Chapter Four - Stay
The morning sun was diffuse through the windowpanes of Anna's bedroom. The softness of the light upon the Princess' eyelids was the first indication of wakefulness. The next was the rather abrupt knock on the door.
"Princess Anna?" the voice asked.
For goodness sake, couldn't they just let her sleep? Anna yawned and rose slightly from her bed. "Who is it?" she asked, the name of her steward escaping her for just a wee little second.
"Just me, madam. Time to get up and get dressed."
"No, no. Don't worry, I've been awake for hours," she murmured, and then the memories actually returned to her. She whirled about in her bed, seeking the person who should have been there, but there were only rumpled bedsheets and a spare pillow.
Did she only dream what had happened the night before?
"Elsa?" she murmured, her hands to her wild and unruly hair. She had the dimmest recollection of being led to her chamber by her older sister, and Elsa had actually lain down right beside her. She blushed even as she scoured the emptiness of her room. There was no one in sight.
"Excuse me, madam?" came the ultra-familiar voice of her most loyal Steward, Kai. She could nearly fold the last few days into a small package and believe that today would be the same as all the others. She very much remembered four days ago when Kai had woken her with the reminder of Elsa's coronation.
She brushed back her unruly hair and said in a voice much more regal and hopefully Princessy, "I'm awake, Kai, thank you. Do I have any appointments?"
"Your sister, Queen Elsa, bids you join her for brunch in the small common area near the kitchens," came the reply.
Brunch?
Anna's gaze quickly found the clock and determined that yes indeed, it was time for brunch. And Elsa was expecting her.
Wait, what?
"Elsa, wait, I mean… Queen Elsa wishes to see me for brunch?" Anna asked.
"Yes, your highness. Time to get dressed!"
Anna practically catapulted from her bed and to the wardrobe. She could hear Kai's low chuckle outside the door, fading as he moved away from her door.
What to wear, what to wear?
No, too ordinary. Too boring. Too… last year. Wasn't there anything in here that could even remotely resemble the far and exquisite beauty of her older sister?
No, no no. Just the same dresses, whether bearing ornaments of flying leopards or frozen butterflies, or patterns of their Norse heritage, or composed of the most calming shades of green and blue, oh such cerulean blue, like a summer breeze! Anna pulled down a summer dress of varying shades of blue. If she knew anything about her sister at all, it was that blue was her favourite colour.
Wait, was blue Elsa's favourite colour? Or should Anna wear her accustomed green? Maybe some purple, that was for royalty, wasn't it?
Flying into the blue dress with the assistance of a summoned servant to help her with the laces, Anna finally stood before a large mirror, gazing with exasperation at the image betrayed in the flawless and polished steel.
She didn't have a streak of white in her hair anymore. And she missed it. Pigtails again? What was she, fourteen? Wouldn't she ever grow up?
Anna couldn't wait to find out. She had her hair plaited into those habitual braids, smoothed her dress one last time, and then took off like a shot out of her bedroom door.
There were workmen swarming every hallway and room, bringing order back to frost-tangled timbers. Anna chewed her lower lip as she passed by them, unaware until that point of just how much damage there was.
She smoothed out her hair and straightened her blue dress one last time as she neared the little room they had used the previous evening. She was surprised to find that she was almost nervous about seeing Elsa again, wondering what incarnation of the Queen she would encounter: friend, sister, ruler?
She burst into the room and quenched her fears with one look. Yes, Elsa was every inch a queen, though she bore no tiara upon her head, but the open and giving smile was every inch a sister, a smile that rapidly turned into a grin. "I'm sorry to have woken you," Elsa said, rising from her place near the swept fireplace, setting down a sheaf of papers, "but I was getting really hungry and didn't want to eat without you. I hope you don't mind."
Anna practically bounced towards her, taking her hands and squeezing them. "No, I don't mind," she replied, "and I'm really glad that you waited to eat with me."
Elsa's look became impossibly complex and endearing, and she openly stared at Anna so long that Anna said, "What's wrong? Do I look okay? Did I miss something?"
Anna dropped her hands to look down at her dress, which had an intricate laced bodice that tapered to her slim waist, and the colour gradation of blue from her hips to her ankles went from that sky-blue cerulean to near indigo.
Elsa cleared her throat and said, "You look… amazing. Simply. Amazing."
There seemed to be some strange depth in Elsa's eyes, some extra catch to her voice, and Anna blushed to hear the sentiment so fervently given. At that moment, the servants knocked and bustled into the room, bearing several trays of food and drink.
"C'mon, Elsa. Let's eat." Anna grabbed her sister's hand and escorted her to the little table in the corner. It was just big enough to hold two rather ornate place settings and a small horde of delectables. There was soured milk and muesli, crispbreads and caviar, hot porridge with honey and small pots of lingonberry jam. There was coffee, hot cocoa and cloudberry tea.
Anna was suddenly and dizzyingly aware that this was the first meal she had shared with Elsa in many years. The simple joy of it inflated her chest like a balloon. Anna tucked into the meal with non-surprising gusto, often looking at Elsa's plate to see how and what Elsa ate. She was gleeful to discover the same passion for caviar and crispbread, and the same indulgence for jam on porridge. In fact, the only difference in their tastes so far was Elsa's fondness for coffee and Anna's addiction to hot chocolate.
After the keen edge of her hunger had been dulled slightly with the wholesome food, Anna filled her plate again and asked, "So what are you up to today, Elsa?"
Elsa finished chewing a mouthful of food, took a sip of coffee, and replied, "More meetings to start with. The inquiry regarding Prince Hans will be held this afternoon. I still have that Duke of Weaseltown to deal with." After another sip of coffee she asked, "What about you, Anna, what are you doing today?"
"Well, I did manage to completely destroy Kristoff's sled and all his belongings, so I'm going to look into a replacement. I think I've got enough money saved up for it."
"You may draw from the treasury if needed, Anna," Elsa said. "From your account, Kristoff helped save all of us." She took another sip of coffee and asked, a mischievous smile on her face, "Though could you enlighten me with the story of how you managed to completely destroy his sled and all his belongings? I mean, I hear you are rough on suits of armour, but a whole sled?"
Anna stuck out her tongue at Elsa as she swirled another spoon of jam into her hot porridge. She took a bite before saying, "I kinda sorta lost my horse while I was out looking for you. I made it to Oaken's place to get some winter gear and met Kristoff there. He said that the snow seemed to be coming from the North Mountain. And seeing as he knew where to go, and how to get there, I asked him to take me there. He refused at first, but I managed to bribe him with some ropes and supplies and then some carrots for Sven."
Another bite of food and sip of hot cocoa, and Anna continued, delighted to have such a captive audience for her story. "So we headed away from Oaken's place, and I told him how this was essentially all my fault, because I got engaged to someone I just met, and then said unkind words to you and stole your glove…" and Anna looked quickly at Elsa's face to see the reaction to her words.
For a wonder, Elsa stayed warm and present, no story of guilt written upon her face. "You said honest words, Anna, but go on."
Emboldened, Anna said, "Well then we started arguing about strangers and true love and whether princes pick their noses… yes, it was a very interesting conversation, and maybe you had to have been there to really understand why something like that would have come up, but then we were attacked by wolves."
Elsa sputtered and set down her cup rather forcefully. "Wolves?" she asked.
"Yeah, just a few. Maybe half a dozen. Maybe more. I was a bit busy, so I didn't actually count. And Kristoff said he didn't trust my judgment, because who gets engaged to someone they just met that day, but I told him it was true love and saved him by smashing his lute into one wolf that jumped onto the sled. So yeah, the lute was the first casualty, and then I had to set one of his bedrolls on fire and throw it at another one, and everything probably would have been fine, I mean, I had things completely under control, but then there was this big ravine right in front of us, and Sven was heading right for it."
Elsa's hand was up, covering her mouth in shock, and Anna barrelled on, saying, "So Kristoff threw me on Sven's back and cut the lines to the sled, and we all leaped over the ravine, but of course the sled was a goner, and poor Kristoff had just paid it off. And it's a good thing I can think fast on my feet, Elsa, because Kristoff didn't have a very good grip when he landed on our side, and he began to slide off the edge of the cliff, but I managed to throw him a pick and rope and hauled his ass out of trouble."
Elsa's eyes widened, and Anna clapped her hands over her mouth in shock. "Oh my. I did not just say ass as part of polite breakfast conversation with the Queen."
To her surprise, Elsa began to chuckle, and then laugh outright, even as great measures of love and anxiety poured out of her eyes. Anna joined in the mirth, even to the point of snorting lightly over her now empty plate.
"All right, then," Elsa said, finally getting herself under control again. "I believe that you and I have a great deal to catch up on, Anna, though the state of prince's noses is probably not a topic we need to discuss. And yes, you definitely need to replace Kristoff's sled. What exactly does he do for a living?"
"He's an ice harvester."
"Wow, that would be a rough business to be in just then," Elsa mused, laughter underlining her words.
"That's just what I said!" Anna crowed. "So yes, I'll do some shopping and see about getting everything replaced. This afternoon I have my tutor for a few hours as well, and then I have a session with the Armsmaster to schedule as well."
"Armsmaster?" Elsa asked.
"Oh yeah, I've been training in blade work for the past few years. I mean, I started with archery because for some reason the Captain couldn't see me with a sword, but I finally got my blade about a year ago."
"You… have a blade?"
Anna smiled at the genuine love and concern in Elsa's face and words, a vast and chewy joy still invading every part of her being. "Papa was worried about my excess energy, and once he found I had no patience for artistic pursuits, seriously, Elsa, they gave me embroidery, threads and needles and all! Proper ladies embroider, apparently, but I've never really been a right proper lady, so he had me start working with the Captain and the Royal Guard. I really like it, Elsa. And it was the only thing that kept me going after… you know, after they died."
She was watching Elsa's face rather carefully, looking for any hint of guilt, which she would pummel into the ground; Elsa had enough guilt and shame for a lifetime and Anna wasn't going to stand for it any longer. For a wonder, Elsa only smiled wistfully and put her napkin on her plate. "Could I… come watch you practice sometime?" Elsa asked.
Of the million possible responses Elsa could have come up with, Anna expected this one the least. She choked over a last bite of crispbread and spluttered, "You want to watch me practice the blades?"
"Only if you want me to. I mean, it's your choice." Elsa's voice cracked on the words in some expression of feeling Anna couldn't quite comprehend.
Anna thought of her normally clumsy nature and glumly realized that the day Elsa would watch her would be the day that she flubbed every form. Yet she had no desire to shut the door on this desire, so she squeaked, "Y-yes, you certainly can. Just warn me first, all right? I'll be sure to have the surgeon on standby." Anna also put her napkin on her plate, and then paused. "Speaking of which, Elsa, was there anything wrong? When Sera spoke to you, I mean. She had… a funny look on her face."
A funny look was also displayed on Elsa's face, followed by a decisive gritting of her teeth and jaw. The hesitation lasted just long enough for a tinge of anxiety to cloud Anna's heart, making it sputter and heave. "As a matter of fact, Anna, yes, there is something wrong." Anna's heart fell as much at the tone of Elsa's voice as at the words she spoke. Elsa seemed… divided, uncertain, but she continued nonetheless. "Sera discovered a slight irregularity in your heart rhythm. It's not serious, and it's certainly not life-threatening, but it is something she wants to monitor and track. She advised plenty of food and rest, and for you to be kept stress free as much as possible. I'm sorry, Anna, she just wasn't sure what to tell you, and left it to me to decide."
Anna swallowed as the new reality trickled into her consciousness. An irregular heart rhythm. Well, then. At least Elsa didn't keep it secret, like she could have.
Their eyes collided over the breakfast table, and Anna could only nod and whisper, "Thank you, Elsa, for telling me the truth. I… don't like secrets very much."
Elsa quickly rose from her chair and came to kneel at Anna's side. Anna was surprised by the sudden movement, and put her hands on the arm of her chair so she could twist and face her sister. Elsa's cool fingers rested on top of her own, lightly squeezing. "I swear to you, Anna, here and now, that you will always get my truth. I swear it upon my head and crown."
Anna gulped over the lump that formed in her throat, the proximity of her sister intoxicating, the oath sudden and precious. She lifted Elsa's hands so that she could wrap them in her own, and she replied, "And I swear to you, Elsa, that I will also tell you the truth."
She was astonished to see and feel Elsa bring her hands to her lips, to coolly kiss the back of each of Anna's hands. It felt like both frost and fire, and a great pit of strange yearning opened up deep inside, startling for both its truth and beauty. For a boundless and vast moment she imagined a similar kiss, this time to her own mouth, and though she fought the thought with blades of taboo, she could not vanquish it entirely.
It was just too damn enticing.
But wrong, so wrong!
Anna wrestled herself back into the present moment with some effort, rubbed her thumbs over Elsa's hands, and finally smiled. It was the release they had both been waiting for, and Elsa smiled at her sister before rising from her kneeling position. "I'm sorry, Anna, I need to get back to work now. Thank you for having brunch with me."
Anna patted her mouth one last time with her napkin as she rose from the table. "That's fine, Elsa. There's lots to do. Thank you for eating with me. It was… so nice." Unspoken were the words that she had said the night of Elsa's coronation, I wish it could be like this all the time. She didn't want to risk saying them and get the same response as she did before.
Elsa seemed oblivious to this last specter of Anna's worry, for she briefly clasped Anna's arm, smiling warmly, and then she gathered her sheaf of papers and left the room.
Anna didn't linger, for the room was strangely bereft with her sister's absence. Besides, there really was a lot to do. She left the room at a slower pace, somewhat mired in thought.
The cool tingle on her hands remained.
As did her irregular heart rhythm.
Wolves.
Anna was nearly savaged by wolves.
Elsa strode down the hallway in heels that hit the floor like hammers on wolf pelts; her pace so fast it was nearly a jog. She couldn't know it, but her face was so grim and her seeming charge down corridors so savage that workmen and servants bowed as they hastily got out of her way. Only as she emerged on the upper floor where her study had been swiftly restored did she slow down somewhat and rein in both her thoughts and her heels.
They certainly had a debt to pay for the young man. Elsa couldn't help but wonder what feelings Anna held for Kristoff, though surely she shouldn't have to wonder much. Anna had told her outright that she had been on her way to kiss Kristoff and hopefully break the spell when she had encountered her sister waiting for Hans to strike her with a blade.
The constriction of loss wrung out her heart once more, accompanied with a sharp jab of jealousy and longing that Elsa could not believe she felt. What had she to be jealous of? Of course Anna would fall in love someday, and Elsa knew that there would be no shortage of potential suitors, that is, if men still had eyes in their heads to recognize her beauty and stamina to match Anna's impulsiveness.
I just want her to stay.
Stay with me.
Satisfied for the moment, though she vowed to investigate her strange feelings later on, Elsa turned into her study. It still held so much of the character and bearing of her royal father, for she had been loathe changing it up to this point. In looking at the dark wood of bookshelves, the busts of previous rulers, ancient instruments of land and sea, Elsa realized that she could renovate all this. Really, she could. She was the Queen of Arendelle now, and if she was to have any joy at all in her duty, then she might as well start with pleasant surroundings.
She had been at work for about an hour when the knock came outside her open door. She glanced up and recognized Ser Ostven and the Bishop, the two highest ranking members of the regency council who had helped to govern Arendelle in the years between crowns.
"Gentlemen, please, come in," she said, rising in respect and directing them all to take seats by the wide and bright windows. It was turning into a gorgeous summer day, and it wouldn't be long before the brief summer heat would drive away many denizens from the castle and village, seeking the cottages and refuges of forest and mountain.
The talk quickly turned to the disposition of the ships, an accounting of those that had been wrecked and sunk, and a quick tally of damages throughout the village. Elsa felt the frost creeping into her palms from time to time, but she had her antidote now, for all she had to do was bring Anna's face to her mind and the magic receded, placated.
She even had a couple moments of cleverness and wit, hoping that these men would accept her in truth as their ruler, and trust her with the affairs of the kingdom, even though she had proven so very untrustworthy. It seemed that she was succeeding in this regard, for even the Bishop begrudgingly acknowledged that her understanding of the disruption of trade and the expenses incurred during the disaster was cogent and succinct.
"Now, regarding Prince Hans of the Southern Isles," Ser Ostven finally began. Elsa nodded for him to continue. "He has been placed under constant guard in a comfortable room as befitting his status and rank, and has given testimony witnessed by the Chancellor and two others in certain facts of the last few days. He admitted to deception when he claimed that he and Anna had exchanged wedding vows before pronouncing her dead, which had become his claim to the throne, and he apologized, quite profusely, for charging you with treason and sentencing you to death. Oh, and also for attempting to mete out the sentence by his own hand."
Inside her mind Elsa was livid. The base treachery of this man, to achieve his ends by any means necessary! Outwardly the temperature of the room dropped several degrees, and she said, "Thankfully my sister did not die, and due to her bravery, neither did I. His… excuses for his behaviour have no basis in fact. While we could force him to stand trial for his actions I do not wish for strained relations with the rest of the Southern Isles. We cannot know if this is a broad conspiracy, or only one man's thwarted desire. He has no hope of attaining the throne in his own country, not with twelve older brothers. I do not condone his actions, but I recognize that his only recourse is marriage into royalty."
Their eyes were tight and expectant, and they nodded in agreement with her words. Elsa continued, saying, "Well, we are under no obligation to honour the supposed engagement between this Prince and my sister, and he will certainly not marry into royalty in this kingdom."
"What then do you recommend? We will look weak, impressionable, if we do not prosecute him to the fullest of our laws," said Ser Ostven. His great beard waggled with his tempestuous words, acting as co-conspirator and rabble-rouser.
"He shall return to his own country, under guard, and there he will be tried, subject to the laws of his own nation. I shall compose a letter and seal it for the King, and its deliverance will be secured by a small detachment of our Royal Guard. Perhaps our Chancellor wouldn't mind bearing such a vital missive into the King's own hands."
They nodded again in appreciation of the manoeuvre. The Chancellor had rank and nobility, had supervised the initial inquiry, and could be trusted with this task while lending weight to its truth and ramifications. He was also a skilled negotiator, and comfortable with sea voyages, unlike the Bishop before her.
"What is the status of our other visiting dignitary, the Duke of Weselton?" Elsa deliberately avoided the inflammatory phrase often levied against their closest partner in trade.
"He has taken rooms in the Queen's Blessing, an inn in the central part of the village. He has been allowed free movement within the village as long as he does not attempt to leave, and has repeatedly asked for an audience with you," the Bishop replied. "He's made it obvious that he feels mistreated, and claims he was only a victim of fear."
Elsa stifled a snort of derision, though she allowed the undignified huff in the silence of her mind. Outwardly she asked, "Your analysis, gentlemen, on the impact of severing trade with Weselton."
Ser Ostven stroked his very bristly beard and solemnly replied, "As far as I'm aware, Your Majesty, they buy far more goods than we import from them. Mainly textiles of wool, fine and coarse grades of wood, iron ore, and the like. While the revenue from this exchange is quite substantial, we could attempt to establish similar exports with other nations and districts. Corona, and the British Isles, perhaps?" The man looked to the Bishop to see if he agreed with his analysis, and the Bishop nodded.
"Please inform our financiers and officials of this proposal, and have them draft a declaration for me to sign, to dissolve our trade with Weselton." She paused and cleared her throat before continuing, "I am well aware that the treasury will be quite strained for some time to come. It is vital to engage with new nations to refresh our economy, and we must encourage our citizenry to be as productive as possible. I can only pray for a good harvest to come."
"You could consider raising taxes, Your Majesty," Ser Ostven suggested.
"I will personally sell my mother's jewellery before I impose an extra tax upon my people," Elsa sternly replied. "Now more than ever they need to have faith in our governance, and pride in our land and country. I will not alienate them by demanding their last penny."
"As you wish, your Majesty," he replied, getting up from his chair to give her a short bow.
When he returned to his seat, Elsa asked, "Is there further business?"
"Not at this time, Queen Elsa."
"Excellent. I should like to release Prince Hans in no more than two days. Please see to the outfitting of that ship, make it our highest priority. I shall require the draft of dissolution of trade no later than tomorrow."
Both men nodded in acquiescence. They bowed once more before taking their leave, leaving Elsa feeling drained in every possible way. After a moment she stood up and walked over to the wide banks of windows. From this height she could see the forecourt of the castle and then the steeply pitched roofs of the village, watching the general clamour and bustle of her subjects. Crocuses bloomed soft and sweet upon windowsills, the national flower of Arendelle. It survived adversity, just like the people she served.
From here she could see the beauty of the people and land she was born to rule, and she could only be glad at the change in her own heart. It was no longer just duty, the resolve of a girl who had sworn herself to perfection. For the first time in her life Elsa looked upon Arendelle and saw the glorious rhythm and dance of life in the north, her people so great and proud, with hearts as fierce and everlasting as Anna's.
Elsa walked over the sceptre and the orb of her office, and taking them in her hands she looked at the portrait of her dead father, the King of Arendelle, and with a glorious quaking tongue she made yet another oath, stating with fervent wish, "I accept the duty and responsibility of the Kingdom of Arendelle, father, and never again will I abandon my kingdom and my people. I swear this to you, upon my head and crown."
She genuflected deeply to the picture, her heart burning. "I forgive you, father. And I promise… to stay."
The song title for this chapter is "Stay" by Rihanna with Micky Ekko. In case you hadn't noticed, these songs are my playlist while I'm writing. If you have any gorgeously hauntingly beautiful songs to suggest as chapter titles, leave a review or send me a PM!
