Here Comes The Sun
Chapter 28
By: The Duchess of Arendelle
The Masquerade Part 4
AN: UPDATE! Yay! Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry for any mistakes. Make sure to read the AN at the end of the chapter for some translations and explanations on characters or kingdoms mentioned.
Twenty five minutes had passed and the guest suitors now began to cast anxious glances at the queen sitting on her throne. They were all ready to start the courting, all with hungry looks in their eyes. Not only were they lusting after the power that would come with marrying Elsa, but also her body. Anna saw them staring at Elsa, each with a glazed twinkle in their eye, and Anna knew what they were thinking. She found herself getting more and more flustered with anger at each longing glance, or lustful stare.
From her right, she felt Elsa suddenly take hold of her wrist in a tight grip. She looked over at the blonde and all anger instantly drained from her face. Elsa looked terrified. The ice queen leaned over to whisper in her sister's ear.
"A-Anna, what are we going to do? We only have three minutes left, then I'll have to start dancing with th-those people, and I'll have to pick one to marry." Elsa asked in a quiet panic. Anna stared into Elsa blue eyes filled with fear and uncertainty. Grabbing her hand in a comforting grip, she responded in a low voice.
"Listen to me Elsa. I love you more than anything in this world. There is nothing I won't do for you. So I need you to trust me okay? Just trust in me and I promise everything will work out in the end. I will get us through this." Anna whispered earnestly. Elsa looked into Anna's determined aqua eyes and nodded. Something in the redhead's gaze told her she was telling the absolute truth. With unshed tears in her eyes Elsa slowly nodded her head.
"Okay Anna. I trust you. I always will." She responded just as the band stopped playing and the trumpets started blowing.
The same guard from before stepped to the front of the room and cleared his throat before speaking loudly. "Your majesties and honored Lords, Queen Elsa of Arendelle will now be taking request to dance from suitors. We will start by countries who bided highest and each man gets exactly ten minutes with her majesty. No more, or no less, unless the queen herself sees fit. Now, since the kingdom of Weitweg Germany, placed highest, King Ferdinand's youngest nephew Lord Wilhelm II will take the first dance." The guard finished and stepped to the side.
Elsa stood to her feet, followed by Anna, and everyone bowed. Before Elsa could be escorted to the dance floor, Anna grabbed her in what the audience awed as a sisterly hug of encouragement. In actuality, Anna had pulled the queen in to whisper a warning to her before telling her she loved her one last time and placing a light kiss on her cheek. Elsa looked completely confused at the redhead's whispered instructions, but she trusted Anna completely.
At the foot of the steps stood a smirking Lord with blonde locks perfectly styled and a blue and gold mask on his face. Elsa put her own mask back on, literally and figuratively. As she took the lords's large clammy hand, she couldn't help looking back to see Anna smiling at her. Elsa was the only one that could see the hurt in the girl's eyes.
'Whatever you do, don't drink the Champaign.'
************************************FROZEN************************************
She couldn't believe this arrogant creep. Elsa stared longingly at the clock as her dance partner continued to go on and on about himself. He was yet to ask her a single question. Glancing at the clock again, she sighed quietly in disbelief that only three minutes had passed. It felt like three hours, and it was only the first dance of the night.
"So I was thinking, how disappointing is it that we only get ten minutes together? I mean, that's hardly enough time for me to tell you all about myself. But I suppose it won't take too long for you to fall in love with me." He said vainly with that same self-indulgent smirk he'd been throwing her way all night. He felt like he was the best choice there just because his uncle threw the most money around. Of course Elsa knew about the bids. They were an Arendelle tradition since the days of the first kings. It was more of a system to decide which suitor would see the waiting prince, or princess, or in her case, single unmarried queen, first, then about the money itself.
"So, I mount my mighty steed Glory, and I rush into battle. The first thing I see is a savage Turk charging my way! So quickly I unsheaved my sword and slashed it across every Turk in my reach! In just three days we had conquered their kingdom and claimed it for our own. That is the kind of greatness I could bring to Arendelle. I understand that you or your late father had not attempted to claim anymore land then what is already in Arendelle's possession?" he asked as they continued the tradition dancing.
Elsa was surprised that he actually asked her a question. The entire time she tried to keep a neutral face through his explicit tale of how they invaded a country, slaughtered and concurred its people, and took them as prisoners, all in the name of "God". She couldn't help rolling her eyes on that part. Killing people in the name of God seemed like the biggest oxymoron she had ever heard. Forcing a pleasant smile to her face, she answered.
"That is correct. My father didn't believe in invading other countries and waging war. Arendelle and its surrounding territories was enough for my father, and it is enough for me as well." The blonde answered diplomatically. Wilhelm frowned in confusion.
"But Arendelle could be so much more! With your army and your powers, you could conquer any kingdom in your path. Why would you not?" he asked earnestly. Elsa frowned back and tried to put a bit more space between them as she continued to keep one eye on the clock. Two minutes left, thank the heavens.
"Well, Lord Wilhelm, what right do I have to start war or to conquer a kingdom that has brought no harm to me or my people?" she retorted.
"Why, your God given right!" he pronounced proudly. Elsa's frown deepened.
"Excuse me?" she asked in disbelief. The lord smiled righteously.
"It is our God given right to expand and conquer. It is what God wants us to do. As Christians and kaukasiers we have the right to spread the word of our superiority to those who would defy us and God." He finished in a proud tone.
Elsa's mouth was slightly ajar. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The arrogance of this man, of his people, to think they can slaughter people and take their land because it's their "God given right." She had no idea of the kind of things that were going on outside of Arendelle's secure walls. Elsa stared at the smug bigoted lord in disgust.
"You are a sorry excuse of a lord and an even sorrier excuse of a man." Elsa started in a low voice that only he could hear. For the first time that night, the smiled dropped from Wilhelm's face.
"Entschuldigung?" he asked in shock and disbelief.
"You are a smug, disgusting little man that has no respect for human life or freedoms. You preach about how these things are owed to you, how it is your right, but you don't take into consideration the people you are hurting. You have no conscious Wilhelm, and I hope for your sake that your God takes mercy on you. Please never visit my kingdom again after tonight." Elsa told the egotistical lord with barely contained disgust. The horn signaling the changing of partners sounded and Elsa coldly walked away, leaving a shocked sputtering Wilhelm in her wake.
"From the small kingdom of Iion south of France, the youngest son of King Henry and Queen Cinderella, Prince Charmant." The guard announced. Elsa sighed and steadied her nerves as a young raven haired man came to stand in front of her and bow. She curtsied in return and he grabbed her hands as the music began. This prince was much more pleasant. He was shy, kind, and considerate, making sure to ask questions about her and her interest. He lived up to his family's reputation of being charming. By the end of the ten minutes, Elsa was a lot more relaxed and the bad taste left in her mouth from Lord Wilhelm had all but been erased. As the song ended he once again bowed respectfully and placed a small kiss on her hand.
"It was truly a pleasure talking to you Queen Elsa. Even if we are not to be wed, I would enjoy speaking to you again in the future." He told her with a wide smile. Elsa smiled back slightly and bowed her head.
"You are too kind Prince Charmant. You really are charming and I too hope to part as friends." Elsa said sincerely. The prince bowed once more and took his leave. Elsa sighed as the guard began to announce the next prince.
"Prince Orlando of Eltz. Youngest brother of King Phillip of Eltz."
The brunette prince nervously bowed and took Elsa's hand into his shaking one. Elsa raised an eyebrow in surprise. How old was this kid? He looked like he was no older than 16. The music once again started and the boy began to clumsily lead Elsa in a dance. She could hear him counting the steps under his breath. Four minutes passed and the nervous young prince was yet to utter a word that wasn't "1,2,3, 1, 2, 3." Elsa, amused, spoke to the young boy.
"Tell me young prince, how old are you?" she asked. The boy was startled by the sudden interruption and missed a step, almost tripping. Quickly regaining himself his green eyes avoided Elsa's as he spoke.
"I- I- I- I just turned 17 your majesty." He stuttered out in terrible Arendellian. Elsa laughed to herself.
"17? So young." She spoke in French much to the young boy's relief.
"Yes, yes. I know. Your majesty could I please make a request?" he asked nervously. Elsa smiled at him encouragingly and nodded.
"Can you please not choose me? I do not wish to be married yet." He pleaded. Elsa couldn't help the loud laugh that escaped her and she quickly reigned it in when she got more than a few curious glances. Whispering lowly, she responded.
"Well Prince Orlando, I don't know if I should be offended or not. Am I so hideous that you would not wish to marry me?" she asked in false sadness. The young prince almost choked on his tongue trying to get an explanation out.
"Nonononono. That is not true! I- I just- I mean I do not- I- I" the prince stuttered and Elsa finally took pity on the boy.
"Request granted." She said, then gave him a wink. The young boy smiled in relief.
"Thank you, thank you! Now I can stay in Eltz with my friends." He said excitedly. Elsa laughed softly.
Looking up past the prince, she saw Anna staring at her with a raised brow of amusement. Elsa shrugged and Anna laughed. Elsa had noticed the amount of people walking up to the redhead and starting conversations with her. Most probably trying to get a good word in with the sister, or trying to get the sister themselves. She saw Anna turn her head and begin speaking with an older brown haired gentleman.
Elsa couldn't help but stare at the gorgeous redhead in her beautiful gown. Elsa's eyes silently traced every curve on Anna's body. The dress was very tight and left little to the imagination. Instead of her usual green and purple colors, Anna's gown was a heavenly gold with black lace. Just like her own, the top half of Anna's dress was also reminiscent of a corset. The black lace intertwined into the golden fabric on the top of the dress drew Elsa's eyes to the redhead's freckled chest. She could see the mounds spilling over the top of the dress move up and down as Anna politely laughed at something the man had said. She would periodically remove her black and gold masque from her face to give the person her undivided attention, then delicately bring it back up, covering her eyes. Everything about Anna screamed divine beauty in that moment and Elsa had to try hard to steady her breath.
The blonde jumped in surprise when the trumpets roared again. She had no idea ten minutes had passed so quickly. Looking down at the young prince she smiled and curtsied. He smiled back and bowed before quickly scurrying off.
Signaling her guard, Elsa whispered something in his ear and he nodded his understanding. Going back to his spot at the front of the room, he announced the next prince.
"Hailing from the small kingdom of Enten, Demark, Lord Peter, first cousin of King Eric. But before we start the dance, the queen would like to inform everyone that this will be the last one before we all take a short interlude." Having said that, the guard gestured to the orchestra and the music began. A tall dark haired young man whispered something into an even younger dark haired girl that was clinging to his side, looking around excitedly. Her blue eyes scanned the room and she looked like she was ready to explode from eagerness.
The young Lord approached Elsa in completely inappropriate attire for a masquerade. He looked more like he was a pirate than a Lord. He smiled politely and bowed. Elsa cautiously curtsied in turn and they began to dance. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Anna take Adam's hand in her first dance of the night. She couldn't help the slight twinge of jealousy she felt towards Adam for being able to take the beautiful redhead in his arms and dance with her in front of everyone. Then she thought that if she was feeling this way from watching Anna dance with their friend, how Anna must feel watching her dance with all this strange men. She was brought from her musings at the sound of her name being call.
"Queen Elsa? Is anyone home?" he asked amused at her distractedness. Elsa blushed darkly and quickly apologized.
"I sincerely apologize for my distractedness Lord Peter, what was it you were saying?" she asked embarrassed. He laughed it off good heartedly.
"It's fine your majesty. But where were you just then?" he asked curiously as they waltzed around the mahogany floor. Elsa looked away from his inquisitive hazel eyes. He saw how uncomfortable she looked and was quick to rectify it.
"Of course you don't have to answer that your majesty, I was just being my usual prurient self." He told her. She looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Thank you." She whispered. His smile widened as he changed the subject.
"So, you can control ice huh?" he asked excited. This was a question she had been asked many times tonight. She smiled patiently and answered.
"Yes that's right."
Perter whistled in amazement. "Wow, that's incredible. I've never heard of anything like that before, it must be a real sight!" he exclaimed, then his eyes took on a mischievous glint. "Hey, if you show me, I'll tell you a secret you'll never believe." He whispered. Elsa arched an eyebrow at him and he continued.
"I'm serious! I'll tell you something only very, very few people know." he tried to convince her.
Elsa thought it over for a moment then shrugged. Fine, a tiny display of her powers wouldn't kill anyone… she hoped. Sighing loudly, she agreed.
"Alright fine, watch this…" she said, scanning the room and finding the person she was looking for. Smirking, she surreptitiously brought a hand up and made a small sheet of ice appear behind Wilhelm, who was dancing with a loud petit blonde with big hair, and a strange accent. Smirking charmingly at the blonde, he twirled her, only to slip on the ice and fall, bumping into the buffet table and sending platters of horderves crashing on top of himself. Elsa quickly made the ice disappear before anyone could notice. To her left, Peter was laughing hysterically. They watched as Wilhelm stormed off in an embarrassed huff and the blonde he was dancing with shrugged and grabbed a random prince to dance with.
Elsa covered her mouth to hide her own amusement. Peter turned back to her, smiling brightly.
"Oh my, that was wonderful! That guy is such a jerk, he deserved that!" he said to Elsa, still laughing. Elsa smiled back in return.
"Time to keep your end of the bargain, we only have 3 minutes left." She said as they began dancing again. Peter nodded.
"Okay. Okay. So, you have to swear that you will not tell another living soul about this, okay?" He insisted seriously. Elsa nodded and he continued.
"So what would you say, if I told you mermaids were real?" he asked. Elsa stared at him blankly.
"Uh-huh." She dead panned.
"No, no! It's true. Mermaids are real, I swear it on my life." He whispered. Elsa continued to stare at him.
"Yeah right. And how do you know that mermaids exist? Have you ever seen one?" she asked, still not convinced. She was surprised when he excitedly nodded his head yes.
"Yes, I've seen several. You see that girl over there?" he pointed to the young girl he was standing with earlier. "She was a mermaid once. And so was my aunt Ariel. I see them all the time." He told her as they were finishing up their dance. "You still don't believe me do you?" he asked. Elsa shook her head no. He sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling something out.
"Then how about this? Visual proof." He said, holding out a small square piece of paper with an image on it. Elsa took it and stared in amazement. It was a small black and white slightly blurry picture of a beautiful woman sitting on a rock with a long scaly fin instead of legs and feet. Elsa stared at the picture then looked at the boy.
"This is incredible…." She said. Peter now looked smug.
"Who painted this? And why didn't he use colors? And who was the model that posed for this?" she asked as she turned the small "painting" over on its back and saw writing. 'To my dearest friend, Love always Sariah.'
Peter furrowed his brow. "What do you mean who painted it? It's a photograph." He said in a 'duh' voice. It was Elsa's turn to furrow her brow as she looked at him in confusion.
"A what?" she asked.
"A photograph. You don't know what a photograph is?" he asked. Elsa shook her head no, though she felt like she had heard the word somewhere before.
"You use this device called a camera obscura and point it at an object or person, then you click the button and wait for about a day to develop the image on a special piece of paper. It's like an instant painting. I got it when I visited England last year."
Elsa stared at the photograph in complete astonishment. An instant painting… Edmond. She heard about this from Edmond, the day after she and Anna had kissed in the garden. The horns sounded and it was time for her to change partners. She handed the photograph back to Peter and smiled lightly at him.
"That's incredible. So mermaids really exist. Next thing you know you're going to tell me farries exist too." She joked. Peter laughed loudly.
"Farries? Now that's just ridiculous your majesty." He continued laughing as he began to escort her back to her throne.
"Well-" Elsa's reply was cut short when another loud crash was heard. Elsa quickly turned around to see a crowd gathering around a head of red hair.
"Anna?"
AN: So maybe a chapter or two left for the ball. Then we move on to the real action/drama/tragedy/romance/angst/supernatural stuff. I have big plans and I can't wait to get to them. Hope you enjoyed this chapter/update! And hey, a Charlotte from The Princess and the Frog cameo. There will be more cameos.
ALSO! I HOPE I DID NOT OFEND ANYONE AND I MEAN ANYONE WITH THE WILHELM PART. I WANTED TO DISPLAY THE THINKING CERTAIN PEOPLE MAY HAVE HAD DURING THE TIME PERIOD I PLACE FROZEN AROUND. THIS WAS ACTUALLY HOW PEOPLE FELT AND THOUGHT AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD HISTORICAL NOD, SO I HOPE I DIDN'T OFEND ANY GERMANS, CHRISTAINS, TURKISH, ETC.
Some of the names of the kingdoms and such are nods from the original stories since they don't tell the actual names in the books or movies.
Weitweg (Weit weg)- German for Far Far Away. (As in the Snow White kingdom being in a land of Far Far Away.)
Iion- French for Far Away. (I researched and most people place Cinderella taking place in France.)
Charmant- French for charming. What else would I name Prince Charming's son? Also, his name is King Henry, because Charming is sometimes known as Henry.
Kaukasiers- German for Caucasians
Entschuldigung- German for excuse me
Eltz- The name of a castle closely resembling the one from Sleeping beauty, located in Germany
Enten- Danish for Sea
Seee you soon guys, I really do hope you enjoyed this!