The news of the strange boy named Edward and his miraculous survival spread quickly throughout the reduced staff in the castle. "I heard he is a wizard," "some say he has the blood of a demon, that's why he can't be killed by man," "what if he had the antidote and was in on the assassination attempt all along?" Rumors such as these caught on like wildfire.
"Enough!" Gerda shouted at the group of servants gossiping like schoolgirls. "He is a guest and he shall be treated with respect and not accused of anything behind his back!"
Having been scolded by the toughest maid in the castle, the small crowd of gossipers scattered to avoid more verbal backlash. Giving a light sigh, Gerda couldn't blame them for their interest for the strange man. This was the most interesting thing to happen in the castle for ages, especially since the gates were closed; only important dignitaries were guests, and that also happened occasionally.
Finally arriving outside the infirmary with a tray of soup, she entered just as a shirtless Edward was rising out of his bed. "What do you think you are doing!?" Gerda yelled at him, causing him to jump and fall the rest of the way to the ground. "Aaaah!" he hissed in pain as he rose to his feet, keeping most of his weight off his right leg.
"See! An injured patient shouldn't be trying to walk the day after he was shot! Twice," she added as she helped him back to his bed.
"In all fairness though, I was only shot once in the leg," Edward retorted as if it wasn't even a big deal that he had a hole in his leg.
"You also almost died from poison in the night," she also retorted, giving him a stern motherly look.
"Felt more like I just had a small cold. " The arrogance and complete disregard for death from the boy shocked Gerda so much, she even started laughing. It was then that she noticed the many and large scars across his chest. This boy was truly an intriguing person.
"Well, I'll tell the king that you are feeling better. Perhaps he will invite you to dinner with his family. You did save his life, so no excuses!" she said with a stern but playful smile.
"Very well. I guess I can make some room in my schedule," Edward sarcastically agreed. "And thank you for the soup ma'am."
"Oh please, call me Gerda." She smiled as she left the room, thinking that the castle is about to get a bit more lively.
He's alive? Elsa thought when she heard the news. Relief and another feeling she didn't quite notice or understand flooded her emotions. Elsa's room, which had been chilled and covered in a layer of frost and light snow from the previous night, began to warm. "Now Elsa, are you sure that you can handle dinner? We can tell him that you weren't feeling well and chose to skip dinner," Agdar assured his daughter.
"I'll be fine papa, he is a hero of Arendelle, and as the Crown princess, I should be there to thank him," Elsa responded in a way that filled King Agdar with pride and love for his daughter.
"Elsa, I'm proud of how much you've grown," he said while hugging her and giving her a kiss on the forehead. Elsa, however, was putting on a brave face. She knew that her powers were getting harder to control, but she had a feeling that today they would be manageable. That and her curiosity in him gave her the desire to not miss this opportunity.
Edward finally hobbled to the door of the dining room using a crutch he found. A maid had come by earlier with a set of nice clothes, and, despite her persistent offers, assuredly said that he could manage by himself. And though he was not used to wearing anything other than his plain and simple clothes, he finally managed to everything in the correct order. Or so he hoped.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed the doors open and was greeted by the royal family awaiting his arrival.
"Edward! You're right on time, please come. This is my wife Queen Idun, our eldest daughter Princess Elsa, and our youngest Princess Anna."
The three ladies all curtsied and he responded with a deep bow, even on one leg, he lowered his torso to the point where it was almost perpendicular to his lower half. As he raised himself he noticed that Princess Anna was evidently overjoyed that there was company, and was all but jumping up and down. Elsa on the other hand, was calm and composed herself in dignity and grace. At that moment their eyes met a subtle blush ran across their faces before Edward quickly averted his eyes.
Almost oblivious of this sudden event, King Agdar continued, "Let's sit, we are all very interested in hearing all about you Edward."
"Thank you. You are far too kind."
"Oh please, if it weren't for you, all of Arendelle would be without its King," Queen Idun smiled while holding her husband's arm. At that, everyone took their seats. Agdar at the head of the table, Idun and Anna to his right, and Elsa and Edward to his left. Edward shyly pulled out Elsa's chair for her, causing her to blush lightly. Fortunately the food came to distract them all.
Once everyone finished eating, the 'interrogation' began. "So Edward, tell us about yourself. Are your parents in Arendelle as well?" Idun asked, heading the inquisition.
"Well I can't say exactly for sure where they are, I don't recall ever meeting them. They abandoned me when I was little so I've been living with my adopted grandfather for as long as I can remember," Edward just casually answered.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," Idun sheepishly apologized.
"It's quite alright if they never left me, I wouldn't be who I am today," he assured the queen. "It's also because of my grandfather that your majesty is alive. He was the one who taught me all that I know. You see, the earliest memory I have is waking up in an old hut in the woods and my grandfather was making soup. He told me that he was an old warrior from a distant land and that I can live with him and if I wanted to, he would train me to be a warrior like him. I didn't know anyone, and I was just wandering the forest with no purpose in life so I figured that I would try to give meaning to my life."
The entire family was fascinated by his story. A boy so young, has such an interesting life story. "Wow!" Anna exclaimed. "how old were you?"
"Hmm, I don't exactly know my own age right now but it was about 9 years ago," Edward said after some thought.
"Well, you seem to be around the age of Elsa, so how about we say you are 14. Is that good for you?"
"How could I refuse such a wonderful gift from a King," Edward joked with a smile. "Now I have a name, a sword, and an age to myself." Everyone got a chuckle out of his simple statement. "Ah, speaking of which, your majesty, I was wondering if you are in possession of my sword? I don't quite recall what happened after I passed out the other day, and I'm worried that I left it there." Concern flashed across Edwards face.
"Don't worry, one of the guards who stayed behind to investigate brought it back with him," relief replaced concern on Edwards face. "And might I say, it is a fascinating blade! It looks light and fragile, but is heavier that I expected and stronger as well. There wasn't even a cop in the blade where you cut the bullet! It even looks intimidating with its black blade. I've never seen a blade like this in my entire life."
"I don't doubt it, the sword is called a katana. It was my grandfather's and he came from a distant land in the east, he said it took him 7 years to get here from his home. After I first met him, he began to train me to become a strong warrior like him, he also taught me etiquette and proper respect based on his culture, that's probably why some of my actions and courtesies may seem strange to you. He said that respect and honor were the most important part of his culture and that a man is nothing without it. Once, he had me stay blindfolded for an entire year to help enhance my other senses," smiling at the memory and the captivated faces of the royal family, "he also took me into the woods and said 'don't take the blindfold off and don't get eaten' before sprinting away. And let me tell you, for an old guy, he can move."
"That must have been horrible!" Elsa exclaimed, finally speaking at the table.
"Oh it wasn't too bad, I was able to survive and my hearing improved drastically to the point where I was able to sprint through the forest and catch a deer without falling," Edward smiled to Elsa who returned the smile with a light blush. "After I made it back and received some laughs from my grandfather, he finally apologized and passed his sword down to me. I began training with it blindfolded for a few months until I was allowed to take off the blindfold. He then taught me the techniques that had been passed down in his family for generations. But, shortly after that he became sick and told me that I had become a warrior and to go find my own life and adventure before passing away. I think that was about 4 years ago." Edward's voice softened as he spoke the last part, the pain of loss resurfacing.
"We're sorry, we didn't mean to bring back painful memories." Idun said with the eyes of a kind and concerned mother. Would my mother be like this if she hadn't left me? Edward asked himself.
"It's alright, it happens to everyone and I was ready for it," Edward assured the queen. "After that, I set out to travel and tried my best get work. But a child is not someone anybody would want to hire as a bodyguard or escort. It wasn't until I saved a merchant and his cargo from some bandits that I was able to eat a full meal and get some work. I eventually became something like a bounty hunter and started moving around the continent."
His story had captivated the entire family, Agdar with the places he's been, Idun with his story telling, Elsa with his acts of bravery, and Anna with just about every word he said.
"Did you meet any interesting people?" Anna asked, wanting to get every bit of information from him as possible.
"Some of the most amazing people in the world! They were able to do things you could never dream possible!" Edward fueled Anna's imagination.
"Wow! Anything like Elsa's magic?"
"Anna!" three voices shouted as the drinks on the table froze.