You're right, Canon. Her parents really should have done more. But even in real life that doesn't always happen.
Not completely sure what you mean, Guest. Things do seem to be looking down with this possible threat to Arendelle and Elsa. We'll see what happens next!
Enjoy the next chapter!
Elsa gestured Hiram and Captain Jokkon toward two chairs in front of her desk. The revelation of the traitorous guard had left her shaken. She found it hard to comprehend why someone would betray his own country. On the other hand, Hans was able to convince some of her own guards that she was a murderer, so whoever Stent was working for may have used similar means of persuasion.
She looked at Hiram, expecting him to say something, but he remained silent. The captain was looking at her expectantly.
"Do you think, Captain, that Stent is the only spy in the castle?"
"I hope he was, Your Majesty," the captain said. "But hope seems to be something we can't depend on."
"I can almost guarantee that things will get worse," Hiram said ominously. "A lot worse."
"How?" Elsa asked, though she already suspected the answer.
"Isten."
"Why does this man want to control your kind so much?" the captain asked.
"It has to do with our," he gestured between Elsa and himself, "ancestors. Isten was able, thanks to his abilities and tireless research, to piece together a rough history of our kind. Apparently there were once many wielders, though no more than a hundred or so at a time. Isten suspects that there can be no more than a thirty people who have the gift today."
Hiram glanced at Captain Jokkon then back at Elsa. "Millennia ago, there were many power struggles amongst them. Isten discovered that some of the calamities of the past were caused by them. As the years passed, greater numbers of wielders went into hiding, some because they were worried that openly showing their abilities would harm or anger others, and some because they were being hunted for using their powers for evil. Isten believes that we can't be trusted to use our powers responsibly and that his ability makes him the only one alive who can effectively keep us under control."
Elsa shared a glance with Captain Jokkon and nodded for Hiram to tell what he knew.
"There was a story," Hiram said, "that the older servants told. He was actually friends with your grandfather once. They were both looking into the origins of their gifts and met by accident. None of the people I know were aware that your grandfather was a king though.
"One day, Isten was looking into a disturbance that was causing a great deal of fear for many villages. They spoke of a forest spirit that would capture and kill any person who unknowingly trespassed in its territory. Fortunately, it didn't seem anyone actually died, so Isten went to find this person and talk some sense into him.
"He searched for many days until he came to a particularly dense part of the forest. The plants seemed to watch his every move and some trees appeared to follow him. He then sensed the source of the power and realized that it was not one person, but actually a couple who could control plants. I don't know why they were terrorizing their neighbors, but when Isten tried to reason with them, they tried to kill him. He never had to use his powers in self-defense before. They did not survive."
"He killed them," Elsa surmised.
Hiram nodded, his face grave. "He almost went mad because of what he did. That was when he started to change into the twisted man he is today. I say twisted but he is actually a genius when it comes to controlling his own kind and keeping them hidden. His ultimate goal is to ensure that one day wielders will naturally die off. He thinks our abilities are evil."
"So he will stop at nothing to take me." She had hoped that after her coronation no one would see her as a monster anymore. Now there was someone who believed she and anyone like her must be hidden away for the rest of their lives.
"I am surprised that he hasn't tried before," Hiram said.
"That doesn't matter," the captain stated. "My top priority is to ensure your safety, my queen. We can put the castle on lockdown and make sure that no one will be able to capture you."
"Out of the question," Elsa said firmly. I will not hide as a prisoner. Once is enough.
"But Your Majesty - "
"It would be useless, Captain Jokkon," Hiram interrupted. "Please don't take it the wrong way when I remind you that your men were no match for me when I was at my weakest. Isten and his followers would steal the queen from right underneath your noses even if you had a thousand guards with the best training in Europe."
"I will not hide behind the walls of this castle again." Elsa had noticed the captain's anger at Hiram's blunt assessment. Hiram looked between her and the captain and sat back. "Closing the castle off would only cause fear and panic among our people, as well as send a message that we do not have the strength to deal with this threat."
Captain Jokkon sighed. "I guess that I can reschedule the patrols and make them more random so potential spies will not be able to so easily sneak past the guards."
"Thank you. I'm sure that you want to oversee the questioning of the prisoner so I will not keep you. And thank you for your input Hiram." Both men stood. The captain bowed while Hiram nodded his head like he always did, as if he thought they were the same rank. From what he told her about his relationship with her grandparents, they probably were.
-]=-{}-=[-
Beams of sunlight shot into Hiram's eyes, rousing him from his slumber. Rubbing his face, he sat up on his bed, surveying the room. Shako and Nadine were sleeping peacefully and he was glad to see that they were improving so quickly from their illness.
On the dresser next to his bed lay the pendant. It lay next to a narrow strip of cloth he would sometimes use to cover his eyes. He always used one when fighting or using his powers in a significant way. Isten trained him long ago to focus solely on using his enhanced hearing instead of sight when facing his enemies. By the time Hiram and his people escaped it had gotten to the point where he was more away of his surroundings with it on than just relying on eyesight alone.
He went into an adjacent room to change into a fresh pair of pants and a shirt. After seeing that there was still some time before breakfast, he opened a chest that held the fabrics he requested a week ago. He gathered fabric and a small box and walked over to his bed and laid them out. He opened the box, took a needle and some thread and set to work.
By the time the children woke up, he had completed most of his jacket and had begun setting aside what he needed to make his boots. After helping them pick out their attire, the three left their bedroom and walked to the dining room. They found that the queen was already there with Kai and the ice harvester, Kristoff. The table was already set and food was being brought in.
"Good morning, Queen Elsa," Hiram greeted.
"Good morning, Hiram," Elsa said. "This is not a formal breakfast so please, no titles."
"Okay then, I - "
"Oh, my, wow!" Olaf cried, rushing in through the kitchen door. "You're up, this is great!" he grabbed the children's hands. "Can you make a swimming pool? I bet you can make the greatest swimming pool…" his voice faded as he led them out to play.
Hiram looked at Elsa with mock frustration. "I hope this is not going to be a thing - me trying to get them to eat when they should."
Kristoff laughed. "I bet we all had those moments when we were little."
"Yeah," Elsa said, "but you didn't have powers to entertain yourself with. Anna and I used to play through breakfast a lot, which resulted in us wearing ourselves out before lunch because we didn't eat much."
That reminded Hiram of something, "Elsa, do you remember yesterday when you watched Nadine practice creating ice and hearing the tinkling sounds that came with it?"
"Yes." Elsa said. Hiram could see her curious expression.
"Could you create some above this table and make the snowflakes grow and shrink?"
"Okay," Elsa lifted her hands and snowflakes formed above them. She brought her creation to the table and caused the snowflakes to rise until it was half way up to the ceiling. Hiram heard the soft tinkle of ice forming and dissipating and felt his heart begin to race in anticipation.
"Do any of you - Oh," he said hearing the princess walk in, "Princess Anna, good. I was about to show everyone something."
"Oh," Princess Anna mumbled, "please don't call me princess, especially so early in the morning."
"It's nine twenty-seven," Kristoff and Elsa deadpanned.
"There, you see?" Anna said as if that proved her point.
"Not sure," Kristoff said. "Well, I guess you're not awake enough to check out an experiment we're about to do with Elsa and Hiram's powers."
That woke her up and she saw the collection of ice crystals suspended in the air. "What kind of experiment?"
"Hiram just wants to show us something," Elsa said. "And we'll talk about you staying up to watch the night sky later."
"Fine, so what are you doing?"
"Do you remember when Nadine was using her copy of Elsa's powers to make ice in the kitchen yesterday?"
"Yeah," Anna said. "It was very good for someone who had little practice."
"Yes it was. Did you hear any sounds from the ice itself?"
"I think so. Whenever Elsa uses her powers it always makes beautiful sound but the kitchen was too loud to hear anything."
"True. I am going to enhance the sound Elsa's ice makes as it forms. Listen." Hiram held up his hand toward the ice floating above them sent a wave of his power into the swirling mass and smiled as the air came alive.
"Wow," Kristoff said.
"It sounds like a hundred wind chimes but more…," Anna trailed off, trying to find the right words, "…beautiful."
"This is what I feel every time I use my powers," Elsa said. "Now I know what it sounds like."
"Everything creates sound," Hiram explained. "You hear some of it in the earth whenever the ground shakes, but in reality it is far more intricate. The oceans you already know, but try imagining hundreds of waves, currents, and streams working together in a harmonious symphony. You already know what wind and fire sound like."
Elsa waved her hands and ice disappeared along with its music. With the display over, everyone found they were famished and spent the next ten minutes focusing on nothing but the food on their plates. Then Elsa brought Anna and Kristoff up to date on the meeting she and Captain Jokkon had with Hiram. Anna was saddened by the need to be more secretive around the castle staff, but accepted its necessity in order to find any more spies.
"I am concerned that Isten has not attempted to make contact or attack us yet," Hiram said.
"Shouldn't that be a good thing?" Anna asked.
"Maybe," Hiram admitted. "But I feel that he has been using this time to position his people before moving against us."
"Why hasn't he already attacked?" Kristoff asked.
"For one, my people and I have been evading him since I was sixteen. I am also rather immune to his mind powers. He could also be exercising caution if he thinks I gained an ally in Arendelle, which gives him another target. Also, you have told me that several influential countries are on friendly terms with you and that any open attack would cast a negative light on him."
The sound of commotion caught Hiram's attention. He gazed out the window and listened. Nadine just froze a great deal of water and Olaf was sounding distorted. "I need to check on the children," he ran out. Scraping chairs told him that the sisters and Kristoff were following him.
When he reached the courtyard, Hiram found Shako, Nadine, and a miserable Sven, soaking wet and staring at a blob of snow and ice shuffling around excitedly.
"That was so cool!" Olaf said happily. "Can you make me a little taller too?"
Shako was about to answer when he caught sight of Hiram. Hiram couldn't help but stare at Olaf's change wordlessly. Nadine caught sight of him as well as of the royals. Her light blue eyes widened in panic.
"I'm so sorry, Queen Elsa," she hurriedly apologized.
"You see Olaf wanted - " Shako attempted to say but Nadine cut him off.
"I tried to practice more with the ice an - "
"He kind of melt - "
"I made a new flurry - "
"More like a mini snowstorm - "
"And…"
"And…"
Hiram broke out of his stupor when he heard the sound of giggling behind him. He whipped around to see Anna trying to hide her laughter but on the brink of failing. Elsa was also trying to hide her smile behind her hand but her whole face gave her mirth away. He turned back to the children and felt pity when he saw their crestfallen faces.
"It's alright," Hiram reassured them. "Calm down and dry everything off, Shako." Shako took a deep breath and Hiram saw the watery mess evaporate into thin air, though more slowly than what he knew Shako was capable of. "Are you two hungry?" They nodded.
"Don't worry about Olaf," Elsa said to the children. "Go ahead and have breakfast. I'll fix him." She waved her hands and white tendrils of snow swirled around Olaf, restoring him to his original form with his flurry.
"Good as new!" Olaf exclaimed. "Thanks, Elsa."
"You're welcome, little guy."
Hiram led the children back inside. "You are not skipping breakfast ever again."
"Yes, Hiram."