Whispers
...hhhhhhhh...wh...ssss...sh...
Elsa turned to see who had whispered, but she was alone in her office. She rose from her chair in irritation and walked swiftly to the door where she peered out both ways down the hall. It was empty. She crossed back to the large window where she stood looking out at the trees to see if perhaps it had been the wind. There was a gentle breeze, but nothing strong enough to have penetrated the glass in such a way. She frowned. This was the second time it had happened now. She reached up and felt the stone on the top of her head, held awkwardly in place by a red shawl that had belonged to her mother and was now tied under her chin. She had her suspicion. Please. It was a silent prayer. Don't let this get worse. Right now it was simply unnerving. It was still such an improvement that there was no comparison, and she wasn't going back to the fog.
Her first night's sleep with the stone in place was practically hallucinogenic. The fog felt like it was still lurking out there, barely held at bay. She had the sensation of falling toward it. The whispers were stronger, and sometimes it seemed like they had vocal qualities to them - high voices and low voices - even though they were all just whispers. Sometimes Elsa imagined them to be speaking in languages that sounded familiar, and other times they seemed concretely foreign, although she could never make out anything that any of them were saying. At least, nothing she remembered in the morning.
So far, she had kept the matter to herself.
Other than dress-up as a child and a few tense practice sessions, Elsa had only worn a crown one day in her life, and it was coming up on three years since then. 'I'm never going back,' she had told herself at the time. 'The past is in the past.' Even though all that had changed, she still had chosen not to wear one. After the eternal winter and the damage it had caused, she just hadn't felt worthy. Then it became habit. Then it became part of her persona.
She had seen to it that the crown itself was retrieved. It had been the one that her mother had worn, and many of the queens of Arendelle preceding her. It was a piece of history not to be lightly tossed aside - she had just been in the grip of her emotions when she did so. She had been grateful, and highly amused, to find that Marshmallow had taken good care of it. Someone would wear it someday, even if it wasn't her.
Today, with a special snowflake-shaped gilded mesh fastened to it which held the stone in place just behind the headpiece, she set it on her head with relief. It had been a difficult wait while Halvord Odem's associate from Falster, Byron Byrd, had designed and created it. The snowflake-shaped mesh and the headpiece were detachable from one another. She would wear the mesh continually, even when she slept. Maybe I'll take it off when we play charades, she mused sardonically. As she raised her head with the crown set in place, Anna stood starry-eyed, with her hands clasped near her chin.
"It's beautiful!" she beamed breathlessly.
Elsa regarded herself in the mirror. It was beautiful, but ever since the battle with Ken she had looked tired, perhaps prematurely aged, and the gleaming crown seemed to accentuate that. She chose to smile anyway. If this was the new normal, it was time to accept the new persona. At least she could function as a queen again.
A queen without ice powers. Those were still gone, which was a problem: there was no way to contact Enceladus short of traveling to the North Mountain, assuming that's where he was. And without her powers, she wondered how long it would take for her presence on the world stage to fade. Ah well. She was queen of Arendelle after all, and perhaps more suited to be a member of a normal family. Isn't this what she had longed for? She just no longer felt like herself. But if Heinrick could adjust to his lack of mobility, astonishingly without complaint, she was determined to do the same with clothes she couldn't change on a whim, being bothered by the heat and cold, no longer being able to cool or freeze things with a thought, no longer being able to illuminate the darkness with a glowing snowflake, genuinely relying on her guards for her personal safety, no longer ... She sighed. The list went on and on, but dwelling on it wasn't constructive.
She took solace in the fact that the things she had already created were still there. If losing her powers had meant losing everything created by them, she would have drowned in grief. She knew now that that day was coming, regardless. That knowledge hung over her like a constant dark cloud, but she was grateful for the small mercy that she would not have to witness it.
Heinrick said he no longer needed the vest and he didn't intend to keep it. Elsa found this to be a peculiar thing to say. Anna's take on it was that this was what he needed to do to make a clean break. But for some reason Elsa didn't have the heart to dispose of it. Part of her hoped against hope that someday she might be able to return it. Another part, a part she was surprised to find was there, valued it sentimentally. The fact that she had made it was trivial. But the fact that Heinrick had given it up for her made it precious. She folded it neatly and placed it into the same small chest as his letters.
Elsa was appalled to learn that somewhere between when Ken had first come upon them and now, she had lost two weeks of her life to fog and sedation. Now, there was business to attend to. She felt she had achieved a small victory when she and Anna made it through the rest of the mail pile left unattended for that long. Of course, more had piled up since then, but at least it was a milestone.
There was also that hastily canceled privy council meeting. It had been rescheduled and was coming up this very afternoon, although the items of business had obviously changed. Elsa sat in the council room with Heinrick and Anna ahead of the meeting, her crown in place atop her head.
"I wish you could have seen her," Elsa contemplated. "She was like a Siren or a mermaid queen. So different from the Ambrelle you've seen. I wish there was a way for her to stay on the water perpetually. There's no question that it's where she belongs."
"That's amazing," said Anna, wide-eyed. "I guess we sort of had a glimpse of it with how she got along with Olaf."
"Yes," said Elsa, "but just a glimpse. You saw her when she was cheerful, but not when she was ... regal."
Heinrick was shaking his head, marveling. "Well wherever she is now, I hope she's being regal."
"So," said Elsa to Heinrick. "You're up for a trip to the North Mountain on that tall saddle?"
"I'll go as far as I can," he said honestly. "I'm not sure I'll be able to make the final climb, but I'll give it my best shot."
Elsa gave him a warm smile. "We'll get you there," she said. She was looking forward to his visit to the ice palace too much to let it fail. They'd just bring along enough people to carry him the rest of the way if necessary.
The members of the privy council began to file in. They had all been present at the general council meeting, so upon entering and seeing Elsa, they each expressed their pleasure and relief at seeing her up and around - none more fervently than bishop Norgaard. They were also each briefly startled to see the crown on her head. "Oh, your majesty, your mother would be so proud," the bishop beamed.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Elsa began with a demure smile. "As you all know, a lot has happened since the last time we met. I would like to thank Anna, from the bottom of my heart, for doing such a good job of filling in." The pair exchanged an unreserved smile.
"I'd like to begin by introducing to you prince Heinrick Christianson of Mittergaard. I'm not sure how many of you had a chance to meet him on his previous visit in mid-March. Of course Admiral Naismith has. Halvord, I know you did. And, of course, Patrice, who sadly is no longer with us." She bowed her head here, in unfeigned distress at his loss.
She cleared her throat. "During my mission to Falster I came to value prince Heinrick's insight. I don't think I would have been successful without it. If you haven't already heard, one unexpected outcome of my visit is that I have accepted prince Heinrick as a suitor." Her eyes flickered to Heinrick's and she struggled to suppress her blush at his broad smile. In expectation of the looks of surprise on some of the men's faces she said, "I know this is no small decision, and should it progress anywhere from here it will have far-reaching effects for Arendelle. I will value your input and honest feedback during this time. Prince Heinrick will be spending a good amount of time here, so you will have plenty of opportunity to get to know him. For the short term, he'll be here for the next nine days until the two of us depart for king Fenris Falster's coronation. I hope that during that time you can each get a chance to spend a little time with him, because I have asked him to temporarily assume Patrice's post as chief diplomat."
Elsa expected surprise at this revelation, and indeed there was. Duke Henry Pontius, the finance minister, was the first to speak. He and Patrice had always worked closely together since both of their roles involved international relations. "Your majesty," then as a quick aside to Heinrick he added, "I mean no offence your highness; but this is a choice that will be hard to justify. I've no doubt his highness has good diplomatic skills since you've chosen him, but he isn't from Arendelle. Our chief diplomat should know our country intimately."
Elsa smiled. "I shall let him answer for himself on this matter. Prince Heinrick?"
Heinrick opened his mouth to speak when they were interrupted by a voice from the doorway. Elsa hadn't even heard the door open.
"Elsa?" The voice was Olaf's, and his distressed tone immediately set everyone on edge. All heads snapped to look at him. Elsa was shocked by the sight. His head was hung and his shoulders, such as they were, were drooped. She couldn't remember seeing him so downcast since .. since that moment on the frozen fjord.
"Olaf! What's wrong?!" She was relieved that Anna was in the room - at least it couldn't be anything wrong concerning her.
"Can you come with me for a minute please?"
Elsa glance around the room. "Now?" she asked gently. "I'm in the middle of a meeting."
Olaf nodded. "She asked to see you right away." He suddenly slapped his twiggy hands over his mouth in alarm. "Oop! I wasn't supposed to say that!"
Elsa hesitated, and then after catching Anna's eyes and then Heinrick's, she said, "I apologize gentlemen. I will let prince Heinrick and Anna progress this meeting and I will be back as quickly as I can. Please continue what you were saying, Heinrick." She closed the door behind her as she left and took Olaf's hand.
"Can you tell me what this is about yet?"
He shook his head sadly. He ushered her all the way to the back of the castle, out the door into the gardens, and then off to the left towards the bay. Elsa was mystified and her tension was building.
When she saw it, she gasped. It was unmistakable: that head of jet black hair with the flecks of red at some of the tips. She was sitting on one of the benches there, facing away, towards the water.
"Ambrelle...?!" she asked in disbelief as she approached.
There was no response.
Elsa knelt and whispered to Olaf, "please go give the others my apologies and tell them that this may take some time."
He nodded and left.
She stood and continued. As she rounded the side of the bench, she was heart broken by what she saw. Ambrelle was wearing the same simple clothes that she had been carried away in, though they were now somewhat tattered. Her face was drawn, empty; her evergreen eyes fixed on the watery horizon. She looked like she was only half there. A trace of a scar ran down the edge of her left cheekbone, violating what Elsa remembered as a pristine young face. Oh no - I've hurt her... Elsa cringed at the memory of having to throw her multiple times during the fight with Ken two and a half weeks ago. She approached cautiously and sat beside her on the wide bench.
"Ambrelle -" she repeated gently, "I'm - I'm so sorry about what happened. I'm sorry it went so wrong." She reached to touch the scar on her cheek, but changed her mind. Her voice faltered. "I'm sorry I've ... I've hurt you." She could feel the tears welling in her eyes.
Ambrelle's eyes remained fixed on the horizon. "No, it's okay," she whispered, barely audibly. Her face didn't change.
"Where's Johan? Is he okay?"
"He left me..." she breathed in a hollow emotionless voice that recalled to Elsa's mind her loss of her parents, and of Lotus not so long ago. It was a hollowness that spoke of all tears already cried out.
Oh, no... Elsa's heart sank. "Oh, Ambrelle..." Elsa put her arm around her, cradled her face against her chest, and kissed her on the top of the head. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry.."
They sat that way for a long moment. Elsa could feel Ambrelle's breath quicken, and then, gradually, return to normal.
"Did Bubble bring you here?" she asked while still cradling the girl.
Ambrelle gave a barely perceptible nod, then broke away and sat upright, eyes still on the horizon. "I told Johan I can't go back to running," she said distantly. "I have nothing left to run to." She paused. "Johan's people are gone, but he says that he wants to die on his ancestral soil. But they're his ancestors, not mine. There's nothing left there for me. I told him I didn't want to go." She sniffed, then added with clinical detachment, "he left without me. So I got on Bubble and asked him to take me somewhere safe."
Safe?! Oh, heavens above, Elsa thought as her heart ached. "Ambrelle ... It's not safe here; I - I can't protect you."
"I'm sorry your majesty, it's my fault; I'll - I'll try harder next time, I'll -"
"No, Ambrelle," she interrupted gently. "That's not what I mean. In our last encounter with Ken, he stripped me of my powers. I can't protect anyone from anything."
Ambrelle's eyes didn't sway from their fixed point in the distance, but her face registered something akin to enlightenment. After a few seconds she simply said, "oh." It was a big change from the emptiness that had been there a moment earlier, but it was a far cry from sympathy. "That explains it then," she said as her expression continued to transition. "I had wondered, once I realized where it was that Bubble was bringing me." For the first time since arriving, Ambrelle took her eyes off the horizon and looked at Elsa. Then she actually smiled. It was a startlingly peaceful smile. In that instant, Elsa once again caught a glimpse of the person she had seen when she was standing with Ambrelle on the sea: that of a woman in her element, in control. "Bubble wants you to be the next Ama Adanvdo."
Elsa sat stunned. She barely succeeded in keeping her mouth from dropping open. "E - excuse me?"
"The next 'water spirit.' He must have known somehow that you had lost your powers. He intends for you to assume mine."
Elsa was at a loss for words. This wasn't someone in control, it was someone who had made their peace with death. And it didn't make sense. Well, it did - it made fourteen-year-old sense. "Ambrelle," Elsa said carefully, "if I understand correctly, you'd have to die for me to assume your powers, and they wouldn't do me any more good than they're doing you: it just means I'd be the one doing the running."
Ambrelle's face darkened. "I - I don't know ..." she said. Then she began to look combatively defensive. "Bubble wouldn't bring me here for no reason. I trust him! He knows something! What else could it be?" She glanced around. "Please don't tell anyone that I'm here. I should go." She stood up abruptly and ran for the water, disappearing into it as the water deformed to form a bubble of air around her.
Elsa watched the bay - speechless - for several minutes, and then caught the motion in the distance of a black haired rider atop what she knew to be a horse, although at that distance it blended in with the waves. They were traveling at astonishing speed across the water towards the horizon. She sighed, wishing there was more she could do for Ambrelle, and wondering what was coming next.
Unfortunately, she had a bad feeling that she knew exactly what was coming next, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.
...hhhhhhh...pssss...fff...wh...
Elsa scowled. She closed her eyes tightly, balled her hands into fists, and gritted her teeth in frustration.
A/N: A note on the crown. Yes, I know queen Iduna took a crown to the bottom of the ocean with her (a moment of silence, please - sniff, sniff). My presumption is that there was more than one crown in the royal treasury.
