A/N: Hey. For those who don't know, the word droughts found in this chapter is pronounced "drafts" and it's essentially the game of checkers. I know I don't intend to make this a historical fiction piece, but I do want to make it clear that the archery universe is based in the year 1844. Now, I know that "Frozen" was set in 1839 and "Frozen Fever" was set in 1840, but 1844 is the year The Snow Queen was first published and it gives me a little more leniency with some the inventions, tools, and concepts that existed during that time as opposed to 1840. So, keep that in mind. But I might cheat a little, especially with word choice and dialogue. (You'd be surprise what "modern" words had existed for a good while but meant slightly differently things before their modern meanings came into effect.) Also, I bet you guys will find this chapter interesting. :3
The next day before class Anna arrived at her spot as usual and didn't let herself be bothered by the presence of her instructor. Elsa thought Anna's behavior to be a little odd at first, but then she realized that her student finally broke out of her awkward stage after getting used to school and decided not to focus on something that's irrelevant to her at the moment. Namely, she didn't have to worry about class exercises when class had started yet. Because of this reasoning, Elsa didn't mind the silence that developed between them until it was gradually replaced with the arrival of students and in which two of whom were Anna's friends.
Once the shabby-haired blonde and brunette boys came into the scene, Elsa simply observed them. The blonde was named Kristoff and the brunette was named Sven. Elsa recalled that Elder Bulda had Kristoff and Kai had Sven the previous year. But what she really noticed was how lively Anna was being. It wasn't what she expected, but then she rationalized that Anna possibly was nervous about starting school and busy working on her assigned push-ups before she got the chance to be herself.
From what Elsa saw she liked it. Before she could get distracted, Elsa looked at her watch and figured it was about time to start class. She had put her watch away and looked up to see if any students were straggling behind. Luckily, it appeared everyone was present but not all of them were in their spots. She amended that quickly with a clearing of her throat. Seeing that her students still brought their equipment without yet having the convenience of their storage units Elsa felt glad. They would need their equipment for the day.
Elsa started class with simple stretches and exercises. Then she had the class run a mile before setting then off to do target practice. But instead of going to the same location with stationary target boards, Elsa had her class travel to a nearby land-locked lake where she would have them practice shooting at moving target such as the fish in the water. She explained to them that it would double as practice for bowfishing and that this will not be the only time they will practice for bowfishing. This would just the precursor of future exercises. However, Elsa made it clear to her students that they shall not strike a fish under any circumstances, but to aim their arrows near the fish as the exercise is only for practice. If they disobeyed her, she would promptly discipline them.
Most students obeyed Elsa's command, yet Hans and his friends, Numbers Two and Six, were threatening to kill the fish by cornering and terrorizing them, causing Elsa to get a headache and to discipline them. Once she swiftly pinned them to trees near the shore with her arrows to teach them a lesson, Hans and his friends didn't dare to stir up trouble for the remainder of class. Despite this, one student was having trouble even getting her arrows close enough to the fishes she was aiming for.
Elsa saw Anna struggle aiming for the fish. She saw how the redhead blew her bangs out of her eyes, how she huffed in frustration, how her cheeks grew red with each failed attempt passing her by. Not only did Elsa plainly see Anna's struggles but also could feel them radiate towards her. But Elsa could sense that Anna could do better if only she had some guidance and a confidence boost.
Elsa looked around to the rest of her students. They all looked fine, almost mechanical in their shots. Elsa recalled the words of her former instructor that those who were not keeping up with the rest of the class were considered weak and those who were weak should be weeded out as soon as possible by means of overworking and insulting them until they leave. And truth be told, Elsa had mixed feelings about that kind of philosophy then in class, but just by looking at Anna told her otherwise. She knew Anna wasn't weak; she just needed to build some confidence in herself. She could tell because she saw part of herself in Anna. She may have been the best and most talented student at the academy, but she struggled (among many other things) with building enough self-respect and self-confidence to be happy with her life. No one knew this about her because she hid from them so they didn't have to see how much she was hurting or how much she cried from daily obstacles she encountered as an otherwise top-notch archery student. No one ever knew until she met Olaf. But that was beside the point. She could tell Anna struggled with something and Elsa actually felt bad for her. But she knew she couldn't seem too sympathetic or favorable toward one particular student, so she did what she thought was a diplomatic course of action.
She went around the class, avoiding Anna altogether, and asked if each student got their arrows near ten fish. Once a student confirmed this, Elsa dismissed them for the rest of class. Little by little the number of students dwindled until she was left alone with Anna. As she approached the redhead, Elsa watched her progress. She noticed that Anna was patient and aiming for fishes, but lacked an efficient method to execute the exercise. Just before Anna could shoot a new round of now-wet arrows, Elsa placed a hand on her shoulder. Anna was startled at first and stood still and then she turned to face Elsa.
"Miss Arendelle?"
"Number 13, you're lagging behind. Everyone else is done for the day and has returned to the academy."
Anna furrowed her eyebrows. She felt like her heart was about to sink from sheer disappointment, but then Elsa's voice distracted her from spiraling into self-pity.
"But don't despair, Number 13. This time alone with you will give me leniency as your instructor to tutor you into finishing your exercise. Also, keep in mind that I didn't originally have a fixed number of fishes the class to aim for, but once I allotted the number ten to the exercise the class finished sooner than I thought. Now, it's not too late for you to finish the exercise and have plenty of time to relax before dinner at the academy, but you have to cooperate with me. Okay?"
"Okay…What did you have in mind?"
Elsa smiled on the inside. "You need a method. You need to look for the fishes' swimming pattern so you can predict where they'll be next and shoot accordingly. Now, observe…"
Elsa skillfully pulled out an arrow from her quiver from behind her back and aligned it with the bow. She spotted a fish, followed its swimming pattern with her eyes and made her shot. Her arrows struck a few inches away from the fish's right side—right where she wanted it to be. After a mild shock, the fish swam away. Elsa continued demonstrating perfect practice shots in front of Anna until she ran out of her arrows. Then she retrieved her arrows were they stood in the water before coming back to Anna.
As she had put her arrows in her quiver, she said "See how I followed the fishes' swimming patterns with my eyes?"
Anna deftly nodded.
Once Elsa had put away her last arrow, she continued giving advice to Anna. "You need to do the same thing and then once you're able to predict where a fish will go next that is when you should shoot. Try it."
Anna got ready and kept Elsa's words of advice in her mind as she waited to spot a fish. In the meantime, Elsa watched Anna shoot from a distance.
She noticed how Anna had significantly improved her stance once she gave her some advice. Yet Elsa knew something was still off with Anna's shots. Elsa squinted her eyes and noticed a slight tremble in Anna's arms. Maybe if she did something a little extra to help her then maybe Anna could finally have enough confidence to finish the exercise.
Elsa looked over at the horizon overlooking the lake. It was still early in the day, but if Anna didn't pick up the pace they could be at the lake past dinner time. The quiet instructor decided to be proactive and give her student a little more guidance. She strode over and stopped Anna's movements.
Just as Elsa was about to lift her arms, she hesitated. She gulped and stood stiff. Anna looked over at her with confusion and a little bit of worry. "Miss Arendelle?"
Elsa gulped again. She had to do this. She could do this. After all, it was perfectly legal and socially acceptable for a teacher to physically guide a student of theirs, who is a legal adult, to help them learn a movement of a particular exercise. She would do it.
At last, Elsa brought her arms around Anna's body in one fluid motion and gripped her wrists. This brought on a deeply confused and slightly flustered look to her student's face. Yet she ignored it. Rather she got Anna back into position and pressed her front into the redhead's back. She told Anna to find a fish and follow it with her eyes. Then she told her to steady her arms and helped her pull back the arrow, guiding her arm in a straight and strong line. At that moment Elsa gently backed away and told Anna to shoot.
Within seconds the arrow landed on its intended target near the fish. Anna was astonished and Elsa, however silent her reaction was, felt pleased with herself. A second later a smile broke out on Anna's face and grew wider when she heard the words she hoped to hear, "Good job, Number 13. You finally did it."
Anna didn't care how goofy her smile looked to anyone at that moment. She did a half-turn to face Elsa.
"Thank you, Miss Arendelle, for your help."
Elsa crossed her arms. "Don't mention it. Now, do nine more fish and then you may be dismissed for the day."
"Yes, Miss Arendelle!"
Anna turned back toward the lake's shore and, applying her teacher's advice and guidance, she was able to finish the exercise at her own pace.
Meanwhile, Elsa backtracked to a respectable distance to watch Anna. She had the faintest smile and blush on her face that she herself hardly noticed. But she wasn't totally oblivious to the smile and blush. She could still feel a feather-light warmth and pressure pressing down on the delicate features of her face.
When Anna was done, she gathered her arrows and put them away and strapped on her bow. She trotted back to her now-seemingly-stoic instructor.
"Miss Arendelle, um…"
"Yes?"
"I don't know much about you except you seem pretty strict, but you're not exactly mean. You're actually a pretty okay person. And I want to thank you again for helping me. I know it must have been frustrating for you to watch me fail over and over again, but I'm really glad you didn't give up on me. So, thanks a lot for that."
Elsa was a bit flabbergasted to say the least. But she kept her calm and swallowed a third time. She looked straight into Anna's eyes.
"That was nice to hear, Number 13, and you're welcome. But there's no need to tell anybody about this because it won't be a regular thing between us…Nor will be a regular thing for me to help students. Got it?"
"Yes, Miss Arendelle."
"Okay, good. You may go now, Number 13."
Anna gave Elsa a small smile. "Okay. Thank you, Miss Arendelle."
Anna took her leave to head back to the academy for whatever free time she had before dinner. Elsa, on the other hand, remained at the lake for an hour past Anna's departure staring at the setting sun.
Anna started reading her copy of The Murder of Engine Maker Rolfsen by Maurits Hansen when a knock sounded on her bedroom door. Anna sighed and closed her book before setting it down. She went over to open the door to find Kristoff on the other side.
"Kristoff? What are you doing here?"
"I thought since we have time before dinner that we should spend time together."
"Is Sven going to join us?"
"Oh, no. He's taking a nap before dinner."
"Oh, okay. What did you have in mind?"
"Do you want to play a game of droughts in the common room?"
"Sure! Just wait here."
Anna dashed to her bedside table and grabbed her keys and then returned to Kristoff to lock her door. As they walked down to the common room, Kristoff periodically glanced over at Anna.
"So…Anna. You spent quite a bit of time with Miss Arendelle again. Should I be worried?"
"No, Kristoff. I just had trouble doing the exercise correctly. At one point Miss Arendelle gave me some advice and I was able to finish the exercise. I guess she got tired waiting around for me to finish. I mean, I'd get a little antsy too if I was her watching over one student who needed to finish an exercise when I could take advantage of getting some extra free time."
"Did she yell at you or insult you?"
Anna looked over at Kristoff shocked. "No! Dear no, Kristoff! Don't you have any faith in our instructor? She's not heartless; she's just tough. She sort of helped me in her own weird and quiet way."
"Oh, okay. I was just looking out for you."
"You could do that without misjudging someone else."
"Why are you defending her?"
"I'm just saying, Kristoff, is that you shouldn't misjudge people when you don't know them."
"You don't know Miss Arendelle either."
"I know her more than you do. I at least stay after most classes with her to get a glimpse how she is as a person."
"I guess you're right about that."
"Thanks, Kristoff."
Anna gave Kristoff a gentle smile before they came to the door leading to the common room. Kristoff opened the door for Anna and she thanked him. They walked over to the droughts table and had set up a game.
Anna and Kristoff had fun playing on the checkered board, occasionally cracking jokes about each other's skill set as player and laughing at each other's expense all in a good-natured way. By the time they were done with the game, neither one of them cared who won and it was getting close to dinner time. They chose to go together to wake up Sven from his nap.
Over dinner it was later revealed to Sven that Anna won the game and that Sven had a dream about being around a bunch of reindeers. While Sven entertained Anna with the details of his fanciful and silly dream, Kristoff watched Anna enjoy herself. He enjoyed taking in the sight of how happy and relaxed she looked, how her mouth curled into an amused smile, and how her laugh rolled off her tongue like music from a symphony flowing into a full house warming the velvet seats and floors. He propped his head on one of his hands and just watched Anna interact with Sven. It made him happy that his friends was becoming more relaxed than before and it made him happy just looking at her in all her quirky charm and natural beauty. Before long, Kristoff blinked from confusion and decided to get back to eating, stuffing his face with food, trying to push out any thoughts forming in his head of how beautiful his friend Anna looked.
TBC…
