Chapter 4: Peace
Back at Arendelle, the clock strikes six o'clock; Elsa had been with Anna the past hour preparing for their night out.
"Finished." Anna squealed with excitement.
"Well. What do you think?" Anna asked, standing directly in front of Elsa, blocking the view of her reflection.
"I can't see." Elsa said looking at Anna while raising an eyebrow. Pondering over what her sister done to her?
"Do you like it?" Anna smiled as she moved away, no longer blocking Elsa's reflection.
Elsa gazed at her reflection, lost in thought, struggling to understand what she saw. Who is this? You're not the Queen of Arendelle. What had Anna done with Elsa? Elsa leaned towards the mirror, touching the mirror with her right hand.
"Is... Is this me?" Elsa asked Anna. Elsa began moving her hands through the cascade of long, platinum blonde hair.
"Yes." Anna squealed once again, moving back and forth around Elsa examining her handiwork.
Elsa shook her head side to side; her hair was softly gliding with her. Elsa smiled, approving of her sister's makeover.
"Thank you." Elsa said softly to Anna.
"You're welcome." Anna responded with a smile.
"What about you? Don't you want-" Elsa attempted to ask being cut off mid-sentence by Anna.
"I have a plan. Well two, should you decide the first one is crazy." Anna responded.
"Oh?" Elsa looked at Anna. "What do you have in mind?"
"Okay, well... you remember when you struck my heart? It turned my hair white."
"Yeah." Elsa said with a raised tone.
"Well, I liked the white trim, so my question, could you make my hair go white? Not all white, just a trim here and there."
Elsa stood there, images of her freezing Anna's heart six months ago began to flood her mind, she was told her sister died by Hans, then witnessed her brief experience with death on the Fjord.
"No." Elsa replied "I'm not risking your life, for something so trivial. Though if you're serious about dying your hair. I suggest you visit a man named Oaken."
Anna's smile turned into a frown. "For the big winter blowout?"
"Very well, I'll go with my second plan." Anna turned to the mirror.
"Which is?" Elsa asked.
"This." Anna begins to braid her hair into a ponytail. Her hairstyle resembled a familiar sight to Elsa.
"Not very original Anna." Elsa says while watching Anna braid her hair.
"What do you mean, I look fabulous." Anna protested
"That's how I've braided my hair for the past six months."
Anna looks at Elsa through the mirror.
"Well, what can I say? I'm now the epitome of perfection." Anna said grinning at Elsa.
"Now, we need to change your dress?" Anna said while throwing her braided ponytail over her shoulder.
"What's wrong with my dress?" Elsa queried
"It's good, but you don't want to ruin it do you?" Anna said innocently.
"Why would I damage it?"
"You've been wearing that practically every day, let's try something different." Anna explained.
Anna grabbed Elsa's arm, the duo heading off into the hallway towards Elsa's room.
"You've got other outfits, let's start with a new dress, something to fit your new look."
The pair entered Elsa's room; immediately Anna raided Elsa's closet looking for something different for her sister to wear.
"What's this? No, this makes you look fat." Anna said throwing the dress onto the floor.
"Fat?" Elsa exclaimed
"Hmm, this one's nice, maybe a bit too revealing. This one, no, oowww this one look's good. It even has a cape." Anna swung around holding up an dress similar to the one Elsa wore to her coronation.
"Purple isn't exactly my favorite colour to wear." Elsa replied shaking her head in disagreement. "I'm not fond of the cape either."
""Hey, my outfit is Crimson, It also has a neat cloak; I don't like it myself, but Kristoff says it matches my hair. Besides It's not purple." Anna responded. "This is iris. Try it on."
"It's purple." Elsa said objectively.
"Ah, your majesty, this is iris, it was made by the finest tailor in-," Anna said in a mocking tone.
"Alright." Elsa took the dress from Anna. "Meet me downstairs in 5 minutes."
Anna started to dash out of the room, pausing at the door turning. "You're happy right?"
"Of course. I'm just a little nervous. People typically come to the castle; this will be a first for me."
"First?"
"With the exception of my coronation. I've never been at a social gathering outside of the castle, not for nearly fifteen years."
Anna was acknowledging her sister's immediate fear of contact with strangers, smiling at Elsa. "No one is going to hurt you, your the Queen after all, besides I'll be there."
Elsa nodded and smiled. Anna then proceeded downstairs towards the castles main entrance. Back in her room, Elsa was pacing back and fourth. Beneath her the floor had begun to freeze, unnoticed Elsa continued to walk back and forth. "Its just one night; I can do this, I can do this."
Looking at her reflection Elsa, Elsa smiled and nodded as if giving herself approval. "I can do this!"
Elsa discarded her Ice attire in favor of the outfit anna had selected from her wardrobe. Holding the outfit against her mirror, Elsa took note of the different shades of colours in front of her.
"Purple and green, suppose it could be worse." Elsa said glancing at the outfit Anna claimed made her look fat.
Meanwhile, Kristoff and Sven, journeying through Arendelle's market arrive at Mr Dammen's shop. Outside, Kristoff tells Sven to remain here while he goes inside.
"You be a good boy while I'm inside okay?" Kristoff said patting Sven on his head.
"But I don't want to wait outside in the cold." Kristoff said as Sven began to follow his master into the store.
"No, no, no. You wait here; I'll be five minutes, tops."
Sven groaned, sitting outside the shop looking in through the window.
"Good boy."
Kristoff entered the shop to be welcomed by an elderly gentlemen wearing winter gear.
"Mr. Dammen?"
The old gentleman turned around in shock. "What? What do you want youngster? We are closed."
"It's me Kristoff; I came to see you-"
"Ah Kristoff" The old man smiled. "You are here to no doubt to enquire about your particular order?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"I'm afraid my boy, I don't have the time to deal with it now; I have to deliver this package to one of my most trusted suppliers on the North Mountain."
Kristoff looked puzzled by Mr. Dammen's previous statement. "You're going up to the North Mountain? Why?"
"I just told you my boy; I need to deliver this package to a client of mine." Mr. Dammen responded while reaching for his hat. "If I don't deliver it by nightfall, I could lose all my trade."
"All your trade over one box?"
"Yes." replied Mr Dammen, now looking sad.
"I'm sure Queen Elsa would be-"
Mr. Dammen had interrupted Kristoff before he had a chance to finish his sentence.
"Do not say her name in these walls. Her name isn't welcome here!"
Kristoff paused in deep thought. What had the Queen done to locals of Arendelle? It has been well over six months since the incident; life has returned to a state of normality shortly after the departure of the foreign dignitaries. Concerned with Anna's safety should Mr Dammen make any threat towards the royal sisters. Kristoff couldn't keep his thoughts to himself.
"What happened to you?"
The old man's face began to turn red. "The Queen took everything from me! My wife, my horse, my trade... Everything I had, is gone."
Kristoff paused.
"I was married for nearly fifty-two years, and then that monster took everything away from me. My wife died six months ago." The old man reached for a chair, sitting down. "Then our trade lines to Weselton and the Southern Isles were cut."
Feeling guilt for the tragedy that had fallen on Mr. Dammen, Kristoff knelt down beside him.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
The old man looked at Kristoff, " there is. Could you come with me to the North Mountain? I won't make it on my own."
Kristoff hesitated for a moment, if he were to travel to the North Mountain; it would mean he'd miss his surprise arrangement with Anna. Yet looking into the eyes, the soul of Mr Dammen, Kristoff felt too much guilt to refuse Mr Dammen's simple request.
"Sure, we can have you up that Mountain in no time. Where exactly are we meeting your client?"
"Near the giant ice sculpture. I've always wanted to see that. I've heard from traders its a place to infinite beauty."
"I know, I saw it."
The old man got up and grabbed Kristoff's hand, his other still held onto the package. The two left his shop; Sven glanced towards them as they approached him.
"A Reindeer?"
Sven looks at Kristoff.
"Don't worry. He's a lot stronger and faster than he looks."
Mr. Dammen petted Sven.
"We'll have you up that mountain in no time."
With that Kristoff, Mr. Dammen and Sven set of for the mountains. Who were they heading to meet? Only time would tell. It would take at least three days to reach their destination, knowing Anna wouldn't be happy about his sudden disappearance; however Kristoff was more concerned with his elderly passengers state of mind. Kristoff had never considered the effects of Elsa's powers had on the citizens of Arendelle.
Back at the Palace. Anna waited impatiently at the castles main door for Elsa.
"I'm so bored. What's keeping her?"
"I have no idea Ma'am." replied one of the guards.
"What if she's decided not to come? I don't want to go on my own." Anna said frustratedly.
"You won't be alone my lady, myself and my men will be within twenty meters of you and the queen at all times." responded the guard.
"Wait, what?" Anna queried what the guard just said. "I want Elsa to relax; it's going to be hard to do so with two dozen armed guards around her."
"My lady, we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we allowed to leave the palace without an escort."
"Okay, okay. Lose the green coats and put on something more... normal." Anna replied. "If you're going to escort us, I don't want you to stand out."
As the guards left for their chambers, Elsa arrived, now dressed in an elegant long sleeved iris dress with a thick green cape, Anna's eyes widened with excitement as Elsa approached her.
"Wow, you look... wow!"
Elsa smiled. "Thank you, you look good too."
"Do you know how long I've been waiting Elsa?"
"Six minutes?"
"Six minutes and thirty seconds actually. Are you ready to go?"
"Go where exactly?"
Anna came closer to her sister grabbing her hand. "First, the Inn overlooking the Fjord, then the dance hall on the other side of town."
"Dance? Anna, I don't dance."
"Wanna bet?" Anna responded giving her sister an evil grin.
"Now if you'll come with me M'lady we have an Inn to inspect... and... stuff." Anna insisted.
As Elsa and Anna began to leave the palace, the guards returned. Dressed in outfits less likely to get them noticed, allowed their Queen and Princess to get a good distance in front of them before they began to follow.
Walking down the castles main entrance towards the town, one of the guards attention was distracted by the arrival of a ship entering the Fjord. Intrigued the guard leant over the railing to read the registry on the back of the vessel.
"H.M.S. Devonshire."