"You can't be serious." Anna looked at him with hurt eyes, a blush rising in her cheeks as she struggled not to look back in the window where her husband now rested, Gerda spoonfeeding him a rich broth.
"I am quite serious, dear. You've been behind on your payments for the past month."
"That is no reason to take Sven!" She fumed at the pompously dressed Weselton aristocrat that owned the little apartment they'd rented since she was heavily pregnant with their first child, and had remained since the second, and soon to be third.
He had on spectacles rimmed with treasury gold, a gold medallion pinned upon his ample chest for his military services. He had a gold filling in his tooth that glinted when he showed unhappiness. Everything about him screamed pathetically vain and wealthy. He contrasted heavily with the dreary atmosphere that surrounded him, white and brown slush caking the roads and sidewalks that Kristoff had failed to shovel for the first time in fourteen years.
"Nonsense. The reindeer will make a fine animal back on the fields come next summer." He brushed off her argument as easily as if she were nothing more than the snow that fell in soft, delicate flakes on his epaulets; which were also gold.
"But Sven is old! He still pulls sleighs but aside from that he can't do anything!"
"If he doesn't work, he'll make a delicious stew for me and my company." The man shrugged.
Anna fought the urge to pummel the look of complete indifference to the reindeers fate from the man's face. Her teeth gritted as her hands clenched into fists. She held her breath as if the atmosphere no longer supplied a source of air. She struggled to hold back tears as she'd done often since she'd been forced to hang a hideous Weselton flag outside her home. It was treason. If Elsa had seen her willingly do it…
"Look, we have other things of value. Can't you take anything else?" She felt her anger collapsing like a flimsy bridge. "The jewels. We have jewels." She covered quickly as she recalled the nondescript box she kept that contained the only gemstones she could save in her sisters haste to get her away from the palace.
"Gems are worth nothing to me, dear. I have enough riches to last me many lifetimes."
I'll bet you do you bastard. Anna practically growled as her fists coiled once more.
"What do you want instead? Name your price." She pleaded with desperation clinging to her voice like the ice crystals that clung to her magenta cloak.
The wealthy man took a painful moment of silence as he seemed to survey the property, looking for anything valuable at eyesight when Anna knew he wasn't even going to consider. But his eyebrows raised when they reached the stables, the movement of brown fur catching his attention. Clouds of steam came from the divot in the small stable where Sven was kept.
"What is that in there?" He asked with intrigue, stepping around Anna to get a closer look at the stables.
Anna turned around and silently cursed at the movement. Why couldn't she just keep still when there was a financial giant who could just waltz on by and take her whensoever he pleased?
"Astrid. Sven's calf." She replied breathlessly, not liking the direction this conversation was taking at all.
"I see." The man raised an eyebrow at Anna as if she was lying to him. In truth she had. But it was for their families own safety.
Knowing that they had two reindeer in their barn would only make the Bjorgmans easy targets for the rich and powerful Weseltonian aristocracy that regularly strolled past and started bidding wars over the stupidest of private property. The worst part was that more often than not, the owner of the object being bidded on had next to no say in the matter, and could only take the measly sum the greedy men and women offered for their priceless heirlooms and treasures. They had the power of speech, but the commoners were often left silent whenever a soldier walked by, making sure the order was kept. It wasn't as if it mattered anyway. The Weseltonian aristocrats owned practically everything and could easily take anything they wanted from the former Arendellians as if they were no more than newborn babies.
"You can't take her." Anna quickly said in a vain attempt to keep the idea from taking root in the man's head.
"I can't? I seem to recall you saying to name my price. She will be a fine pack animal."
"I said no." She tried to keep the anger from her tone. "You may think you have the run of the law here but the fact is I don't see any soldiers here. You're not about to bully me into selling away my family's livelihood in exchange for a month's rent. You've driven countless others into the mud with your dealings but I won't stand for it here. You'll get your payment, but not through Astrid."
A deathly cold silence passed through the windy front steps of the house, the aristocratic man seeming to flush red with anger at being talked back to. This anger seemed to cool a bit, but his tone was more bitter than the coffee he bartered in far off lands.
"Then the other one will do, I suppose." He seethed at the former princess.
"His name is Sven." She growled. "And you won't be taking him either."
"Then I'm afraid there's nothing left to take but the house, dear." The man's tone was a faux form of disappointment that made her want to claw his eyes out with her husband's oldest - and rustiest - ice pick.
"Can't you wait at least one more day? What is so important about us paying you? You own practically every house on this block!"
"What's important is you owe me for the building. I didn't get rich by giving people stays of payment. You will pay me what you owe me, one way or another." The man stated bluntly.
Anna felt ready to strangle him, her resolve and strength draining at the realization that she wouldn't be winning this battle. "If you take Sven," She felt her voice starting to crack. "Treat him well." She said this knowing that the wellbeing of a farm animal was the least of his concern. A low burning fire resided in her eyes.
"If he behaves any better than you, I'll see to it he gets fed. Now go ge-" Her fist connected with his soon to be bulbous nose. The pompous man tilted back, and fell into the snow, the wide powder gaining a crimson splatter from his bleeding nose. Anna quickly slammed the door, a scowl etched on her practically gaunt face.
"What was that about?" Gerda looked up from where she sat on her knees, a bowl of broth moving from her lap to a table as the bowl was now empty.
"Our landlord." Anna groaned as her back pressed against the door, her arms crossed over her slowly expanding stomach.
"I'm assuming he deserved it?" The smallest of smiles appeared on her young features.
"Exactly what he deserved." Her scowl could curdle dairy. It faded a bit as her gaze settled on her husband. "How's he doing?" She pushed herself off the door and latched it before walking over to the pallet she'd laid out in front of the fire.
"He's capable of swallowing, at least." Gerda's amused look hardened as she leaned lightly against the table, looking down at the broad shouldered man who was until the accident, capable of lifting entire trees from the ground. "But he'll be better by next week if he stays down."
Anna found it hard not to look at the massive wound on his leg, the infection still waging war with Kristoff, his skin flushed white as a sack of flour and damp with beads of sweat. He'd been incapacitated for nearly a week, and therefore unable to keep harvesting ice and keep money flowing in. And worse still she didn't know how or what she was going to tell him when he eventually woke up and asked to see Sven.
It had been a routine journey to one of the hundreds of lakes that dotted Arendelle's fjords and forests. White snow piled up to knee height. Blizzards rages unchecked through the towns and mountains. It was a perfect day to bring in perfect ice. Somehow, though, fate had other plans. Kristoff, ever the cautious one, used every method he did whenever he was preparing to harvest. He looked for color, he looked for texture, he looked for bubbles and tested his auger. But somehow he made it to the very center of the lake before the ice broke, and cut his leg open with the saw he'd used to break through the transparent surface. It was a miracle Sven managed to get him out and back to the town, or he wouldn't have survived. By the time he was home it was too late to consider the trolls, and so Kristoff was healed using the ordinary and useful methods by Gerda's grandmother, the town apothecary, but ordered to be put on bedrest for the next few weeks. This meant no ice, which meant no payment, and that led to a now surely furious aristocrat that would make their life a living hell for the next few years until they managed to move away from the ruined country of Arendelle.
"Thank you, Gerda. I really appreciate this, more than you know." Anna smiled the most she could muster at her neighbor.
"It's no trouble Mrs. Bjorgman. I'm happy to help whenever you need me, really. Grandmother's getting older and she needs somebody to take on her trade." Gerda shrugged weakly, taking the bowl from its place on the table and going to the kitchen to refill it. Anna knelt down and kissed the fever struck blonde on his forehead before following her doctor to the bare kitchenette on the first floor.
"I really can't accept your help without payment." Anna admitted as the thirteen year old refilled the bowl from a pot on the stove.
"Please, you have enough financial troubles as it is. Call it a favour." Gerda replied going back to where Kristoff lay asleep, setting the steaming bowl on the table.
"Just because Lord Weaseltown won't take food doesn't mean you won't." Anna took a loaf of bread and some vegetables (taking mind to leave the carrots) from the cupboard and arranging them in a basket before presenting them to the young girl.
Seeing that the former princess wouldn't let her leave without the basket, Gerda accepted it, telling Anna to give her best to Kai.
"Speaking of which, you don't know where he is, do you?" She said as the pair treked up the stairs to the gable the two families shared. Anna shook her head.
"He's been out since dawn. He's determined to make ends meet."
With this she cast an absent minded look out the window to the mountains, still not exactly sure where her eldest child was, the only indication that he was coming back a scribbled note on the dining room table and the smaller sled was missing from the small stables to the side. But despite being worried she trusted her son. He almost never caused trouble.
"Before I forget, could you give him this?" Gerda fished a piece of parchment from her dress pocket and handed it to Anna, who folded it again, refusing to see what was on it.
"I promise he'll get it." Anna nodded as the fourteen year old ducked out the window and began the short walk across the gable to her apartment.
The young blonde released muffled grunts as he tugged the sled back towards the small city, the distant lights of candles dotting the tall wood and brick apartments. His hands felt chafed beneath the thick pair of dark grey gloves he'd borrowed from his father, the pain reminding him he needed to rest. But Kai knew better. Years of helping his father taught him being still was the absolute worst possible choice when in a blizzard of this magnitude. It was a light one, but that was no excuse. The teenager knew Gerda and his family needed firewood.
It was pure bad judgement that he hadn't taken Astrid, but his mother had warned him to keep her out of sight for the day and most likely the foreseeable future. While she did bear a striking resemblance to Sven, the soldiers and aristocrats who strolled by would notice how spritely 'Sven' looked and either call their bluff or take her away. He desperately wished he'd gone against her wishes. Pulling a heavy sled through a blizzard was hardly any safer.
He paused as the trees began to thin, a distant light seeming to call him forward. Kai looked skittishly at the route ahead that was quickly disappearing, the howling wind and layers of snow quickly erasing the weathered foot and boot prints on the main road to town. He shook his head at the town, figuring it better to try and looked for someplace warm; if only for ten or fifteen minutes. People around this area were kind enough when his father needed a breather in their dens or barns.
As he trudged in the direction of the closer light it only seemed to be more confounding. It wasn't like candles to stay on without flickering unless they were well sheltered. That was when it hit him: this wasn't the home of just some family. It was the home of an aristocrat.
He looked back at the woods as his steps faltered, the heavy sled bucking to a stop as is slid around on the icy path. Precious moments passed as he contemplated his options.
"Stay away from the homes with oil lamps, Kai." His mother had often warned him. When he'd asked why, his mother seemed to deflate a bit, her sternness dulling as if the blade were chipped from the question. "Because they can't be trusted."
"Be that as it may," He said under breath clouded breath as snowflakes began to coat his slowly dampening fur gatki. "Home is too far off." With that, he continued forward, replacing his better judgement with survival instincts. The latter usually won.
By now his imprints were disappearing almost the instant he lifted his boots away. The wind seemed to be whispering, pushing him towards the large and expensive mansion that seemed to radiate warmth. But as he came closer, a sharp gust of ice and snow shoved him to the side, landing him flat on the cold ground. Powdery snow stuck to his outfit, quickly melting and making Kai shiver as he pulled himself up, looking ahead for any source of light as the world in front of him seemed to became nothing but white. With all the diminishing strength he had left, the fourteen year old pushed forward, a small wooden structure quickly entering his line of sight. With a sharp tug, the sled pulled with him, sliding across the ground as he hopped on, ignoring the jabbing pain the logs and twigs were giving him upon entry to the sled. It got nearly ten feet before he was forced to repeat the motion. This time, the smaller wooden vehicle tapped up against the wooden siding, the elegant Scandinavian woodwork ingrained with the tiniest of crystals, causing them to shimmer in the light of the building.
His gloved hand felt around the wood, searching for unevenness that would hint at a door or window. Finding it after a moment, the cold sting of a padlock made him jerk his soaked hand away. Taking the small hatchet he'd made use of earlier, he swung at the iron padlock, a few sparks flying off from the reaction. After three more hearty swings, the iced lock cracked, falling into the snow and was quickly buried as Kai yanked the door open.
The scent of hay and fur invaded his nose. "A barn?" He guessed, looking around in the dark as he slammed the door shut, leaving his sled out for the moment.
Feeling around his gatki pocket, he silently prayed his father had left the flints. With a triumphant smile he looked around the area, counting six skittish horses and three reindeer as well as a lamp that still had oil in it. In mere seconds, the barn was filled with a glowing orange light as the teen stumbled towards one of the gates and peeling off his damp gatki, boots and gloves, setting them on the rail to dry. Looking around the barn, the horses now seemed adjusted to his presence, and a few even moved towards their gates as if they expected him to feed them. He shook his head.
"Sorry. It wouldn't be fair since you probably eat better than I do." He chuckled flatly.
The horses were beautifully patterned, adorned with expensive saddles and groomed to the point where they looked less like animals and more like the gaudy ceramic horses that dotted Gerda and her grandmother's apartment. The teenager walked right past them, his eyes settling on the much more rugged reindeer. Their fur was a mixture between mud and chocolate brown, their fur not given much attention as if the aristocrats didn't see the point in improving their appearance. Kai smiled fondly at the memories of his little sister Kristian when they both used to spend hours in the little barn connected to their apartment, Kristoff having taught them how to properly care for reindeer and groom them. Of course, Kristian hadn't been interested so much in the caring part as much as she was content stroking old Sven and doing so for hours. He imagined her sitting in the haypile next to the both of them, playing something on her fiddle or wrapping them in a blanket to keep them warm.
That vision completely vanished as he got closer to the reindeer. One of them looked familiar, the harness and bells unmistakable. Kai took another step towards the largest and what looked to be the eldest of the reindeer, his brown eyes tired and limp as if he no longer possessed a will of his own. His mighty antlers almost brushed the ceiling of the stables, his twenty five tines sharp and slightly yellowed with time.
"Sven?" Kai looked at the reindeer, who seemed to snap up at the recognition of his voice. "What are you doing here?" He questioned, and the creature let out a grunt that Kai knew only his father or possibly his little sister would be able to translate. At the moment though, he didn't care.
"Don't worry." He walked up to the creature, placing a hand on his snout as Sven came closer, nuzzling his bare chest with his cold, wet nose. Kai looked into the brave steeds eyes. "I'll get you home. You're a Bjorgman, and we don't give up on family."
He longed to comfort the reindeer forever, but let go after a good minutes. With an urgent sprint, he shrugged on his slightly dried clothes and peeked out one of the glass windows, frost clearing as he got closer. There were no footprints visible in the snow, and it was obvious nobody would be leaving the mansion at a time like this, much less to check on the stables. With tentative steps, he unlocked the enclosure, hoping subconsciously that old Sven could make it home when he knew he was hearty, relentless. This was the very same reindeer that had saved a mythical kingdom called Arendelle at one point.
At the moment, young Kai hardly cared to think of the reasons his family's reindeer was in an aristocrats stables. He just knew he needed to get him back before Kristian of his father realized he was missing. With some effort, he reattached the broken padlock, the ice holding it together from the irreparable damage he'd caused to it. Sven followed his footsteps quickly, Kai knowing better than to ride Sven despite having a decent assumption that he could handle the sled full of wood and the entire family while still going cross an icy fjord. He just didn't want to put the old man through anything more than he had to, and that meant sucking it up and pulling the sled himself.
Getting home after that proved to be no challenge, the candles still burning high and mighty when he left Sven in the barn and pried open the door to find his mother, her strawberry blonde locks spilling around her, curled up against his feverish father's chest. Kai stood there, looking at them both for nearly a full minute, contemplating whether or not to wake his mother and get her to bed, knowing she and his brother or sister needed to be cared for and sleeping on the floor was most likely not doing them any favors. He took another step forward before deciding to leave them be. It had been a long time since he'd seen his father and mother together in that manner, like they had before the accident. He smiled solemnly at his parents before kicking off his boots and walking up to the second floor where the main parts of the house were. Hanging his gatki up on one of the wall pegs, he saw the deep brown of his little sister's eyes boring into him with anger from where she stood, hands on her hips.
"Kai," She said breathlessly, the anger quickly fading from her eyes as she dashed forth and hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder.
"It's okay, Kristian. I'm fine, really."
She let go of him after hearing his, a trail of tears on her eyelids. "Sorry." She blushed. "It's just… you never came home and Mama was getting worried. She just laid down next to Papa and then Sven was missing and I was just so afraid that something had happened and-" She cut herself off as if she were imagining the worst. Kai hugged her once more, wiping away a tear that fell down her freckled cheek.
"I'm fine. Sven's fine. I found him and got him back, alright? He's a little cold but he'll be waiting for you in the morning." Kai paused as Kristian sniffed at the news, a tiny smile blossoming on her face. "What time is it anyway?"
"Almost one." She answered. "And you know what that means?"
Kai thought for a moment, the realization dawning on his face as his mouth popped open. He looked around the room, and saw four gifts wrapped up nicely on the window box, frost clustering on the window as the blizzard raged outside. The gifts themselves were small, but that hardly mattered. He could only stare at his little sister, who chuckled lightly as his expression.
"Happy Birthday, brother."
In his loft room, a cold breeze blew through the air, saturating the maturing young lad as a sharp pain drove into his heart like a needle's prick, multiplying as the pain repeated itself a total of four times. Kai's blue eyes shot open at the feeling, a pounding rush reaching his head as dizziness overcame him. He clutched at the comforter and sheets, his other hand gripping his chest in a desperate attempt to snuff out the stabbing pain. It was like shards of glass.
But as his vision waned, he saw them reflected in the light of the moon that shined through his gable. Little black pieces of an unknown origin, floating like ash and embers above his head. With no way to stop them, Kai watched helplessly as the particles floated down from their flight, entering his eyes. Another feeling overcame him, but the teenager couldn't describe it. The needles poked at his eyes, a damp feeling coming to his attention. It hurt so much the boy couldn't even tell if it was blood or tears. He immediately brought a hand to his face and rubbed his eyelids in a fruitless attempt to get rid of them.
It happened quickly, a sound of breaking glass, smashing crystal. There was something that was breaking and Kai didn't know what it was. Had he looked in the mirror, he wouldn't seen the source. His blue eyes dulled to a dark color for a split second, the victim of the sound his own sight. His eyes, his vision, were shattered like a broken mirror.
But the pain subsided, and Kai left it alone, drifting off into sleep as a woman in white watched through her snowflakes. A near devious smile curved on her icy features, her cold, pale skin seeming to warm. It had been a weapon, something to be feared.
But now it was exactly what the Snow Queen, what Elsa, needed. Calling her snowflakes back with a wave of her left hand, the vision of her nephew disappeared. With a wave of her right, snow began to swirl and cling in three small shapes. The effigy was lumpy, lopsided, and had fresh twigs branching out at arms. Coal black eyes looked at its creator, a final flash of aurora blue light bringing the snowman to life. The Snow Queen smiled at her eldest and dearest creation.
It blinked, its eyes adjusting to the light. It hadn't seen a summer since the night of Elsa's vow. It looked at its mother with a gaze of amused curiosity, recognition coming over the little snowman faster than Elsa assumed possible.
"Elsa?" He looked at her with confusion and surprise contorting his brow. "You look… different."
"Thank you, Olaf." Elsa smiled, taking the little snowmans words as a compliment, knowing no matter how dark she became, Olaf would forever embody her cheerfulness, her innocence, the very thing she promised to abandon to save her kingdom.
"Where's Anna and Sven?" The little creation began to look around the vast, elaborately decorated, and empty palace. Elsa's smile melted away as her eyes grew cold.
"Gone." She frowned, and Olaf looked at her with even more confusion, the Snow Queen reminding herself Olaf didn't understand such morose topics. "But you'll see them again."
The snowman seemed to perk up at her words. "Good!" He giggled. His face suddenly seemed unsure. "When?"
"That is exactly what I require of you." Elsa walked up to her first creation, seeing her own reflection it its black, joyful eyes.
She got down on one knee so her was level with Olaf, and the snowman took a tentative step back, as if wishing to not intrude her personal space as she'd taught him years and years ago. She chuckled lightly and beckoned for him to come closer, and he obeyed.
Rolling her hands over one another, a cluster of snowflakes began to swirl in her pale hand with an enchanting blue glow that had once fascinated the children of Arendelle and her own sister, Anna. In mere seconds a beautiful snowflake, the size of snowball, was levitating in her hand. It was often said that two snowflakes were never the same, and Elsa heard this more than anyone. But in her recent years, she discovered that limitation was fruitless when applied to her and her magic. She could easily create copies of any snowflake she so desired to.
Olaf stared in wonder and fascination at the crystalized beauty that was once so common. He would know more than anyone what that snowflake was. "Is that-"
"Yes, it is." Elsa grinned again, presenting the snowflake to Olaf. "It will allow me to transport you exactly where you need to go." With that, she pressed the delicate creation into the snowman like a wedge, the object disappearing into his snow-filled chest.
"And where do you want me to go?" Olaf asked as the Snow Queen stood up and walked over to the solid and only bare wall in the entire palace.
She smiled with devious anticipation. "You will soon find out." With that, she waved her hand, and the lifeforce of the snowman recalled itself into her memory, safe and sound for when she needed him again.
And his lifeless body stood on the mirror of reason, staring back at her with soulless, black coal eyes, waiting for his next opportunity. Elsa looked forlornly at Olaf's snow shell, wishing she didn't need to call him away when he'd just made rebuilt. But he would be fine with her keeping watch. After all,
She was an expert at building snowmen.
