We were still underway with our mission to meet all the inhabitants of the Habitat. Construction of the Campus was proceeding, and Anna was busy turning Castle Greyskull into something useful.
Other than the lost couple, things have gone kinda' smoothly for a while and it was time for the Gods of Karma to return and fuck everything up. Olaf came out to the veranda for the morning briefing.
"Good morning, your Highness. Did you sleep well?"
"Better than normal, Olaf. But I still can't get the image of those poor people out of my head. I do not want this happening again. It seems I have to reiterate, we have to make this work. You know what? I want to have a conference with all the assistants. Set this up for tomorrow at high star. I'll need some help with getting the message across, Olaf. So start to think about a prepared speech. I know what I want to talk about. If this happens again, there'll be hell to pay, I promise. It is my duty to protect these people."
"I share your concern, your Highness. Remember, Damir was one of my kind. He betrayed me and the rest of the assistants as well."
"Which is why I want to have this conference. Ya got anything else for today?"
"Yes, the environment will be undergoing a 'reset' to cycle the trees. It's been a while since it's been done, and is quite overdue. You will notice a drop in temperature for the next four weeks."
"How low of a drop?"
"Freezing temperature of water."
"Well, I for one could use a change in seasons. Be sure all the assistants inform the kingdom of this change. Some of our inhabitants are not used to the cold and should be instructed on proper attire for winter temps."
"As you wish, your Highness. Will that be all?"
"That about wraps it up for this morning, Olaf."
After a few days I awoke to slender fingers prying my eye open and this cutesy voice saying;
"Do you want to build a snowman?"
"Hell yea, I wanna' build a snowman!" I looked outside to see thirty centimeters of snow on the ground. Olaf said it would be cold, but this was a complete surprise!
"Come on-come on-come on!" Anna had rediscovered her inner five year old. She went to the replicator and said;
"Produce Frozen outfit oh-one." It was the winter outfit from Oakens. She needed some help getting it on, as the bodice was a rear lace-up affair, and all I could think about was why bother? But she couldn't wait to go out and play in these clothes. That brought a huge smile to my face as we rolled out our new lawn ornament into being. Anna even replicated a fake carrot for the nose. She looked stunning in that outfit. It looked even better after I blasted her in the face with a snowball! That fight was epic, when we were done we were drenched. We managed to end up rolling around in the snow making out, I felt like I was thirteen again. I have to admit, as diversions go, this was one of the best.
We were actually living, it had been a while. When we got inside it was time for some hot chocolate and chocolate chips cookies, well..., because you can never have enough chocolate. Once we were thoroughly dry I just wanted to kick back, but Anna had other plans.
"Elsa, can you bring Kjekk back to the house? I'd like to go for a ride."
"Yes, of course Anna." And off she went. Elsa had been fitted with a strange grappling hook arm which allowed her to grab objects and carry them, something that Olaf- or any of the assistants- didn't have. About a half hour later, here comes Kjekk with Elsa ahold of his bridle, talking to him the whole time. Elsa was very different from all the other assistants. I'm mean, here she was talking to an animal that she knew for a fact couldn't understand her, yet the calming effect of her voice was all Kjekk needed to hear. It's really amazing how strange this place really is.
"Um... Anna? There's something missing on Kjekk." She looked outside; there was no saddle on him.
"A good rider always has a saddle handy." She went to the mud room and pulled out a saddle from a cabinet there- it barely fit- and the saddle was quite small. She then went back to the replicator and ordered up the same outfit she soaked earlier. As I was lacing her up I had to ask;
"You're really into this Frozen shit right now, aren't you?"
"Don't you like it?"
"Well..., yea..., but it reminds me a lot of my old life…, however, you look very beautiful right now, and that more than makes up for any bad feelings I have."
She wrapped me up and gave me this big hug; I swear she tried to pick me up. She planted a kiss on my cheek and said;
"Why don't you stop by the castle tonight, I have something planned especially for you." With that she gave me a wink and was out the door, with Elsa close behind.
I should probably go...
Thankfully the trails are self-clearing, as I would have really dreaded slogging thru all that snow. I was a bit chilly for a bike ride, but I think Anna had something in mind to warm me up. I was met by Elsa with a group of Clankers at the main foyer. I haven't seen this place since The Trial, she's really got this place looking top notch. Vibrate colors, tapestries, and glass chandeliers. She had more windows and skylights added as well. Some of our artists have contributed their work and displayed it on the walls. This is so much better than before; I knew she had it in her. Elsa led me into a room just off the ballroom and said;
"Put these clothes on and I'll come and get you when she's ready." It was the Hans outfit he wore to Elsa's coronation, epaulettes and all. My junk looked like I stuffed a summer squash in those pants. Take that, Disney!
"She's ready. This way, your Highness..." So I stepped out onto the floor of the ballroom..., and there she was, in the coronation dress. I could feel that slight bit of extra moisture in my eyes. The thing that could never-ever happen…, is before me right now. The intensity of her beauty put an aura around her, giving her a soft, greenish glow. I have no idea if it was real or not, at this moment there wasn't anything that was truly real. Only the maniacal thoughts of a madman- come to life- in this one brief moment of existence.
"Hans! I'm so glad you found me!"
"Care to dance, m' lady?" I saw Olaf hovering over some strange box; I hoped he had some tunes...
He had picked out a smattering of waltzes, some I didn't recognize. I really didn't care.
Cosplay, with a real Princess Anna, in a ballroom inside a castle. The rest of existence just melted away, it was just her and me, a dream come true.
"Are you ready for the next step?"
"There's more?"
"Go back to the waiting room, Olaf will tell you when I'm ready."
"OK." It was about fifteen minutes...
"Michael, go to the second floor, three doors down to the right." So I made my way to the second floor. The stairway was now brilliantly lit, with purple carpeting on the stairs. The walls were decorated with weapons of every kind. A little bit of the kink-master musta' snuck out here. When I opened the door Anna was lying on the floor shivering, her hair pure white. Aha! I get it...
I went and picked her up. "Anna! You're so cold!"
"Hans! You have to kiss me right now, NOW!"
"Woa! slow down! What happened to you?"
"Elsa struck me with her powers."
"You said she'd never hurt you."
"I was wrong, ugh." She started to collapse, and I caught her. I carried her over the couch next to the roaring fake fire.
"She froze my heart and only an act of true love can save me." She looked and sounded so pathetic, damn, she was good!
"A true loves kiss." I cupped her chin and started to bring her lips to mine, then I leapt on top of her and proceeded to maul her with kisses, all the while feeling her up. Then she shoved me on to the floor.
"Michael! That's not how it goes!"
"I was just having some fun with you! I do appreciate what you've done here, really! OK, from a 'true loves kiss'."
So I cupped her chin again and just as our lips were about to touch...
"Oh, Anna. If only there was someone out there who loved you."
"What?! You said..., you did."
"And I do!" Then I started mauling her again, this time she didn't resist, but after a few minutes...
"You couldn't make it all the way thru? That's not being very faithful to the story!"
"Neither is your hair, it hadn't turned all the way white yet."
"Oh. Hmm, I guess I'll have to watch it again."
"When have you seen this movie?"
"Come on, I'll show you."
A theater- with a real screen- sort of. It actually had depth. It could do 3D movies without the glasses. This must be Olaf's doing. So Anna called out;
"Play Frozen, Disney, twenty-thirteen." And that famous sound began. But wait! I've got a better idea for our limited time.
"Pause movie! Anna, I've got an idea. Play Frozen 2, Revenge of the Westergaards, and Elsa, how 'bout some popcorn?"
I never got to see it. I got abducted before the Bluray came out, and I couldn't go to the theater, I had no family to go with, and I damn sure wasn't going by myself. I could just see me standing in that line, pissing my pants with all the rest of the twelve year old girls...
It was actually just what I expected. Anna and Kristoff got married, and had a baby. Elsa stayed tragically single. They defeated the onslaught brought on by the Westergaards, blah, blah, blah. While it was great to see the sisters interact together, the movie fell short of my expectations, it just didn't have the magic of the first one.
It suffered from the same disease as most films on earth. The first one was about what the artist's had wanted to present, the second one was about cashing in. As I said before, every single decision on earth was based on the amount of money that could be made, and this was no exception.
"So…, what did you think of the movie?! I can't wait to replicate some of those outfits!" That was the one thing they managed to nail. Elsa was looking particularly sharp. Anna's clothes always managed to look so conservative in Frozen, I just once wanted to see some leg. My God! That's so funny! Anna is sitting right next me, I see her legs all the time! Hell, I can see them now. She had kicked off her boots and propped her feet up on the seats in front of us.
"Well..., I was expecting more, and I guess they went the kids' movie route... I dunno, but the fact is, I live Frozen every day. I really don't need to see the movies anymore." With that she leaned over and kissed me.
"Why?"
"Why what?" I asked, her question seeming kinda' cryptic.
"Why did you pick me over Elsa? She's so much prettier than I am." It seems that in the second film, they fixed Elsa up a bit, while dressing down her sister.
"Elsa is outwardly beautiful, yours comes from within. Inner beauty is much more powerful that the thin veneer of beauty Elsa had. Plus I've always had a thing for geeky, gingery red-heads."
"But how do you see inner beauty in an animated character?"
"It's in the eyes, I don't know how they did it, but your eyes are just magical. I just don't see that in Elsa. Buuttt..., this second go round she was really hot, maybe I could do some kind of a trade-in..." I tried to be as sarcastic as possible, but I think my attempt at humor was not sitting well with her.
Slug, and repeat slug.
"Shouldn't you stop while you're ahead? I don't know about you, but I'm ready to wrap this day up and head to bed, wanna' join me in my chambers? Don't worry…, it's been completely remodeled." She gave me a wink.
"Sure, but how about doing the Evil Queen outfit?"
"You really want me to...Ohhh!" I was staring straight at her and giving her "The Look"..., she got it. So we went to bed and I roughed her up a bit. She had gone through all the effort to please me today and now it was time to reciprocate. With us now just role-playing it was nowhere near as sickening, but I still was a bit uncomfortable doing it. This was for her.
"Thank you, I know you're not completely comfortable with my sexual desires."
"Well, no, but you did all this for me today. And the fact is..., I've had a really wonderful day…. I love you."
"I have always loved you." It would be our last words of the evening. It had been a really great day. As I lay spooned into her, it was time to reflect on all that has happened.
In this very room, I tried to kill her. Now it's all pretty pastels and flowers, the spiky black bed now replaced with this frilly thing. She had already fallen asleep, her breath quietly flowing in and out, giving me this strange feeling of peace.
Peace…, relaxation…, quiet. Things that have been in short supply lately. But this moment is real. I'm here, in this castle, on this tiny island, floating among the stars. So far, it's been a rocky ride. I never would've believed in all my years this would happen to me, luck has never been on my side. A simple prayer rescued me from a fate worse than death, and gave me the greatest gift of all….
Love.
It wasn't easy, the one thing I feared at the beginning. Love is tough, and gritty. It's a daily challenge. We don't always get what we want. We have to make compromises and be diplomatic. She has given up things for me, I've done things for her I didn't want to do, but somehow, we've managed a balance.
I want this to be my legacy, making things work, and I mean really function properly. No more lust for power, and possessions. No more rule with an iron fist. No more war. No more inequality. I've been given more responsibility than any human who has ever lived, and it's a heavy cross to bear. But with Anna by my side, she'll help me carry the weight of it, and that's all I can ask for.
I don't know what the future holds, but at least we'll have one…
A/N. Unfortunately, this is the last chapter I had in the can that followed the timeline. I was hoping some inspiration would occur by now, but it's just not meant to be, and I'm afraid this is the end. I do have other chapters, but they're post wedding/coronation, and would be out of place.
For the very few of you who've hung in this far on this one year anniversary, I thank you.
