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Home || Anna
"City of Arendelle," Anna concluded, "Please welcome our new queen!" Anna turned to the side of the balcony, applauding enthusiastically as Liesel stepped out, scepter in hand. Small, but powerful, the young woman before her couldn't be less like the gentle opposite of Hans. Liesel's smile, so like her brother's, exuded confidence and a subtle cheer as she looked out at her people.
The courtyard below was full of Arendelle's citizens, young and old, and those closest to the balcony followed Anna's lead and applauded. Some even cheered audibly.
A kind of wrongness hung in the back of Anna's mind, but she put it down to the lack of enthusiasm from people furthest away from the castle. Liesel's leadership was what their kingdom needed, far more than Elsa's. Anna was there to help in any way she could. Kristoff smiled encouragingly from the ground. He mouthed something at her that Anna could guess meant "nice speech!"
The applause continued for a few minutes before the bells chimed again, dismissing the crowd. Liesel turned to Anna, smiling. "Thank you, Anna. It means a lot, to have a sister as great as you."
Sisters. Luckily, despite Liesel's conflict with Elsa, she still forgave Anna and accepted her.
"I'm even luckier to have you." They stepped toward each other and embraced, Anna's nose landing just above Liesel's pine-scented hair.
"I'll see you at dinner tonight," Liesel whispered. Before Anna could think to respond, she disappeared into the castle, a slight breeze taking her place on the balcony.
Anna looked down at the courtyard again. Most people had left as soon as Liesel had, but Kristoff still stood there. He wasn't smiling anymore. In only moments, Anna's face matched his. She reached the courtyard in less than a minute, leaping into Kristoff's arms like it was the last time she ever could.
"She's like Hans," Kristoff said. "But ten times worse."
"Maybe more. And I'm supposed to have dinner with her tonight." The faint memory of enchanted food and loss of autonomy returned with the dread.
"I'll go with you. If anything happens, I'll still be at your side."
Anna let herself linger in the courtyard with Kristoff a moment longer before considering her options. She didn't know how far Liesel's reach went, if going back into the castle could reshape her thoughts again. They had to contact Elsa. Anna knew that much, though she didn't know how far away her sister had gotten or if she figured out something was wrong on her own.
She pulled away from Kristoff. "Meeting with Liesel is hours away. We have time. We can find Elsa and, and make a plan to stop this before anything terrible happens."
Hand in hand, the two of them walked away from the castle. The people of Arendelle tried to hide their stares as they passed, but Anna could tell most were confused. Even people she knew well and often spoke with avoided meeting her eyes.
A tug at Anna's skirts drew her attention. "Princess Anna," a small girl whispered. "How long is the new lady going to be queen?" Her eyes, round and a comforting shade of brown, stared unblinkingly into Anna's own.
A woman that looked to be the girl's mother darted forwards and pulled her away.
"I'm sorry, your majesty." She bowed, backing away as she rose. "She didn't mean any harm in asking."
"And she didn't cause any harm," Anna said. She knelt to bring herself to eye-level with the girl, the watchers gasping at the motion. "I very much hope it won't be long, but I don't know yet. Hopefully Elsa will be back soon."
The girl smiled. "That's okay. I won't worry about Queen Elsa, not as long as you're here." She darted in for a quick hug and then disappeared into a store along the main road. Eyes continued to look out at them after, some curious, some fearful, but Anna noticed when the eyes shifted away to someone else in the distance.
"Princess!" Lieutenant Mattias bowed briefly before approaching with several of his knights. "Do you know what is going on? The queen noticed a magical disturbance, and we turned around immediately and ran into some kind of magical barrier."
"Barrier?"
"One that let us back into Arendelle, but not back out again. Your sister is still on the other side, perhaps seeking a safer path inside or for help elsewhere. Is there anything to be done from inside?"
Anna hoped she'd gone for help elsewhere. It would be nice to have support from outside just about now, when they were facing an opponent with more power than Hans could ever imagine. She waited while Kristoff filled the knights in on Liesel's rise to power and clear magical abilities. Mattias didn't look surprised, nodding at Kristoff's reference to Prince Hans, even though the knight hadn't been around during his grab for the throne.
"So, wearing earplugs?" He asked.
Anna shook her head. "She does something differently. I don't think she needs her words to reach you for her power to work."
"We just have to wait on the queen then."
"That's all we can think of right now," Anna agreed. "In the short term, though, we need to figure out how I can be around her without completely losing my mind."
INS LINE
The moment Anna stepped into Liesel's presence, her heart slowed, a calmness reaching into every muscle and thought. She didn't know what she'd been so worried about. Liesel still smiled. Everything had to be alright.
No. No, that was wrong. Anna bit the inside of her cheek, drawing on the momentary pain to bring back her own thoughts. When she did so, Liesel's smile faltered and Anna realized she could tell. Liesel knew when her hold on you slipped. Understanding that it was a risk, Anna let herself slip back into relaxation, this time dragging her thoughts with her. Liesel's calm, but Anna's ideas.
Liesel went back to smiling, and Anna almost laughed in relief.
"Sit." Liesel gestured to the table, a small round one set only with two seats but a generous variety of food.
Anna sat, making sure to keep a neutral smile on her own face. It wasn't difficult with Liesel's magic encouraging it. She looked around, wondering at Liesel's choice of space. They sat alone on a balcony overlooking the city. For a moment Anna didn't even notice the black dog laying in the corner, eyes closed and tongue lolling out as it enjoyed the last of the sun's warmth. Servants waited just outside the door, just in case, but the two women served themselves.
"It's a pity we've never had the chance to do this before," Liesel said. "Sit together as friends. As equals."
Anna doubted they ever would sit together as friends and equals, but she nodded anyway.
"I'm sorry about what my brother did to you." She poured herself a glass of wine, swirling it in one hand and then setting it down without taking a sip. "I don't expect you to believe me, but he could be kind sometimes. It wasn't easy for him, growing up with so many other siblings. It wasn't easy for me either, but I think he had it worse sometimes. Too many expectations to live up to, you know?"
"Sometimes it's hard to live in Elsa's shadow." Anna startled herself by how easy it was to say it to a stranger. "I love her, but I wish I had something special too."
"Of course you do. And you will get your wish someday, I'm sure of it." Liesel reached out to pat Anna's hand gently before at last taking a sip from her goblet. "Speaking of Elsa, wherever do you think she might be? I thought she would return by sunset, but the sun continues to lower and there's no sign of her."
The casual question bounced around Anna's thoughts, searching for an answer honest enough to be believed while revealing nothing important.
"Perhaps to the Northuldra," Anna said. "They know about magic. Or the trolls."
Liesel swirled her glass again. "No," she said, appearing to speak more to herself. "No, I would know if she were with the trolls. And the Northuldra, those that would know anything are visiting Arendelle or travelling elsewhere. And Emrys… no, he's otherwise occupied with Morgana, surely."
"Emrys?" Anna asked, feigning her ignorance of the name.
"Nothing to worry about, Anna. Are you sure there's nothing else you can tell me?"
Anna let her eyes drift as though she were searching for a memory. "I — no, I'm sorry. Shall I sleep on it? Sometimes that helps."
Liesel laughed airily. "If you think that will help."
The rest of the meal passed without important questions. Anna had expected Liesel to ask about laws, about how the city was organized and rules, any treasures they kept under lock and key, but Liesel kept the topics light. The weather in summer, gowns of fine fabrics, if Anna wanted to get married, if Anna had any hobbies.
By the end of it all, Anna knew no more about Liesel's strategy than she had at the start, but when she entered Mattias' house and saw everyone's grave faces, she knew she'd missed something.
"What is it?"
"Sven is back," Kristoff said.
Anna blinked. She looked out the window, and sure enough, Sven's goofy reindeer face looked back at her. He looked uninjured and normal enough.
"That's a good thing, isn't it?"
Kristoff nodded back at the window. "Olaf isn't with him."
Anna's heart sank. It could be nothing. It could also mean Elsa would never be coming to help them.
"Okay. We need a plan now, a real one."