"They're opening the gates of Arendelle!"
Rapunzel looked up from her book at Tilly, one of the maids, a tall, thin woman of about forty. Tilly's face and eyes were flush with excitement, so Rapunzel hated to let her down. Smiling sheepishly, she said: "Um, the former shut-in doesn't know what that means."
"Oh, of course, sorry, Your Highness!" Tilly dropped into the chair next to Rapunzel. "Arendelle is a kingdom across the North Sea. Years ago, goodness, probably more than ten years now, the royal family shut the gates to their palace and never opened them again. They've barely even been seen since. And then the king and queen, God rest them, died in a horrible shipwreck three years ago. But now that the oldest princess has come of age and'll be ascending the throne, they're going to have a ball and open up the gates!"
Rapunzel kept the polite smile plastered to her face. When she realized Tilly wanted her to say something again, she said a bit uncertainly, "Well, that's great news."
"It's more than just great news, Your Highness!" Tilly said gaily and patiently. "As the crown princess of Corona, you'll get to attend the ball and the meet the mysterious princesses!"
Rapunzel's eyes widened and she put down the book. "Me? But … wouldn't my parents be the ones to attend?"
"Well they're certainly invited, but your father's health has been poor, and your mother might not want to leave him, and even if they do come, you'll still get to go! Isn't that exciting?"
Rapunzel felt she was still missing something here, but she had to admit that the idea of visiting some mysterious kingdom did have some appeal to it. "Thanks, Tilly. I think I'll go talk to Mother and Father about it."
The king, it turned out, was not particularly keen on going. His arthritis was getting worse every day, and the mountain air of Arendelle disagreed with him. The queen was similarly unenthusiastic, and the idea of letting Rapunzel make the long journey worried her. Eugene, however, seemed very interested. "Beautiful princesses in towers, mysterious castles, hidden treasures? I can't think of a better way to spend a week!"
Rapunzel shot him a kind but long-suffering look, then turned back to her parents. "How important is it that someone goes? I mean, have we even been invited?"
"We have," the King answered. "Practically every royal family in the world has. As far as how important it is, under my father and the new queen's grandfather we were close allies. It would be good to renew that friendship after all that's happened in our two lands."
"Sounds like what we really need is an ambassador," Rapunzel said.
The queen smiled patiently. "A coronation must be attended by royalty. Anything else would be seen as a slight."
"Oh!" Rapunzel smiled sheepishly again. "Um, so …. do you want me to go? Do you want me to go?"
The king and queen looked at each other, both their faces showing a mix of love and apprehension. "We've been thinking about," the king said, "and we think it would be good for you and Eugene to go as the representatives of Corona."
"Great!" Eugene said. Then, seeing Rapunzel's nervousness: "Uh, that is, if you want to, Rapunzel."
"Well I did say I wanted to see the world," she said, knitting her hands behind her back a little. "So … yes! I guess."
"That's the spirit!" Eugene grinned. Turning to the King and Queen, he asked, "Your Majesties, when do we leave?"
The trip was long, and they were both a little seasick the first two days. But after that the seas evened out, the sun was hidden just enough behind some clouds to be pleasant without being stormy, and Rapunzel discovered that she rather liked sailing. Even though she no longer had her long hair, years of living in a high tower and swinging around rafters had left her without any fear of heights. That third afternoon she made her way all the way up to the crow's nest. The captain nearly fainted at the sight of his royal charge hanging onto the topsail, and the crew looked on in puzzled consternation, while Eugene laughed riotously at their discomfort and then climbed up there with her. The view was incredible.
They reached Arendelle on the fifth day, Coronation Day itself. From the almost mystical way in which everyone talked about it, Rapunzel had pictured someplace rather foreboding, and was pleasantly surprised to see a harbor and a port city as hospitable as any in Corona. They disembarked and went straight up to the palace gates, which they were told would open any minute. Dozens of other royal emissaries from other lands were there as well, all milling around excitedly.
"Well so far this is going much smoother than I thought it would," Rapunzel said to Eugene.
"Why, were you planning on slaying some dragons?"
"I just thought being here would be more, well, like work."
Eugene smiled. "Today's the ceremony, and tonight's the ball. The work probably doesn't start until tomorrow."
Rapunzel was about to say something else, but at that moment, the gates began to swing open. A muffled cheer went up from the assembled dignitaries, and the crowed eagerly moved forward. But almost before the doors had completely opened, a girl in a green dress about Rapunzel's age darted out and began greeting everyone. She was so animated, even leaping up on the edge of the bridge to see the day's scene better, that Rapunzel couldn't help but watch her. The girl's voice and manner sang out that she had been cooped up for a while and was overjoyed to be out in the sun.
"I think she's happy to get out of that tower," Rapunzel said, pointing her out to Eugene.
Eugene smiled. "Well, you would know."
"I wonder who she is."
A sharp, overly loud voice from behind her caused her to turn around. "That, my dear lady, is Princess Anna of Arendelle herself!"
"Oh! Well, thank you for telling me," Rapunzel said.
The speaker was a very short, thin man with thick white hair, an enormous nose, and far too many medals on his chest. He bowed fractionally.
"Most assuredly, Madam. Allow me to introduce myself: I am the Duke of Weaseltown!" He paused, clearly expecting a reaction; when Rapunzel and Eugene only blinked, his face fell a bit. "And to whom might I be speaking?"
"Oh! I'm Princess Rapunzel of Corona, and this is my husband, Prince Eugene." Rapunzel gave a small curtsey, then took Eugene's hand.
"Ah, yes, Corona," the Duke said distractedly. "Your kingdom sells a lot of fish."
"Um, yes?"
"Excellent, excellent. Well, do enjoy your stay!" And with that the Duke hurried off, flanked by two large soldiers.
"Well he was weird," Eugene said dully. Rapunzel giggled.
The crowd was continuing to flow through the gates, foreign guests and the local townsfolk alike. Most stood around gawking at the palace itself. The mood was cheerful, and Rapunzel found herself skipping a little bit as they moved through the courtyard. After a little while though, she said to Eugene: "I wonder when Queen Elsa's supposed to make her appearance."
Eugene shrugged. "Maybe we don't get to see her till the actual ceremony."
Then Rapunzel noticed a figured standing on a balcony towards the back of the courtyard. At the distance they were at it was hard to make out, but it was clearly a young woman, and she was wearing a purple cape. "Actually, I think that's her up there," she said to Eugene, gesturing with a nod.
At that moment, a bell tower near the center of the palace began to toll. At the sound, the figure on the balcony turned and retreated back inside the building. A chamberlain stepped out into the courtyard and announced officiously, "Honored Guests, the coronation will begin shortly in the Royal Family's private chapel. The guards will escort you."
The coronation was a stuffy affair. The chapel was a little cramped for the number of guests, and not well ventilated: Rapunzel thought it probably made for a nice refuge in the winter, but was a bit claustrophobic in the summer. The officiating bishop delivered a very long speech – Eugene decided to believe it was required by the succession laws so he didn't have to dislike the man. There was singing – beautiful, but long. All the while the almost-queen and her sister stood at the front. Queen Elsa stood still as a statue, almost seeming not to breathe. Princess Anna, however, fidgeted and wriggled like a little girl, and kept exchanging shy glances with someone in the second row.
At long last, the bishop brought forth the crown and scepter. Elsa bowed, and the bishop placed the crown on her head. He then held out a cushion with the scepter and ball. He whispered something to Elsa, who hesitated, then removed her gloves and picked the items up. She then turned to face the assembly; everyone stood, and the bishop recited a short ceremonial phrase and announced, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"
Rapunzel and Eugene joined in the applause. They were pretty far to the back, but Rapunzel thought she could see a small glimmer of a smile on the Queen's face. "I think she's relieved it's over," Rapunzel whispered to Eugene.
"I know I am," Eugene said cheerfully. "By the way, how much trouble would I be in if I tried to steal her crown? No offense, but it's much nicer than yours."
"Eugene Fitzherbert, behave yourself!" Rapunzel said, trying hard not to laugh aloud.
Queen Elsa began making her way down the aisle. The guests on the end of the pews bowed their heads as she passed, which she received with a tired but kind smile and a small nod. Princess Anna trailed behind her, rather obviously avoiding stepping on her sister's cape. When the two sisters has passed through the door of the chapel, the chamberlain from before stepped back inside. "Her Majesty Queen Elsa invites all in attendance to a feast in honor of her coronation, and hopes all will join her in the main ballroom for the Coronation Ball afterwards!"
The feast lived up to its name, and when the ball began a little while after that, Rapunzel had to admit she was excited and impressed. The palace was beautiful, and had clearly been lavishly decorated for the occasion. The party was lively; the guests were invited to begin the dances before the Queen and the princess arrived, so Rapunzel and Eugene did a few turns around the floor. They laughed and talked and Rapunzel quite forgot herself in his arms for a while.
The party had been going for probably a half hour when a minister they hadn't seen before stood up at the front and announced, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" Everyone stopped and stood respectfully as Elsa took her place at the front of the room, still wearing the same long purple cape and subdued friendly demeanor. The minister then gestured to Elsa's right and announced, "Princess Anna of Arendelle!" Princess Anna darted into the room and hurried up to her sister's side; the minister pushed them a little closer together, and everyone applauded again. Elsa said a quick word, and the party resumed. Rapunzel noticed that Elsa's face relaxed a bit once Anna was with her.
As soon as the music started again, Eugene twirled Rapunzel around and pulled her back onto the floor. It was a wonderful party, and went on for hours. Several times the two of them tried to go up and make their introductions to the Queen, but she was always surrounded by a large crowd of well-wishers. Rapunzel had to admit she didn't particularly mind – it had been a little while since she and Eugene had gotten to just dance the night away, and she didn't intend to waste the opportunity.
As the night wore on, Rapunzel felt herself getting a little tired, and mentioned to Eugene that she'd like to sit down for a bit. They found some seats along the edge of the wall, and Eugene went to get them some refreshments. Rapunzel sighed happily, enjoying the ache in her feet and arms, and took in the crowd and the room. Everyone seemed to be having just as much fun as her. Arendelle certainly knew how to throw a party! All the fuss about the secrecy seemed almost a distant memory now.
Then, above the noise of the festivities, Rapunzel heard an anguished voice cry out, "What did I ever do to you?"
Rapunzel stood and looked towards the sound. Queen Elsa was walking towards the ballroom doors like a wounded animal, with Anna several paces behind, shouting at her. Rapunzel felt her heart leap to her throat. What had happened?
"Why do you shut everyone out? What are you so afraid of?" Anna was shouting. Rapunzel realized she was not the only one starting to stare.
Elsa whirled around and cried, "I said enough!"
And at that moment, a wave of white light burst off the Queen and rippled across the floor towards Anna and the guests, forming a wall of jagged ice.
Gasps and shrieks went up from the whole crowd. Rapunzel clapped her hand to her mouth. She felt Eugene coming back to her side, his hand gripping her shoulder protectively. The Queen is a sorceress! Rapunzel realized. That's what they've been hiding all these years!
Rapunzel had grown up with magic; she and Mother Gothel had used it nearly every day, and so Rapunzel thought it as commonplace as water. It was only after that she discovered that magic was relatively rare, and generally feared. Her father's decision to use magic to save her mother was controversial, even now, and one of the more ugly things that had been whispered during Rapunzel's time lost was that this is what they got for using magic. Attitudes had eased a bit in Corona since Rapunzel's return, but she was suddenly aware that that was probably because it was all now safely in the past. People generally assumed magic was dangerous and sorcerers and sorceresses were up to no good. Rapunzel could feel that fear welling up inside her as well. Mother Gothel had of course been very dangerous: was Queen Elsa dangerous too?
She quickly realized that she wasn't: Elsa looked absolutely horrified by what she'd done. After a stunned moment, she turned and fled the ballroom. Princess Anna called out, "Elsa!", while the Duke of Weaseltown cried out, "Stop her!" and both rushed to make their way around the ice. The party dissolved into confusion.
Eugene pulled Rapunzel a fraction closer to him. "Okay, I admit, I have no idea what to do in this situation."
Rapunzel took a deep breath. "Actually, I think we should go back to our room."
Eugene's eyes widened. "What?"
"Everyone's going to be freaking out," Rapunzel said. "The last thing they needs is one more person roaming the halls. I think we should get out of the way until things calm down."
Eugene looked unsure, but he nodded, and they made their way out of the ballroom and up the stairs. Between the actual coronation and the feast, the guests had been shown rooms where they could stay overnight if they wished, and been given some time to freshen up. To this room Rapunzel and Eugene now retired. It was small but comfortable, and it overlooked the courtyard.
In the few minutes it took to reach it, Rapunzel could swear the air had grown colder. She dismissed it as her imagination, until they actually got to their room. As soon as she looked out the window, she realized why she was feeling that way. "Eugene, it's snowing!"
"What?" Eugene strode to the window and pushed it open. Sure enough, a light but steady shower of flakes was coming down. "How is that possible? It was roasting this afternoon!"
Rapunzel joined him at the window, and looked down at the courtyard. "Eugene, look."
He followed her gaze. Two large fountains were in the courtyard, and both had been frozen solid. It looked as if the water had still been flowing out of them at the time they froze, for the ice now hung above the stones in an ominous-looking plume. The townspeople in the courtyard looked as agitated as the guests at the ball, and they could see (and hear) the Duke of Weaseltown yelling about having been attacked.
"It's the queen," Eugene said. "She's making it snow, isn't she?"
Rapunzel sighed. "And to think I figured everyone was crazy saying there was something odd and mysterious about Arendelle."
Eugene smiled despite himself. "Well, Princess, what do we do now?"
"Well, I—" Rapunzel broke off at the sound of a horse riding into the courtyard below. She looked down to see Princess Anna mounting a white stallion. Distantly, she heard her proclaim, "I leave Prince Hans in charge!"
"Who's Prince Hans?" Eugene said.
Anna leaned down to say something to a tall man in a white uniform – Prince Hans, Rapunzel guessed – then rode quickly out of the square and into the night. The crowd below seemed to stand in stunned silence for a few minutes, then began to disperse, getting out of the snow and the rapidly chilling night air. Prince Hans stared after Princess Anna for a moment, then strode purposefully back into the palace, flanked by several ministers and guests.
"No, seriously, who's Prince Hans?" Eugene said.
Rapunzel turned to him. "You asked me what we do now, and I think … we go to bed."
"How can you think of sleep at a time like this?"
"Eugene, we had a wonderful night. The ball was amazing, and I had a great time with you. There's nothing more we can do tonight. Like you said, the real work starts tomorrow. Let's just enjoy the rest of our evening."
Eugene pulled the window shut and smiled lovingly at her. "So you're saying you want me to keep you warm tonight?"
Rapunzel rolled her eyes cheerfully. "Put away your smolder and help me find a dressing gown."
The next morning the whole palace awoke like people shell-shocked. The guests wandered out of their rooms looking dazed. The palace staff hurried about with frightened faces. The guards grabbed shovels and headed outside, only to stand in the doors for several moments, staring at the snowdrifts in befuddlement before they started cleaning up. Everyone seemed lost.
Everyone, that is, except Prince Hans. He moved through the palace halls with a commanding air, giving polite orders and answering questions. Word quickly spread that he was coordinating relief efforts and was going to make food and shelter available to the townsfolk (much to the dismay of the more pompous guests). He was the one person who didn't seem completely up-ended by all of this; he had been left in charge, and he was taking charge.
Rapunzel and Eugene wanted to help, so once they realized how things were taking shape, they decided to find the Prince and offer their assistance. They found him in the council room, ending a discussion with Arendelle's ministers.
"Prince Hans?" Rapunzel said, coming up to him.
Hans turned and greeted them with a smile. "Hello. I'm sorry, I didn't get to meet you last night; you are?"
"Princess Rapunzel of Corona," Rapunzel said, curtseying. "And my husband, Prince Eugene of Corona."
Eugene bowed as well; Hans nodded in return, then looked back at Rapunzel. Their eyes locked—and suddenly Rapunzel felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head. She straightened up, her mouth clamped shut, and there was an awkward silence. Hans waited, then glanced back at Eugene. "Uh, what can I do for you two?"
Eugene waited a beat for Rapunzel to say something, then plowed ahead. "We just wanted to offer our assistance, Your Highness. We're ready and able to help."
Hans smiled ingratiatingly. "Thank you. It's so nice to see someone willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work. But I think the palace staff have everything under control, and quite frankly, the business of coordinating their efforts is a welcome distraction for me. So I'll let you know if anything changes, but I think we're fine."
Eugene blinked, nonplussed. "Of course, Your Highness."
Hans nodded. "If you'll excuse me." He glanced curiously at Rapunzel, who continued to stand stock-still, then stepped around them and out of the room. Rapunzel and Eugene turned to watch him go, then Eugene looked apprehensively at his wife.
"Well, he seems … confident," he said.
Rapunzel did not take her eyes off the door. "Eugene, we can't trust him."
"What? Why not? What's wrong?"
Rapunzel turned to face him. "Eugene, he looks at me exactly the way Mother Gothel used to."
Eugene's face dawned with worried comprehension. He turned to look out the door as well. "You think he's that dangerous?" he said in a more hushed tone.
"I don't know," Rapunzel said. "But I know he'll do anything to get what he wants. He doesn't care about Princess Anna or the Queen or anyone else. He's out for himself. Eugene, I'm worried about what he might do."
"Leaving him in charge was probably a bad move then," Eugene murmured.
"I think we need to keep a close eye on him," Rapunzel said. "For everyone's sake."
The next twenty-four hours were the most frustrating of Rapunzel's life. Keeping an eye on Prince Hans was actually a rather difficult task. He was always moving about from one thing to the next, and kept a complement of guards with him at almost all times. Rapunzel & Eugene quickly ran out of excuses to be in the same place as him. And even when they could watch him, or at least hear about what he was doing, there was absolutely nothing that they could point to as being dangerous and or even suspicious. "He's a man with a plan," Eugene muttered more than a few times.
And then, the next day, when they finished eating lunch, they discovered that Hans had left! Princess Anna's horse had returned riderless, and Hans and a small party had gone up into the mountains to find her.
"Well that's good news for Arendelle, but bad news for the princess and the queen," Eugene said.
Rapunzel shook her head. "It's bad news for all of them. Out there in the woods, with no one to watch him, Hans can manipulate the situation any way he needs to. Believe me, I know. I'm worried Anna and Elsa might not get back at all, letting Arendelle fall completely into his hands."
Eugene sat on the edge of the windowsill, looking out at the snow-covered courtyard. "I wish we had some way of know what his plan was."
Rapunzel joined him at the window, placing her hand on his shoulder. She looked out the window as well, up over the palace walls, to the tips of the masts visible beyond. The ships, she knew, were all stuck fast in the ice, unable to escape this bizarre honey-pot of a place.
The ships…
"Hans isn't here by himself," Rapunzel realized. "At the very least there's the captain and crew who sailed him here. We need to find out someone who's known him longer than two days and see what they can tell us."
"We should probably try to find out more about what's going on in the Southern Isles, too," Eugene said. "Who knows if he's acting on his own or not."
It wasn't easy. The magical winter had made the townspeople edgy, but at least this was their home, and they had experienced winters here before, if not this serious. The guests, however, were another story. Half were nearly panicked, sure they were going to all be buried under an avalanche and never get back. They were far from their comfortable lands, in the home of a witch, cold, hungry, and suddenly leaderless. The first half-dozen people they tried to talk to slammed the doors in their faces as soon as they realized they weren't some of the guards or staff. And the ones that were willing to give them the time of day didn't know Prince Hans personally, and only peppered them with questions about when he'd be back.
By dinner, they'd gotten exactly nowhere. They figured the evening meal might give them some opportunities to mingle with more of the guests, but when they entered the Great Hall, they found that the majority of the guests were having their meals brought up to their rooms. An air of distrust had crept in, and people didn't want to see each other. Rapunzel and Eugene ate in frustrated silence as the sky grew darker and darker outside.
As they were about to leave, they did notice the Duke of Weaseltown wandering in, muttering to himself. Rapunzel hesitated, then nudged Eugene and approached the Duke. "Your Grace?"
The Duke looked up at them blankly. "Hmm? Yes, what is it?"
"We, uh, just thought it was nice to see at least one person's not hiding in their room."
"Only because it's too blasted cold to be in there in the first place!" he said too loudly. "The whole trip has been a complete disaster! Profits could go down a whole 10%!"
Rapunzel and Eugene glanced at each other. "Well I'm sure Prince Hans has a plan to get us out of this," Eugene offered.
"Pah! That fancy-bottomed twit will be lucky if he doesn't get himself killed out there, even with the help I've sent with him!"
"Oh, you've got some experience with this guy, huh?" Eugene said.
The Duke looked at them fully for the first time, and his eyes narrowed. "I'd never met the man before this week. Why, do you?"
"No," Eugene said. "Look, I'm as worried as you about this whole situation, and I guess I'm wondering if we can trust Prince Hans, you know, to get us out of it."
"I doubt if he has the courage or foresight to do what must be done," the Duke said. "If you ask me, he's got no business being in charge!"
"Do you happen to know what ship he came here on?" Rapunzel asked.
"No," the Duke said, starting to walk away. "But you might ask the staff, they might know. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try, certainly in vain, to find something edible around here."
It took them another hour to find the person who knew about the transportation arrangements and then another to find out that the captain and crew were staying at an inn in the town. By this time, the sky was so dark and the storm had picked up again, so they decided going out was too risky and they would get back to it in the morning. They retired to their room and went to bed early.
Around midnight, though, Rapunzel was awakened by the sounds of a commotion in the palace. Blearily, she got out of bed and pulled a coat around her. The temperature inside the palace had dropped at least another twenty degrees since she and Eugene had laid down. She slipped out into the hallway; a worried-looking footman was going past, and Rapunzel flagged him down.
"What's going on?" she asked hoarsely.
"Prince Hans returned from the mountains with the Queen!"
Rapunzel was instantly alert. "He what? Wait, the Queen's returned?"
"She's being kept in the dungeon," the footman said miserably, "while Prince Hans decides what to do next."
"While Prince Hans decides? It's her kingdom! What right does he have?"
"The Queen did not come willingly, Your Highness, and as you can tell, it's still winter out there. Also, Princess Anna still has not returned. Things are still not right."
"Still, Prince Hans—"
"Your Highness, I'm very sorry, but there is somewhere I need to be!" The footman practically fled.
Rapunzel chewed her lip, then looked down at herself. It was obvious she was in a dressing down, and the stockings she was wearing weren't doing much to keep out the cold. She went back into her room, found her dress as quickly and quietly as she could, shook out her hair a bit, then slipped back out. She was wearing Eugene's boots: her shoes clicked just a bit and while his boots were way too big they were much quieter.
Finding the route down to the dungeon was not easy without anyone to give her directions, but she made it eventually. The dungeon was not large, and it was immediately obvious which cell was Elsa's: only one door was being guarded. A single grim-faced soldier stood at attention. Rapunzel scowled. She hadn't thought to bring a frying pan.
She crouched around the corner from the cell, out of sight, for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do. Then she sighed mentally: Here goes nothing. In the deepest voice she could manage, she called out, "Guard! Guard! Princess Anna's returned! Get up here immediately!"
There was a scuffle, and then she head the guard's heavy footfalls coming towards her. She squeezed her eyes shut, but he ran past her corner and turned a different way, going up the stairs without seeing her. As soon as she was sure he was out of sight, she dashed over to the cell door, and knocked as loudly as she dared. "Queen Elsa! Queen Elsa! Your Majesty, are you alright?"
There was no answer. She peered in through the barred window at the top, but the room was too dark and the window at the wrong angle to see much.
"Queen Elsa, if you can hear me, I'm Princess Rapunzel of Corona, and I want to help you! I have to tell you that Prince Hans is not a friend to you or your sister!"
She waited again, but there was still no response. She looked around, wondering if she could find any paper to write a note and push it under the door. But at the moment, she heard some yelling at the top of the dungeon stairs, and the guard's footsteps returning. If the sound of his gait was any indication, he'd realized he'd been fooled, and was rushing back to his post. Rapunzel dashed back to her shadowy corner. The guard entered the dungeon and looked around suspiciously for a while. He then went to the cell door, peered inside, and checked to make sure it was still locked. This apparently satisfied him, for he then turned around and stood at attention once again.
Rapunzel realized she wasn't going to get any further tonight. The guard was not going to allow himself to be fooled again, and it looked as if the Queen was asleep or unconscious. She waited a good ten minutes, then crept out of the dungeon was quietly as possible. She resisted the urge to run back to her room.
Once back, she felt the late and the cold catch up to her almost immediately: she was so tired. Stripping off her dress, she crawled into bed and curled up at Eugene's side. He murmured in his sleep and snuggled a little closer to her. She smiled fondly and whispered, "Am I going to have some things to tell you in the morning." She kissed him lightly on the cheek, then closed her eyes and let sleep and his warmth overtake her.
The air in the palace the next morning crackled with fear and uncertainty, as well as people's breath. Even the palace walls and the many fireplaces were having a hard time keeping back the cold now. Rapunzel worried how the people in the town were getting along. As soon as she and Eugene were up and dressed, they decided to immediately go into town to find the captain and crew. No one really seemed to notice them leaving: they were all too caught up in their own trepidation, plus no one wanted to go outside anyway.
They made their way out of the palace and were walking through the town, trying to find the inn they'd been told about. There was no one on the streets to ask for directions, so it was slow going. As they wandered about, Rapunzel suddenly heard an odd noise, like something sliding across the ice. She turned and looked up the street and saw a small white object barreling down the frozen cobblestones. She wondered why someone was sliding things at them in the same moment that she realized it was a small snowman, complete with carrot nose, coal buttons, and stick arms. She stepped back to let the odd projectile pass.
And as she did, the snowman turned its head and waved its stick arm at them! "Hello!"
Rapunzel shrieked. The snowman looked surprised, and then ran headlong into a wall, ending up upside down on his head. "Ow."
"Eugene, Eugene, it's a talking snowman!"
"You routinely talk with horses and frogs."
"Eugene, focus! Talking snowman!"
The snowman righted himself by rearranging his segments in the correct order, and screwing his nose back into place. Then he waved at them vigorously. "Hi, I'm Olaf! It's nice to meet you! Sorry, I can't talk right now, I have to get to the palace and make sure Anna's okay!"
"Wait, wait!" Rapunzel took a couple of steps towards him. "You're … you're a friend of Princess Anna? And she's back in Arendelle?"
"Oh yeah, Anna's the best!" Olaf said a tad dreamily. Then he seemed to remember himself, and said: "But she's in trouble, and I have to help her. So I'm off to the palace, bye!" He started to run down the road, then suddenly stopped and turned around. "Uh, actually, do you happen to know where the palace is? I'm a little new in town."
"Uh, sure, we can show you," Rapunzel said. "We're … we're friends of Princess Anna, too! Sorta."
"Great! Let's go!" Olaf darted over to Rapunzel, grabbed her hand with his, and then began half-dragging them away. Rapunzel grabbed Eugene's hand as well, and the uneven little procession marched forward.
"This is quite possibly the weirdest experience of my entire life," Eugene said. "And I died once."
"Wow, I bet that's quite a story!" Olaf said without a trace of irony. "Who are you, by the way?"
"Oh, I'm Rapunzel, and this is Eugene."
"Those are the best names!" Olaf announced. "Are we going the right way?"
"Yeah, but turn left here," Rapunzel said. "Oh, and Eugene?"
"Hmm?"
"Pascal is a chameleon!"
They were more careful getting back into the palace, as they figured seeing Olaf might be a little much for people right now. Once inside though, they found that everyone had retreated back into their rooms and the halls were nearly empty. "Where to now?" Olaf said.
"Not so loud," Eugene hissed.
"Do you know where Princess Anna was going to go once she got back here?" Rapunzel asked.
"They were just going to try to find someone named Hans."
Eugene scowled. "You know what, let's split up. We need to find them fast."
Rapunzel nodded. "Good idea. Olaf, if you find Princess Anna first, you have to tell her to watch out for Prince Hans."
"Okay, I will!" Olaf said. "Good luck guys!" He dashed off down the corridor.
"I'm not sure he got what you meant," Eugene said.
"No," Rapunzel said. "But he's obviously devoted to Anna. He'll make sure she's okay. C'mon, we'd better get going ourselves: you go up, I'll go down?"
Eugene nodded; he turned to go, then stopped, turned back around and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "Be careful," he said.
"You too," she said. "I love you. Now go!" They both headed for the stairs.
Ten minutes later, after checking every room on the top floor, Rapunzel made her way down a level. She rounded a corner and found Eugene coming towards her. "You covered all the other floors already?"
"There were some cranky-looking guards on the bottom floor, so I started at the other end of this one," he said. Then she shivered visibility. "Is it just me, or does it feel even colder in here just since we starting looking?"
Rapunzel pointed to the ceiling. "It's not just you. Look: there's frost forming indoors now."
Eugene shook his head. "This is bad, Rapunzel. Things are getting out of hand—"
He broke off as a giant spear of ice burst from the beams above their heads and stabbed downwards. They jumped back to avoid it, and nearly slipped on the ice forming on the floor. The slow creep of frost Rapunzel had noticed just minutes ago was now transforming into a forest of icicles before their very eyes. Ice was rapidly covering the walls, floors, and ceilings in wicked-looking spikes.
"In here!" Eugene cried. He yanked open the nearest door, and pulled Rapunzel inside, slamming the door behind them. It was one of the guest rooms. The ice was not nearly as thick in here, but it was clear that they didn't have long before it would be. Eugene rushed over to the window, but it was already frozen shut. "Okay, maybe this wasn't the best idea."
Rapunzel turned around and tried the door, but it was also stuck fast. "I don't think we can go back!"
"Onto the bed!" Eugene cried. "It's the farthest from the ice."
They hurried over and climbed up on the bed. The ice was still growing out of the walls and the ceiling, creeping across the room towards them. They were safe for maybe a minute, but no more. Rapunzel felt real terror filling her. "Eugene, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know," he said. "Give me a second, I'll think of something."
Rapunzel shivered, moving as close to him as she could. "There's so much fear."
Eugene put his arm around her. "Hey, c'mon, we've gotten out of worse spots than this. At least there's no lake filling up our cave this time."
"No, I mean the queen," Rapunzel said. "She's the one doing all this. Can't you feel it? She's terrified, Eugene."
Eugene stopped staring at the ice and turned to look at Rapunzel. He held her gaze for a long moment, as if trying to memorize her every feature. Finally, he said, "There's nothing more we can do to help her, is there?"
Rapunzel shook her head sadly. "We failed." She folded her arms across her chest and buried her face in them.
She felt Eugene pull her in closer, wrapping both his arms around and burying his face in her hair. They didn't say anything, they just held each other as the ice crept up the sides of the bed and began to form around them. They both shut everything out, focusing on the sound and feel of the other's warm breath, and waited for it to be over.
And then everything just stopped.
The ice stopped forming. They were half buried it in, but it stopped.
And for the longest minute of their lives, the entire world held its breath.
And then Rapunzel felt a drop of water on her arm. And then another, and another. She slowly raised her head and looked up. The ice on the ceiling was beginning to melt, just a little.
"Eugene," she whispered.
And then the ice began to shrink. It didn't even melt, it just began to disappear. As aggressively as it had grown up, it now retreated like a squirrel being chased by a hound dog. Within seconds, the whole room was ice free. The window and door sighed a little as they became unfrozen, and the sunlight began streaming in.
They sat on the bed, still clinging to each other for a stunned moment. "Well, that works for me," Eugene finally said.
Rapunzel jumped up, ran over to the window, and tossed it open. The sun was as bright and as clear and as hot as it had been when they'd arrived earlier this week. Every snowflake and icicle was completely gone from Arendelle. Rapunzel could see out into the town, where the people were also opening their windows and doors and staring in relived wonder at the scene around them.
And Rapunzel suddenly realized that for the first time since they've arrived in Arendelle, things felt different. The sky and the ground now looked the same as on Coronation Day, but the air felt different, this place felt different. An aura of loneliness and fear had hung over the whole country before, and now it was gone, and it was if people could finally breathe.
"It's over," Rapunzel said, sighing in relief. "I don't know what happened, but everything's okay now. The fear is gone."
"Are we completely sure that's a good thing?" Eugene said uneasily. "Maybe Queen Elsa—"
"No," Rapunzel said. "Everything's better now, I'm sure of it. C'mon!" She grabbed Eugene's hand and they made their way out of the room, down the stairs, through the Great Hall, and out into the courtyard. The other guests were beginning to emerge from their rooms, looking cautiously optimistic for the first time in a week. The staff looked completely relieved, and the guards no longer looked quite so jumpy.
Rapunzel and Eugene emerged into the courtyard. Every trace of the bizarre winter was completely gone – the fountains were flowing again, and even the flowers looked none the worse for the experience. Things were truly back to normal. They left the courtyard and made their way into the town, where there was a spirit of rejoicing. People were emerging from their houses, hugging each other and looking at the sun with radiant smiles.
As Rapunzel and Eugene were walking through the town square, they heard a little commotion behind them. They turned, and saw Queen Elsa and Princess Anna coming up the steps from the docks, smiling broad and happy. A taller man Rapunzel didn't recognize was walking next to Anna, clearly with her, while a reindeer of all things was trailing behind. And beside them was Olaf, under what looked to be a personal snow-cloud.
The little party was walking in their direction, and when Olaf saw them, he starting waving vigorously. "Hey guys, you made it!"
Elsa and Anna looked up at Rapunzel and Eugene curiously. Rapunzel smiled a tad ironically, then curtseyed and said, "Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene of Corona, Your Majesty. We're extremely relieved to see you're both all right."
"Thank you," the Queen said. "It seems you've met Olaf?"
"Yeah!" Olaf said. "They helped me find Anna. In fact, without their help I never would have even known where to look for you."
Princess Anna looked at Rapunzel and Eugene, her face beaming with gratitude. "Then I owe you my life, Rapunzel and Eugene. Thank you." And she reached out and clasped Rapunzel's hand.
"And I owe Anna my life, so I'm indebted to you too," Queen Elsa said, with just a touch of formality. "If there's anything I can ever do for you, please don't hesitate to ask."
Rapunzel smiled. "The only favor I would ask is that you let me give you some advice, and that's this:
"Let your lives begin."
And in that moment, they all saw each other for the kindred spirits that they were: three women who had known lives of loneliness, fear, and pain, whose lives had been touched by magic, whose futures might not be clear, but who knew those futures would be shaped by love.
The sisters smiled. "We will."