So back in October right after my last update, I finally got a full time job! Good news for my career, bad news for my stories. I've been working for a few months now and it's been really busy. Between a cancer diagnosis in the family which has recently been resolved (Thank the Lord), work, and other priorities, I haven't had the time to put towards the stories. I HAVE NOT ABANDONED THEM, I'm hoping I've overcome the writer's block and can now continue. Anyways, enough excuses! Here's the long overdue update! Also, thanks guest for the reviews. Unfortunately, it'll be a little while before we see Luc again :/ Hopefully, it won't be another four months... Thank all of you for being patient with me!
Elsa awoke with a sharp jolt. Another nightmare. She'd been having them for a few days now. It took her a moment to realize that she was in their room on the ship. This morning meant the start of their seventh day at sea. The night they left port, they put enough distance between themselves and land that the Germans might not suspect they'd made it out of the city.
Their family was in the shipping business but the truth was, they'd never actually been out to sea before. So this was a first experience for both sisters. Captain Olaf was a most kind host to them. He regularly had one of his crewmen check to see if they needed anything. He made sure they were well fed, even though it was almost always fish.
She looked around and realized Anna and Kristoff weren't in the room. They had been acting different the last few days. Elsa had a suspicion, but if there was in fact something between them she'd wait and let Anna tell her when she's ready. In the meantime, she was hungry.
She made her way to the upper deck where the sea was rather calm compared to the last few days. The sun was shining and the wind blew a salty mist across the deck. She made her way to the dining room but stopped when she saw the five crewmen, Captain Olaf, Kristoff, and her sister crowding around a radio near the ship's helm. Her curiousity got the better of her as she walked over to her sister. "Good morning, Anna." Anna turned to her quickly. "Good morning, now shh." She turned her attention back to the radio and Elsa came to stand beside her. She could hear a man with an English accent speaking. "The next voice you hear will be a recording of yesterday's adress by President Roosevelt of the United States."
"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941-a date which will live in infamy-the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."
Elsa gasped. They listened with full attention to the details of the attack on Hawaii and all of the other attacks throughout the Pacific.
"No matter how long it may take us to overcome the premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory."
Without saying a word, Captain Olaf let out a long breath and walked away from the radio.
"With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph-so help us God. I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire."
The speech ended with an applause and the English man came back on. "This has been a broadcast of yesterday's declaration of war between America and Japan. In other news, several nations across Europe have broken diplomatic relations with Japan-"
Everyone made their way back to their duties without so much as a word or listening to anymore of the broadcast. Elsa, Anna and Kristoff made their way to the dining room for breakfast, even though they weren't feeling as hungry as they were a few minutes earlier. Olaf was there setting up the table. "So how is everyone today?" Kristoff answered him. "We're doing well, thank you."
Silence filled the room as food was brought to the table and they began eating. It was Anna who finally interrupted the silence with the subject on everyone's mind. "When do you think the Americans will be in Europe?" Elsa was just going off of what she heard. "It sounded like they're only at war with Japan." Kristoff stopped eating to speak. "It's only a matter of time. America and Germany will be fighting soon. All of Europe is going to be a battlefield. We need to find your father as quickly as possible and find a safe place to go." Elsa couldn't help but ask the question she'd been asking herself for days now with no clear answer. "And go where? The entire world is at war and we can't go home. Colonel Westergar is probably looking for us with a vengeance now." Anna wasn't entirely sure of that. "Do you really think he would after what happened in the escape?" Elsa thought back to what Hans said to them while they were captured. "Yes. He searched an entire city to find us and we got away before he could get what he was after." Anna couldn't take it anymore. She abruptly stood and left the room as fast as her legs could carry her. Kristoff started to stand but Elsa held a hand up to stop him. "I'll talk to her." She left the table and slowly walked the direction her sister had gone.
It took a few minutes but she finally found her in her bed. Her head was in her hands and Elsa didn't have to hear the sobs to know she was upset. She stood there for a moment giving her some privacy.
After a moment, she walked over to the chair near her bed and sat without saying a word. Anna stopped crying after another minute and looked up at Elsa. Elsa just sat waiting for her to open up about whatever was bothering her. "It wasn't supposed to be like this..."
"What do you mean?"
"Mother and Father were supposed to grow old together and you and I were going to live our life in Arendelle. Now we've lost everything and..." She started crying again. "And we don't even know if Father is alive!"
Elsa sat next to her and pulled her into a hug. "He's alive... We'll find him." That didn't seem to cheer her up any.
"Do you remember the story of Joseph?" Anna nodded and Elsa continued. "He had everything he could ever want but can you imagine how frightened and betrayed he must've felt when his brothers sold him to be a slave? He didn't understand why God had allowed this to happen to him until years later. In everything he went through, God had his hand on Joseph because Joseph never wavered from his faith. Years later the Pharoah-" Anna interrupted her. "The Pharoah made him the overseer of Egypt and when he crossed paths with his brothers, he forgave them and saved Egypt from a famine." Anna finished the story and silently looked at Elsa waiting for her to elaborate. "I bring that up because we need to keep strong in our faith if we're going to get through this." Anna gave a soft smile but Elsa could tell she wasn't feeling much better.
She had planned to let Anna bring up this next subject but Elsa decided her sister needed cheering up. "Sooo what's going on with you and Kristoff?" Through her tears, Anna laughed. "Well... I'm honestly not sure but... there's something there." Elsa smiled. "Well if he hurts you I'll turn him into an ice sculpture." Both the sisters shared a laugh and another hug. The room fell silent for a moment. Elsa continued to hold her sister in a comforting embrace. "We're going to find him."
Kristoff and Olaf continued to silently sit at the table after the sisters left. Kristoff finally posed a question. "I'm glad we've made it this far without being spotted but I figured we'd have made it by now. If you don't mind me asking, why haven't we reached the continent?" Olaf laughed and gestured with his fork. "Do you really think the Germans haven't spotted us? They have so many ships and U-boats, I'm sure they've had eyes on us for the last three days."
Kristoff remembered noticing a ship the day before that almost seemed to be following them, only to turn away after some time passed. "Elsa and Anna said their father was sent to the factories. If the rumors I've heard are true, we need to hurry."
Olaf nodded as he stood and unrolled a map across the table. Kristoff began to observe it. Olaf ran his finger along the labeled ports up the coast. "There's no way we can make port in Germany without your group being found." "What about dropping us off along the coast?" "It's pretty much suicide." "What about Netherlands?" "If you'll hold your questions a moment and let me make a suggestion, the Netherlands government is under direct Nazi control and I don't have any contacts there. You wouldn't last long in Germany because none of you have travel papers. Denmark is our best option. I've already set a course for Kolding and we should be in port tomorrow night."
Kristoff had never been away from Norway so he was curious to what was ahead of them. "What could we expect once we reach Germany?"
"Trust no one. You'll need to create a solid cover story explaining your group's presence anywhere you go. It's not like Norway where you can knock on almost any door and they'll give you food and shelter. The Germans are very suspicious of strangers. And all of you are foreigners. Do any of you speak German?"
"We both do." The men turned to see Elsa and Anna walking in the door. "Fluently?"
They joined them at the table and Elsa nodded "Also French and English."
Olaf smiled and pointed at them. "Great! That may save your life."
Kristoff was surprised. "Where'd you both learn all this?"
"We learned it in school."
Kristoff looked back down at the map trying to hide his insecurity. He wasn't given the opportunity to attend school. His pride wouldn't let him admit it to anyone but he couldn't even read very well and what little German he spoke, he'd picked up from interrogating prisoners. Olaf explained the plan to drop them off in Denmark. Anna gently raised her hand. "Umm, that's a start but once we've rescued our father what'll we do next?"
Olaf smiled at her attention to detail. "I will stay in Kolding under the guise of visiting family for Christmas. You'll have that much time to get back to my boat. Any longer and my presence may draw attention. If you don't make it back before Christmas, I will take my ship about 30 kilometers north to Vejle. I will wait there another two weeks. Then we could head for Sweden. Is everyone okay with this?" Nobody in the group was opposed to the idea. Aside of a few details that needed to be worked out, it was a solid plan. "Great, I'll send a message for my contact to meet us near the port."
December 10th / Kolding, Denmark
The lighthouse came into view on the horizon far down the coast. The bright beam scanned the ocean as a beacon stretching across the water. Elsa and Anna were ready to get off this ship. One week at sea was more than enough to make them desire some time on land.
They had first spotted the coast of Denmark the day before and now they were steaming farther south to Kolding. The sun had set an hour or so ago and the darkness was only broken by the moonlight through the clouds. The lighthouse drew closer and closer as Olaf guided the ship into port. In no time, he had the ship positioned alongside one of the docks. He signaled to the crew to tie off, then he turned to the group. "Ladies, you and your reindeer friend will be safe on the ship until we get back. Kristoff, I need you to come with me to meet my contact at the lighthouse." "Ohh no way. We're not staying. We want to walk on solid ground." Sven snorted his agreement from behind them. Olaf chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Very well."
Once the crew had everything secured, the five of them left the ship. They walked down the gangplank and took in their surroundings. There were German troops nearby but the atmosphere wasn't nearly as tense as it was in Norway. Almost as if they belonged there. After noting their arrival with the harbormaster, they began walking down the beach to the lighthouse.
Once they arrived, it seemed like nobody was there. Kristoff looked around. "Maybe they're late." Olaf on the other hand was suspicious. "No. She doesn't run late... Something's not right."
Then a dark figure emerged from behind a nearby bush and tackled Olaf to the ground. Kristoff went for his gun but stopped when he heard a woman's laugh followed by an unfamiliar voice. "You should be more careful out here little brother. Someone might try to rob you." Olaf pushed her off of him before standing and brushing the sand from his clothes. She stood and did the same. She wore a bright smile and had dark brown hair similar to Olaf's. He gestured to the group. "Camilla, these are my traveling companions: Kristoff, Anna, Elsa, and Sven. Everyone, this is my bully of a sister, Camilla." She punched his arm and turned to the group. "It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry if I frightened you." Her smiled faltered and she looked around. "Get your things from his ship and let's go to my home. It'll look odd if we're seen out like this."
Two hours later they were all sitting around a fireplace sipping hot tea. Sven stayed in the barn that Camilla and her husband had out back. "So if my brother informed me right, you need to get to Germany. If I may ask, why would you want to go there?" Elsa sat her tea down. "Our father was arrested and sent to the factories in Oldenburg. We're going to find him."
Camilla stared at her tea and finally looked up at them with seriousness in her eyes. "How long has it been since he was sent there?"
Anna and Elsa looked at each other. "Three weeks."
Camilla didn't change her expression. She simply nodded. "I'll talk to a friend of mine in the morning about getting some travel papers."
She looked at the men. "Gentlemen, could I speak with the ladies for a moment?" They looked at each other confused before they politely stood and left. Kristoff took a glance at Anna and gave her a small smile before he walked out. Camilla moved her chair closer to the sisters. "I'm sorry, I'm only saying this because you should be prepared... The Germans are very cruel to the factory workers... Your father may not be the same man you remember him to be..."
Elsa gently put a comforting hand on her sister's arm. "We've heard."
Camilla nodded sympathetically. "If nothing goes wrong, I can have the papers in a couple of days. We're going to do everything we can to help your father."
After giving the ladies a moment, she invited the men back into the room to finish their tea.
Later that night, Anna decided to step outside for a moment to think. She'd been having a difficult time accepting what was happening to her and her family but at the same time, she couldn't help but smile. They had successfully escaped Colonel Hans and arrived safely in Denmark. That was quite an achievement in itself. She wasn't naive though, she knew the worst was probably still ahead.
She stepped into the yard so she could see the sky. The snow crunched under her shoes. The moon was partially hidden in the clouds. A cool wind brushed across her face and through her hair. There was a large tree with low handing branches that a child would have found perfect for climbing. Anna could remember her father's voice as if she were hearing it now.
"Anna! Where are you? You can't hide forever!" Little Anna held tightly onto the branch hoping to conceal herself from her father's sight. He had been walking around the area for a few minutes trying to find her.
What she didn't know was he'd spotted her immediately and was playing ignorant. Every once in a while he would look in her general direction only to see her try to hide herself even more out of the corner of his eye. He had to fight back the laughter. He neared closer and closer to her tree, being very careful to not give away his knowing where she was hiding.
He stood directly underneath the branch that held her when an opportunity presented itself. Anna let out a soft little sneeze. Suddenly she was snatched out of the tree by her father's strong hands. "I found you!" Her warm laughter filled the air and her father's heart. He sat her down and smiled at her before whispering to her. "Now can you help me find your sister?" Anna laughed again. "I can't! That would be cheating!" Agdar let out an exagerated sigh and began searching for his older daughter.
After searching for several more minutes and listening to Anna giggle at his inability to find Elsa, Agdar gave up. "Alright Elsa! You win!" Suddenly a pile of snow near Anna's tree melted and Elsa stood from where she'd been hiding underneath the snow. Agdar took a breath and silently walked up to her. "Elsa, I could've stepped on you." Elsa's eyes widened. "You stepped over me twice and I'm fine!" "Well it's still not fair to use your magic to help you hide." Elsa let out a long sigh. "Yes sir."
The memory faded as reality crept back in. Anna cherished the memories she had with her family and wanted to make so many more. She walked back to the house and made her way to the sitting room where Elsa was already asleep on a sofa near the back wall. Anna grabbed a blanket and huddled close to the fireplace and let the warmth comfort her as she softly fell asleep.
"Keep working scum!" The foreman shouted above the sound of the factory equipment. Agdar barely spared him a glance as he went back to watching over the 30 workers he was put in charge of. "Don't listen to him. We're almost finished." He put his clipboard down and stood at his station. For every twenty rifle barrels that passed, he was to inspect one. He lifted the barrel, ignoring the pain in his back and shoulders from a long work day. It was a good barrel so he placed it back on the line. After a few minutes, he heard the whistle signaling the end of their 10 hour shift. As they all started to leave their station, they were met by the foreman and two armed guards. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Our shift is over."
"Well the boss says 3rd shift isn't coming in tonight so you lucky gentlemen get to pull an extra shift in their place." The foreman turned to leave without another word. Agdar's crew was stunned. This was the second time in a week. Agdar turned to them. "Just wait a minute, I'll talk with him." He ran to catch up with the foreman.
"Sir-" He had no sooner uttered the word before the guards turned and aimed their weapons at him. He quickly raised his hands to signal he wasn't a threat. The foreman turned to look at him. "Herr Agdar. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Agdar gently lowered his hands. "Sir, these men have been worked to the point of exhaustion. They can't keep going like this."
"That is why I put you in charge of them. Your job is to make sure they keep going."
"But they won't be able to if-" The foreman got within a few inches of his face. "Listen carefully. That is your crew and they are your responsibility. If anything happens to any of them, I will hold you personally responsible and punishable."
The shift whistle sounded to signal the start of the new shift.
"You better get back there. Your shift just started."
There was nothing more Agdar could do. He walked back to find 30 men looking to him.
The look in his eyes must've told them enough. It was as if the hope was suddenly pulled from every one of them.
Agdar knew he couldn't let them give up hope or they wouldn't survive the night. He stepped up on a large crate and looked at them. His voice was loud enough that they all could hear him. "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
He paused to let those words sink in.
"Nobody asked for this. There's somewhere we would all rather be and someone we would rather be with but instead, we are here. We will work and we will not give up. We will trust in the Lord and His strength will sustain us. We can't lose faith if we hope to survive."
What was hopelessness a few seconds ago was now replaced by determination.
"If the man next to you faints or falters, help him! We will do this together! We will survive together!"
He stepped down to the floor and walked through the crowd as they watched him take the lead back to the work stations.
"Let's go to work men!"
And they all followed him with a newfound sense of hope.
So we finally have a peek of what's going on with Agdar! He's a leader leading others through a difficult time. I'm going to update very soon I hope. Once again, I apoligize for my long absence. The verses Agdar spoke in his speech was Isaiah 40:29-31.