A/N: Sorry all! I meant to update but got swept up in a bunch of stuff and had a bit of writer's block. I tried to get rid of it by writing for other fandoms, but I think I just opened the floodgates instead, OTL.
Anyway, I did manage to crank this out. And to make up for the late update, and small chapter, I'll be putting the next chapter up sometime this week as well. It's already written and edited, so I can make that commitment.
Anywho, hope you enjoy, and continue to speculate on what will happen next.
-Monday morning (somewhere in the Black Mountains)-
Alvar glanced over curiously at the reindeer and the princess seated atop it. She looked at home with the furry creature, often reaching over to scratch its scruff and exchanging quick quips and giggles with the man seated behind her.
Over his long lifetime, he'd never encountered a royal quite like this one. One who befriended scruffy looking animals and kept company with equally scruffy looking woodsmen. Who ventured through dangerous, danger-infested woods to obtain curious remedies from complete strangers. Who didn't flaunt their royal position at every turn or turn their nose up at the slightest of inconveniences.
The princess was a strange phenomenon indeed… and as Alvar's pale mare clopped beside the girl that had sought his help, he was curious to learn more.
"So, princess, if I may ask…are reindeer the standard mode of transportation in Arendelle?"
Anna giggled, "You don't have to call me princess. Just Anna will do." She turned her attention to Sven. "And as for your question, not really. Sven's a special case, but no, most people don't travel by reindeer. You can say I'm different that way." She looked to Kristoff with a smile, "We both are."
Different indeed.
"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but that seems to be the case in many respects, princess."
Anna shrugged. She'd never quite understood why there were so many rules around being a princess.
"I'm not the kind of person that can just sit around and sip tea with my pinky up." She gestured to the forest, "I gotta get out there and do something, get my hands dirty, get things done, that sort of thing. I'd rather be someone who tries to do something worthwhile instead of just watching life unfold like I'm at a play."
So I've noticed.
"And your sister? The queen? She approves of this…adventurous spirit of yours?'
Anna paused at the mention of Elsa. Was she okay? Was she hanging on?
"Even if it did bother Elsa, she'd never tell me to change who I am." She managed a sad smile as she returned to Alvar's question. "Sometimes, I think about how lucky I am that she's my sister… because she's the kind of person that'll sacrifice her own happiness just to see me smile."
"She did that once before, for years, actually." Anna let out a soft sigh at the statement. "When the accident happened, Elsa shut herself off from the world…and from me." A lump settled in her throat at the painful memories of her childhood. Some things she was sure she could never forget.
"I know she was just trying to protect me, but we spent thirteen years apart… and as much as I want to believe everything is okay now that we're together again, I know it'll never be the same because Elsa gave up so much during those years just to keep me safe."
"We're getting better, but there are still secrets between us, and fears that perhaps we might never be able to share with each other. And yet, in spite of all that, we can't help but love each other. Wooden doors can't stop us…" She let out a low chuckle, "Well, they certainly won't stop me."
She looked to Alvar, her eyes shimmering with emotion. "Elsa…she's my best friend, my role model, my hero even. She always has been. That's why I'd do anything for her, even if it means trekking through dangerous forests or fighting off wild animals, because she never cares about herself…but I do, and I think she deserves all the happiness in the world."
Yes, what a rare duo indeed.
Alvar smiled sadly as he admitted, "It's not often I see a royal family so closely knit. The royals I once knew had fractured relationships with their kin. Dishonesty, betrayal, jealousy and hatred ran rampant among the lot…it always seemed to me that the gift of such relationships was wasted on the people who would never understand them."
Anna considered his words. "Do you have any siblings?"
He only shook his head, a lump forming in his own throat at the reminder. "I wish I did. Hearing how much you love your sister makes me painfully aware of my own absent family." He sighed. "My kin are all long gone. With such a long life comes a heavy burden, I'm afraid, and for me, it is watching everyone I love leave this world before I can."
Anna bowed her head. She couldn't think of anything more terrifying than outliving her loved ones. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"But I did have a mentor for many years. Though we were not related by blood, I always considered him an older brother."
Anna looked on with a sudden, renewed interest. "Really? What was he like?"
For Alvar, the recollection was a wistful one. "He was special, even among other sorcerers of his caliber. His skill and familiarity with the elements were surpassed only by his kind nature and his desire to help those who needed it." He looked to Anna, "All that I know, all that I have achieved, I attribute to him."
The princess absorbed the words. "What is it like, having magic like yours? And, how did you become so familiar with your abilities?"
The question brought a light chuckle to the old man's lips. "There is no greater feeling than possessing the power to control the elements, but I can't say the process was easy. When I first became an apprentice, I was wary of my abilities. Any magical skills I had demonstrated before my apprenticeship were purely accidents. I could not control my powers or understand their source."
"I remember my master asking me to help him with a particular potion, but my clumsy fingers only made a mess of the concoction, and what was supposed to be a healing potion became a useless sludge."
He sighed, "I remember running out of the room, crying because I thought I'd made a fool of myself. But he followed me out, sat down beside me on the steps, and said I'd made him proud."
He smiled, "I thought he was patronizing me. After all, how could he be proud when I'd messed up such a time-consuming, difficult potion and set him back by days? But he simply said, 'You're new to all of this, and so I don't expect perfection. I expect effort.'"
Anna returned a small smile of her own, her eyes wide with understanding. "You had the courage to try."
"That, I did, and it was all he expected from me. Either way, he said if I wanted to leave, I was free to do so…and part of me did want to give up, because I didn't think I deserved his confidence and support. But then I supposed that if my master had enough faith in me to trust me with his work, then perhaps I owed it to him to make the effort to maintain it."
"And did you?"
Alvar nodded, "The journey wasn't easy, but such journeys rarely are. When there are expectations of you and work to be done, there will be doubt as well, but if you find an anchor of support – whether it be yourself or someone who believes in you – then you'll overcome any hurdle."
To Anna, it was a welcome thought and a validation that if a sorcerer like Alvar could struggle with self-doubt, perhaps she had nothing to worry about.
"Elsa has always wanted to find someone like herself. I know she has hundreds of questions she'd love to ask you. Maybe when she's better, you could help her with her magic?"
The question warmed his heart. "Of course, princess. If I can be of any help to your sister, I'd be delighted to lend my services. By the way, what powers does she possess?"
Anna grinned, "Oh, only the best! We don't call her the Snow Queen for nothing!"
Snow Queen?!
If Anna noticed the wide eyes of shock and surprise on Alvar's face, she didn't let on, instead choosing to talk at great detail about her sister's awesome powers.
But the sorcerer's attention was elsewhere. He said nothing more for the rest of their journey.
-Monday afternoon (Arendelle)-
Gerda could no longer bear to watch her young charge struggle under the weight of her burden. Her skin burned with the fury of a mid-day sun, to the point where no one could touch her without scalding their skin. To the best of her attempts, Gerda had tried to cool her warm skin, but now it seemed all she could do was watch the girl fade before her eyes.
She turned to Kai, a sob caught in her throat. "I-I can't do this anymore."
The chamberlain could sympathize with her, for he had not been able to stomach the sight of the comatose queen for much long himself. He looked out the queen's window, his keen eyes searching for any sign of the princess. She was supposed to be back hours ago, but she had yet to return.
I shouldn't have let her go…not without a contingent of guards.
But deep down, the man knew the princess would resist any such suggestion. She was like that, determined beyond belief to do things on her own and without help. And though she was incredibly capable, it would have alleviated the strain on his old heart if she listened to him just once in a while.
He sighed and turned away. At least she had the ice harvester by her side. It was a small relief, indeed, but it was a relief.
Kai focused on the pale monarch before him.
Elsa looked like the goddess of death herself as the once pale, ashy skin of hers had now turned into a papery white. Her cracked lip were now a deepish blue and the purple circles under her eyes had deepened into a charcoal black, so that her pale, gaunt face resembled that of an undead spirit…a ghost.
He shuddered and turned away, unable to wipe the image from his mind.
Terrifying though the sight was, he knew there was still time to save her, and with the princess yet to return, there was still hope as well.
"Kai, Kai!"
The doors swung open as Lieutenant Emil, the queen's personal guard, hurried in, his eyes wide with the promise of urgent news. "The princess, she's back!"
Kai hurried to him, "She is?"
Gerda came up beside him, "Is she safe? And Kristoff too?"
Emil nodded, "Yes, and yes…and she brought someone!"
Kai whispered a thanks to the heavens before hurrying out of the room as fast as his old legs would carry him to meet the princess himself.
Returning to Arendelle was a bittersweet moment for Anna, mostly because she hadn't expected to see her home until late Sunday evening, after a long and thoroughly relaxing weekend away…
But returning home meant seeing Elsa again and with Alvar's help, hopefully it meant an end to her sister's plight as well.
Elsa…
Worry gripped her heart at the thought of her sister's condition, but she managed to push it to the side for just a moment as she saw Kai, Sorenson and Gerda hurry into the yard, relief evident on their worn faces.
"Anna!" As soon as the princess dismounted from Sven, she was engulfed in a hug from the old handmaiden, the woman barely holding back tears as she squeezed the life out of the young woman.
"You scared the living daylights out of me, venturing into the Black Mountains like that on a moment's notice. Are you trying to give me a heart attack, young lady?"
Anna exchanged a bemused look with Kai and Kristoff before replying, "No, Gerda…I would have told you, but I had to get Elsa some help and we couldn't waste any time."
The woman wiped at her eyes, "You and that sister of yours, between the two of you, I'm not sure who's going to be the death of me."
Anna smirked, "Oh I am. No contest."
Gerda let out a small laugh before ushering the princess in, "Come, come. Poor girl, goodness knows whether you've eaten properly….and you must take a bath. Sleeping on the forest floors is hardly acceptable behavior for a princess."
"No, Gerda." Anna replied, her smile fading at the reminder of her journey. "I'll deal with all of that later. First, I need to see Elsa."
The redhead didn't miss the pained look Kai and Gerda gave each other.
"She's getting worse, isn't she?"
Gerda nodded, "We can no longer touch her. Her skin is too warm."
Alvar stepped forward, making himself known to the servants with a grim request. "Then we must see her, at once."
Elsa looked like a ghost.
Someone had undone her braided platinum hair so that it framed her gaunt, pale face on the pillow. With the juxtaposition of almost white hair against rapidly paling skin, her sister seemed as far from the colorful world of the living as she could get.
It was all Anna could do to keep from bursting into tears.
How had it gotten this far?
"Elsa?" The princess reached out absentmindedly to stroke her sister's cheek but was stopped by a knobby hand. "No, princess. You'll scald your hand on her skin."
Anna swallowed the lump in her throat as she turned to Alvar, "Can you figure out what's wrong with her?"
He nodded, his eyes never leaving the queen. "I think I may have an idea. But I'll need some space and privacy."
The words caused a rumble of anxiety in the room. Sorenson came to stand by her side, one eye trained on the stranger. "May I have a word, princess?"
Anna wanted to brush the man off, but the look in his eyes seemed rather urgent. She sighed and moved to a quiet corner of the room. "This better be quick, Sorenson."
"Forgive my saying so, Your Highness. But I don't trust this man alone with our queen."
The sudden hostility from the servant took Anna by surprise. "He's here to help."
"And a complete stranger, using magic we are not familiar with."
The snide tone in the servant's voice drew a stern look from Anna. She didn't know what had gotten into the man, but she didn't like it one bit. "Grand Pabbie said we could trust him, and I trust the trolls." Her raised eyebrow dared him to continue the argument.
Sorenson sighed, "I'm sure the trolls mean well, ma'am, but we have no familiarity with this man, or with what he's capable of. Given the queen's condition was caused by magic, surely you understand my concerns? I mean…" His voice became impossibly lower, "We don't even know who is responsible."
Anna's glare turned almost deadly, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"No ma'am," He attempted to backtrack, "I don't mean to imply anything…it's just…if another person could stay here and watch the man work. That would ensure the queen's safety. That is our top concern, is it not?"
Ignoring his sudden mistrust and lack of faith in her judgement, one thing Anna could credit Sorenson with was keeping his eye on the priorities.
I suppose he does have a point.
"Alvar?" She called over to the old sorcerer. She looked to Elsa, hoping to word her request as delicately as possible. "If it's not too inconvenient…I'd like to stay here, by my sister's side."
She expected a hint of indignation, perhaps even outrage at not being trusted, but instead, the man nodded in agreement. "Of course, princess. You can stay if you wish, but I will need ample room to enact this spell."
"Then it seems all is settled, is it not?" She directed the harsh whisper at Sorenson, who clearly had more to say.
"Will you be okay, ma'am? If you'd like me to keep an eye on him instead…?"
Anna rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine, you don't have to worry." Her eyes darted to the old man, who was flipping through a spell book as he waited, "Alvar's a friend."
She didn't know what to make of the pursed lips and narrowed glare that the chamberlain's assistant delivered in response.
"I just hope your friendship isn't misplaced, ma'am." He simply replied before closing the door behind him.
Anna managed a small, irritated huff at the now closed door. He always did say the weirdest things.
"I'm ready to begin, princess, if you'd like to watch."
The princess managed a small smile of gratitude at Alvar before positioning herself by Elsa's side. Her hand itched to reach for her sister's soft hands, but it was something she'd have to go without.
Hopefully not for long.
She looked to her sister, her heart filled with the most volatile of all emotions: hope.
Soon, Elsie. Soon we'll figure out just what's wrong with you and get you fixed.