[Part 1] Chapter 1: Strange Dreams
Somewhere…somewhere in her dream, a voice was calling.
"Elsa." The voice called; it was a small voice, but sounded so familiar that it was almost like the summer breeze softly touching her ear. "Elsa. Elsa."
And gradually, as if time itself was running faster, the voice grew louder. The stillness which surrounded Elsa in her dream started to shake, and it was if she was standing on top of a small boat, floating on top of a small lake; the waters suddenly moving. Before she knew it, the tides were driving against the boat much harder, and the wind was becoming more violent. Elsa was afraid she would lose her balance, and for a minute she did, but as she got back up, the voice, much louder now, rang once again.
"Elsa!" Someone called, but in a playful manner. "Elsa-Elsa-Elsa-Elsa!"
Suddenly, a radiating glow appeared behind Elsa. Slowly, she turned to see something she never dreamed of seeing before—except she was dreaming and her eyes was beholding it—a winter sprite. But winter sprites were only fairy tale creatures, like the ones her mother always read about every night before bed...but mother didn't read that night...How could this be?
"A winter sprite?" Elsa inquired of it. The shining little creature, which floated like a small balloon fairy, gingerly smiled at her.
"Why were you calling me?"
The winter sprite chuckled elegantly at her question, winked at her and then flew off the boat, hovering smoothly above the lake. Elsa tried to run after it, but feared of falling off the boat. The hazy white light of the flying creature gradually faded away.
"Wait! Come back! Come back!"
Then again, the voice boomed, echoing through the dream;
"ELSA!"
It never occurred to her until that moment, but the voice sounded like...it sounded like Anna's voice. Was it Anna's voice? It couldn't be so...
"Anna?" Elsa looked around for a sign, "Where are you?"
"She is not here, Princess." A woman's voice answered, in an echo, behind her. Quickly, Elsa turned to see a tall woman clothed in a white, glowing bear cloak. Her hair was all white as well and a bow and arrow was strapped on her person. Bright blue eyes, set symmetrically in their sockets, watched Elsa as if they could see through her soul. There was something about this lady that made Elsa feel uplifted and...somewhat uncomfortable.
In fact, now that she thought of it, this woman looked like the lady in that book she and Anna picked up to read at the library not too long ago. The book about the old...myths and legends. Then it hit her straight—this was a goddess.
"Yes, Princess." The lady in white answered as if reading her mind, "I am a goddess."
Elsa froze instantly, yes—Elsa FROZE—she was much too awestruck. She may have also seemed to have lost her oratory skills.
"A..A g-g-g..."
"A goddess, yes, but do not fear." The lady in white slowly moved forwards to meet her, "I am a friend."
"Who-? Who are you?" Elsa tried her best to keep from shivering, but she couldn't help it.
"I am Skathi; goddess of the winter, as many may know me." She lays a hand on Elsa's shaking shoulder. "Do not shake, Princess. There is no need to fear. Are you cold?"
"N-n-no." Elsa was shaking more visibly now, "I'm not c-c-c-cold."
"Then why are you afraid?" The winter goddess chuckled; then she lifted up her arms towards the sky.
Suddenly, magic filled the air and it was as if white, radiant sparks of electricity was pouring out from the goddess herself, and swam zig-zaggedly up towards the black clouds above. Then, the darkness scattered and, like a curtain quickly unraveling, the clouds dissipated, revealing the full glory of the bright sun now shining.
Elsa was confounded, and it took a little longer for her to realize another wander. Just as unexpectedly, it started raining—no, it was SNOWING!
"Whoaaa..." the Princess of Arendelle kept her mouth open in utter awe, she didn't know how to explain what was happening.
"Are you still afraid?" The goddess, who was now standing behind Elsa, whispered to her ear. Elsa turns to face her, and was so taken in by amazement that she found it rather difficult to say answer.
"I...I..." Elsa thought for a second. She looks down momentarily, then slowly tilts her head up to the sky; she found the words;
"No. I'm not afraid."
As she spoke those words, her own magic started to flow out of her and into the air. The snow that had been falling in front of her began to swirl into a miniature twister. Elsa held out her right hand as she closed her eyes and started to mold the snow into shape. When she had finished, she opened her eyes and took a deep breath. There in front of her, glistening white with her magic, stood a still, silently-smiling snowman—Olaf.
"A snowman?" The winter goddess, Skathi, smiled as she tilted her head, curiously observing Elsa's masterpiece. Elsa grins proudly as she looked him over herself.
"Yes." Elsa looks up at the goddess with a smile on her face, "He's my snowman. His name is Olaf, and he's the one Anna and I build together all the time." Elsa turns to look at Olaf once more, then she turns back again, "Oh! And I almost forgot one thing. He likes warm hugs!"
"Well, that's very lovely, Princess." The goddess smiles at her; she then bends down to the Princess's eye level, "Tell me then, Princess Elsa, are you still cold?"
"Me? Cold?" Elsa huffed with a sort of regal pride, "No. Never."
Then suddenly—
"ELSAAAA!" The voice, once again, boomed like thunder. For a moment, the whole boat, the lake—the entire dream shook. Elsa lost her balance and fell, she looked over behind her and Olaf, her snowman, had disappeared.
The goddess, who had been standing still and quietly, helped Elsa back to her feet.
"Excuse me miss—" Elsa stopped herself just in time, suddenly realizing who she was speaking to, "—goddess...sorry, but do you know who's voice that is that keeps calling my name?"
"Skathi, Your Highness, you may call me Skathi; I am a friend." The winter goddess smiles brightly, "And as for the voice—that is truly your sister's voice."
"Anna?" This confused Elsa further, "But you said she wasn't here. Whenever I have a dream, Anna's always around. And Anna's always in person, why is—?"
"ELSA—AAA!" The voice, Anna's voice sounded desperate now.
"Anna!" Elsa tried to console her little sister's plea-like cries, or she could as well have been speaking to an invisible wall. The goddess, Skathi, placed both hands on Elsa's shoulders and turned her towards her.
"She is not here, not in your dream—no, but she is calling you." Another vague smile appeared on the goddess's face, "She is wondering why her older sister is such a heavy sleeper."
Elsa was puzzled, this goddess-woman was very riddling at times. Why would Elsa be wondering why she's a heavy sleeper—? And no, she was not a heavy sleeper just for the record.
"It doesn't matter now, I must go and you must wake." Skathi was now eye to eye with Elsa, and her blue eyes seemed to be telling the Princess a story, "What does matter, is that you know I am your friend and that I will always be here from now on. You have a very rare and special gift, Princess...a very powerful gift, something that only you yourself know deep inside. I know you are doubtful, but I shall make myself clearer in the future. Until then, you must remember: fear is but a cold shadow deep within you. Light up the dark and you shall never be afraid."
Elsa stares at the goddess for a few more seconds; then the goddess gave her a cool, gentle kiss on the forehead. Skathi smiles at the Princess as she drew up to her full height, tall and divine.
"Thank you...mi—Skathi...goddess." Elsa gives the goddess a low bow. The lady in white smiles once more, and it seemed as if flakes of snow were swirling around her form, covering her as she turned towards Elsa one last time.
"Oh, and one more thing Princess." The winter goddess leaned forward as the snow started to cover her lower torso; she was vanishing.
"Never let the cold bother you." Skathi held out a hand to her mouth and blew a snowflake towards Elsa, and then she disappeared...
One single snowflake floated towards her. Elsa held out her hands to catch it. As she carefully looked it over, she noticed that it was glowing with the goddess's magic and inscribed right on the center the words—ÁST...
"ELSAAAAAAAAAA—!"
Just then, suddenly, everything jumped.
"ELSA!"
The Princess Royal of Arendelle awoke in an instance, her soft cerulean eyes popping open with apparent surprise. Two thoughts settled deep in her head. One, that was one of the strangest dreams, if not the strangest of all, she had ever dreamed. Secondly—
'I have got to stop reading fairy tales and myths for a while.'
As her mind adjusted to reality, Elsa felt something heavy on top of her, and it didn't take her long to find her little sister staring at her with big, wildly-excited eyes. It was Anna.
'That explains all the jumping.'
"Anna." Elsa cried out exhaustively as if her patience was slowly dying, "What do you want?"
Anna was comfortably on top of her sister, who had been sleeping on her side the whole time; and, as usual, seemed to be quite eager about something. Anna was always enthusiastic about something and Elsa didn't quite share her sister's optimism about everything, but nevertheless, she was the elder one. And the elder one was the responsible one. If keeping Anna entertained meant less trouble for their parents, then so be it, as long as entertaining Anna involved no trouble for the both of them. Just then, Anna shifted on top of Elsa and struggled to kneel on top of her.
"I had a dream!" Anna answered, her knees constantly slipping off of Elsa's side, "I was...ehh...I was living inside a triple-fudge, milk chocolate cottage...empf—Elsa quit moving! So, I was living inside a triple-fudge, milk chocolate cottage, and the weather was so nice, cause it was snowing candy powder everywhere...ooh—! And you'll never guess what!"
Elsa wearily tries to turn, but decides not to, despite the irritating pain starting up on her side, to keep Anna relaxed. Instead, she draws up on her elbow to answer her sister;
"What?"
"Guess!" Anna slightly jumps.
Elsa sighs uncomfortably, after which she smiles faintly.
"I don't know, Anna...what is it?"
"YOU! Were in my dream!" Anna's eyes go wide as she playfully bounces atop Elsa. "And then this small, giant glow bug came knocking on the door and then..." [Anna's voice fades]
Elsa's focus suddenly became serious and her eyes turned from soft and sleepy to dark and concentrated; she was wide awake now. 'How could this be?' Elsa wondered to herself, 'How could I be in her dream...and she in mine? And the glow bug, could that have been a winter sprite?' It was a funny thought, but of course it wasn't anything common. It couldn't just be any coincidence. Could it?
"ELSA!" Anna suddenly bounded up closer to where her face was three inches away from Elsa's. Elsa abruptly came back to reality, and she shook her head lightly.
"Elsa, you're not paying attention!"
"Sorry. I-I'm sorry..." Elsa gives her little sister a quick smile, "I was just thinking."
"Thinking?" Anna suddenly slouched back to a sitting position, she blankly considered Elsa with a curious face, "About what?"
"I... " Elsa didn't know how to explain it to her little sister, it was an absurd topic, "I...had a dream too."
"Well, it's really nothing to worry about," Anna shuffled momentarily, "Everyone has dreams, Elsa."
Elsa gave Anna a blank stare that could have have been interpreted as, "Tell me something I don't know," but instead she just huffed.
Yes, Anna." Elsa turns suddenly; causing her sister to fall off her and off the side of her bed, "I know."
Anna landed on her back with a thump and an, 'oof!'
"I'm okayyy!" She called back to Elsa. The Princess was tough for a little girl of five years.
Elsa, on the other hand, was feeling awkward, something she wasn't really used to. It didn't matter, it was only a dream after all. And, as Anna said, "Everyone has dreams..." Except that this dream was unlike any dream she'd had before. Anna never appeared as a mysterious, loud echoing voice in any other dream she'd had of her; and she dreamt about Anna a lot. As for the other strange things in her dreams...well, that she could not explain. But really—winter sprites and white goddesses? How ridiculous! They're all just myths she thought up somehow...
Anna climbs back up on the bed as if it were some small mountain between her and Elsa.
"Besides...empf—!" Anna struggles to sit up, "What was your dream about anyways?"
"Nothing important," Elsa nearly frowns at her sister, "Like you said, it's just a dream and everyone has dreams—nothing important."
"Oh come on! You know I was only kitting about it." Anna pleadingly whines at her sister. It was really just another one of Anna's ways of apologizing, "Tell me, Elsa! What was your dream about? Please, tell me."
Elsa sighs, then she gives Anna a squinting look.
"Fine." She finally relents.
So, for about six minutes or so, Elsa related to Anna the entire sequence of her 'strange' dream; leaving out only the parts when the winter goddess, Skathi, started to speak in riddles. Elsa didn't think Anna would've understood all the weird phrases, so she cut the dialogue short. Overall, however, Anna seemed to be extremely interested, but then again—she was Anna.
"...And that's when I woke up. When you jumped on my back, trying to wake me."
Elsa finished; she couldn't tell whether Anna would shout something hysterical or just stare at her in wonderment and awe. Anna sort of just looked at her, or the ceiling, with bewildered amazement.
"Wowwww..." Anna finally said, her mouth left open, "So, I had a giant's voice? I mean, I know I'm big and all that, and my voice does get, " Anna lowers her tiny chin down to her chest in an attempt to make her voice deeper, "—pretty 'deep'."
Both Princesses immediately begin to giggle. Anna proceeds;
"And 'terrifying'." She croaked in a silly toad-like register.
They then burst into sweet laughter. Elsa's laugh sounding soft, high-pitched, controlled and Princess-like, in direct contrast to Anna's light, squeaky, obnoxiously-free, Princessly-ish giggles.
"Anna—!" Elsa tries to stop laughing, one hand on her belly, her pauses for breath sounding like short hiccups, "Anna, quit it!"
"Why?! It's funny!" Anna was rolling all over Elsa's bed now, her chuckling laughter getting ridiculously loud.
"Anna—!" Elsa reaches over to try to keep her little sister from falling off the bed, "Anna, calm down. Stop rolling around—eh! You're going to fall..."
"Wh—whoa!" Anna fell off the edge with another *thud*.
"Anna!" Elsa crawls towards the edge of her bed in worried concern, she looks down at her still giggling sister. "Anna."
"It's okay, Elsa." Anna tries to open her eyes, tears of laughter falling to her cheeks, "I'm okayyy."
Elsa smiles wearily at her. Anna was very fun and all, and Elsa loved her more than anything, but boy was she a handful! Ever since Anna could walk—or even talk—signs of her highly-energetic, high-spirited, super-optimistic character was apparent to everyone. It was one of the things Elsa loved about her sister, and one of the things that never failed to make her smile. Anna was a very interesting sister.
Then all of a sudden, someone knocked on their door.
"Girls! Girls!" It was their mother, the Queen Ithunn, "Girls it's time to get up."
Anna immediately jumps up, nearly falling again in the process, and Elsa rushes to fix her bed.
"Come on, Anna!" Elsa whispers hoarsely.
"I'm going! I'm going!" Anna matches her tone, but still carelessly loud.
"Girls, your breakfast is already prepared. I want you both ready by the time you get downstairs, your father has something to show the both of you."
"Yes mama!" Elsa answers with a responsible shout, then returns to a whisper, "—hurry up, Anna!"
"Okay-okay! Don't rush me!"
The sound of rustling clothes, running water, turning off of running water, running feet, then running water again could be heard from outside of their bedroom door. Inside, however, surprisingly quick progress did occur on both sides of the bedroom. Princess Elsa was already dressed—a light blue chemise, deep blue skirt, dark blue over-coat with frills and her stockings & shoes of course. Princess Anna was having a little trouble with her collar—they were almost always turned upwards—and her shoes were struggling to keep her feet in them, but overall she was technically dressed: lavender blue chemise with white lacing and a simple forest green over-dress and skirt.
"Anna! What are you doing?! Hurry up and get dressed!" Elsa fixes the small ruffles on her skirt as she glances over at Anna, who was literally about to tear her collar off her neck.
"I—egh! I'mmm—tryyying! Egh!"
Elsa paces over to help her little sister. Anna plops her bottom down on her own bed to let Elsa fix her collar for her; it only took ten seconds.
"Thanks sis!" Anna throws herself on Elsa. Elsa pats her back, then scowls gently at her.
"Your welcome, now—ugh, hurry up and get your shoes on! What time is it?" Elsa turns towards the clock on the wall beside Anna's bed.
"Empf—!" Anna limps on one foot to steady herself as she struggles to put her left shoe on, "How should I know?"
"Well, you know how to read the time don't you?" Elsa smiles at her sister as if joking, but was answered with a blank stare.
"You don't."
Anna shakes her head, "Na-ah. I don't."
Elsa sighs and goes over to help her sister with her shoes. "It's half-past seven." Elsa says rather faintly.
"Okay." Anna sits down while Elsa kneels down to put her shoes on.
"Why can't you read the time?" Elsa looks up at Anna as she struggles to keep her legs still, "Didn't you learn anything from Madame Hald?"
Anna starts kicking her legs again; she always seemed to act unconcerned when it came to their tutor. Anna fakes a smile;
"No. I don't like that lady. She's so boring and...soooo lame." Anna makes an exaggerated stretch, then lays back on her bed, though still kicking her legs back and forth. Elsa finishes tying her shoes, then sits on the bed next to her.
"But she is our tutor, Anna. You're supposed to listen to her."
At this, Anna gives Elsa a look that seemed to be scolding her.
"You don't listen to her."
"Yes, I do."
"Noooo—no, you..." Anna sits up, "—you were being bad yesterday. When Madame Hald came over to your table, and she found you writing poetry instead of doing your map activity, and then she took away your journal, and as soon as she turned around you iced her sandals."
Elsa nearly giggled at that last note. She couldn't help but remember the look on their old tutor's face when she...slipped.
"I didn't ice her sandals."
"Liar! Yes you did!" Anna protested, "I saw you do it right after Madame Hald turned around—you liar!"
"I did not. ice. her—"
"Yes! You! Did! Too!"
And then, another knock on the door.
"Princess Elsa! Princess Anna!" It was Kai, their royal servant and personal valet, "Your mother, Her Most Royal Majesty, asked me to—"
"Yes Kai!" Both Princess call out from inside. "We're coming out!"
Kai was about to proceed with whatever else he was told to tell the girls, but—
Elsa and Anna suddenly burst out of their room without warning, causing Kai to nearly fall back in bewilderment. It was like two strong gusts of wind blew out of the room and straight out; in fact that's what it always seemed to be like. Both Princesses hurriedly rush towards the stairs with frolicking excitement.
"Sorry, Kai! We're in a hurry!" Elsa yells back, her focus elsewhere. Anna follows running behind her older sister.
"Me too, Kai! Sorry, Kai!"
Kai takes a deep breath, the kind one would take after nearly falling off a high ledge or cliff; he then proceeds to close the Princesses' bedroom door.
Breakfast didn't take too long; you have to understand that the royal family of Arendelle were quick eaters: 'descendants from a long line of vikings', was what King Agdar always said. Well, if you want to narrow that down to the two royal princesses, Anna and Elsa, then you can pretty much guess how short breakfast lasted. But breakfast was not the most interesting part of that morning, most important part maybe, but not the most interesting. As for the breakfast table...let's just say that royal etiquette was skipped that morning, although the Queen did manage to save the fried sausages from almost certain decimation.
Afterwards, the Queen took Elsa and Anna outside through the courtyard towards the main tower gates. It was there that they found the King, who was obviously busy, talking with a few of the Royal Guards and one of the gate wardens.
"Hey, it's papa!" Anna yells out, holding her mother's hand with Elsa, as they walk over towards him.
"Come on!" Elsa could barely wait, and ran off before the Queen could loosen her hold on her.
Both Princesses ran and skipped over to where the King was. King Agdar hadn't noticed them at first, although he was the one who desired to see them straightway after breakfast, but finally turned his head as the joyful shouts of, "Papa! Papa!", gradually rang through the air in his direction. He couldn't help but smile as he saw his girls leaping for him, and as soon as they came close enough he gave both the warmest of embraces.
"Oh!" King Agdar allowed himself a grinning laugh as he lifted both girls off their feet and into his chest, "Oh, my girls! How are you both this very fair and sunny morning?"
"We're full, papa!" Anna whooped out, putting her right arm around her father's neck. King Agdar smiled, considering his youngest daughter's eyes; she was happy—a little too happy, perhaps, but she was Anna.
"Are you? You enjoyed your breakfast then! That's all good." He then turns to his eldest, bright and angelic, his smiling heir, "You both took the time to eat properly, I hope?"
Elsa smiled wider. "Not too properly."
The king grinned, the shining crescents on his face holding back a giant roar of laughter. He bumps foreheads with Elsa and gently kisses her pale, faintly-smiling nose.
"We saved you some vafflers." Anna added. Her father turns to face her and puts on a proud nodding face.
"That's very kind of you, Princess."
"I know how much you love chocolate vafflers," Said Anna, "So I left a few for you, but...except I bit off of a few, there was a little chocolate syrup on one and I ate it, but there's still two left."
"It's fine, Anna." The King chuckled mildly. Just then, the gate warden came pacing over;
"Milord! They are approaching now."
"Ah—alright!" King Agdar puts both Princesses down and quickly nods at the warden. "Have the guards ready! And open up the gates!"
The warden nods momentarily and then paces back over to the gate house. He calls out to one of the guards up top the curtain wall gallery.
"Open the gates! "
And just like that, the entrance gates creaked open with the sound of twenty giant pine trees falling down after being cut. It was always a spectacle for everyone who lived inside the castle, and only because the gates rarely opened as much as they used to in the days before Princess Elsa, the Royal Heir, had been born. However, visits like these were quite commonplace. In fact, the visiting party could probably be just another noble house from somewhere in or near Arendelle.
Who's visiting, papa? " Little Anna inquired.
"What sort of business is it this time, papa?" Elsa asked too.
"Well, l'm surprised your mother hasn't told the both of you." King Agdar slowly glances over at his wife. The Queen shrugs;
"I thought maybe you wanted to show them." She said. The King nods, then turns his attention back to his daughters, he smiles at them.
"Yes, well..I think maybe, perhaps, it would be better for me to let you two see for yourselves rather than me telling you." King Agdar walks them to one of the side doors of the inner curtain that led up to the curtain wall gallery. "Come. Let's see them."
The curtain wall of the main eastern front of the castle wasn't the tallest wall of the castle, but tall enough to where one would just be able to tell who was coming over yonder on the other side of the bridge that joined the castle to the town. It was probably about a near thirty-eight feet high, whereas the western wall was towering around an estimable sixty feet up. When the royal family finally did get up on the high curtain gallery, the view was as expected; one could see the town from up here and the port. If they had really good vision, they could spot the Sorlie's Olde Pub and the barber shop right beside the market vendors.
"Whoa...look, there's some people crossing over the bridge." Anna observed, she looked up at her mother who simply smiled at her.
"Who are they?" Princess Elsa started to get curious. Her vision was brilliant, but she couldn't really make out whoever was coming; just a group of nobles it looked like. Actually, it might have been royal party judging from the way the man in the front was dressed; he looked like a king.
"Hm—you'll see in a moment." King Agdar put a hand on Elsa's shoulder.
Now, another familiar custom that was commonplace in Arendelle, though not usually followed most of the time, was the 'raising of the banners'. At the foot of the bridge, or rather, the far side of the bridge on the town-square side, before actually crossing, the visiting party was required to raise their banners and their colours, that is if they were a noble, royalty, merchant, emissary and/or anyone of such importance. Those who were citizens, peasants and common folk, were not actually required to do so, but for those V.I.P.'s it was demanded by civil law. So it was that the Royal Guard and the gate wardens would be able to tell just who it was who needed entrance to the Royal Castle. This information was then rallied to the castle officials which would then be told to the king, who was always well-informed on who was coming for a visit. This system was quite efficient and never truly failed in times of trouble and emergency.
As soon as the visiting crowd had reached the foot of the bridge they knew exactly what to do; raising their banners for the gate wardens and the royal family to view clearly. King Agdar lifted his chin towards them and then looked down at his eldest daughter who was focused on figuring out who they were.
As a part of their studies, both Elsa and Anna were much informed on the many different flags and colours of the various countries of the then-known world; especially, that is, the ones nearby to Arendelle. There were a great variety of countries and royal/noble houses and factions that had their own banners and colours. Elsa was interested most of the times, but it got a bit tricky when it got to the weird-looking ones and the ones that looked alike. The identical ones were really ridiculous, Elsa figured, like: Luxembourg and the Netherlands, Moldova and Andorra, and then there was Australia and New Zealand. However, she had a really good memory, and then, of course, as the Princess Royal of Arendelle, she was obliged to know these things; she will be the Queen one day.
This banner was peculiar, however, though Elsa could have sworn she'd seen it at least once in her life...or maybe more times than she could remember. It wasn't actually the banner of a noble or a merchant or anything; no, it was royalty. The banner was in the shape of a squared-shield and had a purple background, on the shield itself were the symbols of this country. Right in the middle was emblazoned the royal symbol of a golden sun with six rays and on both sides of the sun were beautiful light lavender flowers that resembled lotuses. And she could tell that it was indeed a royal banner of arms, although the usual crest had been omitted, but she had a hard time guessing whether this was the banner of the kingdom she thought it was. If it was, then she knew exactly the reason for the visit. Silently, she mutters;
"Corona."