An odd mixture of panic and calm follows them wherever they go. She thinks no one will find them in this room, so that's exactly where they go. The room is pitch black, except for the sliver of light peeking in through the bottom of the door.
"Shh, shh! Do you hear that?" she whispered.
"Um, no. Hear what?"
"Footsteps! Hide, Kristoff, hide!"
A knock on the door, then it opens, letting a flood of light from the hallway enter the room.
"Your Majesty? Queen Elsa, are you in here?"
"Uh, yeah. Um, yes, Hilde. I'm in here," she said nervously.
"Your Highness, what are you doing in the meeting room? And why are the lights off?"
Elsa took a few steps towards the door and turned on the lights. The chubby, elderly woman who had been the palace's maid for as long as Elsa could remember was standing at the door.
"Oh, uh, I was just looking over some papers, and, uh,"
"You look warm, are you feeling alright?" Hilde asked, with concern in her voice.
"Oh, do I? No, yeah, I'm fine. I was just looking over some papers, and I got a little sleepy, so I turned out the lights so I could doze off."
"Of course, Your Highness. I've been looking everywhere for you."
"Why? What's the matter, Hilde?"
"Nothing, Your Majesty. The new maid is here, waiting in the dining room, and I thought you and your sister might want to meet her."
Hilde had been serving the Royal Family since before Elsa was born, and she was finally retiring. A new maid had been hired to take her place, much to Elsa and Anna's contempt.
"Oh, of course! I'll be right down! Thank you, Hilde." Elsa waited until Hilde was a safe distance away before peeking back into the room. "Stay here," she said, as she turned the lights back off and headed to the dining room.
The dining room was at the foot of a brilliant staircase. It was the center of all small social events in the palace, and Elsa and Anna often found themselves sitting in there, for one reason or another.
As Elsa descended the stairs, she saw Hilde sitting at the table with the new maid, a young looking girl with dark brown hair pulled up into a loose bun.
"Oh, here she comes," Hilde said, standing up. The new maid stood also, and Hilde motioned for her to follow her.
Elsa stood at the bottom of the staircase, trying to hide her confusion as Hilde brought the young girl closer.
The poor little thing was noticeably nervous. She held her hands in front of her stomach, twiddling her thumbs. She was trying hard to keep a relaxed expression on her pale face.
"Your Majesty, may I introduce to you, Callan Stromme," Hilde said, motioning to the girl. Callan bowed her head and curtsied. Her knees were so shaky she at first wasn't sure if she could stand up straight again.
"Your Majesty…" Callan said softly. Elsa nodded.
"Now where is your sister?" Hilde asked.
As if she had been waiting for her cue, Anna came running down the stairs, stopping on a dime right beside Elsa. She straightened her dress, and her posture, and tried to look as regal as her sister.
"Ah, here we are. Princess Anna, this is the new maid, Callan Stromme." Callan curtsied again, and Anna bobbed a small curtsy in return. "Callan, I present to you Their Royal Highnesses, Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle."
"It's an honor to be serving you," Callan said, as she curtsied again.
"Hilde, could I talk to you for a minute please?" Elsa said. She gently took Hilde by the arm and led her to the foyer.
"What's troubling you, Your Majesty?"
"It's the new maid, Hilde. She looks to be the same age as Anna. Are you sure she can-"
"She can cook, and she can clean. She will serve you two well." Hilde said.
"But are you sure she's-"
"You'll be fine, Elsa."
Elsa stood silent, remembering the last time someone had told her that she'd be fine.
"I'm sorry to have offended you, Your Highness, I mean no disrespect," Hilde said, in response to Elsa's silence.
"No, no, Hilde. You're fine. I'd better get back to the dining room. You may return to your chambers now, if you'd like." Hilde nodded, and waddled away.
Elsa reentered the dining room to find Anna rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, and Callan still twiddling her thumbs, looking as nervous as ever.
"Anna," Elsa called to her younger sister. Anna rushed to her side.
"What's up, sis?"
"Why don't you go out to our favorite chocolate shop and get three hot cocoas? You, Callan, and I can sit in the family room and get better acquainted."
"Sure thing!" Anna skipped into the foyer, and grabbed a small satchel and flung it over her shoulder before walking out the door.
"Look," Elsa said, walking over to Callan and placing her hands on her shoulders. Callan almost fainted. "I can tell you're nervous. But everything's going to be okay, okay? This'll work out just fine." Elsa offered her a reassuring smile, although she was still apprehensive herself.
"Thank you, Your Majest- um, who's that?"
Elsa whipped around and saw Kristoff sneaking around on the second floor. Her eyes widened.
"Kristoff! What are you doing here?" Elsa asked, trying a little too hard to sound genuinely clueless. Kristoff stopped dead in his tracks. "Come down here," Elsa told him. He met her at the bottom of the stairway. "Kristoff, this is Callan, our new maid. Callan, this is Kristoff. He's Anna's friend. Her boyfriend."
Callan started to bow into a curtsy, but Kristoff stopped her. "That's not necessary, but thank you. It's nice to meet you," he said.
"Well, thanks for stopping by, but Anna's not here," Elsa said, pushing him towards the door. "You'll have to come back later." She shoved him out the door and slammed it behind him. She sighed and turned to Callan. "Men," she said, with an exaggerated eye roll.