"Secrecy and Silence"
Anna met Elsa and Kristoff at the castle entrance and opened her mouth to pepper her sister with questions when she saw the man in red and gold and Elsa's stern expression. Anna instead prepared herself and Olaf for the guest and wondered about his identity. She was curious as to why Elsa had gone from so playful to so stern in such a short amount of time. She knew from watching from a vantage point in the window that no shots had been fired, but she also knew that the man had come with guards who had not disembarked with him. Who was this mysterious man?
"The luscious Princess Anna," the man said, and he bowed grandly when he and Elsa and Kristoff got close enough. Both Elsa's and Kristoff's eyes widened. Elsa instantly regained her composure, but Kristoff openly glared. He reached for Anna's hand and he kissed it tenderly before rising. "I am Duke Archibald Sauer of Weselton." Anna gave a small curtsy and looked over at her sister with uncertainty.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Duke," Anna said. Olaf pushed forward from behind her and smiled sunnily at the Duke who looked fascinated at the moving snowman.
"Hi! I'm Olaf and I love warm hugs!" Olaf declared with his typical huge smile.
"Is this an example of your miraculous abilities, Queen Elsa?" The Duke of Weselton asked enthusiastically. Elsa nodded and Olaf clasped his hands together, embarrassed to be called a miracle. Weselton whistled appreciatively. "My uncle was a fool to be frightened by such a talent, Your Majesty." Elsa led the group into the castle. After a short pause, the Duke began to speak again. "I know what you're thinking – Weselton...didn't we forbid them from our land and stop all trades with them once and for all? You're absolutely right, and with good reason, too! My uncle did a great disservice to both Arendelle and Weselton in his last and only visit, but I have come to restore your faith in our people and land." Weselton spoke expressively and waved his hands as they walked. "I hope to broker a deal with your Dear Queen Elsa to reinstate our trades and our friendship." He explained. Anna nodded and again glanced at Elsa who looked stoic and every bit the strong leader she was.
"I've invited the Duke to join us for lunch while his servant returns to his ship to retrieve his personal effects," Elsa told Anna. "I would appreciate it if you and Kristoff joined us, Anna," Elsa said in a voice that left no room for discussion.
"I do have an excellent addition to our meal that Andreas will bring to us straight away," said the Duke. "It should arrive just in time for dessert. I have brought several Weseltonian specialties for Your Highnesses' enjoyment including one of my personal favorites, a cheese called Jenny Cheddar." Weselton spoke in a lively manner that left Olaf wide-mouthed with laughter.
"That sounds lovely, Duke." Elsa responded cordially. "Perhaps we can try it with our tea."
"That does indeed sound lovely. It's so nice of you to rearrange your busy schedule for me today, Your Majesty." The Duke smiled as the small group walked past several suits of armor and down a staircase.
"Actually," Elsa said, "You will have to wait until evening. Today I was planning to see the people of Arendelle and I don't expect them to wait until another day simply because a duke showed up unannounced." Elsa waited for his response as if she dared him to contradict her. He stared at her with his eyes agog and mouth agape before regaining his composure and nodding.
"Of course, Your Majesty," the Duke said and dipped his head deeply as a sign of his apology. "How rude of me to presume."
"Princess Anna, however, will take you to see the sights of the village of Arendelle this afternoon along with its surrounding area. Our servant Kai will make sure that your own servant has everything he needs to get your room set to your standards, and he will receive quarters among our staff," Elsa told him as they arrived at the dining room. She entered and walked regally to the chair at the head of the table and sat first. Anna sat at her right side with Olaf next to her, and Kristoff sat at her left. The Duke sat next to Kristoff.
Almost as soon as they sat, Kai came in with Andreas who was carrying what looked like a large black hat case. Weselton smiled widely and took the case from Andreas and thanked him copiously before turning back to the table.
"This is the coup de grace of Weselton's greatest assets: Jenny Cheddar. You'll find it has a taste more unique than any other in the known world and its flavor is divine. You'll notice it has a certain spice unlike other cheeses while maintaining a certain sweet nuttiness. It also takes very little to fill you, so it's very economical these days. The cheese also has a very unusual aroma. It's indescribable and bold – the very scent of it is enough to make a more delicate lady swoon," The Duke of Weselton explained happily. He opened the case and a miasma filled the room.
Using the tea saucers, Weselton put a large chunk of Jenny Cheddar on Elsa's plate, some on Anna's plate, a slab for Kristoff, and then some for himself and Olaf. The semi-gelatinous black and white cheese jiggled like a belly dancer on each of the saucers. "This cheese is made using our finest donkeys' milk and then refined over a ten-year process. Because of its long processing time the cheese used to be only available to the richest people of Weselton, but our trade arrangements have allowed us to make the cheese cheap enough that it has become a commodity that can be found in every home in Weselton. Furthermore, it has helped to prevent starvation!" The Duke stated happily.
"We are truly very proud of our Jenny Cheddar. That's one of the reasons I brought it along – Jenny Cheddar is a real taste of Weselton and part of its trading assets," Weselton said proudly. "It could become a common item in every Arendellian home, and a source of food stability in the long, cold winters." Anna and Elsa smiled politely. Kristoff looked uncertain. Olaf had already started piling the cheese into his mouth joyfully. Elsa looked somewhat paler than normal, and Anna attributed that to knowing she would have to taste the cheese.
"I look forward to tasting it," Elsa said with a deferential smile. She picked up a piece of the globby cheddar with her fork, and Anna and Kristoff watched with fascination as she put it into her mouth. Elsa still looked pale as the cheese entered her mouth, and Anna did not envy her older sister in that moment. Elsa gulped loudly and obviously was struggling to keep her composure. "How piquant," she said diplomatically after a moment, before burping softly, and dabbing her mouth and eyes with a napkin. Elsa took a few deep breaths and a sip of water from the glass in front of her.
"That's the perfect word to describe Jenny Cheddar, Your Majesty!" The Duke replied enthusiastically. "I knew a woman of your caliber would understand the depths of its flavor!" Elsa appeared thoughtful for a few moments and when she stood the entire table looked at her in surprise. Elsa swayed slightly on her feet.
"A-anna," Elsa said shakily, "I need to retire to my chambers. If you could pl-please – " Elsa stopped speaking, closed her eyes, and reached a trembling hand to her forehead. A deep flush spread across her face and she leaned forward against the table heavily.
"Elsa?" Anna questioned as she forgot all manners and got up to grab her sister's elbow. "Are you all right?" Elsa let go of her forehead and reached for her sister. "Elsa, what's wrong? Kristoff, get a servant to call for Dr. Rosted now." Anna ordered. She immediately caught Elsa's hand to steady her. Elsa leaned between Anna and the table.
"Are you swooning from the scent of the cheese, My Queen?" The Duke asked and he started to stand with a quirky grin on his face. Kristoff returned and got behind Elsa. Olaf stared in worry, his hands in front of his open mouth.
"Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna held her sister up gently, yet firmly. "Kristoff, help me!" Anna hissed forgetting about the servants in the room. Elsa moaned and began sinking slowly toward the ground. Anna tried to keep Elsa on her feet, but eventually Kristoff scooped her up gently.
"Now what?" he asked. Elsa dangled limply in his arms.
"It's the cheese," the Duke said confidently. "I've seen this before; she'll wake in a few moments. Or we could splash her face with water. He picked up his water glass and started to move it towards Elsa. Before either Anna or Kristoff could say anything, he had tossed its contents into Elsa's face and the water was dripping down ineffectually. "Oh, that usually works," Weselton said and blushed. "She must be of a much more delicate constitution than the average woman. How unusual for a queen." Everyone ignored him.
"Let's take her to her room." Anna decided. "Duke, I'm sorry, but lunch is over." Anna told Weselton as she led Kristoff and Olaf toward the door. Elsa suddenly made a strangulated groaning sound and arched her back in Kristoff's arms. Her arms reached forward strangely and crossed one another. Much to everyone's horror, Elsa began to shake furiously. Kristoff dove for the floor with Elsa so she wouldn't fall out of his arms.
"I've never known anyone to react to the cheese like this!" Weselton exclaimed. "Here!" The Duke reached for and grabbed a spoon from the table. "Put this into her mouth so she doesn't swallow her tongue!" Anna took the spoon and rubbed her thumb against it as she waited for an opportunity to insert it into her sister's mouth.
"We need Dr. Rosted in here right now!" Anna screamed impatiently. Bloody, foamy saliva escaped from Elsa's mouth and her lips started tuning pale bluish in color.
Dr. Rosted and Kai were suddenly at their sides.
"What happened? Did she hit her head?" Dr. Rosted asked.
"She was acting like something wrong and then she fell." Anna told him as she watched her sister continue to seize. "She was eating prior to that. I don't know why this happened. Will she be all right?" Anna asked desperately. Elsa's frenetic movements slowed and then stopped altogether. She began sucking in deep and full breaths and her lips returned to a normal color.
"The Queen's seizure has stopped for now. Let's get her to her chambers where I may examine her properly," Dr. Rosted suggested. He checked Elsa's breathing, and once satisfied, Kristoff picked her up to carry her to her room.
"Let's go!" Anna said, forgetting all semblances of comportment. She stood and left the room and the luncheon without further comment to the Duke.
"I hope the Queen regains her health quickly!" Weselton called as they exited, and sat back down at the table alone to dine.
A/N: Thank you those of you who have reviewed and/or followed and favorited. It means a lot to me.