Chapter 7

Anna took a bite of her eggs. They were their usual excellent quality, but this morning they just didn't taste the same. It could have been because she hadn't slept a wink last night. For her, it seemed like an image had been burned onto the inside of her eyelids. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the disturbing image of her sister and Victor in the engineers shop. In her mind she fought herself. She shouldn't be this upset with what she saw. Elsa was an adult. And if she found someone to share her love with, then Anna should be happy for her. So why did this affect her so?

A short time later Kristoff arrived, taking a seat beside his fiancé. He seemed to be well rested and in a good mood. He noticed however that Anna did not look well and commented.

"I'm guessing you didn't sleep too well last night."

"Try not at all." Anna grumbled. "I just couldn't shake off what we saw. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Victor and my sister…"

"Improving personal relations?" Kristoff interrupted.

Anna glared in response.

Kristoff smiled. "I think you may be taking it a little personal."

"Oh really." She said angrily. "And you aren't?"

"Nope." He replied, taking a bite of his breakfast. "Wanna know why?"

Again Anna glared at him.

Because," he continued, "Elsa is a grown woman. Queen or not, sister or not, she still thinks and feels the same as any of us. Did she ever find out about what we did in the stables during her coronation party?"

Anna shuffled slightly in her chair. "Um…no."

Kristoff smiled. "And what would you have said if she had?"

"Probably would have told her to mind her own business." She replied.

"Exactly!" Kristoff continued. "What you and I do in private is our business, and what Elsa does and who she does it with is hers. So we should allow at least that respect."

Anna thought a moment, then smiled. "You're right dear. I shouldn't be making such a big deal about this. It's Elsa's life to live, and it is about time she lived it."

"Now you've got it." Kristoff replied happily.

Without another word they resumed eating their meals. And to Anna, it now tasted good. Once again Kristoffs simple but effective logic pulled her though a rough spot. But that success was tested as Elsa entered the dining hall, looking quite different. Normally she was dressed and groomed before coming to breakfast. But today she was still in her nightgown and robe, her long flowing hair hanging freely down her back, and a very noticeable look to complete contentment on her face. Anna noted that she seemed to be humming a rather perky tune as well. And while it was all a good different, it was still very different.

"Good morning Elsa!" Kristoff called out.

Elsa sighed happily as she took her seat, "Hmmm. It certainly is, Kristoff. And you two?"

"I'm great!" Kristoff replied.

"I didn't sleep too well." Anna stated. "Too much on my mind last night."

"Oh no." Elsa replied sympathetically. "Do you have a busy day scheduled?"

Elsa's exceedingly kindly demeanor took Anna by surprise. Elsa had always been the sympathetic type, but this was far beyond anything she had seen from her sister before.

"Um…no." She replied. "Nothing on the books that I know of."

Elsa smiled. "That's good then. Feel free to go back to bed if you wish. No point in forcing yourself to stay awake needlessly."

"Um… ok." was all the answer Anna could manage. Kristoff however wasn't so affected by Elsa's new personality, and asked,

"You haven't by chance seen Victor today, have you Elsa? He seems to have skipped breakfast this morning."

"Actually I have." She replied. "He was up early and chose to get back to work on his flyer. Thanks to Anna's help, he's ready to put the engine back together. If all goes well, he thinks he'll be able to test run it this afternoon. Won't that be exciting?"

Anna asked, "If he was up early, when did he tell you that?"

Kristoff shot her a dirty look. But Elsa replied, "I was up earlier as well. We met in the hallway."

"Mmm Hmm." Anna replied, noting that Elsa didn't look at her when she answered.

Under the table, Kristoffs boot shot out, making a perfect hit on Anna's left shin. Anna cried out in pain and reached down for her leg.

"Anna," Elsa asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

Anna glared at Kristoff a moment, then replied. "I'm ok. Just a leg cramp."

"Leg cramps are often caused by a lack of proper sleep." Kristoff commented. "Maybe you're sister's right dear. You should head back to bed."

Anna was about to object, but Kristoff was already helping her to her feet. The look on his face gave a clear message. 'Don't argue. Let's go!' Instead of fighting it, Anna replied, "Maybe you're right. I am feeling a bit run down."

"Excellent idea." Elsa commented pleasantly. "Sleep well, sister. Arendelle will still be here when you wake."

Anna and Kristoff hid the fact that Elsa was creeping them out by politely excusing themselves. Once they had cleared the door, Kristoff whispered to Anna, "Ok. I admit it. That was strange."

"You don't think Victor used some kind of spell on her, do you?" Anna asked him.

Kristoff thought a moment, then replied, "No. That's not his style. He's an inventor, not a sorcerer."

As they walked towards Anna's room, Anna thought hard. What could turn an elegant and pristine young woman into a love-struck schoolgirl so quickly? Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks, causing Kristoff to bump off of her and slam into the wall.

"What's going on?" he asked rubbing his shoulder.

Anna's face beamed. "I've figured it out! Elsa's not sick or under a spell, she's head over heels in LOVE!"

Kristoff planted his palm to his forehead. "Oh no!"

The day continued on as it always had. Elsa and Kristoff carried out their duties while Anna caught up on much needed sleep, as her sister had ordered. Victor continued working on his flyer, but now he seemed to be working with a sense of urgency. Even the workers he had recruited to help noticed that he wasn't his normal humorous self, but instead was very focused and intent on completing his repairs. Even when he started the engine, while the workers cheered, he studied it careful, watching for any leaks or problems, without so much as cracking a smile. But why the sudden urgency? Was there some reason he needed to finish repairs and leave Arendelle quickly?

It was now early evening and Victor had again skipped dinner. Anna was still fast asleep, leaving Elsa and Kristoff to eat by themselves. This gave Kristoff the chance to talk to Elsa alone, and hopefully find just how serious Elsa's infatuation with Victor was.

"Kristoff!" Elsa stated, "That's hardly an appropriate question!"

"I'm sorry, "he replied pleasantly. "I'm just trying to understand what everyone is saying about you is all."

"And what exactly are they saying?" she smiled.

Trying to word it politely, Kristoff answered, "Well, many have mentioned that you and Victor have gotten very close. Some have even claimed that you are hopelessly in love with him. I know it sounds absurd."

"Very absurd!" Elsa replied.

Kristoff just stared at her for a moment. Elsa tried to hold her composure, but…

"Oh! You're as bad as my sister!" she laughed. "You both get this look on your face that I just can't seem to lie though."

Kristoff chuckled, "I've learned a few things from her. Now come on. Out with it."

Unable to withstand the truth stare Kristoff had given her, she opened up to him, leaving out the more personal details. A few of which unfortunately Kristoff had already seen for himself. Of course, he didn't let her know. He simply responded by saying,

"Yep! You've got it bad, all right!"

Elsa conceded, "Yes. I suppose I do. But it feels so amazing. It's like I wasn't really alive until now."

"Just be careful. "Kristoff stated more seriously. "Being in love can make you feel great, but it can also tear you apart inside. And both do happen to everyone at some point."

Elsa quipped, "Where did you learn so much about love?"

"I've been around the fjord a time or two." He grinned. "And learned a few lessons the hard way."

"Well then I'm very fortunate to have your wisdom to draw on." She replied.

"Anytime." Kristoff responded as he stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I promised Sven I'd take him out for a run after dinner."

"Of course." Elsa replied pleasantly.

With Anna still sleeping and Kristoff out with Sven, Elsa decided it would be a good time to go down to the engineers shop to visit Victor. She hadn't seen or heard much of him all day, and the thought of seeing him again made her heart flutter. As she walked, she hummed a cherry tune and occasionally skipped a step or two, not caring who may see her. The normally long walk to the shop seemed to take no time at all, and Elsa found herself looking out into the shop, and seeing no-one. Everyone had already gone home for the day. 'Great opportunity', Elsa thought to herself. But as she moved to the far end of the shop, something seemed out of place. The Wooden Dragon was missing. And where it should have been, only hanging ropes and sawhorses remained. An unpleasant ache began to form in her chest. Did he finish his repairs and leave without even saying goodbye? He wouldn't do that, would he?

As Elsa searched the shop, she found a normally unused corridor. At the end was a large wooden door. And Victors flyer, seemingly ready to fly, minus the airscrew on the nose. An open man door led Elsa to think Victor may have gone outside. And as she stuck her head out the door, sure enough there was Victor, sitting on a barrel rubbing a fine stone on the airscrew.

"Hi, Vic!" Elsa called out.

Victor looked up from his work and replied. "Oh. Hi Elsa. How's it going?"

"I was wondering where you've been all day." She asked as she walked over to him. "I've missed you."

Victor kept working. "Down here. Just getting the Dragon going."

Elsa could sense something wasn't right, but tried to keep the conversation going.

"So how much did you get done today?"

Without missing a stroke, Victor replied flatly, "Actually it's almost done. One more coat of varnish on the airscrew and a few bolts, and she'll be ready to fly."

Now Elsa was getting worried.

"You got the engine running? Why didn't you send for me?"

"I was kind of on a roll with it. Didn't want to lose momentum." He replied, this time sounding a little annoyed.

Now Elsa knew something was wrong, and she knelt in front of him, looking up into his face.

"Baby, please tell me what's wrong." She pleaded softly.

Victor stopped his work, and for a few moments said nothing. Then he closed his eyes and replied. "Elsa, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked worriedly.

Victor opened his eyes and looked straight into hers. "The mushy stuff. The skipping about like a child. Everyone's talking about it. They're saying that you and I are some hot item."

Elsa smiled. "Well we are a couple, aren't we?"

Victor stood forcefully, almost knocking Elsa over, and replied in a gruff voice. "NO, we're NOT!"

Victor's harsh response hit Elsa hard. The earlier ache she felt in her chest began to grow.

Standing herself, she asked, "Vic, I don't understand. I thought that last night…"

"Last night, "Victor interrupted, "was amazing, I will give you that. But just because we rocked the castles foundation doesn't mean we are a couple."

Elsa could only stand silent. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes and her heart starting to crumble.

"Look Elsa." He continued. "It's very simple. Last night was the result of two people needing something from each other. Basic, uncontrollable animal passion. And I believe, that need has been fulfilled. Time to move on."

Inside Elsa a battle raged. One part of her wanted to collapse in tears and beg Victor to reconsider. Another part wanted to charge at him like a raging beast and claw his eyes out. But the part that won out was the queen within her.

"I see." She sobbed, holding her composure as best she could as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Well then I guess there is nothing more to be said."

Victor stated dryly. "The Wooden Dragon will be ready tomorrow. I'll leave as soon as the airscrew is mounted."

"I said yesterday," she struggled to say, "that you could take as much time as you needed to be sure the flyer will bring you home safely. And when I say something I mean it. Please don't try to leave Arendelle until you're sure your machine is ready."

"As you wish, your majesty." Victor said coldly.

At that Elsa turned and began walking away. A walk that quickly became a full run along the castle wall. Victor could hear her sobbing even at this distance. And as she disappeared from sight, Victors face turned from angry to sad and he whispered,

"I'm so sorry, Icy. But I have no choice."