Keeping to the shadows, Queen Iduna of Arendelle made her way through the castle corridors. She waited behind a suit of armor for the front hall to clear, then rushed out the castle doors and through the courtyard. Doing this in broad daylight was risky, she knew, but she couldn't wait another moment. She had to know the answer, and she had to know it now.
Within minutes, Queen Iduna was in front of the now-familiar heavy wooden door, fist raised to knock. Before she could make contact, however, the door swung open and the old woman was beckoning her in. "Come in, My Queen, come in."
As soon as the door shut behind her, the queen demanded, "What is going on with my baby?" Her blue eyes were sparkling with fury. "What did you do to her?"
The old woman settled into a chair, regarding the queen with obvious amusement. "Why, Your Majesty," she rasped. "I'm sure I don't know what you're referring to!"
"Like hell you don't!" Iduna snapped. "Not only did you know I was coming a week ago, but you knew what I was coming here for. And you knew I was here now before I could even knock! So don't you try to tell me that you don't know why I'm here today!"
The old woman steepled her hands together before her twitching lips. "All right, Your Majesty. I will answer your questions."
"Why am I getting cold spells?"
"Did I not warn you that your pregnancy would be challenging, My Queen?"
Iduna flushed. "Stop answering questions with questions."
"Yes, Your Highness." The old woman smiled, not unkindly. "I had to call upon a certain kind of magic in order to ensure the spell I gave you would produce an heir."
"A certain kind of magic?" The queen lowered herself shakily onto the edge of the sofa opposite the old woman. "Wh-what kind of magic would that be?"
"Do not fear. It is not dark magic." The old woman waved her hand dismissively, her numerous bracelets jangling on her wrist. "When a person is asking such a huge favor of the fates, a fee must be paid."
"A fee?" Iduna didn't like the sound of that. "What sort of fee?"
"Well…" The old woman's voice trailed off and Iduna thought she could see a trace of something in her eyes. Could it be sadness? "You did say you were willing to give anything for a child."
A flash of fear shot through the queen. Her head spun momentarily and she gripped the sofa cushions tightly. Closing her eyes with resignation, the queen mustered her voice and spoke. "My life?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Your life."
"Am I going to die in childbirth?" The question burst forth from the queen's mouth before she had time to think about whether or not she really wanted to know the answer.
"I don't know, My Queen," the old hag responded. "Only fate knows. The verse said that when the fates align to bring strife to your daughter will be the hour of your death."
Queen Iduna thought about that for a moment. "So you mean I am going to die when my daughter needs me the most?"
The gray head nodded sorrowfully. "It seems that way, Your Majesty."
The queen sighed, pinched her eyes closed and laid back against the couch cushions. "Gods almighty," she murmured. "Why didn't I pay closer attention to that verse before I said it?" She rubbed her hands over her face. "Then again, if this was the only way…"
"The only way I could see, My Queen."
"But you never answered my question about the cold spells."
"Ah, yes. The magic." The old woman smiled again. "You see, Your Majesty, the kind of magic I called upon is a very strong, very unique kind of magic. Do you remember what the weather was like the night you first came here?"
The queen visualized that night in her mind. "Yes, it was snowing a little."
"That's right. You know there's nothing more powerful than nature, do you not?"
"Yes, I do. Nothing can stop a storm when it decides to come."
The old woman nodded. "Quite true, Your Majesty, quite true. And now nothing can stop your daughter from coming, either." The old woman's snapping eyes met the queen's and a wide smile spread across her wrinkled face. "Do you see now, My Queen?"
Iduna bit her lip. "You… you harnessed the magic of the snow?"
Delightedly, the old woman clapped her hands and laughed. "Indeed I did!"
Queen Iduna felt dizzy. "So my d-daughter will have snow powers?"
Another happy nod.
"No… No!"
"What is it, Your Highness? The verse did say she'd have power…"
Eyes blazing, the queen jumped to her feet. "I didn't think you meant real power! I thought you just meant she'd be a powerful ruler of the kingdom one day!"
"She will!" Insisted the witch. "But not just one kind of powerful. She will be respected and revered!"
The queen was speechless. All she had wanted was a baby. A normal heir, half her and half her husband. She didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, she just wanted to be a mother. But now… now her sweet baby would have to deal with a lifetime of being misunderstood. All because her body had betrayed her and made her unable to conceive naturally.
"I have to go," the queen muttered, bolting for the door.
"Prepare yourself, Your Majesty! It has only just begun!"
The eerie cackling of the witch followed her all the way down the street.
—
King Agnarr of Arendelle was furious. When his lovely wife had told him what she had done… well… no question, he was livid. Everyone in the city knew that the old woman had dark powers that ought not be fooled around with. Most people, except the strange, gave the old woman a wide berth. And here Queen Iduna had sought her out.
Sighing, the king ran his hands through his reddish blonde hair, digging his nails into his scalp. He paced back and forth in his study.
"Everything all right, Your Majesty?" The voice made Agnarr jump. It was Kai, his most trusted staff member.
The king sighed again. "Yes. Well, maybe."
"May I be of service somehow, Majesty?" Kai always did know how to pry gently.
"You know you can call me Agnarr when it's just us, Kai. We are friends, even though the rest of the staff need not know that."
"Yes, I know. Can I be of service somehow, Agnarr?" Kai knew the king better than anyone except maybe the queen and he could tell something was greatly troubling him. "Maybe just getting it off your chest will help."
The king dropped unceremoniously into the chair behind his desk and motioned for Kai to come in and close the door. "What would you do, Kai, if someone who trusted wholeheartedly did something that you thought to be very, very… ah… foolish. And now, because of what they've done, there is a great deal of uncertainty and potentially danger at hand?"
Kai leaned against the wall beside the door and thought momentarily. "Are we talking hypothetically, Agnarr? Or are we actually in danger?"
"I don't know, that's just it." Agnarr pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not sure what exactly I'm dealing with here. I can't really go into detail. Suffice it to say it may be… otherworldly."
"Otherworldly?" Kai repeated, his eyebrows rising quickly. "I'm afraid I don't follow."
The king stood up and strode over to the window. Hands clasped behind his back, he stared out into the dusk for at least half a minute, contemplating, saying nothing. Finally, without turning around, he spoke: "You know the witch in the village?"
"The old hag?"
"The very one."
"Why yes, I know of her, Your Maj— Agnarr. Why?"
King Agnarr faced his friend. "My wife has sought her services to help her conceive a child."
Kai said nothing for several seconds, caught off guard by the king's statement. He had known Iduna for well over a decade, surely she wouldn't have done such a thing. Kai said as much to the king now. "Surely she wouldn't have done that!"
"She did," said the king, his lips pursed. He stared resignedly at the rug. "And now, apparently, the baby will have the power to control ice and snow."
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I think I need to sit down." Kai found his way to one of the straight-backed chairs that faced Agnarr's desk and lowered himself dazedly into it. "The power to control snow, Majesty?"
"It's Agnarr, Kai, and yes. Evidently." The king crossed the room and poured two stiff drinks, handing one to his friend. "Don't mention this to anyone. The drink or the snow powers."
"No, I won't," Kai promised, downing the amber liquid in two swallows. "So what are you going to do? Will the queen be all right? Will the child be all right?"
King Agnarr sighed and sloshed his drink. "There's not really anything I can do, at this point. She's already with child. All I can do is hope and pray that all turns out well. Heaven knows I was nervous enough about becoming a parent to a regular child, to say nothing of becoming a parent to a child with magical powers!" The king barked a laugh at the absurdity of his last statement.
Kai gazed at his friend fondly. "I know, Majes—Agnarr, sorry — but I also know that you excel at every task you put your mind to. You've been that way as long as I've known you, which is most of your life. You rise to every occasion and there is no doubt in my mind that you will make a fantastic father. To any child."
—
The soft blue eyes of the queen stared into the mirror. She was showing, no doubt about it. It would be impossible to conceal this pregnancy much longer. It was time, she reasoned, to announce to the public that there would be an heir to the Arendelle throne. But at what cost? Iduna had not told Agnarr of the prophecy hidden within the verse she had recited — the prophecy that she would give her life in the hour when her daughter needed her the most. She couldn't be sure if that prophecy extended to the king as well, but she fervently hoped it did not. She figured that the child having snow and ice powers was enough of a shock for her husband and opted not to tell him the rest.
By her calculations, she was just about six months shy of giving birth. The witch had said the child would be born nearly one year to the day from their wedding anniversary, which was December nineteenth. A few days in either direction put the baby's birth between the seventeenth and twenty-first of December. My little winter girl, the queen thought, smiling fondly. She ran her hands lovingly over the swell of her stomach.
Her hands came away cold.
Shocked, Iduna gathered up her skirts and pulled them up to inspect her belly. It looked normal, but the skin was icy cold to the touch. Why can't I feel that? She mused. It would seem that if her skin were really that cold that it would be at least slightly uncomfortable, but she hadn't even noticed until her hands had felt the icy sensation right through the fabric of her dress.
Without warning, the queen's stomach rolled unpleasantly. This was morning sickness, she knew, and it wasn't something she was unaccustomed to, having dealt with this for several weeks now. Iduna closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose, letting out through her mouth a moment later with a noticeable 'ahhh'. It did little to relieve the nausea but succeeded in steadying her spinning head.
"Are you well, my love?" Agnarr's voice from the doorway startled the brunette, causing her to jump a little. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"I'm well," she responded, albeit untruthfully. "Just… maybe a little unsteady."
"You do look pale," the king agreed, approaching his wife and placing his hand on the small of her back. "Come sit down a minute."
Iduna allowed her husband to lead her over to the wing-backed chair in the corner of the room, lowering herself slowly into it. "I'm showing," she mentioned. Her hands came to rest on her belly. "We must announce the pregnancy soon."
"Indeed," King Agnarr said absently, his eyes roaming his wife's midsection. "I must admit, despite my initial, ah, reservations about the nature of this pregnancy, the condition is becoming of you."
Iduna actually laughed. "Oh, please," she scoffed. "I look terrible."
The tall monarch smiled lovingly. "On the contrary, you have never looked as beautiful."
The queen's smile turned soft. She clasped her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she half-whispered, unable to look her husband in the eye. "I just didn't know what else to do. I wanted to be a mother so badly…" Her voice trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging in the air like fog. After several seconds she added, "please, forgive me."
"I already have, my love." The king stooped to press a light kiss to his wife's hairline. "I already have. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. As we always do."
