Chapter 4:
The First Week
On the first day of Anna's new job, if you could call it that, was a strenuous one. Anna told her mother that she had gotten a job working at the florist in town and would be working every day from 7:00 to 5:00. She felt bad lying to her mother, but what else could she do? Elsa told her not to tell anyone about what she was really doing. Upon arriving at the castle, Anna was given a uniform to wear. It was much better looking than her usual attire, but it screamed of "servitude" nonetheless. Anna had to quickly learn all the ins and outs of working at the castles such as where the kitchen was, mealtimes, how often certain rooms were cleaned, things of that nature. It was hard work, no doubt about it. At the end of the day, Anna's hands were numb from all the cleaning that she had done. But mealtimes were the worst. Anna had no idea how to cook, so she had to learn. The other servants were kind and patient with her, willing to teach her everything they knew. Out of all of them, Elsa liked Kai and Gerda the best. They were very nice people, and she was happy to work with them. In the first week, Anna hardly saw Queen Elsa. The only times that she saw her were when she brought Elsa tea or came into her room to change her sheets. In those times, Elsa was very standoffish. She simply said a word or two, before indulging herself in a book or other queenly matters. Anna often thought of engaging in casual conversation with Elsa, but her conscious told her that it would be pointless. Elsa wasn't interested in being friends, she only saw Anna as her temporary servant. Still, the more she worked in the castle, the more intrigued Anna was of Elsa. Even now that she knew a little more about her, Elsa was still very mysterious. She rarely came out of her room, and when she did, it was only for an hour or two at the most. Even stranger, Elsa always wore the same satin gloves, even when she was eating. Maybe she had a bad case of germaphobia? Anna thought. Who knows? Elsa wouldn't likely tell her if she asked.
One afternoon, after Anna finished mopping the entrance hall, Kai told her that Elsa requested that a cup of tea be brought to her room. Anna prepared the tea, being mindful to bring enough sugar. When she knocked on the door to Elsa's room, she was given the signal by the queen to come inside.
Anna entered the room, while holding the tray with the teapot, and a glass. Elsa was situated at her desk, writing intensively. She didn't even bother to glance up at Anna as she came in.
"I brought you your tea, Your Majesty," Anna said.
"Very well. Just put the tray on the corner of the desk," Elsa said, still looking at the piece of paper that she was writing on.
Anna did as she was told, watching as Elsa concentrated on the task at hand.
"Would you like me to pour you a glass?" she asked.
"That would be fine," Elsa said.
Anna picked up the teapot, gently pouring the warm tea into the glass. When it was fully, she picked up the glass, and sat it beside Elsa.
"Thank you," Elsa said.
"You're welcome. Is there anything else that you need?" Anna asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact. The fire in the fireplace is too hot. Please put out the fire. My hands are sweating profusely."
Anna walked towards the fireplace at the far corner of the room before she got an idea.
"If I may make a suggestion, Your Majesty, if your hands are too hot, why don't you take off your gloves? I'm sure you'll be much cooler then," Anna suggested.
Elsa's quill stopped moving. She gazed up at Anna for the first time since Anna entered the room. The same stern look on her face as when Anna first met her.
"I'm sorry, but are you queen of Arendelle?" Elsa asked.
Anna knew that she had made a mistake.
"I said…please put out the fire," Elsa said sternly.
Anna took a pitcher of water, and extinguished the fire, before returning to get the tray.
"Anything else, Your Majesty?" Anna asked.
"That will be all. I will ring for you if I need anything else," Elsa said.
Anna walked out of Elsa's room, closing the door behind her. She returned to her chores, cleaning, and preparing dinner. When the clock hit 5:00, Anna said her goodbyes to Kai, Gerda, and the rest of the servants. Before she left however, Kai stopped her.
"Ms. Anna, before you leave, Queen Elsa would like to see you for a moment."
Anna wondered what it could be this time. She walked up the staircase to Elsa's bedroom, where she found the young queen painting a picture.
This time when Anna walked in, Elsa turned around to greet her.
"Anna, I have run out of ink for my quill. Before you come to work tomorrow, please pick me up some more at the general store. On my desk is the money for the ink. That will be all," Elsa said.
Anna collected the money on Elsa's desk, before watching Elsa continue her painting. On a small bench beside her, were various oils. From the looks of it, Elsa was finishing up her painting. It was a painting of a tree with a little girl running around it.
"That's very good," Anna commented.
Elsa glanced at her. "Thank you," she said.
"I love paintings. I wish I could paint some of my own, but I don't have the money for oils. Not to mention, I'm not very talented," Anna said.
Elsa nodded, continuing to paint her picture.
"I think my favorite painter has to be Rembrandt. His work is amazing! It's incredible how a person can paint something so beautiful," Anna said.
Elsa put down her brush and turned to her. "Shouldn't you be heading home by now?" Elsa asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize. I just wanted to tell you what a great job you were doing with your painting."
As Anna started to leave, Elsa called out to her again. "Anna," she said.
Anna turned around to face Elsa. "Please join me tomorrow at noon for tea. Bring two glasses this time," Elsa said.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Anna said.
What was this all about? For the past week, Elsa had been incredibly standoffish towards her, and now she was inviting her to tea. The more she interacted with Elsa, the stranger she seemed.
A/N: A breakthrough! Anna and Elsa will be having tea together. There's a still a lot of ground to cover before they become close friends as Elsa is still very aloof, but it'll be worth the read I promise. And I know that Elsa didn't have a fireplace in her room in the story, I just felt like adding one. And thank you to all the reviews so far! Please keep them coming! Followers, I'd love to hear your thoughts!