Chapter 4:
Queen anointed
When Elsa came back inside the goahti with the morning tea, she thought she would find Anna tying up her hair or her shoes; but instead she only found a bump in the bed.
"Still sleeping?"
"...Not anymore, since you just talked." Grumbled a voice muffled by the pelts.
Elsa shook her head as she put the two mugs on the trunk next to the bed, and tugged down the top of the cover to reveal Anna's face.
"Eeek! No!" Shrieked the redhead, clenching her eyes shut.
Her elder frowned, and melted the part of her outfit that was on her forearm to apply her skin on Anna's forehead.
"Hmm. You have no sign of fever. Must be something else. A big case of laziness, perhaps?" Smirked Elsa.
"Shush up!" Grumbled her younger sister, who tugged back on the pelts and covered her head. "Why is it so bright in there?"
"Because it's half past six in the morning," simply answered the blonde.
"It's so early!"
She rolled her eyes at the Queen's whine.
"Kristoff told me that you wake up very early now with the meetings and royal duties, and that you actually got used to it."
"Yes, but I'm on my day off!" Exclaimed the voice masked by the pelts. "Also, who the hell wakes up her sister at six in the morning? And why is everyone active outside? What kind of hospitality is that?"
Elsa laughed, aware that she was kidding. "It's the light that woke you up, drama queen. Not us."
"You're the drama queen." Corrected Anna, refusing to be the sister adorned with the title. "Besides, you should have told me. A little warning doesn't hurt."
"About?" Frowned Elsa.
"Well, I didn't know that the sunlight was so invasive inside the goahtis." Mumbled Anna.
Her sister snorted. "You sleep without any panel in the castle to see when 'the sky is awake' with the northern lights."
"Maybe. But in my room, I just have to roll over with my back to the window if it's too much. Here, it's… Everywhere!"
The Spirit looked around. Indeed, the goahti was traditionally round and made of wood, so there were a thousand vertical slits letting the light in.
"I like it. It's beautiful. It gives the room a warm aura." She smiled.
There also was the opening at the top of the goahti that let the smoke of the fire go out, and it formed a bright spot of light moving around depending on the time of the day; Anna probably had laid her eyes on it when waking up, and it could solely had made her take refuge under the pelts.
Anna groaned and lifted her index up, her hand the only thing that appeared off the pelts.
"By royal decree, I declare that today has been canceled. I stay in bed."
Elsa chuckled as she sat on the bed and caught the hand.
"This is Northuldra's camp, ma'am, your rules don't apply here." She said in a pompous tone to play her game.
Anna laughed, and retracted her hand, but Elsa still firmly had it in hers as she smirked, and she had the good intention to drag Anna out of bed in one move.
"...Please don't freeze my hand to force me to stand up." Begged the redhead, her voice fearful under the cover, and Elsa dropped her teasing smile.
"Hey, if you want to stay in bed longer, I'll let you."
A silence passed.
"For real?" Asked Anna's timid voice again.
Elsa smiled warmly. "Of course. I get it, you're tired from all your duties, and you need a break. That's what the Forest is for."
She simply bent forward and kissed the top of Anna's hair, as a small tuft of it had popped from the covers. "I made tea, it's on the trunk next to you."
The Spirit stood up and twirled her wrist to make the sleeve of her outfit form over her arm again, then waved her fingers at the second mug to make it float to her hand.
"I'll have mine outside."
Anna smiled at her elder's care, then fell back to sleep after the flap closed.
"Oh, Her Majesty Queen Anna of Arendelle graces us with her presence!" Smirked Ryder.
He then met Honeymaren's angry stare, and he gulped before returning to his coloring bucket, his focus back on the dyed clothes. Anna internally smirked at the simple understatement. She had no idea how much time she had eventually slept, but one thing was for sure, Elsa had warned her girlfriend about leaving Anna in peace concerning her long slumber.
"How are you feeling?" Smiled the Spirit, and in the sunlight, she was beaming.
"Really great, thank you. The tea was very tasty too. I had no idea you were that good at making it." Smiled Anna back.
Honeymaren lifted her eyes from her bucket. "I'll have you know that she has become a remarkable Northuldra!" She said with pride.
It was obvious that this progress was due to her, among anyone else. Yelena too, perhaps. But Anna knew that Elsa had spent a lot of time with Honeymaren since day one.
The Spirit blushed. "Don't say that, Honey. There still are a lot of things I'm struggling with."
Honeymaren looked at her lover's hands, and sighed. "Yes, like dye."
Elsa frowned at her then at her bucket, lifting her hand out of the water. Both sisters widened her eyes at how blue her skin was.
The Northuldra surrounding them bit their lips or coughed to hide their laughters.
"Oh dear…" Murmured Elsa, staring at her deep blue fingers.
Honeymaren sighed tenderly. "How many flowers did you put in your bucket?"
Elsa stared at her like it was a stupid question. "The whole basket, why?"
New masked laughter erupted from the Northuldra around them. Thankfully, they were polite and didn't mean to mock her. The situation simply was too funny not to react.
"You're not supposed to use the whole stack of flowers in one go!" Scolded the brunette, in alarm and disbelief at Elsa's naivety.
The Spirit blinked confused eyes, looking at the empty basket, then the bucket, then her girlfriend, then her bucket again, then at her hands. "Oh."
She had a guilty smile. "I thought that the deep blue was normal."
"We're aiming at sky blue, Elsa, not…" Honeymaren sighed. "Nevermind."
She couldn't hold it against her; she should have told her about dosing, and she knew how nerdy the Spirit was with the blue color.
"Uhm, what are you all doing, exactly?" Asked Anna, half curious and half concerned.
"The dyes", simply said Yelena, with a voice full of despair though comprehension. She knew it wasn't easy for a beginner, and made a head gesture towards Elsa. "Come on, follow me. We'll try to clean your hands."
The Spirit blushed in embarrassment. "Thank you so much, Yelena."
As they walked away, Anna hesitated in between helping them or helping her sister. But when she understood that it wasn't a task for clumsy people - she cleverly noticed that not many Northuldra participated - she decided to trot after Elsa.
"It could have been worse, the dye could have been red." She smirked when she arrived next to her as they walked.
Elsa breathed out. "Don't tell me about it."
"Don't feel disappointed, Fifth Spirit." Smiled Yelena in front of them. "You've done remarkable work so far and have been of genuine help since you started to live with us, trust me. Your mother would be proud."
The blonde blushed, and looked down as they walked, with a smile that didn't escape Anna. She knew it was Elsa's secret ambition to follow the traditions.
Yelena showed the blonde which soap to use in the river to get rid of the deep color on her hands. They wouldn't pollute nature with the natural dye, and Anna found herself loving the idea. She sniffed the different bars of soap as Elsa rubbed her hands.
"Those smell amazing. Can I bring some home?"
"I can ask Juhan to make you a basket of different ones, if you like. He's the one who makes the soap. His family is really good at it." Smiled the Spirit. "He will certainly agree to trade it for chocolate."
"Deal." Smirked Anna.
A silence passed as they were crouched on the bank of the river and contemplated the calming Forest around them, the valley and the distant mountains. Anna even saw some Giants walking in the distance, and imagined that they were patrolling.
"I didn't even get to ask you what time it is. I like that the tribe doesn't use clocks and all, but I'm a bit lost."
Elsa looked at the position of the Sun, then the shadows of the trees. "I'd say it's around ten."
"Ten?"
The blonde thought that Anna had been surprised by how much she had slept, finding it weird that she had regretted her sleep in.
"How can you tell?" Asked the Queen.
Oh.
Elsa smiled. "Experience. Hang around here for a week and you'll discover yourself new skills."
Anna smirked.
"Also," added Elsa, "I come to ask myself the same question quite often. Not only because it's still hard for me to not know the time all the time, but because when I step out of Ahtohallan, I'm always surprised by how much time has passed."
The redhead grinned. "Admiring the past?"
"No, not even that. I just… Lose track of time in the dome, you know. Everything is so bright, so blue, I'm often surprised when I walk back to the shore, and think that I'm late for dinner, that only a few minutes have passed."
She let her mind wander, observing the horizon. "I suppose it's logical. Ahtohallan is the river of time, and has its own rules. I have to get used to it."
A thoughtful silence followed, only broken by the sound of birds.
"Waow, being the Fifth Spirit can be tough." Said Anna dramatically. "This sounds like a tremendous problem."
Elsa's jaw dropped, and she splashed her sister's face with the river's water.
"Worth it." Couched Anna, wiping her face.
"And it's Her Majesty Sleep-In who's talking?" Teased Elsa back.
"If you ever say this out loud when we're in town, I'll strangle you." Gasped the redhead.
The elder smiled as she resumed rubbing her hands. The blue was soon entirely dissipated. "Arendellians already know that you're the kind to enjoy little things in life, and they also know that it doesn't prevent you from being a wonderful Queen. I could yell that you snore from the top of the clock tower and they would just shrug. They respect you no matter what."
Anna smiled tenderly.
"Well, you know, sometimes, being a respected Queen has its disadvantages." She shrugged.
Elsa gave her a curious look. "Okay, now you can't say that without telling the story."
Her sister smirked. "There is a reason why I asked you for ice mannequins to fight with in the first place. Sure, now it's awesome because you make them move and even give them personalities and styles and whatnot, but initially it was because fighting guards is so boring."
The blonde lifted an eyebrow, her mouth twisted up with sass. "I would have heard it all. Arendelle's army, boring?"
"I'm talking about royal guards."
"They went through the same program." Pointed out the Spirit.
"Elsa, I'm talking about royal. Guards." Pointed out Anna even more.
She sighed again. "Every time I asked them to be more aggressive in their moves when they trained against me, they barely pointed at me with the end of their swords, like goddamn toothpicks. I'm serious, don't laugh, it was super annoying. One time I actually ordered them to attack me like I was a genuine enemy. And then they pretended to fall or trip or miss and… Ugh. It was exactly like fighting wooden mannequins, trust me."
Elsa kept giggling, shaking her head. "You really are something."
"Laugh all you want, I should have fired them."
"For trying not to harm their Queen who incites to violence?" Smiled Elsa.
Anna stuck out her tongue.
Suddenly, a realization struck her. "Hang on a minute, if I woke up this late, how come my tea was still hot when I drank it?"
The blonde widened her eyes, surprised as well, then smirked. "That little rascal. That's why I couldn't find him. Did you spot Bruni in the goahti by any chance?"
Anna blinked. "Uhh… I don't think I have."
Elsa shook her head as she stood up, also shaking her now clean hands. "Well I think that he slept with you. He took the opportunity to hang out. He likes to spend time with you, you know?"
"Even when I sleep?"
"Spirits really are all about caring presence. I suppose that he heated up your tea in exchange for sleeping on the stove."
Honeymaren approached, and Anna turned to smile at her. Seeing that her hands were clean, and that her sister was distracted, Elsa grinned like a child and splashed Anna's cheek with water again.
"Oh no, you didn't!" Jolted the redhead with a gasp, turning around quickly.
Her mischievous elder cackled as she stood up hurriedly and ran away to escape her wrath.
"Elizabeth Iduna of Arendelle, you come back here immediately!" Yelled Anna, trying to grab her.
Elsa's giggle was too far already, and the younger sister sighed in failure, slumping her shoulders and squeezing her wet hair. The brunette walked to her and frowned in confusion.
"Is that really her full name?"
"Only when she pisses me off." Retorted Anna.
Honeymaren blinked, just as lost as before. That didn't answer her question. Was Anna making up a name or was it real? Was Elsa's name actually Elizabeth? Honeymaren's brain stirred as she remembered that there was a Queen in another country with that name. Maybe it was a royal tradition? Wait, was Anna's actual name Annabel? Or maybe Annabelle? No, that would be weird, Annabelle of Aren…
"What?" Worried the redhead at her state.
Honeymaren's eyes had been wide as she theorized.
"N-nothing", mumbled the Northuldra.
She wondered if she would ever get the courage to ask for explanations.
Nevertheless, later on, Anna explained that 'Elizabeth' was a joke between them, based on a name error made by a diplomat months ago.
"If I win this last round," announced Elsa with a grin, "you owe me a box of chocolate treats."
Anna scoffed. "Is that all? It's not like I can't afford going to the chocolatier…"
"One of your boxes." Smirked the blonde.
"WHAT?"
There was a moment of silence, until Anna agreed. "Deal."
She grabbed the throwing log and stuck out her tongue as she focused on the pins, starting the game.
Ten minutes later, the sisters were arguing out loud, and several Northuldra turned their heads with laughter.
"You cheated!"
Anna scoffed. "No I didn't."
"Yes you did! You crossed the line!"
"Pff. Prove it!"
Elsa crossed her arms and tilted her hip to the side. Anna instantly realized that she never should have said that to the Fifth Spirit. She saw Elsa close her eyes and mentally conjured Gale, who joyfully arrived to serve.
Elsa waved her arms as they both united their magic to craft an ice statue of a one-minute old moment, representing Anna clearly crossing the line. The frozen memory was fixed in the exact instant she did, and all the Northuldra laughed around them.
"Okay, fine." Grumbled Anna, blushing.
Elsa smirked with sarcasm, but their little fight was quickly forgotten when kids ran to see the statue closer. The resemblance with the actual Anna was striking, which made sense because it was an exact replica of what had just happened, but they couldn't help being amazed by it.
Anna helped to tidy up then approached the statue with a curious smile too, forever admirative of her elder's talent.
Then she frowned. "Is that really what my hair looks like from the back?"
Elsa approached with a chuckle. "Yes, why?"
Anna nervously passed a hand behind her head. "It's just… Weird…"
Her elder put her hand on her shoulder. "If you think this is weird, imagine me seeing very cringing memories of myself all over Ahtohallan."
The Queen giggled. "Yeah, that must be something. I would constantly be triggered seeing me and Hans get… Intimate." She shivered.
The siblings had nervous laughter.
"Do you have news about him, by the way?" Asked Elsa. "Rumors are that he escaped jail."
"I addressed a letter to the King of the Southern Isles about that." Informed Anna. "But, to be honest, I'm sure that those rumors are fake. And…" She shrugged. "If he did escape, I would just have to knock him down one more time."
Elsa grinned, and she patted the back of her sister.
They continued the game, not without bumping each other while the other threw the log. Eventually, they agreed on a tie, not even following any rule anymore.
The sisters came back to the center of the camp and saw other Northuldra children gathered around Honeymaren.
Apparently, the brunette had been cleaning her tunic in the river in front of them as they were playing leapfrog on the stones, and the children had witnessed something amazing on her arms and shoulders. Elsa gulped in arousal when she saw that her girlfriend almost was in underwear, only clothed in a brassiere from the hips upwards.
Her tunic was drying on a rack next to her stool, thanks to a pink fire that had been lit up by Bruni hours before. The magical flames would dry it faster than any regular one, but Elsa was very close to asking the Fire Spirit to burn the tunic down so she could enjoy Honeymaren's broad shoulders and natural biceps for a longer time.
"And this one? And this one?" Jolted a kid, pointing at the brunette's elbow.
Anna frowned as they approached, trying to understand the topic.
Honeymaren lifted her arm, following the pointed finger of the tiny Northuldra. "Oh, this one is as interesting as the previous one. See, one day Ryder almost fell off a cliff and I had to throw myself forward to catch him by the collar before he dropped. And I scraped my elbow all along. See?"
She traced the scar with her finger, and the kids went on a long "Ooooooh" along with her gesture.
"Oh, you're talking about your scars." Smiled Anna, finally catching up. She then understood why the kids were in awe. She couldn't have known, but Honeymaren's whole torso was covered with them. Of course, her skin wasn't entirely scarred, but Anna was as excited as the children, and she naturally sat among the kids.
The brunette laughed at her presence.
"Keep going." Invited the Queen, nodding.
Honeymaren kept her serious and resumed her stories, and Elsa laid against a tree to observe the scene with smiling eyes.
"This one!" Pointed a little boy.
"Okay. This one is way older. You can see how it's faded away. Of course, no scar truly is fading away - she winked at the kids for the moral - but it's more in my skin tone, isn't it?"
Some kids nodded. Others had approached to see it clearer.
"It happened when I was around… Your age." She said, pointing at a seven year old girl. "I was trying to climb on the biggest tree that was under the mist so I could reach the Wind Spirit who was playing around the top. But I slipped, and, well, ouch."
Several kids laughed.
"Remember to always check where your two hands and two feet are before reaching out for something when you're in a tree, okay?" She warned the young Northuldra.
They all nodded.
"How about this one?" Asked Anna, politely pointing at one on the front of her arm. It looked like it was composed of four small but deep scars, and they were nearly identical, which attracted the redhead's attention.
Honeymaren flexed her bicep to see it better, and Elsa's mouth ran dry in an instant.
"Ha! That was one tough encounter with wolves. I ran as fast as I could, and obviously managed to escape, or I wouldn't be there to talk, but the alpha or the older mother of the pack jumped and tried to bite me. I blocked its jaws with my staff but then it tried to claw me. And succeeded."
The kids and Anna joined together in one "Wooooh."
"Thankfully, Yelena came to the rescue and saved my life with a well-placed arrow that came into the wolf's flank to scare and hurt him, without a big injury. The whole pack ran away."
She lifted her head to smirk at Yelena who was tying a basket further on.
"I still owe her, but that old lady refuses to find herself in a deadly situation."
"I heard that." Said the chief's voice in the distance.
They all giggled, even some passing-by Northuldra.
"Did the wolves leave from that area?" Asked a girl, feeling sad for the animals.
"No," assured Honeymaren. "We simply stopped hunting in that part of the Forest and returned that territory to them. They had it first."
The girl beamed in joy.
"That's a crazy story." Grinned Anna. "Elsa, did you know about it?" She asked, turning her head to her sister vividly. She found it weird that the blonde only was participating from afar, when it was a topic she knew she would find fascinating.
"Oh, she knows already." Informed Honeymaren.
Anna turned to the brunette again.
"She knows everything about all of my scars. Every single one of them." Insisted Honeymaren with a sly smile that didn't escape Anna. She also had accentuated her last sentence, and the redhead dropped her jaw with a naughty expression.
Both looked at Elsa and the latter had her entire face burning, instantly avoiding eye contact and pretending to be busy inspecting a tree.
"How about that…" Murmured Anna, her tone showing both fascination and a certain happiness to learn how intimate her elder could be.
Elsa heard, and awkwardly fidgeted with her light blonde locks, her ears burning with embarrassment.
"She knows my body even more than I do." Whispered Honeymaren to Anna's ear, to make sure that the children wouldn't hear, as this sentence was a clear innuendo.
"Please, that's enough." Gulped Elsa, who had read on her lips.
Anna grinned like she had just got the gossip of the century and turned to her sister.
"Say, Elsa, what's your favorite scar?"
Everybody stared at her, especially the kids. Elsa's face now was as bright as Bruni's flames.
"Annnnd that's the end of story time!" Blurted the Spirit, quickly walking to them. "How about I call Gale to play, uh?"
She then urgently scanned the surroundings to find the Wind Spirit which was still nearby. "She's over there. How about you go for a tickle fight?"
The kids stood up in one jolt and happily ran to the Spirit.
'Please, friend, I am begging you to take care of them immediately', mentally pleaded Elsa.
Gale was happy to have fun with the children like most of the time, so she assured her that it was no problem.
"I'm coming along, kids. Let's go see Gale!" Exaggerated Anna with a fake enthusiastic voice, making big arms and legs gestures as she ran away.
Elsa looked at her go with a death stare, then spun to her girlfriend with fury, her hair twirling with her.
"I'll goddamn kill you." She asserted in a hiss.
Honeymaren casually stood up from her stool to check the drying state of her tunic, whistling calmly as she ignored her.
"She'll spend her entire life teasing me about it, I'll never hear the end of it." Elsa whined with slumped shoulders.
"At least it'll bring conversation during dinners." Snorted Honeymaren.
Elsa grumbled, pinching the top of her nose, and the brunette stopped what she was doing.
"Sorry, mitty lys, I didn't mean to upset you." She apologized, hugging her. She noticed that Elsa calmed down, soothed by the nickname.
When they parted, Honeymaren couldn't help but be sassy.
"Though, were you upset or turned on?"
"Say one more word and I'll give you another scar, and this time on your butt." Mumbled the Spirit.
"Ohhh, easy, we're in public. You wouldn't want– AHGH!"
Honeymaren instantly jolted away from the embrace to slam both of her hands in her back, but whatever she was reaching was too far; a snowball had just appeared in her back under her shirt, and she wasn't able to catch it.
"How did you even… You had your arms crossed!" Whined the brunette, wriggling in all directions to get rid of it, but it seemed to be floating away from her hands to avoid her dusting it off.
"You should know by now that I can control ice and snow with just one finger. And this comes with an appropriate warning." Threatened Elsa, her azure blue eyes filled with power.
She then vanished the snowball to end her suffering.
"Ahtohallan's sake…" Exhaled Honeymaren.
"You can't say it any better." Commented the Snow Queen as she walked away.
The brunette grumbled. 'Do you even allow this kind of use of your gift, All-Mother?' She thought.
She admired the range of her goddess of a girlfriend to no end every day, but sometimes it was unfair.
Nevertheless, the shiver that roamed Honeymaren's back wasn't only due to the cold; Elsa had undeniably aroused her, and she had revenge plans for the upcoming night.
"Is Anna about to leave?" Asked Honeymaren to change the topic, seeing that several Northuldra were taking care of her horse and leading it to the edge of the Forest in preparation.
Elsa nodded. "Yes. That's why we played one last game. I'm starting to think that she'll add it to the list of Friday games."
After one last warm hug to her sister, then many others because Anna wanted to say goodbye to a lot of people, the Queen went next to her horse to put her travel boots back on.
She sat on a rock then immediately stood up like she had been shocked by something.
"Is something wrong?" Worried Elsa.
"Sorry." Chuckled the Queen. "Between my in-laws who turn into boulders when they nap and the Earth Spirit that is present everywhere, I'm afraid to be offensive when I…"
The Fifth Spirit giggled. "This one's alright."
When Anna's horse passed by the Elemental Stones and she twisted her whole body to wave one last time at everyone, Elsa smiled and lifted her arms to create ice fireworks in the air, which she knew her sister loved. The latter grinned, as well as the children who then jumped everywhere to grab the snowflakes sparkles that fell to the ground.
"This is amazing!" Jolted a kid who passed by Honeymaren.
"The Fifth Spirit can indeed do many incredible things." Complimented Honeymaren, and she looked over to her smiling girlfriend, then at the young Northuldra who surrounded her. "Some of them I can't tell because you're children."
Elsa blushed furiously, the snow above her slightly twirling around. A Giant noticed and giggled in a deep sound.
Honeymaren woke up in the middle of the night with a shiver. She groaned and kept her eyes shut, trying to understand why while also trying to go back to sleep. She listened carefully and didn't hear wind whistling on the other side of the wood of the walls, so it wasn't the weather. Did she forget to put new logs in the fire before going to bed? She frowned. No, she never forgot. That was one of the things Elsa loved most about her; she never forgot anything, and Honeymaren was proud of it and fully intended to train her memory to never deceive her lover. After all, she was the guardian of memories, so it only was fair to be at her level.
Elsa.
'ELSA!' Suddenly thought Honeymaren in a jolt, and she sat up quickly.
She turned to her girlfriend and her suspicions were correct; she was snowing. Honeymaren couldn't see it in the dark until now, and couldn't see that her breath had turned to smoke either, but it was Elsa who was making the room colder. And who knows, maybe beyond the goahti… It wasn't the first time that Elsa had a nightmare, far from it, but each time it happened, Honeymaren preferred not to imagine the impact radius. Thankfully, the small cloud of snow only was right above the Spirit's head.
"Hey, hey, baby."
She heard Elsa whimper, and now that Honeymaren's eyes got used to the dark, she could see her curl even more than she already was.
"Elsa, it's me. You're safe. It's Honeymaren. You're safe."
The blonde's right hand was clenched on the pelt and the brunette could see it sparkle a bit. She had frozen the cover under her palm. Caution and experience taught her that she shouldn't touch Elsa's skin in that state; last time she did, she couldn't feel her fingers for two days, and she since believed Anna when she told her that when she had turned to an ice statue, Hans' blade had frozen before even touching her hand.
The brunette sat closer and continued to talk to her lover.
"Shhh, you're alright, mitt lys."
The nickname seemed to act like a soft trigger, and Elsa gasped lightly as she woke up. She instantly felt the cold, the layer of ice on the pelt, the snow falling in her hair, and reality grasping on her. The blonde let out a long sigh, in relief and exasperation.
"Not again."
"It's okay." Assured Honeymaren.
Elsa did a quick flick of the wrist, and the snow cloud vanished in the air while the layer retracted on the cover until it disappeared. The temperature of the room returned to normal within seconds. It was so fast and different that Honeymaren, who had been starting to get used to the cold air, felt like she had just stepped inside a sauna.
The blonde sat up next to her girlfriend, and the latter passed her hand along her back. "You're safe now."
"It's not me who needed safety." Murmured Elsa, still shocked by her dream and how clear it was.
"What?"
Elsa turned to her, even if they were in the dark. "I had a nightmare about Anna. Again." She added with a groan. "Why can't I just have dreams of good moments together?"
The Northuldra smiled. "Because you care a lot about her and you imagine all the sad possibilities. What was she going through?"
The Spirit tried to remember, but the more she did, the more dissipated her dream was, like fog she couldn't catch. "I… I don't remember."
"Nothing important then."
Elsa sighed. It was a clumsy remark from Honeymaren, but she was right.
"Still, I could tell that I already had this exact nightmare."
She thought for a moment. "I think that the last time was during your hike with Kristoff up North. You weren't there."
"And I'm sorry." Smiled Honeymaren sadly. "Wait, didn't you see Anna later that day? Did you tell her?"
"...No."
"Elsaaaa."
"Oh, stop it."
"Why didn't you talk about it with her? It would have helped!"
"Don't give me that tone! Or that look!" Grunted the blonde.
Honeymaren couldn't help but chuckle. "You're joking, right? You can't see my face."
Elsa pouted. "Well, maybe I have the power to see in the dark, in addition to freeze covers."
The brunette rolled her eyes. "Right. I forgot that I dated a lynx for a moment."
If Elsa weren't taking precautionary measures, she would have punched her arm in reply.
"Hey, I am only trying to help." Said Honeymaren.
"What if I don't need any help. I'm the problem, that's all. Anna is safe, I know it, and even if she weren't, I can always rush to Arendelle in a snap with Nokk. When is my stupid brain going to understand that…"
She sighed, and dropped her head back on the pillow. Honeymaren shifted and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You have the most brilliant brain I know of, mitt lys. And dreams are a strange magic. You can't do anything about them."
The blonde clenched her eyes shut. "I wish there was a spell that would allow me to never have nightmares anymore. I had way too much for one lifetime."
Honeymaren laid on her elbow next to her. "But if you do, who am I going to sing lullabies to?"
Elsa snorted and finally smiled for the first time. "You incorrigible flirt."
"That's not even flirting. Well, let me think… I know a hundred lullabies, maybe one of them has salacious lyrics…"
The blonde giggled, and just to make her laugh even more, Honeymaren improvised a lullaby with filthy words. She tried all she could to make rhymes but it was hard; Elsa actually had to help her and they laughed together through the night. Eventually, the Spirit's voice grew quieter until she didn't fill Honeymaren's blanks anymore. When her breathing extended signaling she was asleep again, the brunette shifted under the pelts next to her, spooning her delicately.
Hours later in the morning, Elsa's belly rumbled and gurgled for the third time in a row. Honeymaren smirked, now having proof that it wasn't a coincidence.
"Did you eat enough this morning?"
The blonde avoided eye contact. "Y-yeah. Yes."
A laugh escaped her girlfriend, and she gave her a frown. "What?"
"Oh, you're so bad at it."
"At what? Having breakfast?"
"Yes, that, but I meant lying." Snorted Honeymaren.
Then her tease stopped when she saw Elsa sulking. She knew how touchy she could be when she felt down, and the Northuldra lover never meant to make her uncomfortable.
Her face switched to a sad smile. "It's because of your nightmare, isn't it?"
It was no secret that the blonde's mood impacted her self-care.
Elsa sighed. "There's no need to hide it from you. Yes. It came back, even after your lullaby. The same thing again."
Honeymaren took some pride in establishing that the normally reserved woman was confessing to her. She tilted her head, then put down the lichen she was picking with her and caressed her face to rub her cheek with her thumb. "Breathe."
Elsa let out another sigh and put her hand on the back of Honeymaren's hand, pressing her cheek deeper in the touch. "I'll need a nap this afternoon."
"No problem. We only need to take care of the reindeer in the morning."
She picked back her stack of lichen, and compared it to the one in Elsa's hands. "And look, you even picked more treats for them than I do. Someone's having a soft spot for animals, uh?" She winked.
Elsa however didn't smile. She still looked down, lost in her thoughts.
"Hey, it's a common thing to have recurrent nightmares." Informed the brunette.
"I know." Admitted Elsa. "But this one is about Anna, and… What if Ahtohallan also gave me a sort of… Premonition magic?"
Honeymaren thought that she was too dramatic, but it was legitimate. "We would be aware of it, wouldn't we?"
"True." Simply mumbled the blonde.
"And you already manage to predict the weather of the following day based on the Spirits' behavior, you can't have everything." Smirked Honeymaren.
Elsa melted at her lover's insistence to joke, and eventually smiled.
"Aaaah, there we go." Grinned the brunette.
She nudged her with her elbow. "Come on, let's go pamper some baby reindeers."
Elsa's mood was lifted at the idea of the activity, and taking care of calves in company of her girlfriend was something she dearly loved. She eventually forgot the nightmare.
Anna rubbed her temples, trying her best to not physically and mentally turn mad. She also was on the end of the table as she presided over the meeting, so all eyes naturally landed on her.
She sighed. "For the last time, gentlemen, this was a well thought decision, and I assure you that my best–"
"You haven't warned us."
"Yes, he's right, you should have told us before the meeting happened."
The two politicians had stern faces, and Anna couldn't believe their behavior. She gave them a stare. "Before the meeting started? But the whole point of it is to decide on laws…"
"Yes, and we have to vote them together." Insisted a third politician, and while Anna liked their stubborness, she grew tired of repeating things over and over.
She inhaled longly, then looked at him with fierce gaze.
"Tell me, sir, did you ever die?"
He blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
Several representatives around the table exchanged looks.
"Did you ever die." Casually repeated Anna, like it was a very common question.
"I… Uh… No." He said in a blabber.
"Because I did."
A silence floated in the air.
"Of a frozen heart." She precised, and even someone with little imagination could understand how it felt. Anyway, all the politicians present in the room had been there at Elsa's coronation years ago, so they had witnessed the scene.
They gulped, and a silence fell in the room.
"So." Broke Anna, taking advantage of having the lead again. "My decision is made. The death penalty–"
"What I'm saying is that it would not be the same if you were a King."
Several muffled gasps sounded around the table. Not everyone was offended, but it was clear that the man who had dared to cut the Queen and speak those words had made an impression.
Anna clenched her hands on the table but kept her calm.
"You mean if I were a man?"
"Exactly." Frowned the politician, worried he hadn't been clear to her brain. "I'm sure that King Kristoff would not make such decisions if he were the one in charge."
Anna's jaw dropped in a scoff. So that's what this was all about? They were upset that when Kristoff married her and finally obtained the title of King, he let her rule over the land, by trust and love of her skills? Did they even know that Kristoff willingly encouraged her to do so? Did they even know that he had leading skills too, but preferred to let Anna take control, and would intervene at her side only in extreme necessity?
She crossed her arms. "How convenient. When I announced that I was going to marry a commoner, you all groaned, but now that he's my husband and the King, you want him to take charge."
The man blushed a bit.
"What is it that you reproach to my reign, exactly, sir?"
Her question was cold and frigid, which was very uncommon from the redhead. Even in the most serious meetings, she had never been like this. Some members of the staff exchanged glances.
"That you are still too young." Huffed the man, glad she asked. "Lady Elsa and King Kristoff are older than you and more experienced."
Anna did all the effort in the world to not puff in laughter and raise her arms in astonishment. Really? Her age?
She stood up with anger, her fists closed on the table, asserting her dominance, and the man instinctively retreated. "My sister was the exact same age when she came to the throne. Your point is?"
A silence followed. The man was taken aback. That was a simple, obvious counter argument, but he didn't think about it. He hesitated a bit, opening his mouth to argue, and she lifted a gentle but firm finger.
"Don't you say that Elsa still had two more years of experience as Queen before taking decisions of this importance. Not only that is false, but you just said that you would prefer Kristoff on the throne, yet you recently complained about his lack of royal training. Make up your mind."
The man blushed furiously, the tip of his ears on fire. A maid standing by the door had to bite the inside of her cheek to retain her chuckle.
"And how convenient too that my husband isn't present today, isn't it?" Added Anna.
"Because he would have defended me and affirmed his position."
The representative was about to reply, so she kept talking.
"Also, thinking that Elsa, in her time, was more suited than me to be Queen, is a commonly made mistake. As a matter of fact, we attended the exact same classes about geopolitics, management and ruling. The only difference is that I had those classes all around the castle and Elsa exclusively had them in a private room with her tutors."
A silence followed her declaration.
"If anything," she added, "I actually was exposed to more politicians than she did."
She stared at the assembly. "Actually, all types of politicians."
A silence fell. When the staff and herself thought that she closed the debate, a man proved them wrong and straightened on his chair.
"You're talking about a completely different era." He groaned, and scandalized whispers sounded around him, but he didn't care.
Nor did Anna, deciding to not appear impressed by his effrontery. She crossed her arms, the cufflinks of her jacket twinkling in the light.
"Oooh, so it's about the period, isn't it?"
The man huffed in a 'Well, yes!' way, and it enraged Anna, but she kept her fire inside with gritted teeth. He was too proud and stubborn to care about how rude he was.
Anna's jaw clenched as she now spoke louder and clearer, answering him but also sweeping any doubt in the room.
"So you want to come back to a period when Arendelle's economy was stumbling, because we had to start from scratch after a decade of isolation?"
The politicians widened their eyes. She couldn't tell if it was because of the accuracy of her words or her sudden royal tone.
"When employment only slowly rose and people had to work hard to put everything on the right track? When everyone, citizen or foreigner, was afraid to participate or engage in a business, a trade, a relationship, because of what the kingdom had just gone through?"
Another silence emanated from the previously articulated politicians. They felt miserable, some even avoiding the Queen's gaze in shame. They all knew that. Those were facts, not Anna's inventions. They knew Arendelle's economy. They knew Arendelle's History.
If Anna wasn't busy staring down the remaining men that kept looking at her defiantly, she would have noticed that the staff people present in the room had all started to smile.
"Or would you rather stay in the present time, on my reign, with new trades unlocked since our peace treaty with the Northuldra, allowing us to trace new routes for merchants to come from a whole new part of the world now that the Mist lifted? Allowing our craftspeople to sell Arendelle's finest craft and expertise in other kingdoms and tribes, tripling our economy in the process?"
The two men that hadn't lowered their eyes yet exchanged a look, feeling a bit ridiculous. Like they needed mutual strength, they nodded slightly and sat down together. Anna looked at them with disdain, really wanting nothing more than to blurt 'That's what I thought, you morons.' but obviously restraining herself.
She let out a long exhale, and remained silent for a few seconds. The politicians fidgeted with their notes and pens, until the Queen spoke up again, calmly.
"You say that you hate my reign since it started. I'm not going to give you a speech about how horrible that feels, as a young monarch, because I am beyond that. All I ask of you is…"
She actually interrupted herself to look through the windows with a smile. "Look at the streets. Look at how flourishing the country is now. How many new infrastructures did you enjoy with your family, your children, your friends, that could only be built now that we have the means, the capacities?"
Her eyes came back to the room, and she saw that they had all followed her gaze, emotion in theirs.
"That's right." She concluded.
Anna then rapidly validated the following laws. This meeting had been twice as long as it should have been, and she was enraged by their behavior.
Nobody around the table could gather enough courage or guts to say anything above her determined tone as she went through the list, especially when it was accompanied by the deep stare the powerful teal blue eyes was giving on each of them every time there was a vote. Then Anna quickly made her ending formulas.
"...Which closes our meeting. Thank you all for coming."
The Queen had been standing all that time, so there was no pinpoint moment when they would stand up by respect, but when she made a move to walk out, they awkwardly started to do so.
Anna bit a sigh as she walked by half of them while she reached the door from the right hand side of the table. She didn't want to shake any hands. To the defying politicians, certainly not, but she also refused to shake hands with the others, who hadn't defended her and simply remained silent in reclusion. Her point was loud and clear when she left in a storm, faster than she usually did - she normally took the time to drop the monarch mask and ask them about their families and their respective lives. They exchanged shameful glances when the Queen disappeared without a word at the angle of the corridor.
Kai approached and took his role of butler, not without a cough of sarcasm. "Gentlemen, I'll accompany you back to the gates."
Anna sighed as she walked through the castle with a fast pace, accompanied with several members of the staff who nearly jogged to catch up. One of them, who had taken her books and notes from the meeting, worried about her state.
"Is everything alright, ma'am?"
"Sure. I just need a break." Forced to smile the redhead.
She actually rather needed to punch a wall, but she had way too much respect for the castle to break something, and cared enough about the staff to not scare them with a sudden jolt of anger.
What enraged her above everything else wasn't the fear of not being good enough as a Queen, or how the meeting went, but how stupid male politicians could be. How did her father pick them? How did he not see how wrong and close-minded and pig-headed they were? She took a mental note - a strong one, underlined three times with swift pen gestures - to hire new politicians before the next meeting. Only women. For equality. And the future of Arendelle.
Anna stopped her thoughts and noticed right in time that she almost missed her turn in the corridor. She stopped on the carpet, the staff freezing with her, and actually thought a second time about what she had planned to do.
She wanted to head to her study to write feedback for Kristoff, but realized that she could just do it later. She wasn't going to forget what happened any time soon anyway.
Anna vividly turned to the two maids on her left, and detached her royal cape with eagerness. They startled at the move, then one of them blinked when the redhead took her crown off and handed it to her.
"Actually, make it a big break. I'm taking the evening off, and same for tomorrow."
The whole group was astonished. The maid who took her cape draped it carefully over her arm, but didn't hide her confusion.
"Your Majesty…"
"Don't worry, I've taken care of tomorrow's duties already. I'm ahead of schedule, Kai will confirm that. I'm heading outside. I need some fresh air."
And right away, she did, walking down the corridor with a happy sigh.
The members of the staff were stunned, then smiled at each other. She had made quite an impression, she definitely deserved a break.
Anna whistled a tune as she left the castle, roaming the courtyard and greeting the people she found there.
She stretched with a hum, lifting her arms and enjoying the sunset with closed eyes and a smile, when suddenly she heard an explosion right above, coming from one of the ramparts.
She jolted in shock, as well as everyone around her, and she twirled to see where the hell it came from. Then when she saw two men yelling at each other next to a brand new cannon, she let out a nervous chuckle. She remembered that the delivery had been made today.
"You IDIOT!" Yelled one of the two guards, his voice thankfully not going further than the top of the rampart where they were, because of how high it was. "I told you to WAIT!"
"No you didn't!" Yelled back the second, defensively. "You told me to aim and load!"
"I didn't say shoot!"
"It seemed logical!"
"You damn fool is lucky we're training against straw dummies! Or-"
"You know what? You're the dummy!"
"Take that back, you–"
"Is everything alright, gentlemen?"
They both jolted at the gentle yet regal voice that popped next to them. When Anna's face appeared at the top of the stairs, they stumbled as they tried to stand at attention as fast as possible. One of them dropped the cannonball he had in his hands, nearly crushing his toes, while the other tripped on the crates next to the brand-new cannon, then quickly caught his balance and dropped the rammer he had in his hand, bouncing on the stones in clanks.
They immediately stood at attention, which was a mark of how surprised and guilty they were, because usually, guards simply bowed at Anna's presence.
"Clearly you are quite chaotic. What are your ranks?" She frowned.
Not that she doubted that the Arendellian army could bear an idiot or two, but she was never too careful about spies. One second after she thought that, she realized that it was a stupid take; those two had miserably failed at their task if they wanted to be discreet. In addition, the more she looked at them the more she realized she actually knew them. And finally, they were wearing the uniform, and they fit perfectly.
The two soldiers didn't notice her inspection and clicked their heels together.
"Sergeant Rogstad, Your Majesty."
"Sergeant Tvedt. Serving the Crocus."
They gulped and avoided eye contact.
'Should have guessed.' Thought Anna, biting her cheek to avoid smiling or sighing. 'Mattias told me about those two clumsy ones.'
Anna could have told the guards they could stop saluting after a few seconds, but she let them keep their posture a bit longer to punish them for their loud behavior.
"You gave a scare to everyone in the country, sergeants. And it was a mistake to give you two the responsibility to install the cannons. Let alone try them." She insisted with a pointed look.
Only one cannon had been installed, the others still aligned along the border of the rampart but not rolled between the merlons yet, clearly only deposited by the manufacturer and his team who thought that the duo would take care of it right away. The crates containing the cannonballs, the powder and the wad had been opened wide, their content messy.
She sighed. "But I suppose that you volunteered, and I always support this state of mind. At ease."
They did as asked, and stood there in silence.
"Do…" Tvedt cleared his throat in timidity. "Do you want to try, Your Majesty?"
Anna blinked. He asked her what now?
"I beg your pardon?"
He blushed intensely when he saw that he crossed a line. "I didn't… I didn't mean to be inappropriate, ma'am. It's just… When His Majesty the King learned about the cannons order and delivery, he told the manufacturer that you'd likely be delighted to give it a try. I heard the team talk about it earlier."
A silence followed. Anna wanted to remain serious, but what the heck. This afternoon was crazy anyway.
"Why not." She smiled.
The two soldiers did their best to hide their joy, clearly retrieving the excitement they had before their incident, and Rogstad pointed at the straw dummies he had placed in the very far off distance, on hills beyond the town. He let her borrow his spyglass to see better.
Apparently, they had taken the time to take dummies from the training room and place them that far, but not to place the other cannons. Anna however didn't make any commentary.
"So. How does it work?"
They explained everything and showed her the right gestures. The redhead was told to do them in a strong and rapid manner, and they weren't surprised to see the famously lively Queen load the cannon enthusiastically. She then applied their advice to aim precisely, warned the citizens of the upcoming noise with a call, and lit up a match to fire.
They slammed their hands on their ears as the wick reduced, until a big detonation resounded through the whole area and shook the ground.
They squinted to see the state of the dummies through the dissipating cloud of dust, and they let out impressed gasps when they saw how perfect the shot had been.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! It's amazing!"
She winced with sarcasm. "I'm not certain that artillery is something 'amazing', sergeant."
"Y-yes, of course. Pardon me."
"Don't worry, I signed up for this installation myself, I think that having cannons is a great idea. As a dissuasion weapon, first and foremost." She insisted.
"Do you wish to give it another try?" Invited Tvedt.
"Even though I would like it, I'll pass." Replied the Queen, lifting a hand. "And we need to have some ammunition left, don't we?"
"Yes, of course."
"Certainly, ma'am. However, I must say that your eyesight is impressive. To be able to aim that well on your first try…"
Anna shrugged with a modest smile. She then stood tall.
"I'll let you continue the installation. But please refrain from using them."
They nodded, obeying the indirect order.
She took her leave with elegance and poise, contrasting to the childlike excitement she had with the cannon in hand.
They bowed, and she turned before descending the stairs.
"And sergeant Rogstad?"
"Y-yes, Your Majesty?" Muttered the man.
"Once you are done setting everything, please fix the stone you shattered when you dropped your cannonball." Smiled Anna.
He looked down, spotting his mistake, then nodded vividly.
In the stairs, once she was out of view, the redhead smirked in amusement and shook her head. It was too bad that Kristoff was out of town and Mattias and Halima on holiday, because she would have loved to tell what had just happened.
Well, at least it will be fun to write in her letters.
"Theeee claaaaw…"
"Hi Olaf!"
The snowman turned away from what he admired and saw Anna above the pier tilting her head to him with a smile. "What are you doing here?"
He grinned in return. "Observing the fishermen. Fisherpeople, in fact." He corrected, and the woman who was the nearest and busy unloading the net smiled at him.
Anna hopped down the town ledge and joined him on the docks, not even bothering to take the stairs. They hugged warmly and only then did the group of anglers notice that it was her. The woman next to Olaf widened her eyes and quickly made herself presentable, wiping her hands on her apron. She bowed down and Anna saw it when she stood up again after embracing the snowman.
"Oh, no, please, don't interrupt your work for me."
The women exchanged a smile, and Anna observed the group at work. "I understand what you find interesting in that. It's fascinating." Admired the Queen.
The boat was filled to the brim with the day's fishing, and it was a large one, so it took a lot of people to unload it.
Anna hummed the air, taking in the sea breeze and how much she loved her home in every sense. Olaf enthusiastically hopped and pointed at the top of the boat's rear.
"And look, they have a claw to grab them!"
"Your Majesty, what an honor!" Smiled the headman, approaching to salute her. "Do you want to try a fish? We have a small kitchen on board, I could prepare it if you want."
Anna chuckled and declined the proposition with a gentle gesture. "No, thanks. As fresh as it smells, I'll pass. I had a big lunch today."
"As you wish." Accepted the man, and he helped his teammates finish the work.
The redhead turned to Olaf, and smiled.
"Hey, what do you say about a reading session in the grass on the town's heights?"
The snowman bounced in happiness. "Amazing idea! But… I didn't bring any book with me."
"Me neither." Said Anna, comically showing her empty hands, as she had been heading to town with no precise goal. "But we could head to the bookstore together."
"Nice!" Jumped the snowman, and he also jumped above the wall that was around the harbor.
As expected, he couldn't reach the top properly, and lost his butt, cutting himself in half. His bottom seemed to sigh at the common situation, and walked around the wall with Anna, who laughed at the scene.
Olaf chuckled when he finally retrieved his other half, and they headed to the shops.
"Come in, come in!" Cheerfully said the bookseller as soon as he heard the bell of the door and recognized the regulars.
Anna and Olaf greeted him as well as the other customers.
"You're just in time, I received new novels from romance authors. Do you want me to give you a selection?" Suggested the man, rubbing his hands excitedly as he walked to the Queen.
"Only one will suffice. I may read fast, I'd like to take my time today. I'm on a break." She added, familiar enough with the bookseller to reveal it.
They laughed together and he led her to the aisle where the new books were presented, and she picked the one that had a sword drawn on the cover.
When they were done, the bookseller bent his head when he saw Olaf in the 'crime novels' aisle. "Do you need a recommendation?"
The snowman chuckled. "No, I'm good. I'll take this one." He said, raising the book he had picked from another place in the store, and the cover radically differentiated with the novels on the shelves next to him.
"'The yummy adventures of the Cupcake Family'?" Read Anna, blinking at the odd title.
"This is a children's book." Precised the seller.
"And?" Frowned Olaf, before Anna could even react.
"Nothing." Said the redhead and the man at the same time.
Anna walked to the counter.
"Just so you know," whispered the man mischievously before Olaf reached their level, "he's interested in everything. I mean it. Even crime novels."
The redhead chuckled nervously.
Olaf's joy when they stepped out was contagious though, and she grinned at his bouncy walk as they went up the street.
She admired the colors of the trees on the horizon with a blissful sigh.
"Queen Elsa was a better ruler!"
Anna widened her eyes in a snap, and twirled around, searching for who said that. But nobody seemed to look at her. She frowned.
"What is it?" Asked Olaf. "Did you drop something?"
The redhead kept frowning. "I… Nevermind."
She continued to follow the snowman after a fake shrug, but her mind was elsewhere. Did she imagine that shout, in fact? Or was there someone who actually yelled that and then hid? No, it wouldn't make sense. After such a blow, he would have proudly faced her. Then did she imagine that sentence? And why?
Anna quickly blinked to avoid filling her eyes with tears.
'No, no, this must be my subconscious.' She mentally insisted.
'Then, if it's your subconscious, it means that it's true. That you actually believe it. That Elsa is totally better than you.' Said another malicious voice in her mind.
'No!' Internally pressed Anna again. 'No, it's just that I'm still thinking about that damn meeting.'
'It's what many politicians think, not only here, but abroad. Elsa was better, she's always better, I'm just the spare…'
Anna groaned, clenching her eyes shut to stop thinking about it. But thinking about stopping her thoughts made it even worse.
Gods, did she miss Kristoff. She missed his support at her side, not even as someone who could talk to defend her, but only, simply, as a kind presence. Those situations never happened when Anna was the one assisting Elsa as a monarch.
The redhead felt her heart squeeze at the mental sight of Elsa leading the meetings with a fair but cold character, and the memory of how it was to be astonished by her aura.
Maybe they were right. Maybe Elsa was a better Queen than she was. After the Great Thaw, everybody kept telling Elsa that she was an excellent ruler, and Anna knew they were sincere, she could see how enthusiastic the people were when calling her in the streets or praising her in the crowds, how serious the politicians were when they saluted her decisions, how proud the staff was.
And she was receiving a similar treatment too since she became Queen. Anna also saw how emotional Elsa, Kristoff and Mattias were when they admired her way of ruling. She knew she was respected and loved by the townspeople. Yet Anna couldn't help but feel like an impostor. What if they were wrong? What if she truly was an inexperienced Queen? Yes, she was a natural with the crowd, and she was at ease when it came to taking care and listening to everyone, something she was more fond of than Elsa. But when it comes to politics, who better than politicians to judge her?
The redhead fidgeted with her bookmark as she thought.
She couldn't remember a time when everyone around the meeting table agreed with her, whether about the law she had just taken the final decision on or respect in general. Whereas when it was Elsa… Sure, Anna was biased about it, but she was certain that her sister always received praise from everyone… Didn't she?
She continued to follow Olaf automatically, her thoughts louder and louder as she walked.
'Yes, I am inexperienced. I really am. I've only been on the throne for less than one and a half years, while Elsa was Queen for a longer time…'
She then frowned.
'Wait, why can't I remember how it was in her first one and a half year?'
She shook her head. 'Whatever. She surely aced at it. She's better than m–'
"Okay, something's very wrong with you." Suddenly said Olaf, stopping and turning around in a brisk move, and Anna nearly bumped into him.
"Wh-what?" Muttered the redhead, in shock and surprise, then emotion formed a ball in her throat when she took in his sentence.
Damn, even Olaf thought that she was incompetent.
"You must be thinking about something very sad." Frowned the snowman, his eyes actually filled with worry. "I saw that you were not okay, so I did a little test and kept turning left. We've walked in this street two times, and you didn't say anything, though you know the town by heart just like me."
Anna widened her eyes at the clever plan.
"Also, I pointed at the baker's kransekake in his window earlier, and you didn't say anything. That was a big clue."
Anna blushed and opened her mouth, but she didn't know what to say. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry, to tell him about what was on her mind, but no sound escaped her. She stood still for a moment, her jaw slacked.
"You know what? Forget the book." Said Olaf, and he took it off her hands. She was startled and had a pinch to the heart at the gesture. "We're not gonna have a reading session together. We'll have a massage session. You'll have a nap and I'll rub your head."
Anna had a surprised expression.
"Don't give me that look." Replied the snowman. "I've read many books on acupressure and reflexology. They have amazing illustrations. I'll know which points to insist on."
Anna was speechless. She then twisted her mouth in a touched smile, and her previously affected heart melted at his care. "Olaf…"
"We can still head to the park, they have bales of straw there which we could use as pillows." Mused the snowman, nodding to himself at his good idea, putting Anna's book under his in his arms.
"Olaf."
"Maybe I could sing a tune to you. Hanging around with kids has provided me with many nursery rhymes."
"Olaf." Smiled Anna, and she crouched to put a hand on his shoulder, and now that she was in front of him, the snowman actually snapped out of his organization. "Thank you. For everything."
Before he could answer, she grinned and hugged him warmly, to which he replied with a happy chuckle.
They spent the afternoon together, relaxing and chatting, and it did her immense good, until it was dinner time and Anna headed back to the castle. She invited Olaf to join her, but the farmer who lived next to the park actually owed him a meal and he invited him to join his family. The redhead was very amused by the idea that someone was indebted to the childish snowman, despite his natural gift to help. The farmer only half-surprised her when he revealed that he had saved his son from accidentally being hurt by a falling pitchfork when they played together, by placing himself in the way in front of the boy to get impaled instead and effectively stopping the tool in motion.
The redhead was still laughing at the story when she reached the castle's gates.
Anna was fully enjoying a beautiful dream when it got interrupted by a sound, but she turned in her bed to forget it. Calm and quietness bathed her again, and she had a blissful smile.
She took advantage of having the bed for herself to spread her arms and legs, letting slumber take her again.
Suddenly, another loud sound echoed, and she frowned. Another sounded right after, and this time, she opened her eyes with anger.
The room was filled with morning light, and it actually made the Queen even grumpier.
'Great. I take a day off, one day off, and the castle HAS to be loud today.' She internally groaned. 'Do we have deliveries? Did the staff drop something downstairs? Kai, if it's you trying to wake me up, I swear…'
No, she thought with a groan as another loud noise echoed in the distance. That was further away, outside, and very powerful. Like…
A cannon detonation.
Anna jolted in her bed, sitting up, and waited for another sound to happen. Maybe she all dreamed it…
A loud explosion sounded again, and it made the castle slightly tremble, so she was certain it was real. Worried, she stared at the window as she focused, though she could only see the sky from where she sat.
Then she sighed, her shoulders slumped.
"Oh, I'm stupid." She chuckled out loud with a tired voice. "They're testing out the cannons."
She chuckled again as she laid back down, tucking herself under the covers. 'Poor dummies.' She mused with humor.
There was a silence for several seconds, then the shootings resumed, now with shorter intervals. Anna frowned with closed eyes.
'That's weird. It's like the sounds come from the South, but the cannons from yesterday aimed West…'
Anna opened her eyes wide in a startle, and she jolted up to push her covers. She barely made it to her feet when something violently hit the ramparts and the impact repercuted to her bedroom with a shake. She held to the footboard of the bed to not lose her balance.
The cannons continued to shoot but Anna forced herself to not look through the windows. Every single cell of her body was screaming in instinct that her life was in danger, and standing in front of transparent glass would be suicidal. She quickly put on boots, not bothering to wear any sock on, hurriedly grabbed the cardigan that was draped over her changing screen, and put it on while rushing to the exit of her bedroom. She pushed the handle down with her elbow and bumped the door with her shoulder.
She barged in the corridor and barely jogged for two seconds, the sounds of explosions louder and louder, that she bumped into a group of soldiers, accompanied by Kai. The butler seemed deeply relieved to see that she was safe and sound, and even let a smile stretch his panicked face. Anna had messy hair, but he obviously didn't make any comment in such an urgent context. The guards next to him, a group of six, which the Queen recognized as elite soldiers due to their type of uniform, also didn't make any commentary. They surrounded their monarch without a word apart from respectful and devoted nods that meant 'You're under our protection now, Your Majesty.'
Anna's blood already was thumping at her ears, and was even more when she saw them unsheath their swords and raise their shields on chin level. So that was real. This was all actually happening.
"We're under attack." She breathed out.
The statement was simple, sad, solemn.
Kai nodded.
Teal blue irises intensely stared at him. "Is Gerda alright?"
The butler widened his already panicked eyes. He couldn't believe that the first thing Anna would do would be to ask if the maid was safe. Though, was he really surprised, coming from that selfless soul he had known all her life?
He smiled and nodded. It was a relevant question, because Gerda and himself were the highest ranking in the staff. "Yes. Worry not, ma'am. She's taking charge of evacuating the castle."
"Good."
Anna looked around and located the nearest window that could give her a point of view. She hurried to it, followed by the group.
The redhead had a careful pick, not exposing herself too much, and squinted at the fjord. Kai, the soldiers and her widened their eyes in shock at the sight. At least fifteen ships were approaching the ramparts and shooting at them, with even more on the way, judging by the masts that started to show up on the horizon.
An easily recognizable black flag flew high on top of some of them, sadly attesting they were pirates. The rest of them lacked flags, but Anna had learned enough about ships since her parents' death to recognize the country-specific patterns and style of the hulls.
The Southern Isles.
The Queen's eyes filled with rage and she frowned with gritted teeth.
"Hans."
Author's Note:
Queeeeeeeen anoinnnnteeeed ~ there you go now you have the song stuck in your head too. I get a lot of inspiration from the Broadway musical, and actually always picture the scenes in my fanfic as live action sequences. A bit like the Frozen arc in Once Upon a Time, only with a lot more budget lmao.
Thank you all for the favs and follows so far! Please comment :D
Also friendly reminder: Untangling The Frozen Knots, the prequel, is still available for free in printed version. Just PM me!
