(A/N): Hello and welcome to our rendition of "Frozen". We hope that you enjoy this chapter and the many installments to come. Without further ado...
Chapter 1: Breaking the Ice
The sun rose over the horizon and shone through the tents of the ice harvesters, awaking them. These men don't smile nor talk for that matter. They grab their sleds and tools and venture out to the nearest ice collection site. Once at the heart of the ice mine, the harvesters form single file lines and then methodically collect their load of ice. Toward the end of a line, a father and son duo can be found, where the boy is handed a pair of kid-sized ice block tongs.
"Just stay out of trouble. Okay?" The father said.
The boy nodded. It was another day on the job for his father. Once again, the child is practicing the art of harvesting ice with his mini tools. The young boy admired his father and continuously worked hard to harvest a single block of ice to impress him. With an earnest look, the son took his tools and began the tedious process of cutting into the frozen heart into an ice cube. Because the lake is frozen solid, cutting the ice up into manageable cubes is very laborious. After four downward slices, the young harvester took a moment to wipe off the sweat from his brow and noticed another boy around his age also carving up the frozen ground. The boy had blonde hair and a baby reindeer as a companion.
"I haven't seen him before," the boy thought aloud.
Piqued by his own curiosity, he went over to the blonde boy. The reindeer approached the brown-haired boy first and licked his face. Surprised by the slobbery approach, naturally he responded by petting the friendly animal. The blonde kid soon approached the pair and pulled his companion off of the subdued boy.
"Sorry about him. He gets excited when he meets new people," the blonde boy said sheepishly.
The brunette boy shot him a intrigued smile, "It's okay. It's not everyday that I meet a friendly reindeer." He stuck out his hand, "I'm Caleb Robertson."
The boy took Caleb's extended hand and matched his smile, "I'm Kristoff, Kristoff Bjorgman. And this is Sven."
"It's nice to meet both of you, what are you on this side of the ice? Are you also an ice harvester?"
Kristoff nodded his head, "Yeah, I usually just watch the men from afar."
An eyebrow was raised, "So, your dad is not here with you?"
"Well, he works here, but it doesn't feel like he's actually here."
Caleb's green eyes flickered with sadness. But seeing that his new friend has his own harvesting tools, Caleb had an idea.
"Why don't you and Sven come over to my area? I started cutting my piece of ice. Maybe I could use some of your help."
Kristoff gave a toothy grin and even Sven was jumping for joy. Taking their response as a yes, the young harvester led his new companions over to his area, where his ice was still only a quarter cut. Both boys equipped themselves with their respective ice saws and continued the ice harvesting. The ice was cut into an almost perfect cube in a short period of time. Although the task is physically demanding, cutting the ice is perhaps the easiest step of ice harvesting. Picking up the ice from the freezing, flowing water and loading it onto your sled is another story. Kristoff decided to go first in attempting to pick up the ice. He jabbed the water with his ice tongs and the ice immediately slipped through its grip. Stepping up to the ice, Caleb readied his ice tongs and grabbed the piece of ice. As Caleb brought the ice out of the water, the weight of the block became too much and the ice cube was dropped back into the water.
Caleb groaned, "I was so close."
Not giving up any hope, the brown-haired boy readied his tongs again. Using the same technique in the last attempt, he successfully lifted the ice block out of water and the young boy began to tremble as he was losing his strength carrying the dense block until Kristoff used his tongs to aid in transporting the ice safely onto the sled.
"Thanks, Kristoff," Caleb said breathlessly.
The blonde boy patted the fatigued boy's shoulder and proceeded to latch the sled onto Sven, so they can deliver the ice. The boys collected their ice just in time as the older ice harvesters were also about to pack up to go to the next harvesting site. Caleb and Kristoff boarded their sled and Kristoff commanded Sven to follow after the men. With all the speed he could muster, Sven kept a good pace with the veteran ice harvesters. Feeling the fatigue taking over his body, Caleb opted to close his eyes and rest up. On the other hand, Kristoff stayed awake and followed the experienced harvesters.
—
When Caleb awoke, it was already dusk and he was still riding in the sled with Kristoff. Sven was still trotting away, but he looked around and there was no one in front of him to guide him. Luckily, their block of ice was still frozen solid.
"So… we might be lost," Kristoff admitted shamefully.
"What happened?" Caleb asked.
"Well, we were trotting along with the others just fine until a small avalanche was chasing after all of us. Of course, the reindeers got spooked and they all pulled us in different directions, and we ended up alone," Kristoff explained.
The brunette boy went wide-eyed, "Wow, and I was asleep the whole time?"
The blonde boy chuckled, "I'm surprised you didn't move a muscle."
The boys shared a laugh and Sven chuffed, signaling them to focus on the issue at hand as the reindeer marched aimlessly. The boys were stuck in a dense forest, bare of any animals.
Caleb pulled back the reins a little to slow Sven down, "There's a place up ahead where we could stop and sleep for the night."
Kristoff nodded and once at the glade, Sven stopped. The boys got off their sled and looked for a comfortable space on the grass to sleep on. Suddenly, as the two young boys were about to lay down, a rumbling ensued as if it was an earthquake. Then rocks started rolling at them and the boys held on to each other to brace themselves. Their eyes also shut close, hoping not to see the pain, but then, the rumbling stopped. The boys slowly opened their eyes to see a massive crowd of trolls. The family of trolls were staring at the both of them intently, showing curiosity. Caleb gave them all a small wave, yet Kristoff was still wary of what the trolls were going to do to them,. Instead, Caleb kneeled down to be at their level.
"Hey. I'm Caleb and this is my pal, Kristoff. We thought that this land was a good place for us to sleep tonight, but if we are intruding on your land, then we will leave," the brown haired boy explained.
Then their leader rolled to the front and revealed himself. He took Caleb's hand as if he could feel his spirit and then smiled at the boy.
"No… you are not intruding. In fact, stay here for as long as you want to," the ancient troll informed.
The other trolls jumped for joy and the two boys had grateful looks upon them as well.
"Kristoff, Caleb. Why don't you introduce yourself to everyone? To start off, I'm Grand Pabbie, the troll elder." The wise troll proposed.
Agreeing to with the elder, both boys went around the prairie introducing themselves. The first troll that they met, Bulda, immediately wanted to adopt the two boys and the reindeer. Of course they accepted as they've never truly understood the concept of family. Over the course of the day, everyone on the grassland celebrated the new family members, continuing to shower the boys with gifts (mostly mushrooms and stones) and welcoming them into their families. After a while, the young lads had to turn in for bed as they had a tiring day. Unlike humans, trolls slept underneath either tree branches or in caves. Luckily Bulda lived in a cave that was big enough for all of them. As for blankets, they were handed a "blanket" that consisted of tree leaves. It was a new lifestyle that the boys had to get used to. As they were laying down, Caleb smiled in the darkness.
"I guess we are now brothers," the brown-haired boy remarked.
Kristoff shared the same smile, "I honestly wouldn't have it any other way."
Caleb extended a hand, "Brothers for life,"
The other boy took the hand and shook it firmly, "Always."
—
A couple weeks has passed since the two lads have moved in with the trolls, and they have found themselves in a smooth groove. They would wake up early in the morning and hear the recent news, then they go to work, collecting mushrooms for the night's feast they have daily. Kristoff and Caleb found themselves going farther away from the troll's land as each day passes on. It's not that they couldn't find mushrooms in the immediate area, but they had an innate sense of adventure. Even though it wasn't their specific job, the boys would often bring back stones or branches for the fire if they couldn't find mushrooms, which the trolls gratefully accepted. One day, when coasting through the forest again, the two boys went a little farther than they had ever been.
Passing through the dense branches of the forest, the two former ice harvesters were searching for mushrooms or rather just playing tag with one another.
"Tag!" Caleb yelled while touching the blonde boy. After the tag, the brunette boy ran away as fast as he could.
Kristoff groaned, "No fair. You're faster than me."
But the running child did not pay any mind to his brother's comment and kept running away. Little did he know that the dense cover of the trees were beginning to end. It wasn't until the bright sun blinded his eyes that he stopped running. To block the bright sun, Caleb put a hand over his eyes. When the light was away, Caleb saw a gorgeous castle with a quaint town in front of it. The brown-haired boy was visibly amazed. Eventually, Kristoff was able to catch up, but was too tired to tag Caleb back.
"Up for another adventure?" He asked the breathless boy.
"Honestly, I would go, but we should be getting back home," Kristoff responded.
The brunette boy was not ready to go back home, so he faced his brother and gave him a pleading hand.
"Cover for me, please?"
The blonde boy caved in as he sighed, "Okay. But you better be home before the feast."
Caleb gave his brother a quick hug, "Thanks Kristoff. You're the best."
As he stepped onto the pier to the town, Caleb took one last look at his partner in crime before fully committing himself toward civilization.
Inside the town, it was bustling with people as everyone was out shopping at the market. There were bright colors everywhere and not to mention that the aroma of freshly baked goods were invading Caleb's sense of smell. It was clear that the young lad was not from around the area as he was the only person who looked remotely lost. Everyone around him was walking quite fast and they even gave him a smile. Seeing all the friendly faces made Caleb want to move into the city. It wasn't that Grand Pabbie and the other trolls weren't friendly, the young boy wanted exposure to unpredictability. Everyday in the prairie, he wakes up and goes into the forest to find food for their dinner. Even back with the ice harvesters, they were set in a routine. Wake up in the morning, gather your set of ice blocks, and deliver them to the drop off site. There wasn't much room to do anything else besides the norm. But in the city, nothing is really planned and each day is a new opportunity.
"Wow. Kristoff should've came," Caleb thought aloud.
Suddenly the young lad was pulled backwards by his arm. When the brunette boy turned around, he saw a complete stranger trying to pull him somewhere. Caleb tried to use his strength to get himself out of the man's grip, but the captor had him tightly.
"Hey! What's the big idea?"'the boy asked, trying to gain attention.
Everyone in the vicinity was looking at him being taken away, but they didn't know what to do. Caleb kept trying to pull away, but it seemed no use. Taking matters into his own hands, the brunette haired boy used his free hand to punch the stranger square between the eyes. Caleb must have punched really hard as the man immediately released the boy and grabbed for his face in pain. Caleb landed on the ground and soon a barrage of footsteps came rushing over to the commotion. Fortunately for Caleb, it was soldiers.
"What's going on here?" One of the guards asked.
Caleb was about to explain himself until a bystander whispered to the guard and he nodded. The other soldiers went over to arrest the kidnapper while the one asking the questions held out a hand to the child.
"Come with me, young man."
Knowing that Caleb could trust these men, he took the hand to help himself up. Once everyone was ready to go, they all headed toward the elegant castle that Caleb was just staring at. The stranger and the child went their separate ways when they went through the open gates. The remaining soldiers with the brunette boy led him inside the castle and into a huge room with a throne in the center. And in that throne was a stern looking king and next to him a gentle queen. In front of the monarchs were two girls, whom Caleb assumed were their daughters.
The king waved over his servant, "Kai, take Anna and Elsa elsewhere please."
Kai the servant nodded and prompted the girls to follow him out of the room. The soldiers continued onward toward the king, which forced the young boy to do the same. Being in the presence of an authoritative figure was intimidating for Caleb. Once they were in range of the monarchs, the soldiers stopped abruptly. One of the soldiers went over to the monarch and whispered something. He nodded intently and afterwards he dismissed all of the soldiers. The king looked at the nervous boy and soon his stern demeanor turned into a smile and somehow Caleb was less nervous.
"Come closer, young lad," the king ordered, waving the boy over.
Caleb did as he was told and he was debating on whether he should kneel before the monarchs or not. He figured that it was too late to decide, so he just stood in front of the sovereigns and suffered in silence.
It was a few tense minutes until the kind king spoke, "I heard what happened in the plaza. And I am sorry that you had that experience."
Caleb muttered something incoherent, which essentially conveyed that he brushed it off.
"I also heard of how you handled the situation," the man added. "I must say, there's a natural fighting spirit in you. I can see it in you."
Through this whole conversation, the brown-haired boy had been looking down at the ground and at the king's comment, he finally looked up.
"Um… thank you, your majesty?" Caleb stuttered.
The monarch smiled, "You may call me King Agnarr. What's your name, young lad?"
"Caleb, your— King Agnarr," the brunette boy said, almost slipping on the formalities.
"Well Caleb, I have a proposition. Do you want to hear it?"
A slight nod was the boy's response and the king presented said proposition, "How about you become a soldier for Arendelle's royal guard? You will be well-compensated as you can stay here at the castle and our soldiers will give you training…"
The sovereign trailed on about the incentives of accepting this position, but eventually the boy tuned him out to think. This was it right here. The opportunity of an unpredictable life that Caleb was looking for. He just didn't know if he wanted it at the moment…
—
Sunset was coming upon the boy quickly and he was only halfway through the dense forest. The feast was usually right after the sun was completely gone and Caleb feared that he might not make it on time. He knew that he should've left Arendelle sooner, but it wasn't his fault that the king decided to place a serious proposal over his head. Maybe he shouldn't have stepped foot in the town and collected mushrooms like he should have been doing. If the young boy was being honest with himself, he was getting tired of the repetitive schedule anyways. Maybe life away from the trolls would do him some good. Caleb pushed all those thoughts aside as he was focused on getting back to the prairie in time for the feast just as he promised Kristoff. And just as the sun was about to disappear, the runaway boy made it to the dinner punctually. He spotted his brother and slipped himself into the line for food next to him.
"About time you showed up," Kristoff reprimanded.
Caleb placed a hand on the blonde boy's shoulder, "I'll explain at the campfire."
As the line for the food came closer to the two boys, they were able to get their food. It was the usual dinner, mushroom stew. The boys took their respective spots around the fire.
Kristoff couldn't wait anymore, so he had to ask, "What took you so long?"
Caleb took a sip of his soup and then responded, "I almost got captured by someone and then I was brought before the king of Arendelle. From there, I was offered a position on their royal guard."
As his brother was explaining, the blonde boy sipped his soup and almost spat it out at the sound of the word "king".
"No way," Kristoff said in disbelief. "You didn't take it right?"
The brunette boy gulped, "Well… I told him that I had to think about it and talk about it with my family. But I'm really considering it."
Kristoff was still in disbelief, "Are you kidding? You know what, don't answer that. Are you planning on telling the others?"
Giving the blonde boy his answer, Caleb stood up from his place and went toward the fire, signaling to the others that he had an announcement.
He cleared his throat before speaking, "Hey family."
Now everyone was looking at him and it made the boy feel uneasy.
Nevertheless he continued, "So, I may have stumbled upon Arendelle and met the king."
Low muttering among the crowds were now ensuing, making the boy feel more anxious.
"From there, the king offered me a position in his royal guard army and I'm really considering it. So I'm planning on going back to the kingdom, just to see what it's like. Okay?"
Dead silence was all Caleb got in response, so he went back to his spot next to Kristoff. As soon as he sat down, Grand Pabbie requested to see him in his cave. Gulping down his soup quickly, he washed up and went over to the leader's cave. Inside was the troll leader himself and Bulda. They were talking amongst themselves until the brunette boy entered.
"Ah, Caleb. Come in," Grand Pabbie gestured over.
The boy did as he was told and placed himself on one of the stone seats. , waiting for the leader to speak.
"So, you have an important choice in front of you," Grand Pabbie informed.
The young boy nodded as he already knew that. He wondered if the ancient troll was going to lecture him about wandering off, but there was a slight chance.
"What were you thinking of doing?" Bulda asked with slight anxiety of what she might hear.
"Um...well.. I…" Caleb stuttered, struggling to form words.
Grand Pabbie placed a calming hand on the boy's arm, "Listen to your heart. What does your heart say you want?"
The young boy closed his eyes and took deep breaths, trying to be in tune with his heart. In his head, he doesn't want to leave the prairie because his family is here. But truly, he wants to venture out and become a soldier. There's spontaneity in that and that's what was drawing in the boy.
"I want to be a soldier for Arendelle," Caleb decided with confidence.
Both trolls had a look of sadness at first, but they were accepting of it. However, it wasn't like the young lad was going to be gone permanently.
"The king said it was a part time position for now as I am training. So I will still be here for the nightly feast," Caleb explained.
Grand Pabbie sighed and fanned his hand to show the boy a vision. In the vision, it shows a human choosing between two sides.
"Once you make a choice, you will end up doing only that choice. You see in time that you have to fully commit to one side even if it may not seem like it. One cannot simply do both," the ancient troll prophesied.
The magical vision then showed the human becoming its chosen profession and it only left Caleb confused.
"I'm gonna come back every night, Grand Pabbie," the boy asserted.
The ancient troll only nodded, "Yes and I believe you will. But you will understand what I just said soon enough."
The young child muttered an okay and left the cave. When he exited, Kristoff was there waiting for him.
"How did it go?" The blonde boy wondered.
"Well, I was told to make this big decision with my heart and I did. I chose to be a soldier. Then Grand Pabbie—
Kristoff stopped in his tracks to interrupt his brother, "So you're really going to Arendelle?"
Caleb scoffed, "Not permanently. Only to train." The brunette boy continued, "Anyways, Grand Pabbie showed me this vision and then tells me that soon I'll have to commit to one side like I understand that."
The other boy scrunched his face, "Well that doesn't make any sense."
Caleb raises his eyebrows in agreement, then he yawned, "Let's head over to bed. I have an early day anyways."
—
At the crack of dawn, Caleb left straight for Arendelle to inform the king of his decision. For some reason, he arrived to the town way faster than he did the first time around. The boy figured that he was just excited to be starting something new. As soon as Caleb arrived at the castle, the soldiers from town were there to greet him. The young boy said a quick hello to the group and continued his trek to the king. As if the king never leaves his spot, the aspiring soldier found the monarch in the same place he was in the previous day. Once the man saw the young lad, he immediately smiled.
"Ah, Caleb. Have you decided on our proposition yet?" King Agnarr questioned with anticipation.
Expressing a confident smile, Caleb kneeled before the king and responded, "Yes, your majesty. I would be honored to become a soldier for the royal army."
Clasping his hands together, King Agnarr beamed brightly. He got up from his throne and put an arm around the boy's shoulders, leading him out of the throne room. Once they exited the room, they headed straight to the barracks, where Caleb saw the soldiers earlier. At the sight of the king, every guard formed into battalion lines and saluted to him.
"General Tyler, Officer Sawyer. You two are in charge of Caleb's training. Make sure he's in his top form," King Agnarr commanded.
Both guards bowed their heads and the monarch took his leave while Caleb was ready to train. From the weapon racks, Officer Sawyer chose a sword and tossed it over to the boy. Once he was armed, the two men led the rising soldier over to the training dummies.
"We are going to work on basic sword fighting and maneuvers," General Tyler said.
Caleb nodded and found a comfortable way to grip his sword. Once he was settled, he focused on the dummy while also waiting to hear the commands from his superiors.
"Charge!" The officer ordered.
The young boy did he was told as he charged at the wooden dummy and soon after the officer yelled another command.
"Attack!"
Once again, the young lad did as he was told.
"Dodge maneuver!"
Assuming the move was a barrel roll, the young trainee did just that. Then another command was shouted.
"Blocking position!"
Caleb tilted his sword so that it was somewhat protecting his body.
The superior soldiers nodded, satisfied with what their trainee has presented them with.
"Those are the four basic moves you must know in the heat of a battle," Officer Sawyer informed.
"Once you've proven yourself proficient with these moves, we are going to help you enhance your fighting skills by sparring with other fellow soldiers," General Tyler explained.
Everything that they said made sense and Caleb was just eager to be a guard. Figuring that the boy understood, the officer commanded that he do those basic moves again and again until their lunch break. The aspiring soldier obliged as he wanted to become the best guard he could be.
—
Soon enough, it was lunch break for Caleb and he realized that he had to provide his own lunch, which he did not. He was debating on going back to the prairie to eat a meal there, but that might take too much time. He wandered around the castle grounds until he saw a servant. The young boy went up to the woman and got her attention.
"Um, excuse me miss. It's my first day of training and I didn't know that I had to bring lunch. Is there something I can eat around here?" Caleb asked politely.
The woman smiled, "Of course dear. I'll just have the chef whip you something to eat."
The brown haired boy matched the servant's expression, "Thank you so much, miss."
The woman chuckled, "Please call me Gerda. If you need anything else, just let me know."
Caleb nodded and relaxed on the green grass of the castle gardens. The young lad reflected on his day so far as he waited for his food. The other soldiers have been impressed by how well he has been progressing through his training. They think that he should spar other guards by tomorrow or even today if possible to begin enhancing his fighting techniques. Just thinking about the next made the boy almost doze off until he heard soft footsteps approaching. Once the footsteps passed the corridor, it was revealed to be one of the king's daughters, the one with platinum blonde hair to be exact. Caleb got to his feet immediately and brushed the dirt off his clothes. The boy bowed his head and crossed his chest, showing respect to the princess, "Afternoon, your majesty."
The girl chuckled at the brunette boy's mannerisms, "Afternoon. It feels a bit awkward hearing you call me that because we are practically around the same age."
The princess extended a hand, "I'm Princess Elsa, but you can call me Elsa."
The training soldier took her hand and shook it softly while also smiling, "I'm Caleb Robertson, but you can call me Caleb."
"So Caleb, what exactly are you doing here?" The princess questioned with curiosity.
"Well, I'm training to be a guard for the royal army," The boy responded with pride.
Elsa smiled, "That's really admirable."
Caleb expressed a proud smile of his own, "Thank you." He looked at the princess, "So what about you? What are you doing?"
The platinum blonde revealed a book in her hands, "Usually before lunch, I read here in the garden, but now… I'm talking to you."
The future soldier grinned at the last thing Elsa said and as if the servants heard the word 'lunch', they came back to the garden to hand off the meal for Caleb.
The princess looked somewhat appalled at the boy's choice of seating, "You're going to eat lunch out here, alone?"
The young boy shrugged his soldiers, conveying indifference.
Elsa shook her head and grabbed the boy's arm, dragging him into the castle.
"You're gonna eat your lunch in the dining hall with my family and I," the princess declared.
Just going with whatever is happening, Caleb agreed with the monarch. The young girl took the boy's arm lightly and directed him in the direction of the hall. After passing some rooms, the pair made it to the dining hall, where the king, queen, and a red headed girl were situated. The platinum blonde sat across from the younger looking girl and prompted Caleb to sit next to her. Once everyone was seated, the young boy placed his plate on the table and was soon taken away by the servants only to be replaced by fresh food from the kitchen. Once all the clamoring of the plates ceased, the king greeted the young boy.
"Ah, Caleb. What a surprise. Having a great first day so far?"
"Yes, sir. Been enjoying my training with the other soldiers," the lad replied.
"That's good to hear. And I've seen that you've met my daughter, Elsa," King Agnarr remarked, gesturing over to the platinum blonde.
Caleb nodded, "Yes I did. She's amazing." He looked toward the princess with a smile and continued, "I think we are going to be great friends."
The king and queen smiled at each other, then the king gestured over across the table, where the red headed girl was sitting.
"This is my other daughter, Anna."
The brunette boy extended a hand toward the redhead, "Hi, I'm Caleb. Caleb Robertson."
The princess stood up to shake the boy's hand, "Hey Caleb! I think we are gonna be best friends!"
"I think so too," the future soldier replied with a toothy grin.
The king, then, gestured over to the woman beside him, "And this is my wife, Queen Iduna."
The young boy smiled and the queen shared the expression.
Now with all the introductions squared away, everyone began to eat their meal. There was no noise other than the sound of the cutlery banging against the plates until Queen Iduna spoke.
"Are you enjoying your time here in Arendelle so far, Caleb?"
The boy swallowed his food before speaking, "Yes, your majesty. Arendelle is a pretty town and the people here are friendly as well."
The gentle queen smiled, "Good, good."
Suddenly, Anna slammed her hands on the table, "You have to be here for the party here in two days!"
King Agnarr's stern voice came out, "Anna, we don't slam our hands on the table, especially when we are eating." He took a deep breath, "And as for the party, yes, we are having a little soirée to celebrate a nobleman's anniversary. You are invited, of course."
"Do you need extra guards at this party?" Caleb questioned, trying to make himself useful.
The king smiled, but shook his head, "No, Caleb, we have enough guards assigned. I want you to come and enjoy yourself."
The young boy beamed, "Then I'll be there."
"Yay!" Anna shouted, raising her hands in glee.
Everyone at the table laughed at the young princess's antics and soon afterwards the reigning monarchs began to clean themselves up.
"Well, if you would excuse us, we have other matters to attend to at the moment. Anna, Elsa, do your studies when you are done. And Caleb, good luck on your training," King Agnarr notified everyone.
As they were leaving, Queen Iduna hugged her daughters and even embraced the young boy.
"I hope you join us for lunch tomorrow. It's always nice to see you," the queen beamed.
The king nodded his head in agreement, "You are welcomed here anytime, Caleb. With that being said, I'll see you tomorrow during your lunch."
"Yes, your majesties," the young boy responded, which dismissed the monarchs.
Anna also decided to leave the table, "Well I have to return back to my tea party. Bye!"
Only Caleb and Elsa remained in the dining room, but the training soldier wanted to head back to the barracks to continue his training, but at the same time, he didn't want to abandon his new friend.
The young boy cleared his throat, "What are you planning to do now?"
"Probably going back to the garden to read," Elsa responded. "I'm sure you have to return to the barracks soon."
Caleb nodded with slight sadness and started heading in that direction until the princess spoke again.
"What are you doing afterwards?"
The boy shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing really."
"Meet me in the garden when you're finished with your training," the platinum blonde instructed with a smile.
The future soldier saluted the princess playfully, "You got it, your majesty."
—
When Caleb got back to the barracks, the superior soldiers set up spar matches for the young boy. Because the boy has never sparred before, the other soldiers were gonna go easy on him. The first match was against a young private, who was probably newly established as he was scared to hit the boy. Equipped with training sticks, the match began and the opponents walked about in a circle. The private was really not gonna go after the boy, so Caleb decided to make the first move. The older soldier was able to parry the attack easily, but did not attempt to counterattack. Confused by the man's antics, the young boy induced a barrage of sword movements, which caused the private to flinch as he couldn't block all the attacks. With one last jab with his stick, Caleb was able to disarm his opponent and win the match. The other soldiers clapped for the young boy's victory. Soon General Tyler called another soldier, this time it was a more experienced looking soldier, maybe a sergeant. Once both competitors were ready, the match began. Immediately the man came charging at the young boy, which Caleb successfully evaded with a barrel roll maneuver.
"Easy, Andrews," the general warned.
The young lad shook his head, "It's okay. Give me all you got."
The soldiers in the crowd cheered at the boy's grit and even the general seemed proud at the moment. Because his opponent had more of an aggressive fighting style, Caleb opted to stay in a defensive position. Once the older soldier recovered from his failed charge, he walked toward the boy and lashed his stick at the boy, which was defended as well. The sergeant repeatedly attempted to jab at Caleb's sword, but it was parried incessantly. Getting tired of blocking, the young boy counterattacked after the last block. His stick was able to graze the arm of his opponent. Unhappy with that, the experienced man paid no mind to his mistake and instead swept his stick underneath Caleb, causing the boy to be on the ground. To finish the boy off, the soldier stabbed his stick toward his head, but that was parried at the last minute. At this point both soldier's sticks were locked into each other. Caleb was at a disadvantage as he was the one on the ground. Despite that, he used all of his might to fight against the older man and get back on his feet. Slowly, but surely, the young boy was back on his feet and he pushed off his opponent. The sergeant was about to charge again until General Tyler raised his hand.
"Stop. I've seen enough."
The older man was about to protest, but the general gave him a stern look, which made the soldier walk away. The superior guard placed a hand on the young boy's head.
"Good work. You are hereby dismissed for the day."
—
Now that training was over, Caleb was running toward the garden to meet up with Elsa. However, he had to slow down as he saw Anna wandering the halls and he was about to run her over. The young boy came to a screeching halt just to greet the young princess.
"Hi, Anna."
The potential soldier was about to run off until the redhead looked at him quizzically.
"Where are you going?" She asked with wonder.
"To the gardens," Caleb responded quickly, itching to go there as soon as he could.
The princess's eyes widened with glee, "Oh, why didn't you say so? Let's go!"
With that, the energetic girl dragged her friend in the direction of the garden. Halfway across the castle, Anna stopped for a brief second.
"You should know something about Elsa," she whispered as if people were listening to their conversation.
"Um, okay?" Caleb said, raising an eyebrow.
"But you can't freak out, okay? I was gonna tell you during lunch, but my sister was there," Anna said defensively, insinuating that she was about to reveal a dark secret.
The boy only nodded, and the young princess proceeded to cup her hands together to amplify her whispers. But before she could even speak, Elsa so happened to walk into the two of them. She expressed dismay at her sister.
"What are you doing Anna?" The older sister interrogated intensely.
Instead of answering the question, the energetic girl ran away from her sister, probably heading to her room.
"Sorry about that. Anna is always very loud and energetic and she can be overbearing," Elsa explained.
"It's fine, really," Caleb responded back. "Anna was gonna tell me something about you. That's all."
"What about?" The princess asked with worry.
The young boy shrugged his soldiers, "I don't know, but it seemed like a big secret because she told me not to freak out. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
The platinum blonde sighed with relief, "Oh. She was referring to this."
And with a wave of her hands, she was able to conjure up a flurry of snow on command.
Caleb's eyes widened in amazement, "Wow. Awesome."
"You're not at all afraid of this?" Elsa questioned, slightly smiling at the boy's reaction.
"Are you kidding? This is honestly the best thing I've seen in my life," the soldier affirmed.
"What are your plans later?" The princess asked as she had plans for them.
"I'm free all night," the brunette boy responded, not willing to go home quite yet.
With his answer, the snow princess dragged her friend's hand and led him toward the garden, where they were originally going to meet up. Elsa went a bit further into the conservatory, where there was an open space, much like the troll's prairie, only with less trees. From there, Caleb's arm was released and the princess stepped on the ground emitting magical ice from her foot. The once solid ground became a slippery ice "lake".
"Wow. Is there anything you can't do?" The future soldier beamed, visibly amazed at the princess's magical prowess.
Saying no more, Elsa conjured up a pair of skates for the both of them. The usually well coordinated boy almost fell over trying to balance himself on the skates that so happened to be placed upon his feet. The ice princess, on the other hand, had no trouble as she was seamlessly skating all over the artificial ice. Trying to travel, Caleb took a few steps forward and ended up slipping onto the cold ice. He got back up and his hands were taken by Elsa, guiding the inexperienced skater.
"Glide and pivot. Glide and pivot. Keep your arms up to keep your balance," The young monarch instructed.
After a few minutes using his friend for balance, the soldier let go of Elsa's hands and was able to skate on his own. He knew he wasn't as good as the snow princess, but he could go on his own. As he was getting more confident on skating, Caleb challenged Elsa to a couple of races, which he inevitably lost. Soon enough, the legs of the children gave out and they opted to stop skating and rest. With the never-ending fun, the young boy never wanted to leave Arendelle and it seemed as though that Elsa didn't want her friend to leave either.
"Hungry for dinner? I'm pretty sure my father wouldn't mind having you again," the princess offered.
Caleb smiled, "Well, if you all would have me, who am I to turn down good company and good food?"
With that, the children made their way to the dining hall, where they were the last ones to arrive again.
"Nice to see you again, Caleb," King Agnarr immediately greeted with glee.
The queen also gave a quick wave while Anna came out of her seat to run over to the boy.
"Caleb!" Anna screeched, running toward the brunette boy giving him a hug.
After Caleb reciprocated the hug, everyone sat at the table awaiting the food. There was no silence tonight as the king started the conversations.
"So, Caleb, I heard that training went well for you today," King Agnarr brought up.
"Yes, indeed it was great," the boy answered.
"It went so well that you managed to be victorious in both of your spar matches against two veteran soldiers. Very impressive," the monarch continued.
The young boy thanked the king quietly remaining humble.
"Which is why I'm offering you a position in my royal army."
The boy's eyes widened. Only after a day of training, the king believes that he is capable of protecting Arendelle among his other brethren?
"Thank you, your majesty. Really, I am so grateful," Caleb thanked, barely making coherent words.
As if he was on cue, General Tyler came into the dining hall and presented the king with a sword. The ruler waved the boy over and prompted him to kneel before him. Once the young lad did, the king took the sword and knighted the boy into a soldier. Caleb was prompted to rise afterwards and he was handed his own sword, sharp and reliable. After the knighting was finished, the general left and the king patted the boy's back, congratulating him.
Now everyone was back on the table still awaiting the food.
"Well our meals would certainly be a lot safer now that we have a soldier eating with us," Queen Iduna joked.
The rest of the table chuckled and finally the food came out. It was an array of dishes, but the common theme was stew and soup. Once everything was served, the kids were about to eat until the king put a hand up to stop them. The monarch grabbed his glass and raised it up, prompting the others to do the same.
King Agnarr pointed his cup toward the young boy at the table, "To Caleb. Our newly established Arendellian soldier."
(A/N): Thanks for reading. Hope you stick around for the next chapter!