The next morning, Kristoff's sled was moved to the center of the courtyard in front of the main doors of the castle and Sven was hitched up to it for Anna and Kristoff's honeymoon departure. Again a crowd filled the courtyard and all along the main road through the town the people were waiting for the newlyweds to pass by. They ended up having a longer wait than anyone expected, though, as Anna and Kristoff were having trouble getting ready to leave.
"Why do we have to leave so early?" Anna yawned. Kristoff had finally gotten her to get up and get dressed in her traveling clothes and was now anxiously leading her through the halls of the palace.
"It's really not that early," Kristoff replied.
"I know you're a morning person, but I'm not," Anna said. "Besides, we were up really late at the ball, and then we didn't exactly get a lot of sleep. Why can't we sleep in and just get there when we get there?"
"We did sleep in, Anna," Kristoff said.
"Really?" Anna said. "Because it doesn't feel like it."
Kristoff led Anna down the grand staircase. Elsa was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, wearing her typical blue dress.
"Well, it's about time you two got up," Elsa said. "You missed breakfast."
"We did?" Anna asked.
"I told you we slept in," Kristoff said to Anna, then he looked to Elsa and said, "Sorry. We were, uh, up late."
"Yes, I know," Elsa replied with a knowing smile that made Kristoff blush.
"Wait, what?" Anna said.
"Now I think it's time the two of you started your honeymoon," Elsa said, changing the subject. She started leading Anna and Kristoff through the foyer toward the front doors of the palace.
"What about breakfast?" Anna asked.
"Don't worry," Elsa said. "I had the kitchen staff pack you a little something. It's already in the sled."
"Are you in a hurry for us to leave?" Anna asked.
"Not exactly," Elsa replied. "But the sooner you leave, the sooner they leave."
Elsa opened the doors to reveal the crowd outside in the courtyard, and at the front of the crowd were the five visiting princes, jostling among each other for the most prominent position.
"Oh," Anna said. "Are they really that bad?" she whispered.
Elsa simply sighed. She really didn't think any of the princes were that bad individually, but all together they were exhausting, and because none of them trusted the others enough to let them out of their sight, they were always together.
Anna and Kristoff started toward the sled, shaking hands and thanking people for coming. Elsa followed behind them. She didn't have to look to know that the princes were close behind her. Kristoff climbed onto the sled and then helped Anna up.
"You're sure you'll be all right by yourself?" Anna asked Elsa as she sat down.
"I'll be fine, Anna," Elsa replied. "Have a good time."
"We will," Anna said. "Thank you."
"Okay, buddy," Kristoff said to Sven as he picked up the reins "Let's go."
The crowd parted to clear a path to the open palace gates. As the sled started to move forward, Anna looked back over her shoulder and waved to her sister. Elsa smiled and waved back. The five princes standing behind her waved as well.
As Sven pulled the sled through the town, the people cheered and waved and the happy couple waved back. Eventually they made their way beyond the edge of the town and out into the countryside. The crowds dissipated and the streets cleared as the people went back to their regular routines. The courtyard of the castle emptied and the palace staff went about their work of cleaning up after the wedding. In the foyer of the castle, Elsa bid farewell to the last of the foreign visitors.
"Rapunzel, Eugene, thank you for coming," Elsa said to the young Coronans.
"Of course," Rapunzel said. "Thank you for inviting us. We had a wonderful time. And again, I'm sorry for last night."
"You don't have to apologize," Elsa said. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Well, I still feel bad," Rapunzel said.
"Really, it's nothing," Elsa said.
"Yeah," Eugene said to Rapunzel. "Let it go."
"Please come and visit again sometime," Elsa said. "I enjoy having you here, Rapunzel; you remind me of Anna."
Rapunzel tried unsuccessfully to hold back a snicker.
"What is it?" Elsa asked.
"Oh, nothing," Rapunzel said. "It's just that she said I remind her of you."
"Well," Eugene said, "there's a whole world out there just waiting to be explored."
"And I can't wait to see every bit of it," Rapunzel said. "Goodbye, Queen Elsa."
"Have a safe trip," Elsa said.
Elsa watched Rapunzel and Eugene walk away. She really did like them. She knew they had other places to go, but she wouldn't have minded if they had decided to stay in Arendelle for a while. That was more than she could say for her other remaining guests, who were now in the foyer preparing to depart.
"Queen Elsa, I must say I've had a splendid visit," said Prince Edward.
"Yes, it was truly wonderful," added Prince Lloyd.
"Aye, indeed it was," said Prince Hamish. "It reminds me o' the time I..."
"Oh, not another story," Lloyd interrupted.
"I do wish we could have spent some more time together, Your Majesty." Prince Amir said.
"As do I," Prince Kiran said. "I do think Maldonia and Arendelle would benefit from closer relations. Don't you agree?"
"Well, I suppose so, yes," Elsa said.
"You simply must come and visit Agrabah," said Amir.
"Aye, and Dunbroch," Hamish added.
"Oh yes, that's definitely something that's going to happen," Elsa said, trying her best to mask her sarcasm as she practically pushed the princes through the doors.
"And remember," Lloyd said, "if Arendelle ever needs anything, just let me know, and I will be happy to offer any and all assistance Prydain can provide."
"Of course," Edward added, "and at a moment's notice, I will muster the forces of Andalasia to stand with you against any foe."
"Yes, I will keep that in mind," Elsa said. "Thank you."
"And now, Queen Elsa," Kiran said, "until we meet again, I bid you adieu."
"Aye, farewell, Your Majesty," Hamish said.
"All right," Elsa said, slowly closing the doors. "Thank you all for coming. Goodbye."
Elsa closed the doors to the castle, then turned around and leaned her back up against them. She let out a sigh of relief that all the wedding guests were gone. She closed her eyes for a moment and listened. She could faintly hear the palace staff at work cleaning up after the wedding in other parts of the castle, but she mainly noticed how quiet it was. She basked in the calming silence. She was alone.
She was alone. Elsa opened her eyes and looked around the empty foyer. She was alone. Somehow, it wasn't as satisfying as she thought it would be. She missed Anna already. She told herself it was silly. It wasn't like she and Anna spent every moment together. Sure, the honeymoon would be their longest time apart since the coronation, but Anna just left. They had certainly been apart for longer than this.
Elsa took a deep breath and started up the stairs to her study. In all the wedding planning, Elsa had let herself get behind in her regular royal responsibilities. She was counting on using the quiet, distraction-free days ahead to get caught up. As she stepped into the study, she looked at the stack of correspondence that was piled up on her desk. There was a lot more than she remembered.
Elsa sat down at her desk and picked up the first item off the top of the stack. It was a routine report from a clipper ship that had spotted a Southern Isles fleet on the open sea. Elsa wasn't a navigator and had never even been at sea, so headings and bearings meant nothing to her, but she was certain that if the report was important it would have been brought to her attention when it arrived. The report didn't require a response, so Elsa set it aside and moved on to the next item, which was a letter from King John of Ulstead apologizing for being unable to attend the wedding. That did require a response, so Elsa took out a sheet of stationary and a pen from one of the desk drawers.
Elsa soon settled into a routine and started making steady progress working through the pile of correspondence. After a while, though, she started glancing up at the door even though no one was there. She kept expecting Anna or Olaf to appear at the door, but of course Anna wasn't there and Elsa hadn't seen Olaf all morning. She wondered for a moment where he was, but she knew he was easily distracted and assumed he had found a way to occupy himself.
Eventually, Elsa started looking at the door so frequently that she couldn't concentrate on her work anymore. She decided that she needed a break. She got up from her desk and went out into the corridor. The castle seemed even quieter than it had before. She slowly wandered through the hallways, taking time to appreciate the artwork that she was usually too busy to notice. She went downstairs to the ballroom. The staff had finished cleaning it up from the wedding, and now it was empty and silent.
Elsa went through the foyer to the front doors and stepped outside into the courtyard. It was mostly empty, with only a few people milling around at the edges. She took a deep breath of the fresh air and smiled. She had an idea.
Elsa tapped her right foot to the stone pavement and a sheet of ice began to spread across the courtyard. The ice spread to cover most of the courtyard, but stopped before it reached any of the few other people present. With a wave of her hand, skating blades made of ice formed on the bottom of Elsa's high-heeled shoes. She took a step and began to glide across the icy surface.
Elsa had done this many times before, often with Anna but occasionally by herself. Sometimes there was a formal announcement to allow the people to join in, but more often it was simply a spontaneous impulse on Elsa's part. The people of Arendelle had become accustomed to Elsa's powers and didn't even give her a second glance anymore as she drifted around the courtyard.
Elsa stretched out her arms and momentarily closed her eyes. She almost felt like she was flying as she sailed across the ice. It was an incredible sensation that Elsa found very peaceful. She wished she could maintain it indefinitely, but she knew the courtyard was only so big. She opened her eyes and turned before reaching the end of the ice.
Elsa glided around one of the fountains in the courtyard. As she circled the fountain, she ran her hand through the spouting water, creating a different frozen shape out of the water from each spout. As she skated away from the fountain, Elsa leapt in the air and spun around, landing in reverse to examine her handiwork. Satisfied, she jumped into the air again and spun back around.
Brimming with confidence, Elsa produced a gust of frigid wind at her back to accelerate her to a speed she could never reach on her own. She zipped across the ice, and as she reached the edge of the courtyard she waved her hand and created a banked curve out of ice to turn her back in the other direction. She started repeatedly circling the remaining fountain. The cyclone of cold air that formed with her began to pull the water that was shooting from the fountain with it, and Elsa froze the water into a beautiful spiral.
As she flitted about the courtyard, Elsa didn't notice Lars enter through the open gates, dressed in his merchant's suit. Though he had heard about the queen's powers, Lars had never expected to find her ice skating in the courtyard of the palace in the middle of summer. If he had known she would be so easily accessible, he never would have had to go to the trouble of sneaking into the wedding ball. He watched her as she gracefully coasted around the courtyard and spun in the air with her blue dress twirling around her. The people of Arendelle may not have paid any attention, but Lars found himself entranced as he gazed at her from the edge of the ice. She seemed so carefree. It wasn't a side of a queen that Lars had ever expected to see.
Elsa suddenly spotted Lars watching her from the edge of the courtyard and brought herself to an abrupt halt. Lars saw her face flush as if she had been caught in a compromising position. With a wave of her arms, the ice quickly evaporated off of the courtyard and the fountains thawed and resumed flowing. They each stared at the other for a moment before walking toward each other.
"Queen Elsa," Lars said with a bow.
"Sir Lars," Elsa replied. "Did you enjoy the show?" she asked sarcastically.
"I did, actually," Lars answered genuinely, still slightly shocked. "It was beautiful. You shouldn't be ashamed of your powers."
"I'm not ashamed of my powers," Elsa said, surprised by the honest compliment. "I just... didn't know anyone was watching."
"Good," Lars said, "because you have an amazing gift."
"What do you want?" Elsa asked, reminding herself that she was facing the trespasser from Weselton who snuck into her sister's wedding ball. The question shook Lars back into a serious state of mind.
"The wedding guests have gone, and the harbor is empty," Lars said. "You know why I'm here."
Elsa did know why Lars was there. He had come for his audience with her. She could have met with him immediately, but by catching her off guard he currently had the upper hand. If she was going to meet with him, it would have to be on her terms.
"Very well," Elsa said. "Come back this afternoon, and I will grant you your audience."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lars said with a bow. "I look forward to it."
Elsa watched Lars as he walked away and disappeared through the open gates. She wasn't sure what to make of the exchange they had just had. Not only was Lars unafraid of her powers, he actually seemed to appreciate them. After her experience with the duke, she had never expected that from someone from Weselton. But, he was still so secretive and mysterious. She still had no idea why he had come to Arendelle in the first place. Hopefully, she would soon have some answers.