Chapter 12: Wintervention
"Elsa!" cried Anna, running up the gangplank to greet her sister's return. She threw her arms around Elsa and hugged her with a strangling ferocity; it was an extrovert's style of hugging which Elsa would have never used herself, but she enjoyed having it used upon her. "You're back, finally!"
"I was scarcely gone a week," chuckled Elsa, and once the hug was over, she pulled back and appraised Anna. "Well, you look just as healthy as ever."
"You look wonderful as well, Elsa," said Anna. "Was your meeting with the Duke of Weselton was a success?"
"Ah, yes," said Elsa, staying carefully vague. "Well, some things are in process… but very promising things."
"Good," returned Anna. "You can tell me all about it over supper. We're going to have it right now. With some friends, too!"
"Wait, what friends?" asked Elsa, but Anna had already begun pulling her into the carriage in which her luggage had been foisted and they were sent off to the castle at once, and all the while Anna instead spoke at length (and with great enthusiasm) about a construction project which Kristoff had begun near the old stone wall.
"A sauna?" inquired Elsa, and she offered a polite: "How interesting."
"Interesting?" asked Anna, looking as if Elsa's response was distasteful. "I think it's amazing!"
"I suppose I never cared for saunas," mentioned Elsa, the snow queen.
"You should give it a shot once he's finished," said Anna. "I love a sauna in the winter! And I suppose it is keeping Kristoff busy…"
"Is he bored?" inquired Elsa.
"Um," said Anna. "I don't think he so much likes the… how does he put it? The 'frippery of castle living'? That's a weird turn of phrase, isn't it?"
"Oh, but you know he's an ice man," said Elsa. "He probably doesn't want to do the things we tend to do."
"Yeah…" said Anna, her sunlight momentarily dimmed by a passing cloud.
"Which is fine," Elsa intervened. "You wouldn't want to marry someone exactly like yourself, would you? Now that would be boring."
Anna brightened at once. "You're right, Elsa."
"I'm sure you won't mind your paramour being known as being a bit eccentric," said Elsa. "He's only eccentric if you're used to nobility, anyway. He's rather normal, considering the average ice man."
"But he's better looking than the average ice man," Anna pointed out.
"I would have to agree," said Elsa. "Not my type, of course, but nice enough."
"Ohhh," said Anna, giving Elsa a sideways grin. "Have you determined you have a type, now?"
"No, I'm just saying," said Elsa, quickly correcting, perhaps even over-correcting: "If I did, he probably wouldn't be like Kristoff; not that I do, but you know. If I did. Which I don't."
"But if you did, what would he be like?" asked Anna, seeming very interested.
Elsa cleared her throat a little.
"Oh, come on, Elsa! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" begged Anna.
"Ugh!" groaned Elsa, casting her eyes to the top of the carriage, knowing as well as Anna did that when her sister got like this Elsa always caved. With a sigh, she decided to offer Anna some crumbs. "Fine. He would be… hmm. Smart."
"Oh, he would have to be," agreed Anna.
"Graceful," added Elsa.
"Ohh-hhhh… so noblesse it is," giggled Anna.
"Noblesse oblige at the very least," Elsa confirmed.
"Well, well," said Anna. "Not only of noble birth but loves his country. Not bad, so far…"
"He has to be interesting…" Elsa said. "Possessing a staggeringly labyrinthine intellect - to keep me on my toes, of course. I'd not know whether to kill him or kiss him from one moment to the next."
"Wow," said Anna, not sure what to say to that.
"He would dance like a man who delighted in the joy of movement itself, in beauty – a true artist all but in name," she mused, considering. "With eyes the color of moss, like that found in the deepest heart of the forest…"
"Oddly specific," commented Anna.
"He would challenge me, beyond anything with which I've ever been challenged… and I would find it difficult and engaging, terrifying and exhilarating all at once," Elsa said with a sigh.
She came to herself and looked at Anna with embarrassment.
"I've thought about this too much, haven't I?" asked Elsa.
Anna just snickered.
"We're here," said her sister, moving to rise. "Let's go eat."
-o-o-o-o-o-
Dinner with 'friends' ended up being only Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, the omni-present reindeer (which she preferred wasn't in the dining room, but she allowed it for it seemed to please Kristoff), and Mr. Refki, which Elsa found odd, but she was happy to see the old gardener again. The dining room was ablaze with the festive nature of the coming winter solstice; evergreen boughs and red berries graced the merry fireplace, the long table, and the doors and windows, and all were ornamented with candle lights and golden ribbons.
After the second course was underway, Anna tapped her goblet with a spoon to call everyone's attention. Elsa felt that was unnecessary – though Anna seemed to be so eager and enthusiastic about what she was about to announce that no one could fault her for doing it.
"Everyone," said Anna, and those present silenced and stilled, including the reindeer, somehow. "We're here tonight not just for dinner, although that would be a fine enough reason due to pleasant company."
"Here, here," stated Kristoff, inexplicably raising his goblet, toast-like, to his reindeer.
"And not just to welcome our dear queen home," said Anna, and Elsa began to wonder if she and Kristoff had finally decided to engage themselves formally. "No, we are here to perform an intervention."
Elsa's brain tripped. "A what?"
"An intervention," said Anna, smiling at Elsa. "You see, dear Elsa, you've not been nearly as covert as you think."
"Ah," stammered Elsa. "I've no idea what you might be talking about."
Anna sighed at her.
"We're onto you, Elsa," said Anna. "And you might as well admit it."
"Admit what?" she said, her brain now misfiring repeatedly and at a staggering rate.
"'Eyes the color of moss, like that found in the deepest heart of the forest'," quoted Anna, as a barrister might present evidence. "You're in love, Elsa."
"I am no such thing!" denied Elsa, shifting her glance to Kristoff, who shrugged and looked apologetic, then Mr. Refki, who gave her a kind, understanding sort of look… the kind an old man who knows better would give a young fool in love. Elsa felt panic begin to rise in her chest.
"Fine, you're going to deny it?" said Anna. "Then we will lay the evidence before you. Kristoff?"
"Oh, um. Yes," said Kristoff, and Elsa turned her attention to him, feeling betrayal was imminent. "I just sort of mentioned that you had made an unusual request to take Anna fishing one morning."
"And!" said Anna, bursting back into the limelight. "It turns out, you were out of the castle that morning, as well!"
"Oh, was I?" asked Elsa, meandering, yet knowing full well and thinking of the first morning she met with Hans in the north glade, the first lesson, his eagerness. His glorious eloquence.
"I wonder what you were doing?" asked Anna, peering at Elsa.
"I know not of what morning you speak," Elsa replied.
"Well, I didn't think about it much at the time, but then!" said Anna, smacking the table for emphasis on the last word, causing Elsa to jolt. "The day we went to be fitted for gowns at the ball… do you recall it?"
And Elsa did recall; she did recall very much. She recalled the way she marched inexplicably out of the dress shop, obtuse gown and all, and accosted Hans behind the smokehouse. Or was it he that accosted her? The details were up for interpretation, but she recalled.
"Yes, I suppose," she offered.
"And how you left suddenly?" asked Anna.
"I do," she relented.
"Apparently you shared some words with a becloaked man at the café next door – and he left right away. Some say he might have followed you. In fact, some say you might have had a rendezvous! How scandalous! I wonder if it's true?" asked Anna, seeming to delight in the mystery of it all – but Elsa began to feel queasy.
"Or maybe I was feeling ill and had to depart forthwith," said Elsa.
"And then there was the beautiful autumn ball!" announced Anna, spreading her hands like a true storyteller. "Who was that handsome, masked man who whisked you away into the veranda… behind closed doors?"
Elsa sighed and offered a groan to the ceiling. "He was an informant, that's all," she said.
"An informant of love!" cried Anna.
"An informant of state secrets," replied Elsa, folding her arms.
"Uh-huh," mused Anna, peering at Elsa.
"Is that all you have?" Elsa asked, giving Anna a bored look.
"Oh, not even close," grinned Anna.
"Curses," muttered Elsa.
"Okay, Mr. Refki, if you please," prompted Anna, and Elsa turned her eyes on Mr. Refki as if to say, Et tu, Brute?
"Well, Your Majesty, I beg your forgiveness… I would ne'er have said a word to n'one if I hadn't seen the distress which burdened you so," said Mr. Refki humbly. "And though I was bound to give you the privacy what anyone deserves, t'was impossible not to be privy to the sound of your voice mingling with another's. And then your face when you emerged from the woode was like ash – angry and then crestfallen; I feared your tears would water the path lest I find some distraction to aid your grace."
"And I did greatly appreciate your assistance, Mr. Refki, more than you know," said Elsa, who was unable to restrain her immense gratitude for his kindness, despite the present circumstances. "It was a difficult moment."
"Thus, I conferred with your sister," admitted Mr. Refki, and he looked ashamed. "But it was only with your best interest at heart, Your Majesty."
"All is forgiven, sir," she said to him, touched. "Please don't worry another moment."
"And so, another piece of the puzzle fell into place!" erupted Anna, whose enthusiasm only seemed to grow with each chunk of evidence she revealed. "This mysterious figure has a voice!"
Elsa sighed, resting her forehead on her fingers in exhaustion.
"It all comes to a head with your impassioned search to find him… on a boat!" said Anna.
"Oh mercy, not that part," grimaced Elsa.
"Oh, yes," said Anna. "That part. Some of the crew shared that you'd come onto the boat frantically searching for someone – and you found him – and they overheard a row within the captain's cabin between you and him. A row!"
Elsa slunk down into her chair and groaned, allowing her head to fall back so she could stare at the ceiling.
"And then it was silent," said Anna, and then she gasped for emphasis before adding in a scandalous whisper: "For a long time!"
Covering her face with her hands, Elsa felt like Hans was right; she was really bad at this.
"Whatever might you have been doing in there, all alone?" inquired Anna.
Elsa peeked at Anna between her fingers and offered without confidence, "State secrets?"
"Well," said Anna. She reached over and took Elsa's hand, and she suddenly became all warmth, all kindness. "I know that 'state secrets' are not enough to make you as upset as you were that evening when we sat by the fire. So sad you were, when I came in – the darkness had settled around you, Elsa. You began losing sleep, I daresay you failed to eat… you blew apart the balcony with your powers! In those weeks I worried deeply for you. You had the countenance of love lost about you, in the most aching, bereft sense."
Elsa could only glance away, known and shamefully obvious.
"And now you have burst back to life, a rose once again a-bloom with vivacity," said Anna. "Which leads me to one conclusion; you saw him in Weselton, and it went very well."
"I went to Weselton to see the Duke," countered Elsa. "To renegotiate the trade treaties between our countries."
"So, you're saying he's the Duke of Weselton?" asked Kristoff.
"Oh, gah!" cried Anna and Elsa at the same time in disgust, and perhaps despair, equally horrified at the idea.
"Oh, I guess not," said Kristoff, who perhaps didn't even remember who the Duke of Weselton was.
"But it begs the question," said Anna. "Who is he?"
"Who is who?" inquired Elsa with willful ignorance.
"Elsa," chided Anna. "The gig is up. Confess, already."
"I've no idea what you're—"
"El-sa," said Anna.
"You don't—"
"Elsa!"
"Ugh, fine!" spat Elsa, throwing up her hands. "Fine! Yes! You're right! I'm an idiot! It's true! It's all true!"
And she threw herself upon the table, hiding her face in her folded arms in shame, and Anna clapped delightedly over her slain carcass.
"I knew it! I was right!" cried Anna.
"Why are you so ridiculously observant," mumbled Elsa from within her folded arms.
"Well, anyone would know you were acting suspiciously," said Anna.
"Even I knew," remarked Kristoff.
Mr. Refki reached over and patted Elsa very tenderly on the head, offering sympathy.
"It is better this way, my lady," said the old gardener. "You cannot go on with a secret so large; it'll consume your insides if you try to hide it too long."
Rising at last, Elsa attempted to set herself to rights, and all eyes at the table were upon her, even the reindeer – which she found very strange.
"Tell us, then," prompted Anna, appearing very excited over what she must have been imagining to be the conclusion: "Who is he?"
Elsa glanced over those present, her eyes landing last on Anna, and Elsa knew she couldn't tell her; she just couldn't. Not yet. It seemed as if Anna saw it on her face; the shuttering, the closing of a door, and her sister looked disappointed, and maybe a little bit hurt.
"I'm sorry," said Elsa. "I… I would like to. It's just… the time isn't right, yet."
The table remained quiet, veering towards a tinge of awkward.
"There are some moving parts which must align, first," she offered. "It's… it's complicated."
Drawing a shuddering breath, she emphasized, "It's very complicated."
Anna held her quiet for a long moment, then broke the silence with, "Okay."
"If it helps, there are state secrets involved," added Elsa. "And espionage, and subterfuge, and … it's a mess."
"Well, that doesn't help," said Anna, looking annoyed. "That just makes it sound really dangerous!"
"I'm fine," assured Elsa. "It would take a lot to take me down, you know."
"Except this man seems to have nearly done it by breaking your heart," observed Anna, cuttingly accurate.
Elsa heaved a small sigh.
"Do you love him?" asked Anna.
"Yes," she replied.
"Enough to marry him?" asked her sister.
"Yes," admitted Elsa.
"Then why can't you?" asked Anna.
Elsa's glance moved away; she couldn't hold Anna's gaze under such conditions. It was impossible for her to act unconcerned, and she dearly hoped that Anna wouldn't somehow draw it out of her before she was ready to reveal his identity.
"Please respect my wishes to keep this secret mine for the time being," Elsa requested, her petition coming out vaguely formal, and to belay the silence, she decided to change the subject. "I have good news, however, if you'd like to hear it."
"Yes, of course," said Anna.
"I've found two others who have similar powers to my own," informed Elsa.
"What!" cried Anna. "That's amazing and… scary?"
Elsa chuckled. "For me, it's just amazing. Shall I tell you all about it?"
"Of course!" said Anna.
And she did – excepting the tiny detail about who it was that possessed the powers of autumn's wind.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Around a week later she received a letter and a package from the Western Kingdom.
Dear Elsa,
I hope I am not too brash in choosing this for you; it is not like the one you had, but I thought this one would be nice.
Regards,
Sfende
Within the box, wrapped in golden organza was a gown unlike any she'd ever seen – it was a deep, pungent shade of red, so lush in hue it flirted on the edge of purpling, it was evocative of the rich center of a poppy, just near the pistil; it was a color which she would have never chosen for herself, yet it was appealing in its depth and sanguine vitality. It almost seemed provocative, to wear such a color.
Of course, it wouldn't be so in the Western Kingdom. She knew they wore red quite commonly, there.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Dear Sfende,
Thank you for your kindness; you know you didn't have to go to such trouble, but it is appreciated, regardless.
How are things with your father? Do you think he would allow you to visit Arendelle? I would be glad to receive you, if so. Perhaps I could even get Hans to coincide a visit.
Best regards,
Elsa
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Dear Elsa,
I have been working on my father; it is possible that he may give his blessing on a visit to your kingdom if he were certain that my abilities would not come to light. It is, to him, crucial that no one in our country know, and I don't believe he wants the risk of anyone in yours knowing, either. Is that possible, Elsa?
If so, I am allowed be known in Arendelle as a Prince of my homeland as needed, for my father also thinks this would be a good way for our countries begin to 'get to know one another', so to speak. He deigns not to visit Arendelle; the distrust of your people still runs strong in the blood of mine. These things must be taken slowly he says, and I agree with him, but we both agree that reopening trade with Arendelle would be a positive turn for our lands.
There is a final hitch; it is the dead of winter in Arendelle, and I absolutely loathe the cold.
Warmest regards from whence it never snows,
Sfende
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Dear Sfende,
I can keep you out of the snow, if I must, but you might want to give it a try. It's not that bad once you get used to it. Not that I've ever actually had to get 'used to it'. That's just what my sister, Anna, tells me. Perhaps we can build a snowman.
I will be sure to keep your secret unknown if that's what you wish. Please come at your convenience, and Arendelle will be glad to receive you.
Warm regards, but I suppose slightly less warm than yours since it snows here unceasingly,
Elsa
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Then she immediately wrote to Hans:
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
My darling idiot,
What do you? Over a week and nary a word. You do know what happens if you cross me, don't you?
I'll give you a hint: your frozen death. Oops, I suppose that wasn't really a hint.
Sfende is coming to visit Arendelle, and I thought it would be nice if you came, too. In some capacity. Covertly, I suppose. You know how it is.
Love,
Me
-/-/-/-/-/-
0o0o0o0o
My perfect, beautiful, terrifying Elsa,
As much as I loathe the idea of you canoodling with the Fire Prince while I'm stuck across the sea, that might be my fate. Rest assured, if that is the way it turns out, I'll be pacing rooms and violently tearing pages out of notebooks, and shattering lots of small, delicate things. At least you can take some pleasure from my suffering.
I think I've sniffed your letter twenty times since it arrived. It scarcely smells like you, but it does… just enough. I sound quite pathetic, don't I?
But enough of that… there are some positive things that have come out of the time in which we have been apart. Namely, through my own efforts and those of the talented Duke of Weselton, the list of alliances I have are growing. This is what I need, Elsa; enough people of influence in the Southern Isles and those lands surrounding it who are dissatisfied with my father to prefer a better candidate on the throne, so when one who presents himself as much more advantageous (that's me, by the way) vies for that throne instead, there won't be enough opposition to stop it from happening.
Well, not even just stop it from happening; I would prefer the support be strong enough to keep violence to a minimum. I'd prefer a bloodless coup if that can be managed.
I think it's likely if you and I are there on that day that no one will dare oppose us… for who would? Who could? I cannot imagine any army which could halt the march upon which you and I are determined. Our power is immense.
Yet I am careful to cover all possible routes; I dare not rashly take a throne. Brute force alone isn't enough, not for sustained rule. We might be ready to move at springtime; I will keep you apprised, my dearest, deadliest perfection.
By the stars, how I miss your embrace. Send me the dates upon which Sfende will visit the moment you learn of them, and I will do all that is in my power to traverse the sea, if I can. If I can't, well… I suppose I'll spend some quality time sulking in a vat of mead.
I love you. Please don't murder me, yet, for I've so much more to do.
-H
0o0o0o0o0o
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Dear -H,
I have included the date of Sfende's impending arrival in Arendelle. I will be there to receive him at the dock, for in the dead of winter I am relied on quite heavily to clear ice from the way. Perhaps a shipment of gowns from the Southern Isles seamstresses will be needed in Arendelle that day? I'm sure I don't need to tell you how to transport yourself here in a nondescript fashion.
I forgot to tell you that Anna sleuthed out my… condition, regarding you. You were right – I'm terrible at subterfuge. Absolutely terrible. She snuffed out details on practically every meeting we've ever had in Arendelle, and it was only your uncanny ability to keep your identity hidden that stopped her from knowing it's you. I still get nauseated when I think about telling her. She's going to hate me! How did you do this to me? How am I in this mess with you? I still don't understand how it came to this, like this.
Never mind; that's a discussion we should have another time.
I mention this because Sfende needs his abilities kept covert while he's in Arendelle, and I don't trust myself to know how to do it properly, so would very much appreciate your help in that regard… because you really are very good at that sort of thing. You also know how much I loathe admitting this and asking for your help – but once again, here we are. Please find a way to come.
And I suppose being able to see you again wouldn't be terrible.
Yours,
Elsa
-/-/-/-/-/-
