Seven Years later
"Today?"
In the early days of July, Princess Anna had expected the summer to go as the many summers past had. She might sit in the grass and talk about the oddest things with her husband, or maybe they would go on a boat ride together. Perhaps she would go on walks with her daughter; who was growing into quite a beautiful young lady. Maybe horse race with her eldest son; who had already grown into a man (though she refused to admit it). Anna would even be happy to go on a scavenger hunt with her younger son- she knew how much the boy loved them.
But though she wasn't sure what she'd do with her children and husband, Anna was sure that she would spend time with them. Of course she would spend time with her family.
But her family included her sister; Queen Elsa. Anna was sure that she would spend time with her sister as well; she saw her every day for goodness sake! Anna didn't think that would change. She thought she'd wake up every day; see her sister at breakfast- and random times throughout the day, of course.
But she didn't expect to be wrong.
"Yes. Today." Elsa confirmed, placing another one of her dresses in the suitcase on her bed. Her hair, so blond it was nearly white, was kept tied up in an intricate bun- a style she had begun using shortly after having her first child. A few stray stands hung near her eyebrow; a few already streaked with gray hair. Elsa's face had already begun to show her age- a few, small wrinkles curling at the edges of her eyes and mouth. Despite this, she was still as lovely and pretty as she was when she was just a girl.
"But . . ." Anna stuttered, looking for words. Her own hair was streaked with white as well- and though it stood out more on her darker hair shade then Elsa's light, only a few strands had truly lost its color. She still styled her hair in two braids- reflecting her still childlike personality. Age marks hadn't quite reached her yet- though creases had begun to form near her eyes.
"Elsa, you can't go. You can't just- just get up and leave! Besides! Its summer- Sver's birthday is in just a few weeks; he'll be crushed if you aren't there! And we'll miss you." The younger women gushed, resting one of her hands on the suitcase lid so her sister couldn't close it.
The Queen closed her eyes, and brought in a breath through her nose. "Anna," She said calmly, once again opening her eyes so she could look at her sister. "I've already told you. Our trade partners have been . . . concerned-" Anna tried to ignore the hesitation before Elsa had continued speaking. "-about my ability to rule. Even with Tomas at my side, they don't think I'm fit."
Elsa's husband, Tomas, had originally lived in a small Denmark kingdom called Leighton. Due to their marriage- Leighton became the top priority trade partner. No representatives from the small kingdom had ever visited Arendelle, and Tomas had no other family whom would visit for personal reasons. Only recently, letters had been arriving discussing Elsa's ability to rule. The King had wanted Elsa to step down, and have Arendelle and Leighton form one kingdom. In the best interest of Arendelle, he had said.
Elsa and Tomas had planned a trip to Leighton to pacify the King- not just so he'd have confident in Elsa's abilities, but also because she feared he would try and take Arendelle by force. Anna didn't care for politics much, and no official decision making was her business- so nothing bothered her except how long Elsa had planned to stay.
"But two months!?" The younger women gasped, clutching at her heart as though it might break at the mere thought.
"Six weeks." Elsa corrected.
"Who cares? You'll still be gone!" Anna complained, wrapping her arms around her sister in a hug. Elsa returned it, though she was sighing.
"Anna, please? It'll be fine. It won't seem so long once we get back- I promise." Elsa tried to sooth her, but Anna's lip was still set out in a pout as though she was a five-year-old girl and not a forty-one year old women.
"But . . ." Anna searched for words again, pulling out of Elsa's hug and wrapping her arms around her torso. "You can't just leave. I mean, what about Tom and Ina?"
Elsa's shoulders tensed a little, but Anna didn't notice. The Queen slapped a tight smile onto her lips and turned back to her suitcase to straighten the clothes piles that hadn't needed attention. "Tom's coming with us. We thought it would be a good idea for the King to see what good hands Arendelle will be in when I stop ruling."
Anna didn't see how this was a good idea. Oh yes, Tom was a bright, smart, charming boy; but childish. He was a lot like Anna herself, just perhaps not as excitable. He thought the craziest ideas were the best ones- and was determined to fulfill them.
"But what about Ina?" Anna asked innocently, not realizing that this was the very question Elsa had wanted to avoid. Elsa's shoulders tensed up again.
"Well," The Queen said, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face before tucking it behind her ear. "I thought it would be a good idea if Ina stayed here. There's no real need for her to come along, and if she's safe in Arendelle, I won't have to worry about her." She tried to shrug like it was no big deal, but the stress behind her eyes bled through.
Anna saw it, and immediately rushed forward to put her hands on Elsa's shoulders. "Elsa, something happened with Ina." It wasn't a question- just a statement. The younger woman had no idea what could have happened, but she had sensed the tension between her niece and sister the last few days whenever they were in the same room together. Elsa nodded and hung her head.
"Ina's wanted us to change the royal line." Elsa sounded a little defeated. "She thinks that she deserves it- wants it- more than Tom does. She doesn't think it's fair that he gets to be heir even though she's older." Elsa glanced up at Anna, wondering if she would understand.
Honestly, Anna could see where Ina was coming from. The girl had been born first- more than two years before her brother. She had been next in line, but the spot was taken from her as soon as Tom entered the world. Ina was always called "the little Queen" when she was a baby, and was very confused when the nickname suddenly stopped. But she was sixteen now- she was old enough to understand why Tom was heir.
"She's been really persistent lately, and whenever we tell her no . . . and she gets angry . . ." Elsa's eyes slid to her own hands, and Anna could immediately connect the dots.
The same way Elsa's did, Ina's powers got a little out of control when she was angry. Whenever she threw a temper tantrum as a child, her punishment would be cleaning the away frost that had been created when she stomped her foot.
"Oh Elsa . . ." Anna cooed, pulling her sister back into her arms. Elsa returned the hug, feeling weaker now that she had expressed her worries.
"I just don't know what I'm going to do with her." Elsa admitted, mumbling into Anna's hair.
"Goodbye Auntie Elsa!" Sver called, wrapping his seven-year-old arms around his aunt's neck as soon as she had kneeled to his level. His redish-brown hair stuck up in spikes, and tickled Elsa's cheek as they hugged.
The Queen and Lord had rushed to find the rest of the family and tell them about the trip. Within the hour, they managed to get everyone on the docks to say goodbye, and for the men to help carry the trunks and suitcases onto the boat.
"Oh," Elsa laughed, pulling out of the hug after a moment while still holding onto the boy's arms. "Goodbye, Sev. I'm so sorry we're going to miss your birthday." They had explained to the boy earlier about the length of the trip. "But you'll be good while we're gone, right? 'Listen to your Mama and Papa?"
The boy nodded; his brown eyes truthful. "Yep. But I expect a good snowstorm when you get home. Okay?"
Elsa agreed. A smile broke across Sver's little face, and he kissed his Aunt's cheek one more time before moving on to say goodbye to his uncle and cousin.
Elise found Elsa next, and the two hugged. "Have a safe trip." The fourteen-year-old said as she pulled away. Elsa tugged on one of Elise's thick, light-brown braids, which led both of them to giggle.
"You too; listen to your Mama and Papa. And take your nose out of a book for ten minutes so you can enjoy a little of summer." The Queen joked. Elise laughed, and agreed to her terms. She too, moved on to say goodbye to Tomas, while Sver was still talking to Tom.
Kristoff, who had been chatting with Tomas before the kids said their goodbyes, walked over to Elsa and gave his sister-in-law a hug. "Have a good trip." He said politely, keeping their hug short and sweet. Elsa nodded her head.
"Yes, we will, thank you. Take care of my sister." Elsa responded, glancing over Kristoff's shoulder at Anna, whom was waiting to say goodbye to everyone as well. Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck like a nervous little boy afraid to speak to his crush. Elsa always thought that was sweet- how smitten Kristoff was with his wife after all this time.
"I will." Kristoff promised, chuckling lightly while rubbing his stubble covered cheek. Elsa patted his shoulder as he walked away.
Cyril, who had been loading the rest of the luggage onto the ship, jogged down the gangplank and wrapped his arms around his tiny-in-comparison aunt. "Goodbye and farewell, Aunt Elsa!" Cyril called out in what sounded like a cheer. His hair, which hung in gold curls around his temple and neck, tickled Elsa's cheek as Sver's hair had. Elsa laughed, and patted her nephew on the back.
"See you soon, Cyril." She giggled, pulling away and tilting her head back so she could look at him in the eye. "Don't get any taller while I'm gone." Cyril was at least a full head taller than Elsa, and was even taller than his father. He was thinner though, but not by much. He had almost as much muscle as Kristoff.
"Just for that, I'm gonna' grow another inch or two." Cyril said playfully, stretching up on his tiptoes to exhibit his point. He then planted a quick kiss on her cheek, before bouncing off to say his goodbyes to his uncle. Elsa shook her head, laughing, as she watched him go.
Anna finally reached Elsa, and they hugged tightly. "I'm going to miss you." Anna whimpered, sounding as though she had already been crying. Elsa laughed weakly, although she could feel tears spring up in her own eyes. It would be the longest they've gone without seeing each other since the thaw, and that kind of scared Elsa. She held onto Anna a moment longer, before pulling away and holding onto her from the elbows.
"Take care of yourself." Elsa demanded, trying to hide the tone that usually accompanied her crying. She sucked in a shaky breath, which probably didn't help her 'I-am-not-crying' vibe. "And Kristoff, and the kids . . ." Despite her efforts to hide them, a single sob bubbled out of Elsa's chest, which was soon met by giggles from both women.
"Don't cry." Anna soothed, though her stained cheeks showed that she hadn't taken her own advice. This led to more laughter that was mixed with one or two unwanted crying hiccups.
The sisters managed to dry their cheeks enough to get in a proper goodbye, before Anna and Elsa separated to stand next to their husbands. Kristoff wrapped an arm around Anna's waist, and Tomas took Elsa's hand.
"Wait a minute," Tomas stuttered, looking around the port. "Where did Ina- she was here before, where did she go?" The family then realized he was right; Ina wasn't in the small bundle of people. She had been their earlier, when everyone was waiting for Cyril.
Tom- whom was identical to his father; with the same dark hair color though with his mother's eyes- raised an eyebrow. "Did she leave?"
Tomas's dark eyes were filled with concern as he gazed around the dock, and then panic once he realized there was no sign of her.
"She's-" But before he could even voice his worry, a voice from on the ship cut him off.
"I'm right here!" Ina leaned over the edge of the ship, revealing her hiding place, though it wasn't much of one. Her voice was filled with irritation, and so was her expression. Her features, so much like her mother's, were twisted into a scowl. Her brown eyes -just like her father's- were so dark they were basically black. They contrasted heavily with her pale skin and hair that was even fairer than her mother's. She wore it in a single, loose braid down her back- just because she wasn't allowed to wear it down.
"It's not like I was hiding or anything." She mumbled.
Tomas sighed in relief, and motioned for her to come down. "Come say goodbye, I want a big hug from my little girl before we go." He said, pulling Elsa closer to him. Ina stood up straighter, her hands grasping the hand rail tightly.
"I'm coming along." She stated, as though it was the most obvious fact in the world. She shrugged. "Mama said that they wanted to meet the heir, and here I am." She motioned to herself. Elsa and Tomas both blinked in surprise.
"Ina," Elsa said, her voice beginning to fill with irritation as well. Ina had never discussed this heir business in front of her cousins before- not even in front of her brother. "We've talked about this. You are not the heir. Tom is. Now, please, get off the boat and come say goodbye."
Anna hadn't seen Elsa suppress anger for a long time, but she assumed this is what is looked like. Her eyes slightly squinted, her law set. Tomas had an expression that was almost identical to it.
"But that's not fair." Ina pronounced each word slowly, her sixteen-year-old eyes burning with anger. "I'm older! I'm the one that should he heir- not him! But he gets to rule, just because he's a boy? That's a stupid rule and you know it!" She yelled. Anna was stunned. She had seen Ina annoyed many times. But she had never seen her as angry as she was.
"Ina, stop it." Elsa said, her voice ringing with authority. Elsa balled her free hand into a fist, and Tomas pulled his own hand out if her grasp- an automatic response he had learned from all the times Elsa was upset to prevent his hand from getting frosted up. Anna wondered how Ina had managed not to freeze the entire ship over with a thick layer of ice.
"No. Why should I?" Ina's voice held defiance, and her expression held rebellion.
Elsa opened her mouth to say something, yell perhaps, but never got a chance. Tomas stepped forward then, half in front of Elsa as though to block her from something. "Because we are your parents are want you to stop making a fool of yourself in front of your family." He hissed out, as though he wanted to lower his voice so only she would hear. Ina stopped short. She had expected to argue with her mother- not her father, who was usually the peace maker. "Now get off that boat, come say goodbye, and then go to your room." Tomas finished, locking eyes with his daughter.
Everyone else stood stunned, and a little embarrassed. They had seen Ina bicker with parents more than a few times, but never had she yelled at them before. Now that they had seen it happened, they felt like the shouldn't have- like it was something between that family and no one else. Cyril cleared his throat loudly, enough to make Anna peel her eyes away from the scene before them and glance at him. Sver kicked at the wooden planks beneath his feet.
It seemed as though Tomas speaking up had cooled Ina off somehow, or slowed her enough not to be able to think of a response. Slowly, like the scolded child she was, she walked off the gangplank to the dock, and lowered her eyes to her feet.
"Goodbye." She said weakly, her voice no longer holding any of the fire that it formally had. She turned as though to rush past everyone, but couldn't get away before Tomas grabbed her arm. She winced at the contact, as though she didn't want to hear him yell at her again, but he surprised her by pulling her into a hug.
"You disappointed me," He said quietly, not loud enough for anyone else to hear. "I just want you to make me proud. Promise me, Sweetheart, that you'll make me proud."
Ina whimpered. She didn't want to hear nice things from her father, especially after what she- and then what he- had said before. "I promise." She said anyway. Because as much as she hated to admit it, making promises felt like the only way to hold onto something.
Tomas pulled away after a moment and smiled at his daughter. He kissed her forehead, before nudging her towards Elsa. When the two hugged, it was awkward and tense- neither of them over the fight that had occurred. Perhaps the time away would be good for them; give them a chance to think things over and calm down a little.
"Goodbye, Mama." Ina said weakly, raising her eyes to Elsa only for a second. Elsa nodded in response, and then glanced at Tom. The thirteen year old quickly gave his sister a sloppy hug, one that she returned only about halfway. Then the two pulled apart, and Ina was finally able to turn and run off in the direction of the castle. Everyone watched her go.
"Have a safe trip," Anna called up to the three as they scaled the gangplank, though she was already moving to follow Ina. "See you in six weeks!" She took Sver's hand as she walked, and they both waved. Elise waved upwards as well, and Cyril lifted his hand before jogging back down the dock.
"See you." Elsa said quietly, lifting her hand in a small wave. After a moment, she pulled her son into a hug, though one of her hands was still clasped tightly in her husband's grasp.
Maybe time would be good for them. But, who knows, maybe not.
Hi. First actually chapter, woohoo! It's kind of long too. Wow.
Thanks for checking this out- follow the story, favorite it, leave a review…whatever! Thanks for checking out "Frozen Heart," and I hope you liked it so far.
(And in case anyone was wondering, and ages of the kids are: Cyril (18), Ina (16), Elise (14), Tom (13), and Sver (7-almost 8). Sver's name, I pronounce it "Sev-ER" by the way)