Elsa made it back through the passage way with no problems. Okay, slight lie. She only made one wrong turn that had her wandering for a moment, otherwise no problems. To say she was shocked when she got to her room would be an understatement. For one she wondered when there was a fire in the castle. She can't remember one ever mentioned in Arendelle's history, but what other explanation was there for the scorch marks to the entrance to her room. She was so distracted by the burn marks she missed the splinters that littered around the entrance of the passage way to her room.
Elsa steeled herself for the icy mess that she knew she left her room in and pushed open the passageway into her room. She almost fell into her room with what she now realized with unnecessary force. She stared around her room with wide eyes. She looked around to an ice free room. There was zero evidence of her episode anywhere. How did this happen? Usually my room is frozen over for days, sometimes weeks. Her worst episode had her trapped in ice for 3 weeks. Gerda and Kai were able to chip away enough ice at the door to be able to slip in some food and water to her until the ice melted enough for them to actually enter her room.
Elsa shuddered at the memory and quickly forced herself to force the memory out of her mind. Nope not going to allow myself to dwell on that right now. Listen to Anna, think less. Elsa slide the passage way shut and went to flop down on her window seat. She laid there and stared out the window.
She let out a giggle when she realized how bored she was. Just spending sometime with Anna has killed my tolerance of being cooped up in here. It is so quiet. Where is Anna making some sort of racket when I need it?
Elsa laid there gazing out the window trying her hardest not to think. She almost laughed at herself when she realized she was laying there thinking don't think over and over. Lord she was a mess. Maybe even a lost cause. She sat up, no those are the thoughts Anna said to avoid. Ugh! With a loud huff Elsa gracefully flopped back onto the window seat.
Anna was not fairing much better. She was pacing in her room trying to decide if her plan would really work. Elsie said to stay out of it, but how can I? It involves me too. Drawing up her courage, Anna left her room and went looking for Gerda. She would help. She had no doubt about that. Plus at this time she'd probably be in the kitchen and she was hungry, so you know two birds and all of that.
Anna paused and slammed her back into the side of the wall and slowly pocked her head around the corner. What was all of this ruckus? Is there someone here? Anna saw a flurry of servants in the castle moving about as if there was a rush for something. They seemed to short staffed to be preparing for something like this. What is happening around here? Anna slipped around the corner and stayed along the outskirts to make her way down to the kitchen. Hoping that Gerda was down their and had some answers to her now many questions.
Anna slid into the kitchen and knocked into some of the pots hanging on the wall.
"Oops! My bad!"
Her eyes finally found and focused in on Gerda talking and helping the cook, Oskar.
"Hi guys! Gerda I was hoping you'd be here! Oh Oskar how are your you and your wife? The baby should be here soon right? That's so exciting! I'm so happy for you guys, wait what is that smell? Whatever it is it smells amazing."
Gerda smiled and shook her head while Oskar looked at Anna fondly and made a plate for the princess before setting it down and gesture it for her to sit and eat. His deep baritone voice cut through the room as he answered her with a slight chuckle weaved into his voice.
"Hello princess. My wife and I are going well, and excited to meet our little one. The baby should arrive in the next month. I promise to let you know when you can met the baby. Now eat. I know you must be starving."
Anna scampered over with a smile on her face and dove into her plate.
"As always Oskar, delicious!"
After, Anna wolfed down her plate she spun around to Gerda.
"So I have so many questions a few about you know, but first and foremost what is the giant flurry around the castle all about?"
Gerda's eyes quickly cut a glance at Oskar to see if Anna's slight slip of tongue caught his interest. While Oskar was a very nice man, she didn't want to take any chances. She know that he would most likely help them when it came to Elsa, but the man was about to be a new father. If this went wrong she did not want Oskar to go down with the rest of them. At the moment she didn't think it was worth the risk. It didn't seem like Anna's words caused him any interest enough to turn away from his tasks.
"Well Princess it seems that your Aunt and Uncle from Corona are coming for a visit. It seems that the letter was sent about a day or so before they left to come here, so they should be arriving here shortly. The King has ordered for everything to be perfect and ready for when your relatives get here."
"Honestly he didn't sound all that happy they were coming if you ask me."
"Oskar you know he has never really liked or gotten on with the Queen's sister and her husband."
Anna was shocked. Her Aunt and Uncle were coming to visit. She had never met them before. She has heard mention of them a few times, but she has never met them before. She was excited to meet them, and nervous at the same time. What if they weren't nice? Wait, Is Elsa allowed out to see them too?
"Gerda does this change things a bit? Like will Elsa join us to meet our Aunt and Uncle or is she…"
Gerda gave a slight sigh. She honestly didn't know. It really was a coin toss on whether the King was going to act like Elsa was too busy and to be ignored or forced into submission for a few moments too look like the picture perfect family.
"I don't think the King will allow Elsa out Princess. The bastard won't budge from this."
Both Gerda and Anna whipped around to stare at Oskar with wide eyes.
"Oh ladies son's be daft. Everyone in this castle knows Is locked up against her own will. No one agrees of course. She is a sweet girl who hasn't done anything wrong, and if she did do something nothing is bad enough to be locked up like that. Unfortunately you girls are daughters to the King. To go against him is treason, so no one has done anything. We just do what we know our crowned princess would want. We look after you Princess Anna. When in doubt we know that would make her happy. Until any of us can figure out how to directly help Princess we will do that. Though Gerda looks after you both like one of those big white puts us all to shame."
Anna beamed at Oskar and unconsciously slid closer to Gerda. It was true. Gerda looked after those two girls as if they were her own. She would do anything for their well-being and happiness. Her actions (mostly unknown to those present) prove that. She is committing what she knows is considered treason. Though she honestly didn't care, because she believed to the very marrow of her bones that what she was doing was right and superseded a man who had gone mad with power.
"Oskar… You should be careful of what you say. You never know who is listening."
"Gerda I appreciate your concern, but when was the last time his royal highness or the Queen bothered to come down here?"
"Oskar, while I more than appreciate what you're are saying I do think Gerda is right. You have a baby on the way. I don't think, no I know Papa won't be lenient. Anything said against him he will execute you for it. He has gotten way worse about that. I heard him say that it is better to be feared than loved. Please be careful, okay? I happen to really like your food."
Anna flashed him a grin. He smiled back and nodded his head. He would respect Anna's wishes.
"Just say the word Princess and it will be done."
He gave her a wink and turned back around and went back to working in his kitchen. Gerda and Anna were stunned. To anyone who just started listening in it sounded like an off handed comment from staff to the royal family, but Anna and Gerda heard and understood what Oskar was actually saying. He and obviously others were ready to perform a coup at either of the Princess' command. Gerda gently grabbed Anna by her shoulder and signaled that she should say her goodbyes. They both took their leave from Oskar ad Gerda led Anna to her room in the servant quarters. She locked the door and then turned to Anna.
"What did you wish to speak about sweet girl?"
"I have a few questions regarding Elsie, obviously. I also have a few now about my Aunt and Uncle that are coming."
"Okay, you know I will answer to the best of my abilities."
Anna nodded her head and paused for a moment trying to figure out where to start first. Gerda let a small smile slip as she watched Anna's face scrunch up a bit as she tilted her head as she was obviously trying to figure where to start first.
"So Elsa said not to do anything and that I'm to stay out of it, but I don't think I can since I disagree on the fact that she thinks she should take care of this on her own. So I was wondering how we can help her to be let out of that room. We discovered that her powers are not an issue when she has me around. We don't quite know how or why or have it down to an exact science yet, but we think with just a bit of time and practice we can get to the point where her gift is completely under control and she won't need me at all. She thinks she can approach Papa about this, but panicked when I said I could help and ask him as well. She obviously doesn't trust me to be anywhere near him while approaching a subject that will set him off. I can't blame her after seeing the marks on her arms. Though that really makes me worried and not wanting her to talk to him about it alone. It is obvious that he has no issue on hurting Elsie. I don't know what to do."
Gerda stood there for a moment before sinking down to sit on her bed. She was trying to wrap her head around many things with all of the information that Anna vomited all at once. She did not know that Anna knew about any of the horrible things that Elsa was subjected to while she was locked away. Her heart broke at the bit of innocence in Anna broke when she admitted her own father was not a good or safe man to be around. That one of the people she should be able to blindly trust did not have her well being in mind at all. She wish that she could have shielded her from that. Now there was the other issue of keeping Elsa safe. She agreed with Anna that it was not safe and honestly a terrible idea for Elsa to talk to the King about leaving that room alone. Maybe she could make sure she was their when that happened, but there was only so much she could do to protect the girl if the King went on a war path. What really interested her was the confrontation to what she had been saying all along. The girls needed one another. The fact that Elsa's powers were no longer an issue with Anna around proved that. How to make the King see that without getting the girls in trouble for disobeying his orders. Her head hurt trying to think all of this through.
"Okay, so I agree with you that Elsa should not be alone when she talks to the King, but I also agree with your sister that you need to stay out of it. She would not survive it if anything happened to you because of her. That is why she has allowed herself to be locked away all of this time. So for your own safety and for your sister's sake you cannot get involved. I know you don't like this, but I will keep the both of you as safe as I can. Now the only idea I have at the moment is to make sure I am in the room whenever this conversation takes place. I will do all that I can to run interference to ensure your sister walks away from it okay. I do not think that talk will go the way you girls hope. It will end poorly with no changes for your sister."
"I don't like it, but I'll listen this time. I know that this conversation between Elsie and Papa will not work, but Elsie said that she wanted to try. Now I don't know what to do. I think you might be right that the only thing we can do is to make sure someone ensures that Papa doesn't get to let his temper get the best of him around Elsie."
"Anna I will do the best that I can."
"I know."
Anna finally sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. They sat there in silence for a moment as they both tried not to think about the thin ice that Elsa was about to walk on in this confrontation with the King. Both wanting to fix it, but not knowing how to fix this.
"Can I ask about my Aunt and Uncle now?"
"What would you like to know?"
"Have you met them before? Are they nice? Why does Papa not like them? Have they been here before? Why haven't I heard about them often if they are related to Momma?"
Gerda sighed. It broke her heart that Anna, both girls really, were so isolated that the idea of new people sent them into a slight panic. As sociable as Anna was, it was more than evident in her eyes never mind her questions that she was nervous and scared that these "new" relatives were not going to like her.
"Yes I have met them before. They are quite nice Anna. Queen Primrose is your mother's sister. They both grew up in Corona seeking asylum there while their home country was under attack and new rule. Your Aunt and Mother grew very close to the crowned Prince there. In the stories that I've heard from your Aunt and Mother the last time there was a visit, was that the three of them were inseparable. That somehow they always ended up getting into mischief, kind of like you and your sister. As they grew older, your Aunt and Prince Fredrick realized that they loved each other. They ended getting married and from what I hear have been very happy with one another since even in the pits of loss. At some point in all of that your mother met and married your father. Your father and King Fredrick never liked each other and he didn't get on quiet well with Queen Primrose either. The divide really set in when King Fredrick wrote and asked for help, even visited, when their daughter, your cousin, Princess Rapunzel was kidnapped. Your father refused to help and laughed in his face telling him it was his own fault in losing his own daughter. They have not visited since. The send letters to you mother, but I'm not even sure if she has answered them recently. I think they are coming to check on your mother and to mend the relationship if possible. Your cousin has been found and has just recently married."
"Wow… So they don't hate us? They just had a fight with Papa… Gerda I have an idea. It maybe stupid, but hear me out."
Gerda felt a wave of sadness wash over her over the fact that Anna just assumed that these family members must hate them since she hadn't ever seen them before. She sat up straighter and gave Anna her full attention.
"After we get a feel of my Aunt and Uncle we can decide if they can help us on the Elsie front. It sounds like they are kind people who do what is right. If we decide they really are they can help us. They can step in and spring Elsie. Think about it. The only people who could get away with contradicting Papa would be other royals. Worst case they are just asked to leave. He won't start an actual war over this. Worst case is that we send Elsie with them when they leave. If we can't get things to safely change here for her, then she has to get out. They can take care of her until she can take the throne. It would be safer and healthier than being trapped here."
"Anna, while that is a great idea there are a few problems. We don't know that they will help, and if they do if they would be willing to take you sister home and care for her. On top of all of that, if that all worked out there would be the issue of getting your sister to willingly leave. She will not be willing to leave without you."
"I can convince her if I have to."
Gerda nodded her head. It was a better plan than just trying to run interference. At least this one had them actually doing something. Anna had a very valid point that the only thing that could get away questioning royalty is other royalty . It seemed that Anna really did listen in her lessons.
"Alright Anna it is worth a try. We will see and decide together if your Aunt and Uncle can help us."
Sorry this chapter took a little longer to write. It jumps around into what I consider 3 acts. The first is Elsa trying to get used to being all alone again in her room, the second is Anna with Gerda and Oskar, and the third is with just Anna and Gerda. I hope everyone enjoy a bit of the background that was reviled on Queen Iduna's past. Yes I do know those are not the real name of Rapunzel's mom, but just go with me on this please. I remember way back when we all didn't know the parent's names and I just happen to like the name Primrose better than the name Disney gave her in the tv series. I apologize if this bothers people. Yes I know this is a common thing to have either the King or the Queen related to one of the Corona royals, but I like the idea of Rapunzel being related to Anna and Elsa. Anyways, this is all about to get real interesting quickly. Thanks for reading!