Do you want to carve a pumpkin?
It was a couple days before Halloween and in Arendelle everyone was getting ready for the yearly Halloween party. After Elsa had married Ruby and gotten back to her kingdom she had been trying to have more celebrations for her people. Christmas was mostly fun for everyone, but most for the children, they got to decorate the huge Christmas tree out in the court yard.
Other than that the queen and her sister used to host and Easter egg hunt each year at the palace and a couple of summer party. The caste doors were mostly open so that children or adults that needed to talk to either one of the sisters could do so.
Now however Elsa was walking through the castle, holding a big pumpkin. She made her way to Anna's room, knocking on the door, saying, "Do you want to carve a pumpkin?"
The redhead soon opened the door saying, "Of course I want to do that. How are the preparations for the haunted castle going?"
"Should be ready just on time, Kristoff, Sven and Red are working on it," Elsa said. She had learned to trust Kristoff over the years and the two did get along great. Every year on Halloween evening the Queen and her family turned the castle to a haunted one. Both adult and children cried out in thrill and horror as they made their way around the many hallways. The servants dressed up as vampires, zombies, mummies and other scary things hopping out here and there. That and the dim light in every corridor made it extra scary.
"Good, you know there will be a full moon on Halloween this year, shouldn't Red be locked up?" Anna wondered. She wasn't to happy about her sister-in-law turning into a werewolf.
"No, she is no hard and today she can be as scary as she wants," said Elsa, making her way downstairs along with Anna.
"I suppose you are right, so what pattern are you going to carve on that?" Anna changed the subject.
"I was thinking about Olaf with one of the snowgies or one scary face," she answered, smiling at her. They soon reached the end of the stairs and Anna looked at a bunch of pumpkins saying, "I am going to do a scary face for sure."
Elsa found them some knives and soon the two sisters were carving away. They didn't even notice that Kristoff and Red came in. He sneaked up behind his wife, making her jump into the air. As soon as she saw it was him, she giggled and pushed him in the side. She loved his joking nature.
"So pumpkins?" he said, picking up one and letting his knife start on a pattern. He wanted to make one with the marshmallow on. Elsa nodded as Red sat down beside her, also grabbing a pumpkin to make a scary wolf. Elsa reached and kissed her cheek, making her blush. She truly did love her wife.
It was the morning Halloween and the pumpkins slowly was getting ready, they were placed around the castle and court yard with lights inside. Olaf looked at them in glee, smiling at the carvings, seeing Elsa handing out pumpkin soup and Sven trying to get a treat. She laughed and gave him a carrot.
He took it and started to eat it. Elsa shook her head as a young girl came up to her. Her clothes were dirty and almost just rags. She looked at the queen shyly, asking, "May I have some soup?"
"Of course, honey," Elsa said, adding, "Where are your parents?"
"Don't have any," she shrugged as the queen was pouring soup in a bowl. Elsa nodded and handed it over, and the young girl went to sit down in another part of the palace. The queen looked over at her, sitting there all alone, when she heard her wife ask, "What is the matter?"
"The girl over there, she seems lonely, she doesn't have anyone, she in a way reminds me of myself," Elsa said with a sigh.
"And you want to help her. Elsa, love, I am sure there are more like her and you can't help them all," Ruby Red said wisely.
"Will you go into the wardrobe and see if you can find some of the clothes from I was younger, and give to her, I have a right feeling about this," Elsa said, before turning to the next one in line to give him a bowl of soup.
Pretty soon Ruby Red was back with some of Elsa's old dresses and coats she thought might fit the young girl. She sat down next to her and said, "The Queen wanted you to have these."
The young girl looked up at the dark haired woman saying, "But why, surely there must be others that need it more, why am I entitled to anything from the queen?"
"I intend not always ask of the why's when it comes to my wife. If she wants to do something for another person, I let, as she would with me. She must have seen something in you and so she wanted you to have it," said Ruby Red and smiled back at her.
"In that case I want to give something back," said the young girl, feeling that it was only appropriate to do so.
"Alright, I can grant you that," said Ruby Red, looking at her with wondering eyes. They were now starting to turn yellow as it was soon wolf time.
"I want to carve her a pumpkin if you have any more left?" she looked at Red with hopeful eyes.
"I am quite sure we do," she said, holding out her free hand for her to take. The young girl soon took at and walked with Ruby inside the castle.
When Elsa was done handing out soup about an hour later, she looked around for her wife and the young girl. She even asked her servants about them as she saw children and adults all ages running around in her haunted castle. She saw Kristoff somewhere inside dressed as a troll, jumping out of a closet. She couldn't help but to laugh and flashed him a smile and a wave. She got one back with a wink. Then she heard a familiar roar coming from upstairs and found her wife, or rather what used to be shape of her in her werewolf form.
She was snarling against children and adults, doing no other harm than to scare really. Elsa went over and stroked her fur lovingly, like she was a big dog. She loved her in all her shapes, and she was glad her kingdom accepted them as well. It had been hard at first with Ruby Red being a werewolf, but in time when they saw she did no harm, they didn't have a problem with it anymore.
Elsa continued to her chambers and was to see the young girl inside. She smiled pleased saying, "So you didn't leave after all."
She was now wearing one of her old, blue dresses, her blonde hair in a neat braid. The girl looked at her saying, "No, I wanted to give you this as a thank you first."
She nodded towards a carved pumpkin, it had a picture of Elsa and Olaf on it, very well made even. The queen nodded and sat down with her saying, "Thank you, may I ask of your name?"
"It is Isabelle, but people call me Isa," she said, holding out her hand polite. Elsa shook it, saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you Isabelle. How old are you?"
"I am ten, soon eleven winters, your majesty," she answered.
"I see, feel free to call me Elsa, and you don't have parents, do you live with family?" she was curious. Of course it was not unheard of people being poor or living in foster homes in her kingdom.
"No, I live in the forest, always have, no one really wanted me. I sometimes play with the young trolls in Kristoff's family," she explained.
"I see, well since no one is claiming you, how would you like to live here?" Elsa made an offer, made on a hunch, more than anything else.
"Are you sure it wouldn't be a bother, you must be very busy," she reasoned.
"I am sure, I have a free room that is of no use, we can make it your bedchamber if you want. You can decorate it anyway you want," she offered.
"Really you would do that?" her green eyes were sparkling now.
"Yes I don't see why not, I always felt that the room was empty for a reason, maybe you are that reason," she said and smiled at her. It was true the room was always empty, even with Anna, Kristoff and their two children, Kai and Gerda living there."
"Alright then I will say yes, would you mind if I got something more to eat, I am a bit hungry?" she wondered.
"Of course not, you can join me for a late supper, I will introduce you to my niece and nephew, Kai is about your age, and Gerda a bit younger," she said. She was sure she had seen them lurking in the hallway on her way up.
"Alright," she nodded and got up. Elsa did too offering her hand, and Isabelle took it. She looked at Elsa for a second before she gave her a hug. Elsa returned it with a smile. She didn't speak, she was simply glad the young girl was there. She pressed a kiss into her light strands.
As the hug broke Isabelle wondered, "When winter comes, can we build a snowman. I always loved doing that."
"Of course, it is one of my favorite things to do in the winder," said Elsa with a small laugh, knowing for sure that this girl was a good thing. She made sure to thank her god for her that night when she fell asleep holding her wolf close. All due to a silly Halloween party she now had one more family member. She knew that the days after it would be even more perfect and tons of more snowmen would be build and pumpkins carved in the years to come.
Thank you so much for reading, I would appreciate you point of view :o)