Since the day of my birth, my death began its walk. It is walking toward me, without hurrying.
- Jean Cocteau
x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x
It had been a week since the burial. No one except Gerda had seen Queen Elsa since she had returned to the castle and disappeared into her room. Gerda brought her meals and took the mostly untouched food back to the kitchen afterward.
Today the Royal Council was meeting only because she hadn't sent any messages to them that it wasn't, but they didn't really know whether to expect their queen to appear or not. They sat at the table speaking softly about the recent events. Suddenly the main door swung open and Elsa walked in and sat down. She didn't seem to notice that they were too stunned to rise and bow as was proper.
Her skin was sallow, dark circles under her eyes highlighted the gaunt hollows of her cheeks. She had been slender before, but she had clearly lost weight. Admiral Naismith caught Bishop Norgaard's eye and shook his head in a minute movement too small for anyone to notice if they had not been looking for it. He could tell that Elsa was – unwell.
She looked around the table, her expression showing no emotion, no feeling. She could have been ready to discuss the latest fishing harvest instead of the macabre events of the recent days. "We will skip the usual agenda items. Admiral, what of those animals that attempted this vile treason?"
Naismith cleared his throat and opened the leather dispatch case that lay on the table in front of him. "Your Majesty, this man using the name 'Saint-Just' was so demoralized by what you did to Pierre that he was almost hysterical trying to tell us everything we wanted to know," Naismith began. "It appears that Baron Thorstad was in fact engaged in treason, just not the same treasonous conspiracy that Pierre tried to pull off. What Thorstad thought they were doing was a plan to kill Master Bjorgman, then kill you and several other high officials in an effort to put Princess Anna on the throne and have a suitor favorable to them comfort her in her grief and presumably become her consort."
Elsa's thoughts twisted her face in a rictus of rage that startled the men at the table, "These men were evil, completely indifferent to human life. And the only person they succeeded in murdering was Anna." Out loud, she asked, "If that wasn't the real plan, what was Pierre's actual motivation?" Her voice was low, almost a growl.
Naismith's expression was grim. "It seems that Monsieur Rob S. Pierre was an unreconstructed Montagnard, one of those brutal fanatics that made the Reign of Terror such a terrible stain on the French Revolution. He felt that his father, who died in the reaction to the Reign of Terror, had been betrayed. Pierre was only ten when his father died, and swore vengeance on all royalty. He's apparently spent the last 30 years murdering his way through several realms. Saint-Just couldn't even give us a good estimate of how many people they had killed over that period of time."
Elsa leaned back and put her head against the chair back, her eyes squeezed shut, her hands gripping the arms of her chair so hard they were bloodless. "Murdering fanatics: the flotsam of the horrors that have convulsed Europe for fifty years, and they had to wash up on our shores. Oh, Anna."
There was silence in the room; finally the Admiral spoke up. "Your Majesty? What should we do with them?"
Elsa leaned forward. "Do, Admiral? If I were to indulge myself they would all be hanged in the morning."
The fury in her voice and the bitterness of her expression frightened them. They were wondering when the next winter would begin. They were wondering why it hadn't already.
She visibly struggled to get herself under control. "But that would be vengeance, not justice. I cannot bring myself to be just to the men who murdered my sister." She looked at the Admiral. "Their crimes could be considered piracy, am I correct?"
Naismith's eyes narrowed as he weighed what she was asking. "Yes, Your Majesty, they could."
"Then try them in the Admiralty court as pirates. I leave them to you for justice." The word was an ugly expletive from her lips. She rose, and this time they had the presence of mind to stand and bow to her as she swept out of the room.
No one spoke for a long moment after the Queen left. No one breathed for a long moment after she left.
Bishop Norgaard finally asked, "What will you do, Mikael?"
"Do, Henrik? Why, we shall give them a fair trial, a scrupulously fair trial. And then we will hang the murderers and imprison the rest. Or ship them back to other kingdoms that wish to try them for crimes committed there, as our Queen has ordered." Naismith shrugged. "It's better than they deserve, but life is full of little disappointments. I wouldn't be as kind as she is, if it were up to me. Keelhauling is too good for those scum, much less hanging. Things like this foul crime make me wish that drawing and quartering hadn't gone out of fashion."
Torbjørn Solheim reacted to this with a start. "Really, Admiral Naismith, how barbaric."
Naismith eyes were gunmetal gray. They bored into Solheim's like the cannon on his flagship. "Barbaric, Solheim? Not nearly barbaric enough, in my opinion."
"Harrumph. She is being arbitrary." Solheim sputtered.
"On the contrary; she is not being arbitrary, she is being merciful. Remember, Solheim, the laws of Arendelle give the monarch the power of High and Low justice over every man, woman and child in this realm, citizen or visitor. Those laws still hold; it is only the willingness of the monarchy to delegate their power to the courts that gives the courts any authority at all."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that she could have decreed that every last one of those animals be put to death in the most gruesome way known to man and it would be legal. And that there would be volunteers lined up from here to the North Mountain to carry out that decree. She is not the only one in this kingdom who loved Princess Anna."
Solheim looked nauseated. Naismith and the Bishop left the chamber, followed closely by the rest of them.
x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x
Kristoff had spent almost three weeks away from Arendelle. He harvested ice until he was so tired he could sleep without seeing Anna in his dreams. That took two weeks. Then he went back to visit his family. They all knew what had happened; Kristoff had come to them the very first night. So they didn't greet him with their usual carefree exuberance. Instead they left him alone with his foster parents and GrandPabbie.
"Kristoff, how are you?" Bulda looked at her adopted son with her soft gray eyes. Like every mother in the history of the world, she felt the pain that her child felt in her own heart. Additionally, Anna had visited the trolls quite often and had become known and loved by them. She was missed in her own right, not just because Kristoff was miserable in his grief over her death.
He sat on one of the ledges and put his head in his hands. "Not sure. The bad dreams have slowed down some. Don't think they'll ever stop. But I can sleep without waking up screaming her name." He looked up at the three trolls around him. "Pabbie, please tell me I'll heal."
"You will probably heal. But it will take time; your love for Anna was new, but it was deep and profound. It will take time for the pain to diminish. Cherish her memory, Kristoff. Remember the good times you had together." Pabbie reached out to gently place his hand on Kristoff's knee. He was sorry that this man, his adopted grandson, had to bear so much pain. He was even sorrier for the reason he had to. Anna had been a unique light in the world bringing happiness to so many people. Her death and the sorrow it brought was devastating to Kristoff, and he knew it could be deadly to Anna's sister, and even dangerous to Arendelle. "Share those memories with Elsa; shared grief is diminished, it will help both of you."
Kristoff just nodded glumly. Elsa. It was time to get back to Arendelle.
x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x
In the weeks that followed Elsa was never seen outside the castle and she never came out of her room or her study except for council meetings. She had also returned to the 'three hours once a month' Council meeting schedule that she had kept when she was still trying to hide her powers. She had been less lonely then, at least Anna could be heard through the bedroom door or glimpsed through the windows. Now she was entirely alone. She spent her days alone and her nights alone. She took her meals alone – when she remembered to eat.
At the June meeting, Admiral Naismith brought up a topic they had discussed among themselves. He was the only one willing to face Elsa's wrath if she reacted badly.
"That concludes this month's agenda. Thank you, gentlemen." Elsa made to stand up and leave when Naismith interrupted her.
"I must beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but we would like to ask your indulgence for two additional topics before we adjourn."
She didn't react except to sit down again. "Do go on, Admiral."
"Ahem ... Next month will be one year since your coronation. We wanted to explore the possibility of a cele – "
"No." Elsa's voice was harsh and firm. "There is nothing to celebrate."
After a moment of silence, Naismith continued, "Of course. Then there is one more minor detail. We have not yet filled the vacancy left by the murder of Baron Thorstad. Do you have any opinions on candidates to join us?"
The Council members could suggest candidates, but only Elsa could decide to appoint someone to her Royal Council. Under the circumstances, no one felt comfortable making suggestions of their own.
Elsa was taken aback. She hadn't even considered the need to fill the vacancy on the Council. Now that the subject was brought up, she had to think who would be a good candidate. One name occurred to her, but she was not sure the man would accept the appointment.
"Yes, I do have a name in mind. But I will need to ask if they would be willing to serve," she finally said. "If they agree, I will introduce them to you next month."
"Your Majesty, may we ask who – "
"No, you may not. This meeting is adjourned." This time Elsa did leave. She went looking for Kai.
Finding Kai in the kitchen, she approached him to ask if he knew where Kristoff was. Sven was still stabled in the castle, and Kristoff still slept in a room in the grooms' quarters, refusing accommodations in the castle's residence wing. Elsa felt a sharp stab of guilt that she had not spoken to him since Anna's funeral. She was not the only one still mourning her sister's loss.
Kai replied, "Your Majesty, I believe that Kristoff is in town today for Ice Guild business. Would you like to send for him?"
"Yes, Kai. But make it an invitation for dinner. I have sadly neglected Kristoff and I wouldn't blame him for being angry with me. If he refuses the invitation, request that he come by tomorrow to speak to me."
"Of course, Your Majesty. Do you have any special requests for dinner?"
"No, anything that you know Kristoff enjoys is fine. I'll be in my study. Please let me know what his answer is when it arrives."
Several hours later, Elsa was broken out of yet another melancholy reverie of self-blame for Anna's death by a knock on her study door. "Your Majesty? Master Bjorgman is here for dinner. He's waiting in the small dining room."
Getting up from her seat on the window bay she went to the door and opened it, startling Kai. "Thank you, Kai. I'll join him immediately."
At the door to the dining room she hesitated. Was he angry? Would he even want to speak to her? He was her last link to her sister; it was unfair to him, it felt like she was using him, but he was the only person she felt comfortable talking about Anna with. She decided he wouldn't have come for dinner if he was terribly angry with her. She gathered her courage and went in.
Kristoff was looking out the window, hands clasped behind his back. He turned when he heard the door open. "Elsa. Uh, how are you doing?"
"No, Kristoff, I'm the one who should be asking that. I owe you an apology, an abject apology. I've neglected you and Sven, selfishly forgetting that I am not the only one grieving. Can I hope that you'll forgive me?" she asked in a shaky voice, managing to hold back her tears.
He approached her, not really sure if it was proper, but he could see she was in pain and there was one thing he had learned from Olaf: warm hugs helped with pain. He held his arms open, watching to see if she would recoil and pull away. Instead he found himself holding a sobbing woman dripping tears on his tunic. He rested his cheek on the top of her head as he hugged her. "Shhh...it's okay, Elsa. It's okay."
They remained in that pose until Elsa was able to compose herself. She pulled back a little and looked up at him. "Thank you. Thank you for understanding." She wiped her cheeks and sniffled. "Let's sit. And get caught up."
He held her chair for her; he had learned some etiquette from Anna before she … he squelched that thought and sat across from Elsa. The table was small – just the right size for four people. He reflected on the three ghosts that were surely there with them and thought, "Miss you, Feisty Pants. Don't ever think I don't."
It had been almost two months since the funeral. Just enough time that Anna was no longer in every thought he had, just enough time that he was no longer reminded of her by everything he saw as he walked through Arendelle. He glanced at Elsa and knew that it was worse for her – she had to spend every minute of her day surrounded by Anna's spirit. He remembered Pabbie's words and realized they were wise. Kristoff and Elsa shared a love for Anna; they had both lost the most precious thing in their lives. Maybe shared memories could help them both heal.
After a meal filled with small talk about what Kristoff and Sven had been up to, business of the ice guild, and even Sven/Olaf antics, the two of them sat drinking coffee after dessert. Elsa was clearly a thousand miles away now, her eyes focused somewhere over Kristoff's shoulder, a melancholy silence filling the room. Kristoff cleared his throat and brought her attention back to him.
"Elsa, it's been good to see you again. I should have been around more for you, can we make this something regular? It doesn't have to be a meal, just … visiting. Maybe watching Sven and Olaf terrorize the Town Watch. I … hate the thought that you're all alone," Kristoff said.
She replied, "Actually, Kristoff, one of the reasons I asked you to come was to see if you were willing to do something for me."
"Anything, Elsa. You know that."
"Ah, this may be something you won't be very enthused about." She paused, then went on before she lost the courage to ask him, "I would like to appoint you to my Royal Advisory Council."
"You're right," he said slowly. "That doesn't sound like my cup of tea." He looked at her, trying to read her thoughts. "Why do you think I would be someone that should be on the Council?"
"I trust you. You're the Master of an important guild, even if it is relatively new. You know a lot about what is going on in the kingdom. And … I trust you," She finished lamely.
There was a rather long silence. Kristoff was thinking and Elsa wasn't going to push him into a hasty decision. He finally looked at her and said, "Alright. I'll do it. Elsa breathed a sigh of thanks. "What do I need to do?"
"Thank you. I … know I am asking a lot of you. The duties are simple, for all their importance. You need to attend the monthly Council meeting, Kai can give you the schedule. Each member receives an agenda one week in advance, with notations on items that will require action or a vote at the meeting; that way the members can study up on the issue."
Kristoff nodded and frowned in thought. Finally he said, "Speaking of studying, I'll need to do some. My 'education' is real world, not book learning."
Elsa thought back to all the times her father had used those same words as he was training her to follow him in ruling Arendelle. She chuckled mirthlessly and said, "Kristoff, 'real world' is why I need someone like you. If you feel you require any background information on anything, all you have to do is ask Kai. He'll arrange anything you want. For that matter, I'm sure Bishop Norgaard and Admiral Naismith would be glad to help you as well."
He nodded. "Okay, now you need to do something for me."
Quizzically, she asked, "What?"
"Eat more. Sleep more. I can tell that you haven't been. I get why you aren't, and I may not be the most tactful person in the world, but you look awful." He reached across the table to lay his hand on hers. "Please, Elsa, you need to take care of yourself. For her. You know she'd be kicking you across the courtyard if she saw you like this."
Elsa looked into his warm brown eyes and managed to nod. "I know," she whispered. "I'll … I'll try. But, Kristoff, I miss her so much!" The welling tears began to run down her cheeks. Kristoff patted her hand and waited for her to pull herself together. His own stoicism kept him from any more overt gesture, lest he break down as well. He berated himself for the weakness he couldn't show her.
Eventually she was able to wipe her eyes and say, "Thank you. Again. My Royal Ice Master and Deliverer." She even managed a tiny smile. He smiled back.
x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x
Kristoff was introduced to the rest of the Council at the next monthly meeting. Admiral Naismith and Bishop Norgaard approved and welcomed him warmly. The other four members of the Council were not as enthusiastic. Some because they looked down on 'commoners' such as Kristoff. Some just didn't know him very well. But it was Elsa's prerogative to appoint anyone at all that she chose for her Council, so it wasn't subject to a vote. She could have appointed Olaf ... or Sven, and they couldn't have objected.
By winter, Kristoff had been serving on the Council for six months. It was real winter, not the Elsa variety. He had surprised himself by being comfortable with the job. He had to work hard to prepare for some topics, but Elsa had been right when she had told him he could get help. Kai, Norgaard and Naismith had all been happy to help, as eventually had others on the council. And Kristoff was an intelligent man, quick-witted and clever, even if he lacked credentials from formal schooling.
The latest meeting was winding down; they had finished the last agenda item and Kristoff began tidying up his notes to stuff them into the leather bag he used as a briefcase. Torbjørn Solheim cleared his throat rather loudly and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to discuss one further item, if it pleases you."
Kristoff rolled his eyes and tried not to be too obvious about it. Solheim was a pretentious prig who had made it plain that Kristoff was beneath his notice and was unfit to be on the Council with his 'betters'. Kristoff wondered why Elsa didn't just kick the man off the Council; he annoyed her regularly. Whatever he wanted to talk about, Kristoff was sure it wouldn't please her.
"Yes, Mister Solheim?" Elsa replied. She had her 'Queen pretending to pay attention' look on her face. Kristoff recognized it even if the rest of them didn't. Although he suspected Naismith and the Bishop recognized it, too. They had their "Again? You idiot..." faces on.
"Your Majesty, I reluctantly ask that we consider the matter of your heir - " He began, but never finished.
"No." Elsa cut him off with a sharp slap on the table. "I have told you before, this is not something that I will discuss in Council. This meeting is adjourned!" She stood and left before they had a chance to rise and bow as was customary. The door slammed behind her and Kristoff noticed that the table had iced over where she slapped it. Not good.
"Hmmph. She needs to consider Arendelle, not her own selfish wishes," Solheim spluttered.
Kristoff winced as he realized that idiot or not, Solheim was actually correct about the kingdom's need for an heir. If anything happened to Elsa, there was no clear line of succession and fifty years of recent history in Europe had shown all the bloodshed and sundry other nastiness that could result from such a situation. But Kristoff knew the pain Elsa would feel as she considered WHY there was the need for an heir, and how she would probably just spiral down another vortex of self-blame and guilt for what had happened to Anna.
The Admiral's eyes narrowed and a deep frown appeared as he spoke, "Solheim, shut up. Just ... shut up. Unless you are interested in a meeting on the field of honor." The glare he sent Solheim's way would have caused seasoned officers to tremble in their boots. Kristoff was worried that Kai would have to mop the floor under Solheim's chair from the way he cringed at the Admiral's words.
Solheim gathered his papers and left the room, closely followed by the other three Council members, at least one of whom nodded knowingly at the Admiral. They had no use for their fellow, either, it seemed.
Kristoff finished stuffing his notes into his bag and got up to leave.
"Kristoff!" Bishop Norgaard called his name. He and the Admiral had turned from where they were almost out the door.
"Yes, Your Grace?" Kristoff was always courteous.
"Would you join the Admiral and me for dinner?" asked the Bishop.
"Wait, what?" Kristoff sputtered. "Me? Dinner, with you guys?" They had treated him well in Council, but they had never mixed on a social basis. Even as the Master of a Guild, Kristoff's social standing was well below that of these two men.
"Yes," Naismith replied. "At the Bishop's home. We have something we need to discuss, privately."
"Ooookay. Tonight?" Kristoff asked.
"If that's convenient, 7 o'clock?" Norgaard said.
"Sure, 7 is fine. I'll be there." Kristoff was puzzled as to what they would want to discuss with him. He shrugged and put it out of his mind and headed for the Guild Hall.
x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x
"Nils, that was a wonderful meal. You can leave the brandy and coffee, and we'll take care of ourselves for the rest of the evening," Norgaard was speaking to his butler as he and his guests walked to his study to enjoy the warm fire and comfortable chairs.
Kristoff was wondering when the big reveal would come. The three men had chatted amiably over dinner but it had been more or less routine gossip about events in the kingdom, questions about ice harvesting, and some review of rather mundane items that had been discussed in Council. Nothing that would make sense for the Bishop to invite him to dinner.
They settled into their chairs, each with a snifter of brandy. The Admiral raised his and said, "Gentlemen, the Queen! Long may she reign!"
"The Queen!" answered Kristoff and the Bishop, then drained their glasses as Naismith did. The Bishop poured them all refills and they settled back and watched the crackling fire for a few moments. The Admiral stirred and turned to Kristoff.
"Here it comes. Wonder what 'it' is?" Kristoff thought to himself.
He almost dropped his brandy snifter when the Admiral said, "Kristoff, do you love Queen Elsa?"
"What!?" Kristoff slapped the side of his head to clear his ears. He must be hallucinating, or the brandy was far more intoxicating than one glass should be. "What kind of question is that?"
"A question of the future of Arendelle," replied the Bishop, a glum look on his face.
Kristoff was surprised, but Bulda hadn't raised a slow kid. "You're talking about that 'heir' business, aren't you?" Kristoff demanded. He couldn't believe they were having this conversation.
"Yes. Solheim is an ass, but he's not wrong about this. Even a broken clock is right twice a day," Naismith said. He was looking intently at Kristoff. "She needs to marry, Kristoff. Arendelle needs her to marry and produce an heir."
"I can't believe you two, of all people, would try to force her into ..." Kristoff responded angrily.
Naismith cut him off with a gesture. "Not force, never that. But … that's why we asked you the question. She trusts you."
"She would never marry a stranger." Norgaard again. They were taking turns working Kristoff over.
"Wait, what?! You're suggesting that I marry her?" Kristoff spluttered. He was beyond astonishment. They would have surprised him less if they had suggested he married Sven.
"Yes." A simple affirmative from the Bishop.
"Trusting me is one thing, marrying me is another! What makes you think she'd even entertain the idea in a million years? And what makes you think I would agree to it, anyway?" Kristoff was working himself into an indignant temper.
"We think you would think about it if you loved her," said Naismith.
"I DO love her, but not THAT way. I love her like a brother. I would have been her brother, if Anna … if ..." he choked and couldn't finish the sentence.
"But from that kind of love, perhaps something else can grow," Naismith explained. "Kristoff, most royals have no love in their marriages, just political expediency. Her parents had love, and the late King had intended that there would be marriages of love for his daughters, he was adamant about that. For that matter, Elsa would have blessed your engagement to Anna for the same reason; she was determined that Anna have a marriage of love, not politics."
Kristoff glowered at Norgaard. "Wasn't it your turn?" He asked the man. The Bishop shrugged.
"Give me more of that brandy," Kristoff held out his snifter to the Bishop to refill, then drained the glass in one swallow. He needed the buzz. Maybe it would drown out the insane conversation going on in his head. He was horrified to discover he was actually considering what the two older men were telling him; considering it as if it was possible, not something that could never be.
"The kingdom would go crazy; an ice harvester, a commoner, married to the Queen? Fathering the next heir to the throne?" he protested. "Look at the sneers at me when I was appointed to the Council!"
Norgaard shook his head, "Kristoff, if Anna had lived, a common ice harvester was going to be the father of the next heir to the throne of Arendelle anyway. Elsa had no intention of marrying and having children; she was content to let the succession pass through Anna," The bishop waited for Kristoff's realization. "Through you."
Kristoff was stunned. He had never thought about that. He had assumed that Elsa would eventually marry and have children of her own. Now that he had it spelled out like that, what the Bishop said made perfect sense. He had been blind not to see it. He groaned and put his face in his hands.
Norgaard and Naismith let him mull it over; they knew they were hitting him with something overwhelming.
Eventually Kristoff looked up at them and asked, "So, how do you see this working? The next time I have dinner with her, I just casually ask, 'Hey, Elsa, how about you and I get married? The kingdom needs an heir.' I'd wind up an ice sculpture in the garden with pigeons on my head."
"Ah, that's probably not the best way to approach it, no." Naismith said.
Kristoff glared at him. "You're a big help."
Norgaard said, "Kristoff, this is something you'll have to figure out. To start, you have to decide if this is something you're willing to do. We aren't asking this frivolously. To say that this is something that will disrupt your life is an understatement. Far more than a marriage to the Princess would have – you will be immediately thrown into the politics of ruling the kingdom at your wife's side. And even if you decide you are willing to take on this burden, there's no guarantee that she'll go along with it."
"And what if she doesn't?" demanded Kristoff.
"Then this kingdom's monarchy will probably end with her. There are only distant cousins left in the succession. And, worse, I'm not sure her reign will be long. We can only hope the transition to some other form of governance won't devolve into the sort of chaos we've seen elsewhere in the last 50 years." Naismith's face was bleak.
"What do you mean 'her reign won't be long'?" Kristoff was trying not to understand what the Admiral was saying.
Naismith looked at him with sorrow, "I mean, I'm afraid she won't live much longer. You see her more than we do. She's probably more open with you than anyone else on this earth. What do you see in her eyes, Kristoff?"
Kristoff felt sick to his stomach, "I see … despair. I see a grief so profound I'm surprised she gets out of bed every day. I see someone who's alive out of habit."
"Just so," Norgaard agreed. "She's wasting away. Some morning in the dark before the dawn her body will decide it's too much effort to keep breathing and that will be the end of Queen Elsa, and God help Arendelle."
There was no sound in the study but the crackling of the fire and the occasional 'snap' as it burned through a knot in a log.
Eventually, Kristoff got to his feet and looked at the two men who had turned his world upside down.
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet. I need to go talk this over with my family." He bowed slightly to the Bishop and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Your Grace." Then he left.
Norgaard looked to Naismith with a puzzled look and said, "Family? I though he was an orphan."
Naismith said, "He is; he was adopted by trolls. The same trolls that Agdar went to for help when Anna was hurt by Elsa fourteen years ago. Kristoff was there that night; he saw the eldest troll cure Anna; then he took her back there the night Elsa hurt her again at the Ice Palace since he knew they had helped her once before."
"I hope they give him good advice."
"So do I, Henrik, so do I."
x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x
"So, that's the story, Grandpabbie. It's the craziest idea I've ever heard. Me, marry Elsa? Ha!" Kristoff had related the entire narrative to Pabbie, Cliff and Bulda. He waited for them to laugh. And waited. No one laughed.
"Pabbie?"
"Kristoff, I cannot tell you what to do. Matters of the heart are no trifles. Anna's death left two shattered hearts to struggle with their loss," Pabbie clearly meant both Kristoff and Elsa.
"But ... But ..." Kristoff was flustered. His family had always known what to do. Bulda just patted his knee.
"I can only suggest one thing, Kristoff," Pabbie said. "Sometimes, the shards of two shattered hearts can be pieced together to build something new. But the heart is not easily persuaded, it will not be easy or painless." Pabbie finished.
"Tell me about it," Kristoff groaned. He had never been good with words. How could he find the words to heal Elsa, to persuade her to go on living, living with him?
~ to be continued ~
Not to worry - I am NOT going to let Elsa die from grief. One major character death is all that I can handle. She and Kristoff will get through this, and eventually heal, together.