I'll be honest. This might be the last chapter of the fic. Some of the responses I got last chapter were horrific. I rarely moderate comments and I had to delete four. I enjoy writing this fic, but it isn't worth my mental health. So if you're a rape-apologist, shut the fuck up :)
-IEA-
Though the party itself had been pleasant enough, Iduna couldn't describe the previous day as anything other than rough. It had been draining, emotional and had left her quite shaken up. Even after napping the previous day, she'd slept heavily through the night, occasionally woken by nightmares but they weren't as bad as she'd been dreading. She'd even overslept - with her door locked and instructions for nobody to disturb her, Iduna hadn't truly risen for the day until Anna came to check on her after breakfast.
Her younger daughter had brought along Iduna's favourite fare to ensure she'd eaten, and the bowl of yoghurt, berries and honey brought a smile to her face, even if being brought breakfast in bed made her feel a little childish. Or reminded her of her recovery time...
"Where's Elsa?"
"Uh. Out."
Iduna frowned, confused by Elsa having left the castle so early in the morning. Then she realised where her older daughter had gone.
"She hasn't..."
"She has, but we're not meant to talk about it. The less anyone knows, the better, right?"
Iduna swallowed thickly, reaching for water to try and clear her throat.
"Yes."
The thought of Elsa doing... whatever it was she had planned to do did not sit well with Iduna. But then she imagined if the roles were reversed, if someone had hurt one of her girls and then had the gall to be anywhere near them again... her hand curled into a fist without thought, and Anna frowned.
"Are you alright mother?"
"Hmm? Oh. Yes. Could I have some time to eat and dress for the day?"
"Oh. Sure! I'll uh, leave you to it. I'm gonna go... entertain the guests, since Elsa isn't here to do it. So you'll either find me in the big dining room or the big reception room. Either way, everyone has a hangover after last night so it's gonna be a pretty quiet morning."
It was only then Iduna realised how Anna was dressed. Given her more casual attitude, she occasionally turned up to breakfast still in her nightdress, but that morning she was done up quite formally. Making a mental note to choose suitable attire herself, she bade her daughter goodbye for a time and made her way through her breakfast slowly. Cleansing herself in the bathroom, Iduna picked out a nice dress for the day, and allowed one of the ladies to help with her hair and make-up once she was dressed.
"Queen Elsa left this for you. I've been assured it won't melt."
Confused, Iduna looked at what the woman was holding out. Presented in a necklace display box, it was a delicate chain clearly crafted from Elsa's own ice magic, glittering in the sunlight. The chain was thin and pretty, but completely outshone by the intricately formed snowflake pendant it bore.
"Oh. It's lovely."
"Shall I help you put it on, or would you prefer not to wear it this morning? Her Majesty insisted she would not mind if you did not wear it."
"No no, I'd like to wear it. I do hope it won't melt, a wet mark on the front of my dress would not do well."
She trusted Elsa's magic enough, had seen proof it was capable of being long lasting in the magnificent palace she'd built, in the living creatures that had been formed by her. It was cold when first laid on, but seemed to warm to her skin without melting as it settled around her neck. Not too tight, which Iduna appreciated, seeing the snowflake lay neatly just below the jewel on her collar. It was absolutely beautiful, and she felt warmed by the sweet gesture.
Iduna fretted for her daughter's safety, and would until Elsa returned. But she ought to go and help Anna keep the guests pacified, and so once she was fully made up and groomed, Iduna allowed someone to lead her to where everybody had congregated. A table of snacks and drinks was laid out to ensure nobody got peckish and started wandering the castle, though several attendees still looked a little... delicate after overindulging the night before.
"Ah, my lady Iduna, good of you to join us!"
Iduna wasn't sure who the man was, and backed away from his already-tipsy familiarity when he reached out to her. He seemed to remember himself enough to lower his hand, raising a glass of wine as he chattered away to her. Anna spotted her, and mercifully came to her rescue.
"Mother! Sorry sir, I need to borrow her for a moment."
"Of course Princess Anna! Oh, just a question, but will the Queen be joining us this morning?"
"Her Majesty had some business to attend to, but I'm sure she'll be along when she can. Do enjoy your morning."
Anna led her away quickly, and Iduna realised her daughter was holding her hand. She usually found it peculiar when Anna did it - usually out of habit, as she held Elsa's hand so often - but she didn't find it objectionable just then. If anything, she found it quite comforting, an anchor against her anxiety after the stranger had almost touched her. Anna didn't seem to realise she was doing it, or if she did she had decided to continue doing it.
"Are you alright?"
Her daughter asked softly, and Iduna nodded.
"Fine. Thank you."
Anna smiled, eyes dropping.
"You're wearing the necklace Elsa made."
Iduna raised her free hand to the pendant, nodding slowly.
"Yes. It's very pretty."
Anna's smile widened.
"Yeah, Elsa's magic always is."
Iduna looked around, confused by a lack of familiar faces that weren't in uniform.
"Where's Kristoff?"
Anna checked nobody was too close, voice lowered for privacy when she answered.
"With Elsa."
Ah. That made sense, she supposed; Elsa probably wouldn't have wanted to make a big show of taking the carriages and assorted entourage for what she had planned. Her worry flooded back, and Anna squeezed her hand.
"It's gonna be ok. You don't have to stay here if you want to go back to your room and rest."
"Oh, no, I'll be fine. And I can hardly leave you to manage representing Arendelle all alone."
Anna finally released her hand, and Iduna was surprised to realise she missed it. Her daughter gave her a tight smile before moving along to talk to someone else; if nothing else, the previous evening did seem to have had the desired effect. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, compliments about the get-together passed around as guests enthused about the food and drink and Elsa's hosting. So the intention of improving relations had been realised so far. Hopefully, none of them would grow irritated with Elsa's absence, but anyone who asked seemed understanding enough that the monarch was busy; most were leaders of something or other in their own right, and probably had duties mounting up back home themselves. It was just lucky that few could resist a party.
Or the urge to peek around Arendelle after what happened at Elsa's coronation, she suspected.
"Do you know what time the Queen might join us?"
"I don't. I trust my daughter's skills in running the kingdom, and so I do not question her timekeeping. The invite was for last night, she did not promise her time this morning. But please do enjoy yourself."
The nobleman blinked a few times as he processed Iduna's response, and by then she'd already moved off under pretense of perusing the table of refreshments. Hopefully he didn't think she was being rude. Anna caught her eye, threw her a reassuring smile. She knew they both worried about Elsa, Anna perhaps more than her considering how... close her daughters were. Anxiety fluttered in her chest, and she hoped Elsa wouldn't be gone too long, hoped her daughter wasn't hurt and hoped just as much that whatever she was doing wouldn't come back to haunt them.
"I guess technically, you didn't do anything. But how did you know he would?"
Kristoff stood off to the side, sweating with exertion from helping bury the evidence. There was still more mess to be cleaned up. Elsa crossed her arms, surveying the scene left behind.
"He was made from my fear. The reason Marshmallow" the name sounded somewhat ridiculous given the circumstances, but who were they to deny what Olaf had named the snow-creature? "is generally so docile is because I am now happy, no longer fearful. He responded to my anger toward that."
She spat the last word, then looked up at how Marshmallow was now far more at ease, though the same edge Elsa felt was no doubt there. Thinking on how to clean up the blood on the ground, Elsa looked around a little before conjuring up fresh snow, then melting it to puddle over the blood. Once frozen again, she swept it up into the air, willing it to disappear and hoping it wouldn't simply splatter back down. Thankfully, her magic took the evidence away in a fading flurry, leaving nothing behind but the knowledge shared between her, Kristoff and Sven. And Marshmallow, but she doubted he would - or could, given the lack of visitors to the Ice Palace - divulge the secret. With the body buried in the snow on the top of a particularly treacherous mountain, guarded by her snow-guardian, discovery was all but impossible.
"Huh. Well, I don't think he suffered enough, but then neither of us are really torturers."
Elsa hummed.
"Quite. I realise you know this, but nobody can know what happened up here. And though she may have questions about your presence here, I hope mother never knows that you know why this was something I had to do to begin with."
"Yeah, I get it. I know nothing!"
Kristoff made a gesture as if locking his mouth shut and tossing away the key, and Elsa couldn't help but chuckle.
"Thank you. I'm sure I don't say it enough, but I really do appreciate you Kristoff."
"Aww, you'll make me blush! Which actually might help, cus my face is freezing! I mean I love ice, but unlike you I'm not actually part ice and I do think it's a bit brisk up here."
"Let's head down a little out of the worst of the cold, and then Sven can rest before we head back."
"Sounds good."
Kristoff hunted out some firewood and he and Sven warmed up by a fire for a little while, and Elsa amused herself making little shapes of ice and melting them again. She was itching to get home, to reassure her mother and Anna and hopefully ensure that the previous night had not been entirely wasted, as her absence might have upset some of the visitors.
They were on their way back before long, but the sun had set over Arendelle before they made it back to the castle. Thankfully, she was back in time to see off some of those who were leaving, and they seemed cheerful enough with that.
"We must do this again some time Your Majesty!"
"I agree. I wish you a safe passage home."
"Thank you."
Her heart lifted on sight of Anna, who had obviously heard she was back before Elsa had chance to find her herself. Their mother was not far behind, and the two joined in waving off some guests before Anna hugged Elsa tight.
"Not here."
Elsa reminded her, and Anna nodded into her neck before pulling back, beaming.
"I missed you."
"Missed you too. Let's get inside, I need to change for dinner."
Anna held her hand the whole way in, talking casually about her day spent with the guests, never venturing into more serious topics. The crew of the sailor currently buried under several feet of snow and a giant building made of ice were still in port, and Elsa was sure that some would know the last place their captain was seen was with her. If they made a fuss, she could always simply have them kicked out of the city with ease, though that would have caused a scene so she hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"Much as I'd like to allow you along, I feel that would make us late for dinner and we don't have time. I'll tell you both everything later. Head along, I'll be down in a moment."
Elsa went and quickly washed herself, then had to be helped into one of her gowns for dinner as she couldn't do the back fastening herself. Freshened up in record time, Elsa made sure to change her boots before she went to join everybody for dinner. It was much tamer than the previous night, as half of the guests had gone home, but the more relaxed atmosphere reassured her that the previous evening had gone well.
"I apologise for being absent today, it was just one thing after another."
"Oh, we understand Your Majesty, the demands on rulers is never ending! But it's good of you to join us for dinner."
Everybody seemed cordial enough about it, and once everybody had had a drink, they settled even more and it allowed Elsa to keep an eye on Iduna. Her mother seemed tense still, but not as much as the day before. Kristoff gave no indication that anything amiss had gone on that day, though Elsa suspected he was putting on something of a front; supportive as he was, Kristoff had facilitated the end of a life, and he was no killer. He had offered to help, but still.
The end of dinner was quite the relief, and once Elsa had seen the guests off for the evening so they could go to bed, she allowed her posture to sink, shoulders sagging down a little. It had been an early start to avoid being noticed leaving Arendelle with Kristoff and him, so she'd not gotten much sleep. And it had been a long day just with the travelling and then having to put on a show for their guests again.
"Library?"
Anna asked, and Elsa agreed. They separated to get into their comfortable clothes, and Elsa requested the usual drinks be brought up to them, and requested two of the guards do a check to ensure no wayward guests would be eavesdropping on their conversations. Anna naturally followed Elsa, and as soon as they were behind closed doors her sister all but leapt on Elsa, attempting to catch up on a days worth of missed kisses and cuddles. Elsa was happy to indulge her for a moment, soaking in the warmth of Anna's body and relaxing more than she had since they curled up in bed together the night before.
"I know, I know, but the others are waiting and mother needs to know he's gone."
Anna sighed dramatically, but nodded her agreement.
"You're right, I know. I'll go change, meet you there?"
Pecking another kiss on her sister's lips, Elsa nodded. Anna helped undo the dress she had on, pouting about having to leave before it came off because Elsa knew what Anna was like. Once changed and with her dressing gown tied securely, Elsa went to join her family in the library they often spent their family game nights in. Kristoff and Iduna were already there, and Anna wasn't far behind Elsa.
"Where's Olaf?"
"Oh, he went to spend the day at the school and sent a note to say he was going to a sleepover. I made sure a member of staff supervised him at the school, and then checked the parents were alright with the sleepover, but you know the kids love him and it's not like he's a difficult house guest. He doesn't need to eat and drink, just keep him away from fires."
Elsa smiled.
"True. He's basically a child himself. Just... made of snow."
She could see her mother was itching to ask, but they were waiting on the drinks before conversation turned to such matters. Thankfully, they weren't waiting long, and everyone but Elsa topped up their hot drinks with a shot of something stronger before they started. Elsa made sure to seal the doors with her magic, as it made for additionally reassuring soundproofing.
"So what happened up there? He didn't try anything did he?"
"He was overly friendly and drinking, but I think my magic and Kristoff made for quite a deterrent. Enough to get him up the mountain anyway. And then I... introduced him to Marshmallow."
Anna's eyes widened.
"Oh, of course! He sort of knows what you're feeling, so I guess he could tell you were mad at the guy."
"Precisely."
"It was messy. Like, really messy. But it's all cleaned up now!"
Elsa watched their mother taking a long draw from her mug before she turned and looked right at Elsa.
"He's gone?"
"He's gone."
The tension that leeched out of her was clear, though there was a weight of words unsaid in the air. Kristoff was obviously exhausted and excused himself once he'd finished his drink, and the three women were quiet themselves for several minutes after he left.
"How do you feel about it?"
Anna eventually asked, watching Elsa closely.
"I don't feel anything really, other than relief he's gone. No guilt, if you were worried."
She seemed relieved to hear that, leaning in to Elsa's side and sighing.
"Good. He's not worth feeling bad about."
"Exactly. How do you feel now, mother?"
"I... I'm not sure. I wish you hadn't... but I'm glad he's gone. I just need time to process, I think."
"Of course. We should get to bed soon anyway."
As if on cue, Anna let out a long yawn.
"Yeah, bed sounds good. Come on, let's get going before I decide to sleep here. You make a great pillow Elsa."
Feeling a fond smile cross her lips, Elsa reluctantly pried Anna off her side, placing her empty mug down before she got to her feet. Anna gratefully took a hand to help her up, rubbing her eyes and looking utterly adorable. It seemed an unspoken agreement that they'd walk their mother back to her room, as she was still feeling shaken by the reappearance of that man the day before. It would take time for her to realise she was permanently safe from him now.
Iduna's hand stilled on her door handle, turning to look at her daughters with an unreadable expression.
"What's wrong?"
Anna asked, too tired for subtlety.
"It's silly."
"No, no. Tell us."
"Would you... sit with me for a few minutes?"
"Of course."
They didn't hesitate to agree, and so followed her in to her room. There was some awkward waiting around and bathroom trips, but soon enough Iduna was sliding under her covers, tiredness clear on her face. Anna went and perched on the edge of the bed, fiddling with one of her braids.
"Want us to stay til you fall asleep?"
A timid nod was the only confirmation, and rather than take a chair, Anna laid down on her back - on top of the covers, naturally - next to their mother. It was an... interesting sight, but Elsa shoved those thoughts away. The bed was plenty big enough.
"Come on Elsa, don't just stand there!"
As though she wasn't asking Elsa to get in the bed with their mother, Anna pouted until Elsa rolled her eyes and shuffled over, sitting awkwardly on Iduna's other side. She was pretty sure she'd have to try and wake Anna without disturbing their mothers rest before long, as Anna's eyes were already fluttering open and closed in that way they often did before slumber happened.
But after the last couple of days she'd had, Elsa couldn't possibly have denied their mother the comfort she needed there and then. So, awkward as she felt, Elsa sat and waited for her mother to fall asleep. At least the next day wouldn't involve a murder. Well, hopefully not.
-IEA-
I didn't include the whole death bit explicitly cus, well, I didn't know how many people wanted to read a graphic murder. And I hope the dickheads have all gone away, cus we're alllllmost at the good stuff! It'd be a shame to have to abandon it now.
