I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be late! Oh boy, I'm gonna be so late!
The words rang in Anna's head over and over. They wouldn't change anything, of course. Fact was, she'd been late since an hour ago.
She walked at a brisk pace, her pigtails bouncing behind her. She would run, but that seemed neither productive or wise given the dilemma she found herself in. Around her were all manners of people, and a great many of them to boot. They boxed her in, stunted her progress, slowed her down. Not purposely, of course, but it frustrated her all the same; a frustration she had been well-practiced in hiding, as few noticed and greeted her and she greeted them in return.
Most however, were lost in what they needed to do that day. Anna, hidden beneath her wide-brimmed hat, understood. She had things to do as well. On this day, that thing—for she had finally remembered what the thing was—meant getting to a merchant's shop to purchase certain other things before anyone else could or before the merchant closed his doors for the day.
His name was Gorvik, a man formerly from Olinath-across-the-sea, now a resident inside the village and the particular thing that he specialized in was trinkets. A trinket for every part of the world he had visited, and he had visited many parts of the world, she'd been told. Stories upon stories were in his possession to tell. And the collection he kept... A picture may tell a thousand words, but Anna believed that a trinket told tens of thousands and thousands more. If she could only see his collection, one glance, was all it took to set herself upon a journey within her mind. A journey to civilizations imagined, and worlds brought to life.
How much of what she'd been told was hearsay, Anna could not know, but she hoped for the best. This was a man known by the villagers, and even known by traders just passing by, and she trusted them. For the past month he had been away, trading in distant lands, but undoubtedly expanding his collection all the while. Wait for Gorvik, the people said. He'll be back soon. Always arrived during midsummer. He will have much to show you, they insisted. She was gleeful back then, just listening, and was even more gleeful now. She'd been notified a week ago that his ship was on its way home, due to have arrived today. She'd sent word prior, arranging a meeting. Part of her wished she hadn't just so that there would be nothing for her to be late for. She sighed, pulled down the front of her hat, and set her mind back towards navigating Arendelle's streets.
The street was wide and long, with sidewalks cordoned off to the sides. She supposed that made sense, given the name. She walked along one of the walkways, quickly. Some members of the crowd parted before her, recognizing a woman in a rush. Others parted because she was a princess and you just had to part for a princess—It would be rude otherwise. Anna wouldn't have thought it rude, but others would have. Silly.
Most didn't budge, though, so Anna had to walk around them.
Her feet hurt tremendously and her knapsack clinked as the metals within clashed against each other. She winced whenever she heard a particularly loud jingle, wishing she had remembered to put them away the last time she returned from the market. Thankfully, the marketplace was just up ahead, brightly lit by the noonday sun.
The street ended and she stopped walking, the market square open before her. It was a large space, bigger even than the castle courtyard, with shops making up the buildings that shaped it and stalls filling a smaller inner square, with gaps between them to allow passage to the center of the square, a mostly open space, discounting the ice sculptures that decorated it. Parallel lines of crystalline trees with spiraling branches created a path—while animals with glistening and unmelting skin bowed to those who walked by, to circular plumes of frozen water, fountain at the heart. There many people stared, wonderment shining in their eyes, at the impossibility of Elsa's ice and its nature defying properties.
The square was crowded, moreso than the streets, and nearly filled to bursting. It was almost never like this. Was there an event being held that she was unaware about? A fair or something of that sort? Unlikely. She made it her business to know about those sorts of things. Had made it her business for awhile now, even since back when the outdoors were still forbidden to her. She wondered if they had all come to see Elsa, and see for themselves her magic—her powers, now widely renowned.
There were rumors, of course. Rumors of events in distant lands being set in motion by the freeze and thaw of two weeks ago. Rumors of pilgrimages, whatever those were, and rumors of holy or unholy crusades, whatever those were. And that was just the beginning. It had only been two weeks, but since then the number of visitors to Arendelle had grown. Sometimes those who came didn't leave, taking up residence in one of the newly built homes or in a village nearby. She felt sorry for those burdened with having to keep track of it all, then realized such duties would fall upon her sister, or herself should she be asked or should she volunteer.
She continued on, pulling the front of her hat lower. She didn't mind the attention, but she had someplace to be and a distraction simply would not do.
The scent of almonds filled the air undoubtedly from the bakery she had just walked past, where the line of people extended beyond its doors. Too long, otherwise she would have joined it. She looked through the glass, where the baker was handing out the cakes en masse, coins piling up on his counter. Nut cakes were popular in the village, but that local popularity seemed to be extending beyond the gates, to places that Anna didn't know but was curious about. Her curiosity peaked, watching them in line, conversing with the people around. People from lands she'd only read about or imagined, with different coloured skin and different ways of speaking. Worldwide recognition seemed to be yet another perk of having a Queen with magical world-changing abilities.
Besides nut cakes, there were many reasons to come here, to this hub of the village. Some came for the pay, some came for the goods, some simply came to be lost. To wander in the midst of all who walked by, themselves wanderers sometimes. It was a beautiful place to wander in, especially now that it contained evidences of Elsa's touch. With as many people as were there, however, it was also now quite easy to get lost, even if you didn't want to. That was where Anna found herself after a time, lost first in her thoughts, and then lost in the crowd.
"Excuse me! I'm trying to find— oof! Hey! Watch you're go—ouch!" Anna bounced from person to person, jostled by passersby who didn't seem to notice who it was they were jostling. Her knapsack jingled painfully. It was having a worse time than she was. Not that it was alive, but it just… made things easier pretending inanimate objects were. Made life more vibrant. More... exciting!
"I'm sorry!" cried the girl who had bumped her. The impact had knocked the hat off of Anna's head, causing it to land on the head of a smaller man, blinding him and causing him to bump into the person next to him, and so on. The Arendelle princess' trademark red hair was now exposed to the world, and her head to the heat.
"I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay?" asked the girl, red-faced and clearly embarrassed.
Anna rubbed her uncovered arm, courtesy of the dress she wore. She studied the girl, realized they were of similar age. "I'm fine." Anna said, still watching her. Straight raven hair cut at the shoulders with dark eyes and a lone bang separating them, and with pinkish skin, getting lighter as her flusteredness wore off.
"It's partly my fault." Anna said. "I'm all turned around with all these people here. Some of them are really tall." Anna stood on the tips of her toes, hand raised to block the sun. She turned her head, left then right, seeing only shoulders and heads and the occasional shop sign. None were what she was searching for. "I can't see a thing!" she said, her voice strained.
"What are you looking for?" asked the girl softly, shyly.
"Gorvik's. He has a shop here. A new one, I think? It's supposed to open today, now that he's back." Anna turned to look at her. "Do you know where it is?"
The girl blinked, and her eyes went to Anna's hair, and then back down to meet her questioning gaze. The girl gasped, then covered her mouth with her palm. Her face flared red again. "Princess Anna!" She curtsied, the fastest Anna had seen.
"Um, yes?" Anna said.
"My apologies, Your Highness, for not recognizing you. We've only just arrived."
Anna realized what she meant by that. "You're Gorvik's daughter?" she asked, to be sure.
The girl nodded. "My name is Elvira." she said. "Father sent me to look for you, thought you might get lost in the crowd."
Anna smiled at her. "You don't need to apologize. I should be the one apologizing for being late." she laughed. "Thank you, though. For coming to find me."
"No, thank you—" she turned, suddenly looking away. "I mean, I didn't even know what you looked like so I would've just gotten lost myself."
"I guess it's good we bumped into each other then!" Anna said, grinning.
"You lost your hat, though." Elvira said, pointedly. She craned her neck back and forth to search the crowd.
Anna waved her hand. "It's just a hat. Besides, I'd much rather have a friend."
"Friend?" Elvira froze. Turned to face her, puzzlement on her fair face.
"Yup! We're friends now." Anna nodded vigorously.
"W-we are?"
"You sure ask a lot of questions." Anna shrugged her right shoulder and grunted, as she was bumped into once more, nearly unslinging the knapsack.
"Two is a lot?"
"It's two too many, I think." Anna replied.
"Well, my father says I am inquisitive by nature."
Then Anna remembered. "About him…"
"Oh, right!" said Elvira, who seemed to have forgotten her purpose in coming there as well. "I think I came from this direction…" She turned to face the other way. Froze, turned again forty five degrees. Then one eighty. Then back to face Anna, laughing nervously. "I… seem to have lost my bearings." she said, her tone apologetic.
"I know what that's like." Anna said, low as an echo.
"Let's get out of this crowd." Elvira suggested, having gotten on the tips of her toes herself. She was shorter than Anna, and so her viewpoint must not have differed much. Was probably worse, actually. "This way!" She grabbed Anna's hand, pulling her along.
Normally a princess of a nation would not stand to be pulled along by a stranger—let alone one of such significantly lower rank, but Anna was far from a normal princess. She didn't care about such things. Didn't even think about them, usually, except when contemplating the absurdity of it all. Society and its expectations. She scoffed about them sometimes, but couldn't deny that she was fortunate to have been born into the position she was in. And besides, this was a friend. Society had no power over friendship.
What a silly notion, she thought. She let herself be pulled—not that there was anything she could do about it as the girl's grip was strong— allowing herself a yelp whenever it appeared as if she were on a collision course with unsuspecting market-goers.
They stopped when they finally reached the edge of the market square, and Anna breathed several deep breaths. She smelled almonds again, and turned to find the line having grown since she last saw it. Out of one crowd, into another. She was back where she started, before having met the girl. It was only slightly less dense with people, and they got there with only slightly fewer bruises than they expected to attain, which can be seen as a blessing, she supposed, small as it was.
"What I would give to have one of those…" Anna caught Elvira whisper, beside her. The girl's eyes stared longingly through the glass.
"You haven't had a nutcake yet?" Anna asked. In another place, asking such a question would be unusual, but this was Arendelle, where nutcakes and living went hand in hand.
She shook her head. "We just moved here."
Anna blinked. "But the villagers said your father bought the house years ago."
"My father lived here awhile, by himself." Elvira stared at the ground as she spoke, rubbing the pavement with the tip of her shoe. "He didn't have enough money to take us all at first, so he did some work, got some new contracts across the sea, and finally, here we are." She smiled, turning to Anna.
"It's a really nice place." she added. There was something in the way her eyes looked at that moment. A sorrow in the darkness. Her words, the sound of them, and her expressions told two stories. Anna made note to think about them later. There may be truths there, or deceptions, but the tale must be interesting regardless. They looked at each other for awhile. Anna cleared her throat.
"About him…" she said again, this time with a chuckle.
Elvira's mouth formed an 'o', and her slanted eyebrows lent her an expression that appeared otherworldly in nature. Anna laughed, couldn't help herself, and Elvira flushed red.
"Th-this way!" she muttered, turning her hair in a flurry of black. They jogged along the line of shops, snaking through lines and crowds of people as they came across them. The shop was quite far from the side of the marketplace that exited to the port-bound road. On the opposite side of that road, actually, but they managed to get there without accumulating extra bruises or getting lost. It took them longer, having had to go around along the sides of the square, but was well worth it for Anna could see the merchant, now a shop-owner, sitting behind his counter. He was a burly man, with cropped black hair and blue eyes. He stood up when they entered through the door.
"Your Highness!" Gorvik's voice filled the room, ringing in Anna's ear. He brought a hand to his chest and tipped his head, greeting her in the usual way. "I apologize for the location, but I am glad to see that the both of you made it here in one piece." His words were thickly slurred and deep.
Elvira ran forward and hugged her father, who returned the act with affection. "Your mother was worried." he whispered, or tried to.
"That I'd get lost?" Elvira replied, her voice also lower. Anna wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear the conversation.
"Or worse." Gorvik admitted.
Elvira rolled her eyes. "She's such a worry-wart."
"She cares about you."
"I know. But maybe a little too much?" Elvira looked up at her father.
"No such thing." he said, laughing, before turning to face Anna again. "My apologies Princess Anna."
"Oh no, you don't have to." Anna said, shaking her head. "I understand. Caring about someone so much." She hooked her hands together. "I feel the same way."
Gorvik chuckled, looking at his daughter. "About Elvira?"
This time it was Anna's turn to flush. "No no no, I meant Elsa!"
"Ah, the Queen. That makes sense." Gorvik said, winking. His expression became calm. "You wanted to see my collection?"
Anna squealed. Couldn't help it.
"I'll take that as a yes." said Gorvik, retrieving a small key from his pocket. He walked away, into a room in the back. She heard footsteps, going upstairs, then footsteps coming down. He appeared at the doorway moments later, carrying a box. It wasn't much larger than a hardcover text. He laid it on the counter, inserted the key, turned, and flipped the cover open. He rotated the box so Anna could see. "The spoils of my most recent adventures." he said, proudly.
The trinkets were immaculate, and so varied. Anna ran her eyes down a row—they were organized in rows— then down to another, and another. Five rows in total. Only his most recent adventures, she repeated in her head.
"Where did you get them?" she asked, tearing her gaze away from the shining artifacts with difficulty.
"Those leaf shaped brooches," he replied, pointing into the box. "got those from a fellow in Nimrienne. Was giving them away for free."
Anna extended a finger to touch one of them, and ran it along the painted ridges, silver where they had been scratched. She closed her eyes and saw the forests. Dark green, with leaves shaped just like those brooches floating to the ground. She followed those leaves, flying, under the cover of the canopy through which not even light could find quarter. A village there, in near perpetual darkness, and villagers staring at her with the same curiosity with which she stared at them. She opened her eyes and she was back. In Arendelle, in the market place, in Gorvik's shop. The shopkeep was smiling.
"Corona." He pointed at a bauble, with a yellow sun painted upon purple background. Anna nodded. She'd heard of the island kingdom, had wanted to visit for awhile. "Got that one for free too, actually." He chuckled.
He pointed to the next trinket in the row, a wooden earring, carved in such a way that it appeared as if a snake slithered down its length. It was painted with green lacquer. "Bought that in Olinath, from another merchant. Worn by a snake cultist, and found on his corpse. It's believed to grant a second life. To allow one to shed their skin and start life anew. Not sure that's how molting works, but a creepy history for that one, nonetheless."
"How about this one?" asked Anna. Her elbows rested on the counter, one hand holding up her chin. With the other, she pointed at a medallion. It wasn't as polished as the others, but it was gold, far more expensive than any trinket she'd seen. In the center of it was a hammer and anvil, and along its circumference were words written in a language she couldn't read.
Gorvik craned his neck to look at it, then his expression grew dark. He looked around the room. It was just the two of them in there, as Elvira had gone. Appearing troubled, Gorvik took the medallion from the box and pocketed it. "Wasn't supposed to be there." he said, with a grunt. He continued describing the trinkets.
When he was finished, Anna found herself wishing even more to have the chance to travel. To see the world. Images of towering spires, cities in the desert, forests as big as the sea itself, filled her mind. She looked at each of the trinkets, absorbing the tales they told, hoping she'd remember, wishing she could just take them home with her. As if reading her mind, Gorvik closed the box, locked it, and pushed it towards her, key resting on top.
"They're yours." he said, with a smile.
Anna raised her hands, showing him her palms. "No," she began, "I can't—"
"I saw the way you looked at them. Was like that myself once, too." he drummed his fingers on the box, his expression growing contemplative. "I know you can take them."
Anna nodded, couldn't help feeling a little ashamed. Did her status as princess grant her the privilege of receiving such things for free? Would she have been given the same courtesy if she had been born a commoner? "Can I atleast pay you for it?" she asked, her voice a little feeble.
He looked at her for a moment, then he nodded, understanding passing between the looks they shared. "I think a couple silvers should do."
Anna got out her purse and dropped the silvers in the shop-owner's hand, plus a third. He raised a brow, but Anna just gave him a quick nod. "Thank you." she said, meaning it.
"Where will you go now?" Gorvik asked, pocketing the coins.
"I think…" Anna turned her head towards the door, from which the growing tumult of the crowd filtered through. The crowd seemed to be moving towards the center of the square, where the fountain and the rest of the frozen statues were. She thought she could see someone standing at the center, violet cloak fluttering. "I'm going to see what's going on over there."
"I'm coming with you." said Elvira, appearing beside her. "I mean—" she looked to the ground, embarrassed. "I would like to come with you. May I?"
Anna looked at her and smiled. "You may." she said, and the two of them left through the door. Anna, who couldn't help breaking into a run, told her, "There's someone I'd like you to meet." .
