The queen woke up in a grand mood that morning. Though her room was empty, a familiar eyepatch sat on her desk, sitting besides the feather there. It was a small thing, but it was proof that the night's (or would it be early morning's...?) events weren't just a dream her mind had conjured up in an attempt to make the day less stressful.
With that, she rose to her morning routine with a smile curving her lips and a calm in her heart because Ylva hadn't run away as she had feared the day before...
It wasn't until she heard it... a howl, distant, but chilling all the same, that wiped the smile from her face. And then, a muffled thud as Kai knocked on her door. "Please excuse me, my queen, but... there are some matters that demand your attention, I'm afraid..." Brows drawing together, she glanced back at her window. The sun had yet to rise... "It is not urgent, but it isn't something that can wait. We've recently gathered some... troubling reports."
The blonde frowned and quickly tied the end of her braid, brushing non-existent dust from the from the front of her dress before going to the door and pulling it open. "I'm ready. Lead the way, Kai."
The portly, balding man bowed his head. "Yes, your majesty. This way..."
Frowning at the uncharacteristic hushed noise in the marketplace, Elsa walked feeling more uneased than she had been in what felt like ages. It seemed she had gotten used to peace far too quickly.
It was an overcast day, with few people out and about; only getting what they needed and taking a brisk pace back home. A chilled wind blew through the streets, but it wasn't her doing... It made her stomach bubble with nervousness. The air was tense, as though waiting. For what, she didn't know...
Another howl, not quite as distant as the first had been, pierced the air. Everyone, the queen included, froze at the sound.
No one knew exactly what was going on, not even her. Just that attacks have been happening. They had started on the very outskirts of the kingdom, and have been steadily drawing in. The few survivors that had managed to escape were half-crazed from exhaustion, babbling about an army of wolves that were searching for someone, and killing any person that got in the way.
Naturally, Elsa hadn't announced the news to the city, but they still knew that something was happening. Something was coming.
But regardless, she didn't want her subjects to worry, not yet. Not before anyone really knew what was going on, if there was even a cause to be worried... So she forced herself to appear calm and relaxed, and smiled at the merchants.
As she passed the blacksmith, she faltered mid step to look at his famous mule in its pen. It was a large thing, bigger than Sven and even all of the horses in the royal stables. One ear was torn, and his fur was longer, shaggy. Warm, golden brown fur, a white muzzle and blonde mane that was kept short. A white patch covered his hindquarters, and a white star stood a bit off-center on his forehead.
He was supposed to be friendly, but she'd never really wanted to take the chance - not with all the stories she's heard the children giggle about amongst each other as they fed the animal apples.
The animal's long ears perked, and his nostrils flared before he began tossing his head and whinnying with unease.
The smith came hurtling out of his open shop, a hammer in hand as he looked around furiously. "What is it, Ingvar?! Thieves?" The large man faltered, raising his free hand to his iron cap before stroking his untamed and somewhat singed, ginger beard as the mule snorted and kicked one of the posts to his pen. "What? Wolves...? Here? That's impossible..."
As Elsa amusedly thought that Kristoff wasn't the only person that talked to their animals, she realized that she heard growling, and she and the blacksmith met eyes. She saw panic fill his eyes, and suddenly he leapt at her with a thunderous shout...
Only to go right past her and crash onto the floor. She heard a yelp as she whirled around, only to see the man holding down a small, rather undernourished and struggling wolf.
Everything was going much too quickly for her to react, and the blacksmith roared. "Ylva!"
The blonde whirled around, only to see another, bigger wild dog galloping towards her before she saw a flash of white from the corner of her eye.
The white flash and the brown blur exchanged equally vicious snarls as they collided, and just as Elsa began to form ice in her hands, a strained shout, Ylva screamed at her. "Elsa, let Ingvar out right now!"
So she did. She ran, heart hammering against her chest as she pulled the heavy lock out, only to cry out as the stall door was kicked open. The mule whinnied before racing around the corner and going at another wolf that had been laying in the shadows, waiting to ambush them, and trampling it.
A few cries from the nearby merchants registered in her mind as she watched in a horrified awe as Ylva picked the scrambling, snarling, biting wolf and threw it clear across the street and into a pole with a growl before turning to the blonde and rushing over. Her hood was on, but she could still see the concern in her shadowed eyes as she grabbed Elsa's pale, cold hands.
"Are you alright, did they get you?!" Before Elsa could even begin to answer, the girl gripped her face in her hands and turned it this way and that before exhaling in relief. "You're okay, you're fine," Her hands lowered to grab her shoulders as she turned to the mule that came trotting out of the alley, hooves bloodied but otherwise completely unscathed. "Ingvar! Did you catch what's going on, what's happening?!"
The beast of burden reared up a bit, throwing its head angrily before landing heavily back onto the street and snorting in the hooded girl's face as snow began falling.
Ylva's face contorted into a mixture of worry and confusion, glancing at Elsa before turning to the blacksmith, who had finally managed to get the wolf under control. "Gunnar! What happened?!"
"I don't know, lass," He told her gruffly, grunting as the wolf struggled fruitlessly. "Ingvar began hollering at the top of his lungs about a danger of some sort, and then next thing I know, there are wolves!"
The girl pulled her cloak a bit closer around herself, in just a small, sleeveless shirt underneath it, and jogged to the man. She got down to look at the small wild dog, and a look of recognition then fury crossed her soot-stained face as she spoke, more to herself than anything. "You! I know you!" Her hands tightened into fists. "Gunnar, get off of that damned hound, and get off of him now!"
The man gave an uncertain look, but got off like she had told him to.
Before the wolf could even move to pick itself up off of the ground, Ylva pounced and grabbed it by the scruff with one hand, using her other to hold it's snapping, yelping jaws shut. "You-you!" She shook the wolf as a growl rumbled with her words. "I played with you and fed you as a pup, you ungrateful-!" She barked with authority as she stomped over to smithing shop, slamming the hound against the wall. "I saved your sorry hide, you rotten, good-for-nothing traitor! We hunted together-!"
Her words melted into a mix of growls and snarls with the odd word or sentence thrown in the mix, nose wrinkling as she bared her teeth, and Elsa could only watch as the dog squirmed and whined in her grasp, not trying to bite her even when she removed her hand from its maw.
The pelt-covered girl went quiet for a bit as the wolf whimpered and whined and yowled, sounding an awful lot like it was rambling, only to sharply yelp as Ylva dropped it to the ground, still fuming, but... less.
Sitting down with it's head lowered, it continued to whine to her, glancing up to look at the girl now crouched above it. After a few more whimpers, it squirmed closer, tail no longer completely curled against its furry belly.
As it continued to... well, it could only be described as talking to Ylva, merchants began to leave their stalls and inch closer; a mixed reaction of fear, confusion, curiosity, and awe coming from them as they mumbled among themselves.
Ylva suddenly jerked back, losing her balance and landing flat on her behind, visibly shocked, even with her eyes shrouded. "What?! Me?" The wolf's ears fell flat against its head as it made a noise that sounded like a mix between a whine and a groan. "But... why?!"
Another groan, and her mouth went into a thin line. "That's... no, that's... that isn't possible... Why would-?" Again, her sentence melded into a series of yips and growls and facial expressions. "Is that why I got attacked...?" A whimper left the wild dog. "She's doing what?! How could I have...? He's supposed to be a fairy tale. A legend!" She raised her arms in exasperation. "Something Mawwi told about to put me to sleep!"
The muscles in her bare arms tensed as they moved to cover the top of her head while the wolf's ears raised and dropped as it barked. "I didn't... why would I?! How could I have known?! Yeah, it was a really big wolf, but..." Her face twisted as the wolf yipped, its left ear twitching before she defended, "No! He attacked me! I was out," She gestured to the woods, "Trying to track a rabbit or some other prey in the brief reprieve of the storm when he jumped at me!"
With a sharp yelp, the wild dog's yellow eyes widened, ears perking up as it gave another series of groans and yips.
Panic filtered through Ylva's voice. "What?!"
The small hound gave a sharp bark and sat up straighter, putting a paw clumsily on the girl's shoulder.
Looking to Elsa helplessly, she turned back to the small, scrawny dog, which had crawled over to her lap and rested its chin on her shoulder as a whimper left it. "Wait... so you three..." Another whine, and every muscle in the girl visibly tensed. "Oh... oh no..." The wolf nudged her chin with its nose with no amount of gentleness, and she gave a curt nod before leaping to her feet. "Right."
She disappeared behind a hide that was hanging, and when she came back around moments later, she had her armor and belt back on. Rushing to Ingvar with the small wolf at her heels, she grabbed a fistful of the mule's fur while shouting back. "I gotta go!"
Elsa rushed forward, snow getting heavier as she grabbed the girl's arm before she could clamber onto the huge animal. "No! You have to explain what's going on! What did it say?!"
The shorter grimaced as the wolf galloped a few paces ahead and looked back, before turning back to the queen. "I promise, I'll tell you later, but I have to go now!"
"Why?" She demanded, authority filling her tone. "What's happening? You need to tell me!"
"I will," Ylva said hurriedly, an anxious whine leaving her as she grabbed the queen's hands. "I need to buy us some time, though. Just... tell everyone to stay indoors, or carry a weapon of some sort, have guards patrol the city more-" The wolf yelped for her attention, and she nodded vigorously. "I'll be back."
The snow began falling heavier, faster, swirling with the already present wind as she tried not to look completely terrified for her thief's safety. "What if you aren't?"
"I will." The shorter girl assured her firmly, wrapping her arms around the blonde and lightly squeezing her once before ducking under her arms and hopping onto the large mule. She pulled out her sword and used her other hand to grip the beast's mane. "Gunnar, forget about making things right now; check the links on armor, make sure the laces on the leather armor are sturdy, and sharpen up the blades!"
Although he was being ordered around by his apprentice, the large man didn't seem to have any qualms about it as he nodded. "Aye, lass. You be careful, come back safe!"
Ingvar snorted and stamped at the ground as Ylva spoke into his ear before he started galloping after the wolf.
Elsa paced the width of the grand hall in front of the throne, near to ripping her hair out.
This wasn't fair. Ylva had made it seem as though her kingdom was going to be under attack, under siege even, but she hadn't said anything! Brief bits and pieces and parts that made no sense when put together! She was the ruler of the kingdom, but she didn't know anything. Anything!
She threw an arm in exasperation, only to gasp as ice shot out of her fingers. She quickly cradled the offending hand to her chest, using her other to get rid of the spikes sticking out haphazardly from the ground, a noise of frustration leaving her as she did so.
Anna stumbled into the center of the great hall, and the queen looked at her for a few moments before continuing her pacing.
"Elsa...? What's going on?"
And just like that, she was off. She threw a hand into the air, barely taking note as some stray snowflakes leapt from her as they would melt soon enough, and huffed. "I was attacked by wolves!" She ignored the redhead's concerned look and continued. "And then Ylva and the blacksmith and a mule came tearing out, and apparently she really can talk to dogs-! And she had a whole, serious-sounding conversation that I couldn't understand with one of the wolves that she evidently has a history with and then before I can even ask what's going on, she gets into her armor and takes the mule and the wolf-"
"That she can talk to...?"
"That she can talk to," She confirmed, hugging herself as she turned to begin pacing again. "And ran off after one of the wolves that had gotten away! She said she was buying us some time, and that she would be back to explain, but what if she doesn't come back? What am I supposed to do?! I don't know what's going on; it seemed like she barely even knew what was going on! I can't defend a kingdom - I can't defend you if I don't know what I'm going up against-!"
Anna stepped forward and grabbed her arm, pulling the older into a hug before she could protest. "I know that you're stressed and worried, but making it snow in the castle isn't going to help."
"I'm not-" She faltered as she looked around, only to realize that a light dusting of snow was on the ground as snow drifted from the ceiling, "Oh." With a wave of her hand, she dispelled the result of her stress and relaxed (if just a bit) into the much-needed hug. "I'm sorry..."
The redhead bit back a smile as her sibling leaned against her. "It's okay... And Elsa...? We're not defenceless, you know... We're all ready and willing to fight against whatever might come, me included. I'll have you know that I'm pretty deadly with a lute."
Lips twitching up, Elsa sighed. "I know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, but..."
"I know, you're my big sister and you're supposed to protect me." Anna rolled her eyes but nodded. "I've heard it all before... And, you know you didn't have to get rid of the snow, right...?"
The queen slumped against her. "Ylva is supposed to be back..." She trailed off.
"And she still doesn't know about your powers." The redhead finished, tutting lightly. "Why are you hiding your powers from her...?"
She started to protest. "I'm not hiding..." The woman faltered as Anna pulled away enough to give her a stern look. "Okay, maybe I am..." She admitted weakly. "At first, I never had a reason to use them, and I just... she didn't know. And I didn't think that I would ever see her again, so I suppose I just figured I'd see how people reacted when they thought I was just a regular, powerless queen." The blonde dropped her head against Anna's shoulder and heaved a breath. "But then she took out that attempted killer, and then you invited her to dinner, and she ended up being much more entertaining and friendly than I had previously thought..."
"And...?" She prompted lightly.
"And things just kept coming up, and she kept proving herself more and more... more. More than I had thought. She trusts me. She's trusted me with everything she is. And I've not yet found a chance to tell her, and I'm not sure I want her to know, especially after she told me about her curse..."
Anna's brows furrowed. "Why not...?"
"She's skittish enough," Elsa reminded her dryly. "And I don't want to lose a friend. Don't you think that telling her I have ice powers would freak her out...? And hurt her...? This isn't a little thing, and I've been hiding it this whole time... She probably wouldn't take it very lightly..."
The redhead hummed in thought before shrugging. "Maybe... if you weren't you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean," Anna sighed and spoke like she was saying the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm not the only person that knows how great you are... Ylva thinks you're great, too. If you just explain, I'm sure she wouldn't care." She paused. "Actually, she's pretty laid-back... if you just made a snow flurry from the palm of your hand and went, 'hey, look at what I can do,' she would probably be okay with it. A little surprised, but okay."
Elsa tried not to deadpan. "I seriously doubt that..."
"Then you obviously haven't spent enough time with her," She ribbed lightly, flashing a goofy smile. "She probably already knows you're hiding something. So it wouldn't be that big of a shock... just saying." She raised her arms in defense. "I've noticed that you've been hiding your powers around her for a while now... It's not good for you and the more you hide it, the worse it could potentially be... if she doesn't find out for herself." She leaned in close, whispering conspiratorially, "Between you and me, I think she reads minds..."
"And," The redhead added, "Olaf misses you. He wants to know why you asked him to stay away until you give the okay, and so do I."
The queen's shoulders sagged. "Are you kidding? Olaf would scare the curse out of her..."
Anna started to laugh, only to freeze and (accidentally) snort as she straightened up, suddenly looking very serious. "And how come she told you about the curse and not me?!"
Freezing for a moment, almost guilty before she giggled into her hand, still worried but not quite as pressingly so, Elsa just grabbed her sister's freckled hand. Just being Anna's presence was immensely comforting, and the queen found herself thanking her lucky stars that she had her, because once upon a time she had very nearly lost her.
"I love you." Elsa breathed with a small smile.
Anna simply grinned and squeezed the hand holding. "I love you, too... Just don't let Sven hear," She joked lightly. "He gets jealous and insecure."
The two shared looks before breaking out into giggles.
Author's note~
Ughhghgh... I'm tired ._. Guess who stayed up 'till five in the morning goofing off on tumblr? I don't really have to say when it's me at this point of the relationship, right...?
Well'p, anyways... Here we are. Chappie 11. Oh, and dID I MENTIONT HAT THIS STORYY NOW HAS 100 FOLLoWERS WhAT?! Dude, I don't even KNOW anymore. But I don't really care either, I love all of you! You don't even KNOW. sksdafklsadkl;;kl
So, enough of Blue's spazzin'. Hope this wasn't too bad. I mean, it probably is, because this chapter was the reason I'd stayed up so late-err, early. SHit's goin' down, guys. Shit's goin' down, and Ylva STILL doesn't know about Elsa's powers, and I know some of you guys are all, 'When the fuck is she gonna know?' Well, I'll tell you this...
Not today. BWAHAHAHAHAAaa... I'm gonna get some bricks thrown at me. Well, BRING IT. If you throw enough, I can build a wall :D
fuckIN GLIB GLOB IT, I need a nap :I
, Blue