Hello again everyone! Nothing too exciting this chapter, but to have a good plot, you must set everything up! I hope you'll all enjoy either way!
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches
Morning came to Anna far too soon for her liking. Her new bed was amazing! It was soft and so warm! She'd fallen asleep with her nose pressed into the soft fluff of her stuffed reindeer, and woke up rolled into her thick blankets. So when someone came to wake her early that morning the princess grumble and protested. She just wanted to sleep a little bit longer.
"Just a few more minutes papa," she mumbled sleepily. But she wasn't met by the sweet response of her father, instead she was met by the gruff voice of a woman.
"I would love to let you sleep, your highness, but my queen has given me instruction to wake you," it was Ylva. Had she never heard the woman talk before? She had a thick accent, and an I don't really care what you think, tone of voice.
Anna pulled herself into an upright position, and the covers fell away from her body. The cold air cut straight through her sleepwear to her bones. She shivered heavily and glared sleepily at the door. Usually she wouldn't mind being woken up, but she was having the best dream and the interruption was not welcome.
"May I enter?" Ylva's voice was muffled by the thick wooden door that Anna scowled at.
"You may enter," she bid hesitantly.
Ylva pushed open the door immediately and strode into her room. Her arms were piled full of fabric of all shades and designs. This was a bit of a surprise. Anna's glare softened as the woman approached her and gave a small bow of her head.
"What's with all the clothes?" The young princess had always been a curious girl, and she couldn't stand when people kept things from her for too long.
Ylva began to lie out stacks of tunics and royal doublets, varying in color and design. She spread the clothes across Anna's bed as the princess watched in confusion.
"Our queen wishes you to have these,"was the only explanation she offered.
Anna was confused to say the least. How did Queen Elsa know that she hated wearing dresses, and why did she insist on giving Anna so much? Anna took the closest tunic in her hands. The material was a dark green, and softer than anything she'd ever worn. She wasn't sure whether she should be grateful, or angry at the fact that Arendelle had the resources to waste on such luxuries while Corona suffered.
"Master Cecil will come to fetch you when you are ready, your highness," Ylva left her alone then. She slunk out of the room before Anna could question her.
The princess sighed, she was definitely awake now. She climbed out of her bed, and went to inspect the mound of new clothes. There were at least twenty different shades of blues and greens, and designs that ranged from the Arendelle crest to that of Corona. She let her fingertips glide over the soft fabrics in awe. They were a wonderful gift, but it did more to confuse than delight. She pulled the same dark green tunic to her chest, deciding that she would wear it that day. She couldn't just ignore the queen's kindness.
But as she dressed she let her mind wander. What would Cecil have planned for her today? She needed to be getting closer to the queen, not the staff. She couldn't rush things, she had to gain the trust of everyone in the castle. To execute her plan, and the queen, she would need to have free reign of the fortress. So today, she'd start with Cecil, and a few of the guards if she got the chance.
Cecil came for her half of an hour later, wearing that same goofy smile, and the same hat that made his hair bounce around his face . Anna returned his smile politely.
"Good morning, your highness," he beamed and dropped into a full bow at the waist, "I see you have chosen to wear some of your new clothes, and my I say, you look beautiful".
Okay, he's way too happy in the morning. Anna thought.
She chuckled nervously and pulled at the forest green tunic that hung around her small frame,
"Yeah, uh, you'll have to thank Queen Elsa for me".
His grin widened, if that were even physically possible, and Anna had to resist the urge to take a step back,
"You'll get the chance to thank her yourself in a few short moments".
Anna's heart thudded for a few beats,
"I'm sorry?"
Cecil chuckled and motioned for the young woman to follow him into the hall,
"Our queen has set aside the entire morning to show you the grand city of Arendelle. With a clutch of guards to accompany you, of course".
Her throat went dry. She had not expected that. She'd been prepared to win Cecil over, and then work her way up to the queen.
They continued to walk silently down the long hall. The deja vu' walk of nerves and fear towards the throne room was almost too much for her. She was seriously considering turning and running back to hide in her room., but as soon as she worked up the nerve they'd already reached the double doors.
She cleared the lump from her throat, and just before Cecil could open the door she asked, "will you be joining us?"
Cecil stopped before reaching the handle, and smiled apologetically at the young red head, "I am needed here, your highness. But do not worry, our queen knows the city even better than I, you are in good hands".
Anna tried to smile back, but it came out looking more like a grimace. She didn't know if she could be alone with the queen. Especially not after the dream she'd had the night before. He proceeded to push the doors to the throne room open, and then sauntered into the massive area. Anna caught sight of four soldiers, dressed in their dazzling armor, off to the side of the room. She then noticed the queen making her way towards them. Luckily Cecil hadn't decided to abandon her just yet.
Anna took the opportunity to look the queen over. Once more she was dressed in a deep blue dress that came to her ankles and hung lightly over her high boots. Black broke over the ridge of her bust, and down the length of her sleeves, and her hands bore a pair of thick blue gloves. She had a large cloak thrown over her elegant shoulders, and her hair was pinned into its original updo.
"Good morning Cecil," Elsa greeted the man, he offered her a bow of his head as she turned her attention on Anna, "good morning princess. I do hope you slept well".
Anna dropped into a small curtsy and offered the queen a small smile,
"I did, and I wish the same for you," even though her voice was friendly and steady, her insides quivered to life. She could feel the power radiating off of Elsa.
Elsa said a quick thank you, and dismissed Cecil from the room. This was it, they were about to be alone once more. Maybe, Anna began to think, this would work out in her favor. If queen Elsa insisted on spending more time with Anna alone this way, she would surely get her chance to dispatch the queen. The princess glanced at the group of guards behind her. They each held an impressive sword, and a shield that surely weighed more than Anna herself. She wondered if she would be able to overpower all of the guards with enough time to take Elsa's head. That was, if she didn't freeze her where she stood first.
Anna subconsciously shivered and pulled her thick cloak closer. She'd have to find a weapon.
They walked towards the group of men. Elsa lead their way, and the pack shuffled through another set of doors that took them out into the bright, and blistering morning. Had it gotten colder since she'd arrived? They approached a large carriage drawn by four large draft horses. They stomped at the snow impatiently and grunted into the cold morning air. The knights took their places on either side of the carriage as the royals approached. Queen Elsa elegantly climbed into her seat and proceeded to wait for the young princess to join her. Anna, being her normal clumsy self, stepped onto the carriage ledge just a bit too quickly. Her boot must have picked up some stray ice, and she slid forward. She reached out for anything to steady herself, and was met by the hand of the queen.
Her head shot up, and her cheeks filled with blood. Elsa had grabbed her by the wrist before she could tumble completely to the hard ground below. The familiar sensation from before shot up her arm, and rushed through her body with such intensity that she gasped. The touch was quick, Elsa had her by the wrist one moment, and then her hand was pulled back into her cloak the next. Anna pulled herself the rest of the way into the carriage and sat across from the queen. Her cheeks were still red hot,
"Thank you," she mumbled.
Elsa didn't respond, and Anna was sure she had done something to anger her.
"Because what's worse than knowing you want something, besides knowing you can never have it?"
― James Patterson, The Angel Experiment
The heat that filled her chest was addicting. She'd never known such a wonderful feeling before. The instant that Elsa's hand met the younger girl's it began to tingle and buzz with a yearning. Even through the fabric of her glove. She hadn't thought about it, just reacted as her body saw fit. When the princess had slipped, Elsa's body moved on its own. She'd reached out for the younger woman, knowing that she had vowed never to touch her again, and grabbed the girl by the wrist. But when the heat began to erupt in her chest, she pulled away once more.
Color flooded into Anna's cheeks, making her freckles stand out more against the redness. She sat herself across from the queen and mumbled her thanks. Elsa didn't respond, she was still trying to catch her breath, and calm the rapid beating of her heart.
The carriage door shut, and they began to move towards the city. Elsa had taken the entire morning off to show Anna the city, and when asked by her council why she was the one that had to do so, she hesitated. Why had she insisted on being the one to take Anna into the city? Was it the sense of duty and responsibility that she felt she owed the girl, or was it something deeper?
There were things beginning to stir in the pit of her stomach. Feelings that she'd buried long ago that started to resurface. The darkness she had hidden for so long was lurking at the edge of her mind, but it seemed the more she was around Anna, the quieter the darkness became. So maybe these feelings were not all as bad as she had built them up to be in her mind. Maybe just a little, shocking, and new.
Elsa let her eyes flick from the horizon to Anna for a brief moment. The girl was sitting with her body scrunched together, her hands were wrung together in her lap. Even so distressed and nervous she was still beautiful. Her auburn hair was braided into two sections that hung over each shoulder, the top bit was hidden by a thick dark cap that matched the cloak thrown around her small shoulders. Elsa noticed the tunic she'd provided the princess, and smiled knowingly. It made that same warmth flicker into her chest knowing that Anna liked something the queen had given her.
"Aren't you cold?" Elsa hadn't even realized that Anna was now looking her dead in the eyes. Her heart thudded a rapid beat, and she quickly averted her eyes.
Anna looked like she was about to panic, her cheeks flushed once more, and she took a deep breath before stammering out an apology. Was Anna that scared of her?
"I-I'm sorry, your majesty! I was just curious cause your cloak isn't nearly as thick as mine and you don't seem to be shivering as much as I am an-" Anna continued to babble cutely.
Cute? Since when did the queen of Arendelle use the word cute? Elsa placed a hand over her mouth and chuckled. This seemed to snap Anna out of her babbling, and her eyes widened to stare at the queen.
"You are welcome to just call me Elsa," she began, "and no, I do not feel the cold as you do".
Anna nodded numbly, like she was too scared to do much more. Elsa shouldn't be surprised, she was feared among her own people, not to mention resented and hated among the other countries. She had been surprised that Corona wanted to make peace with a ruler such as her in the first place.
"O-okay your, ah, Elsa," Anna managed a delicate smile, which Elsa returned lightly.
"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Anna didn't know what to think or feel. She wasn't even sure that her heart would ever settle from the thundering it was doing in her chest. The queen had chuckled, and spoke to her in such a delicate and interested way. It made her cheeks warm and her chest feel heavy.
'Idiot!' She thought angrily. 'You can't get worked up like this over a few stupid words!'
Her brain was right! Well, she herself was right, she couldn't let herself be swayed by a pretty, beautiful, stunning, magical, face.
"Damn-it," she muttered.
Elsa cocked a perfect eyebrow at her, silently asking for an explanation. Damn-it, even that was sexy!
'Change your damn train of thought!' she willed to herself.
Anna forced a smile and presented her best act to the queen,
"So, where are we headed first?"
Elsa sat back a bit in her seat and placed her folded hands in her lap,
"To my favorite place in the city".
I want to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave me a review. It helps motivate me more than you know, so please, continue to review. I love hearing your theories and opinions!
~The-Frozen-Avatar
