Chapter 7
Elsa's words seemed to have enraged Pyment at a whole new level. The prince of Eresi was gritting his teeth harder than ever. But obviously, he was impressed and speechless. Elsa discreetly winked at Anna, causing her to pinch her lips to prevent a loud burst of laugh.
- Since your beloved little town has now rebirthed, said Pyment, grinding his teeth, I am the only one left with prejudice.
- Don't worry, you will have your dragon back, replied Elsa. Sir Piotr Edenzas, could you please bring the prince to his frozen pet ?
- With pleasure, your majesty.
Two guards took Pyment by the shoulders, Piotr opening the way for him with a great smile. The prince's face was showing nothing but hate. His thick eyebrows gave him a very threatening look as he said to Elsa :
- We will meet again, my queen. And when we do, I can assure you that you will regret how you treated me.
- Brats should be taught a lesson from time to time, replied Elsa, rising her arm for Anna to grab it. I would be glad to see you come again to my class. Farewell, prince Pyment of the Eresi kingdom.
And the guards left, escorting him to the ice statue that had become his dragon, near the bay. Anna couldn't hold on much longer :
- Elsaaaaaaaaa ! You were so cool ! Oh my gosh oh my gosh you were just... awesomely extraordinary!
Once again, her little sister was acting like a living battery on two legs. Elsa giggled and took a firmer grisp on her sister's forearm. It had not been so easy, but actually, she was really satisfied with the way she had handled the situation. And judging by the delighted smile Sir Piotr Eenzas had when he left, she was certainly not the only one.
She spent the entire day visiting her people. Everyone was showing immense respect and infinite gratitude for what she had done this day. The new ice-made houses were really comfortable, and they couldn't melt easily. And even when they did, for exemple when someone dropped a candle on the ground, the hole that would be formed would instantly be fixed. This exceptional stability was due to a charm Elsa had engraved on the bell of the church, which was at the core of the town.
As she walked through the icy streets, she would add some decoration here and there, as she wanted everything to be perfect and enjoyable for the citizens. There she was, among her people, working for their good with delight and application. She held some children in her arms, built snowmen for them. This made her remember her own childhood, and she felt intense nostalgia.
It was nine in the evening when she came back to the castle. Her back and leg ached so badly that Zyga had to help her walking upstairs and sit on her bed. She was exhausted. But her heart was warm and her mind was clear. She took off her tiara and put it on her bedside table. Then, Zyga helped her taking off her clothes and made her lie on her stomach to take a look at her burn. It was covering half of the queen's back and gleaming with sweat. The butler sighed.
- I told you to rest, remember ? she said, before pulling out a bottle of ointment from her first-aid pocket.
- I'm sorry, Zyga, replied the queen, gritting her teeth and frowning from the pain. I can't stay in my bed after all this. Now, I know. My duty as a queen comes first.
- Well, I guess I can't reply to that. As long as you don't commit suicide.
Elsa began to laugh, but suddenly screamed out of pain when she felt Zyga's hands massaging her back with ointment. Even though the medication itself apeased the burn, the friction of the massage was unbearable. Elsa held her pillow tight as tears caused by the pain began to fill her eyes.
- If this can reassure you, Zyga, I don't plan on fighting a dragon again before one or two centuries..., she said with a hard breath.
Zyga stopped rubbing Elsa's back, and the queen sighed out of relief. But her butler was already putting another type of cream onto the bruise on her leg. And she started a new painful massage under Elsa's groans.
Night fell quickly. Elsa couldn't sleep. Firstly because of the pain she was still feeling, secondly because of the loud ticking noise of her pendulum clock, at the other side of the room. The moonlight was really bright, and Elsa could see everything without much trouble. Her woollen blanket was too warm. She put it away. The ointment was making her nightie all sticky. She rolled on the side, moved her thighs against her chest and embraced her legs, looking by the window. The kingdom of the west, Eresi... what a mysterious name. Nobody had heard of it. Even when Piotr went to the great library of Arendelle, he couldn't find any mention of Eresi in the books. This was troublesome, indeed. Arendelle was now in bad terms with a ghost kingdom, supposedly filled with mighty dragons, and apparently owning an army. She remembered the way she treated Pyment. Maybe she had gone a bit too far ? Maybe her behaviour had been childish ? Today, more than ever, she was wishing her parents were still alive. In addition, Anna had left her again. Even though she was now living in a new ice-made house with Kristoff, which was even closer to the castle than the previous one, Elsa couln't help herself but feel sad. Loneliness had a bad effect on her.
She closed her eyes and rolled on her other side, letting out a brief "ouch !" when her back went in contact with the bed. Tomorrow, she would definitely find out what and where this strange kingdom was. Then, she would certainly go back to her daily routine...
She was finally getting sleepy when she heard a metallic noise coming from the window on the eastern wall. She jumped on her knees and looked closely all around her. She didn't see anything weird. A dream, certainly.
- Never seen a queen in a nightie before, said a dull voice.
Elsa had goose bumps.
- Who is there ? she asked, hiding her panick as well as she could. Show yourself !
The silhouette of a man appeared near the pendulum. Elsa pointed her hands at him as a reflex.
- Who are you ? What do you want ?
- Saw Pyment leaving, he replied. Not looking content.
- Walk in the light so I can see your face ! said Elsa, leaving her bed and calmly walking toward the door.
The man obeyed. He walked three steps, and his face appeared in the moonlight. He was a young man with a deep horizontal scar on his forehead. He looked bored, and his face was mostly covered with multiple locks of his dark hair. He was wearing a travel coat and held a sword at his belt. He also wore military boots over some kind of black baggy. Overall, he looked very scary.
- Who are you ? What are you doing here ? repeated the queen, ready to defend herself.
- Name's Henry, replied the man, with his dull voice. Dragon hunter. Here to warn you.
- Warn me ? About what ?
Henry took a moment before he answered :
- War is coming.
