1851
Winter had arrived once again.
The lake just outside of Arendelle had frozen over, which meant it was finally available for ice skating.
A woman skated confidently towards the smooth ice in the center and called back to the shore. "See? Perfectly safe!" The girl at the bank wasn't so sure. She stood nervously in her skates. She was four years old and this was her first time. "Come on, Agnes! You can do it!"
Her hands were clinging tightly to her father's and she looked up at him. He knelt down and said quietly, "It's okay. Daddy's got you."
"You're not gonna let me fall in?"
"No." He smiled. "You're not gonna fall in." His blue eyes looked back into her brown ones; she trusted him, but still trembled. "I won't let go of you, I promise."
The woman nodded, both giddy to see her daughter skate for the first time and anxious that she didn't get scared and give up on her first try.
Agnes nervously put one foot on the ice and it instantly slid forward. She yelped and grabbed onto her father's hands like a vice grip. He tried not to chuckle. "You're okay! You're okay, just look at Mommy."
Her mother knelt down... as much as a four-month pregnant woman could kneel down. She offered an encouraging grin.
"You're gonna skate to Mommy, okay?"
She shook her head, lip quivering. "Mm-mm!"
"Daddy's gonna skate with you." That brought her some comfort and she looked up at him again. "Just stand up straight and push your feet forward." He stood up all the way but kept her hands in his. Carefully this time, she slid one foot forward, then the other.
"Good girl, that's it!" Cheered her mother.
Agnes smiled a little, but she slid again and her father kept her upright. "No, no! You're doing great!" He smiled. "Almost there."
Agnes' mother held her arms wide open and the girl, feeling safer as she got closer, went faster and faster. "You got it, Agnes, you got it!" Her father was cheering.
"Look! I'm doing it!" She then realized something. Her father wasn't holding her hands, but she was still standing up! She turned back at her proud, white-haired father. "I'm skating, Daddy!"
Her blonde mother grabbed her tight in her arms, "Good girl, Agnes! You're getting so big!"
Agnes, still a bit wobbly, skated back towards her father so she could take his hand and pull him closer to the center. "Just don't go too far, okay?" He reminded.
"But can't you just freeze the water?"
"Not if we fall in." He snorted, helping her keep steady. "Soon you'll be as fast as Mama and me."
"Yeah?" She beamed.
The woman got back up, her gait still much heavier than she was used to. Agnes went close to her and put her hand to her belly. "Is little brother having fun?"
"Oh, yes. He's so proud of you."
"I'm gonna teach him how to skate too!" She then squealed in excited fright when her father playfully swept her up and skated off with her.
"You better give her back to me!" His wife chased after them.
The family spent the next few hours playing in the snow. Little Agnes Overland could exhaust them somedays, for she wanted to run around and explore every nook and cranny of the forest, but her parents were sure to never let her stray too far. On their way back home, Agnes tugged suddenly on her mother's bunad. "Mama, look! Flowers!"
She looked over at the familiar spot. She and her husband exchanged knowing grins. "Those are crocuses."
Agnes wrinkled her nose. "Crocuses?"
"They bloom during the winter."
"We don't pick those, though." Her father took her shoulder. "That spot's very important."
"How come?"
He walked her closer to them; their petals were as white as the full moon, and at the center of the flower a yellow sun full of pollen and life emerged. "A long, long time ago, there was a little boy from another world. He was born from the moon... but he was in love with the sun. So he came to our world to see it, but when he did, the moon became jealous, so it tried and tried for many years to bring him back until one day, right here, he returned home." He couldn't see, for he was so taken by his daughter's amazed look, but his wife was smiling brightly. "Now these flowers grow so he could always leave little traces of his time on earth... but only those who know where to look can see them."
Agnes gasped. "How do you know, Daddy? Have you seen him?"
"One day, I'll tell you all about it." He picked her up. She was as light and warm as the day he first cradled her. She didn't shiver once whenever he did, for his arms were the safest place in the world.
"Does Grandmama know? Or Aunt Sophie?" She asked all sorts of questions during their walk home, to which her parents gave vague, amusing answers to appease her. Her insatiable curiosity was one of their favorite things about her.
...
"How is he?" Asked the prince consort once they were home. His wife had immediately needed to sit down; the baby who would soon be their little Nicholas Overland was moving around giddily inside her.
The princess only smiled and said, "He's fine." She smoothed her hand over her belly. "He's just had a fun day. Relax." She reassured.
"Yeah, Jack." Smirked a twenty-year-old woman who helped Agnes out of her overcoat. "Stop worrying so much. You're making me anxious!"
Agnes then jumped up and ran to the couch. She leapt into the arms of her grandmother. "Guess what, Grandmama! I went skating all by myself!"
"All by yourself?"
"Yeah!"
"Don't worry, we supervised." Jack laughed.
"And we saw croak... um..." She was at a loss when her mother whispered the answer into her ear, "Crocuses!"
"Well, I hope you'll tell me all about it... in the morning." She poked Agnes' nose; slim and button-like, just like hers and Jack's. Agnes pouted at her statement. "Don't give me that. Sandman will come and take your eyes if you're up too late."
Agnes shook her head. "Nuh-uh! Sandman comes and gives you good dreams! Mama told me that."
"He can't give you good dreams if you're not asleep." Her mother took her into her hold; not even carrying extra weight in her womb made her want to be far from her daughter. "Come on, Mama will read to you."
"And Daddy!"
Jack nodded, "And Daddy." As they quit the room, Agnes bid her grandmother and aunt good night. They too were about to retire to bed, but Sophie first went to steal a kiss from her fiancé, Jamie.
...
Vyssan lull, mine kjære små.
På himmelen reiser mange stjerner.
Månens stråler danser
på den buede broen,
Og tåken flyter
på den fjærlette sølvskoen,
Og ønsketidsdrømmer kommer og går.
Vyssan lull, mine kjære små.
I verden er det sorg og glede.
Du har mye å lære,
lite forstår du ennå.
Vær rask med å gi,
og forventer å ikke få,
Når ønskedrømmer kommer og går.
Agnes was sent to sleep with her favorite lullaby, sung best only by her mother and father. Once she was tucked snug with her favorite doll, a bunny rabbit, they left her to sweet dreams. It was this way every night; a lullaby, then hugs and kisses.
Sometimes, if she hadn't fallen asleep yet, Agnes would whisper, "Mister Sandman, make sure you don't forget Daddy. He has a lot of bad dreams." She would stay up then to see if Sandman would come, but she never had the energy to wait that long.
Though she didn't see it for herself, a stream of gold sand filled the air and touched the little one's scalp. In her dreams, she saw the little boy from her father's story, and he shared with her everything he knew, from the guardians who spent centuries searching for him, to the girl who was saved by blue-eyed angels from an evil witch.
Agnes could only giggle at the boy's wild tales, for she recognized the child in front of her, even though he looked different. It was her father. Who else could come up with such stories? She knew her mother and father were special, and that their tales always held truth.
After all, who's to say all fairytales are a myth?
Agnes one day too would tell these stories to her little brother Nicholas when he was born, and then their own children.
They would tell the story of how their mother and father took the throne, and how they ruled Arendelle with fierce justice and kind hearts.
When it was time for Elsa and Jackson Overland's souls to return to the immortal realm much later, they knew they were not truly gone.
The winter spirits still leave traces of their time on earth to this day, such as the crocuses growing where the fifth guardian's grave once stood, or small patterns of frost on the windows. But only those who know where to look can see them, such as their two children and many grandchildren.
And, perhaps, you as well.