Notes:
17/04 - just tweaked a few bits of Anna's dialogue here and a few bits of grammar about ice picks.
Renewing sentiments of thanks for the overwhelming feedback from all you guys. Thank you so much. X
Elsa heaved a great sigh and threw down her quill.
The speech in front of her was two pages long, covered in corrections and crossings out- but it was finished. She scanned over it with a critical eye, biting her lip in concentration.
"Olaf?"
"Elsa?"
"Could you fetch Kai for me? He's the head of staff here. Do you know who I mean?"
Olaf, who had spent the afternoon running around introducing himself to everyone he could find with an exuberant "Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" nodded proudly. "Yep. What would you like me to say?"
"Just fetch him here for me, Olaf. Thank you." She smiled warmly at him as he trotted off amiably.
Elsa ran her hands over her face. This was going to be difficult.
Idly, she twirled her fingers about, making intricate patterns of snow dance about her.
She had no idea where Anna and her ice harvester had gone – but they'd walked out of the gate looking perfectly happy, and the sun was still high in the sky, so Elsa forced herself not worry about them. And besides, the ice harvester – Kristoff? –was enormous. He must have been about six foot four – she was reasonably tall, and he had towered over her – and was about twice as wide as most of the men she'd ever seen. She had half a mind to offer him a job as Anna's personal bodyguard. God knows it would give her peace of mind to know there was always someone to get Anna out of the sticky situations she seemed prone to.
There was a knock on the open door and Olaf bounced in, closely followed by Kai.
"You majesty."
"Kai. Thank you for coming to see me."
"What can I do for you?"
Elsa sighed. "I need to make a speech to the people. To explain the past few days."
Kai nodded sagely, utterly unphased. "Of course, your majesty. I shall make arrangements. When would you like to speak to them?"
Elsa hesitated; considered. Writing the speech had been hard. She felt utterly drained again, despite all the sleep she'd managed to get last night. Anna had mentioned something about dinner this evening. That would be nice.
"Tomorrow morning, if possible."
"Of course, your majesty. Will that be all?"
"No. Could you also inform the kitchen that Anna will be having a guest at dinner tonight? And – that I will be joining them in the dining room. I will not have dinner in my chambers today."
If Kai was surprised at this break in Elsa's thirteen-year habit of dining alone in her room, he did not show it. Nothing could really be a surprise after the past few days, Elsa reflected.
"Very good, your majesty. Will that be all?"
"Yes thank you, Kai. Olaf," She looked down at the little snowman. "Do you want to go help out in the kitchen? You can let them know that Anna will be wanting ice cream for dessert. And probably sandwiches for mains."
Kai bowed, Olaf laughed his odd little laugh and both left the room, making sure to leave the door wide open behind them.
"No, a jacket, really? I don't think it's –"
Red faced and grumpy, Kristoff emerged from the back of the shop in a pair of loose grey trousers, a fresh blue shirt and stuffed into a very smart jacket. With contrast lapels.
Anna – rather unkindly, he thought – burst out laughing.
"Oh Kristoff," she choked. "You look very… dashing."
He scowled.
Anja was fussing about the shoulders of the jacket.
"You are too broad, young man," she complained. "I hardly have any jackets that will fit across the shoulders!"
"I really don't think a jacket is necessary," he muttered. "The shirt is all right, but-"
"What about this, Anja?" Anna was holding up a dark grey open-fronted jerkin. "See? Sleeveless! No shoulders!"
"Hmm." Anja looked over it with a critical eye. "Perhaps."
Kristoff gratefully shook off the jacket and shrugged into the jerkin.
"That looks great!" Anna enthused. "And it fits. Across the shoulders. What do you think, Anja?"
The woman reluctantly nodded. "It is rather smart."
Kristoff self-consciously mussed his hair.
"We'll take it. Have you got some more shirts like this, Anja?"
"Oh, no –" Kristoff mumbled. "Anna, just one is fine, honestly –"
"You don't have any clothes, Kristoff," Anna crossed her arms, pouting. "This is the least I can do."
Kristoff muttered something unintelligible.
A few minutes later, laden with bags outside Frue Anja's, Anna told Kristoff to stay put for a moment whilst she hurried over to a nearby street vendor and asked him something in a low, earnest voice. The man seemed to be giving directions.
"Amazing. Thank you!"
She skipped back over, and dragged Kristoff down a little side street.
"Anna, are we not going back to the castle? It must be nearly five –"
"One more shop," Anna declared. "And don't worry, I think you'll like this one."
Kristoff groaned. "I seriously doubt that."
"Shh you," she said. "We're nearly done."
They rounded a corner and found themselves outside Claude's Climbing Supplies.
Kristoff's eyes went very wide.
"Anna, this is a top-of-the-range shop, I can't afford anything in here."
"It's a good thing I can then," she grinned. "Come on!"
Kristoff pushed open the door and crossed the threshold of the shop as if walking into a shrine.
He let out a low whistle.
"Anna…" He turned around to see her beaming. "Anna, you can't get me anything here. This is too nice."
Very gently, she took his arm and steered him into the shop. "You helped me find my sister. How can anything be too nice?"
The dusky sun was brushing the horizon when they returned to the castle, two bags of climbing tools, saws and ice picks mixed in amongst the bags from Frue Anja's. Kristoff was stammering his thanks over and over again, and explaining the use and purpose of every axe and rope to Anna.
"And the pick, well that's your most important tool really. The amount of times my last pick got me out of trouble was crazy really."
It was the most animated he'd been all day, and Anna couldn't stop grinning about it.
"What?"
"Nothing."
He huffed.
When they reached the doors, Anna asked one of the servants to take Kristoff's new clothes to a guest room and his new tools to Sven's stall.
"Sven has a stall?"
"Sure. I couldn't just leave him in the courtyard all day. He's got pretty much all the carrots Bethan could find in the kitchen too."
"Anna, this is lovely, but you don't need to give me a guest room. Or give Sven a stall. We're fine in the town, really –"
"Oh, sure I do. It's the least I can do."
Her generosity might be nothing to her – but Kristoff fell into a very overwhelmed silence as she led them through the corridors to the dining hall. No one – well, no person – had ever been so kind to him in his life. He didn't know what to do with himself.
People will beat you and curse you and cheat you…
He shook that thought from his mind and tried to focus on what Anna was saying about the room of paintings they had just passed.
A servant pushing open the door to the dining room bowed to Anna and Kristoff as they passed. Anna politely curtsied back, but Kristoff looked at the servant as if he were mad.
"Thank you Erik. Is my sister around?"
"She is just on her way down, ma'am. She saw your approach and will be with you shortly."
Anna looked overjoyed. "On her way down?"
"Yes, my lady. She will be dining with you and your guest tonight."
It was Anna's turn to be overwhelmed. She turned to Kristoff. "I didn't think she'd actually come to dinner!"
Kristoff was confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Elsa hasn't eaten dinner in the dining hall since we were little. She always eats in her chambers. I mean, I invited her, but I didn't think she'd actually come –"
Babbling away, Anna walked into the hall, Kristoff following.
"Woah."
It was huge – bigger than every room in the Cross and Courtier combined. It had high ceilings, great tall windows and high-backed, cushioned dining chairs clustered around a table laden with silverware. The legs of the table tapered elegantly down, and where they met the smooth flat of the tabletop, the wood was carved into the crocus of Arendelle.
Kristoff hadn't realised his mouth was hanging open until he heard Anna's giggle.
"Come sit down."
They'd barely sat when Elsa appeared at the door. She looked tired, but smiled when she saw them both.
"Hi."
"Elsa! You came to dinner!" Like an incredibly smiley yoyo, Anna leapt up from the chair she'd just sat down in and ran over to her sister as Kristoff scrambled to his feet.
"I said I would."
Anna was speechless – for once.
Elsa eased herself into a seat at the head of the table and gestured for them to sit.
"So. How was your day?"
"Oh, it was great!" Anna gushed. She couldn't take her eyes of her sister, who was actually here, really, genuinely here, having dinner with her like… well, like a normal family. "I took Kristoff shopping."
Elsa raised an eyebrow, deadpan. "You have my sympathy, Kristoff."
"What! No, shopping with me is great!"
The doors opened and in came servants bearing bowls of soup and platters of fresh bread.
A bowl was placed before them all. Anna dug in with gusto. Kristoff looked down at the three different kinds of spoons before him in despair.
"We went and got some new clothes – Kristoff doesn't have any clothes – well, he does now – and some climbing supplies. And ice stuff. You will note," Anna raised her spoon to emphasise her point, clearly very proud of herself, "that he looks far more seasonably dressed than yesterday."
Elsa cast a long look over Kristoff. He did look much less wintery now, his huge furs, jumper and gloves replaced by a simple open-necked shirt and jerkin. "Very nice."
Anna laughed and Kristoff smiled rather queasily.
"Why did you not have any clothes?"
Kristoff and Anna exchanged glances.
"That's quite a long story. We're going to need more than just a starter to tell that one, I think."