A New Beginning

The entire royal family, and Kristoff, sat in the dining hall. The atmosphere around is still, save from the small clanks of silverware. Elsa is currently attempting to eat a whole steak by pulling it out with her fork holding it down.

"Easy, Elsa. Take smaller bites," Anna gently told her.

"Hmm?" Elsa glanced up, with the steak in her mouth.

"Let me help you." Anna, who sat next to Elsa, moved over to her. She picked up a knife & fork and cut the steak into much smaller pieces. "See. Now it's easier to eat it."

Anna handed the fork to Elsa. The ice wielder used it to pick up one of the smaller pieces and ate it. "Do you like it?" Agdar asked her as she chewed.

"This is delicious!" Elsa beamed. "This meat is so much better than all the meat I ate over the years. How is it so good?"

"They just cooked the steak and added seasoning," Anna mentioned.

"Whats seasoning?"

"It's used to enhance the flavor. Basically to make it taste better."

"This is very good."

"I'm sure Remy would appreciate the compliment."

Elsa resumed eating her steak, savoring each bite. Then she slowed down and locked her gaze on the plate as a smile grew.

"You want to know something?" Everyone at the table looked at her. "This room is a lot smaller than I remember it being. Then again, I was pretty small when I last stepped in here. Everything was a lot bigger to me back then." Her smile fell as she resumed eating the remnants of her dinner.

"Elsa...where have you been all these years?" Her...father asked.

"I've been living on the North Mountain since I was eight."

"What about before?"

Elsa's expression dampened as she glanced away. Anna quickly picked up her sister's distress.

"Elsa...really doesn't like to talk about it. It's a touchy subject."

"I suppose that's a topic we can save for another time…"

"Do you want more food, Elsa?" Idun asked.

"I think I'm full enough that I can't eat anything for a week! That was an expression!" That earned several chuckles.

"I taught you well," Anna praised.

"If you're done, I'll help you settle in for the night," Idun offered.

"Sure."

The ice wielder stood and followed her mother out of the dining hall. Anna & Kristoff resumed their meal as Agdar took his final bites.

"Anna."

"Yes, papa?"

"When you and Kristoff are done, I want you both in my study." Agdar softly commanded before cleaning himself up. Once he left the room, all Anna & Kristoff could do was look at each other.

"Why do I get the feeling that we both MAY be in trouble…" Kristoff commented.

The princess and ice harvester sat still on the couch in Agdar's study. They remain silent as they watch the king pace across from them in front of the fireplace with an unsure expression as if he struggled with what to say. Then his pacing ceased and turned his head to the pair.

"How long...has this been going on? How long have you known her?"

"It's a long story."

"Do you think I care about that?" Agdar's voice quivered, no doubt going through a lot of emotions. "I just want the full truth, please."

"Okay, we'll both tell you."

Agdar pulled a chair close to the couch and sat on it. His gaze glues to Anna, ready to hear the story.

"It all started back on that day in February when I got lost in the woods. After I got chased by wolves and separated from Kjekk I wandered through the woods. I didn't know where I was and was a bit disoriented because I hit my head when I fell off Kjekk. I wandered for maybe a couple of hours when it got dark. That's when that blizzard hit. I tried to keep going, trying to find some kind of shelter but I was so tired. I tripped on something and…" She paused, knowing that what she said next would break her father's heart "...decided to accept my fate."

All Agdar could do was cover his mouth with his hand, too stunned to respond. "Why did you not tell me that?"

"You didn't need to know."

"Didn't need to know? You almost died out there! I could've lost you!" Agdar almost raised his voice but seeing Anna's downcast expression halted him from going on. "I'm sorry. Please continue."

"You're right. I would've died right there if Elsa hadn't found me. She took me back to her home and got me back on my feet. Despite doing that she was so uneasy around me like I was gonna pounce on her. I won't get too deep because I think that's something she should tell you herself but she wasn't treated well by her captors before she escaped. Once I earned her trust we quickly got along. Shortly after I came back I found a secret passage and used it to sneak out of the castle at night so that I can see her. I even gave her some books and food on visits. That's what I've been doing since."

"That would explain why the cooks have been mentioning some food had been disappearing quickly." Agdar turned his head towards Kristoff. "And how long have you known this?"

"About a month after Anna got lost. I thought I saw her one morning near her secret passage. Once I was sure, I followed her one night just to see if she' okay. Elsa and I had a rocky start but we did later get along. Since she seemed harmless I didn't think it was in my place to say anything."

"Is that all?" Agdar asked.

"Pretty much," Anna responded.

A breath exhaled the king, a hand running through his hair. No doubt he was processing this information. Both Anna & Kristoff sat still, feeling the tension in the air.

"Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"Hey, I just found she was my sister like two hours ago."

"Even if she wasn't, she saved you from that blizzard. I think I deserve to know the person who saved my daughter. Why did you keep her hidden from me and your mother?"

"You're one to talk about keeping things hidden."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"You praise about telling me everything about Elsa, except for the fact that, oh I don't know, THAT SHE HAD MAGIC HERSELF!" Anna yelled so loud that Kristoff flinched. "You want to know why I didn't tell you? You and mama get so iffy whenever magic is mentioned, I thought you hated it."

"I never hated magic. I...I have reasons."

"That being the fact that grandfather died in an enchanted forest up north."

The king stared back at her wide-eyed. "H-how do you even know about that?"

Anna crossed her arms. "Oh right. I know the trolls as well and they say you go way back with them. Grand Pabbie was kind enough to tell me. Thanks for telling me that too."

"How do you even know the trolls?" Agdar demanded not noticing Kristoff darting his eyes away nervously.

"I don't think that's important right now, papa. I want to know why you didn't bother to tell me any of those important details."

"You weren't ready to know."

"Weren't ready?!" Anna quickly stood up, pointing a finger at her father. "Do you think that lowly of me, or was it because deep down you were ashamed of Elsa's magic?"

"I never once had those thoughts!" Agdar quickly stood to his feet. "Magic is a difficult thing to talk about, regardless of my personal feelings!"

"Keep telling yourself that. I thought when you told me about Elsa that you get over your secrecy. Looks like I was wrong!"

"I could say the same thing about you! You had no right keeping her hidden from me!"

"And you had no right keeping her magic hidden from me!"

"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!"

Father and daughter turn their heads to the source of the voice. Kristoff stood tall from his seat. "None of that matters! Yes, both of you should've done things differently but you can't. You know why? Because regardless, Elsa is here. That's what matters now!" He asserted himself.

The royal pair just stood agape to Kristoff's boldness, unsure how to respond. The ice harvester's expression quickly filled with horror as he realized what he had done.

"I-uh...need to go feed Sven." Kristoff quickly exited the study, neither the king nor princess didn't try to stop him.

"I'm sure he didn't mean-"

"No, he's right." Agdar cut Anna off. "Elsa's finally home and here we are having our petty squabbles. I thought we were finally gonna be more honest to each other, but I guess I never kept my end of the promise."

"But like Kristoff said, none of that matters now. Elsa being back is the start of a new beginning. Maybe we can use that chance to start over as well. I promise you that I will no longer hide anything from you."

"Then I promise to be honest and open with you."

"For real?"

"Yes. For real?"

Both father and daughter then pull themselves together in a hug, warm smiles on their faces.

Elsa stood on the balcony connected to her parent's chamber, musing the thought that it was just as big as she remembered it to be. The view of Arendelle from here was just as great as her memories portrayed as well.

"Elsa?" Her mother's voice reached her ears.

"I remember I was so small that I could see over the railing so you and papa had to pick me up so I could see. I can't believe it's been that long. So much I've missed…"

A gentle touch grew on her shoulder. Elsa turned to see Idun looking at her with a warm smile. The same one she remembered giving whenever she was tending to her when she got cuts and bruises from playing, assuring her that everything will be okay.

"We have all the time in the world to catch up, Elsa. It'll be okay" Her mother said in the same voice. "Let's get you back inside. I got the bath ready."

Elsa let her mother guide her back inside. Her mother took her through another door that led into the washroom. The floor had shiny tiles and the wallpaper had beautiful patterns. In the center was a rather large tub with bubbles on the top. Elsa could also see some steam emitting from the water, indicating it's warm.

"That tub is huge." Elsa tilted her head.

"One of the perks of being royalty," Idun stated, amused with Elsa's interest in the tub size. "You get yourself settled in while I fetch you some nightwear."

Elsa stood in her spot several minutes after her mother left, still taking in the size of the tub. Finally, she slowly took off her clothing, leaving pieces of it scattered all over the floor. She then undid her braid, letting her hair fall over her chest. Elsa carefully stepped into the tub, flinching from the heat at first before her body quickly adjusted to the heat.

In an instant, Elsa felt completely relaxed.

This was not the first time Elsa had bathed. She had baths before but the water was never this warm. In the past, she had cleaned herself in lakes that were never warm. Even during her time with Fritjoff she always took very cold baths, even though the cold never bothered her, they were all unpleasant. Already this bath was the best she had.

Idun returned to the washroom minutes later, seeing her daughter being completely entranced in the tub. The queen could only guess this was the first decent bath Elsa probably had in a while.

"Comfy?"

"Very much. Is the water always this warm, and with this many bubbles."

"Always."

"I love being a princess already."

Idun could not help but giggle as she set Elsa's nightwear down. "Alright, sit up now. Gotta help clean you up properly."

The queen quickly got to work. She poured water on Elsa's head to completely wet her hair before putting the shampoo & conditioner on it, while also advising Elsa to keep her eyes closed. Once Elsa's hair was cleaned, Idun proceeded to scrub several parts of Elsa's body.

As she scrubs her back with a cloth, Idun found herself staring at her scars.

Elsa's body is littered with them. Few look new, but many appeared to be old. Some look rather unpleasant as well. Just what had her poor daughter been through the past 15 years to receive this many scars.

"Mama?" The queen lifts her head to see those same sweet, innocent blue eyes staring at her with concern. "You stopped."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Idun studders, as she resumes scrubbing. "I just been thinking, that's all."

"I've been thinking too, about all this. Everything is gonna be so different now."

"I know. It's gonna be a huge adjustment for all of us. But let's worry about getting you settled tonight."

Several minutes passed as Idun continued helping clean Elsa up. Idun helped Elsa watch her face, and tended to her fingernails as well.

"Well I think you're just about clean," Idun said with pride. "How do you feel?"

"I feel...nice. My fingers look kinda...funny." Elsa lifted her hand which revealed her pruney fingers.

"That's usually a sign that you should get out of the tub now." Iduna grabbed a nearby towel and guided Elsa out before wrapping the towel around her. "I'll let you dry off. Your night clothes are on the counter." Idun said as she picked up Elsa's dirty clothes. She'll have to teach Elsa how to discard dirty clothes properly but worry about that next time.

Several minutes later, Elsa was dried and fully dressed in nightwear. She saw Idun talking to Gerda.

"Oh, Elsa, perfect timing! We have a room ready for you."

"If you both just follow me, I will take you there now."

Gerda led the two royals down the large massive halls. As they walked, a curious question popped into Elsa's head.

"My room...is it the same one I had before?"

"No. This room is often reserved for our more important guests. We figure it was best suited for you."

"T-Thank you."

"Here we are." A rather large door stood in front of the servant woman. She opened the door, gesturing for Elsa to walk inside. Elsa was amazed at how nice the room is. It was smaller than her parent's but it was still fairly large.

"Everything you need is in here. A comfy bed, a washroom, and some books as well," Idun explained. "Anna mentioned that you liked reading."

"It's wonderful!" Elsa twirled around the room excitedly.

"I think it's best we let the princess settle here for the night, your majesty" Gerda suggested.

"Alright. Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"We're gonna turn in for the night. If you need anything, Gerda & Kai will be here to help you. And your father and I will be down the hall. Don't hesitate to come to us."

"Okay. Goodnight Mama. Goodnight Gerda."

"Goodnight."

The door closed, leaving the young woman alone. Once again she took in the room. This time she notices a large window. Outside sat a great view of the fjord. She didn't know how long she sat still admiring the view when she heard the door opening.

"Elsa?" She turned to see her father at the doorway.

"Oh, hi Papa. What are you doing?"

"I was just stopping by to see if you're settled in okay."

"I am. Mama helped me get cleaned up. You have a very big bathtub. The water was nice and warm"

"Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself." Agdar chuckled. "I also wanted to give you something."

"Oh?"

Agdar sat next to Elsa at the window. Elsa notices something wrapped in a cloth in her father's hand. Slowly, he unwrapped the object revealing a worn-down stuffed puffin toy. She stared at it for a moment before an excited gasp escaped her mouth.

"Sir Jorgenbjorgen! I remember him!" She took the toy.

"He used to be mine when I was a child, but I gave him to you when you were born. You slept with him every night."

"You kept him all this time?"

Agdar nods his head. "I kept him close after you were taken. He was helpful for my bad nights, and a good listener."

Elsa glanced down at her old toy with a small smile, stroking the yarn sticking up from Sir Jorgenbjorgen's head. That smile quickly fades.

"I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"For not coming back to you & mama. If I had tried harder-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Elsa. You were so small when you were taken. You couldn't have remembered. No ifs or buts, you're home now, that's all that matters."

A sense of joy grew in Elsa as her father spoke those words. A small yawn escaped her mouth.

"I think maybe you should get some sleep now."

"Yeah. I had a pretty busy day."

That perhaps was the understatement of the century.

"Papa?"

"Yes?"

"This might sound stupid but...Could you...tuck me in like you used to?"

"I would love to."

Agdar guides his daughter to the bed. Elsa, with Sir Jorgenbjorgen safety, tucked in her arm, relaxed as Agdar tuck the blankets.

"Comfy?"

Elsa nodded her head. "Can I ask one more thing?"

"Of course."

"I'm not sure if I'll sleep well tonight, but remember that you used to sing me this song whenever I was having issues. Could you sing it to me? I can never remember the full song."

A sense of joy grew in the King's heart as he heard those words. He had not sung that song since Anna was a small child.

"I would love to." Agdar sat on the side of the bed as Elsa got herself more comfortable, looking attentive.

"Come stop your crying it'll be alright

Just take my hand, hold it tight

I will protect you from all around you,

I will be here, don't you cry"

A yawn escaped from the ice wilder but she still maintained her attention.

"For one so small, you seem so strong

My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm,

This bond between us can't be broken,

I will be here, don't you cry"

Elsa's eyes started to feel heavy with each lyric.

"Because you'll be in my heart,

yes, you'll be in my heart,

From this day on now and forevermore

You'll be in my heart,

No matter what they say,

You'll be here in my heart"

Agdar turns his head to his Elsa fully asleep, with a small smile on her face. He moved a strand of hair that was dangling on her face behind her ear before leaning down to give her a kiss on her forehead.

"Always…"

The king stood up and quietly made his way to the door. He took one last glance at his daughter. For a brief moment, he saw Elsa at age three, just like the last time he saw her. Those thoughts were banished from his head. No, he will not dwell on that. Not now at least. He looked back up to his fully grown daughter.

"Goodnight, Snowflake. Welcome home."

Agdar laid still on his side in bed wide awake, eyes staring into space. As tired as he is, understandably so, he cannot seem to fall asleep.

"Still awake?" Idun's voice spoke as he felt the weight beside him shift.

"Yeah." Agdar rolled over to his other side, leaving him and his wife face to face. "I guess part of me is scared that I'll wake up and realize this was nothing but a dream."

"Yeah...me too." Idun's eyes gaze downward.

"How are you doing? You haven't talked much since dinner."

"While I was helping Elsa she…" Idun gulped, looking to be holding back tears. "Her body was covered with so many scars. Some of them looked… Intentional. It makes me wonder what she's been through all these years all alone."

"Shh...it's okay, dear." Agdar held Idun close.

"The thought of someone hurting her willingly just makes me sick."

"Let's not think about that now." Agdar gently strokes her cheek. "No one can hurt her anymore. We'll protect her."

And Agdar meant it. With Anna's help, he will do everything he can do to make Elsa feel safe and comfortable. He will not fail her again. And if he ever found the one responsible for taking Elsa he will see to it that they'll get the punishment they deserve.

He'll be damn if he doesn't.

I would like to say sorry it took me awhile to post a new chapter but I have reasons:

1. School/Work has been a little tedious at times, especially since were still in a pandemic. Leaves me little energy to write let alone brainstorm.

2. I'm also in the middle of writing a Legend of Zelda fic called "Path of Destiny" and I'm trying to get that story caught up (Sidenote: if you guys like the Zelda series I would appreciate it if you give that fic a go. Just got to my profile and it's titled "Path of Destiny (Rewrite)." That would be awesome if you guys did that:D).

3. After posting the last chapter I wanted to take a break from this story. Sorry for not giving a warning.

I just wanted to say this because I've gotten comments asking when this'll be updated. I have a life outside of writing y'know. The next chapters may not be much since it'll be dealing with Elsa transitioning with this new environment she's in with the help of her family and friends. Anyways, I hope you guys like the approach I made with this chapter.

Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews. Happy Reading. And wear a mask folks!