I arrived before the sun had shone. The entire kingdom was silent, not even a bird chirping in the fjord could've interrupted the calm. There was no bustle yet, but there would be soon.
This was Arendelle. A picture of beauty, like nothing I had ever seen. There was almost too much green, at least compared to the desert-neighboring kingdom I had grown up in. The sea bordering it was a beautiful blue, nearly as enchanting as my lake in the Oasis. The ports were holding big cubes of ice covered in a perma-frost. That was the famous export of Arendelle, their year-round ice supply. And it was all thanks to a certain pair of sisters.
The world knew them as the former Queen of Ice, Elsa, and the current Queen Anna. The Snow Queen had stepped down for a reason not issued to the public, but I did not need an official article to know why.
My family had received the invitation to Queen Anna's baby shower a few months ago, and they sent me as representative. The shower was not officially started for two days, but there were three other ships docked alongside my humble one. I had no crew but myself, not needing any help to sail.
I wove my way around the kingdom until the sun rose enough for the townsfolk to wake and start their day. It was now a suitable time for me to enter the castle, as it was considered rude to show up before the reigning royalty had woken up. When I entered the walls I showed the guards next to the entrance my invitation and they escorted me into the throne room.
The Queen and Kings' seats were in the middle of a slight platform, and to the side was a humble throne made from ice. Each seat was filled, the tallest having Queen Anna and the shorter having her husband, Kristoff. Her Highness' belly was greatly swollen, and on the armrests sat little...projects of some kind.
"Presenting Her Royal Highness, Princess Aria of Glory-Haven." the butler announced.
"We welcome you to our kingdom" the former Snow Queen said, nodding at me.
"Thank you for inviting me, my kingdom is grateful for the honor." I replied, curtsying once.
The Queen of Ice was draped in a stuffy, thick-looking dress that covered her whole body. Her hands were gloved, but she seemed to be uncomfortable wearing them. Even just looking at her in such an unnatural state was making me uneasy. I coughed once, which startled them. I then cleared my throat.
"May I have a private audience? The next boat will not dock for another hour and I only wish for a moment."
The three royals looked at each other before shooing away the guards and butler. I cleared my throat again before speaking.
"Your Highness, please be at comfort. I am not afraid of your powers, only of your… how do I say it… distressed attitude with that infernal outfit. It is very… interesting, don't get me wrong, but it pains me to think of the torture it all must be." I was not nervous, but the way she hid in those hideous shrouds to comfort the visitors…
She raised her head to look me in the eyes for the first time, and she gulped. I was worried then, for a moment, that I had offended her or got it wrong, but she smiled.
She took off her wollen drab, revealing a jumpsuit underneath. Once the wretched many-layered dress was off, she put a purple skirt over it all. Now, instead of wool, she had a blue and purple dress on, and looked like the definition of regality.
"Thank you. But, may I ask… why are you not afraid of it?" I giggled at her question.
"You and I are not so different, so why be afraid of someone who is like you?"
"Wait, what?" Queen Anna blurted, eyes racing between me and her sister.
"What do you mean by that, exactly?" Queen Elsa looked at me with such severity that I was sure that I felt a cold chill.
"Nevermind it, Your Highness. I tend to speak in riddles. I just meant that the two of us were elder sisters with too much power, who gave the crown to a younger sibling."
They all nodded comprehensively, but there was no emotion in it all. I waited for a few more moments before clearing my throat, which knocked them out of their shared daze.
"Right, so… I am sure you would like to know exactly what you need to do until the baby shower starts," Queen Anna asked, toying with one of her little projects, "the baby shower isn't for a few more days, after all."
I nodded, and Queen Anna explained how she wanted all of the early arrivals to have a royal sleepover the night before the baby shower. Until then, I would be given a guest bedroom and some tours of the kingdom in my own leisure. We would have meals together, all of the attending royals and the sisters. Queen Anna wished to get to truly know all of us before the festivities began, and that since the gates were opened, she didn't really have any friends outside of her kingdom. That information was only revealed when the pregnant queen began to blabber, but I found it quite adorable.
And so began my next adventure.
Hello! As you can see, I tried to make it good, but I don't think it worked. This piece is mostly for pleasure, so updates may be sporadic, but… reviews are what fuel me, and it really only takes a moment! Go follow my insta, miraculous_maker_53, where I will be posting concepts!