Chapter 2:
The King Arrives
"How can this be?"
"A messenger from Hartsdale just asked us what we are going to do."
"We haven't had a war in centuries!"
"I thought Queen Elsa was the only one who could control winter."
"Have we heard from the king of Berglia?"
The council was a flurry of activity. Councilmen were arriving, trying to learn from one another what was going on. Questions and accusations were being thrown around the room as councilmen tried to root out fact from rumor. Berglia was a little known kingdom to Arendelle, and the news that there is someone else besides Queen Elsa with the power of ice and snow has set many of the on edge.
"Are these kingdoms expecting the Queen to simply march in and subdue the princess?"
"Who is Captain Lars?"
"I bet their king is behind this!"
"What if this princess knows what she's doing?"
Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff were watching the councilmembers squabble and panic amongst themselves. Elsa standing at her usual chair reserved for the Queen, while Anna stood at her seat next to her, Kristoff by her side. It was then that Olaf walked in.
"Hi guys! I've never been invited to a meeting before!" said Olaf excitingly. He then turned and saw the commotion of councilmen. "Uh, what did I miss?" he asked.
"Well" said Kristoff. "Some pirate in a far away kingdom has an ice princess under his control or something, and he wants to take over the world."
"Ooooh" said Olaf, contemplating the scenario. "That's not good."
Elsa was currently trying to calm the council, to no avail.
"Gentlemen! Please, we need order!" she called out, though no one seemed to notice. She continuously did this, but her calls to order fell upon deaf ears.
"Hey!" shouted Anna. "Shut up!" she yelled out in annoyance. Still, nothing.
"Wow, tough crowd" said Anna, shrugging her shoulders.
"I've never seen them so on edge before" said Elsa. And I had to meet them the day after I thawed Arendelle.
"Wait, let me try something" said Kristoff, picking up the chair he was sitting on.
"Kristoff, what are you...?" asked Anna as Kristoff lifted the heavy, wooden chair high above his head, then dropped it.
Surprisingly, the chair made a loud noise, a mix of a thud and a clap, which seemed to get everyone's attention. Smirking in satisfaction, Kristoff turned to Elsa.
"All yours" he said.
Bewildered at first, Elsa shook it off and turned to the crowd.
"Gentlemen, thank you for coming on such short notice" she greeted.
"Your Majesty, what is going on?" asked Head Minister Andar.
"Are the rumors true?" asked Councilman Lawrence. "Is there another ice...wielder?" He asked, careful with his choice of words.
"Yes, I was getting to that" said Elsa. "This is the messenger from Hordaland, Mr. Robert..." she gestured to the man named Roberts to stand up. "He will give the report he was given by his King."
"Thank you your majesty" he said, then turned to the council. "What I give you is a second-hand account of what happened, as told by my King; A pirate named Captain Lars crashed the party, brining with him the King apparently identified as his long lost sister. She then used ice magic to attack the King and his guards. Lars then declared himself king and the King has since disappeared, his fate unknown. He then apparently made a threat against Her Majesty Queen Elsa of Arendelle, not to interfere. That was all my king told me."
Mr. Robert bowed and stood away from the table.
"So" started Andar. "He believes that you are a threat to his plans" he said, facing Elsa.
"And he has threatened her for it" said Kai.
Elsa breathed in. "He has threatened my family... He obviously sees me as a threat" she turned to Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf, then back to the council. "But I won't let this affect my decision; my family stands with me."
"So, this is why our allies have been contacting us to act upon this?" asked Councilman Daniel. "They expect us to deal with this?"
Elsa glared at him. "They are afraid; they know that the princess is powerful. Let's not forget that it was only a few years ago they all feared me. I think we should at least consider taking action, with some help, of course."
"But, if we stay here, you can easily defend us here."
Elsa continued to glare, her gaze as cold as ice (sorry for the pun, I couldn't resist). "We can't sit here, relying on my powers for safety, while our allies suffer. Unless you've forgotten, councilor Daniel, that we rely on trade to sustain us?"
Everyone paused for a moment, councilman Daniel shutting up.
"So, what is your suggestion, your majesty?" asked Andar.
Elsa sighed. "I don't know... Sirs Jase and Isaac were there for Queen Gertrude's birthday celebration, and if they started back when this event took place, almost a week ago, than they should be almost here... Now that we have the general facts, let us dismiss this meeting until Sirs Jase and Isaac return."
With that, Elsa nodded, giving the council permission to leave.
"I don't know why you two complain so much, that was fun" said Kristoff as he walked with Elsa, Anna and Olaf down the hall to the courtyard.
"Are you worried?" asked Anna to Elsa, ignoring Kristoff.
"About what?" Elsa asked sarcastically. "About discovering that I'm not alone with this gift? Or the fact that a pirate is using her to try to enslave an entire continent? Or the fact that Jase was there, and who knows what happened to him and Isaac?"
"Well, yeah, that" said Anna.
"Yes, to your question. I'm worried, very worried. What if something happened to them? On top of that, is this supposed princess born or cursed with the power? Where did she come from?"
Anna shrugged. "I wish I had answered for you, but, I'm on the same boat."
"Queen Elsa!" said a voice. Walking up the hallway, Craig, one of Elsa's knights and Jase's best friend, made his way to the Queen.
"What happened?" he asked. "I just came back from town, I heard there was some trouble in Berglia. Did you hear from Jase and Isaac?"
"Sir Craig. I'm sorry, no. I've been anxiously trying to figure this thing out." He saw the worried look on Elsa's face. Though they were broken up, he could tell she still cared for him deeply. "Don't worry your Majesty. I've seen those two go through so much worse. I'm sure they're on their way right now."
Elsa gave a little smile. "I hope you're right."
Waking up in the middle of the night, Kristoff found that Anna was not in their room, again.
"Ugh, where is she?" he wondered. Normally, he would let her have her way, but with a direct threat looming over his mind, he decided to get up and look for her.
He got up in his shirt and pants (he couldn't stand the sight of himself in pajamas) and walked out of the room, scouring the castle for his crazy wife. Turning a corner, he bumped into someone. Being dark, he couldn't see his face, but Kristoff, assuming the worse, went on the defense: He grabbed the person hard on the shoulder and slammed him into the wall, first ready pound him in the face.
"Alright, who are you?!" he demanded, waiting for an excuse to break his nose.
"Kristoff! Are you nuts?! It's me!" cried a female voice.
Kristoff couldn't make out her face in the dark, but the ice cold chill running up the arm he had her pinned with gave her way.
"Elsa?" he asked, widening his eyes, trying to make out her face. When his eyes adjusted, he could see a panic stricken face, facing his raised fist.
"Oh my gosh! What have I done?" he asked himself, releasing Elsa from his vice-like grip. She was still leaning against the wall, wide-eyed as she recovered to her senses. Kristoff, however, was immediately filled with both regret and embarrassment.
"I am so sorry! I thought you were an intruder or something. Are you OK?"
Elsa raised her right arm, the one Kristoff grabbed, and swung it around. "I'm fine. Sheez, next time, make sure it's a stranger before you scare someone half to death!"
"Sorry" he repeated with regret.
"It's OK" she said, relieved that nothing was broken. "No harm done. What are you doing out here anyway?"
"I was looking for Anna, she wasn't in bed."
"I just saw her, she was in the kitchen."
"Again?" he asked. "She's been eating a ton lately. Where does she put it all?"
Elsa just shrugged her shoulders.
"Well" he said, looking to the side. "At least she's fine."
"Don't worry about intruders; I've doubled the guard. It's almost impossible for anyone to get in without getting caught."
Kristoff breathed out. "Thanks, and sorry for almost knocking your teeth out."
Elsa widened her eyes a bit, suddenly worried about her teeth. "Well, I'm glad to have a tough mountain man for a brother-in-law."
Elsa began walking back to her room, head hung low. Kristoff already knew what was eating her.
"Hey, don't worry about Jase, or this business in Berglia. Things have always worked out, and they always will. I promise."
Elsa turned around. "Thanks" he said, the walked away. Kristoff went off to find his crazy wife.
The next morning, Jase and his companions finally caught site of the Castle of Arendelle as they reached a hilltop. It was early morning, and
"Well, there it is" he said, pointing it out to Gideon and Gertrude. "Arendelle."
Gideon looked upon the small kingdom, nestled between the mountains.
"It's beautiful" said Gertrude. "It reminds me of home."
Gideon nodded. "Yes. It is beautiful, Sirs Jase and Isaac, but we must get going."
"I understand" said Jase. "I Els...Queen Elsa needs to hear this immediately."
With that, they road down to Arendelle.
"Your Majesty?" asked Kai, knocking on Elsa's door.
Elsa was sleeping lightly, her anxiety keeping her up, so she answered almost immediately and alertly. "Yes?"
"Sirs Jase and Isaac have returned. They have brought guests."
Elsa nearly killed herself getting out of bed, quickly putting on the first dress she found, and ran downstairs.
She ran down the halls, quickly making her way to the stairs, almost pulling an Anna by sliding down the railings, but decided against it. Entering the main hall at the entrance. There, she saw Jase, Isaac, and two people she did not recognize.
"Jase!" she exclaimed, running to greet them.
"Elsa?" he asked in surprise as she ran up to him, embracing him. He simply froze there, to shocked to move.
Standing beside the perplexed Gideon and Gertrude, Isaac leaned over. "If you knew their history, this would even be more awkward!" he whispered.
Realizing the awkwardness of it all, and especially since there were guests, she quickly puled away, trying to compose herself.
"Um, I mean, we're glad you're back. We've been worried ever since we heard about Berglia, we expected the worse" she said, trying to sound professional.
"Well, we're fine. Thank you for your concern, your majesty" Jase greeted simply. In truth, he was glad to see her too, but he wouldn't show it. Remembering that they had distinguished guests...
"Oh, (clears throat) Queen Elsa, let me introduce King Gideon of Berglia, and former Queen Gertude" he said, taking his professional stance.
Surprised, Elsa quickly curtsied. "Your Majesty... I, what a surprise...welcome to Arendelle."
"The pleasure is mine, your Majesty" said Gideon, bowing respectively. "We are thankful for your hospitality, especially in light of recent events."
Elsa nodded. "I heard, I'm sorry for what happened. Arendelle will be honored to help in anyway... Tell me, is your sister, really like me?"
"Kira" said the king quietly. "She, that monster, made her do this..."
"It's not her fault!" exclaimed Gertrude. "She's being made to do this!"
Elsa nodded. "I believe you. I know what it's like to be used. I promise, we will do whatever it takes to defeat this Lars and save Kira."
Gideon nodded. "Thank you, your Majesty."
"Your welcome...and please, call me Elsa. You must be exhausted. I'll have Kai find you some rooms, then I'll assemble a council meeting and we can discuss our next course of action."
"Thank you, Elsa. Berglia will be forever indebted to you" he said as Kai escorted them to there rooms. Elsa was now alone with Isaac and Jase.
"Oh, I'm fine, by the way" said Isaac, trying not too sound offended, although he technically was.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm glad to see you too! Thank you, both of you, you made the right choice bringing them here..." she turned serious. "...Is it true, about the princess?"
"I saw her with my own eyes" said Jase. "She used her magic very similar to how you used yours."
"It was pretty scary, let me tell you" said Isaac. "She was like...like..."
"Me?" she asked, referring to the time she was under influence of the dark mirror.
"Well, yeah, like you. Then, not now. Now you're nice and stuff!"
"I get it!" she said. "I'm just glad you two are safe."
Jase smiled. "And I'm glad to hear you are safe too. Lars personally made threats against you..."
"I heard. We have to discuss this at the meeting" said Elsa. "In the meantime, can you two keep an eye out for suspicious activities?"
"I'm always on alert" said Isaac confidently. "I'm completely aware of everything around..."
"Hey, you guys are home!" said Olaf, creeping up behind him.
"AAAH!" screamed, Isaac, kicking Olaf's head clear across the room. "oh snap! I'm coming little buddy!" said Isaac as he and Olaf's body went after Olaf's head, leaving Jase and Elsa alone. After a few moments of awkward silence, Jase finally broke it.
"So, how are things here?"
"Oh, same old" she said nervously. "I, I was just, worried, about you, both of you, after I heard what happened."
Jase nodded. "I was worried too, for you."
Elsa blushed. "Well, thanks" she said. She then turned to leave.
"Elsa" he called back, causing her to turn. "I know this is a bad time, but it's been two weeks, and we have barely spoken to each other."
"I know" she sighed. "I'm sorry."
"It's OK. Elsa, we never talked about why we broke up."
"Jase, I told you, it wasn't..."
"I don't want to hear that excuse" he said, trying not to snap. "I know there's something else."
Elsa paused for a moment. She had told him simply that it wasn't working out, but she knew deep down that he wasn't buying it. She was too embarrassed to tell him to his face, but she had been doing so good with conquering her fears as of late; she wasn't going to stop now.
Psyching herself up, she breathed in...
"Jase, a few weeks ago, I overheard something you said to Isaac, about us..."
Jase nodded. "You know?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to ease-drop" she said, beginning to ramble on about what she heard...
(Three weeks prior)
Elsa was walking through the castle, making her way to the knights quarters. It was early morning, and she wanted to take Jase on a picnic. She was quiet, wanting to scare him, as she usually did. nearing Jase's room, she couldn't help but overhear Jase talking to Isaac.
"...So, this is it then?" said Isaac's voice.
"Yep. I got it for her two days ago."
Elsa paused. It wasn't in her nature to snoop, but she guessed it was about her, so, she stood still."
"I can't believe it; my best friend is kicking the bucket!"
Elsa's eyes went wide.
"It's called jumping the broom, you goof!"
"Eh, Potato, potato!"
Elsa sighed in relief, then went wide eyed again when she put together "jumping to broom."
"Isaac, come on. Marriage is a good thing! Two people, joined together, forever."
"Yep, defiantly kicking the bucket!"
Elsa heard a thud.
"I'm kidding! Yes, I know it's a beautiful thing. I'm happy for you, buddy! Just know who the best man is!"
"I know, thanks for everything, friend."
Elsa's heart started pumping like crazy. At first, it was excitement. Then quickly, dread. She started breathing hard, trying to fight back the ice forming at her feet. All she could feel was fear, that she was not ready for this. It took Anna almost two years to marry after meeting Kristoff she thought, and she had only been with Jase for less than a year. She tried to find reason in her head, but all she could think was "not ready, not ready, not ready." She had not even considered to possibility of marriage. With Anna and Kristoff expecting an heir, she wasn't required. She had figured that if things went far enough with Jase, that it would happen.
"But now that it was upon her, she realized how ill prepared she was emotionally for it.
"So, when are you going to ask?"
"Sometime this week."
Elsa started fleeing back, not wanting to be discovered.
Later that day, she approached Jase, and told him that she felt they weren't going anywhere, that she wanted to be friends. It was a lame excuse, but it was all she could think of. Without another word, she left him, a ring-box hidden in he pocket.
"...Jase, I'm so sorry!..." she said, finishing rambling on how she eased dropped and broke his heart and...
"Elsa, I knew."
Elsa stopped. "Wait, what?"
"I know that you know, that that was the reason you broke it off."
"But, how did you...?"
"I saw ice on the floor after I left the room. You only make ice like that when you're scared."
Elsa dropped her head, smacking herself internally. "Jase..."
"Why didn't you just tell me?"
Elsa slowly looked up, meeting his eyes. "I was ashamed. I, I didn't want to break your heart if you proposed. I didn't want to hurt you."
"Didn't want to hurt me? You're already killing me!" he said, exasperated.
Elsa turned, face red with anguish. Letting it go Jase put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I, I shouldn't be mad at your decision, I was just, mad that you didn't tell me."
Elsa turned to him. "Thanks for understanding. Jase, I'm sorry, but I can't marry you, not for a while anyway. I'm not ready for that yet, please understand..."
"I understand" he said, trying to hide that fact that he wasn't happy about it.
"(sniff) So, can we be friends then?"
Jase breathed in. "No."
"No?"
"Elsa, I can't be your friend."
Elsa took a step back.
"I'll protect you, serve you, and be there for you, but I love you too much to be your friend" he said. "I'll respect your decision, but asking me to be your friend is too much. I'm sorry" he said, then turned to leave.
Elsa stood there. After it sunk in, she forced herself to return to her room and change; it was time to make a decision regarding Berglia.
Mr. Robert, the supposed messenger from Hordaland, was in his guest room, walked over to his bag and went through the clothing. At the bottom, covered in a cover of leather, he pulled out his miniature crossbow. Taking the pieces and assembling them, he whistled to himself.
Cliffhanger!
So, if you're a fan of Good Luck Charley or Boy Meets World, you'll notice that I stole some lines from that show in the last few lines of Jase and Elsa's conversation. Sorry for a momentary lack of creativity.
Let me know what you think of the relationship struggle between Elsa and Jase. I'm not sure if I'm capturing it well enough.
Review!
