Chapter 8: Feeling
Anna was as happy as she could ever be as she walked down the halls the next morning. Even the servants seemed to notice, but they were glad the princess was as perky as always once again. She did not seem at all bothered by anything and had a skip in her step as if something amazing had happened.
The snowflake pendant hung around Anna's neck, a reminder that last night had not been a dream. Elsa did come to the castle last night, and she did give Anna the necklace. It had felt like pure fantasy when it had happened, but now with the sun shining and providing light, it just proved otherwise. Anna sighed dreamily as she touched the pendant.
Adgar and Idun noticed their daughter's dreamy expression as she joined them at the table for breakfast. They did not say anything at first and merely exchanged looks.
For a while the royal family sat in silence and ate their breakfast, until Adgar cleared his throat. Idun glanced at him and Anna looked up from her plate.
"Anna… You seem happy today." He commented with a small smile. Anna smiled at him in return and just nodded as she had another bite of her breakfast.
"Your father and I have decided…" Idun said, "…that perhaps it's time we let you head outside once again, starting tomorrow."
Anna's eyes widened. "You mean it?" She asked excitedly, standing from her chair and it nearly fell over. She blushed and calmed down, and sat back down. Her parents chuckled at her enthusiasm and Anna lowered her head sheepishly.
"Yes, Anna. We have thought about it and it seems you've been spending enough time here and…as long as you are careful, you may continue with your adventures." Adgar said.
The princess jumped up with joy and ran over to embrace her parents. Idun and Adgar laughed happily as they returned their daughter's embrace. "Just don't get carried away, you hear?" Adgar reminded and Anna nodded eagerly.
She ate and finished off her breakfast before rushing out of the dining hall, nearly running over Gerda as she passed by. "Sorry Gerda!" Anna called out as she disappeared down the hall, in a rush to share the great news with Kristoff and Sven.
The way was rather warm outside, and Kristoff was just the man everybody wanted to see. He sold blocks of ice to the citizens of Arendelle that would hopefully keep them cool for the rest of the day, and they happily paid him for his service. Even Sven was rewarded with carrots from the customers.
Kristoff wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and then pat the blocks of ice. "Let's hope these don't melt before we finish selling them all."
Sven snorted in agreement as he chewed on his carrot. Kristoff pet the side of his reindeer companion's neck and Sven moved forward, continuing their delivery route.
"Kristoff!"
The pair turned to see Anna running up to them, looking as feisty and happy as ever. Kristoff offered a hand and pulled the princess up to sit with him on the sled. "Good morning to you too, Highness. What's with the big smile?" Kristoff greeted teasingly.
"My parents said that starting tomorrow; I'm free to head out again! That means I can see…" Anna stopped herself before she could mention Elsa. "I can the great outdoors again!"
The blonde chuckled. "Good for you, feisty pants. See, I told you they wouldn't keep you here forever. Just make sure you take care out there; I won't always be able to look after you."
Anna stuck her tongue out at him. "I can look after myself just fine, thank you very much! And don't worry, I'll stay out trouble."
Kristoff raised an eyebrow; Anna would sometimes run into trouble anyway. He just hoped it would never be anything worse than encountering wolves or any of nature's hazards.
The heat of the fun made light sweat run down their heads, but thankfully it was not as terrible, and the ice kept them cool. Arendelle was usually cold, especially during the evening, but on this day it seems the warmth decided to increase a bit more than usual.
Anna assisted Kristoff with his deliveries, just happy to help out in any way and have something to do other than sitting around.
As they took a break afterwards, Kristoff noticed a light glint and narrowed his eyes until he spotted something he noticed as never there before.
Anna was wearing a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a snowflake. While Anna did enjoy her share of accessories, he knew she never had a necklace like that before, and she was never one to always wear it around outside unless there was some sort of occasion like a ball.
He decided to wait before questioning her about it, but something told him that there must be more to that necklace than it seemed. Or instance, why a snowflake? Arendelle was known for its cold winters, but for some reason, something was nagging him at the back of his head, especially since Anna looked like she was being so careful and caring about it.
And then there was another topic he wanted to discuss. "So…about that friend of yours…" Kristoff began.
Anna glanced at him. "Yes? What about her?" She touched her white streak of hair before unconsciously placing a hand over her snowflake pendant.
"Just wondering if she might end up coming here again… You looked like you knew her for longer than just one day," Kristoff said, making Anna fidget slightly.
"Well I did…know her for a while. I sort of met her…during one of my nature walks and…well I guess I must have annoyed her enough times before she started warming up to me." Anna said sheepishly.
Kristoff laughed. That was just like Anna; she always managed to bring the best out in people, even if she would at first seem like an annoyance to them. In the end, Anna was the most amazing person for anyone to have ever met. He never heard of anyone who was not touched by Anna's warm and gentle nature, despite her tendency to sometimes rush into things before thinking.
Once Kristoff was able to sell off the last block of ice later that day, Anna decided to treat both him and Sven to lunch. He laughed heartily. "You're happier than I thought!"
"Are you saying I've never treated you to lunch before?" Anna raised an eyebrow at him.
Kristoff pat the top of her head. "Not at all! Lead the way!" Sven grunted in agreement, his stubby tail wagging happily at the thought of being treated to a nice large bowl of carrots, or probably an entire salad. He pranced about as he followed Anna and Kristoff.
They settled for Florian's once more and Anna sighed dreamily once they were at their table. She still could remember the look on Elsa's face when she had tried a flangendorfer for the first time.
Her little giggles made Kristoff and Sven glance over at her with raised eyebrows. Something was clearly on Anna's mind, and she did not seem to be talking anytime soon. But that was fine with him; Anna would talk when she felt like it.
As they enjoyed their lunch, Sven noticed a flash of blue and his eyes widened. The reindeer lifted his head and nudged Kristoff's arm.
When Kristoff glanced at his reindeer companion, Sven nodded over to what had caught his eye. The blonde followed Sven's gaze and blinked before clearing his throat and whistling innocently.
"So Anna…tell me about your friend…" Kristoff said, making Anna snap out of her daydream and look at him.
The redhead fidgeted in her seat. "Oh her? Well uh…I don't know. I guess it would be better if I don't speak for her since she's uh…new here and she's still…not comfortable around strangers." It was the best she could come up with for a woman who was actually a large scaly beast of legend.
Elsa approached the table and stood right behind Anna, aware that the princess had not noticed her presence just yet.
Kristoff sat back in his chair and resting his cheek against his knuckles, looking rather amused. "Really? So, do you think she'll drop by again anytime soon?"
Anna had thought about it, but she had no idea if Elsa had any intentions of a second visit since she gave no hint that she wanted to.
Elsa crossed her arms as she watched Anna, and Kristoff was snickering.
Anna frowned at her friend. "Hey! What's so funny? I don't have anything on my face, do I?" She wiped her mouth, hoping whatever it was that Kristoff was snickering at was gone.
The blonde continued to snicker and rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe you should look behind you once in a while." He said, pointing over Anna's shoulder.
Anna tilted her head before following where Kristoff was pointing, only for the chair to tilt backwards little too much. She braced herself as she began to fall backwards, but the impact on her back never came. She opened one eye only to see brilliant ice-blue eyes before her.
Elsa had moved quickly when she noticed Anna was beginning to fall along with her seat, and caught the redhead with one arm around her waist. Now they stood there with Elsa holding the princess in a dipped position, allowing the disguised dragon to get a good look at Anna's bright and lively teal-colored eyes.
Slowly, Elsa brought Anna back up to her feet. "Even when at home you seem prone to dangers." She said as Anna dusted her skirt in embarrassment.
"I'm fine! I'm okay!" Anna said with a sheepish chuckle, and touched her white streak of hair. Kristoff laughed lightly, making the redhead glare at him as her face turned completely red.
When Anna turned back to Elsa, her eyes took everything in. Elsa's hair remained in a loose braid and slicked-back appearance. But her clothes were different this time; in contrast to her male clothing from the other day, Elsa now wore shoes with kitten heels, a crystal-blue off-the-shoulder dress with what appeared to have a knee-high slit, a crystallized bodice that Anna could safely assume was made out of ice like the rest o her dress. To complete the look, the dress also had a long floor-sweeping cape that seemed to be decorated in the same pattern that Elsa's regency suit had. Snowflakes.
If Anna had thought Elsa looked dashing in a suit, Elsa now looked stunning in a dress.
"You're here! Not that it's a bad thing, I mean I'm glad you're here but I didn't expect you to visit again, I mean not that I didn't want you to, but…" Anna began to ramble until Elsa pressed a finger to the redhead's lips, making her stop in the middle of her rambling.
Kristoff cleared his throat. "So uh…nice seeing you again…" He greeted awkwardly.
Elsa just nodded acknowledgement. Anna chuckled and whispered into Elsa's ear for a moment before the enigmatic woman just sighed and nodded in agreement to whatever it was Anna was telling to her with whispers.
"Kristoff…my friend here is ready to actually have herself introduced. I let her know you're a really close friend and you two can get along." Anna said, holding the taller woman's arm.
The blonde looked into the woman's cold blue eyes that seemed to regard him carefully before she offered a hand. "… Hello again, Kristoff." She greeted and shook hands with him, catching Kristoff off guard with how firm and strong her grip was.
Anna smiled widely at this. "Kristoff…this is Elsa. Elsa…you already said hello to Kristoff, and this reindeer is Sven."
Sven seemed reluctant to step closer to her but seeing that Kristoff was unharmed, he approached Elsa and grunted in greeting.
Her ice-blue eyes looked right at him, but did not show any signs of being threatening or any intention to hunt down a reindeer. "So how long have you two known each other? You look as if you've known each other for longer than a few days." Kristoff observed.
Elsa glanced at him as Anna cleared her throat. "Well we did meet a couple of times before…" The redhead mumbled, making Kristoff and Sven exchange looks before their looks turned into wide knowing grins.
"Wait, let me guess… This is the reason you've been going on all those nature walks and why you seem so depressed when your parents said you couldn't go out there for a while." Kristoff smirked and pointed at Elsa teasingly.
Anna's eyes widened and her face turned redder than ever. "Well… I… But it's not what you think!"
Elsa watched as Kristoff began laughing at Anna's expressions while the princess tried to waving him off despite how embarrassed she clearly was. Even the reindeer seemed to be laughing in a way. It was quite amusing to see these interactions between two humans—and apparently a reindeer—who were friends.
This was another new perspective for Elsa. Something she never saw before when it came to observing how humans treated each other. During her days as a hatchling, Elsa had observed several times how humans would turn against each other, sometimes even after they had sworn alliance to each other. But now, seeing Anna and her friend Kristoff like this made Elsa think. Perhaps not all humans were traitorous beings.
"So…Elsa, right?" Kristoff turned his attention to the disguised dragon. "Where you visiting from?"
"I prefer to keep that information to myself." Elsa said, standing straight.
Her posture and poise reminded Anna of a queen; a queen that controlled the cold, but a queen nonetheless. But perhaps that was to be expected of a creature such as dragon, even if they were disguising themselves as humans.
Kristoff just shrugged at Elsa's lack of a proper response; he supposed if Anna knew her and felt she was someone they could get along with, he might as well try to trust his redheaded friend's judgment on this.
Anna stepped in and suggested that Elsa meets her parents. The taller woman seemed tense and cautious. "Don't worry, Elsa. They're really nice if you just meet them and give them a chance…" Anna said encouragingly.
Elsa was a beast of caution, and even with her protective disguise, she did not want to take the chance of anyone somehow seeing through her human illusion. And yet, Anna looked quite excited by the idea of introducing her to the king and queen. And by now the disguised dragon knew she would be unable to protest against Anna's whims, whether she liked it, or not.
"… I might just do that." Elsa sighed and Anna broke into a smile.
From where Kristoff was standing, it looked as if Anna had this Elsa wrapped around her finger despite how uptight this cold woman seemed. But that was just like Anna; seeing the best in people and bringing out the best in them as well.
The redhead seemed happy to be able to introduce her new friend to her parents sooner or later, despite Elsa's clear body language that said she was unsure and would remain cautious. But as always, the princess remained positive and Elsa just gave in every single time.
Anna parted ways with Kristoff after a while; the blonde had sensed that the two women may need some time to themselves.
"I feel like you intend to drag me around once again." Elsa said as she walked beside Anna in the marketplace.
Anna chuckled. "Well yes… There's still so much you didn't see. Like how fresh everything here is and how good they are. Uh…dragons can eat fruits, right?" The redhead asked as she paid for an apple from one of the carts, earning a polite bow from the merchant.
Elsa stared at the red fruit curiously as Anna held it up to her. The disguised dragon took a bite of the apple from Anna's hand with such blinding speeds that it made the princess jump and look at the bitten apple, then at Elsa.
The taller woman chewed for a moment before speaking, "… I prefer sea food, and meat. But this is good as well."
Anna gaped as she stared at the bitten apple. She could see one part of the apple's core. Elsa had moved so fast that Anna had felt like she had been blindsided. She also noticed the kind of marks left on the apple; the marks looked like they were made by fangs.
Elsa licked her lips, staring at the apple again. Anna chuckled and handed the fruit to her, only to have Elsa devour it within a second or two. Core and all.
"Wow…" Anna said in awe. Apparently dragons could eat anything, even if Elsa did say meat and sea food were what she preferred most.
The scents of fresh fruits, vegetables, as well as meat and fish had Elsa's senses tingling. She was not used to easy prey being in such close proximity all at once.
"So Elsa…" Anna began, "…how does it feel now to live with having a name?" She asked, smiling up at her companion.
"It's still…strange to me. But is this something we need to discuss out in the open?" Elsa said, glancing at the humans that they passed by or whoever walked by them. She did not feel comfortable discussing such a topic when there could be a chance that they may be heard one way or another.
Anna nodded in understanding and instead decided to tell Elsa about all she knew of Arendelle and what Elsa could expect from the kingdom. She wanted her to see that not all humans were bad, and to show her that there was much to see in the world.
They passed by a merchant selling fish, and Elsa was instantly drawn to the smell. Anna seemed to notice and smiled. The redhead paid for a basketful of a couple of silver trout, and continued her walk with her companion.
Elsa impatiently glanced at the basket and Anna giggled as she handed it to her. To her surprise, Elsa looked just about ready to eat the fish.
Anna led them to a nice quite place where they could view the sea. Once they sat down to stare at the view, Elsa began digging through the basket of fish and grabbed one of the trout. To the redhead's shock, the woman before her dug her teeth into the raw flesh of the trout.
Elsa licked her lips as she gulped down a bit of the fish before swallowing the rest of the trout, whole.
"How did you…?" Anna gaped in disbelief as Elsa licked her fingers clean. That had been the most bizarre things she had ever seen. She knew a dragon like Elsa would be able to swallow down fish easily, but seeing her human for do it was quite a shock.
"You were right; these are fresh." Elsa said as she began to devour another fish, not seeming to be affected by any of the fish's bones.
It appears that no matter what form they took; swallowing a bunch of fish whole would be the same simple task for a dragon. It was slightly unsettling, but at least she learned something new once again when it came to Elsa, and dragons in general.
However, that thought made Anna wonder about Elsa as a person rather than just a large scaly beast. She wanted to know more about her; about her likes and dislikes, what she enjoyed doing the most, how she felt about life… Everything.
Elsa glanced at the princess before offering her the last fish. Anna nearly jumped before politely declining. The disguised dragon shrugged before devouring the last fish.
"You're really something, you know that?" Anna said with a giggle as she stood up and dusted off her skirt. Elsa stood up along with her, leaving the empty basket behind.
As they continued their walk, Elsa noticed they were heading towards the castle. She stopped for a moment and looked at Anna.
The redhead realized her companion had stopped. She glanced at her. "Elsa? What's wrong?"
She could see the worried and tensed expression on Elsa's face. She looked ready for a fight or flight situation at that very moment.
Anna placed her hands on Elsa's cheeks and looked right into her eyes. "Elsa, listen to me. My parents won't harm you! I can promise you that, and I know you wouldn't attack anyone for no reason. So don't worry; I just want you to meet them and that's all."
The moment their eyes met, Elsa was not sure she could even turn around to walk away or think of an excuse not to step inside the den of humans, and royal humans nonetheless. Not that the rank intimidated her, but she was no fool. Humans with such a high rank are capable of almost anything given their riches and status among their kind.
But looking into Anna's eyes, Elsa felt any worries wash away somehow. And once more, Anna had somehow won over the dragon.
"… Fine. I'll hold you to your word." Elsa said with a defeated sigh and Anna grinned happily, pouncing on the taller woman. It was so odd how Anna could be so happy all the time. She reminded the dragon of an eternal sun that the darkest night could not dim. Elsa then found herself being pulled by the hand, into the castle.
As expected, the servants who passed by would glance at the princess's guest and whisper amongst themselves. They had never seen anyone quite like Elsa before and so it was quite surprising to see the princess arm-in-arm with this stranger.
"Gerda, there you are!" Anna called out. "Have you seen my mother and father?"
Gerda glanced at the princess's companion, then back at the princess. "They are in your father's study. Shall I let them know you wish to see them?"
Anna shook her head. "No, it's alright. I'll go see them myself." She took Elsa's hand once more and pulled her along down the hallway, leaving Gerda quite puzzled as to what the princess was up to this time around.
When Anna and Elsa approached the door to Adgar's study, the redhead straightened and knocked on the door. It was silent for a moment before she heard her father call for her to enter.
Anna glanced at Elsa and the taller woman tried not to tense up again and instead reminded herself to be polite and blend in. She knew that nobody would be able to see through her unless something happens that might accidentally reveal her true nature, but she was certain that both human monarchs would be unable to do so.
Elsa and Anna entered the study and closed the door behind them.
Adgar glanced up from the papers he had been looking at on his desk. He stopped with what he was doing when he noticed his daughter had brought somebody home with her. Even Idun seemed rather surprised; she had never seen this woman before and she knew for sure that Anna never had such a friend before, aside from Kristoff.
"Mama, Papa… I wanted to introduce you to my friend." Anna said, holding onto Elsa's arm, giving her companion a reassuring touch.
The king and queen stood up straight as Anna approached with this stranger. They knew they had never seen the likes of her before, but the way she carried herself in her poise and the way she stood her ground beside Anna reminded them both of a young queen or heir. But they never heard of this woman before.
Anna cleared her throat. "This is my good friend, Elsa. She's here visiting Arendelle and…I wanted to show her around and…introduce her…"
Elsa took a few steps forward and brought her long flowing cape to the front as she bowed down at Adgar and Idun.
The gesture surprised Anna but she was relieved that Elsa was willing to play her part in this whole thing. In fact it looked like Adgar and Idun were quite amazed and impressed, considering that this woman before them was probably just somebody Anna encountered on the streets as she was having a stroll.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my good lady. I hope you're enjoying your stay in Arendelle so far." Idun said, smiling politely.
Elsa stood up from her bow and nodded. "Your daughter insisted she give me the tour. So far, I have been…intrigued." She said honestly.
Anna glanced at Adgar and he seemed to be sizing up Elsa with that cautious look on his face. She hoped her father was not feeling suspicious of anything, or perhaps even seeing a bit of a dragon in Elsa's human guise.
Thankfully, Adgar seemed satisfied with what he was seeing and offered a hand to shake. "I am glad to hear that, Miss Elsa. And we trust that our daughter has been treating you well?" He joked and Anna frowned at him.
"She has been…interesting company." Elsa said, glancing at the redhead discreetly.
The king and queen giggled as Anna grew as red as an apple. It seems their daughter had made an acquaintance of someone quite interesting.
"Anna, you haven't mentioned to us before that you had met our friend here. And just how and when did you meet?" Idun asked her daughter, eyeing her carefully.
Anna rubbed the back of her neck. "Well I…during one of my walks…?"
Adgar and Idun had a flash of realization in their eyes. "Ah, so this is why our daughter enjoyed going on nature walks so much… Now I see…" Adgar smirked.
"No, no! It's nothing like that I…!" Anna was so red that she looked as if she were having steam rising from the top of her head.
Elsa glanced at her human companion and raised an eyebrow. Whatever it was Anna and her parents were giggling about, she was completely in the dark about it. But Elsa sensed there would be no point in asking them about it.
"Anyway! I was wondering if…Elsa would be allowed to join us for lunch today…?" Anna asked, holding onto Elsa's sleeve. The disguised dragon glanced at the redhead, and then looked back at the king and queen, noticing their rather surprised expressions.
As far as they were concerned, the only one Anna ever invited to lunch or dinner was Kristoff and his reindeer Sven, and now this woman…this Elsa. While they usually trusted their daughter's judgment, Elsa looked like a woman with many secrets and they wondered who it was who charmed who.
Elsa looked like a good person, but as always, the king and queen wished to know more about their daughter's new friend who she apparently met during one of her walks out in the wilds.
"Why not. If Miss Elsa is not currently engaged…" Adgar said.
Anna looked at the taller woman and Elsa sighed. She had gone this far into human territory, might as well witness their customs while she was at it. "… Why not. I have nothing else planned."
Idun seemed please. "Very good. In the meantime, please do enjoy yourself. I assume Anna planned on giving you a tour of the castle." She looked at her husband who gave a nod in approval before dismissing them both.
Anna sighed in relief as she and Elsa stepped out into the hall. "Whew! What a relief. You sure know how to charm people."
"I only said the truth, as well as keep up my performance." Elsa said, crossing her arms. She was so serious all the time it was a little endearing. But Anna was determined to show her there is more to life than being all serious all the time. She took Elsa's hand and led her down the halls, to her bedroom.
To Elsa, it was quite a strange place to be in since she was a dragon who slept on the hard ground surrounded by the cold, rather than in a soft bed with blankets to keep her warm. Not that the cold bothered her.
"This is…where you sleep?" Elsa asked.
Anna nodded and pointed at her bed. "Yeah, on that. It's really comfortable, so you should try it!"
Elsa stared at the bed curiously as she approached her with slight apprehension. Anna went over to the bed as well and pressed her hand down on it to demonstrate. "See? Nice and soft. Now you try it and see for yourself."
The icy woman placed a hand on the pillow, caught off guard just by how soft it was; not at all hard like a rock or shards of ice.
Out if curiosity, she laid herself down and felt herself sink into the mattress. Anna joined her, laying beside her and giggling. "Not bad, huh?"
"It's…nice." Elsa admitted.
Anna smiled at her and discreetly closer until her head touched Elsa's shoulder. It did indeed feel nice, though she was not sure if Elsa felt comfortable with this or not. But so far she was not being pushed away by the disguised dragon.
Elsa herself kept stealing glances at Anna, even to the snowflake-shaped pedant that rested on the redhead's chest. "I'm…glad you like it." The icy woman said after a moment.
Anna blinked then grinned, touching the necklace around her neck. "Of course I do. It's amazing… I really should make something for you." She blushed, wondering what kind of gift she could possibly give to a dragon.
"There is no need for that…" Elsa said, turning slightly to look at Anna properly.
Seeing Anna like this, so in her element, relaxed and happy. She was at home, and welcoming the ice dragon into it. This was something unique, like an odd alliance, and yet they both felt like it was something even more than that. It was no longer uncomfortable, but curious and even perhaps hopeful.
Anna lifted a hand and touched Elsa's cheek, feeling the softness and smoothness of it. It was a nice difference from the smooth cold scales, but Anna liked the feeling of Elsa's dragon scales as well. And even as a human, her flesh still felt cold although it was not so much so that it would be obvious.
Elsa placed a hand on top of Anna's, her eyes shining with the same curiosity that Anna's eyes had. As a dragon, she was not used to such affections, no matter how trivial. Every dragon knew how to act and treat one another, even their own family, but Elsa had no such thing as a family and she knew how to deal with stranger dragons that crossed her path with the intention to fight or to merely pass by. And so, this gently, warm touch from a human was something she never felt before.
"You're a strange one…Lokalaat." Elsa whispered.
Anna's smile widened as she pressed her forehead against's Elsa's slightly colder forehed. "I have no idea what you just said…"
So I took a while with this one. Sorry about that.
However I had been busy with college and passing my finals for the term. I also had to fly and take a vacation. I am now currently in a different country as I write. This is about the second week or so into my vacation, which is not as long.
However due to stress from college and terrible heat waves from the country where I go to college, my vacation might be extended. But do not worry, it does not mean I will be a taking a vacation from writing. It's my life after all!
So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as always, I am happy you all seem to like it. I also decided to translate the dragon language myself at the end of each chapter next time around. However, "lokalaat" is a word I will not be translating just yet!
However, for those of you who know the dovah speak well or have translated the word already, then enjoy it! For those who had not translated it yet, I will be keeping it a little fun mystery for you until I do decide it's time for the reveal of that word. Or rather, I will leave that to Elsa.
Until then…
