"You're what!?" Anna stood from her spot in the council table. Her eyes wide with disbelief. "You're leaving... With-with him!?"
"Yes, Anna," Elsa spoke softly her hands neatly folded on top of the desk, but her eyes on her sisters. "I am leaving with my husband."
"I am leaving for a year. I will spend time with my family. I think that I've put them through hardships for long enough." Her eyes scanned through the faces of the council, daring them to say one word. "Besides, you were the one who told me to remedy things..."
When no one piped in their noses she nodded. "So my husband and I came to this conclusion. I will go with them and spend the much needed time with my daughter, the rightful heiress to the crown of Arendelle... And I..." She turned to face her husband. "And Prince Hans... he... I wanted to officialize him King of Arendelle."
Anna opened her mouth wide, she could not believe the words her sister was spitting out. "Elsa, have you gone mad!?" She understood that Elsa had to be with her daughter, and she even understood that she had to be with her husband but officializing him king!? He had obviously gotten to her sister just as when he had gotten to her own head when he asked her for her hand in marriage. "Is he blackmailing you!? Cause Elsa, I promise that we'll take care of him!"
Elsa looked at her sister quietly until Anna lowered her head and silently sat back down. The princess stared at her ex-fiance and shook her head. There was a slight sting in her heart and Anna tried hard to ignore it. Why Elsa?
Once again the queen scattered her eyes towards her advisors, she was expecting for one of them to say something, contrary to her belief not one of them dared say one word. With her chest proud she smiled. "I will leave today, and I want nothing touched with trading partners. I need full reports on the crops atleast once every three months... And if anything arises, Hans and I will return. However, if any matter can be resolved without me... Us, or conflict, then so be it. I don't want any disturbing us while we're away unless it is completely necessary."
She stood up and called the meeting over however none of her advisors stood. It was as if they were all stunned. Hans stood right besides her though, and he placed his hand on the small of her back. He smiled proudly towards the advisors and began his way to the exit. Elsa however, walked straight towards her sister.
He dreaded the moment he would have to see her again. Speak to her again. He had honestly never gotten the opportunity to apologise to the princess. As Elsa's sister though, he knew that one day he would have to speak to her. One day apologise. He shook his head reminding himself that everything he had done so far, was for Elsa. However, that day was not today.
He stood at the foot of the door staring inside of the room. All the council members were looking to him, some with rage, he could tell, and others with questioning looks. Some where whispering amoungst one another yet no one dared to question the queen. He smiled at them either way.
He knew that if Elsa was being brutally honest to them now, she would never be their rag doll again, he just hoped that they would not convince Anna of doing something crazy while Elsa was away. With a wicked grin towards them he fixed his hair. He couldn't help but feel victorious. Not the throne, that had been just bonus. He had won everything he had fought so long for. His daughters right for her mother, her right to the crown, his right to his wife, and the bonus... of finally being a king.
He was happy. However, deep in his heart, he had wished that Elsa had not declared him an official title. He didn't want anyone to think that that was all he had been after. He had not impregnated Elsa purposely, well in reality he had, but it was for different reasons. He didn't know she was under a spell. He hadn't known that everything had been a fraud. However, being king felt slightly wrong to him. Even after all that he had been through just to be with her. He would not argue with her choice though, if that's what she felt was right then he would accept it, even if he didn't want it.
His eyes went to Anna now, he was slightly frightened of what she would have to say about the whole situation. Had Elsa told her anything? He had seen her reaction, he knew that she still disliked him, and he could not blame her. He left her to die, and he tried to kill Elsa... He closed his eyes in shame. There was nothing that later along the line of his daughters growth that could prevent Gretel from knowing that. Some politic would always be talking about it. He shook his head. He did not deserve forgiveness.
It wasn't because he was pridefilled. No. It ran deeper. It was because of his actions. It was because he felt ashamed. He never in his life thought that he would in the end be king thanks to something that happened to Elsa. Maybe he would always be thought of as the villian of the story. He felt that as he had proved himself to Elsa, he would have to prove himself to Anna and everyone as well. He no longer wanted nothing but to enjoy his family.
His eyes subconsciously went to his sister-in-law again, if it mattered to Elsa, then it would matter to him. He would do as she said. He would prove to them that he loved Elsa. He would get everyone's trust. He would gain everyone's trust just as he had when he was Berry Van Buren.
He caught his wife smiling. She looked so relieved finally. She was talking to her sister and curiously placed a hand on the princesses belly. Was she with child? Elsa had not mentioned anything, but he supposed that it wasn't something for him to know. He hadn't even spoken to Elsa all that much. It was strange really, that they loved one another without much communication. They didn't need it.
He placed his hands behind his back as he waited for his wife. His eyes were out the window suddenly and he could perfectly see the docks and the ships as they bounced softly against the small tides of the ocean. With nothing more of interest he counted the bouncing ships. His eyes went hard trying to count how many royal crescents he could see.
He counted many, Corona, France, Italy, Spain, Scotland, along with more. Most of their guests were still there. Awaiting to settle matters between their lands and Arendelle.
His eyes scanned once more, he had missed the vessel of the Southern Isles. He chuckled to himself, almost sure he had simply scanned his eyes over it and shook his head. He scanned once more. He was sure that the ship was still there he had just casually missed it... There would be no way that his mother had let them sail away. He scanned again and the ship was not there. He scanned a third time. But still the ship was not there.
His heart began to race fast against his ribs. They could not be gone, Gretel was with them!
His mind went blank as his feet began to rush. He ran quickly pushing gaurds and maids out of the way, he had to go see! They could not have taken off without him, Gretel would be devastated! She would believe that something bad had happened! She would be afraid.
Hans jumped quickly as obsticals, as it seemed, were placed in front of him. He ran as fast as his long legs could carry him and without thought pushed things and people to the side, not caring that he was supposed to be the king they had so long awaited for. They could not have taken his daughter!
He ran into some gaurds and pushed them down, the men falling with loud crashes into the ground due to their armors. He glided sliding across the ground as he almost fell but quickly reached the doors. He could hear Elsa calling out after him questioning his sudden behavior. Looking back to her he yelled noticing her worried eyes. "The vessel is gone! They took Gretel!!"
Elsa blinked for a moment and her eyes suddenly widened. She ran to her office to look out her window only to see that the vessel of the Southern Isles was indeed gone. Her heart raced fast against her ribcage and the temperature of the room dropped. They must have assumed that the prince would not return. Once again she had hurt her daughter.
"What's happening, your majesty!?" There was the calming voice of Kai, the very man that had helped her so much, suddenly asked.
A few of the councilmen reached out towards the queen, slightly offended by the acts of their new "king". They stared at the scene Hans had done and with a very deep frown looked to Elsa.
""What is all this commotion!?" Phillip stood to the side of Faustino, Guinevere, and Gordon.
"Kai!" Elsa looked to him for comfort, "they took Gretel!"
"The Heiress!?" Guinevere blinked, "who took her!?"
"The Southern Isles..."
Xoxoxo
Hans moved quickly against the stables his heart was at a thousand per second. He had to catch up to them. He had set his bet on his mother, but he had forgotten of the inpatients of his father.
He quickly tightened his grip against the reigns of the horse he had just saddled and without warning he mounted it. With his heels deeply dug into the beasts ribs it rushed off. "Hiyaa!" He screamed as the horse blasted off from the stables, blowing buckets and hay all over the place as he did so. Right now he did not care if he destroyed everything he would be after his daughter. She would be so scared.
What he did not expect was to see his wife on her own snow beast waiting for him at the gate of the castle. She had a plan he guessed. By the looks of her face.
He didn't care he needed to get to the docks. He needed to get a boat, and he needed to get to his daughter. They rushed past Elsa and he quickly heard her horse neigh and it's hooves as it ran behind him.
They rode side by side at top speed crossing the town of Arendelle. His horse hooves sparking as they hit the pavement with each stride.
Elsa suddenly took the lead, her eyes with determination. She would not fail her family this time.
Hans looked questionably towards the queen as she headed straight towards the shore instead of the docks then it dawned on him what she had in mind.
His horse began to neigh as they headed straight towards the waters, yet Elsa looked confident.
She blasted Hans horse with ice, and the horse bucked in response. The new king stared at her as if she had lost her mind but he saw that frost covered the steeds hooves. They soon reached the waters and instead of sinking down as the horses ran, they kept going as if they stepped on land.
Hans turned back to see the bits of frost float across the expanse of the sea. He could not help a smile on his lips. His wife was truly amazing.
It occured to him however that she could freeze the waters, but if that happened then his horse was sure to slide across it.
He hoped that they could catch up to them soon. He feared that his daughter would be devastated. She had never been apart from him for more than a few hours.
Xoxoxo
Gretel cried silently. She was never a child to throw a fit. Even when things did not go her way. She was afraid. What had happened to her father? Had he chosen to abandon her for Elsa? Did he want nothing to do with her? Or had her mother, the evil queen, imprison her father and locked him up in the darkest of the castle dungeons as princess Anna had stated?
What had kept her father from coming back to her? He had promised everything would be alright. He had promised he would be with her. Yet she stood there an orphan now.
She cried silently and sank deep into her knees she was aboard the Southern Isles vessel, hidden away at one of the dark corners of the ship. No one had seen where she had hidden. No one had even come to look for her. No one had noticed she had snuck out of her fathers assigned bedroom and stayed hidden. Away. No one had ever paid much mind to her. No one but her father. And now he was gone.
She began to sob as she thought of him. She hugged her knees and cried. She was still wearing the dress he had put on her. No one had bothered to change her.
Queen History had intended to look out after her but the king was a bad man. Short tempered and offensive. He had not listened to the queen and locked her up when she opposed to him whilst leaving. The king had yelled at her grandmother telling her that her son had looked for his own doom when he had asked to be left behind with the queen. That he would no longer wait for a lost cause. When the queen had rebelled against him not one of her fathers brother's had bothered to step in and defend her. He had ordered gaurds to lock her up and that was the last of Gretel had seen of her grandmother.
She was alone now. She had tried to go on after the queen but had been stopped by a royal gaurd from seeing her. So Gretel was aboard, crying, wondering what would be of her under the care of her ruthless grandfather.
She cried out loud suddenly. She cried loudly. She began to scream, something that she never had done. Yet still not one person seemed to notice. It was almost as if she was invisible. It was almost as if she did not exist.
She screamed once again, only this time there was frost underneath her. When she noticed her eyes went wide. With horror in her face she stared down at her hands. She ran and fell to the ground, where her hands touched everything froze. She could see her magic as it raced across the wooden floors and up the stream of windows.
She was afraid of that. Her powers were never out of control. She stood quicky only to slide on the frost covered ground and cry as her hand shot a spark of ice towards the cloth of the sails. Soon they froze.
Gretel stared in horror as she laid in the ground unable to stand due to horror of what she'd done.
The wind suddenly picked up and she could feel the breeze of the sea hit her face.
"Papa!" She screamed out knowing full well that her father would not answer.
She stood as she could and began out towards her room. She was a scared frail thing, with no one but herself.
She slipped again and began to crawl out, when she touched the wall of the ship it too froze. She was afraid, she didn't understand why she was freezing everything. Why her calm powers were suddenly out of control.
"Papa!" The wind picked up again, only this time viciously. The frost that had picked up on the sails came crashing down suddenly, everything going white. Gretel cried more.
She could hear screams around now. The captain of the ship yelled out to the men, words Gretel could not understand.
All she could hear was, "they're frozen!"
She panicked and stood up. This time successfully achieving it, and she clung on to a post that held onto the sails.
"Where is the storm coming from!?"
The winds crashed against the boat as Gretel screamed. Tilting everything. She grasped tightly but again she froze it. With her eyes closed she let go, falling and slipping. She crashed, along with others against the wall of the ship.
She could see the horror on their faces. There was no storm. They did not know what was happening. What could have frozen the vessel.
"It must be queen Elsa!" One of the gaurds yelled out loud.
"But at this point she would not reach!"
Another hush of wind crashed against the boat and it tilted the ship to the other side.
Gretels heart was racing so fast against her chest. It was not queen Elsa. It was her. How could she stop this? She wanted to go home. She wanted her father. The wind was vicious again and now the royal family was aboard. All her fathers brother's were with worry, along with the king. However, she could not see her grandmother.
"It's the child!" Suddenly her uncle Heaven stated and Gretel shook her head with tears in her eyes.
"It is!"
The girl began to run as the royal gaurds began towards her. She did not want to be locked up just as her father, she did not want to be locked up just as her grandmother.
"Do not hurt her!" She heard the king yell, but she did not stop running.
"Gretel!" King Hansel tried, but the child kept running, frost emitting from every step she took. She was afraid and if they did not calm her down they would soon be stranded frozen in the middle of the sea with no hopes to return.
"Do not fear child come here!"
She did not listen instead she ran faster.
King Hansel began out towards her, his cold heart racing against his chest.
"Granddaughter! Do not fear we will not hurt you!"
"I want my papa!"
She clung onto a net and hid under it. "I just want to go home..." She began to cry again only this time she screamed.
The air stopped as the child cried with woe. Her world had turned upside down and there was nothing that she could do. She did not gain a mother, and she lost her father.
"Stop!" She threatened. "Don't come any closer!"
The ocean began to stir but in turn began to go white with ice.
The child was angry, it seemed. The boat stopped moving but it's weight was tilted to the left side slightly. There was creaking from the wood and the temperature was suddenly cold. They were frozen on the sea, and everything was quiet.
King Hansel began slowly towards his granddaughter. "Child, come!" His threats were stern but the girl shook her head.
She was angry and afraid.
"I will not go to you grandfather! I want my papa!"
Hansel shook his head and reached out his arm towards her. He slowly got closer to him, but was pushed back when she gushed wind to him.
"Father!?" One of her many uncle's cried out.
"Everything is alright, she's just confused!" King Hansel recovered from the attack and he smiled towards the girl.
"Stay away! You want to imprison me!"
The king looked to her confused, "child, you are very wrong. Come!"
He stepped closer to her and again she gushed wind his way. When he fell to the ground she pulled out from the net and began to run again. She was not crying anymore now she was afraid that they would catch her.
"Do not hurt her!" King Hansel looked out towards the gaurds that began again to her.
"Princess Gretel!" The gaurds ran across the slippery ship trying to catch the child. "No one will hurt you!"
"I want my papa! I want grandmother History!
Hansel turned towards one of his many sons and nodded. "Son," the man ran off to fetch his mother.
"I want my papa!" Suddenly Gretel stopped running and placed her small hands in front of her her palms stretched out. "Don't get any closer!" She was at the edge of the boat, with one false move she would slip off the ship to certain death.
"Princess Gretel," one of the gaurds attempted. "Your grandmother, queen History, is coming. Do not move."
The usually calm and restrained child shook her head, "no. You don't move!" She shot some frost against his foot and the man jumped back to not get hit.
"I am going back for my papa!"
She turned her back to jump off the ship but she was held back by her dress. Her uncle Heaven quickly reached out and pulled her back in.
"You are not going anywhere child."
He held onto the girl and she began to pout her lips. She soon began to cry and she clung onto the man. The man that looked so much like her father, but didn't smell like him.
"I want my papa..." She cried and the wind began to pick up again.
He walked slowly against the heavy winds into the sleeping area. He clung onto her and placed her on the bunk. He kneeled to be eye level with her, his face reminding her so much of her father.
"Princess Gretel." Her father had never called her like that, it was always something sweet towards her. This man's voice was different, it was empty of love.
"Make the frost go away. I'll make sure to go back for your father." He spoke to her slowly, as if she didn't understand.
Her blue eyes were on his hazel ones. "I don't know how..."
"Yes you do. Wave your hands and make it go away." His eyes were hard and it frightened Gretel.
"It doesn't work!" She shook her head. He took in a deep breath and heavily breathed out. "We cannot stay here. There is only enough food for so many days. Figure out a way to get rid of this."
The girl lowered her head, she wished she could, but she honestly didn't know how to get rid of the snow. She began to cry and her mind went to her father. With sad tears she lifted her hands but nothing changed. The climate was still cold and her uncle was still staring at her expectantly.
Prince Heaven looked at her with a stern gaze he was not used to the child, he had never really paid her any mind. Until someone barged in through the door. Her grandmother quickly ran, brushing past her son and quickly held onto her grandchild.
"Gretel are you alright!?" History checked her and made her clung onto her breasts. Where the young princess rested her head crying heavily.
"Grandmother..." Gretel sobbed heavily, warm tears hitting the woman's skin. "Where is papa?"
History angirly eyed her son and shook her head. "Leave." She snapped her fingers and her son did as he was told.
"It's alright child. I'm here." She cooed softly as she placed warm kisses on her granddaughters forehead.
"Papa..." Gretel cried.
Xoxoxo