It was a perfect night to be outside.
The white moon hovered high, its light caught and cast by rippling waters. That light, in turn, found its way into the eyes of a girl basking in the wonder of a world not often seen. Still as a statue, she watched for a moment before coming to life. Then she walked, and when she felt the moment to be right again, she stopped and watched some more. In the sights of this cool summer night, Elsa discovered how easily she could dream and learned that dreaming felt very good.
She looked up, peering through an opening in the canopy. The moon. Silvery and pale, it cast a different kind of light than the sun. A wondrous light, life-giving in a very different way. Elsa Agdarsdotter felt beautiful basking in its glow. The stars that held its company twinkled like the lights in her eyes.
Outside the walls of her castle, away from all of her servants and guards and all the symbols of her rank that lent her the right to rule, she should not feel as powerful as she did. And yet it was here where she felt strongest. In the wildness of the forest where none of her humanly powers held sway, she felt alive.
Walking with bare feet treading the dew covered grass, she made for the place that wasn't. That which could only be found by one who did not search for it. Its name was solace, and she'd been searching for it for days, not knowing then the approach that she tried now. If she could discover it, perhaps she might also discover peace, and what a thing that might be to share. Her sister would be the first to know, of course. But others too might benefit greatly from the knowledge. After all, everyone deserved a little bit of peace.
And then she stopped.
She closed her eyes and breathed. This was it. This was the place. She could feel it when she stretched out her arms. The unfamiliar feeling of warmth that she longed for. Here she finally, truly, was alone. Perhaps that was what she needed all along, for the feeling was great indeed. Such so that she likened it to happiness. To look at the trees and the clouds, to spot the dark birds in the night sky flitting in between the tiny spades of moonlight and starlight, to feel the earth beneath her feet, and to breathe in the delicious fragrances of nature and to just enjoy them without comment from herself or anyone else. That was happiness.
The feeling seemed to flee from her, though. And so she stepped further into the forest, further than she had ever been before, until finally she could go no more. Happiness was often shortlived, and as the forest gave way to the sea, Elsa anguished in the fleeting feeling that came with the realization that it had slipped away.
Behind her, the forest sighed, expelling a sweeping breeze that slithered between majestic trunks and rolled over flora and fauna then past her fluttering cloak before dancing over the sea. Her slim figure quivered as she resisted the pull that would plunge her deep into the water. Such a thing would bring a damper to her night, so she sat herself upon a moss covered stone by the embankment. For the next few moments she watched the small brief waves lapping against her feet and her barely legible reflection carried upon them while her mind began to stray towards the very things she wished to get away from. Like Anna's smile, and how that smile was like the sun to her.
She could not think of it without thinking about how she'd ripped it away. She shut her eyes, trying to drown out the memories, but found it akin to raising her hands to ward against an oncoming wave. The water still flowed no matter how hard she tried.
Her father appeared on the watery surface then, as he often did since The Thaw. His mouth moved, though no sound came out. Conceal, don't feel, don't let it show, he seemed to say. Elsa stared at him for a long quiet moment. She reached out her hand to touch him, but felt only the coolness of the sea. She shook her leg and the apparition faded. She couldn't go back to that. Not anymore. The person that she was had almost lost the one person in the world who loved her. It was only when she'd been on the brink that she realized the meaning of the words said to her long ago. Fear will be your enemy.
Her memories of that time were faint, save for those words, which screamed at her.
Her fear.
She'd become so afraid of causing pain that she did not realize that she had been doing that already. By locking herself away, she had done Anna more harm than her magic ever could. She could just imagine the sounds of her sister's heart breaking each time she closed that door. At the time she had been deaf to the sound, or no, not deaf, but she refused to hear it, and she felt all the worse for having done so.
If only she realized the harm she was doing. If only she had opened that door just once and made that one snowman that would have changed everything ... How could she justify being worthy of rule when she couldn't even do right by her own sister?
She pulled her legs out of the water, hugging them close to her chest. Her gown and cloak were soaked from the knee down where they had been buffeted by the waves. The wet fabrics pulled at her knees.
She could do away with the weight, if she wanted, with a simple flick and flourish of her arm. Tonight though, in solitude under the stars, she allowed herself to feel burdened. It felt right. Deserved. Everyone had been quick to forgive her, but Elsa was reluctant to consider herself forgiven. There was too much for her to atone for.
She looked out over the fjord and the colours that shone off its surface. It's like a painting, she thought, of the gleaming composition with its ripply canvas and sinuous abstractions. Elsa moved her bare foot through it, as if she were stirring paint with a brush. The water was surprisingly warm, but not quite so warm as the warmth radiated by the night and the many things that contributed to it.
She could hear the flutter of a bird's wings and smell the feathers that fell as it took to the sky. Hear the massaging rhythm of seawater against stone. Feel the hairs on her arms rise with the howls of wolves in the depths of the forest at her back. A quick glance and she caught a rabbit twitching its nose, soundless, yet essential somehow.
Realization came upon her then, about the world and the delicate balance on which it was hung. Like a masterpiece mounted unsteadily upon a wall, all it took was one push to send it crashing to the ground.
Elsa shuddered. Not cold, but afraid.
It was here where she wanted to be every moment of her life, enjoying the world that she had missed through all those wasted years. Here she felt free, unbound from the shackles of responsibility and hidden away from the carefully whispered rumors and prying eyes. But if she could get away somehow, if by some miracle she found herself set free, would a place such as this accept her?
"Elsa?" she heard her sister's voice ring out in the distance.
"I'm here, Anna!" she called.
Elsa stood, shaking her dress free of the excess droplets of water, and breathed deeply. The air smelled of the sweetness of summer, of flowers and grass and the sea. She slid her feet along the stone on which she had been sitting, guiding them to her slippers. If she were born a commoner instead of a princess, would this be where she lived? In a solitary house along the shore, where it was quiet, and no one, not even the animals paid her mind?
She figured it would not be so simple as that as Anna burst through the thicket, panting. Elsa raised her right hand and wiggled her fingers once she had been seen. The princess smiled back at her, her own palm shooting up in reply. Elsa turned once again to face the fjord.
"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, gazing longingly at the waters. The fireflies hovered over them, seeming to move in unison. The castle was visible in the peripheral, along with the trail of ice she'd used to cross from the islet.
"I think you're beautiful-er." Anna said, taking her hand.
Elsa felt a surge of warmth rush to her heart. It was the same kind of surge that allowed her to reverse the effects of her magic. She shuddered, thinking of how she had turned this living and vibrant world into one devoid of warmth. How many lives had she taken that she wasn't aware of? She looked about the area, at the animals that she could see. A roe deer grazed in a clearing nearby. It looked at her briefly, but otherwise paid her no mind. Elsa wondered if that was because it didn't know what she had done, or if it simply did not care. She squeezed her sister's hand.
"You know," Anna started, after a time, "if you keep disappearing into the night like this, you really will give Samuel a heart attack."
The old guard captain was always making quips about his health, most of them nonsensical. Samuel was in fine shape. Besides his prosthetic leg, he possessed a body that looked as if it belonged to someone half his age, with muscles taut and toned.
"I'll be sure to apologize to him." said Elsa, swinging her feet. The water dragged her clothes down, making walking feel awkward. "Is he upset?"
"I hope not."
"You hope not?"
"He might not know you're gone." Anna said, with a grimace. "Not yet, anyways."
"How did you manage that?"
"I called in a favor from the Royal Enforcer." her sister replied, dropping her voice.
"What did Olaf do?" Elsa asked. "And you know Sam hates when you call him that, right?"
"I told him to put on a show." Anna winced. "There also may have been a little tiny part where I wished him luck by, um…" she cupped her elbow with her free hand, like she did whenever she was nervous, "telling him to break a leg."
Elsa found herself laughing, despite her mood. "Anna!" she giggled, knowing the snowman would take the idiom literally. They passed by a pair rabbits who jumped into the air at the sound.
"I wasn't thinking!" Anna said in a hushed voice, as the animals scurried away.
They walked up to the village gates and Anna called for the gatekeeper to open them. A slit in the adjacent wall beyond the gate's border slid open and a heavily bearded man peered out, torch in hand for illumination.
"Who goes there?" he called loudly, alerting the sentries nearby that someone had come to the village.
"Just the queen and the princess of Arendelle returning from a lovely night stroll." Anna replied, chipper.
The slit closed and they could hear murmuring as words passed between the gatekeeper and another man who stood inside. They were probably wondering how the princess and the queen could be returning to the village when no one had seen or heard them go out. The gate opened moments later.
"My apologies Queen Elsa and Princess Anna," the gatekeeper said, he and his partner bowing as the two sisters strode into the village "for not recognizing you immediately."
"Well, it is quite dark. " Anna said, pulling Elsa along. She met their eyes. They bowed their heads again immediately, but she caught a glimmer of something. Suspicion?
"Should I bring something back for Samuel?" Elsa asked, once the two were out of earshot. "It would be my fault after all if something did happen to his leg."
"Oh, I'm sure he's fine." Anna replied, with a flick of her wrist. "Olaf can't hurt a fly."
They walked along a cobblestone street that skirted the outermost border of the village, passing dark buildings whose inhabitants had long since fallen asleep. It had been a standing decree by her father that the main walkways of the village be lit at all times, the pole mounted lanterns giving the otherwise dull street a warm orange glow.
"So have you figured out what you're going to say to the Council, tomorrow?" Anna asked, giving the hand she held a gentle swing.
Elsa sighed. The Council of Arendelle was a committee formed by her father before he and her mother had sailed off for the wedding. They were in charge of managing the needs of the kingdom until the King returned. These included negotiating deals with trade partners, setting up military patrols, distribution of food and goods, management of the treasury, and expansion of the kingdom. When she had came of age, all of the duties were to fall upon her shoulders, but as an act of goodwill, the council agreed to handle them until she had become better acclimated to her new standing. Two weeks had gone by and they were to meet the following day to discuss the standings of both parties.
"Not yet." Elsa decided to say. "There are still I few things I need to think about before I make a decision." She had been considering delegating the majority of the duties to those who were already familiar with them, which meant returning power to the council. She didn't know much about their members, having spoken to each only briefly throughout the past five years, but they had done well, and the villagers would appreciate the familiarity.
The pair turned the corner, onto another cobblestone street, this time lined with houses of many colours. The village of Arendelle was not ordered into districts. It was far too small for that. The more wealthy of its inhabitants did tend to coalesce towards the marketplace at the center and the port beyond that. Pink was common among the populace, as was lime green, yellow, and teal, the latter being used almost exclusively for panels on the roof. Streetlamps lined this area as well, discharging their orange glow on both sides of the thoroughfare. Rarely, they passed lone members of the populace undertaking a variety of tasks, from sweeping to preemptively setting up stalls for the morning market.
"I never realized how nice Arendelle was during the night." Anna whispered, as they made their way deeper into the village. They passed by a pair of the night watch stationed beneath the lamplight, conversing lightly. On each sentry's head was a cap bearing the yellow crocus on green, colours of the kingdom, with jacket and breeches to match.
"Your Majesty!" They stood to attention, awaiting a command. "Your Highness!"
"At ease, gentlemen." said Elsa, with a hint of a smile. The words felt awkward coming out of her mouth. "My sister and I are just out for a night stroll, but you are doing a fine job."
"Yes." Elsa replied to her sister's earlier remark whilst they continued further down the road. "I have trouble staying away sometimes."
Anna flashed her a smile. "You sure do." she remarked. This was not Elsa's first night outing, and most surely would not be her last. Samuel, the captain of her guard, did not approve of her late night escapades and often tried to dissuade her from embarking on them on her own. At times, he even offered to accompany her himself, but Elsa adamantly refused. It was not the same. Alone or with Anna was when she felt most at peace.
The port was just ahead, with ships of varying sizes bobbing up and down in the water. Many of these belonged to the Royal Fleet, armed with broadside cannons and a number of nautical installations that Elsa did not yet know or understand. Others were owned by foreign merchants and couriers who had brought wares and news from afar on ships such as the lumbering argosies and three masted fluyts and the long-faring galleons.
Beyond the port stood the castle, tall and proud, its central spire challenging the moon and stars for dominance of the sky. The pair switched directions, walking parallel to the coastline and towards the open castle gates. Anna peered over the quay, where waves crashed upon its foundations, white where it struck and black beyond, beneath the sky.
"I think we stay up a little too late, sis." Anna yawned, leading Elsa to do so as well.
"We can't help it." Elsa guessed. "There's just so much to-"
"See?" Anna finished. Elsa smiled at her as they made eye contact, nodding her head.
"And so much-"
"To do."
Elsa laughed. "Are you going to keep doing that?" she wondered aloud.
"I'm going to try." said Anna, wryly. "It's harder than it looks, you know."
"I didn't know, actually."
Anna shot her a look. What's this? her whimsical expression seemed to say. Has my sister discovered a sense of humor?
Yes I have, Elsa gestured back, wiggling her eyebrows. Anna burst out laughing as they passed under the gates, causing one of the guards to jump.
"What?" Elsa asked. "Was that too unqueenly of me?"
"Is that even a word?"
"If it isn't, I demand that it be so, by royal authority."
The courtyard opened up before them. A wide space, covered almost entirely by the dark shadows cast by the walls. The moonlight was enough for Elsa to see the outlines of the trees, almost completely oval, with a dark stem. She inhaled the sweet fragrance of their flowers. Bird cherry, planted two generations before her.
They walked upon a paved path, accompanied by hedges, trimmed in the shapes of small animals; rabbits, and foxes, and bear cubs. Ahead was the pool, where the moon was reflected clearly on its surface. The path curved around it, and as they passed, Anna threw a coin into its waters. Elsa wondered what she was wishing for.
Hand in hand, the rest of their journey was completed in silence, until finally they approached the doors of the keep, which swung open before they arrived. Before them, his shadowy outline illuminated from behind by the interior lighting, stood a grumpy man with a snowman for a leg.
"Hi, Samuel!" Anna waved, cheerily.
"Samuel," Olaf said, tapping the pegleg with his finger when he didn't respond immediately. "she's saying hi!"
"You wanna tell this creature to get off me?"
"Olaf, please let go of his leg." Elsa said, walking up the steps and into the castle foyer. The interior of the castle wasn't noticeably different temperature wise, but the lightning was greatly improved from the blackness of the outdoors. Suits of armor and ornamental plants lined the walls, while a great chandelier hung from the ceiling.
The snowman hopped off the guardsman's leg, his personal flurry following suit. Samuel shook the wooden appendage, grumbling to himself about some kind of back pain he was experiencing before facing the two sisters. "Your Highness." he said, bowing his head. He straightened his back, either despite the pain or due to the evident lack of it, and at over six feet tall, he easily towered over them. With his wide frame, scarred face, grizzled grey hair, and rippling muscles, he was truly a sight to be feared.
"I apologize for my absence." Elsa said, only half-heartedly.
Samuel sighed. "You must be careful, ma'am." He said. His uniform was without creases as usual, with its gold strings hanging down the shoulders. Dark blue buttons ran down its center and he carried no weapons for his arms were weapons by themselves. "Dangerous folk hide among the shadows. Even in Arendelle."
Elsa nodded. She'd been given this lecture already and was not keen on hearing it again.
Samuel stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say next. He had given her many a harangue over the course of the past few weeks, none of them successful. "Ah, well." he finally managed. "It is late and you have a meeting with the council at noon."
"I know." Elsa looked to her sister, who had been leaning against a suit of armor. Her eyes were closed and she snored softly, a thin trail of saliva leading out of her mouth. Olaf snored at her feet. "Anna?"
The princess jumped, startled, and the suit of armor came crashing to the ground. "Bed time?" she asked, glancing around as if she were unsure of where she was.
"If you can make it to yours." Elsa smiled at her, fondly, and the two departed.