Heirloom
On a warm day in early spring, near a crystal lake surrounded by mountains, a royal carriage was making its way home to Arendelle. It was accompanied by a light escort from the Royal Guard, with a large guard driving the team in front of the open coach and the two passengers sitting back against the plush cushion, with one so obviously more at home in comfort than the other. A small town rested by the lake, with wooden buildings cut against the sapphire waves and the bustle of people moving about, many of which who came out along the cobbled road in order to catch a glimpse of the occupants.
As the magical queen of the land wasn't often seen this far from the castle, the townsfolk were eager to catch a glimpse of her royal visage.
"What's the name of this town again?" Elsa asked as she waved to the onlookers, hearing their warm calls and smiling brightly at the attention.
"Lake Point, Your Majesty," the driver replied.
She hummed through a smile, liking the name. It was simple and fitting. Unlike the fjord, there wasn't the usual smell of the ocean, but rather a clean smell of fresh water that came running down the mountains. Fish of different kinds were hung out in the sun. Children ran towards the gravely beaches to play, while the queen took in a deep breath, pulling her attention from the gathering people and turning it on the man who rode next to her.
"I don't think I've ever been to this part of the kingdom. It's pretty close to Fria, isn't it?" she asked, trying to bring him back to the world around them.
Yasha sat stiffly, still shifting his feet uncomfortably as he felt the carriage beneath him. It was obvious he hadn't been sharing her view, though hearing her call the name of his lost homeland, he suddenly looked up to the mountains in the distance.
"I believe so," he answered.
Elsa smirked at his absentmindedness. She had wanted him to ride with her so they could spend some quiet time together, though he had been so preoccupied with the movements of the coach and the way he wasn't at his usual place as her vanguard, the journey had been quieter than she hoped. Since his proposal of marriage, she had been pushing for him to leave behind his vagrant days. He was no longer an exile. He was no longer a wayward prince. He was no longer a captain of her Royal Guard or soon even its baron.
He was the future king, and she wanted him to settle into his place at her side.
To that end, she suddenly leaned against him, wrapping her arm around his and placing her hand across his knotted fist. The sudden intimacy surprised him, though as she was casually resting her head against his shoulder and enjoying the warm sun, he smothered his response, instead breaking open his hand and closing it around hers.
The affectionate response made her sigh happily. "We really should get out into the countryside more often. It's nice to be away from the castle," she mused.
Yasha relaxed, feeling infected by her mood. He was starting to see why she had wanted to simply go for a ride.
"Take your time, Thias," he called to the driver.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Thias replied.
The reply made Yasha's eyes narrow. "'Yes, Baron,'" he corrected sharply. While being rebuked by his baron should have demanded an instant submission, the large guard simply hid his grin as he managed the horses, something that only made Yasha glare more fiercely.
"You're wasting your breath," Elsa remarked, not even bothering to look at his expression. She knew the face he would be wearing.
Yasha bristled. "It appears the Royal Guard has been lacking in discipline lately. Perhaps a nice long hike through the hills might remind them exactly how to address their baron."
While Thias grimaced at the punishment he was earning himself and his fellow guards, Elsa leaned up and placed a charitable hand across his back, dismissing all of Yasha's authority. "You're perfectly fine, Thias," she said, then giving Yasha a stern glare, "He's the one who needs to remember what he should be called."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Thias replied, happy to be acquitted.
Yasha returned her stare, a mixture of offense and submission in his eyes. "Insubordination," he cawed, though he almost seemed to enjoy it when she asserted her authority as she did.
Elsa quirked her brow. "Now you're forgetting who the queen is around here," she warned.
Since his surprise proposal in front of the kingdom, she had been more aggressive towards him, as she had finally found the right to claim him as he had always wanted to claim her. Since he had so plainly stated his intentions to share her throne, she felt like she could longer had to cater to his more stubborn tendencies. She could simply treat him as if he were all hers.
Because he was.
To disperse the contentious air, she gingerly laid her head back against his shoulder, once more becoming his tender lover, while still retaining the authority in her voice. "I like it when they call you that. It sounds...right," she mused, then let her smile widen as she played with the glowing ring on her finger.
"And pretty soon, you won't have any more excuses."
Her commanding tone dissolved his offense, and he quietly gave into her. "Yes, Your Majesty," he replied.
His submissive salute made her smother a laugh, then remain carefully tucked at his side as she once more turned her eyes out to the scenery around them, though still playing with the ring as her hand rested within his.
The carriage passed through the main area of the town, and many of the crowds were left behind to chatter at the royal visit. As her betrothed had finally relaxed, Elsa found the ride far more enjoyable, even if the silence remained. Now her mind was swimming with thoughts of their impending marriage, with the way her life was about to change. She could have spent the entire ride home just quietly basking in that fact, but as they passed through the outlying marks of the town, a strange, singing whine began to rise through the air, first so subtly that she barely noticed, but soon becoming so loud that she leaned up from her daydream, looking around them to try and find the source.
"What is that? Can you hear it?" she asked.
At her side, Yasha was stiff once more. The sound had a very different effect on him, as he didn't regard it as some benign oddity, but something intimate and almost forgotten.
He had heard this sound before.
Just as they all realized where the sound originated from, Yasha pulled his dagger from his belt, exposing its black blade to the sun and gasping at the way the red markings flared brightly. "Xenocryst?" he whispered, staring at the blade as the others did the same, then his eyes falling into an elusive memory somewhere in the back of his mind.
"It hasn't done that since..."
Elsa frowned, now looking to him more than the blade. "Since?"
Yasha suddenly rose to his feet, his hand to Thias's back. "Stop the carriage," he ordered, feeling the coach come to a halt as he wrenched his head around, looking in all directions. Elsa watched him anxiously, yet even as he scanned the dilapidated houses and mills around them, he said nothing, something that only infected the others with his uneasy mood.
Suddenly, he jumped from the coach, hitting the ground in a hurried jog while calling over his shoulder to his shocked party. "Stay with the queen!"
"Yasha!" Elsa called as he disappeared into the broken structures, then looked to Thias with a worried glance.
In the shadow of a broken mill and far from the eyes of the town, three young men surrounded a teenage girl. They carried tools for farming, yet were obviously engaged in other activities, one that forced the girl back against an ancient stone wall, her posture coiled and her eyes fierce.
"I'm warning you..." she hissed, holding a small knife in defense and quickly darting her eyes between them.
The first young man laughed as if it were some game, dancing slightly as he avoided her blade but still trying to get inside its reach. "Come on, Alyssa. Put the knife away and play nice with us. It's not like anyone's coming to help you," he sneered.
"Like your old man, the prince!" the second laughed.
The third also tried to wiggle his way inside of her defenses, his eyes cast wickedly on the way her torn clothes revealed the top of her heaving chest. "We'll play with you real nice like. Even let you call us 'Daddy,' if you want."
The girl growled wildly at their advances, keeping the knife up as her last salvation and cursing that she had been careless enough to cut through the old mill. As she had expected them to be out in the fields, she was surprised when they ambushed her. Now, she could only hope the fear of her knife would deter them enough to get away, though with how aggressive they had been getting lately, she wasn't sure they would leave her alone this time.
"You there!" a voice suddenly called, surprising all of them. A man in a regal uniform had intruded on the scene, and was glaring at them with eyes as fierce as the girl's.
Then he was coming at them.
"Who is that? A soldier?" the first young man asked, taking a step back. The others couldn't answer, as they had never seen him before, yet as he carried a dagger and approached ferociously, they became skittish and looked between each other.
"She's not worth it. Let's get out of here!" the second croaked and fled, with the other two scattering as well. Only the girl remained behind, staring after them before turning her attention on her apparent savior.
Yasha came to a halt before her, but still looked after the men. He had no idea what was going on, but cursed under his breath at the way they scattered in different directions, though as his dagger continued to sing, he slowly shifted his attention to the scared girl.
After noticing the knife in her shaky hands, his eyes widened.
"It is you," he gasped.
"Who are you?" she hissed as she flared the knife at him, "You want some of me too?"
He barely acknowledged her posture. "Where did you get that blade?" he demanded. His fixation on her knife made her wince, then appear even more defensive. Yasha waited silently for her answer, his eyes moving from the knife to her anxious face, though it wasn't until Elsa and their escort came upon them that the stalemate seemed to be broken.
"Yasha! What's gotten into you?" the queen called as she came to his side, then noticed the frightened girl he had cornered. She was very surprised to see what he had found. "Who is this?"
"Stay back! All of you!" the girl cried, aiming her knife at each of them and wondering what she did to earn such bad luck today. "If you come any closer, I'll cut you to pieces!"
Seeing the girl brandishing a weapon, the guards instantly went on alert, with swords being drawn and spears being leveled. "Protect the king and queen!" Thias roared, something that made the girl cower in fear.
"Hold!" Yasha barked, his hand out to restrain them.
While still tense, the guards obeyed, leaving their baron to step towards her, speaking with a firm tone in his voice. "I will ask you again. Where did you get that blade?"
While she was now more frightened than ever, the girl continued to act defiantly, aiming the knife back at him and coiling even further into the stone wall. "If you're so interested, come closer and I'll tell you all about it," she snarled, though desperately hoped he wouldn't take her up on her offer.
Yasha let out a slow breath. At his side, Elsa looked between them, not knowing what he was planning. A small glimmer of hope flowered when he slowly replaced the dagger at his belt, but was instantly dashed as he walked towards the girl, obviously intent upon putting his life at risk and making her sick with worry.
Her greatest fear coming true, the girl heaved as he approached, the knife shaking wildly in her hands, until she was finally tired of being pushed around and decided to make someone sorry for not leaving her alone. Wildly and without restraint, she slashed out with the knife, though the blade completely missed his chest. While she wasn't sure if she had been simply too far away, she shrieked and brought the blade back across him, though this time her entire arm went numb as his hand darted out and caught her wrist, then pinched down on it on the strangest way. Grunting, she tried to break free, but was even more surprised when he tore the knife from her grasp. Before she could protest, she felt her arm wrenched up and her body pitched downwards, making her bow painfully before him and wonder exactly what had happened.
"Ugh! Let me go!" she cried, then was even more surprised when he did so, pushing her back against the wall carelessly and walking back towards the others, his gaze fixed on the knife she had lost. Seeing him holding it made a frustrated whimper burst from her throat. "Give that back!" she demanded as she lurched, though with the way the guards once more readied their weapons, she stuttered to a halt, glaring hatefully at the man who had disarmed her.
After watching the quick exchange, Elsa frowned, looking from the angry girl to her betrothed. Sometimes, she was reminded just how dangerous he could be. "Was that really necessary?" she said in scolding tone, though couldn't help but be drawn to the knife he was obviously so interested in.
Suddenly, she gasped. "Isn't that...?"
In Yasha's hand was a blade black, with red markings swirling dimly through the exotic material. It wasn't as elegant as his dagger, with the smaller blade turned and chipped, but it was obviously of the same kind, which made him stare at it intently, turning a dozen questions over in his mind. "The blade of a Xenocryst, but broken and made into this crude knife," he replied distantly, then slowly looked back to the girl, now just as interested in her, "Who are you? Where did you come across this blade?"
The girl heaved angrily, looking between him and the knife. As much as she wanted to tear it from his hand, their escort made her hesitate and offer no explanation. The silence made Yasha's temper flare, though suddenly another woman appeared in the ruin, dismissing the armed guards and rushing to the girl, throwing her arms around her and protecting her from whatever fate had found her.
"Please wait! I don't know what she's done, but please forgive her!" the woman pleaded.
Her appearance stalled Yasha's anger, though the young girl stirred in the woman's arms, still fixated solely on the knife. "He took father's knife!" she cried.
"Your father?" Elsa gasped, looking to Yasha slowly. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was slowly grasping what was going on, though she was still in the dark. It was the only other Xenocryst she had seen, though judging by his reaction, that wasn't true for him. She had as many questions as anyone, though as this was obviously rooted from his life in Fria, she was hesitant to go digging.
Yasha's past was a frightening thing, a fact stated by the way he looked past the knife to the two strangers, his eyes nearly as heated as the tone in his voice.
"My lady, I would have you tell me of your husband."
"Erik wasn't my husband. At least, we never had the chance to get married," Meredith explained as she busily tried to straighten up her home. Situated on the outskirts of the town, it was as tattered as the area around it. The walls had holes. Pans were scattered around to catch rainwater. Other than the various plants and herbs growing in carefully maintained pots, it could have easily been mistaken as abandoned, just like the mill they had met in. Yet this was where she lived with her only daughter, Alyssa, and where the queen and her baron now sat in anticipation of her story. "He came to our village a long time ago. Hung around, doing odd jobs. Kept to himself really, but there was always something about him. Something special."
"I must have felt sorry for him, or maybe it was because of the mystery surrounding him, but one night we just sort of..." she continued, suddenly patting her cheeks at the details she was sharing, "Oh, listen to me. I'm talking about things I shouldn't, and in front of the queen no less."
"Oh no, you're fine," Elsa assured her, smiling to help her relax, "It's a sweet story."
The woman shared her smile after a moment, still barely able to believe she was entertaining the renowned queen of their kingdom in her humble home. "Well, our time together wasn't that long, but Erik gave me the most wonderful gift in Alyssa," she said, looking towards the broken stairs, where she knew the young girl had fled, "Life hasn't been easy for her, the poor girl. Growing up without a father has made her a little rough around the edges, and those bratty boys never seem to let her alone. But she's always held that knife so close to her heart. It's the only thing she has left of her father."
Slowly, she turned her attention to the man at the queen's side, still barely able to grasp how familiar he seemed. "I'd be so very appreciative if you'd return it, my lord."
Yasha felt her eyes on him as he continued staring at the knife, though he had listened to every word. It was surreal to hold another Xenocryst in his hands, especially when it had such significant pedigree, though after looking up to her and seeing the look in her eyes, he knew he couldn't hold it forever.
Reverently, he grasped the blade and presented to the handle to her.
With a quiet breath, she took it from his hand.
"Thank you," she said, holding it in her lap and casting her eyes down to the black blade. "It's such a strange knife, almost like it's alive. It's no wonder she cares for it so."
After sharing a glance with Elsa, Yasha slowly reached back to his belt and slid his dagger out, placing the blade into his palm and presenting it to Meredith. The woman looked to it and gasped. It took her a moment to grasp the meaning. "It's the same as Erik's!" she cried, almost reaching out to touch it, but then shaking her head and looking up to him in confusion. "I don't understand. Where did you get this?"
"What did he tell you of the land he came from?" Yasha asked.
Meredith winced. "Fria?" she said, furrowing her brow as she tried to recall, "Bits and pieces. He always looked so angry when I asked about it. I always though it must have been a terrible place to make him hate it so."
Yasha watched her every response.
"Did you know of his powers?"
"Powers?" she gasped, though her eyes betrayed the lie she was about to tell as she shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure I know what you mean, my lord."
"This man, Erik, was able to conjure flame from his hands and cast it like magic. His eyes would glow orange when taken by anger. I think you know of what I speak," he remarked, seeing in her eyes that she understood all of it, even if she remained quiet to his inquiries. "It is the same magic I once had, as a prince of Fria."
His words made her sink back in her chair, her hand over her mouth. For a moment, she looked at an empty spot on the floor, trying to digest what he was telling her. She could barely believe her ears. "So it's true. Oh Erik, you really were telling the truth," she stammered, lost in the past. Yasha waited patiently as she reminisced, though winced as she began to laugh bitterly at the truth behind her lover's lineage. "He told me never to speak of it, not even to Alyssa. I didn't even believe him until he showed me, and then it was still so hard to take in. A prince! My Erik, a prince!"
"And the rest of it? Is it all true? About his father, the king?"
Quietly, Yasha nodded.
"Then you're the same as him? The magic? The curse?" she asked anxiously.
"I was. Now things are different. I freed myself from that fate," he replied.
"Erik said there was no way to be free of the curse. That's why he ran away," she said, tightening her hands around the handle of the knife. "How did you do this?"
Yasha leaned back, his eyes growing dark and his tone following.
"I killed our father, King Nazir."
Suddenly, there was a clamor on the stairs. All eyes shot to the feet that disappeared at the top, while Meredith tried to summon her daughter back. "Alyssa!" she cried, then sighed heavily as she realized the weight of what she might have learned, "Oh, she must have overheard you. She's always believed the story about her father being a prince, and her grandfather a king. It's one of the reasons the boys harass her as they do. I think this may all be a bit more than she can take in."
Yasha stirred apprehensively, but it was Elsa that rose, putting her hand across his shoulder. "I'll go," she offered, seeing just how disturbed he was by the fact that Alyssa had been listening. While Yasha often put on a villain's mask, she understood how much this surprise meeting might mean to him and wanted to do what she could to make sure he didn't scare away the young girl.
Especially as she was slowly coming to understand what her relationship to Yasha might really be.
After patting him once more, she started towards the stairs, but was stopped by Meredith. "Your Highness," she called, presenting the knife out to her, "Please take this to Alyssa. It might calm her down."
While having a frightening history with a blade just like it, the queen smiled softly and took it, offering a resolute nod at her task. "Okay," she agreed and the right weapon in hand, Elsa ascended the rickety stairs, disappearing just as Alyssa had and leaving both Meredith and Yasha to look hopefully after them.
"She really is so much like Erik. Such hot blood," the woman sighed, hoping the queen could reach her.
Yasha was dominated by the revelations of the meeting, though as he continued to review the life that had unfolded here, he suddenly felt rushed to seek out his blood, in spite of how much he had always resisted it. His heart was burning and he felt uncharacteristically hasty.
Even though he knew what he would find, he still had to ask.
"Meredith, I realize we have only just met, but I would very much like to see my brother," he requested.
"Alyssa?" Elsa said as she poked her head into the small room at the top of the stairs, swiping at a spider web that tickled her neck.
"Go away!" cried a voice from within.
Elsa frowned. It wasn't the reception she wanted, but knew she had to push forward for Yasha's sake. "I'd like to talk to you, if you'll let me," she said softly, taking a few steps into the room and looking for the elusive girl.
After a few moments of silence and darkness, the girl from mill stuck halfway out of a slot in the wall, her pale blue eyes locked on the invader to her room. Elsa wondered why there was such a place to hide in her room, but decided to forgo any assumptions and concentrate on luring out this reluctant shadow.
"Please?"
Alyssa hesitated, though her eyes were locked on her. Her breath was hanging on her lips. "You're the queen, aren't you? You're Queen Elsa?"
"Yes," she answered with a nod.
The shadow laid her head against the wood, looking her over in awe. "You really are as beautiful as they say," she whispered.
The remark made a warm blush touch Elsa's face and she laughed softly, then fanned her hands across her dress to try and make her as presentable as the girl expected.
"Thank you," she replied.
As the girl was still unwilling to come out, Elsa took a short breath and stepped over to the bed, quietly sitting down. She thought to herself on how rough the wool bedding felt at her touch. "Would you come and sit with me? I promise not to freeze you or anything," she joked, trying to lighten the mood as she patted the bed next to her.
The request made the shadow duck slightly, though after a few moments of intense deliberation, the girl left her slotted sanctuary and came over, sitting on the bed next to Elsa.
Finally having a good look at her, Elsa marveled at how much she resembled Yasha. She looked about fifteen, just on the edge of turning into a woman. Her hair was dark, cut short unlike what was fashionable in the kingdom, and her eyes were pale blue, shaped much like his. A few freckles dotted her cheeks, though she knew those came from her mother. It was obvious why the young men harassed her, for she was subtly beautiful, even when covered with dirt and sweat.
The girl consciously tugged at her ragged clothes, her eyes cast down as she bit her bottom lip, while Elsa smiled warmly, trying to get her to relax. "Here, I think this is yours," she said, holding out the knife that brought them all together. Just seeing it made Alyssa's face blossom.
As she took it carefully from the hands of her queen, she wrapped it tightly into her lap, and her eyes fell to the floor once more. "Thank you," she whispered.
Elsa watched her intently. She liked how gentle she seemed. "So, you have this room all to yourself?" she mused, looking around at the extreme slant of the roof and the sparse furniture, though retained her kind smile no matter what she might see. "It's very...cozy."
"You can say it's dirty. And small," Alyssa grumbled, tightening her hug around the knife. "I can't believe the queen is sitting in my room. I'm so embarrassed."
"Oh, I don't know. It's not much different from my room when I was your age," she replied dismissively, looking around at the things they had in common, "A doll. A mirror."
"Not as many icicles, I think," she added.
The remark almost made Alyssa laugh, which made Elsa smile. In spite of the differences in their lives, she wanted to nurture the things they had in common, especially with Alyssa's connection to her Yasha. She also knew to give a young girl time.
Quietly looking around the room, she resolved to let her find her own footing.
"Do you think…" Alyssa suddenly said, making Elsa look to her. The attention made her almost retreat, though since she had the world's most famous queen in her room, she found she couldn't let the opportunity go. "Do you think I could see your magic?"
Elsa smiled, happy that her magic was now something that brought her closer to people. Leaning forward, she swirled her hand over a spot on the floor and made a rose made of pure ice grow before Alyssa's widened eyes. The delicate petals bloomed amidst her gasps and the magic even danced through the air and made a few snowflakes appear in her room. It brought a bright dash of color against the gray, aged wood.
"How's that?" Elsa asked.
"It's amazing! I heard the stories, but seeing it in person is so much cooler," Alyssa replied, though realized her choice of words and gave Elsa a frightened glance, "Oh! No offense, Your Highness."
Elsa laughed. "None taken."
Upon finding the queen wasn't nearly as scary as she imagined, Alyssa relaxed slightly, turning her attention back to the flower. The sparkling creation was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, yet in spite of that fact, something else was tugging on her mind, and even more so on her heart.
"Queen Elsa, who is that man with you?" she asked quietly, playing her fingers across the knife, "He reminds me of my father for some reason."
Elsa was encouraged by the change of subject. "His name is Yasha," she replied, thinking carefully how to approach her, "And I guess he's your uncle. From what I understand, your father is his brother."
"Father's brother?" Alyssa gasped. Her father was a subject close to her heart, but from the moment he happened upon them, Yasha had done nothing but frighten her. It was a stark contrast from the feelings she felt from the memories of her father.
"But he said he killed Grandfather! He was a king!" she cried, disturbed at how much anger there had been in his voice as he admitted it. "Did...he really do such an awful thing?"
Elsa frowned. "Alyssa, Nazir was..." she began, then let out a long sigh as she touched her fingers to her temple, "How do I even explain this? The story behind Yasha, your father and grandfather is very complicated. But Yasha did what he had to do in order to help his people, the people of Fria. He set them all free. I think your father might be able to appreciate that."
"Father can't appreciate anything. He's dead," Alyssa whispered sadly.
While Elsa had expected that based on Yasha's own tale, she nodded consolingly. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It happened when I was little. I only remember a few things about him clearly, but he was always so kind," Alyssa remembered, smiling slightly as she ran her finger over the blade. "He could even use magic."
"You know about that?" Elsa asked.
Alyssa nodded. "He told me not to tell anyone. He would make pebbles disappear from his hand, then they would appear behind my ear," she explained.
Elsa nodded as well. "Oh, that kind of magic."
The memories fed the smile on her face and Alyssa sighed, finding it strange that talking to Elsa like this made her both happy and sad at the same time. Reminiscing about her father with the queen wasn't what she had expected to do when she woke up in the morning, but she also hadn't expected to find she had an uncle in the world, and that her father really had been a prince.
The day had been full of surprises.
"They were stupid tricks, but I loved them. I loved him. I don't know why he had to die. It's like his heart just stopped," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly as a tear dropped and shattered across the black blade.
Elsa was moved by her tears and felt an intense desire to put her arm around her. This sadness was something she knew all too well. "My father also died long ago. I think I might have cried for an entire week. He was kind as well, and I loved him so much that I couldn't imagine my life without him," she recalled, feeling the ancient sadness of those days, but then letting her smile grow as she remembered just how much Anna had saved her, "And then I realized the family I had left was something so very precious to me. Now, I try to spend every day remembering how much I love my sister, and how love like that isn't like any other love in the world."
Alyssa shrugged and pushed her hand over her cheeks, wiping the tears away bitterly. "I try not to make trouble for Mother, but everyone treats us funny because Father never married her. And sometimes those stupid boys are just so mean," she sniffled.
"Sometimes people don't act like they should when dealing with something they don't understand, like the love your mother had for your father. It's all the more reason you hold the ones that do understand you so close to your heart," Elsa counseled.
"I guess so," the teary girl replied.
Elsa gently reached over, placing her hands over the girl's. With all of the talk of family, she was truly beginning to see how much Alyssa might mean to Yasha. "Alyssa, I know this might be sudden, but Yasha is your family too," Elsa offered, "It sounds like he's a lot like your father. He's really very kind."
Alyssa frowned, though didn't pull away from the queen's warm touch. "He seems sort of scary," she admitted.
"Well, you two didn't get off to a very good start, and sometimes he can be a bit of a grump," Elsa mused, then let a warm smile spread over her face as she was once more reminded of her future with him, "But one day soon, I'm going to marry that grump, so I guess that means we'll be family too."
The news made Alyssa look up, her red eyes trying wide in surprise. The way she searched Elsa's eyes made the queen laugh slightly, mostly as it still made her giddy to imagine being married to her dangerous, beautiful Yasha.
"Me and the queen? Family?" Alyssa gasped.
Elsa nodded. "Would you like that?"
"Yes!" the girl cried, throwing her arms around the queen as the moment took her. The sudden burst made Elsa chirp slightly, though she then returned the sudden embrace, laughing at how the prospect of family could completely change the sadness in a young girl's life.
Family was truly powerful magic.
Upon realizing she was brazenly hugging the queen, Alyssa lurched back, horrified at her behavior and suffering a bright blush across her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness! I didn't mean to just hug you like that," she said.
"It's all right," Elsa laughed, keeping her hands on Alyssa's and letting her take a moment to regain her composure.
Completely unlike the frightened girl from before, Alyssa's beauty bloomed as she smiled, glowing in anticipation of being given this new life, where the famous Queen Elsa held her warmly and granted her such affectionate smiles. She began to suspect she might be dreaming after all.
"I want you to give Yasha a chance," Elsa requested, keeping her hands tightly on her. As much as the girl connected with the queen, the mention of him stoked fear in her, even though he would be that connection between them and he obviously had such a special place in Elsa's eyes. "Please. You may find he's not nearly as scary as you think," she added, still smiling and hoping she could find the same understanding of her equally famous uncle.
Alyssa searched her face, not knowing if she had the courage to do as she asked, yet in the queen's eyes she saw the same thing that was in her mother's, a love for someone so powerful that it defied all common sense and consumed every piece of them. Remembering how much she cared for her father as well made it easier to consider her uncle, and that even though he still scared her with his fierce eyes and casual claims of patricide, she might be brave enough to see him again, if only to see what kind of man had won the heart of the infamous Snow Queen.
Behind the tattered home, there was a grave. It was placed with great care among the old trees of the yard and kept clean of branches and vines. Before the grave knelt Yasha, his eyes pensively on the marker and his bare hand running across the rough stone. There was only a name etched there. No date. No eulogy. There was only the obvious care taken to keep it clear, and he knew that was far more important than any sentiment a poem could convey.
"Forgive me, Brother. I did not act in time to save you," he repented solemnly.
Meredith stood behind him, watching quietly. She hadn't spoken. A strange, somber expression dominated her face and Yasha felt the weight of her eyes, so much so it broke him from his wake.
"What is it?" he asked, not turning.
"It's strange seeing someone other than Alyssa looking over him," she replied, shrugging at how poorly she could explain it, "I guess I've always wanted it to be our private place."
Yasha pursed his lips slightly, wanting to preserve that feeling for her, yet equally wanting to share in it. "If you would allow me, I would like to return here from time to time," he requested.
A bitter smile crossed her face. "I can't really say no to the future king," she replied.
The musing was met with silence as Yasha continued to address the grave, and she watched his every move, realizing how much he was like her beloved Erik. "Was it truly as bad as he described it?" she suddenly asked, "In Fria, I mean."
Standing slowly, he frowned at the subject. "If he despised his fate as I did mine, then whatever he told you of our father was most certainly accurate," he answered. Suddenly, he heard her sob, making him turn. Her eyes were red with tears and her lips quivered. She was staring at the grave longingly, her hand held over her chest and trying to contain her emotions.
Yasha quietly watched her mourn.
"I'm sorry," she wept, "I just miss him, even more now."
It wasn't hard to tell what his brother meant to her, by her words and her tears. The way she suddenly wanted to see him again stoked similar feelings in his chest, even though he had never met him and couldn't know him as she did. The fate of his countless brothers was like a shadow to him. He knew so many had gone out into the world, yet so few had ever come back, and those that did were devoured by their despotic father. To find even one, not to mention the remnants of his abridged life, made Yasha want to protect everything that had ever touched Erik, and do it with all the strength of his heart.
"Meredith, it may be imprudent of me, but I would like you to bring Alyssa and come to Arendelle," he suddenly said.
The offer took her by surprise. "What?"
"Your daughter Alyssa is all that remains of my family. While I have no love for the blood of my father, she carries our kingdom in her veins. She is a princess of Fria. I would like the both of you to stay near, where I might take care of you," he explained.
Meredith took a deep breath, trying to accept what she was hearing. The baron of the Royal Guard and future king of Arendelle was offering to rescue them from their lives of poverty, giving Alyssa a life she never could. There would be no more days of being hungry and no more harsh glances from the shadows in town. In truth, she could barely imagine what that life would be like, though as she looked past him and to the grave once more, her features softened and she took a deep breath, her tone unwavering.
"You're very kind, my lord, but I can't leave Erik," she replied, watching his expression fall. Buried in memories, she looked up at her jagged house, not ever imagining herself ever being anywhere else. "This is my home. If Alyssa would someday want to go, I would be happy to see her free from this place, but I will always be here, where I can watch over the one I loved until I finally sleep next to him."
"I see," he sighed, not able to hide his disappointment.
In truth, he understood her, so he couldn't fight her. A part of him wanted to stay as well and just sit before his brother's grave, silently trying to keep him alive for all eternity. While he couldn't force them to come, he knew there was something he could do for them as he reached back and untied a small satchel from his belt, then stepped in close to her, pressing it into her hand. "Then you must take this."
Meredith could feel the weight of the gold coins in her palm and looked up to deny him, though he was also as steadfast in his refusal as she was in her own. "I will not allow you to refuse. It is a command from your future king," he stated, denying her any say in the matter.
"Please. Use this to protect the last of my family."
Meredith tried to raise a protest, but ultimately sighed instead, nodding. "Thank you, Your Highness. I will do as you ask."
Knowing this was but the first of the ways he would support them, Yasha smiled lightly, happy he could at least do something. "I will send more as needed. Even if I cannot have you near, I will always take care of you," he swore, looking back to the grave where the blood of their father lay.
"In honor of my brother."
After a long intervention in Alyssa's room, Elsa stood out in front of the carriage, surrounded by the escort of Royal Guards and chatting idly with Thias. She had already sent a guard to talk with the town mayor in order to make arrangements for the two, but until Alyssa found enough courage to step out of her hiding place, she would never really know Yasha as Elsa did and find out just how special family could be. At times, she would glance up at the home and see the flashes of the girl's face, though she sighed when she thought of how she wouldn't come down and meet the family she had only just discovered. She had hoped to give Yasha the chance to meet his niece, but the atmosphere told her it might be best to give her some time and let them come together naturally.
After a long time at the grave, Yasha finally emerged from the back of the house, making the guards snap to attention. Elsa smiled in spite of his pensive expression.
"All finished?" she called as he walked up.
"For now," he replied, then looked around for any sign of the young girl. Her absence made him frown. "Will Alyssa not come?"
Elsa smiled weakly. "She's still a little afraid. I think it takes everyone some time to warm up to you," she remarked.
"Right on that," Thias agreed as he remembered his first introduction to the prince of Fria, though a stern glare from Yasha made his back stiffen and he coughed loudly, taking the reins tightly in his hands. "Whenever you're ready, Your Majesties."
Yasha let his indignation go as he looked back to the house, a deep sigh escaping him. "I would see them taken care of, Elsa. Please indulge me on this," he remarked as he inspected the poor condition of the home.
"You don't even have to ask," she assured him.
After lingering a few moments longer, they realized the young girl wouldn't see them off as Meredith emerged from the home, shaking her head sadly. The refusal made Yasha frown, though he realized he had little right to demand Alyssa's affection. They were essentially strangers, even if they were family. His only hope was that someday she wouldn't be afraid of him, something he knew he would have to work at.
Turning to help Elsa, he accepted her consoling gaze as she stepped into the carriage, though soon a wailing sound came from the home and made them turn back, Yasha's eyes alight with hope.
"Please wait!"
Alyssa came to a skidding halt in front of him, gasping slightly from the rush and still clutching the knife that had brought them together. She had caught them before they left, though now she seemed uncertain as she looked up, once more shrinking back from his powerful eyes. Yet she had resolved to face him, if only to see just how alike her father he really was.
"Father's knife. Ever since you came, it's been singing," she panted, looking down the knife and the way it still rang out into the air. Gulping down a few more breaths, she looked back up, hoping he was as kind as the queen had claimed. "Do you know why?"
To answer her question, Yasha reached back to his belt, slowly sliding his own Xenocryst from its sheath. Like the smaller blade, it was also singing, and the harmony between them made Alyssa's expression bloom in amazement.
"They are reacting to one another," he explained, holding his blade next to hers, "All Xenocryst blades come from the same place."
"In a way, they are like family being reunited after a long time apart."
The explanation, along with the two blades, went a long way in convinced her of Elsa's words. Unlike before, when she looked up to his eyes, he saw that they were kind after all, much like her father's had been. The relevance of the day was finally hitting her as she started feeling the same sense of security by being near him, and the way even his stern voice could make her feel safe.
"Do you think I could I see you again?" she asked, then looked past him to where the queen looked on, "The both of you. If it's not too much of a bother."
"You're always welcome at the castle, Alyssa," Elsa replied warmly.
"And I will come back to visit you and your mother, as often as I am able," Yasha added.
The pledges made Alyssa's face feel warm, and she couldn't control the smile that came over her. "Okay," she said, feeling like she wanted to cry for some reason. Yasha felt the intense urge to reach out and touch her, just for the chance to have contact with his family, though he restrained himself, as he didn't want to do anything to push her away. Instead, he replaced his dagger, then bowed slightly, sincerely hoping that someday soon he could come back and start things right.
Just as he was turning to mount the carriage, Alyssa suddenly took a step forward, her voice fighting against her fear. "And also!" she chirped, though when he turned back, she felt embarrassed, fighting off her blushing blood and tucking her hair back behind her ear. "I know you're going to be the king and everything, and you can really say no if you want but…"
"Would it be all right if I call you Uncle?"
The request was surprising, but it made a much wider smile steal away his features. Feeling warmed by what she offered, he stepped forward, closing the gap between them and reaching up to cover her hands as they still clutched to the singing knife.
"I would be happy if you would," he admitted.
The warmth of his touch made her laugh nervously, then look up with a spectacularly happy smile.
"Thank you...Uncle Yasha."
"Goodbye for now, Alyssa. Take care," he said, then gave her hands one last squeeze before returning to the carriage, where he took his place at Elsa's side. Meredith had come up beside Alyssa and waved to them, with Elsa and Yasha turned to watch them as they left the tattered home, where they had found such a remarkable treasure.
"Aren't you glad we went for this ride? Who would have thought we'd find out that you have a niece?" Elsa noted, still waving as she watched Alyssa's entire body sway back and forth in her exaggerated goodbye. It made her grin. "What a sweet girl."
Yasha glanced over his dagger, listening to the way it stopped singing as they drew farther from its kin. "The legacy of Nazir shows itself in the strangest ways," he remarked, then rested it in his lap and he looked back, letting a long sigh mark his mood. "Now that I know of them, it is difficult to leave."
"But I look forward to the day we meet again, Alyssa, and you can tell me all about my brother Erik, as well as the daughter he left behind."