I was really surprised at the response I got from the first chapter! vinzgirl and Ribbonsandchocolate, thank you for your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying it! And thanks to everyone that's following this story :) And Dislike canon (Guest), thanks for the review but technically they're not orphans. They still have their father around and I had actually written this out with the mother in it but I went back and changed it because I just couldn't figure out how to incorporate her into what I had planned for this story in the future. So I didn't want to do it, but there wasn't really another way to take her out of the story. (Note: I'll probably include some flashbacks later of some memories that the girls have with their mom just to add some dynamic to their relationship as a family. I hate to just leave it at the one sentence I mention about her in the first chapter.)
Anyway, here we go! Please leave a review of what you think. As always enjoy, and I don't own anything!
Elsa and Anna had left to go to the market that day to just spend a nice Saturday morning out of the house. Their father had stayed at home to do some paperwork. They walked past the stands and spoke to several people they knew.
They stopped at the butcher's stand for some meat. Elsa and Anna to the large man that had his back to them. "Good morning Oaken!"
The large man turned around and his face lit up into a smile. He spoke with a cheery accent. "Good day ladies. Where is your father?"
"He's working. How's your wife?"
"She's well, thank you for asking. Would you like the usual?"
"Yes please." They exchanged the money for the bag of beef and spoke to Oaken for a couple more minutes before leaving him to his work.
They walked through the market for another hour, purchasing enough food to last them a couple weeks. They were heading back home and got to a quiet street.
Anna figured it was as good a time as any. "I'm sorry I told on you this morning."
Elsa chuckled. "Well in your defense, I froze your coffee."
Anna looked around to make sure they were completely alone. "How long has it been since you used your... magic?"
She barely said the last word above a whisper and Elsa responded at almost the same volume. "A few weeks. I'll make an occational snowflake when I'm alone in my room."
Anna looked with sympathy at her sister and placed a comforting hand on her upper arm. "You'll be able to use it again one day, just like when we were kids."
Elsa smiled at her sister's encouragement and at the thought of being able to run and play in the snow like they used to. "It's okay Anna. One day we'll play in the snow again, I promise." They shared a smile before continuing the rest of the way home.
They arrived back home in the early afternoon and found their father right where they left him doing his work. They stored the food away in the cellar and when they got back, Agdar was grabbing his coat off the chair.
Agdar was happy to see them both back, but he needed a break from the paperwork. "Would anyone like to go out for tea and maybe some chocolate?"
Both girls were quick to answer with excited nods and big smiles. These were the moments Agdar cherished. They grabbed their coats and left the house.
They walked half a block before Agdar spoke. "Did you see Oaken?"
"Yes, he said his wife 'is doing well'." Anna tried to immitate Oaken's accent but it came out a broken mess.
Agdar and Elsa laughed. "Be glad he didn't hear that. I'm glad to hear his wife's doing good. I forgot, how far along is she?"
Elsa spoke up. "7 months if I'm not mistaken."
Agdar raised his eyebrows. "My goodness, we should stop by and offer our help if they need it. Preparing for a baby is a lot of work. Oaken is strong but every man has a limit."
Anna smiled brightly. "Yes we should! That's a great idea!"
Ever since things slowed down in Arendelle, Anna had been looking for something, anything, to occupy her time. They arrived at the shop a couple blocks from their home and they all knew what they wanted. They'd been coming here for years and the owners knew their family well. They had a nice patio with a roof to keep the snow off. The tables and chairs were well kept and despite being outside in November, the owner kept it rather warm with a fire pit in the center. Agdar spotted the owner at the end of the patio and spoke.
"Hello Fredrick." "Good day Agdar, Ladies."
The older man came walking up to their table with a bright smile. He spoke their order before any of them could tell him what they wanted. "One herbal and two peppermint teas, and will we be having some of Mrs. Larsen's chocolate today?" He already knew the answer.
He'd watched them grow up over the years and he was proud of the young ladies they were becoming. He also knew to keep some of his wife's chocolate around in case they came by.
They looked back at him with excited smiles and Anna spoke for Elsa and herself. "Yes Mr. Larsen, thank you." He nodded with his big smile. "Coming right up."
Within a few minutes the family was looking at three cups of tea and a plate of chocolate. Mr. Larsen had sat with them after getting himself a cup of coffee. "How's the business Agdar?" "It's keeping me busy. I actually came here because I needed a break." "Oh, I see. So, it wasn't because you wanted to visit me." They all laughed.
The two men had been friends over the years and Fredrick Larsen was the closest thing to an older brother that Agdar had. The girls used to call him 'Uncle Larsen' when they were younger, and since they were older now; they were more formal with his name.
He was also the preacher of the church they all attend. Fredrick and Agdar stirred up a conversation about business but the girls only paid attention to half of what was said as they were too focused on the delicious, sweet chocolate and the hot tea. "Will I be seeing you all in church tomorrow?" The girls smiled and nodded.
They liked to hear him preach on Sundays and Wednesday nights. He talked often of the importance of love and compassion, especially in these hard times. He was friendly to everyone, even the Germans. Three of the soldiers would come on Sundays when they were off duty and although it made everyone else a little uncomfortable at first, Mr. Larsen was quick to remind them "Jesus Christ is for everyone." After a few weeks, people began to treat them friendly like they would treat anyone else and they soon found out they were just ordinary men that served a bad cause. At first, people whispered among themselves that Mr. Larsen was a sympathizer, but they came to realize that he was a man trying his best to lead the lost to Christ. He didn't care about their nationality, only their souls.
The girls finished their chocolate quicker than they expected while their father spoke to Fredrick. They were all caught up in conversation and pretty soon they'd all finished their tea as the sun was about to set. How long had they been here?
They paid for their tea and chocolate, and Mr. Larsen hugged them all before telling them goodnight.
They made the walk back to their home quickly and got a fire going in the fireplace.
It was freshly dark and they were all gathering in the living room reading like they always did, then they heard a knock at the door. That was strange, considering it was past curfew.
Agdar got up and checked the peephole before turning to the girls. "Go upstairs."
Anna was curious. "Who is it?"
Agdar looked seriously at both of them. "Go upstairs now."
The girls didn't question any further. They were at the top of the stairs when he opened the door. Elsa caught a glimpse of a young man dressed in thick clothes that looked out of breath like he'd been running. She nearly bumped into Anna who'd stopped at the very top step. Elsa heard Agdar speak with a quiet, but serious tone.
"What are you doing here? In the kitchen now!"
The man entered and the girls heard Agdar close the door before quickly following the man into the kitchen. When they were sure Agdar was out of the living room, Anna took a step down being as quiet as she could, but Elsa grabbed her arm to stop her. She spoke in a whisper. "What are you doing?" "I just want to know who that is." Elsa would be lying if she said that she wasn't curious also. They both quietly walked halfway down the stairs before stopping to listen. They could hear their father speaking.
He sounded a little angry but was trying to stay quiet. "I don't care, I told you to never come here. You sure you weren't followed?"
"Yes, I'm sorry but it's important." "What is it?"
There was a pause. "Anders ordered us to load the stuff onto the ship."
Agdar spoke in a loud whisper. "Are you insane?! The Germans have been checking every shipment!" "We know, thats why we waited until they finished inspecting it before loading the crates. We didn't think it would get stopped again as it was departing."
"Why did you think I made Anders let me handle how this was done? He doesn't know anything about security! They pick shipments at random to double inspect in case of smugglers! You fools!"
The girls could hear footsteps that sounded like Agdar was pacing. "How long ago was this?" "A couple of hours."
"So there's no time to throw the crates overboard... Okay, get out of here. I'll handle it." "But Agdar, how are you-"
"Just go! You've already put my family in enough danger! This is how you thank me for trying to help that little band of freedom fighters you call a 'resistance'? Get out. Tell Anders that our little arrangment is finished and that I better not see him again."
The girls quietly made their way out of sight at the top of the stairs as the man came through the living room and exited out the front door. They walked back down and peeked into the kitchen to see their father sitting at the table with his head in his hands. Elsa broke the silence.
"Dad, what's going on?" Agdar looked up from his hands at his girls and he looked pale. Something had him scared.
"It's a long story..." Without saying a word, Anna and Elsa looked at each other before walking into the kitchen and sitting without taking their eyes off their father. He looked at each of them before shaking his head.
"I'm sorry girls. I messed up." "Dad tell us whats going on." He looked down at the table and finally spoke up after a few seconds.
"Six months ago, I was approached by a man named Anders. He knew of my business and offered me a deal. He said that if I helped him ship supplies to the resistance in the other areas of the country, he'd pay well and guarantee the protection of my business and family from the Allies and the Germans."
"Why would we need protection from the Allies? The Germans haven't bothered us and we haven't been helping them."
"He's the leader of the resistance in this area. He can tell the Allies whatever he wants, and they'd take his word. If he decides to lie and tell them that I'm shipping supplies for the Germans, they'd attack my ships. And if they come here one day, he could tell them that we're collaborators. I made the deal on the condition that I be in charge of how it's run because I know how the German security operates. Well he's been impatient over the last couple months, wanting to ship more supplies, more often but I kept telling him no. The German security was too thorough to risk any more than we already were. I've only been shipping food and medical supplies, but he's wanting to ship weapons now as well." Elsa was genuinely curious.
"How'd you get the supplies past the Germans?" "We stored them in hidden compartments under the engine room. The resistance would meet the ship off the coast, the crew would drop off the supplies and continue on." Anna spoke up for the first time.
"What are you going to do?" Agdar figured the girls had been listening in on his conversation.
"Anders doesn't know about the compartments so that fool probably put them in the cargo hold along with everything else. No doubt the Germans found it by now... If it's food or medicine, they may just assume it was an error in their first inspection. If it's weapons..." The room fell silent. Elsa figured they couldn't just sit there.
"What can we do?" Agdar immediately looked at her.
"You and Anna go pack some things. I'm sending you to Fredrick's until this gets sorted out." Anna cut in.
"No we're not going anywhere!" "The Germans are probably on their way. I don't want you two here."
"And how will it look when they get here and you've sent your daughters away? They'll just be even more inclined to arrest you. Maybe you can just blame this on smugglers."
Agdar thought on this. He honestly didn't know what he should do. Time certainly wasn't on his side, because there was a loud knock at the door. Agdar's eyes went wide.
"Elsa, take your sister and hide in the cellar. You know where to hide." Elsa nodded, grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her to the door at the back of the kitchen that led into the cellar.
"What did he mean you'd know where to hide?" Without answering, Elsa grabbed a shelf that sat against the back wall.
"Help me move this." Anna and Elsa pulled and it moved to reveal a room behind it that wasn't much bigger than a closet. Anna was surprised.
"Uhh, how long has this been here?" "Almost a year. Dad wanted us to have somewhere to hide in case of an emergency." They both stepped in and pulled the shelf closed behind them before sitting on the floor as silently as they could...
Agdar gave Elsa and Anna a minute to get downstairs before he took a deep breath and walked to the door. He opened it and wasn't surprised to find a German officer bearing the dreaded patch of the "SS". He was accompanied by three soldiers armed with submachine guns. He was around 5'10, an inch or so shorter than Agdar. He had this arrogance about him which didn't compliment the ugly scar line that ran from the outside of his left eye down to the middle of his cheek.
"Good evening Mr. Agdar. I am Colonel Hans, may we come in?" Agdar nodded and opened the door further. "Yes, come in." They walked in but one soldier stayed outside, Agdar assumed he was on guard.
"Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?" Hans walked in and sat in the first chair he came to.
"No thank you, we just have some questions we'd like for you to answer." The two soldiers stood near the door clutching their weapons. Agdar sat in his usual chair a few feet from Hans.
"Of course. Is something wrong?" The officer never took his eyes off him. He seemed to be observing every possible detail about Agdar that he possibly could. "Could you explain to me why an unmarked crate of bandages and morphine were found during a random inspection of one of your ships that was set to depart today?" Agdar relaxed a little.
"We ship medical supplies to Oslo every few weeks. Was it not accounted for in the first inspection yesterday?"
"No it wasn't."
Hans didn't avert his gaze at all from the man sitting across from him. "I understand you have two daughters. Are they here by any chance?" Agdar shook his head.
"No. They said they were going to a friend's house before curfew started." "Then you won't mind if my men take a look around?"
Agdar knew that was more of a statement than a request for permission. "No, of course not." The soldiers split up. One went into the kitchen and the other went upstairs. All Agdar could do was listen to them dig through the house. He kept as calm as he could as he heard the soldier open the door to the cellar because he knew Hans was watching him.
Elsa and Anna heard the door open and figured it was their father but something was wrong. All they heard was heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Elsa then realized it wasn't their father. Whoever it was started walking around the cellar and they could hear him moving some things around. He eventually got to the shelf that concealed them, but he continued past it. He moved a few more things around before walking back up the stairs. Both girls let out the breath they were holding.
Both soldiers returned a few minutes later. Hans finally looked away from Agdar for probably the first time since he entered his house. He looked at the soldiers and they both nodded their heads indicating they hadn't found anything. "Alright. Thank you for your time Mr. Agdar."
The officer stood from his chair and extended his hand to shake Agdar's. Figuring he was in the clear; Agdar stood from his chair and as much as he didn't want to do it, he shook the officer's hand. After a few seconds, Agdar tried to let go but Hans held on. He was giving Agdar that cold, calculating look he'd been giving him for the last ten minutes.
"There's just one more matter we need to discuss. I noticed when I mentioned that we found bandages and morphine, you seemed to relax. Also, you didn't seem very surprised at our sudden arrival here. Almost like you knew we had found something but you expected it to be something else. Perhaps three crates of rifles and explosives?"
To say Agdar was shocked would be an understatement. As much as he wanted to remain calm, he almost felt himself get pale in the face. He wasn't expecting this. "Wh- What are you talking about?"
Hans put on an evil looking smirk before he glanced to the soldiers. "Arrest him." Immediately the soldiers seized Agdar by the shoulders and within seconds, his hands were tied.
"We should go to my office for a little talk." He motioned for the soldiers to bring him. They led him out the door and loaded into a nearby truck. Hans rode up front while a soldier drove. The other two were in the back with Agdar.
Within ten minutes they were at the docks and Agdar was pulled from the truck. As they led him along the sidewalk he heard Hans say to one of the soldiers. "Go get Sgt. Borman and track down close associates of Mr. Agdar. Find the girls." Agdar thought he felt his heart stop when he heard that. His girls were going to be hunted now. He silently started praying they would be able to find a safe place.
They entered an old building that had been turned into a command post by the look of it. The soldiers led Agdar into a room and sat him in a chair in front of the desk. Hans took the seat behind the desk before leaning forward and bringing his hands together.
"Now, here's where we stand: we have found 3 crates on your ship filled with weapons but there could possibly be more. Tell me, if you weren't the one who orchestrated this, then who was?" Agdar was quick to defend himself. "I don't know. I've been in this business for twenty years and I've never had a smuggling problem like this before." Hans nodded.
"Well we should be finished going through everything before sunrise so you have until then to tell me who put these weapons on your ship. If you still 'don't know', then I can send you to prison for withholding information. Your daughters can go to work in the factories until they die of exhaustion."
At hearing someone threaten his family, Agdar snapped. He stood up and swung with everything he had. Hans flew back in his chair and Agdar could hear the guards behind him clicking the safeties on their weapons. Hans grabbed his now bleeding jaw and stood to glare at Agdar.
"I should have you shot!"
Agdar glared right back at him but with a hint of a smirk. "Go ahead and kill me. At least my girls are safe."
Agdar wasn't afraid to die, he'd made his peace with the Lord. Hans narrowed his eyes. "We will find them."
Agdar knew they had enough friends in the city that his daughters had plenty of people to turn to, and he was going to trust God to watch out for his family. "Put him in a cell." The soldiers lowered their weapons before grabbing Agdar by the shoulder and pulling him out of the room and downstairs to a small cell with an old pillow and a dirty blanket. He sat down and the soldiers left him after locking the door. He immediately started praying for Elsa and Anna, wherever they were.
"I think they're gone." "Lets wait a few more minutes." "We've been crammed in here for an hour. Dad should've came for us by now." "I know... Fine, lets go."
Elsa and Anna pushed on the shelf and it slid out of the way. They dusted themselves off and slowly made their way up the stairs. The got to the top and the house looked empty. Anna's voice was the only sound. "Dad?" No response.
The fire had almost burned out so the house was almost completely dark. Anna was worried, she spoke louder. "Dad?!" Elsa turned to her sister. "Shhh."
Within minutes, they'd checked the entire house. There was no way to deny it, their father was gone. "Do you think the Germans took him?" Elsa didn't want to worry her sister even more but right now she couldn't think of any other explanation. "I'm afraid so Anna..." Anna started to panic a little. "Oh gosh! What do we do?"
Elsa grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "We can start by not losing our heads. Now dad was going to send us to the Larsen's house. I say we go there until we can figure out what to do next." Anna took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "Ok. Lets get some things together."
Twenty minutes later, the girls each had a case of clothes and a large bag of food. They took one last look around the house with the last bit of light being put off by the fire. "Think we'll be able to come back soon?" Elsa put a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. "I don't know Anna, but we're not coming back without Dad." "Of course not."
Elsa turned to the door before slowly opening it to check if the streets were clear. "It's clear, c'mon." They moved across the street and began walking, staying close to the walls. After about five minutes, a car could be heard coming. Elsa spoke in an urgent whisper. "In the alley!" Both girls ducked into an alley as a truck full of soldiers passed. They decided it'd probably be safer to take the alleys.
Within a half hour, they were standing in front of the Larsen's home. Only one light was visible from the first floor. They hoped that meant at least someone was awake. They walked to the door and knocked rather anxiously, wanting to get off the open street. Footsteps could be heard before the door opened, revealing Mr Larsen. He didn't look surprised to see them and he spoke first . "C'mon, get in here!"
He stepped aside and they came in before he checked the street and shut the door. "The Germans are looking for you girls." Elsa was confused. "What do you mean?" He motioned for them to follow him into the kitchen; probably to get away from the windows.
"A Sergent came by here about a half hour ago with an entire squad. He said your father was arrested and they were looking for you. They checked the house, thankfully you weren't here." Anna noticed the way he spoke. He was surprisingly calm.
"Did you know what our father was doing?" "Yes. When that resistance leader came to him with the offer, he came to me because he didn't know what to do. He knew that no matter what choice he made, he'd be putting both of you in danger. So your father made a hard choice. What happened? How'd he get caught?" Elsa answered him.
"The resistance leader had his men load some cargo onto one of our ships without our father's knowing and the Germans found it."
"Oh my Lord... Okay, first we need to get in contact with the resistance. Second, we need to find out where they have your father."
"Well what do you want us to do?"
"Nothing, I'll find them. As of tonight, you two are fugitives from the Germans. You need to stay out of sight until things calm down some." Anna spoke. "We can't just sit around and do no-" Elsa interrupted her.
"That's exactly what we're going to do." Anna looked at her with shock.
"Anna, we'd do more harm than good if we try to help."
Fredrick was glad at least one of the girls agreed with him. "Thank you Elsa. I doubt the Germans will search the same place twice, at least for a while. You can stay in the guest bedroom upstairs." He led the girls up the stairs to the room that had two beds.
"Make yourselves at home. Goodnight girls, I'm glad you're both okay." "Thank you Mr Larsen." He nodded and walked down the hall to his and his wife's room and shut the door behind him.
The girls changed into some night clothes they had packed. They hadn't said a word to each other. Anna was irritated that Elsa didn't want to do anything. She finally needed to know why.
"Elsa, why don't you want to try to find Dad?"
"I never said that, did I? I said we need to let things settle down. In a few days the Germans will probably think we left the city. There aren't any pictures of us so I doubt they know what we look like. They're probably just looking for two girls around the same age that favor each other. Separately, we might be able to move around more freely. In the meantime, the best thing we can do for Dad is not get caught."
Anna couldn't help but agree with her logic. "Don't worry Anna, we'll find him." Elsa hugged her sister before they both got into their beds.
"Goodnight, Elsa."
"Goodnight Sorcha."
Elsa heard a loud huff in the darkness and chuckled at her sister's frustration. She didn't know what tomorrow held for her or her family but she knew they'd face it together and no matter what, they would find their father. After this is over, things will probably never be the way they were before but as she was about to give in to sleep, she remembered a verse she read in her Bible. "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
So this chapter was pretty long. I started typing and it took me this long to find a good stopping point. Things are picking up between school and everything I'm involved in from church to college organizations. That being said, it'll be a while before I update... But just know that I WILL EVENTUALLY UPDATE. I'm not going to be that guy that has a huge buildup in a story and then just drop it like a bad habit. Also, I have another verse for you. "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:13) That being said, I want to thank every single one of you for sticking with me so far through this story and I love every one of you! Have a great day! :)