As part of her duties as Queen, Elsa would often visit the town. She would meet and greet townspeople and personally receive diplomats at the harbour. Today a boat was expected from a nation Arendelle was seeking to form an alliance with.
It was a grey autumn afternoon when the boat arrived. It had been sighted at lunch and preparations were made to greet it. Elsa had arranged for Matteus to take his lesson with her today, learning the protocol for receiving guests for diplomatic visits and hopefully leaving a good first impression.
They stood in place on the docks, Freya in her formal uniform with a group of guards at command, mostly for show. "So we wait here until everyone gets off the boat?" Matteus asked, tapping his sword scabbard, he insisted on carrying the rapier since it was gifted to him on his eleventh birthday that summer.
"Only the official visitors Matty." Elsa said, slightly distracted, she was using her powers to keep the worst of the sea wind from them. "They will alight first and once the full party has exchanged greetings we can return to the palace."
"Oh, right." Matteus rocked on his heels a moment, poised in his princely uniform and smart boots. Freya smirked from her station.
"Patience Prince Matteus, there is a lot of waiting involved in being royalty." Freya commented.
"Yeah..." He grumbled again, but standing out with his aunt was a great deal better than being cooped up in a study.
Eventually the boat reached the docks and men jumped off to tie it in and put the ramp out. There was little activity on the deck besides the sailors, an unusual thing for any visiting group. Freya was about to pass comment when there was a hiss through the air and Elsa yelped, a hand thrown to her ear. Freya was moving to her side quickly.
A second hiss and clatter and Elsa shouted out again, the crackle of ice firing from her free hand and hitting the surface of the boat and staying it in the water.
Two arrows lay on the cobbles and blood was streaming from under Elsa's hand. Matteus had his sword at the ready, mirrored by Freya and the other guards. "Elsa!" Freya held her up, trying to ignore the blood running down the pale hand as she watched for other threats.
"I altered the wind," Elsa said looking at the ship, "the shooter missed my head, mostly... They won't be shooting again." She leaned into Freya and they were about to turn and leave swiftly when a carriage in the market square was flung open and armed men ran at them. Freya interposed herself between the royals and the attackers, sword up.
The blows the men threw were unpractised and crude, Freya took advantage of their poor training inflicting disabling cuts to halt their assault. Her sword had a heavy hilt designed to bludgeon and it was put to good use. A circle of iced ground was following her progress, keeping Elsa and Matteus protected within.
A lucky hit sent a burning line along her thigh and Freya faltered, the other guards were doing their job well though and she only needed to hobble a few more paces to the protection of the growing force of Arendelle soldiers. She didn't notice one of her earlier downed foes rising, blade in hand.
"No you don't blaggard!" Matteus shouted, pushing his sword out and catching the man in a calf. He was stood close to Elsa, supporting his aunt to the castle as Freya defended them. The attacker fell over from his leg injury and Matteus returned to his aunt's side.
"Thanks Matty." Freya said with a hitch in her voice as she hustled Elsa and the boy into the waiting arms of the guards.
Everything had happened in mere minutes. The boat had only been docked for five.
Within the confines of the castle walls two strong aides lifted Elsa and Freya to hurry them to the infirmary. Matteus rushed with them, his sword still in hand.
"It was just my ear, a little nick." Elsa kept reassuring everyone they passed, though she knew that there was a great deal of blood, little cuts to ear-lobes bled in a dramatic fashion and the tissue was too soft to risk freezing closed.
"I can walk just fine!" Freya protested from the arms of Gunnar, seemingly the burliest guard on duty that day. "Yah, with a cut like that you can walk. Sure." He grumbled from under his thick moustache.
"I'm fine." Freya repeated.
They were deposited in the infirmary and Gerda was already bustling around with hot water and gauze with the permanent nurse hired to staff when Anna was expecting Matteus. "I am sure the doctor heard the commotion." Gerda said, a cloth in her hand. "We have sent out for him though, you may need stitches." She dunked the fabric into a bowl and gently moved Elsa's hand from her ear to mop up some of the gory mess.
"We had better get an explanation just as soon as we're patched up." Elsa near growled. Matteus was holding her hand and still guardant with his short blade.
"Mama is going to be mad." Matteus commented, he looked a little paler than usual.
"She will be indeed." Elsa gave his hand a squeeze, partly to distract him and partly to distract herself from the throbbing of her ear.
"Ms Hanson, I see you were eager to be my patient again." The physician had arrived, his bag in hand.
"See to Elsa first, I'm fine." Freya said through gritted teeth. She held gauze to the cut and looked away and to the clock, it had been less then fifteen minutes since they had been stood waiting for the boat.
"Indeed. Young Prince Matteus, I need your aunt a moment, nurse your assistance please." The doctor carefully moved the prince away and began his work. "So, does anything else hurt other than your ear?"
"My shoulder stings a little." Now the adrenaline was wearing off Elsa could feel her ear throb and a line of pain along her shoulder. The nurse and a maid carefully removed the top half of her dress, the bodice was stained with blood and her camisole was also.
"I think I see the reason." The physician said, pointing to a thin cut along her shoulder, a red line on the pale skin. "It is shallow but I will need to clean and dress it to be safe." He took some bottles from his bag, cloths and dressings too and began to work.
On the adjacent bed Gerda was helping Freya out of her thick woollen leggings to reach the cut on her leg, the guard winced a little as the fabric rubbed over the wound. "Is Elsa alright?" She asked the physician, trying to ignore the discomfort and get some reassuring words for herself and Matteus. The prince is sat on a chair looking worriedly between the pair of them.
Finishing his work, the doctor inspected the bandage over Elsa's shoulder and the gauze fixed over her ear. "Those will heal up well." He proclaimed. "My journeymen have worse to sort out in the gaol, my compliments to the guard and you Ms Hanson." He left the Queen and took a look at Freya's leg, she grit her teeth.
"Matteus had a hand in things too." She said, wincing again at the physicians touch. "Ah doctor, I remember those caring hands." She tried to jest, to make the worried prince and Queen laugh instead of panic.
"Quite, you seem to find a number of ways to require my attention." He took out some thread and a sharp needle. "Stitches again I am afraid." He tsked and motioned some staff to help hold her leg still.
"Again. I'm going to have more repairs than Anna's day dress." Freya trailed off when he started to close the wound and suddenly a small hand was holding hers. Matteus looked up and gave a weak smile. She tried her best to return it but turned her gaze up when the pain continued. She caught Elsa's glance, Matteus was holding her hand too.
After longer than either wanted, the doctor was finished. He packed his bag. "I will be back to check up on you later, rest that leg Ms Hanson and be careful of those cuts please your majesty." The man left.
Thirty seconds later the door flew open and Katja was buried in Elsa's lap, sobbing. "Mama... Mam." She was clearly having a little bit of a panic attack too. Elsa lifted her up so she was lying on the bed and wrapped her arms around her daughter.
"Gerda, could you get a fresh dress for Elsa please?" Freya asked, noticing the somewhat gory state of Elsa's clothes.
As her partner sorted matters, Elsa held tight to the girl holding equally strongly to her. "Kat, Katja. I'm alright. It was a silly little cut that bled a lot. Like when you cut yourself crafting. I'm fine." She trailed her fingers through the ash blonde hair and muttered soothing words to the crying girl.
"It's the first ever threat to you she's ever witnessed." Anna was stood in the doorway, remarkably collected considering events. Elsa had to comment.
"You don't seem too fazed." She continued to run her fingertips along Katja's scalp, the sobs were muted now but the child was still breathing in panicked gasp-ettes.
"Once the guards told me that it was an ear wound and Matty was fine there wasn't much to worry about." Anna entered the room and pulled her son into an embrace. "I tried to pierce my own ears when I was eleven, I know about cuts that overreact." She gripped Matteus' shoulder. "So, my brave boy was defending his family I hear?"
"I got the man right in the leg, stopped him hurting my aunties." The boy said, jabbing with his now sheathed sword.
"He takes after his mother in that regard." Freya remarked dryly from her bed. "Not quite feisty-pants, more a brave britches." She had reached a hand over to try and comfort Katja but was a little too far off. The woman grimaced having pushed herself a little too far.
Kristoff and Lisbet entered the room then, the little girl had a bag in her hand. "I said we had to get chocolate."
"And I was the honour guard for the chocolate to make sure she didn't sneak any on the way here." Kristoff chuckled.
"That was a good idea." Anna praised both, keeping her daughter from really looking at the alarming blood stains on Elsa's top. Fortunately Gerda returned with a large knitted jumper and a pair of loose pantaloons.
"Elsa, I thought this would be a little more comfortable. Freya, you should be able to get these on over that bandage now." The head housekeeper bustled over and handed the pantaloons to Freya and helped Elsa into the soft top, tucking the bottom under Katja's head and patting the now calmer girl.
"Thank you Gerda." Elsa said, in the years since she had let herself out of her room the older woman was becoming more and more a mother to her and Anna.
"Yes, thank you indeed. It was getting a bit much, sitting here minus any trous." Freya struggled the trousers on and over her bandage with a little help from Anna who had left Lisbet to congratulate her brother.
"I'll make sure the family is left in peace from the staff." Gerda smiled her little smile and stepped out, the damaged and dirty clothes now in her arms to go to the laundry.
Alone and away from prying eyes Freya and Elsa could finally react. "I hope you got whoever shot at you good." Freya said, repressed fury in her voice.
"Well, if I am to be passing judgement or making advice on how to deal with whoever cut you, they'll be lucky to get out of Arendelle in anything but a custom fitted ice-cube." Elsa still held Katja, the girl had calmed down now and was looking across at Freya.
"Hey, do you want to join them?" Kristoff asked, suddenly realising the distance between Freya and her 'girls'.
"Please. At least with my thrice-damned shoulder I could walk around." Freya let Kristoff lift her and carry her the short space between her bed and the one Elsa was settled on. Her partner shuffled over a little to allow space and Kristoff placed Freya down. Katja turned to look and with care, placed a hand just above the cut on her Mam's leg. Freya put her hand to cover the smaller and pale slender digits settled over the others.
"Um, I think we should go and see about some lunch and if Kai needs any royal assistance with smoothing this morning's kerfuffle out." Anna said brightly, motioning her husband to the door and grasping her children's hands. The door shut behind them.
"Are you feeling better now cutie?" Freya whispered, the blue-green eyes the peered up at her were bloodshot and the little face tearstained. There was a tiny nod.
"We're sorry sweetie. I'd hoped nothing like this would happen again." Elsa said her hand still buried in the soft blonde hair.
"Again?" She squeaked. "Why would anyone try to, to hurt you ever?" Katja lifted herself up a little and looked at her mothers, shocked at what Elsa had said.
"Why do you think I'm her personal guard Kat?" Freya patted the space between them and settled the girl into a sandwich hug.
"A few people don't like that I have magic, others don't think I should be Queen with this power... They think I am a threat." Elsa shrugged."We'll find out soon enough about what this one was about." She gave Katja an extra squeeze. "This wasn't a usual thing, there hasn't been any threat this close in twelve years. A few were foiled before they even really started."
"And I am here to stop anything that gets too close." Freya pointed out. "Well, not while this cut heals. Looks like you'll be keeping me company for a while Kat." Freya smiled when the girl looked a bit brighter with a steadier smile on her face.
"Matty did a good job too." Elsa said, "He was very brave, helping me get to the castle and stopping that man with his sword."
"Hmm, yes, that was a bit of a close call then. I would have had more than a slash to the leg from that." Freya grimaced again, recalling the moment. "I think I'll be getting him a little something to say thanks."
"Me too." Katja said, looking to her mothers.
They sat for a little while longer until it was eventually time for some lunch. Freya found a crutch and made it to the chosen dining room to find the others already seated. "Feeling better?" Anna asked.
"Fine, just sore." Freya said taking a seat.
"Annoyed about this chunk of gauze on my ear." Elsa scowled, "It muffles everything and feels wrong but I have to wear it at least until it is time to sleep. Gives the cut time to heal apparently."
"Aww, I hope you all get better soon." Anna and Lisbet said, their inflection and tone matching well.
After lunch had finished and business was about to get back to normal Katja called out. "Matty!" The boy stopped and looked.
"Yeah Kat? Did you change your mind and want to come reindeer riding after all?" Lisbet and Matteus had planned to go riding for a while after lunch, Katja had declined to spend time with the now off duty Freya.
"No, I uh, I just wanted to say thank you." Katja hurried over and grabbed him in an awkward hug. "Thank you for saving my Mama and Mam." She said to him, smiling a tiny bit tearfully. Then, before either realised what she was doing, Katja leaned forward and planted a little kiss on his cheek.
They both stood stock still when it occurred to them what had happened. Both blushing red as can be, they fled in different directions.
"That was too cute." Freya said, still sat in her seat.
"It is a good job Lisbet didn't see." Anna commented, "She wouldn't let either of them hear the end of it."
"Who gets to go tell Elsa?" Freya asked as she stood. Anna grinned and jumped up.
"I think I can get there first." She pocked her tongue out and, in a manner not befitting a princess, an adult or a mother, jogged away.
"No fair!" Freya shouted after her, using the crutch as best she could, "I'm wounded, cheater! Cheat!"
The staff was most used to the very unusual royal family. It was just as well really.
Woop, a long one to make up for the gap. I have been sucked into other Frozen fics I am prepping for posting, while Free and this one are going to probably carry on as oneshots here I have some ideas for other long and short stories that are unrelated to these. Those new stories are for the near future anyway.
Hope this was an okay chapter/short.
EDIT: Never listen to OMD and read other stories while writing, you only get confused!