If questioned, Princess Anna of Arendelle would have been quick to say that sleeping in was one of her greatest loves. Second only to her sister Elsa. And Kristoff. Chocolate was also somewhere on the list. But she couldn't forget that little *pish* sound a newly stuffed pillow makes when you sat on it for the first time. And Olaf and Sven were easily placed footnotes.
Ok. So if asked about her greatest loves, sleeping in was somewhere on the list.
The princess in question had just finished embracing this love wholeheartedly; climbing out of bed well after the sun rose. Her mind still in a fog, she peeled off her nightgown, splashed some water on her face, and changed into the more princess-ey attire of a light green blouse and a darker green dress with stitched flowers decorating the bottom hem. She was in the middle of braiding her hair when someone knocked at the door.
"Come in." She answered back, tying a pink ribbon around her first braid.
"Your highness, please excuse my intrusion." The plump brunette Gerda opened the door and bowed slightly.
"Oh no, you aren't bothering me Gerda, come in."
"The queen asked me to remind you of the meeting with the financial advisor this morning." Anna's hands suddenly forgot what they were doing as the braid came undone.
"THIS morning," she asked. "As in the morning of today?"
"As opposed to the morning of yesterday, your highness?" Gerda raised an eyebrow; the only expression that she saw some amusement in the young princess' scatterbrained memory.
Anna turned to the maidservant and nodded her head. "Thank you for reminding me Gerda of my duties this morning." She replied, trying to sound as prim and proper as the manners tutor wanted her to be. "If you would please have someone attend to my room."
With that, she calmly walked to the door with a practiced and stiff demeanor. This was partially undone by the lopsided, half-finished braid that was playing out over her left shoulder, as well as her distinct lack of shoes on her feet. As soon as Anna left her room, Gerda could hear her peel down the hall in a panicked dash to the meeting. She chuckled to herself. "Oh, so very much like her mother."
The princess, meanwhile, was running all out to try and make it to an important meeting on time. Again. Really why couldn't Elsa just give her one of those little memo's she had the royal scribes make all the time? Sure it was supposed to get her into the habit of 'tending to the needs of our people and country,' but it would save so much time if Anna could take care of all that stuff without making everyone wait around for her. Finally reaching the stairs, Anna decided to take the express route.
With a very un-princessly *whoop*, Anna jumped onto the staircase banister, sitting sideways as she slid down the varnished wood. A mad grin made its way onto her face as Anna picked up speed. She hadn't done this since the coronation ball, and holy cow it was still fun. The speed, the wind picking at her hair; she couldn't get enough of it. It was like she was flying; only her butt was also polishing the banister. Come to think of it, where did the banister go?
It was a millisecond after she realized she had left the banister that Anna felt her right side collide with a multitude of pieces of metal. The resounding *clang* reverberated in her eardrums as her vision went pitch black. As soon as she felt the world stop spinning, Anna paused for a moment, trying to piece together what had happened.
"Umm, hello?" She called out. She blinked in surprise as her voice echoed more than she had expected.
"Oh my, Anna are you alright?" She could hear Elsa, but for some reason, it sounded like she was calling her from the other side of the castle.
"Elsa? Where are you?"
"Right in front of you. You seem to have that helmet on backwards." Helmet? Wait, didn't Elsa have the servants move those suits of armor away from the staircase? "Hang on, let me help you." Anna felt something pushing against her head momentarily before her vision cleared up. "There you go."
Anna was sitting at the bottom of the spiral staircase in a heap of misshapen and mismatched pieces of armor. Her sister was standing over her with a knight's helmet in her hands, trying and failing to keep a smile off her face. "Thanks. I don't know what went wrong." Elsa placed the helmet on the floor and helped her sister up.
"It might have had something to do with you sliding down the stairs."
"Yeah I don't know why. I used to be so good at it. I had a lot of practice while…"
"While we were apart." Elsa finished.
The two sisters could feel as the awkward silence descended. The two had yet to really discuss what had gone on during the thirteen years they spent apart. Anna wouldn't admit it, but she was afraid what the real reason was. Elsa had hinted that she hid herself away due to Anna for some reason, but she refused to embellish on it. It was something she had been quietly agonizing over. Maybe Kristoff would know what to do.
"Hang on, let me help you with that." Anna tried to turn her head, but Elsa was tugging at her hair.
"Wait what?"
"Your braid came undone." Anna shivered slightly at the sensation of her sister's naturally cool hands against the nape of her neck.
"Thank you. I was kinda in a rush this morning."
"I could tell." The good-natured laughter that followed helped ease Anna's feelings about how her sister thought of her.
"So, what's this important meeting about anyway?" Anna asked.
"Part of it's about how the kingdom has been recovering after I froze half of it." She could feel her sister's wince through her hair. "
And the other part?"
"He didn't elaborate, but he said it was important. Do you have another ribbon?"
"Oh, yes I think so." Anna reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a blue ribbon. "I was gonna give it to Kristoff. "
"A favor from the brave princess to her valiant champion of ice?" Elsa teased, securing the blue strip of cloth around her sister's hair.
"H-hey, Kristoff is more than just an ice farmer."
"Oh right," Elsa giggled. "What did Olaf call him? Your 'Valiant and pungent reindeer king,'?"
Anna spun on her heel and stuck her hands on her hips. "I'll have you know that I like how Kristoff smells." Elsa wrapped her arms around her stomach.
"Oh really? I never knew my sister had a thing for pine tar and sweat."
"Manly sweat." Anna retorted, wiggling her eyebrows in what she thought was an intimidating manner. It only made Elsa burst out laughing. It was infectious, and soon Anna found herself with a hand to her sister's shoulder in an attempt to keep herself steady. Soon the moment passes and they regain their composure.
"Well, I guess I'll have enough time to find a new ribbon for Kristoff."
"Oh, where is he?"
"He went into town. Wandering Oaken asked him to pick up some things from town for him." Wandering Oaken, the same trader who threw him out because he called him a thief?" One of Elsa's eyebrows makes its way toward her hairline.
"Yeah I know, I said the same thing. Turns out he's a lot nicer than he'd let on. Though for some reason, Kristoff hasn't eaten any fish lately. I don't know why."
The two of them continue to make light conversation and banter as they make their way into Elsa's study where two older men are waiting for them. One of them, a short, rotund man has a sheaf of papers in his hand. Gustav, Elsa's chief financial advisor, bowed when he saw the royal sisters enter. The second man; taller and leaner, dressed in a military uniform, saluted crisply.
"Your highness." He greeted.
"I hope we have not kept you gentlemen waiting." Elsa began, making her way around to her desk. Anna noticed it was still piled high with papers. She wasn't kidding when she said she'd been busy yesterday.
"It is no concern your highness," Gustav insisted. "To business then?" Elsa and Anna both sat while the men stood.
Gustav quickly dove into a long-winded discussion with Elsa about a whole host of things. Grain stores, lumber supplies, overhead, trade disputes; a whole manner of queenly topics. Considering she was second in line to the throne, Anna wasn't as in-tune to such discussions as her sister was. Her education had been focused more on etiquette, protocol, and less interesting topics. Her sister knew Spanish, Italian, French, German, a little Russian, and could read and write Latin, while Anna could just barley stumble through French. She didn't resent her sister for it. Anna knew she didn't have the head for debating trade figures and trying to decide which ships to send where. She couldn't help but feel that she was meant for something else.
"The recent negotiations with Corona are rather encouraging your highness," Gustav droned on. "Though I do believe more work will be needed before we can safely absorb the loss of Weselton's trade."
"I understand. Perhaps more personal negotiations would help expedite the process."
"Could we go there?" Anna injected. She'd spent an afternoon talking with the young couple from Corona. She got along fantastic with Princess Rapunzel. She took Elsa's ice magic easier than any of the other delegates, though Anna didn't know what she meant by 'convenient.' Gustav pondered for a moment, allowing Anna to drive the point home. "I spoke with Princess Rapunzel during the coronation. Corona has this big festival every year at the end of summer to celebrate her birthday."
"Yes, I have heard of Corona's annual Lantern Festival," Gustav agreed. "It is a month-and-a-half away. Perhaps meeting directly with the king and queen would be a good idea."
"My father always said that spoken words conveyed meaning no letter could reproduce," Elsa agreed, giving her sister a warm smile. "Now, Captain Orik, may I ask why Gustav asked you to be here as well?" The uniformed man straightened his back and gazed solidly at the sisters.
"I'm afraid I have graver news your highnesses. We have discovered why the French traders have been late. I'm afraid they were taken by Viking raiders."
Anna felt a shiver run down her spine. She could remember winter nights, both before and after Elsa's isolation, where she would hear stories of the barbarians of the northern islands. Her mother had insisted that no such warriors had bothered them in hundreds of years, but the older men had woven tales of their ferocity. Men who could bend swords and rip shields in two. Men so scary they would use the bones of their victims to decorate their armor. Men so large, it was said they could swallow a small child whole. That last one had kept Anna up for weeks on end.
"Captain, please explain." Elsa said diplomatically.
"Four nights ago, the watchmen on the southern sea wall discovered a man wandering around in a daze. They didn't understand what he was saying at the time, so they thought he was either mad or drunk. It was only after the storm passed that we got a story out of him."
Captain Orik allowed his shoulders to relax slightly. "From what the man told me, he was the only one to survive. Two ships, laden with warriors ambushed them on the first watch of the night. They were used to sailing peaceful waters, so the attack caught them completely off guard." He took a deep breath. "I won't go into details about what the raiders did to the men, but the only reason the one survived was because he had been knocked overboard by one of the Vikings."
"They didn't eat them, did they?" The question tumbled out of Anna's mouth before she could stop herself. Gustav seemed to snort in indignation, but Orik continued.
"Your highness, while these men weren't cannibals, the acts of torture they performed on these men are far to despicable for me to recount in current company." Elsa maintained a face of impassive observation.
"Did he have anything else to say, aside from what I'd imagine are vivid descriptions of barbarian atrocities?"
"Only that the raiders seemed keen on gathering up as much rope and chain as they could find. They even went as far as smashing the ship's capstan to get at the anchor chain."
"Have you found anything salvageable from the ship?"
"None, save for charcoal and broken timbers. Whatever those Vikings were after, they knew what it was."
Anna felt her mouth go dry just thinking about it. She thought Hans was bad. She thought the idea of being left to freeze to death by a man she once thought loved her was scary? The thoughts of such unspeakable terrors that these Vikings could bring would give her a whole new batch of nightmares.
"Captain, have any strange ships been spotted on the horizon?" Elsa asked.
"No, only merchant vessels and fishing boats." She nodded.
"Double the guards on all watches, I want the sea wall manned at all times. Do you still have the harbor net?"
"We will set it out each night." Orik agreed. Gustav then took his cue and began discussing the impact these raiders would have on trade. The captain assured them that he would and could defend the city with the men he had now. Then they began discussing the implications and repercussions there would be if Arendelle, traditionally a peaceful country, began training new recruits to protect incoming and outgoing vessels. Once again, Anna's attention began to wane, but this time she began slipping into darker daydreams. Being woken in the middle of the night to the sounds of shattered glass and screaming, seeing servants, advisors, her people, Kristoff, her sister, being thrown out of their homes to be slaughtered like pigs. For some reason, she kept seeing the face of her ex-fiancée among the brutish raiders; his sneer and sharp eyes piercing her before carrying her off to some ill begotten fate. Apparently she still needed practice at hiding her discomfort, because soon, the two men had soon requested leave of Elsa to attend to their duties.
Soon the two sisters were alone in their father's, now Elsa's study. Though they had both sat here before, this time it was different. The first great challenge of Elsa's leadership had been placed before them, and it hung over their heads like the Sword of Damocles. Anna felt as if dozens of former kings were in the room with them; silently watching the two. The elder sister reached out a hand and took Anna's arm.
"Hey, are you ok?" She asked, barley a whisper. The spell of the room hung over her as well. Anna wanted to speak her mind, admit to her fears, both rational and irrational. The words, though, caught in her throat. It was as if a thousand eyes were bearing down on her, waiting for a moment of weakness.
"I'm just hungry, that's all." She finally admitted. While no less true, the answer didn't even come close to describing the full range of emotions she was feeling.
"Well, you slept until noon. You missed breakfast" Eager to have something to take her mind off of the dark news, Anna quickly jumped from her chair and took Elsa's hand.
"That settles it, we need to eat." Elsa smiled and followed her excited sister out of the suppressive study.
"What were you doing up so late anyway," Elsa asked as the two made their way down to the dining room. "Did it have anything to do with our resident Ice Master?" A faint blush bloomed on Anna's face.
"What, NO, no no no, of course not. We said we'd take things slow. He went to bed pretty early actually. I was in the library." If Elsa wasn't royalty, she would have snorted.
"Really?"
"Yes really. I was looking at some of the books on fevers and colds." Anna rubbed a hand against the back of her neck. "I was feeling guilty about that boy you found. I thought maybe I could help him."
"Anna," Elsa sighed, but her sister continued.
"Then I thought I'd talk to Kristoff about it. I mean, he lived in the woods all his life. Maybe he knew what kind of fever he had. Though maybe I should have waited until Kristoff was awake, but he said he'd go see the trolls tomorrow. Grand Pabbie knows all about stuff like medicines and herbs." Elsa rested a cool hand on her sister's shoulder.
"I'm sure the doctor knows what to do. But thank you for trying to help." Anna smiled sadly and moved a braid behind her ear.
"I just, can't really help you with all your queen stuff. I'm not really good at it."
Elsa continued walking. "Maybe, but you're good at other things. Remember that land dispute you helped me clear up last week?" Anna scoffed.
"Yeah, but that was just because you looked up those laws about inheritance. All I did was make those two farmers talk about stuff."
"Sometimes that's all it takes," her sister took a deep breath.
"Anna, you and I both know that I am not the best with speaking with others. I was so concerned with hurting others, that I don't know how to connect with them the way you do."
"A fat load of good that did with Hans." Anna muttered darkly.
Anna and Elsa entered the dining room; already laid out for their late lunch. "Papa told me that there will always be people who repay kindness with evil; people who take advantage of others and see such open hearts as weakness." They sat down. "You musn't close your heart to the world because of the actions of such few."
"Wait, papa told you that?" Anna asked as the staff began serving their lunch.
"I might have paraphrased the last part, but yes. It comes with the territory of ruling."
Though the food was as excellent as usual, it did little to ease Anna's feelings of uselessness. "Yeah, but talking to people wouldn't do any good if Vikings invade." Elsa looked up from her lunch.
"Is that what's been bothering you?" She asked.
"Well, yeah. I mean, you've got the awesome ice powers, Kristoff is this big strong guy who flings around ice blocks like they're pillows, and I'm just some girl."
"Just some girl who threw herself in front of a sword for me." Elsa retorted. A servant brought her a small stack of papers, which she began filing through. Anna didn't have a proper response, so Elsa continued.
"I promise Anna, you're more than 'just a girl' to me. You're my sister, and one of the few people I trust completely." Anna glanced up from her plate.
"You really mean that?"
"Of course I do. Now, listen to this; it's from the Spanish ambassador." The royal sisters began discussing some of the issues that had been brought up by the foreign dignitaries after the somewhat disastrous coronation. Anna felt like she had a few good points to make; observing that the countries whose dignitaries had actually witnessed the event had seemed to receive it better than those who heard of it second hand. The difficult part now was how to use these countries to spread more positive influences to their neighbors.
The two continued their banter for quite some time, not noticing the sun setting behind them. The servants brought out dinner at the appropriate time, upon which time they were joined by a third party.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Kristoff!" Anna leapt from her chair and ran to the ice farmer. With almost no effort, he caught Anna in mid-leap and spun her around.
"You always do that whenever I show up." He pointed out, putting her back on the ground.
"Well, I'm always happy to see you. Especially when you've been out all day." Anna led her beau to the table and sat him down.
"How was the city today Kristoff?" Elsa asked.
"Just fine your majesty." He replied, somewhat stiffly.
"Kristoff, I told you, there's no need to stand on ceremony when it's just the three of us." He grins sheepishly as the servants place dinner in front of him.
"Force of habit I guess."
"So, how did things go?"
"Finally sold off the last of my load. I won't have another order to fill until next week."
"That's great!" Anna gleefully shouted.
"Anna told me you were going to the Valley of the Living Rock tomorrow."
"Yeah, Bulda keeps telling me I need to visit more often, as well as talking with Grand Pabbie."
"I really must find a way to thank him," Elsa muttered. "He's helped us so much."
"Trolls aren't really concerned with things like gifts the way humans are." Kristoff took a long draft of his glog. "They're more in-tune with things like nature, the earth, and each other. It's why they're so good at reading people, but so bad at talking to them about it."
"Please don't remind me." Anna sighed, memories of the troll's little dance number flashing through her mind.
"Still, I don't wish to seem like I'm taking advantage of their kindness."
"I'm sure we can think of a way to properly thank them," Kristoff told her. "Just like Oaken tried thanking me."
"Does this involve more fish heads again?" Anna asked.
"No, actually," he began digging through his pouch. "He has some family who live in Germany, and they sent him some recopies he wanted to try out."
"Oh, any desserts?" Anna asked. She leaned over to try and look into Kristoff's pack. "
Man, I must have left it out on the sled."
"I'll go get it." Anna leapt from her chair and bounded out the door. She didn't hear what Elsa was trying to say. The thought of trying some new delectable delicacy was the only thing she focused on. Rounding a corner, she nearly collided with a pair of guards who were coming in from the main entrance. She stumbled out into the main courtyard and the brisk night air. Even though it was still summer, and Elsa's influence over the weather had abated, night time brought in the cool breezes off the sea. Though the flagstones underneath her stocking feet were still warm from the sun, the air around her was crisp and cool; just bringing in that nip that would make one long for warm tea and warmer blankets.
It was a moonless night, and the lights from the castle did not extend out very far into the courtyard. There were no lights up on the castle wall; the men long since used to walking their nightly patrols in the dark. She knew Sven was already bunked in for the night in the stable, so there was no one between her and her destination. It brought a very spooky feeling down upon Anna as she crossed the courtyard to where Kristoff normally kept his sleigh. The farther she walked from the castle doors, the quieter her steps became and the more uneased she grew.
Anna tried to focus her mind on what wonderful eateries that were stowed away in Kristoff's sleigh, but her mind kept wandering back to the discussion earlier. Vikings, raiders, cannibals; they were all back in full force. Them, and more. Anna hadn't normally been afraid of the dark, but that didn't mean she was fearless when the sun went down. The farther into the darkness she crept, the more it seemed as if she wasn't alone. Her mind must have been playing tricks on her; there wasn't anyone moving around in the dark. At least, there shouldn't have been.
"H-hello?" She called out. To her, her voice sounded weak and meaningless against the vast darkness that lay before her. "Is anyone there?" Silence was her only reply as she crept towards the wall. She could just make out Kristoff's sleigh sitting in the corner. She mustered up what little courage she had and marched towards it.
*crash*
Anna whipped around suddenly; her foot catching on the skids of the sleigh. She gasped in pain as the metal dug into her ankle. Overbalancing, she toppled to the ground next to the sleigh. Her hand found her foot; she could feel the warm, sticky blood well up underneath her stocking. Anna grabbed the side of the sleigh and tried to pull herself up. Against the blackness of the night, she could just make out a pile of spears that had fallen over.
And a large black shape standing next to them.
Her breath caught in her throat as the shape moved. It had to be as big as a horse, though shorter. She could just barely make out its movement against the stone wall; it was literally blacker than coal. Were those wings along its back? Anna tried pulling her feet up underneath her, but she grunted as she put weight on her injured foot. Whatever was moving in the night, heard her.
It turned its head and fixed Anna with two of the biggest eyes she'd ever seen. They were easily the size of teacup saucers, each one greener than an emerald with a black, round pupil set in the center. Her breath caught in her throat as it fixated on her. She knew it could see her. Those catlike eyes seemed to gaze right through her; as if it knew she was there this entire time. Its back arched as it began slinking toward her.
The pupils narrowed to two thin slits as it began to cross the courtyard. Anna had found her breath; coming up in short, panicked bursts. All thoughts of Vikings, evil princes and the like were banished from her mind. Never before had such icy terror gripped her heart. She couldn't run. She couldn't fight. All she could do was scream as the beast lunged toward her.