This was honestly kinda fun to write. Enjoy the chapter
"Mama! Papa!" Karianna was the first to reach her parents as they were disembarking the gangplank. She jumped into her father's arms, both laughing. Airsol was just behind her and tackled her mother into a hug around the waist. Anna knelt and hugged her, making a little groan as she picked her up.
"How much did you grow in three weeks?" She asked teasingly, "I don't remember my Ari being this heavy,"
Ari squealed with laughter.
Anna gasped, "Unless you're not my Ari, and she was replaced with an imposter,"
"It's me, mama," She laughed.
"Umm, I'm not sure," She made a serious face, "I'm going to have to tickle the truth out of you,"
"N-Noooo!" Ari squirmed and squealed, trying to escape.
Kristoff and Kari were both laughing, looking on. "Run! Run Ari run!" Kari yelled.
Ari squirmed her way out of her mother's hands and ran behind her aunt, "Aunty, help,"
Elsa chuckled, placing a hand on Ari's head. She smiled at Anna and held her hands open. Anna stepped into them, hugging her.
"Welcome home,"
"Did you miss me?"
"Didn't even notice you were gone,"
Anna slapped her sister with the back her hand lightly, making an offended sound.
"Of course I missed you,"
"How are you feeling?"
"Wonderful,"
"Is your fever gone?" Kristoff asked, joining them, Kari now sitting on his shoulders.
"Like it never happened in the first place,"
"Rapunzel and Eugene send their love, along with gifts for two princesses I may know,"
The twin's face's lit up, "What did they send for us?" Ari asked.
"Oh, oh, oh, where is it? Where is it?" Kari asked in an excited rush.
"Hmm, I don't know," Anna said.
"But, Rapunzel said to only give it to you if you were good. So were they good Elsa?" Kristoff asked with a grin.
"Aunty, we were good, right?"
"Please say yes,"
Elsa hummed in thought, and then smiled at the girls, "They were perfectly good,"
"Yea!"
"This means we can we get our gifts?"
Kristoff laughed nodded, "Yes. There's a gift for Erian as well,"
"Speaking off, where is he?" Anna asked.
"About Erian," Elsa started to say.
"Mama, Erian and Halle are going to be knights," Ari said.
"Halle?" Kristoff asked.
"Yes, she joined Erian in his training so he'd have company and she took to it very quickly," Elsa said.
"Oh?" Anna smiled, "Thinking about it, that's not all that surprising. And how has Erian's training being going?"
"About that…" Elsa started to say, trailing off as she thought of would she was going to say. She saw stopped altogether by Erian's voice.
"Mom! Dad!" He ran past her in, hugging his parents.
Elsa smiled, then turned watching as Erik came up to them. "He completed his training for today before we came here,"
"Thank you, Erik,"
"Of course your majesty,"
Erian was telling his parents of the paintings he'd done in their absence and of a new spot he'd found in the mountains where he could see all of Arendelle and how he was going to try painting it.
The family returned to the castle. Anna and Kristoff told everyone stories from their trip. They recounted how Cyrus had tried to best Maximus in a frying pan fight, but had eventually been disarmed. They described new murals in the city, that had been done by Rapunzel herself.
"And Cyrus and Solara have both shot up like beanstalks," Anna said.
"Cyrus is already taller than Eugene, and Solara will pass Rapunzel soon enough," Kristoff said.
"Their grandfather is quite tall," Elsa mused.
"And Solara has matured so much since we last saw her, she's Rapunzel's splitting image. And Cyrus has let his hair grow out, it's long enough to pull into a pony,"
"Apparently, that's how he's taken to wearing it," Kristoff added with a chuckle.
"Her majesty seems to less than pleased and his trying to get him to cut it,"
"What do Rapunzel and Eugene think?" Elsa asked.
"Oh, Eugene loves it," Kristoff laughed again, "He claims it makes him look like a pirate. Rapunzel is fine as long he keeps it neat,"
"Cyrus is going to be eighteen soon, won't he?" Elsa asked.
"Hard to believe isn't it? Doesn't it feel just a short while ago we were at his presentation ceremony?" Anna gave a small sigh, "Kids grow up too quickly,"
Elsa made a small hum in agreement.
"Speaking of kids, some of ours seem to have seemed to have stayed up past their bedtime," Kristoff indicated to the sofa where Ari and Kari were falling asleep on themselves. Kari had her head and arm against the armrest of the sofa, blinking every so often with her eyes closed. Ari had fallen onto the other side, half laying on the cushion, she seemed to be fully asleep.
"I got them," Kristoff said, waving at Anna to sit when she started to get up as well, "It's fine, I'll put them to bed,"
"Are you sure?"
"I am," He gently nudged Kari, "Let's get you to bed, shall we?"
"But… I want to say with you and mama,"
"You'll have all the time to spend with us tomorrow, now come on, let's head to bed,"
"I want a piggyback,"
"As you wish little princess," He turned around and let Kari get on his back, then he picked up Ari in his arms, carrying them both from the room.
Anna watched them leave with a smile, "I hope they didn't cause any trouble,"
"The twins? Of course not. They take after you, after all,"
"And that's why I was worried," Anna said, making the sisters laughed. Anna looked at Erian, "You've gotten strangely quiet,"
"Oh sorry…" He gave a little laugh, "I was just admiring the paint set Aunt Rapunzel sent for me,"
"She certainly knows how to get the best paints in all the kingdoms," Anna said, "You haven't told me yet, how has your training being going? I'm sorry I couldn't be there for your first session,"
"Uh, that' fine. If you'd been there I would have just gotten nervous," He said quickly glancing at Elsa.
The look didn't go unnoticed by Anna, "How is it going?"
"Fine,"
"I heard Halle is joining you as well,"
"Yes,"
"Is she the only one?"
"Yes, Jenz has to help out in the bakery, and Nik didn't really take to it, so he decided to sit out, because he can," He gave a smile, "And Halle is fantastic at it,"
"Is she? That's wonderful to hear,"
"She's much better than I am,"
"Well, some people are just able to do some things better than others, like you with your painting. But just because she's better doesn't mean you should be discouraged,"
"About that, you know, I was thinking the army would be much better off with persons like Halle rather than someone like me-"
"Erian," Elsa cut him off with a soft but sharp tone. Anna looked at her sister, a little surprised. "That's enough Erian, you mother isn't going to get you out of this,"
"But-"
"I thought we already had a discussion about this,"
"Not really. For it to have been a discussion you would have had to listen to me. It was you telling me what to do,"
"Erian!" Anna gasped, "Watch your tone, and apologise to your aunt,"
Erian frowned but said, "My apologies Aunt Elsa. That was out of place for me. But seeing as I feel out of place every time I go to training you can understand how my reaction being out of place might feel more commonplace to me now,"
"What has gotten into you?" Anna asked, shocked.
"I just tried to explain to Aunt Elsa that I wasn't any good with a sword, and I think it's useless for me to try and learn. I don't enjoy it, and I'm not getting better. But when I told her this, she forced me to go to the training"
"Erian, it's only been a few weeks, you're not going to see any drastic improvements right away,"
"Right, of course," Erian stood, "If you would excuse me, I should go write a thank you letter to Aunt Rapunzel. Good night mother, good night aunty," He inclined his head to head them and walked out of the room.
Anna was stunned silent for a long pause, then, "What… what just happened?"
"He surprised me too," Elsa said, "He was skipping his training, having Halle tell Sir Devon he was sick,"
"Erian? Really,"
"Like I said, it surprised me too,"
"He's never had an outburst against you,"
"I think he believes I'm forcing him to do this as a punishment. He doesn't see the importance of him being able to fight on the front lines,"
"Elsa, I'm so sorry. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have never gone to Corona,"
Elsa gave her little sister a soft smile, "Honestly, no one could have known. And really it's not all that of a shock, Erian is that age after all,"
"I suppose, but the worse he's ever been is fighting with the girls or cutting his extra lessons short to go out with his friends. I could never have imagined him completely skipping out on a responsibility. Or him snapping at you like he did. You know he doesn't mean it, don't you? Erian loves you,"
"I know. Thank you, Anna. I know he does, and that he didn't mean that he was just angry when he called me coward,"
"Wait, what?" Anna blinked, "He did what?"
"I shouldn't have said anything. He didn't mean it, like you said,"
"No, wait, tell me what happened,"
"Well, when I found out he was skipping his training I tried to explain to him that as the Prince it was important he be able to fight if war did ever break out in Arendelle. I don't think he quite understands the influence he would have on an army, seeing him fight alongside them. But when I was explaining it to him, he found it hypocritical that I was talking about standing on the front lines after I ran away,"
"Erian said what?" Anna stood up at once, but Elsa held her wrist and pulled her back into her seat gently.
"Leave him. You just said he didn't mean anything he said,"
"Whether he meant it or not, he has to know he crossed a line there,"
"But he's not wrong,"
"Elsa, of course, he is. Back then, when you ran, it wasn't to protect yourself, it was to protect the people of Arendelle, to protect me. That was probably one of the bravest things a monarch of Arendelle has ever done,"
Elsa laughed at this, "Now that isn't true at all, but thank you for the sentiment,"
Anna smiled and hugged her, "I'll let him alone for tonight, let him cool down, but I will be talking to him soon,"
"Don't be too hard him,"
"I'll be as hard as I need to be. Maybe I could show him some of my sword skills, he might come around if he was doing it with me,"
So it turns out Erian is a passive aggressive lil' shit. Gonna be honest, when I first started this story, not how I imagined writing when it got to this.
I would like know what you think, so leave a review.
Nardragon~ until the next page.
