The Head That Wears the Crown
Chapter Seven
Sculpture
"Your Majesty, you can't be serious!"
Minister Andersen paced before Elsa, his face contorted with consternation.
"I told you he wouldn't believe us," Anna said.
"Your Highness, please!" Andersen said. "I would expect outlandish tales of this sort from you." He turned to Elsa. "But not from you, Majesty!"
"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" Anna asked, offended.
Elsa raised her hand and Anna, wisely, stopped talking.
"Minister, I know that these are serious accusations. But I give you my word. Minister Ingeborson admitted to this himself, unprovoked. There is a hidden Council within our government whose members' only objective is to obtain as much power for themselves as possible!"
"If what you say is true, then summon Ingeborson at once! I for one would like to hear his explanation!"
Elsa's face fell, a fact Andersen noticed immediately. "What is it?"
"Minister Ingeborson is . . . unavailable at the moment. Actually, he is unavailable for the foreseeable future."
"For God's sake, Your Majesty!" Andersen cried. "What did you do?!"
"He's not dead!" Anna protested. "She didn't have him executed!"
"Well, thank the Lord for small favors," Andersen said. "Where is he, then?"
Elsa took a breath, bracing herself for the indignation that was sure to follow. "Minister Ingeborson is on a . . . delicate mission to Siberia to negotiate a trade agreement."
"Siberia?! Are you mad?" Andersen cried. "Do you have any idea the connections he has within our government? How many people will be most displeased when they discover his fate?!"
"She had to do something!" Anna argued. "He was openly threatening her!"
"And your solution is to send anyone who makes even the most minor of threats to a frozen wasteland? Where in the world did you learn diplomacy?!"
"From you," Elsa said quietly.
"Don't remind me!" Andersen snapped.
"But Ingeborson hired an assassin to try to kill her! He attacked last night! We captured him and he confessed!" Anna argued.
"Is that so?" Andersen asked. "Where is this assassin now?"
Anna's face fell. "Um, well, we . . . we don't know. He was in the dungeon last night, and this morning he was . . . gone."
Andersen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "So, your whole argument hinges on threats no one else witnessed and a confession from an assassin who has now gone missing!"
"Um . . ." Anna paused. "Elsa, feel free to jump in at any time."
The queen sighed, massaging the lump at the base of her skull. "Minister, I understand that, on its face, our actions seem unjustifiable."
Andersen snorted. "That's hardly the word I would use to describe them!"
Elsa continued. "But you know me, Minister. You know that I would never take any course of action unless I felt in my heart that it was what was best for Arendelle. Please."
Andersen nodded. "All right. Let me spend today smoothing over relations amongst the ministers. Ingeborson had his allies, but he also had his enemies. I will discreetly attempt to rally the opposition to your side. In the meantime, as there is no pressing business that must be resolved today, I think it's best for the two of you to maintain a low profile. Perhaps you can focus your energies on the state dinner scheduled for next Saturday?"
Is it that soon already? Elsa had completely forgotten about the dinner in the madness that had consumed her life.
"Thank you, Minister." Elsa said. Andersen bowed before her, then exited, leaving Elsa and Anna alone.
"I can't believe this!" Anna said, throwing herself into her chair in frustration.
"What?" Elsa asked.
"I can't believe how nobody listens to you! You're the queen, yet everyone thinks you know nothing about ruling a kingdom!"
"It comes with the territory," Elsa said. "Men are prideful, and they don't like to be told what to do. Especially if it is a woman who's commanding them."
"Well, you should, I don't know, fire them all!" Anna cried. "Clean house! Get rid of the bureaucracy completely and start over! Then this whole issue about the Council won't even be a problem!"
"You know I can't do that," Elsa said.
"Why not?!"
"Because, like it or not, we need the ministers to help manage Arendelle's affairs. It's far too complex for one person to do it all. And the ministers have connections to all the neighboring kingdoms. If word gets out that our entire government has been replaced, what do you think the reaction will be from our allies?"
Anna stared at her sister in disbelief. "How can you possibly have the patience to deal with all of this? I could never be queen! I couldn't deal with the politics, the infighting, the backroom deals. How do you do it?"
Elsa was silent for a moment. "I guess . . . I guess it's just what I've been trained to be. I've spent my whole life preparing for this, so it just comes naturally."
Anna nodded. "Well, like Andersen said, thank God for small favors." She stood and took Elsa's hand. "Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"We are going to do what Andersen said and work on the state dinner. We're going to make some ice sculptures!"
"You know, Anna, when you told me you needed me to help with some ice sculptures, this isn't what I had in mind."
"Oh, stop complaining and hold still, Kristoff! Elsa needs to concentrate!"
Elsa and Anna were in the palace courtyard, preparing for Elsa to practice creating ice sculptures. Anna had borrowed a helmet, sword, and shield from a suit of armor in the hallway and had given them to Kristoff, who stood in the center of the courtyard, trying his best not to look as ridiculous as he felt.
"I look really stupid, don't I?"
"Kristoff, for the last time! Elsa needs a model to practice with! Just be quiet and don't move!"
Anna turned to her sister. "Okay, Elsa, we're all set."
Elsa looked at Kristoff, studying him, trying to memorize his features.
"Okay," she whispered. "I can do this." She hesitated.
"Elsa?" Anna asked. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes, it's fine. I just . . . It's nothing. I'm ready."
Closing her eyes, Elsa saw Kristoff, sword held high, shield at the ready. She could feel the coldness leaving her fingertips, swirling and changing, shifting into a perfect replica of what she saw in her mind's eye—
When her vision suddenly shifted, and instead of Kristoff she saw the assassin from the night before, lying on the floor, legs encased in ice, screaming in agony, looking directly at her, pleading with his eyes for her to stop, but she wouldn't stop, she kept going, spreading the ice over his body, laughing darkly, loving every moment of his suffering, and—
"NO!" Elsa cried. The cold ceased its flow from her fingertips and she opened her eyes.
"I . . . I can't!" she said, covering her head with her hands.
"Please tell me I don't look quite like that," Kristoff said.
The ice sculpture that was supposed to be Kristoff was instead a jumbled, confused mess. Jagged limbs stuck out at odd angles, the face, while vaguely human, contorted in agony.
"Elsa, what happened?" Anna asked cautiously.
"I don't want to talk about it!" the queen responded.
"Elsa, you promised not to do this," Anna said. "What's wrong?"
"I . . . I saw the assassin from last night. I saw myself torturing him and I . . . I loved it! I loved causing him pain! What if . . . What if I can't stop the darkness? What if the only use I have for my powers is hurting others?"
"You know that's not the case!" Anna protested. "You've used your powers many times before, and you didn't hurt anyone!"
"But I could!" Elsa cried. "Don't you see? This power is dangerous! Even if I use it for good reasons, how do I know I won't begin using it to hurt people?"
"How do you know that you will?" Anna asked. She gently placed her hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Do you remember what I said the other night? About how much love you have for others?"
"Yes," Elsa replied, smiling slightly at the memory.
"Then stop worrying about what might happen, and just let yourself go. Let yourself feel."
Elsa turned to Kristoff. "What do you think, Kristoff? Do you trust me?"
Kristoff walked over to Elsa and held her hand. "You're a strong woman, Elsa. You can control your powers. I may not believe in much, but I believe—I know—that you were given them for a reason. Don't be afraid. Sometimes the hardest thing in life is learning to believe in yourself."
Love yourself! Feel! Don't be afraid! Let it go!
Elsa looked up, and the sense of peace that had visited her on the North Mountain before she built the ice palace descended on her once more. I can do this! I can do this! Closing her eyes, she allowed the love she felt for Anna, for Kristoff, for her kingdom to flow from her heart into her fingertips. She could see Anna and Kristoff together on their wedding day, raising their children, growing old together, living happily for the rest of their days. She saw Arendelle thriving, her people happily living and working, raising families, living their lives to the fullest. And for the first time she could remember, she saw herself in her mind's eye, as if looking in a mirror, and no longer saw a monster, a freak, a cosmic mistake, but instead a beautiful, strong, confident woman. The woman she had always wanted to be.
The cold subsided, returning once again to the center of her being. Opening her eyes, Elsa turned to Anna and Kristoff. "Well, did it work? What happened?"
Neither Anna nor Kristoff could speak. Their mouths hung open in astonishment.
"What is it?" Elsa asked, and for a moment terror coursed through her heart. What have I done?
Both Anna and Kristoff pointed over Elsa's shoulder. The queen turned to face whatever she had unleashed. She gasped in shock at the sight.
Two perfectly-formed ice sculptures faced her, every detail of their faces exquisitely detailed. It was Anna and Kristoff, holding each other tightly, staring into each other's faces, gazing at each other with a look that expressed the love they felt for each other. It was as if Elsa had taken their essences, their very souls and engraved them into ice.
"That is . . . This is incredible!" Anna finally said.
"It looks just like you!" Kristoff whispered.
Both Anna and Kristoff turned to Elsa. "Elsa, this is . . . beautiful!" Anna said. "Thank you!"
"It's like you said, Anna," Elsa said, softly. "Love. Love is the answer!"
Anna laughed. "I don't think you need any more practice!" She embraced her sister, kissing her on the cheek. "This is absolutely perfect!"
The three didn't know how much longer they stayed in the courtyard, gazing upon Elsa's creation. For a short time, there was no conspiracy, no threat to the kingdom. Rather, there was simply peace, tranquility, etched perfectly on the faces of ice that glistened in the setting sun.
AN: A quiet moment to temporarily relieve the tension. More to follow.
