A/N: Hey! I'm back again. I felt bad about giving such a short chapter, so I kind of decided to post this one a bit early. I wrote this chapter before chapter 10. Chapter 10 was an insert because I felt there should have been some aftermath to the battle. So yeah, i've gone through the chapter and edited so that it doesn't look like this was Chapter 10 and that it is indeed chapter 11.
Lance58: Anna is definitely fun to write because of her relationship and view of Elsa. Also who knows, maybe Elsa may ditch the army and live in the woods again with Anna. Who knows what craziness I might do =).
Laryssa1234: I agree, hurry it up Elsa! This writer needs to pick up the pace I swear- Oh wait...
Nara375: Some of these questions may be answered in the future! I wish I could spoil, but I would never! As always, loving the reviews.
I thought of something this morning while writing that I thought might be kind of fun to do with my viewers. I figure you can pm or leave a review of a character you want to see (Whether it be disney or your own creation) and i'll see about writing it in. Fair warning though, I could very easily kill off that character like poor Aladdin. You never know. It just seemed like a fun idea, nothing you have to do. But yeah, feel free to suggest if you like, I like the idea of interacting with my viewers in such a way.
Elsa stood at attention, her back straight and her jaw clenched as she listened to the conversation going on around her. She was upset, upset being a mild way of putting her mood. She was furious after what she'd learned. At the end of the mission back in the village, both Anna and Elsa were taken back to the kingdom. During the journey back, Elsa had thought that perhaps she had mistaken Captain Shang's words. Perhaps she had somehow warped them. A conversation with Kristoff who rode with them on the way back settled it however.
Turns out, the queen really had forgotten to tell Elsa a very important piece of information. There was to be a second force to join Elsa's after the southern isle revealed themselves. Elsa's team was indeed to help guard the caravans and sell off the goods, all the while being ready to fight the southern isle in case they attacked. What Elsa didn't know was that they were essentially bait. That was what the second force was for. They had already gone ahead and hidden themselves in the nearby woods, only a few hours ahead of Elsa's team.
Elsa wanted to know why something as important as telling her that she was essentially bait, was not shared with her.
Right now she was in a meeting, a meeting between those involved in the mission and the queen. Flynn was there as well, Elsa noticed. She wondered if he was the queen's personal guard or something, seeing as he was always with her.
"With only a few deaths and casualties, the mission went well I suppose." Flynn spoke up in his easy manner, wanting to get that bit of information out of the way.
"Statistically it did in fact go well." Captain Shang said, not completely agreeing with Flynn's logic. "There could have been many more deaths had Kristoff's unit not come in so quickly." The captain gave a nod of respect towards Kristoff who was currently using two crutches to help get himself around.
"We could have moved faster." Was all Kristoff had to say.
"Don't go beating yourself up. You did well. If we're being realistic, its always expected to lose a few men out on the battlefield, even with small fights like this." Flynn chimed in.
"I'm more concerned with the information about a 'monster' as Kristoff so eloquently put it." Queen Rapunzel spoke up now, seated at her throne while Elsa, Kristoff, and Captain Shang stood before her throne. Flynn seemed to have the right to stand beside the queen. He really must have been her bodyguard.
"I'm afraid I did not see much of it. By the time we finished off the southern isle's forces, we found it already being killed by the one that the Beast-Tamer commands." Captain Shang gave his input.
The queen looked to Elsa, smile on her face.
"As the one commanding her, I'm sure you saw a lot. What exactly happened? Where did this monster come from?" The queen asked.
Elsa clinched her fists at her side.
"Why was I never told that my unit was bait?" Elsa asked, doing her best not to show her outrage at the mere idea of being used that way.
The queen, and certainly everyone else, looked surprised that she did not answer the question. The only one who didn't seem surprised was Flynn. The young bodyguard just looked to the queen, waiting for her answer.
There was a moment of silence.
"Must have slipped my mind." She finally said.
"Slipped your mind?!" The rage suddenly bubbled over. "I was bait! You knew the southern isle forces were lying in wait, waiting for our smaller unit to show up so they could ambush us! You didn't think this important to tell me?!" Elsa yelled, hands clenched at her side as she did her best to remain with her posture straight.
"Have you lost your mind, Tamer?!" Captain Shang yelled, slapping Elsa on the back of the head with a gauntlet clad hand. "You are speaking to the queen!"
Elsa grew quiet after that, understanding that she could easily be hung at the gallows for such an offense. Still, she was so angry that she couldn't even think about the consequences right now.
There was silence for a moment before Kristoff cleared his throat.
"I was there, your majesty. I saw the beast as it came into existence." Kristoff told her.
Her eyes turned to Kristoff now. "Came into existence? What do you mean?" She seemed rather intrigued by this information.
"It was once a man. I watched as the man fell, fatally wounded by Anna- er Larsa's beast."
"Her name is Anna." Elsa growled out, receiving another slap from Shang.
"Calm yourself, Beast-Tamer." Shang whispered harshly.
"Yes, Kristoff, her name is indeed Anna. Now, what were you saying?" The queen asked.
"Well, the man received a fatal wound. He was dying on the floor. While I was… busy, he took a flask from his pocket and drank from it. Afterwards he transformed into the beast that now lay dead." Kristoff spoke up.
The queen digested this information for some time.
"Was he some sort of… person like Anna?" The queen asked, completely stumped by this new information. She had already heard about how Anna could transform from others, long before Elsa arrived back.
"No." Elsa spoke up confidently. Everyone turned to her, but she did not cower away. "I've seen Anna's people and I've watched them transform. His transformation, while similar, was nothing like there's. They turn into beasts, large animals that you may see out in the world, only somewhat altered at times. This man turned into something completely different. He looked like no animal, just a grotesque monster." Elsa told them all, not wanting anyone to compare that man to Anna. "If you want to compare, then it was more like he tried to copy what Anna's people did, however he failed and turned into a beast that didn't seem to have any humanity left. The monster he became was not smart, only targeting one person at a time, whomever agitated him." Elsa finished, staring down the queen, hoping to convey how angry she still was.
Kristoff began to nod his head.
"I can agree with this." He said. "The monster had plenty of opportunity to finish me off, yet it was quick to turn on someone else. A smart person would have finished his opponent before attacking someone else." Kristoff wasn't completely in agreement with what he'd said, but he felt Elsa's argument deserved some back up.
"Perhaps there is some truth to this. The battle was indeed over very fast. I believe a smart opponent would not have went down so easily. It would seem the man lost some intelligence along with his transformation." Captain Shang said, remembering that he did not fight the southern forces for very long once Kristoff's unit made an appearance. The battle was over quickly, which meant that the battle with the monster would have ended within the same time.
"Anna keeps her intelligence… he was nothing like her." Elsa said one last time, wanting to drive the point home.
The queen pondered this for a moment before, "You said he drank from something? Do you have it with you?"
Kristoff rummaged around in his pockets briefly before pulling out the flask that the man drank from. "This is it, your majesty."
Flynn was quick to descend the throne and walk up to Kristoff. He took the flask from him and walked over to the queen. He took a sniff from the flask and whipped his head away as if being slapped. Everyone in the room was looking to him as he coughed at the stench.
"Oh that's still ripe." Flynn said after a moment, continuing to bring the flask up to the queen. "Take a whiff princess." He told her, smile in place.
"Sir Flynn?!" Captain Shang yelled at him.
Flynn waved him away. "Our princess is adventurous, let her smell what a battlefield really smells like."
Flynn gave the flask to the Queen who scrunched her nose up at the smell after getting a whiff. She quickly passed it back to him.
"What is that?!" She gagged in front of everyone.
"Smells like blood, little princess." Flynn told her.
"He drank blood?" She questioned.
Flynn shrugged. "Smells like he did anyway."
The news seemed to silence the room.
Blood? Elsa wondered. What sort of blood would do that to a man. Elsa wondered If it was Half-Beast blood, maybe somehow their blood carried properties that allowed the transformation. Maybe when applied to a normal person, this was the result. Elsa quickly threw away the thought. Half-Beast, as far as Elsa knew, only seemed to be part of the black forest that was near Arendelle, how would the southern Isle get their hands on it? Better yet she knew Anna's people worked in groups. There was no way a team had managed to kill one and scare away the others to obtain the blood. No, there was something else going on, something that likely didn't even involve Anna's people.
"So, it would seem the rumors are true about the southern isle." Queen Rapunzel sighed, not taking this news well.
"The rumors that they can conjure demons? Perhaps not exactly what we thought, but this would definitely scare someone into thinking so." Flynn said beside her.
Elsa grit her teeth at yet more information that would she would have liked to have known. Rumors about demons in the south were not exactly spread far and wide. This must have been something that was kept between the higher ups in the castle. Not even the soldiers talked about it to Elsa when she was once a soldier.
"We should talk more about this when everyone has had a proper rest. I realize that I summoned you nearly the moment you got here." The queen said, taking some sympathy with those in the room. "Please, go back to your rooms and rest up." Rapunzel dismissed them.
Elsa had more questions, more demands to know, however Captain Shang was quick to wrap and arm around her shoulder and drag her off, after bowing to the queen of course.
Once outside, Elsa was confronted by both Shang and Kristoff.
"Did you just yell at the queen?" Kristoff asked in sheer disbelief.
"A most foolish action." Shang commented.
Elsa suddenly felt attacked and cornered, she took a lesson from Anna and lashed out. "She knowingly sent me on a mission to die!" Elsa hissed, aware that the throne room was only down the hall.
"She did not." Shang defended.
"What do you think bait is?!" Elsa threw her arm out in exasperation, though she regretted it as the wound from her battle pinched at her shoulder.
"It was a strategy. A fine one at that." Shang said.
"What?!"
"We knew the southern isles may lie in wait, so we sent a force ahead to meet them. What they didn't know was that we had more waiting for us once the battle engaged. Had we all marched together, then they may have never attacked in the first place. We traded a few lives for many of the southern soldiers and taught them a lesson that we will defend our own." Shang told her.
Elsa blubbered for a moment, so angry that she couldn't get her words out. Sure, it made sense to trade a few lives for many in war, but that sounded so heartless, so very wrong. As a queen she should try to see to all of her subjects surviving, not moving them around like they were a game of chess, throwing in the pawns to die, while the queen sits back and watches.
"Like it or not, Larsa. That's war." Kristoff told her now.
Elsa just shook her head. "To speak about the dead so easily, to say that they were nothing but sacrifices for a few extra soldiers dead on the side of the enemy. You're all so… so… I don't even know." Elsa tried, unable to find the right words.
Shang nodded. "I understand how it looks now, but with time you will understand that in war, sacrifices must be made." He told her.
"Sacrifices. You're talking about people. All you people ever do is judge Anna and call her a monster, when you should be looking into a mirror!" And that was all she had to say.
Elsa stormed off, her experience in war still new, still naive, there was no way she would ever agree with them.
Kristoff watched her go and sighed.
"I still needed to talk to her about… that girl." Kristoff said, not wanting to call her a beast, but certainly not wanting to use her name.
"A fine addition to our army if the south will be playing with demons." Shang muttered to himself.
"Yeah… till she turns on you." Kristoff said angrily before leaving, crutches clacking against the floor as he left.
Elsa was marching back to her room, angry at the queen, Shang, and Kristoff, the last two because they defended her actions. Elsa could never understand using people the way the queen had just done. To throw them to the wolves and watch them be devoured just so that a few more knights could sneak up and slay the wolves. Did it not make more sense to figure out a way to kill the wolves with no casualties?
Elsa seemed to forget that she was not dealing with wolves, but other cunning humans like herself.
Elsa stopped as she reached the hallway that contained her room. Down the hall, she could see that the door was opened. She was confused at first, but then she began to panic. Elsa had left Anna in the room, left her sleeping on the bed. When the two arrived back in the castle during the day, Anna had immediately fell onto the bed to sleep. Elsa had found it cute at the time and decided not to bother her. It wasn't long after that Elsa was called to the meeting. She had left Anna there, closing the door behind her. She figured she would be back before the girl awoke.
The door was open… meaning Anna could have left.
She ran down the hallway, straight for her room. She burst in, one name on her lips as she looked around.
"Anna!"
"Oh!… Hello." A meek voice.
While the red hair was similar, that was not Anna who spoke.
"Who are you?" Elsa asked, eyebrows furrowed at the sight of someone in her room, on her bed no less.
"Excuse me, sir. I am Ariel, a maid. I only came to-"
Elsa watched with a near heart attack as Anna, who she had only now noticed was on the bed, reached for the girl while her back was turned.
"Don't!" Elsa yelled.
A burst of giggles as Anna began to tickle away at the girl, remembering her earlier lesson from Elsa.
"N-no! S-stop, Anna! I don't have anymore! I swear!" The girl laughed, trying to escape from Anna's tickle attack.
To say Elsa was confused would be an understatement.
"What is… going on here?" Elsa asked as she entered the room, closing the door behind her.
"She doesn't believe me!" The girl got out, still laughing because of Anna.
Elsa was still somewhat aggravated from her earlier meeting, she wasn't in the mood for this.
"Enough, Anna!" She called out. Anna continued tickling the maid, but she did look to Elsa. "Stop!" She commanded.
Anna, understanding what this word meant, let Ariel go with a pout. Anna made a noise in the back of her throat as she very rudely began to sniff away at Ariel.
"R-really, I don't have anymore." Ariel told her, standing up and away from Anna.
"You gave her something?" Elsa asked, looking upset. She had no idea what was going on, and she had already gotten angry about the very same thing earlier. Elsa found out she didn't like being left in the dark.
Ariel, seeming to sense Elsa's anger, stood and gave a bow to her. "I'm sorry Beast-Tamer. I… I may have given her a bit of chocolate." She admitted shamefully, thinking she was in trouble.
Elsa blinked. "Chocolate?"
"Only a small amount… at first." She added in guiltily.
Elsa looked to Anna, seeing that the girl did in fact have a chocolate stain beside her lips. Elsa was surprised, this was the first time she'd seen Anna act friendly towards anyone. It was then that she noticed how startled and frightened Ariel looked, the poor maid thinking she had upset someone. Elsa realized that her position as the queen's select few could possibly intimidate others of a lower status.
Elsa shook her head, feeling a bit like a jackass with the way she entered in a huff.
"Forgive me, there is no wrong doing here… I just didn't know she liked chocolate of all things." Elsa said, rubbing at her injured shoulder. How could she know Anna would like chocolate? The girl seemed to only favor meat, pushing aside anything that wasn't previously alive.
Ariel, sensing the shift in mood, beamed a smile at Elsa. "Oh yes, she enjoys it very much. I didn't know a person like her could purr." Ariel seemed excited.
"Purr?" Elsa asked.
"Well… it was more a soothing growl, but still." Ariel said after a moment.
"I see… so what were you doing for… all of this to happen?" She gestured around, basically asking how she had run into Anna alone without being killed or injured.
Ariel gave another bow. "I was simply doing my rounds on cleaning. I am in charge of this floor. I was unaware that you had come back, so I simply walked in… sorry." She apologized again, looking sheepish at her admittance.
"It's alright, please continue." Elsa really didn't care, she just wanted to know how the woman did what she did.
"Well… imagine my surprise when I walked in and found the rumored Half-Beast sleeping on the bed alone. I thought to leave, but managed to bump into the wall on the way out. She woke up then and spotted me." Ariel seemed to have a chill run through her at that moment. "I'll be honest and say I assumed I was dead. She growled at me and suddenly began sniffing at the air. I assumed she was taking in my scent to hunt me down if I ran." Ariel then smiled a bit. "Turns out she smelled the chocolate I've been carrying on me. I was truly frightened when she approached me, but then the greedy little thing snatched the chocolate off of me and absconded with it back to the bed, where she nibbled away at it before shoving the entire thing into her mouth. It was… cute." Ariel laughed a bit, not knowing if she should call Anna cute in front of her master.
Elsa nodded along, though she was surprised by this information. The girl had been saved because Anna smelled chocolate on her? This was good information to know. Perhaps she should inform people to carry chocolate on them if they should ever visit Elsa.
"Truthfully… sir." Ariel began again, once again looking sheepish. "Once I saw her like that, I decided to pull out more of the chocolate I had hidden away. She was immediately upon me, snatching them away, only this time she ate them in front of me instead of running away. She made this… adorable growling noise before she introduced herself." Ariel said.
Now that was shocking.
"She… told you her name?" Elsa asked.
"Yes. She said her name was 'Ahhma' or something. I think she was trying to say 'Anna'."
"it's Anna." Elsa solidified the girl's thoughts. Elsa didn't know why she was reinforcing the way she pronounced Anna's name.
"It's a nice name." She looked to the girl in question who was lazily laying on the bed, watching the conversation.
"Yes." Elsa began after clearing her throat. "I'm glad you're alright and I'm glad you had the chocolate on you. However I wish to speak with Anna alone now." She told Ariel, trying to dismiss her nicely.
"Oh! Of course, sir." She turned back to Anna. "Goodbye, Anna." She waved as she left.
Anna mimicked the wave, though she didn't understand what it meant. She did at least understand that the girl was leaving though.
Ariel left, her crimson colored hair being the last thing Elsa saw as she opened and closed the door. Elsa stared at the door for awhile before turning to find Anna lounging on the bed. Elsa walked over and took a seat on the bed, staring at the chocolate stain on Anna's lips. She sighed as a lazy smile found its way onto her face. She licked at her thumb before rubbing at Anna's lips to rid her of the stain.
"Messy." Was what Elsa said as she wiped her thumb onto her trousers. "I can't believe you liked someone other than me." Elsa said, a strange feeling settling in her chest at the thought. "Maybe I should bring chocolates, hmm?" She asked, looking to Anna.
Anna just blinked at her.
The sight of seeing Anna being friendly with someone other than herself was giving her an idea. She would definitely hesitate at doing something like this if she hadn't seen Anna being kind to Ariel. However the sight of her tickling away at Ariel wouldn't stop entering her mind. Anna could be kind to others, she just had to like them for some reason, even if it was something as simple as giving her a treat.
She almost laughed at the fact that giving Anna a treat was enough to make her like them. Perhaps she'd wag her tail if she had one.
"I want to take you someplace special, okay Anna?" She asked.
Anna blinked again. "Elsa." Was all she had to say.
"I'll take that as a yes." Elsa stood up. "Come, Anna. We're leaving." She announced.
Anna, having learned this phrase, was quick to stand, though she winced with how quickly she stood up. Elsa remembered her injuries at the sight.
"We'll take it slow, come on." Elsa told her kindly, putting out her hand for Anna to take.
You'd think Anna just received a present with the face she made at getting to hold Elsa's hand again.
Before they did leave, Elsa did force Anna to wear more clothing. She imagined that Anna would heal better if she wasn't so cold once she was outside. She had given Anna a huge cloak that she'd found in the wardrobe. It looked toasty and comfortable, though the face Anna made would suggest otherwise. Elsa wasn't having it, she gave a wag of her finger and a small lecture about catching a cold to Anna. For herself she found a nice jacket to wear that had the symbol of Arendelle on the back of it.
As they were leaving Elsa seemed to forget something important that Anna was quick to remind her of.
"Elsa." Anna called.
Elsa turned to find the girl with her hand out, waiting for Elsa to take it. Elsa rolled her eyes, pretending to find it to be such a hassle as she grabbed onto Anna's hand, making Anna light up visibly.
Elsa exited the castle with directions from the servants once again. It was easier this time, seeing as she'd left from this part of the castle the first time when she went to save Anna from the gallows. Elsa left down the main road and towards the plaza. All the while she held Anna's hand. Thankfully it wasn't snowing, though there was a bit of snow on the ground. Elsa realized halfway through their journey that Anna was still barefoot after all this time. The girl didn't seem bothered with stepping in the snow, but Elsa was having none of it.
"As soon as we get to where we're going, we're going to find you some shoes." Elsa told her.
Anna just squeezed at her hand, not knowing what Elsa was going on about.
Elsa did have to ask for more directions as she got to the plaza, seeing as she'd never been to this part of the city. Thankfully, she found a kind woman who gladly pointed her in the right direction. Thankfully as well, Anna kept her hood up, hiding her features from the girl and not frightening her away. Truthfully, Anna did feel the cold, though not as much as others. She was naturally more hot blooded than a human, but even she could appreciate the comfort of warmth that the cloak gave her. It was the only reason she kept the hood up and had not torn it off. Besides, it wasn't blocking her view of Elsa, so it was no bother.
After some time of walking, nearly an hour and a half of it, Elsa arrived at her destination as she recognized buildings and homes. She walked up to a modest home with a large and desolate harvesting field behind it. Nothing was going to grow in the winter, so it sat unused. Elsa felt a lump in her throat as she approached the home, her reason for joining the army. A tear almost left her eye at the thought of the warm atmosphere that she knew was behind the door. And she knew it was there, she could hear the sounds of laughter from inside, laughter that she'd grown up with. She really hadn't been gone very long, but with everything she'd been through, it felt like an eternity.
She stopped to look at Anna.
"Anna." She got her attention. "These are important people to me… okay? They're the most important people in my life. I'd love it if you got along… alright?" She asked, already knowing that Anna didn't understand her. She needed to hear it though. "Say 'yes'." She commanded softly.
"Yes." Anna repeated.
That was good enough for Elsa.
She turned and let her hand knock against the door.
"Coming! One moment!" A female voice called.
Elsa nearly jumped into the arms of the woman that answered the door, but she held herself back. The two stared at each other, one in shock, the other just trying to contain her emotions.
"Elsa?" Her mother asked, looking the same she did as the day that Elsa left.
"Mama." Elsa hadn't called her that for a long time.
Elsa let go of Anna as she rushed into a hug, grabbing at her mother for all she was worth.
"Oh, Elsa. Its good to see you!" Her mother called out happily, hugging her daughter back. "Agnarr! Agnarr guess who is here!" She called out while still holding her daughter.
"It better not be that damned neighbor of ours! A curse upon his family!" Someone called from inside, though anyone could tell he was only kidding.
Elsa heard footsteps approaching and soon she was face to face with her father.
"Elsa?" He questioned, nearly choking on a lump in his throat.
"Dad." Elsa called.
"Well? Move out of the way woman, let me see my daughter!" He commanded, trying to move his wife.
"Wait your turn, you old fool." She told him.
"Mama!" Elsa laughed, trying to untangle herself so she could hug her father.
Eventually her mom did let go, but not before giving Elsa another squeeze. Her father got his turn, so happy he was that he lifted his daughter in the air as though she were a child.
"There's my daughter! My pride and joy! The only one in this family that's smart enough to work in the castle." He called out joyfully.
Elsa could see both Olaf and Marshall walking up as well behind her father.
"Hi, Elsa!" Olaf called out happily.
"Hey." Marshall tried not to show his excitement, thinking it was uncool and childlike to be so happy to see his sister, but Elsa could see it.
"Wait. Put me down dad. There's someone I want you guys to meet." Elsa told them.
Her father obliged and Elsa backed up until she could hold Anna's hand again.
"This is a good friend of mine. She's been there for me ever since I left." Elsa told them.
Her father put a hand to his chest and pretended to almost faint.
"For a moment I thought you were about to introduce a boy. Don't toy with your father's heart." He told her in good nature.
"Enough with the introductions, we can get her name inside. Its cold out dear." Her mother said, gesturing for everyone to get inside.
Elsa was happy to follow that command.
Elsa sat Anna in a seat at the table the moment she got inside. Everyone took a seat at the table then, all smiles. Her father even went and got his favorite chair to sit it at the table. Elsa sat beside Anna, still holding her hand. Elsa was too busy just being plain happy to notice how quiet Anna was being. She certainly didn't notice the way Anna was smelling the area as subtly as she could.
"I can't remember the last time I was this happy." Agnarr said, his smile so wide that you would think nothing could break it.
"Agreed." Her mother said. "It's good to have the family back together." She smiled, doing her best not to tear up at the sight of her daughter sitting at the table again.
"What took you so long to come back?" Marshall asked, looking as though he didn't care, but truthfully he had missed his older sibling.
"She just got work in the castle, it's no surprise that it took awhile to get herself a break." Her father told him.
"It's been forever though." Marshall said stubbornly.
"It always feels that way, dear." Her mother chimed in.
"Have you guys been receiving the money? I made sure to tell them where to send it." Elsa asked, knowing that as a member of Arendelle's army, she had the choice to have her money sent elsewhere instead of having to carry it on her person.
"Yes we have dear, it's been so helpful to us." Her mother said.
"She's making me look bad is what she's doing. My daughter makes more money than I do!" Her father announced, acting as though he was outraged, but it was hard when there was so much pride bubbling up inside of him.
"The recent payment was much more than before when you first started. Have you already received a promotion?" Her mother asked, thinking of the recent bag of coin that was delivered to her door.
Elsa remembered the mission she did for the queen.
"Um… sort of?" Elsa admitted a bit sheepish.
Agnarr's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Already? You just started and you're already moving up! That's my daughter! She'll be head maid in no time!" Agnarr truly didn't know what to do with all of this pride.
"I didn't know maids got paid so much." Marshall said, sounding rude, but truthfully curious.
"They do when they do their jobs right!" Agnarr said.
Elsa was blushing at this point, unable to handle how much pride her father had in her. She remembered him being absurdly happy when he found out that she would be working as a maid in the castle, but she never imagined that it meant this much to him.
"I just do what others do." Elsa said.
"Nonsense! My girl is the best and that's all there is to it!" Agnarr smacked the table to push his point across.
"Don't get your father going by disagreeing with him." Her mother rolled her eyes.
"Wow I wish I had claws like this!" Olaf suddenly announced.
That was when Elsa finally noticed that Olaf, who had been seated on the other side of Anna, had her hand in his palm, Anna letting him play with her fingers and most importantly her claws. Anna was looking at him, but showed no signs of growing anger or the desire to lunge at him.
Still it made Elsa's heart race.
"Olaf! Stop it!" She hissed.
"Claws? Does our lady need a trim?" Agnarr laughed.
"She has claws dad! Like an animal!" Olaf announced excited.
"Don't be rude, Olaf." Iduna scolded.
"But its true!" Olaf pouted.
"Um…" Elsa spoke up bashfully, nervous. "Actually… he's right." Elsa said, knowing that she would have to do this eventually. She had meant to have it done right away, but she got carried away with her family.
"Elsa!" Her mother whispered, angry that her daughter would say something like that.
Elsa drew in a breath. "Don't freak out, okay? She uh… she doesn't like it when people get upset and make loud noises around her." Elsa said.
"You're talking like she's some beast from the forest." Her father laughed.
If only he knew.
"I mean it… no one freak out. She's really nice, I swear." Elsa said one more time.
Her mother almost spoke up, to scold her again for talking about a person like that. However Elsa reached over and grabbed Anna's hood. With slow movement, she pulled the hood down, the entire table gasping at the sight.
Anna blinked at the family, serpentine like eyes watching all of their reactions. Iduna looked shocked, Agnarr looked shocked, Marshall looked shocked.
Olaf had the biggest smile on his face.
"Way cool! Can I have horns like that?! Can I mom, please?!" he questioned.
Elsa decided to speak up when no one else did.
"Thank you… for not screaming or anything. She may look different, but she's really nice once you get to know her." Elsa said, her hand still holding Anna's under the table.
Anna, the odd one out at the table, looked around at everyone, letting her eyes settle on Olaf. Anna had already figured out that these were people related to Elsa. She could smell it on them. It certainly helped that the mother shared so many features that Elsa had. She recognized the two adults as Elsa's parents. The two children were obviously more offspring, making them Elsa's little brothers. Anna was already expecting their reactions, seeing as everyone seemed to have it once they saw her. She was beginning to grow used to it. Truthfully she enjoyed it, she liked their fear. It showed that she was dominant, that they feared her. The only strange thing to be found here, was the smallest human here. He did not seem to fear her, in fact he looked quite happy once the hood came off. She had let him play with her fingers earlier, finding no harm in letting him touch her. He was small, and if need be, Anna would smack him under his chin to teach him a lesson.
Anna had no interest in harming anyone here, but that didn't mean she wouldn't if someone challenged her.
She looked to Agnarr, finding his jaw tense and his eyes settling on hers.
"Is it… normal that she's staring at me like that?" Agnarr asked, doing his best to follow his daughters orders and not grow excited.
Elsa looked to Anna. "Stop staring at people." She scolded, and to everyone's surprise at the table, she gave Anna a small smack on the shoulder.
Anna grumbled and looked to Elsa, wondering why she was being scolded.
"My promotion at the castle… may involve Anna here." Elsa said.
"Anna?" Iduna asked, nervously fiddling with her fingers, she too was trying to follow Elsa's advice, not wanting to excite Anna and potentially get the kids harmed.
"Yes. Um… I was promoted to watch over her. I'm kind of like her caregiver at the castle." Elsa was making up lies again, but she needed something closer to the truth, something that would explain her absence better then being a maid, not to mention the larger sums of money that would come in now.
"Does Anna like uh… meat?" Agnarr asked.
Elsa shook her head. "She doesn't eat people." A lie. She knew Anna was capable of it, but she had never seen her do it.
Agnarr let out a big breath at that. "Well… that's nice to know." Then he decided to do something very brave indeed. "I'm Agnarr, its a pleasure to meet you, Anna." He raised his hand for Anna to take.
Anna stared at his hand, looking to Elsa.
"Go on." Elsa encouraged, gesturing her head towards her father's awaiting hand.
Seeing as her left hand was in Elsa's, Anna saw no problem with this. She reached out her right hand and placed it into Agnarr's. The man closed his hand around hers, mindful of her claws as he gave it a brief shake. He took his hand back, Anna letting it go with ease.
Agnarr nodded at this. "Doesn't seem so bad." He tried to play it off, but truthfully he had expected Anna to pull him across the table and bite into his neck.
"I really want those claws." Olaf said.
Iduna barked out a small laugh, unable to contain it at Olaf's continued enthusiasm.
"And you hang around her all the time?" Iduna asked.
Elsa nodded. "I'm her caregiver… they call me 'Beast-Tamer'." Elsa laughed a small laugh.
Marshall nearly snapped his neck with how fast he looked from Anna to Elsa.
"You're the 'Beast-Tamer'?!" He questioned.
"You've heard that name before?" Agnarr asked.
Marshall was quick to nod. "The other kids say that a legendary tamer of beasts had tamed an incredible beast and that they lived in the castle now. They said that he first appeared in the plaza." Marshall said, though after a moment he scrunched up his nose in thought. "They said that you were a guy though."
Elsa laughed nervously. "A lot of people assume I'm a guy. You shouldn't believe every rumor you hear, Marshmallow. They tend to be exaggerated." She scolded him, truthfully just trying to cover herself better.
"So… you care for this girl and others, having seen you, assume you to be some legendary tamer of beasts that they call the 'Beast-Tamer'." Agnarr asked, looking suspicious.
Elsa swallowed nervously. "That about sums it up." A lie that was so close to the truth.
Agnarr suddenly smacked the table, a loud laugh exiting his mouth. "My daughter is famous! Not only does she work in the castle, but she's known as 'legendary'! Please Elsa, you will have to contain any further good news, I feel as though my heart will burst with pride." He smiled at her.
Elsa let out a breath in the form of a laugh.
"I um… I'm glad you're taking it so well. I was nervous you wouldn't approve." Elsa said.
Agnarr shrugged. "She seems… behaved." He said after looking to Anna who was staring at Olaf who was playing with her fingers again. "Oh, there he goes again, Iduna." He snitched.
"Olaf!" A shout from both Elsa and Iduna.
"Aww." A pout from Olaf as he was forced to take his hand back.
Elsa glared at Olaf for a moment before remembering something. "Oh!" She suddenly spoke up. "I've also got a trick to make her like you really fast." Elsa looked to her mother. "You still keep the sweets at the back of the cabinet right?"
Her mother nodded while Agnarr looked thoroughly offended.
"That's where they are hidden?!" he questioned, outraged at being denied sweets.
Elsa quickly got up, leaving Anna at the table as she raced to the cabinets. While Agnarr looked more comfortable at the table, everyone else still felt nervous around Anna, well not Olaf anyway. Anna just watched Elsa as she rummaged around the kitchen before coming back. Anna smelled at the air, catching a hint of something pleasant, something familiar.
"Okay each of you take one." Elsa said as she dropped something in everyone's hand as she went around the table.
Elsa made it back around just in time to keep Anna in her seat as the girl finally realized what the smell was.
"Stay, Anna." She commanded with a smile, loving how she could tell how excited Anna was getting. "Okay, now everyone give her what's in your hand, one at a time." Elsa told them.
Olaf of course was the first to give what he had, stretching out his hand. Despite Anna's eagerness, she took the piece of chocolate in his hand with delicacy that not even Elsa knew she had. She ripped away the covering and stuck it into her mouth, growling in a light way at the taste, looking like she'd just taken a bite of heaven.
Elsa had to admit, Ariel was right, it did almost sound like a purr.
One by one her family gave her the chocolate, all of them feeling a bit more at ease with the way Anna would carefully take it from them and pop it into her mouth. Anna smiled after her last piece, looking to the family happily instead of in an uninterested way.
"It's like feeding a stray dog." Agnarr commented.
"She's no dog, she's a person." Elsa told him, not in a scolding manner, mostly because she understood where he was coming from.
"I guess she isn't so bad." Marshall commented, he too feeling like he had just made friends with a dog of some sort.
Iduna didn't seem so convinced. "I suppose." She commented.
"She's really nice, mom." Elsa said, her hands rubbing away at Anna's shoulders. The girl contently leaning back into her as she licked away chocolate from her teeth.
Iduna nodded, putting on a smile for Elsa.
Agnarr stared for a moment before, "Where's the rest of that chocolate?! This is quite fun if I do say so!" Agnarr said as he stood up to steal more treats.
"Me too!" Both Olaf and Marshall called as they followed their father.
Her mother only shook her head, wondering where she'd have to stash the treats now that the boys knew just where to find it.
Elsa smiled, loving how they came back and fed Anna more treats, the girl growling in that purring way as she got more and more fed to her. Elsa was glad she had done this, glad she hadn't thought it would be a mistake. Mostly she was glad that Ariel had walked into her room that morning. She wondered in what way she could repay the girl for this knowledge that she'd given her.
Anna could be nice to others, something Elsa had begun to doubt.
Elsa stayed with her family for lunch, deciding that since Anna was being so kind and seeming to get along with her family, that she could stay. Elsa was helping her mother in the kitchen, keeping an eye on Anna while she sat at the table, her father trying to teach Anna to arm wrestle for some strange reason.
"You never were all that good at lying, you know?"
Elsa turned to her mother who had suddenly spoke.
"What?"
Her mother continued prepping the food as she spoke, not bothering to look at Elsa. "Your lies. You're not good at it. Your brothers are too young to question it and your father too blind to even think it were possible." She said.
Elsa looked down at that. "It's mostly the truth." Elsa said, not bothering to try and lie to her mother who had seen right through her.
"I'm sure it is. And I'm sure you have good reason for not telling us the whole truth… there's just one thing I need to know." Her mother looked to her, eyes concerned. "Are you safe? Are you in trouble?"
Elsa actually chuckled at that. "I wasn't lying when I said that Anna has been there for me since I left. I am safe with her. She protects me. As for trouble? No, I'm not in any trouble. The most trouble I have is making sure that Anna doesn't bite anyone." Elsa chuckled again at the thought, knowing it was possible, but for some reason finding it humorous.
Her mother sighed in relief. "Good. I was afraid I'd have to drag you away from the castle. I know we need the money right now, but we'll find a way around it. We always do." Her mother said.
Elsa nodded. "The job is good mother. It really does involve me watching Anna." She didn't tell her that it also involved her going to fight the southern isles' soldiers at times. For the most part she did just rely on Anna to do everything.
The thought made her feel sick.
"I see." Her mother went back to preparing the food.
Elsa, finding that her mother was so willing to talk and accepting of things, decided to bring something up.
"Mom…" She gathered her attention first. "I felt it… the ice." Elsa said.
You would think someone just threatened to kill Iduna's entire family with the shocked expression she made. "What?" She asked in disbelief.
"It wasn't like before, don't worry." Elsa quickly said, not wanting to give her mother a heart attack. "But… I've felt it lately. I've… used it. It was so different from before mom. It didn't hurt, it just came out." Elsa tried to explain, a feeling welling up inside her. If she could learn to control it, she could help Anna more. She wouldn't have to rely on Anna to save her time and time again. If she could learn to use the ice, harness it, she could be more powerful than Anna. She could protect Anna.
"Don't!" her mother whispered angrily. "Whenever you feel it you know what to do! You conceal, you don't feel! Nothing good could ever come of using that power." Her mother told her, eyebrows furrowed in anger.
"But… mom-"
"No! You will conceal it, Elsa! Don't forget what happened before." She suddenly looked downcast. "I lost you once… don't do it again to me Elsa. I could never go through that kind of pain again." Her mother said.
Elsa did remember what happened. She remembered the way the ice tore into her skin, remembered the intensity of the cold as it burrowed into her veins and turned her blood to ice. She remembered the pain, the all consuming pain she felt as it reached her heart.
How could she ever forget dying?
"Okay…" Elsa agreed.
"Good… now lets get this food ready for the boys… and girl." Her mother said.
Elsa suddenly heard a shout of pain. She heard laughter that quickly quelled her nerves. She turned to find her father with his arm pinned to the table, calls of mercy being asked as Anna held his arm down. While her father really was in some pain from Anna's arm wrestling skills, the man wore a big smile as he laughed. Marshall and Olaf laughing at his expense as well.
"Stop, Anna. At least leave my father with his arm intact." Elsa told her.
At the command, Anna let go, though she smiled in triumph. She didn't understand why he was trying to force her arm down, that is until she finally figured out that this was a test of strength. Needless to say, Anna showed him no mercy and slammed his arm down with enough strength to show him that she would be no easy opponent. She of course held back, not wanting to hurt the father of the girl she liked so much.
Anna watched as he set his arm up again.
"Beginners luck." He told her cheekily.
Anna smiled, enjoying this game he liked to play.
Elsa watched on as Anna beat him again, this time toying with him and letting him nearly win before she turned the tables on him. It was moments like this that Elsa was reminded that Anna was indeed human in a way. She liked to play, just like when she took the wooden knight from Elsa and made her chase her. She was also reminded that not all challenges were met with fierce snarls and bloodied claws. Elsa just smiled as Olaf challenged her next, he met the same fate as his father, only in a much softer manner. Seems Anna didn't believe in letting anyone best her, even for fun.
Not that Elsa minded.