahlia stood up and moved closer, placing her hand against Elsa's so they were palm to palm.
She looked around the hands and smiled at Elsa. "See? I'm not scared of you…"
For some reason, that struck Elsa hard and tears sprung to her eyes. She brought up her other hand, this one still gloved, to wipe the tears away, but Dahlia caught up that hand too, tearing off the glove in one fluid motion. She placed her hand against Elsa's like the other, but this time she interlocked the fingers so that they were stuck together. Elsa just stared at them. No one had touched her bare hands but Anna and her parents.
"Hey," Dahlia whispered, causing her to look up at her. "Your hands are cold."
That set Elsa off in a strange hiccupping sob of laughter. Her hands were still being clutched, so all she could do was let the tears run down her face as her shoulders shook and her head bent. The fact that someone was willing to touch the very instruments of icy terror and not be afraid in the least was enough for her to finally let all her pent-up feelings flow over.
The two remained that way for several minutes until Elsa was done, and Dahlia finally let her wipe her face free of tears. She felt a lot better, having finally cried for the first time in months, and Dahlia being there as silent support was a great help.
"Elsa." She looked up. "I have to go tomorrow morning."
Elsa jolted. "What? What are you talking about?"
Dahlia's usually bright dark blue eyes were now slightly faded with sadness. "Everyone has to go back. All the suitors. To prepare for the others that are coming next week."
Ignoring the anger that rose at the mention of the council going behind her back again, Elsa looked at the person who had become like a best friend in only these past several days. "You can't leave," she objected pitifully in a whisper.
Dahlia looked away, swallowing. "I have to. My family will be wondering where I am." She stood, letting go of Elsa's hands. "It was nice to meet you, and spend so much time with you, and maybe we'll meet again, but I have to go tomorrow. I'm sorry. Goodbye, Your Majesty."
Dahlia left, and Elsa just sat there, her heart twisting in a way she didn't think possible. She couldn't be leaving, not now! Not when… not when they had been getting along so well and… Elsa wiped away the last tear, walking sullenly back to her room. That night, Elsa couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Dahlia and the fact that she didn't want her to leave. She wouldn't leave. Not if Elsa had anything to say about it.
The next morning, Elsa strode to the docks, catching Dahlia just as she was about to board. The queen's face was set in determination. She didn't care what everyone else would say, but she wasn't going to let Dahlia go just like that.
"Your Majesty!" Dahlia sputtered in surprise. "What are you –"
Elsa put her finger over Dahlia's lips, silencing her. She leaned in, giving Dahlia a long, tender kiss, before backing away again, but not too far. "You're not allowed to leave me," Elsa murmured.
Dahlia's face cracked in a slight relieved smile. "Then I won't."
"And, by the way," Elsa smiled a little, "the name is Elsa."
