Elsa walked through the main street of Arendelle with her heart in her throat. She had been the one to, well, cause the event that brought everyone forward in time. Some people turned tail when they saw their queen. Others looked nervous and turned away. Only a few came up to talk to her, apologizing for the way they had treated her revelation of powers. Nobody brought up, or maybe even knew about, the Battle of New York.
After all, two weeks ago, New York was an almost mythical far away place.
Elsa was polite with them. Phil might be in a hurry, but these were people that were her subjects. She still had a responsibility to them, proposed abdication or not.
A plane flew overhead as they approached the castle. Several citizens looked up in amazement. Anna looked up in alarm. Elsa, as well as Kristov, had to calm her down with a description of the "Metal Bird".
The castle seemed deserted. The servants must have gone to live with their families, with the royals gone. Only the head senechal, Jacob, was there. He had been one of the few to know Elsa's secret, he'd been the acting regent while Elsa came of age.
Jacob held out a gloved hand, and shook Elsa's warmly. "I heard about what happened in the British Colonies... excuse me, the United States. Your parents would have been proud."
"Thank you, Jacob," Elsa said with a curtsy. "Where are the Ambassadors?"
"At this time of evening? Mostly in their quarters. I understand the government of Norway is working with their original home governments to find them permanent residences."
Elsa nodded. "I understand that the Duke of Wësselton is... oh."
Jacob's face looked crestfallen. "Duke Stephan is here. The others are excited to learn about this new world. Stephan... doesn't come out. He barely eats. He just sits in his room, staring at the fire."
Elsa clutched at the letters Phil had given her, and taken took a deep steadying breath. "Can you take me to him?"
Jacob, who spoke reasonably good English, departed after leading her. He was going to show the rest of the SHIELD agents around the castle. But with Anna, Kristov, and Phil waiting near the door, Elsa took another deep breath, and knocked. There was no reply. She knocked again. Still no answer. She tried the handle, and found it unlocked.
She stepped inside. The guest bedroom was still very tastefully decorated. A nice, untouched looking bed sat in one corner. Near the fireplace, as advertised, sat Duke Stephan, of Wësselton.
He looked up as she entered, and their eyes met. She would have sworn several emotions flashed through his face: Surprise, regret, anger, and in the end, sorrow reigned supreme. "Monster," he whispered. But there was no acid to his tone. Only a resigned defeat. He turned away, staring at the fire once again.
Elsa had to blink back the tears. He'd called her a monster before. And she had done the most monstrous thing to a single person that she could imagine. "I... I understand your loss, your Grace. I... took your family away from you. I wish to Heaven that I hadn't. If there was anything I could do to give them back to you. I would do it. In a heartbeat."
"Would you sacrifice your own?" he sniped. Then he realized what he said, "I apologize. Do not answer that. I can't ask someone to give up other peoples lives for the betterment of my own. I saw what your sister did for you, and the sword that caused my... our pain."
There was silence in the room for several seconds. "I still wonder, you know. If I hadn't been so scared, and caused you to lose control of your magic... would I still have lost them? My Elizabeth? My Eric?"
Elsa could feel the tears starting to come. "Your Grace... if there is..."
"There is nothing for me in this life. I am to old to relearn the world." The old Duke looked up, meeting Elsa's gaze once more. "Could you help me back to sleep? Maybe.. in the forever dream, I will see them again."
Elsa felt her mind go numb, and the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. "Your Grace, that... that cannot be the answer. There has to be someone who..."
"Who, your highness?" The question hung the air. "Everyone who knew me is lost to time. My family, my old friends. Ernest and Fritz... but they were my guards, not..." he sighed. "I have no one."
He looked up, past Elsa to the doorway. Elsa pictured the horrified face of her sister.
"You have us," Elsa said. "Me, and Anna."
"You are very kind, but you have your own lives to lead. You cannot waste them on an old man."
Elsa, her hands shaking, took the yellowed letter into her right hand, and pressed it into the hands of the old Duke. "Someone must remember you."
The Duke stared at it. He almost moved to throw it into the fire, but Elsa moved to interpose herself. The Duke shook his head and opened it. He pulled out a letter, just as old as the envelope. It was covered with spindly thin writing. He began to read, then looked up in pure shock.
"Where... where did you get this?" he asked.
"From... from the Agents of SHIELD. Why? Who is it from?"
"My... my wife." He said simply, and continued to read. Elsa could see his eyes brimming with tears, but a new look, a look of pride shone on his face. "She... says what my son... my Eric accomplished. How he was instrumental in uniting Norway. How he had his own daughter, naming her after Elizabeth. And she never gave up on seeing me again. " he finished the letter, holding it to his chest.
He was silent for a moment, wiping his eyes. But, as quickly as his mood changed, it reverted. "But there is still nothing for me here," he said, sorrow returning to his voice. He turned to Elsa, who held up the second letter.
"Who... who is that from?" he asked, amazed.
"I don't know," she replied. "Open it, let's find out."
He did so, much more eagerly this time. He looked at the letter in momentary confusion, just long enough for Elsa to tell it was typed. He clearly didn't believe whatever the letter told him, and reread it a second time. Then a third.
"Well?" asked Elsa, trying to hide her curiosity. "Who is it from?"
"My..." the Duke paused to count. "Great, Great, Granddaughter." He sounded amazed. "She and her husband both work... and she has a child. She would like me to... help care for my however many greats it is grandson. She lives in Oslo..." he looked up, his entire expression changed. There was now hope, and Elsa gained a new appreciation for Phil's comment on how it was the opposite to fear.
"Your highness, milady Elsa... do you think your friends could arrange for transportation to Oslo?"
Anna moved in, standing next to her sister. "I'm sure they can, your grace."
The Duke beamed.
"You're leaving?" asked Kristov, his face falling.
"Only temporarily," said Anna. "You're a good man, Kristov. And you risked your life to come back and save me. But Elsa wants me with her when she goes with the Duke and... and... there's a whole new world out there! I want to see it! With my sister."
"Just... promise me this isn't goodbye," Kristov said.
Anna stepped up and gave Kristov a quick peck on the cheek. "I promise."
Elsa, standing nearby, raised one eyebrow, but smiled.
Anna and Kristov, holding hands, went with the Agents towards the Bus. Anna clearly had to keep herself from running to see it closer. The Duke was far less excited, but went anyway.
Norway: Oslo Lufthaven (International Airport). 12:30 Hours EST (19:30 Hours CET)
A car was waiting for them. Phil drove. Anna and the Duke were staring wide eyed at large, modern buildings of Oslo, back dropped against the setting sun. This was a welcome change from the short ride on the bus, where Duke Stephen was airsick. "I could handle boats just fine. This... this is unpleasant." he had told them, between retches. He'd had time to clean up afterward.
Not far out of the downtown area of Oslo, Phil brought the car to a stop.
"This is the place," he said.
"We're here, your grace." Elsa translated. She unbuckled herself, then helped the Duke with his own seat belt.
For someone who grew up in a castle, this was a moderate dwelling. For someone who knew what New York apartments (not owned by Tony Stark) looked like, this was a middle class home, with a large backyard. Duke Stephan looked apprehensive, but Elsa and Anna walked encouragingly behind him as he approached the front door.
He knocked.
The door opened, and a middle aged woman of brown hair and bright smile looked out. She looked at the Duke, then at the girls behind him. A three year old toddler peaked passed her legs.
The Duke bowed politely, "Good evening, Madam," he said formerly. Elsa privately thought how he should be wearing a hat, so he could take it off. "I'm your great..."
"Grandfather," she said, smiling even more brightly. "I was told you were coming." She stepped out and embraced him. Elsa got a quick look past them into the foyer, where a prominent portrait of who only could be the Duke and the Duchess in happier years hung over a fireplace mantle.
"Come, let me introduce you to your grandson," she said. With a quick wink and nod at the girls, she ushered him inside, and closed the door behind her.
"So," Phil asked, driving back to the airport. "Where next, Elsa?"
"I'm not sure," Elsa admitted. "I would like to introduce my sister to Tony, who we both owe so much to, and to Steve, who I know she'd get along with," Elsa began. "But... I want to keep helping. Capt... I mean, Director Nicholas seems to think that other events like the Battle for New York could happen again. I... want to be ready if they do."
"We'll have to give your sister a crash course in English. The only person in SHIELD I'd be willing to bet speaks Norsk is Agent Romanov. Because I think she speaks everything. But we'd be happy to have you on board, Elsa. You're a good person."
"You remember some English, don't you Anna?" Elsa asked.
"I think so," Anna replied. "But no matter what, I'm going with you."
Elsa reached out to take her sister's hand. She had no words of gratitude for her sister. "Then let me show you the world."
SHIELD Bus: Atlantic Ocean 14:00 EST (21:00 CET)
Anna, Skye, and Elsa were in the lounge. Skye had her laptop, and was showing Anna clips of the Battle of New York while Elsa narrated. They had English subtitles turned on, and had Anna practicing English. After getting over her fascination with the idea of watching a story, Anna was amazed at what Elsa had accomplished.
"You should have been practicing all along. Mom and Dad were mistaken. It wasn't other people finding out you had to worry about. It was your own fear and inexperience," Anna said in halting English, mixed with Norsk. A few weeks of full English immersion should help that.
Elsa shut her eyes for a moment. "Do you... do you not remember the accident? When we were children?" Elsa asked.
"No?" Anna said, blinking. "The trolls said something, but I do not remember."
"No more secrets between us," Elsa said, firmly. "Let me tell you everything." She paused, and got a mischievous glint in her eye. "Then tell me about Kristov."