Chapter 10: The Second Generation

"Agdar, honey, are you coming to bed?" asked the Queen of Arendelle. "It's late. You can sign the those forms tomorrow."

He was actually continuing his reading on the old history of neighboring kingdoms, one of which was about the four curses.

"Oh you're right," he replied. "But why aren't you asleep, Idun? You need rest. For our baby."

"I sleep better with you," she said sweetly.

The king kicked off his slippers and slid onto bed.

"Goodnight, my queen."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

The king woke up to rustling and then the sound of an unsheathing blade, to which he jumped up and then dodged a slash.

"Idun! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Agdar screamed.

"I'm making things better!" she yelled. There was a knock on the door.

"Is everything alright, your highness?"

Agdar struck and knocked unconscious his four-month pregnant, crazed wife to avoid kingdom drama. Ironic, but it worked.

"Everything's great! Thank you!" he replied.

"A-alright."

"Wait! No! Everything is not- my wife is, uh, sick! Prepare the carriages!" Agdar yelled. He had read about the trolls in the mountains nearby, so he had ordered his driver to go there while praying to the gods that Idun does not awake.

What was happening to her? Had she gone absolutely insane? Did she shit her head? Agdar had married into the throne as prince of another kingdom, so Queen Idun would have no motives to deceive and murder him.

"Trolls! Help! Help me! It's my wife! She- she tried to murder me, and I...I don't know why!" Agdar begged with Idun in his arms.

Grand Pabbie rolled over and emerged, catching Agdar off guard. He put his hand over Idun's head and widened his eyes.

"It's a curse. The Fire Curse. One of the four cast by Eleanor," Pabbie said.

"The Fire Curse? Eleanor? Wha-?"

"It forces its host to murder against her will, trapped inside with no choice but to watch. You have to tie her up tight and feed her Solstice Water. There's a spring directly at the North Pole. You must obtain it there and feed it to her only on the winter solstice, or it will not work. Ask questions later, but now you must hurry!"

"Thank you," he said, backing away. "What's your name?"

"Pabbie."

"Thank you very much, Pabbie! I will surely repay you!"

Agdar sent a messenger back to the kingdom to inform them of the news. He ordered the driver to go north and not to stop for any reason unless told to do so, and he tied his wife up in the carriage.

She eventually woke up and just squirmed like a lifeless shell, eyeing Agdar with a deathly glare.

"I will save you, Idun. I promise."

When they reached the ocean, they sailed to the ice, and Agdar walked north until he hit the spring. Idun was left in the brig. Agdar bottled the spring water and headed back with haste.

Idun's outbreak was kept quiet while waiting for the winter solstice. When it came, Agdar force fed his wife the Solstice Water. She lied unchanged in their bed for a few seconds, but then a pillar of fire shot out through her eyes and mouth, returning her back to normal. Her eyelids fluttered open.

"Agdar...I am so sorry," Idun cried.

"Don't be. You couldn't control it, I know."

"Is the baby okay?" Idun asked.

"I'm sure it is. Let us stay hopeful," Agdar reassured.

A few months later, she was giving birth to their firstborn daughter.

"Here she is!" Agdar said with a wide smile. He handed Idun their white-haired, blue-eyed girl.

"Let's name her Elsa," said Idun.

"Perfect. Our little Elsa."

A few weeks later, they stood above their baby, admiring her beauty.

"ACHOO," baby Elsa sneezed, and a flurry of ice dispersed throughout the room. The king and queen stared dumbfounded at their baby. That's when it all began.

"Woohoo! Road trip!"

"Anna, calm down! This is strictly business," Elsa ordered her little sister.

"Right, of course," Anna replied.

"And, really, it's a sea trip if anything. We're going to see our uncle to discuss situations and reunite our kingdoms, since I've finally been coronated."

"Right! Business stuff! So where exactly are we going, again?"

"Corona. Germany," Elsa reminded.

"Ah, right."

"Honestly it's the last thing I wanna do. All my family is right here in this carriage and back watching Arendelle," Elsa said.

"Awe," Anna hugged her sister. "But don't we have a cousin there?"

"Yeah. I don't know her, though. And I hate social encounters with trade partners, especially when it's family I've never met!" Elsa shuddered.

"I hate social encounters in general," Anna elaborated. Elsa cocked her head.

"Yeah, that...pretty much sums it up," she said.

The sisters arrived at Corona within the month, enjoying each others presences despite the interminably long trip. They were greeted by nice people and abundant smiles as they navigated the bustling castle town.

"Ah, you must be queen Elsa of Arendelle, and Princess Anna," the gatekeeper greeted. "Well met! Please, enter."

"Thank you," Anna curtsied.

"We take the time to go aaaallll the way to Norway for the coronation of a relative we've never even met, and as repayment? We get snowed in some castle for days on end! I told you it was a bad idea!"

"Euugeeene... You said that you 'didn't trust Vikings.' Don't try and tell me that-," Rapunzel was cut off.

"Ahem," Eugene signaled behind her with wide eyes.

"Uh-uh, you're not-."

"Ahem."

"Wha?" she turned around to see Queen Elsa standing there with pink cheeks.

"Oh! Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" she bowed.

"No, please, Elsa," she bowed back. "You must be Rapunzel."

"That's me! And you're Princess Anna, correct?"

"Nice to meet you," Anna nodded and bowed.

"Sorry about him," Rapunzel gestured to her husband. "He likes to joke."

"On the contrary," Eugene bowed to Elsa with a smile. "Usually I just tell the truth in a sarcastic tone, and I come across and witty."

Everyone laughed.

"That was...not a joke," he said discreetly, his smile not faltering.

"Come! My mom and dad are- or, the king and queen are this way," Rapunzel led them to the round table.

"Queen Elsa," the king stood and addressed. "Welcome to Corona. Ah, Princess Anna, Rapunzel, Eugene, you needn't bore yourselves with this royal talk. There are refreshments in the hall; help yourselves."

"Thank you, your highness," Anna bowed. They left the two leaders to discuss matters and entered the hallway.

"Your sister is nice," Rapunzel said, picking up a glass of wine.

"Thank you! It's really nice to finally meet you. My parents never told me about you since, well, you went missing and all," Anna said.

"Well, I'm glad I got back with the help of Eugene," she replied.

"She really changed me," Eugene said. "I was hardened criminal!" Rapunzel elbowed him.

"A petty thief, really," Rapunzel added.

"I stole her crown."

"Euugeeene."

"How romantic," Anna giggled.

"So, Anna, do you have anyone back in Arendelle?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well, I have a boyfriend named Kristoff. He's an ice harvester."

"Yeesh, that must be a rough market with Elsa as-...ahem," Eugene said.

"Well, he manages. Elsa and I, we wouldn't be here if not for him."

Rapunzel smiled. "Oh, have anything you'd like, please!" she said.

"Oh, no thank you-is that chocolate? No thank you, I'm fine, really, I'll just have one," Anna rambled. Elsa came in with the king.

"Well, we've finished conducting business matters. Elsa, Anna, would you like to have dinner and leave in the morning? We'd love having you," the king asked.

"Oh, well-," Elsa started.

"That would give us a chance to really get to know each other better," Rapunzel added.

"Okay, why not," Elsa replied cheerfully.

They ate, they drank, and they were merry. To Elsa and Anna's surprise, they really enjoyed staying and loved being with the king, the queen, Eugene, and Rapunzel. Rapunzel actually ended up having to put Elsa and Anna to bed, and she stumbled on the way to her own. They'd remember that night.

Elsa woke up looking not too rugged, considering she wasn't completely certain where she was. She opened her door and looked left and right.

"Oh, hell," she said. She decided to turn right, and saw Eugene running frantically towards her.

"Have you seen Rapunzel?" he asked urgently.

"No, is- is she missing?" Elsa replied.

"We can't find her anywhere. And my window was open."