Chapter 4: In Corona
"Elsa, are you going to be okay?" It was Anna, the fourteen-year-old version of Anna, at least. She was worried about Elsa, as Elsa had been sick to her stomach once again. They were on the second full day of their voyage to Corona, and Elsa has been ill each morning. Elsa blamed it on seasickness, but she had never been seasick before in her life. She was beginning to wonder if it was something else all together, but couldn't believe it to be really true since she was somehow in the past. Even it wasn't true, it made Elsa realize that she had to find a way back to her own time as soon as possible. She had to return to James and the family she had fought so hard to create and maintain. First though, she was happy to make things happier for some of those she loved best.
Already she and Anna were returning to the closeness of their childhood. She was going to make sure that Anna wasn't so desperate for love that she would jump into a hasty engagement with Hans. Now, she was going to free Rapunzel a year early. Her cousin would spend one less year wondering when her life would begin. She wouldn't have to look out the window of the tower to see her lanterns, she could enjoy them in celebration with her family. Her aunt and uncle would have one extra year with their daughter. Yes, thinking of how she could end the pain and suffering of so many of her loved ones was the one thing she could focus on despite her mysterious stomach ailments.
"Elsa, are you going to be okay?" Anna asked once again, concern showing in her eyes. "Mama was worried and wanted me to check on you. I'm worried about you too."
Elsa lifted herself from her bed in the cabin the sisters shared on the ship, ran a hand through her hair, and answered, "I'll be fine once we hit dry land, Anna."
Anna eyed her cautiously. "You know. I don't remember you ever getting sick like this when we traveled as small children."
Elsa smiled weakly, "I guess it's just one of the many reasons to try and stay young."
Anna plopped down next to Elsa, who wished she had plopped with a little less aplomb. "Can you tell me more about Kristoff?"
Elsa cleared her throat, "Well, he likes reindeer." She was trying not to think of the smell that came along with the reindeer.
"Reindeer?" Anna asked, thinking that befriending reindeer wasn't a princely pursuit.
"Yes, he has one named Sven. They're very close."
"Oh. Did you hear that?" Anna asked.
Elsa nodded. "It sounded like the lookout. He probably spotted Corona. I imagine we'll be docking soon."
Anna's eyes lit up at the thought. Once Elsa had convinced her mother to bring her along to Corona, she had to also convince her to let Anna come along as well. She emphasized how Anna desperately needed to get out, beyond the castle gates. That it was unhealthy to keep a young, vibrant girl locked up, even within the grounds of a castle. "Hey, can you imagine how surprised Papa is going to be when he sees us with Mama? I mean, especially when he sees you?"
Elsa laughed nervously. The one thing she wasn't looking forward to was confronting her father. Deep down she knew that a part of her loved him, but she also knew that he allowed himself to be controlled by fear and paranoia. In her tenure as Queen of Arendelle, she also learned that he had ruled his kingdom much as he had his family. It had taken a great deal of effort to set things right within Arendelle and their family. 'Yeah. It'll be a real shock, I'm sure," she replied with a flat voice.
When they docked, Elsa and Anna, arm in arm, followed closely behind their mother as she walked down the gangplank to be greeted by her brother and sister-in-law, the King and Queen of Corona. Elsa felt tears burning her eyes as she watched her dear Uncle Albert pick up his younger sister, twirling her in the air as if she were still a young girl and not the mother of two girls in their teens.
"Izzy, it's so good to see you!" he announced. "How I've missed you, Baby Sister!" Elsa enjoyed seeing her mother and uncle thus. She knew they had loved each other very much, but it was a pleasure to see it in person. It was especially to hear her mother referred to as "Izzy" or her given name "Isabel," rather than the stodgy "Idun" she took upon being crowned Queen Consort of Arendelle.
Once Uncle Albert returned her to the ground, Elsa's mother embraced Aunt Lillian, her oldest, dearest friend. She then announced to them, "Albert, Lillian, I hope you don't mind more company. Elsa decided that she absolutely had to come along with me, and she insisted that I bring Anna as well. Frankly, there have been some developments that caused me to agree. There wasn't time to get a letter to you before we arrived, but here they are," she gestured to the girls.
Elsa wanted nothing more than to be enveloped in one of her uncle and aunt's famous bear hugs, but she remembered that they only knew her as the little girl who had occasionally visited then isolated herself away from all who loved her for years. So, she curtseyed and quietly said, "Uncle Albert. Aunt Lillian." Anna quickly followed suit.
Uncle Albert stepped toward his two nieces and looked over them with his loving eyes. Elsa could see pain as well as love in his eyes, and knew he had to be thinking of his Bella, or Rapunzel as she knew her. She and Rapunzel were just a few weeks apart in age, after all. "Could these two beautiful, practically grown women be my nieces? Surely not! Why the last time I saw them they were only knee high to a knee!"
"Well we've had nothing to do but grow these past ten years, Uncle," Anna replied with little thought.
Uncle Albert turned to Anna. "Ah, I see you're still the red-headed hoyden my mother called you the last time you were here, Anna."
Anna's eyes grew large as she worried she may have overstepped some boundary, which meant her mother would later correct her in private. Then her uncle laughed and said, "Good! I've always liked hoydens! You're mother was one as well!" taking some of her fears away.
"Granny's not here, is she?" Anna nervously asked.
"My mother?" King Albert asked. "Oh no. She's still tucked away on that island of hers. I've extended an invitation, but there's been no response."
"Thank goodness," Elsa heard her aunt mutter not entirely under her breath, causing her mother to shake with suppressed laughter. Her uncle rolled his eyes.
They entered an open carriage to ride back to the castle, and Elsa waited patiently for her mother to open the conversation to where she could tell them where Rapunzel was being kept. Thankfully, it didn't take long.
"How are you, Elsa?" her uncle asked, searching for deeper answers than the normal, "I'm quite well, thank you." It was obvious both her uncle and aunt were wondering about her powers.
"I'm quite well, Uncle. I now have control of my powers and convinced Mama I could make the journey to Corona without incident," she answered.
"I - uh. I didn't realize your powers were now an open topic?" Uncle Albert questioned.
"Oh, they weren't. I didn't even know about them until Elsa suddenly let me into her room the other day when I knocked and started talking about being from the future. She says that I'm married to a man named Kristoff and have a baby girl," Anna quickly commented.
"Excuse me?" Aunt Lillian asked.
Elsa's mother rubbed her temple and stared out to the Corona countryside, her countryside. "I know. It seems preposterous, but she has been in complete control of her powers. Our Elsa hasn't been able to do that since she was very young. They've been too strong for her. There's also that scar on her temple that she won't go into details over how she acquired it. My Elsa had no such scar, nor so many lines from both worry and smiling on her face. She has also said and done some things that make it plausible. "
"Such as?" King Albert curiously asked.
"She created a snowman out of thin air, and he's alive! His name is Olaf, and he likes warm hugs!" Anna told them. "Mama said we should leave him at home, because we wouldn't want to shock anyone in Corona though."
"Oh?" was all either Uncle Albert or Aunt Lillain could say.
"She also claims to know where Bella is being held and vows to rescue her," Anna again said with little tact or thought.
Aunt Lillian gasped very loudly. Uncle Albert shapely took in a breath and turned directly to Elsa.
"Young lady, please don't joke about such things. I will not have you upsetting your aunt.!
Elsa shook her head. "This is no joke, Uncle. I would never joke about our family in such a way! Bella has lived her life in a tower, hidden in a remote part of the forest. It's not even too far from the capitol city. The flower you used to heal Aunt Lillian when she was pregnant with Rapun…Bella gave the baby magical hair that can heal and restore youth when she sings a special song. The woman who took Bella is raising her as her own, selfishly imprisoning her in fear in order to stay young."
"If this is true, then why didn't the woman just take a lock of her hair and leave her with us?" the king asked.
"Because when you cut it, it no longer works. Her golden hair turns brown and loses its power." She looked directly at her aunt then said something she knew only her uncle and aunt were currently aware of. "That is why she left that brown lock of hair in Bella's bassinet. It wasn't the kidnapper's hair, but Bella's."
Her aunt leaned across the carriage, her green eyes desperately searching Elsa's blue ones for the truth. "You know about that lock of hair?"
Elsa nodded. "You yourself told me or will tell me about it while we watched over Bella's daughter sleeping. You'll realize it when you notice that El… the baby's hair is the same color as the lock of hair."
"She has a daughter?" the king couldn't believe the thought.
"Not yet. She will be married in a couple years, and you'll be there for the birth of your granddaughter."
"This all seems too extraordinary," King Albert surmised. "Though I don't doubt that she'll marry her intended at some point once she's recovered."
Queen Lillian took her husband's sizable hand into her petite one, "We can't allow our doubts to cloud the possibility that what Elsa is saying is true. What have we to lose? We have everything to gain."
"Perhaps," the king agreed, still unsure.
The coach arrived at the castle. They ventured up to the family wing, and Elsa headed straight to the chambers was given each time she visited Corona in her timeline, but found her mother in them as well. She tried to laugh it off, but it was an awkward moment, as they truly belonged to her mother. Instead, she shared quarters with Anna. After refreshing themselves from their journey, they rejoined their family in the drawing room and found their uncle looking over a map, discussing Elsa's explanation of where Bella was with someone in uniform. He looked familiar, but Elsa couldn't see a face for the tricorn hat he wore.
"It all seems rather impossible to me, Uncle. The Princess Elsa has been sheltered in her own castle for years. How is she to know where our Bella is? I fear this is a girl's attempt to free herself from her own prison and will only upset my Aunt." Elsa knew that voice. It was the voice of her heart, and for some reason she hadn't expected to hear it while in the past. "She tried to ignore his pessimistic comments about her.
"James?" she said without even thinking how they had never even been introduced in this timeline. When she had been taken from the future, it had been two weeks since she had last seen his face or heard his voice. She had been so caught up in fixing the past, she hadn't realized how much she missed her future.
King Albert and James' heads both popped up upon hearing her call out James' name. They stepped toward she and Anna, and Uncle Albert made the introduction. "Elsa, Anna, this is my nephew, Admiral James Westbrooke. Jamie, this are my nieces, Princess Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle."
Ever the courtly knight of days gone by, he bowed to the sisters, "Your Highness, Your Highness. It is a pleasure to finally meet my Uncle's illustrious nieces. Though you seem to already be acquainted with me, Princess Elsa?" He stared at her with no small amount of wonder, but there was also caution in his gaze. It was evident that he feared she was up to some elaborate hoax.
Anna's eyes widened as she recalled all Elsa told her about the future and realized just who Admiral Westbrooke was to Elsa. "That's James?" she asked. Then she smirked devilishly and whispered into Elsa's ear, "Not bad, Sis. Not bad at all. Makes me all the more excited to meet my Kristoff." Elsa rolled her eyes, but then she could never consider Kristoff attractive. She was sure that he was, she just didn't see it.
Elsa felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she blushed. Sadly, this James hadn't yet fallen in love with her, so she had to fight every instinct not to kiss him passionately on the spot, despite her desire to just touch him. Taciturn Admiral James Westbrooke wouldn't appreciate such intimacy from a complete stranger though. "Yes. We are… well acquainted in the future, Admiral."
"Hmm. That's good to know." He returned back to the map. "Princess Elsa, could you tell us where on the map this hidden tower is? Our uncle and I will take a company of palace guards there at first light tomorrow to see if your story is true."
Elsa stepped between her uncle and James. "No, I will not. I cannot. I couldn't tell you by looking at a map. I was taken there by Eug… another friend and our uncle. I will have to ride out with you and show you the way myself."
"I'm going too!" Anna popped in.
Elsa shook her head and placed her arm in front of Anna. "No Anna. This could be very dangerous. Gothel will do anything to keep Rapun… Bella. I'll not put you in any danger."
"Which is why you should stay here as well, Your Highness!" James argued. Oh how she loved arguing with him. This was quite literally not the time though. "This is not a job for the Crown Princess of Arendelle!"
"I can quite take care of myself, Admiral," she quipped.
"Elsa!" her mother just entered the room, arm in arm with her aunt. "Please be careful! I don't like the idea of you leading a company of soldiers out to confront some mad woman obsessed with keeping your cousin prisoner."
James shook his head. "I don't like it either. I want my stance on Princess Elsa joining us noted."
"James, have you visited my grandmother lately?" Elsa suddenly changed the subject.
James froze. "I- uh. I saw her just yesterday. I wasn't aware my visits with her were common knowledge?" He noticed his aunt and Queen Idun both appeared shocked, but his uncle was not so much.
Elsa smirked, proud of herself for making him quiet. Then she stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear to where only he could hear, "I know her secret, and I know that you know." To emphasize her point, she quickly created a snowball in the palm of her hand then dissipated it.
The color drained from James' face. He now had little doubt in his mind that this witty, beautiful, young princess was telling the truth… about everything. "Princess Elsa will accompany us first thing in the morning," he announced then remembered to defer to his uncle, "if that pleases you, Uncle. I believe I have fewer objections than I originally believed."
King Albert only nodded. He was curious as to what Elsa whispered in James' ear to make him change his mind so easily, and suddenly he was beginning to hope against hope that his niece was telling the truth and knew where is dear Bella was.
Just to clear things up... Our Elsa, the one who is twenty-five years old, is body and soul in the past with all of her scars and laugh lines and ANYTHING else she has acquired since she was seventeen. Everyone thinks she is sixteen/ seventeen, because that is the age their Elsa is. THAT Elsa is unconscious in the future.