Okay, so moving on from what I think was probably my worst chapter, I give you the long awaited 'Midsummer's Eve Festival'. I hope it lives up to the expectation : )
So apple juice, the way it comes in a bottle nowadays, wasn't really possible back in the day before the industry age fully set in, but…it suits my story better to have the refined version instead of the murky unrefined version. Magic wand has been waved.
And water closet = dunny (or toilet for those unfamiliar with Aussie slang). They were a work in progress but definitely on a rapid evolution to what are around today.
Oh, and Elsa will appear significantly out of character in this chapter – you'll see why.
Author's Edit: Okay, so I've already noticed like a hundred errors - no actually two, so hopefully that is all (and now they are fixed!)
And I forgot to mention: I've decided all the singing the characters did in the movie was just what they were feeling on the inside, so most was said instead of sung. Hope that makes sense and doesn't put anyone out... :)
Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Frozen or any of it's attributes, and any similarities to real life people and situations is entirely unintentional.
Midsummer's Eve Festival
Next to the Yuletide week, the Midsummer's Eve Festival was once the most talked about celebration of the year, and citizens would travel from near and far to witness the large traditional bonfire floating in the middle of the harbour and the spectacular fireworks launched from high up on the castle walls. Tents would be erected in the castle courtyard and town square, with farmers selling their produce and townsfolk selling cakes, sweets, jams, and beverages.
Preparations had been underway all week in Arendelle Town, and many agreed that this year's bonfire would be their biggest yet (although, that's what they claimed every year). At least the floating device the bonfire was built on was slowly becoming a sturdier construction – there was a time when the stack of wood often overturned or sunk before the fire was even lit making the constructors the laughing stock of the Kingdom for the rest of the year.
When the castle gates suddenly slammed shut, the citizens struggled to maintain the spirit of the festival, especially when there were no more fireworks displays and they were forced to cram all the tents and stands in the main square and down streets. People stopped making the long journey as their own villages had their own traditional bonfire and stalls. Without the draw of the fireworks, what was the point of travelling so far?
All of which meant, this year, with the gates open and the entire population of Arendelle curious to see and meet their Snow Queen and Crown Princess, the attendance level was predicted to be the highest in recorded history. Especially when Queen Elsa promised to light the fireworks originally conscripted for her coronation day.
Although the planners and organisers were a little worried given the state of the impromptu prank war that was unfolding throughout the entire kingdom.
From the vantage point of the window behind her desk, Elsa watched the festivities get underway in the main town. It was only half five, and considering the festival generally went all night and well into the next day she had plenty of time to attend part of it. Not that she was particularly keen.
Why couldn't she just watch from her office? Or the balcony? She didn't have to partake, did she?
Paperwork, negotiations, and politics. That's all she ever had time for, especially in the wake of the disastrous coronation. She often envied Anna's freedom, but someone had to do it. And she had been born for this. She had spent her whole life learning how to run the kingdom (and conceal uncontrollable magical powers). It was just unfortunate she had inherited the throne so young.
She sighed, and placed her hands on her aching lower back, arching her shoulders backward to stretch her tired, cramped muscles. She missed Anna, that's what the problem was. And she was tired. And she couldn't understand why Anna had felt the need to start this ridiculous prank war between them.
There was a light tap on the door and she heard it creak slightly as whoever it was entered the office, and through the glass reflection watched Gerda come to a stop behind her. The head housekeeper had a worried expression on her face, so Elsa took a deep calming breath before turning to face the shorter woman.
Despite having been Queen for three years, and Princess for eighteen years before that, Elsa still felt uncomfortable when the household staff stopped whatever they were doing to respectfully bow as she walked past. They rarely did it for Anna she had noticed. But then again, Anna didn't walk, she ran. Full pelt. By the time the staff realised they were in her company she was long gone.
Elsa hadn't been able to convince Anna to slow down, and stop sliding, throughout the castle. The first time she had watched her sister slide down the three story circular staircase banister had stopped her heart mid-beat. How had Anna even survived to make eighteen?
"Is something the matter?" she asked Gerda's bowed head, unable to keep her exhaustion out of her voice, and she moved to retake her seat at the desk.
Gerda straightened, and Elsa could tell from her expression she had heard the weariness in her Queen's voice. She looked concerned, "I came in here to remind you it was about time you got ready for the festival, but now I'm wondering if I should be making you go to bed instead."
"I'm fine," Elsa told her simply, her hands already reaching for her quill and ink bottle. She frowned when she belatedly remembered the lack of ink in the small glass container was the reason she had gotten up from her desk in the first place.
Gerda looked like she didn't believe her, "Begging your pardon, ma'am, but you look tired. And you sound tired."
"I'm fine," Elsa repeated, adding a warning edge to her voice.
Unfortunately, Kai and Gerda knew her to well, and since the coronation they rarely backed off when she wanted them too. Like now. She really needed to work on her 'drop it and leave me alone' voice. "That's it, put that quill down right now."
"Excuse me?" It wasn't often Gerda challenged her, as the head housekeeper usually had her husband do it for her, but her voice was set and her hands were firmly planted on her hips.
"I am going to prepare you a luxurious warm bath-"
"Warm?" Elsa tried to interject weakly.
"And you are going to soak in it for a good thirty minutes-"
Wait, what? "Thirty minutes?!" Elsa could barely stand being in water for five seconds.
"And then Simone is going to give you a very good back massage-"
"A what?" Back massage did she say? What was that?!
"She's really good, trust me," assured Gerda before resuming her dictating tone, "And then we are going to help you get ready-"
"I don't need help-"
"And if I see you back in this office or even in the castle before midnight, then I…"
"You'll…?"
Gerda thought about it for a minute before nodding firmly, "There shall be no chocolate for a month."
Elsa blinked. Gerda sounded serious. And…would she really try restrict Elsa's chocolate intake? And…hang on a second, didn't she realise she was talking to the Queen here? Form the nervous expression on her face, Gerda looked like she was expected to be blasted for her forwardness, but…that back massage had piped Elsa's curiosity. Her muscles really were aching…but…it was done with clothes on right? And…should she snap at Gerda? The older woman was just trying to look after her, and really…sometimes it was nice to be looked after.
She sighed, what it really came down to was, chocolate or no chocolate?
"Now that is an ultimatum I simply can't ignore. Lead on."
Crown Princess Anna had had a very different day to her sister. After yet another midnight visit by the creepy clown – how did it keep finding her?!- she felt exhausted, and worried that her makeup wasn't quite up to the task of concealing the rapidly darkening rings under her eyes.
She was ready to call it quits. Elsa's pranks weren't even funny, and after three harrowing days, Anna had had enough. Her stupid big sister could win; she didn't care anymore, as long as that damnable clown stayed away. At least the rotten milk smell was finally gone.
To keep occupied (and far away from Elsa), Anna had spent the day helping with the final preparations for the festival. The town excitement was invigorating, and she prayed Elsa would indeed leave her alone throughout it.
It had taken some stealth to sneak into the castle and Simone promised to keep her presence secret while she prepared her a bath. Her spirits lifted a little when she saw the new dress waiting for her on the 'temporary' dress stand, and she used the tall ladder Kristoff had provided to reach her hairbrush, hair accessories and the rest of her makeup which was still stuck to the roof with the rest of her furniture.
A perplexed eyebrow rose when Elsa discovered her personal bath chamber illuminated only by the glow from several flickering candles with the thick purple curtains drawn tightly shut. It was still light outside, why did Gerda feel the need to waste resources in this manner? A layer of bubbles covered the top of the full bath and steam was only just visible wafting into the air.
Ugh, she really hated baths.
Then the smell hit her, and her nose sniffed delicately, before inhaling deeply. What was that beautiful, intoxicating fragrance? Was it floral? Or…what was it? She couldn't put a name to it. Where was it coming from? Was it a type of perfume? It smelt…so inviting.
Another deep breath and all at once her troubles started to lift. Nothing seemed important anymore, and she could definitely endure a bath if that scent lingered in the air.
It was from only very controlled thinking that the bath stayed partially warm when she slipped into it. She leaned back against the ceramic frame, taking another deep breath of that invigorating aroma and closed her eyes.
A relaxed sigh escaped her lips. She could get used to this…
A few rooms down, Anna sighed at the uninviting bath that was awaiting her. It was lacking Simone's personal touch and devoid of any of those special scented candles Corona had gifted Elsa for her coronation. And the bubbles…mediocre at best. Where was the love and attention?
But at least it was warm.
Simone felt a little guilty tapping on the bath chamber door, but thirty minutes had come and gone, and Queen Elsa was still in there. When Gerda informed her of her plans, Simone figured she would have five minutes at best to prepare for the therapeutic medical rubdown. She was still a little stunned the shorter staff member had managed to persuade Elsa to agree to such a thing in the first place.
In the bath, Elsa jerked out of her light doze as a tentative voice called out, "Your majesty? It's time to get ready."
The bubbles were gone from the bath, but the scent lingered. It was the candles, right? And wait, what did Simone mean 'time to get ready'? It had barely been five minutes.
With a reluctant sigh, Elsa climbed from the bath, towelled dry and pulled her bath robe on. She walked into her room still drying her hair, and this time both eyebrows rose in surprise.
Her bedroom curtains were also drawn shut and flickering candles were scattered about the room. They had a different smell to the ones in the bath chambers. But what piped her curiosity the most were the various sized coloured bottles spread across her bedside cabinet.
Simone was standing next the bed and rubbing her hands together as if to keep warm. She smiled, "Are you ready for the back massage?"
Elsa still hadn't been able to determine exactly what that was but her bed looked so inviting. Did she really have to go to the festival? Couldn't she just skip this…whatever it was, forget the festival, and just go to sleep?
Simone patted the side of the bed closest to her and the arrangement of bottles, and held up another towel, "Slip off the robe, put this around your hips, and lay down on your stomach here, your majesty."
With each instruction slowly seeping in, Elsa's eyes went from the bed to the towel to her own bath robe and back to the bed, and then they went wide. Simone wanted her to do what?!
Anna sighed as she applied another layer of foundation over the dark rings under her eyes before coaxing a wayward curl to return to her neatly braided and coiled bun. It was hard business getting dressed when all her mirrors were on the roof, and the ladder swayed a little unsteadily as she tried to lean back and scrutinise her appearance.
It wasn't working.
Time to find Simone or Gerda.
It had taken a significant amount of convincing on Simone's part, and only after she played the 'no chocolate' card, that Elsa finally, and very, very reluctantly, did as she was requested. Although, she waited until she was satisfied Simone was indeed in the adjoining room before she slipped off her robe and settled on the bed with the towel around her waist.
She felt very uncomfortable having her bare back so exposed, and gasped when Simone's hot palms firmly pressed down on her skin halfway down her back and slid up to her shoulders. She was unable to prevent her reflex reaction, and the head housemaid gasped in pain, "My hands!"
Instead of the two women she was looking for, Anna found Kai in the staff dining room, and the tall overweight man pushed up to his feet, his chair scraping back on the tiled surface, the second he saw her. He smiled, "You look lovely, Princess."
Well, it wasn't the opinion of a woman, but Kai often scrutinised Elsa's appearance, so she assumed if he had the guts to tell her when something was wrong, he would tell Anna if something was amiss.
Only Simone's tsk tsking about all the knots in her muscles (and the pain of those muscles being unworked) kept Elsa from falling asleep. Gerda was right. This really was good. In fact, it was the most incredible, relaxing, and somewhat painful experience she had ever endured that left her back tingling with pleasure.
When it ended –sigh- Simone allowed her to get dressed in privacy, and it took Elsa a long time to convince her body to get up and more.
Fifteen minutes later she scrutinised her appearance in the tall mirror.
Gloves or no gloves?
Anna was trying to convince her to stop wearing them, but after thirteen years, she felt vulnerable being around people when her 'safety net' was gone from her hands. And besides, it felt weird having her hands all exposed. She wasn't used to touching things, and people often watched her hands carefully when she didn't have gloves on.
She sighed. Safety first. Gloves it was.
Ten minutes later she left the castle feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, and smiled when she saw a familiar strawberry-blonde head on a green and black dressed body slipping and sliding across the ice courtyard and hastened her pace to catch up with her.
It was probably a good thing she did because Anna, walking very slowly and cautiously, suddenly lost her balance when one foot shot out from underneath. She fell backward, arms flailing like a windmill before Elsa managed to catch her under the arms.
She laughed at her sister's startled and relieved expression, "You okay?"
"Ugh, this ice is hard work," Anna complained good-naturedly as Elsa helped her regain her footing. "I thought by now I'd be getting the hang of it."
Elsa laughed again. Suddenly she was looking forward to this festival. She had really missed Anna's company the last few days and just seeing her had brightened her mood completely. Hopefully Anna would drop whatever it was that had prompted her to start this ridiculous prank business and just enjoy the night with her. With that bright thought in mind, she held out the crook of her arm, "Come on, take me arm and…let's go celebrate."
Anna did as she was bidden, but she gave her a wary look, "Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"
The town square was full of laughing, merrymaking people. They did initially fall silent when they realised their Queen was amongst them, but quite a bit of encouragement from Anna convinced them to resume the festivities.
"What shall we do first?" asked Anna, beaming at all the activity.
Elsa blinked, "Do? What do you mean?"
Anna pointed at the closest game stand, toss the rings, "Don't you want to have a go?"
"Not particularly."
"Oh. Well, are you hungry?"
"A little."
"Food it is! Let's go!"
An hour later, a frustrated Anna stood in line for the beverages stand. It wasn't the 'standing-in-line' part she was irritated about, it was her boring sister. All Elsa did was talk to people –and not just any random person, but people like the obnoxious old Harbour Master and the pompous plump Town Mayor, when all Anna wanted to do was have a go at the games, try the food, and dance a little. If only Kristoff hadn't been roped into helping run the ice stall by Arian! It wasn't like they actually had any ice to sell. All they were doing was getting customers and future orders for their ice.
Well, at least Elsa hadn't done anything humiliating to her. Yet. And she did save her from an embarrassing slip over on the ice courtyard. Would it be appropriate for her to ditch her sister and explore the festival on her own? And why was this line moving at a snail's pace? What so hard about pouring drinks?
Through the throngs of people, Anna could see her sister still talking to the old Harbour Master. They had been talking for ages – or rather, the old man had been talking for ages. What could they possibly have to talk about? The bonfire, yet to be lit but hopefully soon, would be burning far away from any wooden structures.
She sighed, and turned back to the line. Only seven people in front of her…six…five…four…oh come on, just pick something! Three…two…one…yes! Wow, there were a lot of choices crammed onto the small table.
The old lady…Mrs…Mrs…oh what was her name? Well, whatever it was, the old lady smiled at her, "Princess Anna, you look lovely tonight! Would you like some orange juice? Or some punch? Or…how about some apple juice?"
Apple juice? Anna squinted at the amber liquid. She didn't know an apple could be juiced. And what would Elsa like? Aware the line was equally long behind her, Anna considered the drinks, but her gaze kept returning to the apple juice. She was curious now, and an apple a day kept the doctor away (apparently). She pointed at the dark amber liquid, "Two, please."
The old lady smiled, poured two glasses and handed them over. Oh, right, money. Uh…she stared at the various coins in her hand, and the old lady pointed a frail hand at one of them, "That one, Princess."
Monetary exchange done, change received, tick. Two drinks, tick. Now where had Elsa gone? She stepped to the side to allow the next in line room but didn't stray too far.
Anna did a slow full circle, peering through the gaps in the crowd, and sipped from her glass. Her eyes widened and she stared at the drink. Now this was the way to have an apple. If Elsa didn't show up soon she could stand in line for her own drink. But, hang on, as Queen, could she jump in front? And if she could, did that mean Anna could? Why was she only thinking of that now? She could have saved herself fifteen minutes of waiting in line.
She shrugged. Meh, all part of the experience.
"Bobby, you remember what happened last time?"
Anna turned back to the stand curiously, taking another sip from her cup. The old lady had a hand on her hip and was pointing at the current customer. She had a very old fashioned look on her face. The man she was serving was tall but hunched over, his clothing seemed rugged, and he had an awful lot of hair on his head and face. In one hand he held a silver flask, and the other was pointing at the apple juice.
"Aw, come on Mrs Evensen, just one drink," the man slurred
"You look like you've already had plenty," the old woman retorted, both hands on her hips now and she glared pointedly at the silver flask. "Constable Fett's on the lookout for you."
The man didn't seem concerned, and he pointed a thumb over his shoulder, "You're holding up the line."
Mrs Evensen sighed very dramatically, and reluctantly poured a glass of apple juice. She made sure she had his money first before she handed it over, and she glared at him when he immediately pulled the lid off the silver flask with his teeth and poured a generous amount of the same coloured liquid into his cup. After a gulp and a satisfying sigh, he staggered in Anna's direction.
He bobbed his hat, "Princess."
She frowned at the silver flask he was slipping into an inside pocket of his overcoat, "What was in that?"
He grinned, revealing yellow jagged teeth amidst his overgrown, shaggy dark red hair, and tapped his pocket, "Just some spice."
"Spice?" Wasn't spice dried out, ground up plants or something?
"Spice," the man confirmed before taking another gulp from his drink. He belched, and thumped his chest, "Pardon."
He was revolting, and he definitely hadn't had a bath in what smelt like eons. But she was curious. "I don't understand."
He laughed, and ugh, his breath was awful! "You know, spice." At her still blank look he sighed and looked around covertly before stepping closer and lowering his voice, "Whiskey."
"Whiskey?" she repeated slowly. Then she frowned, "You mean alcohol?"
"Shh!" He snapped, holding a finger to his lips. Then he waved his hand palm down at the ground while peeking around again, "Not so loud."
Now she was really confused, "Why add whiskey? It tastes great on it's own."
"Oh, it's not for the flavour, but the benefits," he explained. "See, whiskey, it…it makes you relax, unwind, just…you know, go with the flow."
"Go with the flow?" Anna repeated weakly. She could feel an idea forming in her mind, but what was it?
"A little does," the old woman snapped loudly from behind the counter, glaring at the old man, and the first ten or so customers peered around each other curiously. "A lot can make you lose control."
Wait, what? Lose control, did she say? That was…that wasn't possible, was it? And…could this be the solution she had been hoping to find?
She remembered back to the moment she stood in Elsa's dark room staring around for inspiration, the Northern Lights shining down on her pile of mousetraps.
Elsa's life revolved around being in control of herself and her powers.
What would happen if…that control slackened a little? Without Elsa realising it?
She could feel her features twisting into a sneaky grin, and held out the untouched glass of juice to the man, "Can I try some?"
"Princess, you can't!" gasped the old woman.
The man seemed just as stunned, but the old woman's horror snapped him out of his trance, and he barked at her, "Stay out of this you old bat." He lifted his own glass and downed it in one before reaching into his coat pocket. He uncorked it and nodded at her two cups, "Glass for a glass."
"Deal."
Elsa tired her best to stay patient and pay attention to what the old, frail harbour master was saying, but he was droning on and on and on, and, well, this was a festival! Not a meeting opportunity. If only she had been able to persuade Anna away from the sweets stand.
What was he so worried about anyway? The fireworks were pointed out over the fjord, not the town and 'his precious harbour', just as the bonfire wouldn't be lit until it was also far away from 'his precious harbour'. And besides, Elsa was the best fire defence the town had, but it was probably best if she didn't bring up her 'unnaturalness'.
She restrained from sighing and rubbing her forehead, "Master Ohlsen, your concerns were duly noted during the planning of this and carefully addressed. All you need to worry about is how you wish to spend your evening." He opened his mouth to protest but she held up a hand, cutting him off. "Now, if you will excuse me, I seem to have misplaced my sister. Good evening, sir."
She didn't give him a chance to object, inclined her head politely, and turned away. Anna said something about….hmmm…what was it? Oh, she couldn't have gone far. Taking advantage of her high, Elsa tried to peer over her stockier subjects, craning her neck…where was she?
Realising the long line she could see led to the beverages stall, Elsa decided to join the queue. She felt thirsty, and if Anna came looking, surely she would be able to find her. It wasn't that far from where she had been trapped talking to Master Ohlsen.
She was halfway to the line when she saw Anna already at the beverages stall –now her mind remembered what Anna had said!- and…who was that unkempt fellow she was talking to? Certainly someone who had no business talking to the Crown Princess but, then again, Anna didn't care much for such petty restrictions. She didn't seem to realise it was her safety that Elsa was worried about.
Anyway, that didn't matter because Anna held two cups in her hands. One was empty, and the other full, so Elsa (somewhat hopefully) assumed her sister had thoughtfully got her a drink.
"Anna! There you are."
Both jumped, the man especially and he spilt half his own drink down his grubby shirt. She raised a curious eyebrow at him as he bobbed his head respectfully, shuffled back, bobbed his head again, bumped into the queue, bobbed his head once more, and disappeared.
She thought about saying something about him to Anna, or questioning her sister on why she had been talking to such an unusual, filthy man, but thought better of it. Instead, she shrugged and nodded at the two cups, "What do you have there?"
"Apple juice," Anna promptly replied. Her voice sounded a little too sweet, but Elsa assumed that was because she had been caught out talking to a random riff-raff citizens. Then she held out the full glass, and Elsa immediately dismissed the warning bells in her head. "This one's for you."
Elsa took it with a grateful smile, "Thank you. I've never heard of apple juice though."
"It's really yummy," said Anna, and she frowned at her own empty glass, looked at the line and sighed. "It's also selling out really fast, so you better savour it."
She raised it to her lips and sniffed. A whiff of apple greeted her. She wasn't the biggest fan of apples, but this was promising to be an interesting way to sample them. A small sip later confirmed the initial presumption. She still couldn't understand how it got that colour since apples weren't dark amber.
It had an odd aftertaste though.
Oh well, couldn't have everything perfect.
Anna was watching her face carefully, so she smiled, "You're right, it is nice." And she took another sip…and blinked. Twice. Three times.
Her vision suddenly felt a little hazy, and she shook her head to clear it, but that only made things worse. Now she felt woozy and off balance.
What the heck was going on? She felt dizzy – she never felt dizzy, and she had never fainted in all her life.
It took a while for her vision to clear up, but it still seemed a little cloudy around the edges. Anna's concerned face greeted her and she belatedly realised she was leaning on a random citizen for support.
The woman looked familiar, but Elsa couldn't place her name, and really didn't like the way the woman's infant, cradled in her other arm lunged it's arms at her with a delightful gurgle.
She pulled away, but the woman didn't let go, "Your majesty, are you alright?" Those exact words, said the same way with that same voice, from the same face stirred a memory but Elsa couldn't place it for the life of her. She knew she knew this person but who the heck was she?
What was going on?!
When Anna asked the same question moments later Elsa realised she hadn't answered the woman. She blinked, "Uh, just a little dizzy all of a sudden."
"Do you want to sit down," the woman asked in concern before Anna could, but Elsa was already starting to feel a little better.
"No. No, I'm okay." And she was. Mostly. Even if the world was still spinning a little and one ear was ringing loudly. The woman wasn't convinced but she did let go.
"Dizzy, you say?" asked Anna thoughtfully and she rubbed her chin, obviously thinking. "Maybe you're a little dehydrated."
"Dehydrated?" repeated Elsa weakly. It was possible but she had gone the entire Eternal Winter without eating or drinking and it never affected her like this.
Anna nodded, "Uh-huh. What did you have for lunch?"
"I…uh…" Hmmm…what had she had for lunch? "Now that is an excellent question."
"What about breakfast?" the familiar face female citizen asked. She looked like she believed Anna's idea about being dehydrated.
Elsa frowned, thinking back over the day. Why was it suddenly so much harder to remember things? "I…uh…don't remember, but I did have some soup last night!"
"Last night?" the woman repeated in disbelief.
Anna shook her head slowly, "Elsa, you need to stop missing meals. It does terrible things for your electrolyte balances." She spoke as if talking to a five year old and put her hands on her hips. "Now drink up," she commanded.
The woman agreed with Anna, "A bit of sugar can do wonders, your majesty."
"And none of those small lady sips," instructed Anna. She could certainly be bossy when she wanted to be. "The whole lot, down in one."
Suddenly aware a lot of people were watching her closely, Elsa eyed the dark amber liquid. Apart from the weird aftertaste, it had been okay. She took a deep breath, raised to her lips, and downed it one, just like Anna ordered.
The world heaved, and she staggered again, clinging on for dear life until everything seemed to stabilise. That one ear was still ringing awfully loud, and her vision a little hazy, but she suddenly felt better than she had since her short lived freedom up top of the North Mountain.
Maybe Anna was right. Maybe she was dehydrated after all.
The world levelled out and she let go of the woman again, thanking her profusely. She still looked unconvinced her queen was okay but Anna cut her off before she could say anything, "Do you want another drink?"
A second glass of apple juice was handed to her a moment later, and oddly enough it didn't have the weird aftertaste, but it seemed to do the trick. Everything snapped back into focus…even if she felt like she was floating a little.
From the startled looks directed at her feet and the eerie silence –thank goodness that ear had stopped ringing- Elsa raised a puzzled eyebrow before looking down. Oh. She was floating, a clear few inches off the ground and blinked, willing her powers to stop. It took some conviction, and she had no idea what the trigger was in the end, but her touched down with a jolt, and she grinned a little sheepishly at the onlookers, "Sorry. Didn't know I could do that."
They blinked in unison, still staring at her, until Anna glared at them all. Then they half looked away. Anna beamed at her, "So, what do you want to do next?"
Her stomach took that opportunity to rumble. Loudly. Embarrassingly so. Her stomach had never done that before, and she placed both hands on it, willing it to be silent. "Uh…are you hungry?"
Anna grinned, "No, but you seem to be. Come on, let's go!"
At the beverages stand the old lady exchanged a horrified look with those who had seen Anna's deceitful trick. "I can't believe she did that," Mrs Evensen weakly objected to the first in line.
"Should…we have said something?" the shocked blacksmith asked.
"Are you mad?" demanded the baker behind him. "We'd've been thrown in the stocks for sure!"
"This is going to be funny."
They turned as one in the direction of that voice and glared at the hairy shabby man, "Bobby!"
After the sweets stand where the line parted for their Queen and Princess, and they both sampled a slice of delicious cake, Anna directed her toward a games stand. Elsa smiled and nodded at everyone who greeted her.
Anna and that woman were right. The difference a little sugar could make! She hadn't felt this happy and free since the first days after the coronation, before Kai and Gerda forced her back into the proper clothing of her station and her responsibilities had once again resumed control of her life.
"Toss the ring over any prize. If it lands flat, it's yours!" the game stand supervisor shouted, waving sets of three rings at anyone who came close enough. There already was a row of contenders, but they gladly made room for Anna and Elsa.
"Do you want to play?"
Elsa eyed the knickknacks up for grabs. She didn't need anything, and shook her head. "No, but you go for it." And she supplied the right coin for one game since Anna seemed to be having a little trouble working the currency out. It wasn't that hard.
Despite her objection, Anna made her take one of the three rings. She pointed out the handcrafted wooden reindeer, "That'd look nice on your desk as a parchment weight, don't you think?"
Her first ring missed, and the second succeeded in knocking the reindeer over but that didn't classify as a win. Elsa grinned, "You're not very good at this."
"Ha! I doubt you can do better."
The reindeer figurine wasn't that far away, and the ring was relatively light, so all it needed was a gentle flick…and bingo! Her grin widened, "You were saying?"
"Show off."
Elsa thanked the man when he handed Anna the wooden sculpture. He bowed his head, "You're a natural, your majesty."
At the next stand where contestants were required to knock milk bottles off a row of stands several feet away, Elsa's three balls scored three direct hits, earning her (which she promptly handed to Anna) a scraggly doll. "Sven will love this," laughed Anna.
Halfway to the next stand they bumped into two familiar faces. Gerda pointed at the two prizes in Anna's hands, "You seem to be successful tonight!"
Anna jerked her thumb at Elsa, "She's the lucky one." Then she spied Kristoff through the throngs of people and excused herself.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself, your majesty," commented Kai fondly, although he did sound a little surprised.
"The wonders a few aromatic candles, an invigorating back massage, a little fresh air and apple juice can have on one's perspective."
After a brief rendezvous with Kristoff, Anna found her sister standing outside the roped off tug of war enclosure, watching the current undefeated champions of the night prepare to face off against her own castle staff.
The odds were definitely in favour of the defenders. Eight burly ice harvesters against Kai and five elder laughing women. The staff didn't stand a chance.
Anna was halfway there when a husky voice spoke up from behind her, "Psst!"
She jumped and spun around. The guy with the silver flask from the beverages stand grinned at her and held out a full glass of apple juice, "Ready for round two?"
She was watching a round of tug of war when Anna reappeared with a third glass of apple juice, and her younger sister blushed when Elsa pointed out her lipstick appeared to be a little smeared. With a knowing smirk, and a reminder about being careful of her reputation (Anna rolled her eyes at that, having heard it over a dozen times already), Elsa returned her attention to the current round.
The Royal Castle Staff verse the festival's consecutive champions, a group of ice harvesters. The defenders had goaded her staff into competing, managing to persuade the crowd for help. Eight solid, strong men against Kai and five laughing older women.
They didn't stand a chance.
The adjudicator held up his white flag, signalling the get ready, when Anna called out, "Hang on a moment."
Everyone turned in her direction, and Elsa immediately recognised that expression on her face. It was the 'innocent' one, and warning bells went off in her head.
"Princess?" the man asked.
Anna frowned and pointed out the teams, "Eight against six isn't very sporting."
The next thing Elsa knew, Anna had her by the arm and with an almighty tug, pulled her toward the small opening in the rope ring. It was by some miracle Elsa didn't spill her drink, although half the contents did slush over the side, but that didn't matter. What was Anna thinking?
For starters, she had never tried tug of war in her life, and for seconds, she was the Queen! Dignified and poised. She did not roll around in the dirt and compete in such trivial meaningless games.
The crowd were cheering madly and a wild chant started, "Arendelle!" Clap, clap, clap. "Arendelle!" Clap, clap, clap.
Elsa forced her features to resume their usual tight lipped polite smile, and without moving her lips hissed at her sister, "Anna, what are you doing?"
Her sister grinned, and moved to the front of the staff, "What does it look like I'm doing? Evening the odds, of course."
"Of course," Elsa repeated weakly. How the heck was she going to get out of this without competing? Everyone was looking at her expectantly. She couldn't just back out…could she? What sort of message would that be sending to her subjects if she refused to support her own servants in a battle they had been goaded into competing in?
Curse it, there was no way out. She glared at her smirking sister as the adjudicator approached to unnecessarily explain the rules –she knew the basics. Pull the other team into the soft mud directly below the centre line before they pulled her team into it, and her teeth started to grind when the man indicated for her to take lead position.
Clearly Anna wasn't ready to drop her ridiculous grudge until Elsa was thoroughly publically humiliated.
The rope looked dirty from sweat, and the muddy ditch looked awfully close.
Oh well, she could always let go before the mud and jump to the side. Anna was next in line, so it would serve the young Princess right if she landed face first in the slop.
She was about to reach for the rope when the adjudicator pointed out the half a glass of frozen apple juice in her hand and advised her to remove her gloves. At first she handed him the glass for safe keeping while she reluctantly removed her gloves –she really didn't want to touch that filthy rope with her bare hands. After the gloves were handed over she decided a sugar hit wouldn't hurt – it might even make her feel a little better about the horrid situation she was in.
The last two glasses certainly had boosted her spirits.
She downed it in one and handed off the glass and whoa…not again. Her vision blurred, her left ear rung, and her balance wobbled. Blinking rapidly, she shook her head to clear it, initially making things worse, and wait! The judge had the white flag in the air, and his voice was distorted when he shouted, "On your marks!"
Elsa looked down at the rope, it phased in out of sync from one blurry rope to three blurry ropes and back to one. Her hands fumbled for a hold.
"Get set!"
Her hands locked on.
"Go!" She didn't see the white flag zip downward with the adjudicator's arm, but the rope did lurch forward, taking her (and her team) with it. There was cheering, chanting, grunting and groaning, all blending into one.
The mud was right there almost underfoot – she struggled to get away but her hands were locked on to the rope. Why was the rope so important? Could she let go? What was going on? Why didn't anything make any sense?
She really didn't want to land in the mud and wish. Almost on it's own accord, one hand did let go, and from that hand her magic was unleashed, a thick layer of ice forming over the mud and under the other team's feet.
Their sudden loss of traction combined with her own team's fruitless tugging, caused the Arendelle Royal Castle side to stumble backward off balance before they fell on their backs like dominos, victorious.
Halfway up to her feet, with Anna's laughing assistance, the world snapped back into place again, and she shook her head disorientated.
Was this really the symptoms of dehydration?
It wasn't until after the fourth glass of spiced apple juice that Anna really noticed the difference in her sister. She seemed…rather spontaneous with her vocabulary all of a sudden and was talking more than Anna had ever heard her talk before, and giggling. She had been so grumpy after the second spiced glass (and losing the tug of war rematch) that Anna almost didn't make her drink a third.
Now she was glad she had, especially when she watched her sister pretty much tell the old, irritating Harbour Master, in her best icy neutral 'Ice Queen' voice, to shove his concerns and disapproval about the size of the bonfire up his rear end and not bother her with it again.
Then she had taken her stunned sister firmly by the arm and dragged her from the House of Horrors exit and into the House of Mirrors.
Elsa wasn't sure of this eighth glass of apple juice Anna had just handed her. Only the second glass had been missing that unusual aftertaste, and it seemed to vary in strength depending on the glass. As did her perception. Everything seemed…almost too agreeable. And that odd haziness was back, as was the ringing of her left ear –seriously, what was it's problem?
The bonfire was spectacular, and as she watched it burn, she came to the startled realisation that if the harbour caught fire she had no desire to put it out. It would serve that pompous harbour master right if the whole lot burned down.
Her memories of the night were becoming blurred. Had she really competed in tug of war? Was that why she had mud stains on her dress? And did she really start a snowball war in the House of Mirrors?
But…singing, especially in public, wasn't something she felt entirely comfortable about, and she failed to see how an eighth glass of apple juice was going to change her mind.
Anna insisted, or rather, begged her to drink up. She was so annoying that Elsa ended up agreeing just to shut her up. It bothered her a little that she was being somewhat more obliging than usual, but that was until she drunk the juice.
Wow. After the initial odd side effects, she suddenly felt even better. This stuff was amazing! She needed to start serving it to her grouchier, demanding official visitors. It would make her life so much better if everyone simply agreed with her.
And what was so wrong about singing anyway? She had no idea if she even could sing, and considering how bad half the people in the competition before her had been, she was fairly confident she wouldn't be the worst.
Bring it on!
Anna had no idea her sister could sing so well. Their mother had had a beautiful voice, and she had taught Anna how to sing. It just never occurred to Anna to wonder if she had taught Elsa how to sing as well. Although, thinking back on the snippets she knew about Elsa's life, it was hard to imagine Elsa learning how to sing in her room. Or even picture Elsa standing at the window singing away to herself. There was nothing happy in the last thirteen years for her, so…clearly she was one of those rare natural singers.
Her voice had soul, and from the stunned silence of those watching the performance, Anna knew Elsa had surprised a lot of people tonight. She had certainly surprised Anna. Take away the control and Elsa was freer, like the child she could barely remember, and she was funny. And after every drink the guy with the silver flask passed to Anna who in turn instructed Elsa to drink, the Princess started to find it harder and harder to restrain her elder sister's enthusiasm. For everything.
Thankfully the fireworks were set off before Elsa could get too uncomfortable from the way everyone was staring at her mesmerised after her singing ended.
Three cups later, Anna was struggling to keep up with Elsa's energy, and really didn't know what to make of Elsa's conversation with a sheep. Her stately sister was fully convinced she was talking to a person, and apologised to the animal for Anna's rudeness.
It was well past midnight and the now eighteen year old Crown Princess was ready for bed. It was just a shame Elsa wasn't. And…where had she gone now? Oh no! Pig wrestling! She needed to be stopped.
Elsa might not remember the night, but her subjects certainly would. And Anna might be enjoying this freer, childlike version of her sister, but it was her doing, and Elsa would feel so betrayed if Anna allowed her to make a complete fool of herself (if she ever found out the truth). She would be disowned, disinherited, and banished for sure.
Why did Kristoff have to go to bed so early?! He was such a coward. He was convinced Elsa would punish him too when, not if, she found out. Although, he was also worried about the official banquette Elsa had thoughtlessly scheduled for the night after the festival (which was now tonight).
What to do? What to do?
Starting a drunken brawl probably wasn't the best idea but it had certainly been effective.
Her head was aching something horrid, her nose was throbbing, and her stomach felt like it was out to sea on rough waters. She wanted nothing more but to roll over and go back to sleep but…her head really hurt.
A moan escaped her lips as she tried to shuffle into a better position. Her bed felt different. What was wrong with it? And why was everything so blurry?
"Elsa? You okay?"
Her eyes blinked open and she squinted at the hazy grey stone wall she could see, "Anna?"
"Who else did you expect?" her sister asked dryly but her voice seemed to reverberate inside Elsa's skull.
She winced, "Shh. Not so loud."
"Sorry," apologised Anna in a softer voice and finally her bleary face came into view.
But something wasn't right, and she squinted at her sister, before rubbing her uncooperative eyes with an ungloved hand. Nope, no change. It had to be her right? Not Anna? But…it was so trippy she had to know, even though a small part of her tried to stop her frazzled mind from asking a silly question. What was silly about it anyway? She frowned, "Why am I seeing two of you? Are you a mutant?"
Anna snorted, "This coming from the person born with magical abilities?"
Good point…but that didn't change the state of her vision. And after several rapid blinks and no alteration, she groaned, leaning back in whatever it was she was laying on – at least it was soft and adjustable, and pressed the palm of her gloved hand hard against the centre of her forehead. "Ugh…my head feels like my brain has taken up the drums."
Anna didn't comment.
Sometime later, when the pounding had lessoned slightly, Elsa decided to risk opening her eyes again. She was still seeing two, sometimes three, of everything, and the room was spinning something horrid, and it took a long time for her brain to process the feedback her senses were providing –just why was her left ear making such a loud racket? Nothing made sense, but she did know one thing. She wasn't anywhere she recognised. She felt like she should know the answer to all her questions but for the life of her couldn't remember a single thing since the beginning of the night. Everything seemed so foggy.
"Uh…where are we? And why am I in a pile of snow and not my bed?"
Anna, or the mutant in her place, smiled, "I've seen you sleeping in a pile of snow on your bed before, you know."
"What? That so doesn't compare," scoffed Elsa. "And would you please stop moving!"
Her mutant sister's eyebrows rose in surprise…or concern. Probably both…if that was possible, and she held up a hand, "How many fingers am I holding up?"
When Elsa reached eight, she decided she couldn't be bothered counting the rest. She reached out a trembling hand to confirm that Anna was indeed only holding up one hand and sighed, "More than you could possibly have on one hand." Then she frowned, and narrowed her eyes at Anna suspiciously, "Are you sure you're not a mutant?"
Anna laughed, "No, I'm not a mutant. I'm your perfectly normal teenage sister. Completely mortal."
What did she say? Perfectly normal teenage ninja? And what was that last bit? "Did you just say you're completely turtle?"
"What? How do you get turtle out of 'completely mortal'? They don't even sound the same."
She had definitely said turtle. And if she had said that, then logically this really wasn't her sister, "Whatever you say teenage mutant ninja turtle."
"Do you even know what you're saying?" the mutant turtle asked incredulously. "Because you don't sound like my regal snow queen sister."
"Your regal snow queen sister has a massive headache and is incapable of processing…well, anything."
"Uh-huh," Anna murmured weakly. "Uh…what about my ice queen sister?"
"She doesn't want to talk to you."
"Riiiight. And you?"
Fair question. "So-so."
"Gee, thanks."
"You're welcome."
Anna knew she was staring at her sister in incomprehensible astonishment. Did she even know she was talking gibberish? And she sounded so convinced of her weird conceptions, although where she got 'teenage mutant ninja turtle' out of 'completely normal teenage sister' and 'completely mortal' was beyond Anna, that she refused to accept anything she was told.
So this was what it was like to converse with a completely intoxicated person? She had read somewhere that certain people became hostile when under the influence. Elsa was so funny. She had no idea how funny she was, and it took all of Anna's willpower not to burst into laughter. Laughing would pipe Elsa's curiosity, and Anna wasn't known for keeping secrets. The truth would be revealed, and well before Anna could take advantage of it.
The window of opportunity was narrow.
"So, uh, Elsa, I was thinking I'm ready to negotiate an end to the prank war."
Elsa's bright blue eyes blinked open and a quizzical expression crossed her face as she carefully re-examined her surroundings, her mound of snow, and finally her sister's face. "Wasn't I winning?"
Anna nodded, "My point exactly. See…it's all been a big misunderstanding."
"How is fifty-three mousetraps a 'big misunderstanding'?" asked Elsa, still with that puzzled frown on her face.
Oh damn, she was starting to make sense. That window of opportunity was rapidly narrowing.
"Seriously, I doubt you got all fifty-three," objected Anna.
Elsa grimaced, "I think I missed two."
"Well at least you didn't have a crazy scary clown stalking you!"
"Please, that's one of my snowmen with a face mask," scoffed Elsa, resting back in her snow and closing her eyes. "Trust me, he's not that scary in daylight."
"He's a Mini-Marshmallow! That makes him scary!"
Elsa's eyes opened again, and she raised a perplexed eyebrow, "A what?"
"A Mini-Marshmallow," Anna repeated slowly. When her sister still didn't seem to understand, she sighed. Okay, maybe it was too early to play her final cards after all. It seemed Elsa was too dazed to comprehend what she was saying. That window was rapidly opening again. "You know, a miniature version of the abominable snowman you conjured to throw us out of the palace."
"Yeah, I know that," snapped Elsa in a voice close to her ice queen persona. "What I don't understand is where does the marshmallow part fit into it?"
"Ohhh. That's what Olaf named him."
"Marshmallow?" repeated Elsa dubiously.
Anna nodded, "Yep."
"…I still don't understand why."
"You know, as a joke, since he really wasn't."
"Oh…" said Elsa, but Anna could tell she still wasn't convinced. Then her older sister frowned again, "You wouldn't happen to know why one is pink, would you?"
"I thought you did that."
"No. It was definitely white to start with. I thought you might have…"
"Nope. Not me."
"Oh." Then, all of a sudden, Elsa's head flopped back against the snow, her eyes shut, and she started snoring.
From Anna's count, courtesy of the clock, it was two hours before Elsa woke up again. She could tell when Elsa's faint snoring ceased that her sister was awake. Ugh, the hard cold floor was really uncomfortable.
Elsa spoke up from her mound of snow, "Hey, mutant turtle, you never told me where we are."
Right, how to explain that without revealing everything. "Well, uh, there was…an argument which sort of turned into a brawl and…uh…we got caught up in the crowd and somehow ended up in the town cells." Never mind the fact she had started it, and Elsa had somehow launched herself out of harms away several feet across the town square and collided solidly with a brick wall. Thankfully not many people had seen it happen since those not swinging punches wisely retreated, and Anna wasn't entirely sure she believed what she had seen. No one could jump that far.
Her right hand throbbed from the few punches she had thrown in her desperation to get to Elsa's slumped form. Her sister had been okay, just incredibly dazed…and laughing her head off about it. She had a funny feeling that was why the constable had 'accidently' locked them both up in the cells with at least half of the festival participants.
The cell hadn't been designed and built with this many people in mind, so several lucky people got to go with a warning, and the rest were cramped together practically on each other's laps. Only a demonstration of Elsa's powers, and the realisation their Queen was locked up with them, kept their corner free.
"Didn't the constable recognise us?"
"Uh…" Amend the truth, Anna. It's not lying…exactly, and she's not going to remember this anyway. You hope. "It was dark, and there were so many people, and, uh, I don't think he sees all that well."
"Oh."
"Yeah." Anna allowed Elsa time to think that over, and when no further objections or questions came from the pile of snow, she decided it was now or never. She had no idea how long the effects of alcohol lasted, and really didn't want to let such a perfect opportunity slip by. She needed play the trump card now. Especially since it was now her birthday and Elsa was probably going to be too unwell to do anything with her.
"So, uh, as I was saying before about the prank war being a misunderstanding, how about we come to an agreement?"
"What do you mean?" At least she sounded like the sister Anna knew
So far, so good. At least she hadn't brought up the mousetraps again. "I was thinking we don't really know each other that well, so why don't we, you know, chose an activity we like doing or something we want to try, and do it together."
"Hmmm…" Elsa thought about it for a few minutes before sighing, "I don't really have that many activities. My day generally consists of paperwork and meetings. I eat when I remember and try to go to bed when I can justify it. You already sometimes eat with me, and you're currently banned from entering my room until I decide otherwise, so…"
"What about chess?"
"Who plays chess so vigorously that a white knight is knocked from the board so hard it sails across the room and smashes my ink bottle?"
"…Wait…is that why you were angry with me?"
"Theatrics and war cries do not belong in chess."
"Well…I'm sure you'll think of something else to do in your free time."
"I don't get free time, Anna."
"…Well…what would you like to do if you had the time?"
"I…well, I'd like to sleep in one day. And…I'd like to be able to just use my powers without everyone freaking out all the time."
They were good desires, but neither helped Anna achieve her intended victory. She thought over everything she had seen Elsa do and…wow, she really was boring. "Wait…what about skating? You love skating, and I'm still dreadful at it. That's something we could do together."
"…I don't know."
"For the sake of the kingdom and castle?"
"How do you figure that?"
"There's a shocker of a prank war unfolding out there you know."
"As a matter of a fact I do."
An hour later, released from the cells by a disapproving Kai and amused Captain Nielsen, and courtesy of the half a glass of apple juice the constable had kindly returned to Elsa, and the immediate affects that 'spiced' drink had on her sister the moment she drunk it, Anna dictated the terms of the agreement.
Elsa's handwriting was far from her usual careful calligraphy but it was mostly legible. Kai, well aware Anna was up to something Elsa hadn't recognised, and also well aware Elsa seemed to be rather intoxicated (Anna had stomped on his foot painfully hard before he could reveal 'the secret' to her), had unsuccessfully tried to talk Elsa out of signing.
She was adamant and his feet were in danger of being broken, so he very reluctantly allowed her to proceed, and signed as witness before flipping a coin in the air.
It landed on tails.
Anna beamed at both and pumped her fist into the air in triumph, "Yes! Let's go camping."
Elsa's face immediately drained of colour as she finally realised what Kai had been trying to warn her. It wasn't Anna's fault her unimaginative sister hadn't considered activities outside the castle walls. In the end she groaned, and her face slammed into her desk with a solid thud, "I hate you."
Elsa woke with an excruciating headache and rebellious stomach –she barely made it to the water closet in her personal adjoining bath chamber before the contents of stomach reappeared. There was nothing to bring up but disgusting yellow green brown bile and gastric juices, and the revolting bitter after taste lingered in her mouth.
She felt exhausted, her head was pounding, her stomach bobbing up and down, and the world was spinning. Everything just seemed too hard, and she slumped down against the wall in the small segregated section of her bath chambers to stare miserably across the room at the basin. Some water would be nice, but…it was too far away. So was her bed. It was safer next to the water closet.
It was a long, tiresome painful process attempting to sort through her memories, or rather lack of memories, but she was seventy per cent certain she did go to the Midsummer's Eve Festival but after that…nothing.
When did she get home? How did she get home? Why couldn't she remember…anything?
What the heck was going on?!
There was a light tap on her bath chamber door, "Your majesty?"
It took too much energy to formulate a response, and when her stomach heaved threateningly Elsa decided to just wait for Gerda to enter. When she did enter, the head housekeeper scanned the room until she found her, and her eyes widened, and she hastened across the room to Elsa's side, "Your majesty!"
Elsa winced as Gerda's voice seemed to echo and reverberate through her brain, "Hi." To her own ears, her voice sounded forlorn and miserable. She knew her expression was probably reflecting the same feelings.
But…wait a moment, what was that robust smell? It was…what was it? Certainly something she hadn't smelt before. All of sudden her brain felt a little clearer – it still couldn't remember anything more about last night, but it definitely wasn't as hazy.
Where was it coming from?
Then she noticed the white tea cup in Gerda's hands. It had a black liquid in it with little whiffs of steam rising from the surface. What was it? It certainly wasn't tea.
The older woman held it out, "This is called coffee, your majesty. Mistress Thawn is convinced it is the best remedy for…uh…certain ailments."
It smelt so invigorating that Elsa didn't hesitate in taking the cup, even though her hands trembled a little. She raised it to her lips, took a small sip of the cool liquid and ugh, it was revolting, leaving a different bitter aftertaste in her mouth. She glared at the dark liquid – it had smelt so good! What a disappointment. "Coffee, did you say?"
Gerda nodded, "She said it can take a while to get used to the taste."
"Now you tell me," muttered Elsa dejectedly.
The head housekeeper smiled, "I'll prepare your bath."
Normally Elsa would have persuaded her to not worry about it. She didn't need help but…this coffee substance was perplexing and required concentration. Her nose was still convinced it was the best smelling liquid it had ever encountered but her taste buds knew otherwise…or maybe it was the lingering bile in her mouth and throat that had contaminated the drink.
Ewww, no, the second sip was just as bad as the first, and so was the third…and the forth. How did it possibly get better? Was she game to try a fifth sip?...The first four had been disgusting, so the how could the fifth be any different. She sighed, and took a sip. Yech!
It was distasteful and undrinkable. How could Mistress Thawn recommend it? And what did she mean 'best remedy for certain ailments'? Did the cook know what was wrong with her? Was it food poisoning? Surely not. The last thing she ate was…was…was it really dinner the night before the festival? That was ages ago. But…no, wait, earlier her stomach had brought up more than just bile and gastric juices.
Then she thought about the sympathetic expression on Gerda's face. What did she mean by 'ailment'? She knew, didn't she?
Steam was rising from the frothy bath, and Gerda was in the process of re-lighting the aroma candles from the day before. "Gerda?"
The plump woman looked up, "Yes, your majesty?"
"Did I attend the Midsummer's Eve Festival?" Elsa knew it was a stupid question, but she had to know what was real and what wasn't if she had any hope of piecing together what on earth was going on.
Gerda was surprised by the question, "Of course." Then she frowned, "Don't you remember?"
"No. I remember leaving the castle with Anna, the first hour or two, and then nothing." She eyed her head housekeeper suspiciously, "Why?"
"I…uh…" her voice trailed off and she looked distinctly uncomfortable. "You…seemed to have a really good time, that's all."
Clearly something had happened…but what? She grimaced when she absentmindedly took a sip from the tea cup. It definitely wasn't getting any better…but her thoughts were. For some reason the haziness around her perception was lessening...or maybe she was imagining things. Probably.
"And Anna?"
"Enjoyed your company, ma'am," explained Gerda as she tugged at the high collar of her uniform. "I…uh…think she's happy you agreed to end the prank war, ma'am."
Elsa blinked, "I did what?" The last time she looked (or remembered) she had been winning! Why would she agree to end it? Surely Anna surrendered. Yes…that was it, right? There was no way Elsa would simply give in or call a truce. Anna started it for some unknown reason, so Anna deserved to suffer until she came clean and apologised.
"It's on your desk, ma'am," Gerda told her, squirming a little under Elsa's intense glare. "Signed by both you and Princess Anna, and witnessed by Kai."
Oh…well if Kai was there, then surely it would be okay. He wouldn't have let her do anything he thought was foolish. And besides, she knew he was on her side of the dispute. He had invested in her victory, so he definitely would have stopped her if he thought Anna was getting the better end of the agreement.
…Right?
Gerda hurriedly finished her administrations to the bath and lighting while Elsa was distracted by her thoughts and –ugh! Stop sipping from the cup!- the relief in her voice when she announced the bath ready went unnoticed.
She insisted on helping undo the back of Elsa's dress and corset before rushing out the door taking the repulsive coffee with her.
Then Gerda poked her head back in, "Oh, and don't be long. The official banquette starts in less than an hour."
Official banquette? What official banquette?
Author's note: Ta-da! Okay, so the 'teenage mutant ninja turtle' bit was a little cheesy, but meh, randomness is the name of the game :)
I really hope it didn't disappoint anyone – let me know what you think :)