Chapter 2: Moments

"Arendelle is a port kingdom – which means it relies on trade. Its main exports are craftwork, ice and fish, as well as signature confections like Arendelle chocolate. But, while it owns a respectable amount of farmland, it is by no means self-sufficient. Most of its food items, like fruits and barley and certain raw materials for craftwork, come from international imports.

"Then came the order to close the gates, and Arendelle was meant to isolate itself from the rest of the world for thirteen years. Unfortunately, without any trade, without any shipments, the people would starve. The craftsmen would have no materials to practise their craft and the merchants no one to sell to.

"As a form of compromise, a trading post was built a distance away from the burg as a means to sustain international trade, while still keeping the castle, and me, isolated. In order to attract merchants and traders to this new post, a new shipyard with remunerable services was erected alongside it. Our chocolates may be good, but Arendelle produces the finest ships this side of the world. We have the best shipwrights and the best materials right here.

"And, we are currently the only shipyards in the world capable of manufacturing icebreakers."

"Wooow. You'd think a wedge and a hammer were relatively easy to make," Olaf gaped with childlike wonder. Elsa chuckled.

"No, Olaf. Icebreakers are ships specifically built to withstand naval exploration in ice."

"…Wooow," his expression did not change.

"Anyway, after thirteen years of operation, both the shipyard and the trading post have expanded to form Torgovetsstad, a merchant town. The town itself is run by a Merchants' Guild, but it still falls under Arendelle authority."

"And that's where we're headed now?" Olaf hopped and bounced excitedly around her. "Yes, Olaf. As soon as Anna and Kristoff – "

"We're here!" Anna was hobbling as fast as she could over to the carriage bearing a heavy-looking haversack, Kristoff and Sven at her heels. A quartet of guards trotted two steps behind them, cautiously surveying the crowd and their surroundings.

Anna braced herself against the door of the carriage as she puffed laboriously, trying to catch her breath. "Good morning, Kristoff. Hello, Sven," Elsa greeted the reindeer-man duo smoothly. Anna held a finger up, tried to say something, but only coughed and wheezed. The duo reciprocated her greeting, Sven nuzzling into Elsa's open hands for her to coddle. His muzzle was warm and damp, his whiskers tickled.

The day before, Elsa had received a disturbing letter from the Head Foreman of the Arendelle Shipyard in Torgovetsstad, Nikolas, alluding to some trouble. An unsanctioned ship had docked and refused to leave until they had audience with the Queen of Arendelle. And they have been there for days. Such a thing should normally have been reported immediately by the Merchant Guild Master, who oversees the entire merchant town – which was another thing she had to look into.

And then on the same night, someone with fire magic had tried to assassinate her.

"Anna told us about last night. Are you okay?" Kristoff inquired with genuine concern. "I'm alright. Just a little tired," Elsa smiled politely. His eyes wandered to bandages wrapped around her right arm, "Does it still hurt?"

"What, this?" she tittered while self-consciously covering it with her other hand, "It's just a scratch. I barely even notice it." It had hurt. It had smarted a lot that night, as if many small somethings kept tearing her skin open again and again. She had tried using her ice magic to heal it, but it had made the burn worse. Gerda had shrieked in horror and dressed her wound after that, swatting her hands away whenever she tried to touch it.

"Anyway, thanks for letting us come, Elsa," Kristoff shrugged sheepishly while subconsciously reaching for the back of his neck. Sven sniffed at her bandages, mewling sympathisingly. She stroked his nose with tender affection. "I was thinking of having my gear repaired soon," he explained, "and getting some new clothes and blankets, maybe a new halter for Sven – "

"What's with… all the guards… Elsa?!" Anna rasped finally. She unloaded her haversack onto the carriage with a thunk so loud it made Elsa wince. "What are you carrying in there that's so heavy?"

"Everything. Because I'm preparing for every possibility on this adventure," Anna's eyes shone with wild excitement, then she blinked, as if she just remembered something. "Any possibility, like being attacked by a magic person, for example. Or being stranded in the woods. Or having no water to drink. Or…"

"This isn't some dangerous adventure, Anna," Elsa tried to calm her sister down, "it's just a quick visit to Torgovetsstad and back."

"But it could be," Olaf chimed in. "the beginning of one."

Elsa sighed, "We'll be gone three days, at most. And there are already supplies in the carriage. Besides," Elsa lifted Anna's chin gently with her finger, "we'll be accompanied by guards the whole way. Even if someone tries to as- attack me again, we'll be fine."

"Exactly," Anna huffed, "you're the one who got attacked, so why am I being followed by guards everywhere?" she quickly added for the guards behind her, "No offence, guys," to which they shifted nervously.

"Because you're important to me, Anna. More than anything," Elsa cupped her sister's face, "I don't know what the attacker's true intentions are yet. But they could use you to get to me, which makes you a likely target.

"And I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

Anna took her hand in both of hers. The fabric of the bandage covering her ripped skin when she touched the cold doorknob grazed Elsa's skin, stabbing her with a pang of guilt. "I know," Anna said softly, "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you either," her unbandaged hand was warm, kind. Her teal eyes were filled with emotion, and for a split second took on a haunted look as if reliving some traumatic experience… "but everything will be fine, as long as we face it together."

Anna pulled her into a warm embrace, "You're not alone anymore. I'm right here by your side. And that's where I'll stay. Always. Okay?"

Elsa hugged her back, "Okay." They stayed like that for a while.

"So… Are we leaving soon, or…?" Olaf's voice startled them apart.

Hastily, they boarded the carriage, both Elsa's and Anna's guards taking their place around the carriage on horseback. Kristoff unloaded some of Sven's baggage onto the carriage, then began to mount him.

"Come sit inside with us!" Anna popped her head out of the carriage, smiling expectantly. "Oh, uh," Kristoff glanced at Sven, then back at Anna, "You sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure! Come on!" she gestured him to hurry.

"Um, alright then!" Kristoff brightened. He climbed into the carriage and sat himself self-contently next to Anna. Then suddenly the carriage tilted violently as Sven also climbed into the carriage, ducking low so his antlers did not get stuck on the ceiling. The guards exchanged unsure looks. It was a royal carriage, so there was enough space in it, but well…

"Oh."

"Is this some kind of new cervine-equestrian power move? Because I can't think of any other reason a reindeer would be caught alive riding a horse carriage," Olaf bemused. Sven bayed merrily. "Establishing yourself as the higher echelon earlier on in the relationship, huh?" Olaf nodded knowingly, as Sven began nipping at the carrot tip of his nose. "Smart move. I hope that when I grow up, I'll be as socially adept as you."

Sven bayed again. "Aw, thank you, Sven!" Olaf hugged the reindeer. Elsa found herself laughing and smiling at the pair, and all the tension from last night just melted away. That was how it always was with this company. They made her forget the expectations placed upon her as ruler, they made her feel like her worries were insignificant and easily solvable. They made an ice queen feel warm and fuzzy inside, comfortable and relaxed.

When she was in court, everyone treated her tentatively, warily, as if she might suddenly 'ice' someone. The servants and the guards adhered too strictly to decorum. True, she had rarely come out of her room before the coronation, rarely interacted with anyone. But there was a distinct difference between how they had acted toward her on the day of the coronation, and how they acted after she came back and unfroze Arendelle.

Yes, they cheered when she lifted the snowstorm. Yes, they danced with her and sang with her and applauded her tricks. They smiled politely at her when she passed by. But they always kept an arm around their children, always tried to look extra busy with something when she walked by, and then sighed with relief when they thought she was out of earshot.

It was as warm a welcome as she could expect. She had not really done them any favours, even before she was coronated. The presence of Torgovetsstad meant craftsmen and merchants living within the burg had to be separated often from their families. She had done that. And then there was that eternal snowstorm after the coronation, that she had not even known she had created. Who would believe her if she suddenly came back saying she had everything perfectly under control?

"These things take time," Anna had said encouragingly. "You are a great queen. You are the kindest, bravest, wisest person I know. Once they realise that, they will open up to you." She had smiled so radiantly and so confidently that Elsa had been moved to believe her as well. "Okay," she had replied, rejuvenated by her little sister's energy.

Anna made her feel treasured, loved. It was a feeling she had all but forgotten since the death of her parents. And she loved Anna back, fiercely, with every fibre of her being. She had not realised how much she missed her. Thirteen years of austerely avoiding Anna had made her hyper-sensitive to even the smallest things, like seeing her appear from around a corner and not wanting to run. Eating together. Watching her braid her hair. Being able to hold her, to touch her without fear of hurting her, being in the same room, in the same space as her, hearing her banter with Kristoff and Olaf while gesticulating animatedly – it filled her heart with so much joy it began to ache.

She wished moments like these would never end, that she could trap these moments in boxes and relive them again and again. Even as the carriage wobbled and jerked over the stone-and-gravel path, and the afternoon summer sun made its way across the sky to the other side of the horizon and bathed everything in a marigold glow, and Anna's beloved voice faded into nothing along with Olaf's and the reindeer-man duo's chatter, and her eyelids drooped heavily, she wished moments like…these…

Would…... never…

…

…end.