Frozen Together Chapter 10

All the nobles had gathered in the palace's chapel, where the actual coronation would be held. Kai and Gerda had managed to get into the coronation ceremony... by joining the choir, singing an ancient hymn from the balcony. It was the only way a commoner could attend the social event of the decade. But they wouldn't miss this for the world.

The bishop had invoked God's presence on the scene, thanked all the distinguished guests for coming, and followed all the old traditions – the reading of Elsa's genealogy back to the first king and queen of Arendelle; a quick recital of the royal law of succession; the listing of Elsa's qualifications... on and on he went. More than one aging noble was seen to fall asleep in the pews, only to be awakened when he slumped over onto his neighbor. The kingdom's senior clergyman wasn't trying to be boring; he was saddled with tradition upon ancient tradition which he did not dare ignore, no matter how much he might wish to do so.

At last, the bishop asked, "Will the Queen Regnant-to-be please rise?"

Elsa and Anna stood together. The older sister stepped forward first, with Anna beside her and a step behind, as her attendant. When they reached the dais, Elsa stopped in front of the bishop, while Anna stepped aside. She gave Elsa a comforting touch on the shoulder as they drew apart. The queen-to-be stood alone. Perhaps not literally, but that was how she felt.

"Elsa of Arendelle, is there any reason that hinders you from freely accepting the crown of your land and your people?"

Making snowstorms isn't on the list of disqualifiers, she thought. She answered out loud, "There is not."

"Elsa of Arendelle, as Queen Regnant, will you obey and promote all the laws of your kingdom, without seeking personal advantage, and will you seek justice for all, with favoritism toward none?"

That's an easy one. "I will"

"Elsa of Arendelle, as Queen Regnant, will you spend your life seeking the good of your kingdom and your people above all else?"

Another easy one. "I will."

"Elsa of Arendelle, as Queen Regnant, will you preserve and extend your royal line, in accordance with sacred tradition?"

Ouch. I don't know how that's going to work. That part of the charge was used only if the new sovereign was single, or married but childless. It was a stern reminder that an important part of her duty was to produce an heir to the throne. What kind of man would want to marry a girl like her? Still, she had no intention of disobeying the command, so... "I will."

"Elsa of Arendelle, receive the royal crown in humility and in the fear of God, and with it, receive the title... and the responsibility... of Queen." She went down on one knee, and the bishop placed the tiny golden tiara on her head. It felt a lot heavier than she'd thought it would.

As she rose, the bishop turned and picked up the silk pillow that carried the royal scepter and orb. She'd only seen them a few times; they weren't trotted out for every tea party and cotillion in the palace, but only for the most formal of occasions. She hesitantly reached for them.

"Ahem... Your Majesty... the gloves." The bishop's voice was not unkind; he just assumed that she'd forgotten about them.

Her eyes widened. She tried not to let her hands shake as she removed the gloves. She forgot to look toward Anna; she forgot everything except her own fingertips, and the destruction that could issue forth from them without warning. She forced herself to take the royal implements, and turned to face the guests. She had no difficulty looking solemn – she was nearly scared to death.

The bishop read off her titles and blessings, ending with "...Queen Elsa of Arendelle." It was at that moment that she felt the ice crystals forming near her hands. She hastily put the scepter and orb back on the pillow, and put her gloves back on as the guests applauded politely. She wasn't supposed to return the implements quite that soon, but everyone attributed it to nerves. Apparently, the bishop did not notice the frost.

It was time for the receiving line. Anna was allowed to stand right next to the new Queen as she greeted all the guests. "That was close," Elsa whispered to her.

"I told you, you'd do fine," Anna whispered back. She hadn't seen the frost on the scepter. Everyone lined up to greet the Queen, congratulate her, and wish her well. No one commented on the gloves.

Then came the formal dinner, put on by the best cooks in the land. This time, a few people did comment (quietly) about the fact that Queen Elsa didn't take her gloves off to dine. It wasn't unspeakably rude, but it was certainly a breach of protocol. The usual way to deal with these things was to arrange for the head waiter to make a discreet comment like, "Would the Queen honor me by allowing me to hold her gloves while she dines?" He did so.

"No, but thank you, Pierre," Elsa replied graciously. The head waiter gave a Gallic shrug; there was nothing more he could do.

During the meal, the Duke of Weselton approached the head table. "Congratulations on your ascension, Your Highness," he gushed. "I wonder if I might have a moment of your attention for a matter of great importance to both Arendelle and Weselton?"

Elsa could guess what that might be. In Weselton's Bibles, the First Commandment was not "You shall have no gods before me," but rather, "Once you have their money, you never give it back." At least, that was the common joke, which Anna had passed on to her as part of her preparations for today. Arendelle had a long history of trading her excess goods to Weselton in exchange for the excess goods Weselton got from other trade partners. It was good for both kingdoms, but the Duke's realm always wanted more. This would be Queen Elsa's first try at being diplomatic.

"I am thankful for the long and faithful friendship Arendelle has shared with Weselton," she said sweetly, "but if this 'matter of great importance' does not involve this delicious dessert we're eating, I must request that it wait until the trade meetings, which will be held later in the week. I am sure you will find nothing lacking in our proposals."

"Your Highness, I humbly request that –"

"Duke, please," she said tightly. Anna saw her tense up, and quickly laid a hand on her shoulder. The Queen relaxed slightly. "We will deal with all things at the proper time. I believe this is the proper time for chocolate pudding." She turned back to her plate and took another delicate bite, ignoring the Duke's irritated expression. He stalked back to his place, sat down with a huff, and threw daggers at Elsa with his eyes. His pudding went untouched.

At last it was time for the coronation ball. Queen Elsa was called forward and formally introduced; then Princess Anna was called to stand beside her. They smiled at each other. The evening, and Elsa's ordeal, were going pretty well and would soon be over.

The first one to approach them was the persistent Duke. Anna saw her sister stiffen, and began to move towards her, but then had a better idea and scooted aside into the wings of the ballroom. "Your Highness, again may I congratulate you on your coronation?" the Duke began. "I simply wish to expand on our previous profitable relationship in order to..."

Elsa couldn't believe the man's gall! Was he deliberately trying to provoke her? And where was Anna when she was most needed? Elsa saw her sister in the wings, gesturing frantically to get her attention. She was mouthing something. Olaf? Why did she want Olaf?

The Duke was still blathering on, and Elsa thought she might burst if she couldn't shut the man up. That wouldn't end well, but she was running out of options... and patience. She decided to trust Anna's judgment; she made a quick gesture, and a small snowman appeared right next to her sister, out of sight of everyone else. Anna bent down, formed ears on the snowman, drew glasses on it, and swiftly turned Olaf into a passable caricature of the Duke.

It was all Elsa could do to not break up laughing. She hid a giggle behind her hand, just as the Duke was trying to sound extra-appealing, and he attributed it to a girlish reaction to his charms. Before he could go on, the butler began reading the names of some late-arriving guests who wanted to greet the new Queen, and the Duke was forced to step aside. When Anna rejoined her sister a few seconds later, Elsa was completely relaxed.

"Did you like my sculpture?" Anna giggled.

"Thank you, Anna," Elsa smiled. "That was perfect. But it would be best if no one else saw it." She gestured, and the snowman turned into a puff of snowflakes in the air that quickly melted away.

Amid the many clusters of royalty who had gathered in the ballroom, Hans met up with his co-conspirator. "What's up, Duke?" he smiled.

"I don't see you making any progress with your princess," the short nobleman replied icily.

"I don't see you making much progress with the Queen, either," Hans shot back, without losing his smile.

"At least I'm trying," the Duke said tightly. "You're just enjoying the ball! Real-life diplomacy doesn't take a break for your social life, boy! Now get up there and make another play for your future princess, before some other man gets her first."

Hans grumped away, but his smile returned as he got closer to Anna. She really was something special. Anna's eyes lit up when she saw him. She rushed to greet him, then grabbed his hand and half-dragged him over to the Queen.

"Elsa... I'm sorry, Your Highness. This is Prince Hans of the Southern Isles," she introduced him. The Queen extended her gloved hand; he bowed over it, then straightened and smiled.

"Your Majesty," he greeted her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Hans," she smiled quietly.

"We just met today," Anna went on, "and we have so much in common, it's amazing!" She giggled nervously. "He's asked me to marry him."

Elsa looked shocked. "He what?"

"Of course, I haven't given him my answer yet," Anna continued, oblivious to her sister's reaction, "but isn't he wonderful? He has twelve brothers – can you believe it?"

"Anna..."

"And we both like the same foods, and we have the same favorite color, and we finish each other's salads, and we both hate bagpipe music, and –"

"Anna! May I talk to you, please? Alone?"

Anna felt like she'd been slapped in the face. Why was Elsa suddenly being so unkind, so unfeeling? "No!" she burst out. "Whatever you have to say, you can..." and then her voice trailed off. She could feel, rather than see, Elsa's stress level rising.

She had never felt such an inner conflict before in her life. On the one hand, the prince of her dreams was courting her with all his heart, and the only thing between her and endless happiness was her stubborn, irrational, not-a-people-person sister. On the other hand, she sensed that Elsa was getting close to a meltdown, and the only person who could stop that was her, and...

...and she was the direct cause of Elsa's stress this time.

Elsa's biggest problem was her fear of hurting Anna somehow. Anna had spent most of the past three years helping her overcome that fear, even though the process was far from complete. And now, she had found a brand-new way to push Elsa over the edge.

"All right," she said resignedly. "Alone. Hans, this probably won't take long." She forced a giggle. "It's my first private audience with the Queen!" The two sisters quickly retreated to the wings of the hall.

"Anna, you can't marry a man you just met!"

"What's wrong with him, Elsa? Are you just jealous because I might get married before you?"

Anger flashed in Elsa's eyes; a patch of the wall behind them suddenly iced over. "Anna, how dare you! All I'm doing is looking out for you, just like you've always looked out for me!" Before Anna could respond, she went on, "What's wrong with him? I'll tell you. Nothing! He's perfect. He's too perfect! He sounds just like that boy you told me about, whom Father almost pledged you to, until he found out the boy was a fake nobleman. Perfect princes don't just pop out of the woodwork and latch onto the first pretty face they see!"

Anna was looking like she might either cry or explode. Elsa took her hands. "Anna, I just want you to be happy... and safe. If he was asking to formally court you, I'd give my permission and my blessing, right here, right now, in front of a whole room full of royal witnesses. But marriage? To a total stranger?" She sighed. "What would you say if I suddenly showed up with a young man on my arm and told you I was going to marry him?"

"I'd say..." Anna paused, a lot longer than she'd planned to. She cast her eyes on the floor and sniffled slightly. "I'd say you were crazy and you shouldn't do it." Then she looked up. "But, Elsa, this is true love! At least, I think it is."

"I'm not saying you can't get to know this prince," Elsa tried to reassure her. "I hope you do! And I hope he turns out to be just as wonderful as you think he is. But nobody is getting engaged tonight, or tomorrow, or any time this week."

Anna looked stricken. "But I promised him I'd give him an answer before he sailed home!"

"Then tell him your answer is, 'Not yet.' I'm not forbidding you to see him or spend time with him, Anna. I'm just forbidding you to marry him when you don't even know his last name."

Anna brightened. "What if I do learn his last name?"

"Anna..." Elsa was getting angry again. Anna had to settle her down fast.

"Okay, okay, okay, no last name." Anna counted on her fingers as she went on. "No marriage. No engagement. No boyfriend. We're just good buds. No pressure, no embarrassing scenes, we'll all just go enjoy the ball. Okay?"

Elsa wasn't sure if her sister was sincerely agreeing with her, or was just saying all the right things to avoid a confrontation. But she didn't want to dwell on it. If matters were smoothed over now, they could be fully resolved later, with fewer witnesses and less pressure. The important thing now was to get through the ball without letting all those witnesses see her secret. She nodded, let Anna return to her handsome prince, took a deep breath, and prepared to rejoin the party.

But while she was out of view, she had to do something with her eye makeup, which was flaking and threatening to get in her eye. She removed a glove and carefully wiped her eye clear with a fingertip... and suddenly, there before her was that stubborn Duke again!

"Ahh, there you are, Your Highness! I don't mean to be impertinent, but I truly do wish to put an important proposal before you..."

"Duke, please!" she almost begged as she swept past him. "Let's leave the trade agreements until later, and just return to the ball, shall we?"

"My young Queen, I am shocked at the way you're treating me! Your parents always showed proper respect for representatives of Weselton!"

That stung. How dare he invoke the memory of her father and mother! "Duke, that is quite enough." She was beginning to lose the control she'd maintained all night. She could distantly hear Anna's voice saying, "Excuse me... let me through, please... pardon me..."

The Duke didn't take the hint. "I think they'd be hurt if they could see how their daughter turned out! Perhaps it's good that they didn't live to see this day!"

"I said, ENOUGH!" she screamed, and swept her hand in a back-off gesture. White sparks flew from her bare fingers. With a horrible roaring, ringing sound, a thick wall of wickedly pointed icicles sprang out of the floor, nearly impaling the Duke.

Shocked silence fell over the room. Elsa stared in horror at what she'd done. Anna rushed to her sister's side, about three seconds too late. The Duke fell back behind his hired goons.

"Sorcery!" he gasped. "I knew there was something insidious going on here!"

Elsa took one more look, turned, and fled out of the palace.

The Queen was supposed to appear on a balcony soon, so the massed common people in the palace courtyard could see their new sovereign. They were quite surprised when she burst into the courtyard at ground level instead, and instead of looking calm and serene, she was moving at a dead run.

"Are you all right, Your Highness?" a concerned woman asked. Elsa could only shake her head "no."

Anna appeared in the doorway. "Elsa, wait! Please!"

The Duke nearly pushed her out of the way. "She's a witch! She's a monster! Stop her!"

"No," Elsa sobbed. "Just keep him away from me!" She shrank away until she bumped into a water fountain. Suddenly, the water spray froze into a weird, frightening shape. All the common people gasped in terror and shrank away from her. A child began crying.

"Everyone, please!" Anna shouted as she ran into the courtyard. "It's not what you think! Elsa, think happy thoughts!"

"Are you a sorceress, too?" the Duke demanded, as he and his guards followed her. "Are you in league with that monster?"

"That's my sister you're talking about, Duke!" Anna shot back angrily.

"You all heard her!" the Duke shouted to the people. "She'd rather take the side of that witch than side with the truth!" Ugly murmurs began to ripple through the crowd.

Elsa ran. She hadn't been out of the palace since she was seven; she didn't know her own kingdom; she had no idea where to go. All she knew was that she had to get away before she hurt someone. Her ability to control herself was coming unglued.

She found herself at the water's edge, unable to go any farther. Behind her, she heard Anna calling for her, and it sounded like her prince was with her. She turned to face them, stepped back... and realized that she'd stepped onto the water, which had instantly frozen beneath her feet. Resolutely, she set out across the water, which quickly froze with each footstep.

As she made her way into the highlands, she was surrounded by falling snow; that wasn't unusual for her. She didn't see that all the lands around the palace were also being engulfed in snow. She didn't see the entire fjord freezing outward from where she'd walked. She didn't see the summer night sky become hidden behind a thick cloud layer. She didn't see people shivering and running for shelter as the temperature plummeted. Her power and her tortured emotions had set off an extraordinary chain reaction, and the entire kingdom of Arendelle was quickly encased in winter.

But she soon knew that she was being followed. "Elsa! Wait!" came a voice through the thick snow.

"Anna? Please, go back!"

"No, Elsa! I'm going with you!"

"You don't even know where I'm going! I don't even know!"

"Maybe not, but I know you're not going there alone!" Before Elsa could reply, Anna caught up with her, stepping in her sister's footprints in the snow. "Don't try and out-stubborn me, Elsa. I always win. I'm staying with you, and that's that."

The stresses of the day and the evening had worn Elsa down. There was no more resistance left in her.

Two lonely figures made their way higher and higher up the mountainside that towered over the cold, white palace of Arendelle.