The year is 1941 and Germany has occupied Norway. A well known family is just trying to avoid the war any way they can, while keeping a secret about the oldest daughter. But when an officer comes and arrests their father, how far will Elsa and Anna go to find him and bring him home? (This story is meant to be a romanticized adventure about love and family, because obviously Nazi occupied territories underwent unspeakable atrocities and I just don't do well writing dark stories.) Also, I'm not familiar with Norwegian culture so I apologize in advance if you are Norwegian. I hope you enjoy my second story. :) Please leave a review.
Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or any of the characters.
The snow was thick and the wind was strong as the man walked through the streets of Arendelle. The sun was low as another November day was drawing to a close. Agdar was returning home to his family after another day of work. His family was well known in the city for their business and involvement in the community, that was before the invasion though.
The Germans came a year earlier and wasted no time making themselves at home in their beautiful city. It seemed like there were soldiers on every street, all armed to the teeth. Guard towers and machine gun posts were on every road leaving town and soldiers with attack dogs patrolled the forest. Despite the beauty of the city with it's bordering mountains and ocean, it had fallen under a dark shadow.
Agdar's business had been shipping but since the occupation, he couldn't send out a piece of silverware without inspection or taxation. His profits were enough to support his family, pay his workforce fairly, and keep the business running so he was grateful for that.
He finally reached his family's home near the edge of the city and entered through his front door. He was immediately greeted by his two daughters as they sat in their warm living room reading.
His oldest daughter, Elsa, was now 21 years of age and was studying to take a ranking place in the family business. It wasn't common for a woman to have such a place of authority but Elsa wasn't an ordinary woman. She had a secret. She had the power create ice and snow at her will. Her parents discovered this power early in her life but knew it had to be kept a secret for her own safety. If Elsa and Anna wanted to play, their father would miss work for the day to take them into the forest where they could play their little hearts out and not have to worry about someone discovering them. Their mother had passed away from pneumonia when they were young so Agdar had to put his daughters before his work. This routine continued into their teenage years. However, since the Germans came; her father had told her that under no circumstances was she to use her powers. For the last year, he'd remind her often. 'Conceal, don't feel.'
Her little sister, Anna, was a social butterfly and could make friends out of the most bitter people. For obvious reasons, she avoided the soldiers. She had just turned 18 and several of the young men in town were trying for her attention. She was very involved with the community and all of the children loved her. On Sundays, she would teach the children in church and often organized family events. Since the occupation though, it seemed like everything in the city went dormant like a bear hibernating in winter.
The girls got up and hugged their father as he removed his coat. Anna spoke up first. "How was work?"
He replied as he pulled his two girls into a hug. "Another shipment was delayed for inspection. It'll probably take a few days for them to get through it."
Elsa spoke next. "I'm sorry dad, we'll figure it out."
Agdar smiled with pride at his beautiful daughters, always trying to help. "This war can't last forever. Don't worry about it Snowflake."
That was his nickname for Elsa, which she liked.
He walked into the living room and the girls piled into the kitchen while Agdar sat in his chair to the side of the fireplace with a newspaper. It wasn't long before the girls had prepared dinner and they all sat at the table. They said grace and began eating.
Agdar broke the silence after a few minutes. "How was school Anna?"
"The usual. The dance is next week but I'm not sure if I want to go."
Elsa looked at her sister. "Why not? I'm sure at least one guy has asked you to go."
"Some have, but I'm just not sure. I found out yesterday that a squad of soldiers will be there. The teacher told us they would be there for security but I know they'd just be there to keep an eye on us."
Elsa frowned a little. "What are they afraid a bunch of high school seniors are going to do?"
Anna shook her head. "I don't know, it's ridiculous."
Things had changed so much in the last year. Any public gathering would have soldiers standing around with submachine guns and rifles, so naturally it took away from what was supposed to be a fun occasion. "So Elsa, how was your day?"
Elsa half smiled. "It was okay. I met with Gerda for lunch in town. She's expecting Kai to propose soon." Anna squeeled and bounced in her seat. "Finally! That's great! Think she'll ask you to be her maid of honor?" Elsa shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe."
Agdar smiled. He could tell from the way Elsa just seemed half excited for her friend, she wished she had someone. "It would make sense, you are her best friend." It had been difficult for Elsa. She was very beautiful but when she was younger she'd been bullied pretty badly for her unusually pale skin and blonde hair and it made less outgoing as she got older. There were men interested in her but she hadn't met anyone that interested her, and so she mostly kept to herself.
They carried on their conversation for a few more minutes until they were done with dinner. They cleaned their plates and sat in the living room near the warm fire reading. Elsa was reading a book about taxes and loans, Anna was reading a love story, and Agdar had his newspaper. It wasn't long before they all told each other goodnight and went to their rooms for the evening. This had been a routine for the last few months. Sometimes they would go out in the afternoons and spend time with friends but the Germans had put a curfew in place because of the resistance in the area.
The next day came with a fresh blanket of snow on the ground and a nice Saturday sunrise. Elsa was up first followed by Agdar.
They sat and drank coffee in the living room talking about the business. "Why do the Germans keep stopping the shipments? We're only shipping food into the other cities. It shouldn't be a cause for alarm."
"Elsa, they're cautious of everything from smugglers to resistance fighters. They inventory everything when I send it, and when it gets there. If a lot of the supplies are missing, they get suspicious."
"Its been a year. Don't they have a war to fight?"
"Yes they do, but they've already won it here. So until the British or the Russians come, the Germans aren't going anywhere."
Elsa looked up from her coffee. "Anything interesting in the newspaper?"
Agdar unfolded the paper in his lap and scanned the articles. "Well it's difficult sometimes to tell whether what you're reading is true or just propaganda. The British have been launching air raids over Berlin and some other German cities. There's heavy fighting in North Africa, and near Moscow. The rest is probably just fabricated information, it basically says the Germans are advancing on all fronts. I know for a fact the German advance has been stopped cold near Moscow and the British are counterattacking in Africa."
Elsa raised a suspicious eyebrow. "How do you know that?"
Agdar realized he'd said too much and just pretended like he didn't hear her question by focusing on his newspaper. He was afraid she'd ask again but they both heard a loud yawn from the hallway. Anna was up.
She walked into the living room and Agdar spoke, hoping to avert Elsa's attention. "Good morning Sorcha."
Sorcha was Agdar's nickname for Anna. He'd heard it somewhere in Ireland during his travels before the girls were born. It means 'shining light' or 'brightness'. However, he'd decided to not tell her that.
"Good morning Dad, Elsa. When are you going to tell me what that means?"
Agdar just smiled. "If you read enough books, you'll eventually find out." Elsa knew what it meant but she didn't let Anna know that for fear of being tortured until she would tell her.
"Why can't I have a cute nickname like Elsa? You call her Snowflake but Sorcha sounds like the name of an old hag!"
Agdar frowned a little but inside he was laughing. "If you knew what it meant, you'd like it."
"Why don't you call Elsa some silly nickname like that?"
Agdar couldn't hold back and let out a laugh at Anna's usual reluctance to accept her nickname. "Because she reads so much, she'd find it in no time."
Anna let out a loud sigh before lazily walking to the kitchen and returning a couple minutes later with a hot cup of coffee. Elsa had an evil thought pass through her mind. Anna sat beside her on the couch and she lifted the cup to get a good whiff of the caffeinated goodness. She smiled and went to place it on her lips for a sip. The second it touched her lips, Elsa wiggled her fingers a little without anyone noticing, turning Anna's steamy hot coffee into ice cold coffee. She took a sip and nearly spat it out the instant it touched her tongue. She immediately looked at Elsa with rage in her eyes but couldn't say anything because of the ice cold liquid in her mouth. Elsa just sat there innocently reading and playing with her braid like she had no idea what had happened. Anna swallowed her coffee with a shiver before narrowing her eyes on her sister.
"Elsa! That's not funny!"
Agdar looked up confused. "She's just reading."
Anna looked around the house before looking back to her dad and spoke in a loud whisper. "She used the magic to freeze my coffee!"
Agdar looked to Elsa and she wasn't looking so innocent anymore, she looked like she knew she was in trouble. She knew Anna would get angry from the prank but she didn't expect her to snitch. "Elsa, what have I told you?"
Elsa let out a sigh. "Conceal, don't feel."
Agdar nodded and looked to Anna. "Don't worry, there's more coffee in the kitchen." Anna huffed and got up to get some fresh coffee.
When she left the room, Agdar got up from his chair, walked over to the couch and kneeled in front of Elsa. She looked at him with silence.
He spoke quietly. "Elsa, I know you like to use your powers, but you can't be using them like that."
"Dad, it was just a harmless prank."
"I know, but it only takes one mistake for the wrong person to learn your secret. We have to be even more careful with all these soldiers around. I don't-... I don't want to imagine what would happen if the Germans learned what you can do..."
Elsa realized her father wasn't angry, he was worried for her and Anna's safety.
"I promise I won't use my powers anymore until its safe."
Agdar smiled softly. "Thank you Elsa, but be careful with promises. They can easily be made without a full understanding of what's being promised. A day may come when you have no choice but to use your powers. If that day comes; I want you to promise me not that you won't use your powers, but that you'll do whatever it takes to protect yourself and your sister."
Elsa thought on what he was asking of her for a few seconds before nodding. "I promise." Agdar hugged his oldest daughter and silently prayed that day would never come.
That night at Arendelle harbor...
"Standartenfuhrer, we've found something you should see."
The officer got up from his desk and grabbed his hat. "This better be good, Sturmmann."
The Lance Corporal led the Colonel out of the dimly lit office down one of the docks and onto a nearby ship. They then proceeded down to the cargo hold. There were four other soldiers already down there with an open crate before them.
The officer with an ugly line scar on the left side of his face walked to the crate and peered at the contents inside. "Open the others." Two of the soldiers each opened a crate and the contents were the same as the first crate.
The officer narrowed his eyes and slowly nodded. "Looks like we'll have to pay Herr Agdar a visit."