"And to your right we have the dining hall. It goes mostly unused, parties or feasts being the only exceptions. The Queen usually takes her meals in her study. And if you look to your left, you'll see the doors leading to the armory. If you continue down that hallway, you'll eventually find yourself in the Royal Guard's barracks…" Kai paused his tour momentarily and shuddered, "I'd advise you to cover your nose before entering. The guards aren't exactly the most hygienic people in the castle." He clapped his plump hands together before continuing, "Anyway, up ahead is the portrait room…"
Anna followed him in a sort of daze; hyper aware of her surroundings yet blissfully ignorant to the fact that the Head of Household was even speaking to her. She couldn't help but think that the castle was even more beautiful the second time around, or perhaps it was just that she was able to fully appreciate its beauty without having to worry about getting caught trespassing. Flowered wallpaper ran along the halls, majestic oaken doors towered high above her head, polished wood shone underfoot, reflecting her smiling face every time she happened to glimpse downwards.
I can't wait to show Kristoff around later, she thought. The blonde man was currently out in the castle's stables, getting Sven situated in his own personal stall before he would meet up with Anna and Kai for a quick rundown of the rules of the castle. Seeing that they had some time to spare, Kai had offered to show the young woman around her new home. They'd started with the ground floor, winding their way through the labyrinth of corridors and halls before coming to a grandiose stairway leading up to the second and third floors of the castle.
"There are actually four floors to the castle," Kai explained as they made their way up the stairs to the next level, "But the fourth floor is mainly servants' quarters, so there is a separate, private stairwell for us."
The second floor was not nearly as diverse as the first; instead of winding halls and massive doorways, Anna was met with a single, narrow passage way, dotted with much smaller doors. It was every bit as ornate and attractive as the former, but these doors seemed cozier, less formidable than those downstairs. As if he could hear the questions swimming through her mind, Kai walked up to one of the doors and turned the handle gently, "These are our guest rooms." Anna peered in over his shoulder to see a richly decorated room, complete with a large four poster bed, two cushioned armchairs as well as a small sofa, a fireplace, and a small desk in the corner. If anyone ever doubted Arendelle's wealth, all they'd have to do was visit the castle to be disproved. "Visiting dignitaries, minor nobles, in-laws; if you aren't a member of the royal family or its household, this is where you stay," Kai shout the door as gently as he'd opened it and gestured for Anna to follow him once again.
She followed him down the hall, passing room after room until they reached a rather plain-looking doorway at the end. Kai pulled out a small silver key and made a point of showing it to the girl bore sticking it in the keyhole with a light click. She couldn't control the childlike excitement that filled her at the thought of what could be behind that door, but her hopes of discovering a series of secret tunnels or seeing a baby unicorn were dashed when all she saw before her was a set of regular old stairs.
"This is the staff stairwell," Kai explained when all Anna did was give him a blank look, "It will bring you straight from the kitchen to here, and then up to the fourth floor. You are encouraged to use it when there is company in the castle, but you're free to use the main stairs as you wish." Anna nodded dumbly when he spoke, barely registering the fact that he'd placed the little silver key in her palm before continuing up the stairs. The redhead mentally kicked herself before rushing to catch up to the man. The stairs creaked under their steps, but Kai paid them no mind as he ascended higher and higher. When he'd completed one flight, Anna expected him to stop and take her onto the third floor, but he kept on climbing.
"Excuse me, Mr. Kai, sir," She came to a stop by the door that led into the third level of the castle, shivering slightly at the sudden decrease in temperature she felt standing there, "What's on the third floor?" Kai stopped his ascent and leaned over the railing to look down at Anna.
"The third floor holds the chambers of the Royal Family, although right now it's only Queen Elsa who resides there," he watched as Anna's face became slightly flushed, unsure as to what had come over the girl, "Now please, if you'd come with me, I'll show you to your room now."
Anna had a hard time tearing herself away from that door. The thought that Elsa was just beyond it was almost enough of an excuse for her just to barge right on through and throw herself onto the other woman. She'd apologize for being gone so long, beg the Queen's forgiveness for lying to her… Even though I technically didn't lie… I never said I was royalty. She just assumed. But that didn't change the fact that she'd left the other woman without so much as an explanation as to why. So, with a final melancholy sigh, Anna turned her back to the door and followed Kai upstairs.
Kristoff shut the door quickly behind him, wanting to keep as much warmth as possible in the stables. He was impressed by just how many creatures made the castle of Arendelle their home; forty steeds were lined up inside the stables, each in a stall with a saddle and reins slung onto a hook underneath a brass plate indicating the horse's name and its rider. The ice harvester made his way down the center of the room with Sven by his side, and felt only slightly uncomfortable by the fact that every pair of eyes were focused in on him.
"Just ignore them Kristoff," he muttered under his breath, "You're in charge of them, not the other way around. You can do this. They're just horses." A whinny that sounded uncannily similar to a snort came from a horse to his left, and the man turned ever so slightly to come face to… snout?... with a monster of a horse. It easily stood three heads taller than Kristoff himself, and was as white as newly fallen snow. It's eyes seemed to sizing him up, just as a wolf would scrutinize its prey. Without even considering for a minute how strange the situation was, Kristoff knew that this horse was the man- er, animal in charge, and working there meant he'd have to pass its inspection.
Kristoff glimpsed at the plaque next to his head: KLAUS: QUEEN ELSA OF ARENDELLE. Of course this formidable beast would belong to the Queen; Kristoff could practically see the look on Anna's face when she found out that the reason they would be fired was because he had a vendetta with the Queen's personal steed.
No; he refused to let himself be beaten by a horse. He refused to be chased away by this horse, especially. He held a level gaze with the stallion, neither refusing to break as the rest of the horses (and one reindeer) watched on in eager anticipation. Kristoff, without looking away, slowly reached behind his back, grasped something from the depths of his pack, and whipped towards the horse's nose…
A carrot.
Klaus warily looked at the carrot in the man's mittened hand, then up at the smile that was now plastered on his funny, hairless face. He glimpsed at the reindeer that accompanied the human, and after a few seconds of deliberation, took the end of the carrot between his teeth, and bit off the smallest chunk possible. The grin on Kristoff's face only grew wider as the stallion eagerly took another, larger bite until the carrot was snatched out of his hand and down the horse's throat.
"So, Klaus," Kristoff started, holding out his hand palm outward to the horse, "Are we cool?" The horse's eyes flickered between the outstretched hand and its owner's face before ever so slowly leaning in to nuzzle that palm. Kristoff was practically beside himself with excitement; he hadn't even officially began working and he was already off to a good start. Hell, if he could get Klaus to like him, the rest of the horses were bound to. As if to prove his point, the horse in the stall next to Klaus leant over to nudge Kristoff's arm, nipping at his clothes as if to pull him over the bar.
"Whoa there, fella," he felt himself being turned until the animal could stick his nose down into the ice harvester's pack and withdraw a vegetable from its recesses, "Here, let me get that for you." The horse happily took the food and let Kristoff scratch between his ears, when a series of anticipating neighs filled the room. Kristoff turned and saw every horse in the stable watching him with large, excited eyes. The man's smile fell slightly when he removed his pack from hi back and glimpsed inside, "I'm gonna need more carrots."
"And here is your room, Miss Anna," Kai retrieved yet another small key from his pocket and unlocked the door before them. Anna gasped when she stepped inside after the older gentleman, completely surprised to see that the room they were standing in was practically identical to the guest quarters on the second floor; the only difference was that in place of a single, large four poster bed, there were two smaller beds on opposite sides of the room. "I hope you don't mind sharing with Master Kristoff, what with the short notice and all, this was the quickest room to fix up for you."
"N-no," Anna's voice came out a lot quieter than she'd meant it to, "I don't mind at all. It's just that… isn't this room a little… nice?"
"Miss Anna," Kai chuckled, "The Queen has the highest respect for her staff; in her eyes, we're the same as any royal that would step foot in this castle, and we- according to her- should be treated as such."
Anna's chest filled with warmth at the notion of Elsa being so generous. Of course she'd be so kind hearted; after all, she'd been nothing but sweet to Anna the night of her coronation, and she was a total stranger. These people, the household staff, she'd known them her entire life, they must practically be family.
Before she could open her mouth and find some way to embarrass herself further, however, a familiar blonde head poked in through the doorway, "Kai? I thought I heard your voice, so I just- whoa." Kristoff entered the room, whistling appreciatively as he inspected the wooden frame of the nearest bed. "Are we in the right place? Some guy I passed buy told me that the quarters were on the fourth floor, maybe I'm just bad at counting."
"No, Kristoff," Anna, smiled and slapped him playfully on the arm, "This is our room. Els- I mean, uh, Queen Elsa, is very kind to those who work for her," she leaned in and said in a staged whisper, "I actually think that our rooms are nicer than hers." Kristoff almost came back with a retort about Anna knowing exactly what the inside of the Queen's chambers looked like, but upon remembering whose company they were in, thought better of it.
"I'll leave you two to get settled," Kai said with a small bow and a smile, "Dinner will be provided in the kitchen at six, and please, if you feel peckish at any time do not hesitate to help yourself to anything you can find in the kitchen. Tomorrow I'll have the Head Maid, Gerda, help you procure some uniforms."
"Thank you so much for your generosity, Kai," Kristoff said with every ounce of sincerity he had.
"Why, no, Master Kristoff, thank you. And you, Miss Anna," both ice harvesters blushed slightly, "I'm sure the Queen will be delighted with you both."
A gentle but firm knock resonated throughout the room, tearing the Queen away from the latest trade agreement she'd been pondering. She bid the knocker to enter, smiling slightly when she saw it was Kai.
"Your Majesty," he bowed and stepped further into the study as he did every time he called on the Queen, "I've come to give you the daily report."
"Of course, Kai," Elsa placed her pen in the inkwell to her left and motioned for the man to sit, "Please, continue."
"I thought you might like to know that my little hunt is over," the man proclaimed proudly, not noticing the quick flicker of anxiousness in his Queen's eyes, "I've finally found the perfect replacement for Master Hardingswood."
"That's wonderful, Kai," she tried to keep her voice level, she really tried, "And who might that be?"
"A strapping young man I met in town today, by the name of Kristoff. He's excellent with animals, and I'm sure that with time, even Klaus will warm up to him."
"Kristoff?" the Queen repeated, an odd sensation travelling through her at the sound of the name, like she was supposed to know something about it but couldn't remember what.
"Yes, Kristoff," Kai continued, "And he had a friend with him who I've hired as well to help out around the castle. In fact, I just left them to get settled before I came here."
"I see," Elsa murmured distractedly, "That's good, that's good." Where had she heard that name before? She was too absorbed in racking her brain for answers that she missed Kai's next question.
"Your Majesty?"
"W-what is it, Kai?"
"Forgive me, my Queen, but I was just asking if you'd like to have your dinner brought up here to you tonight?"
The Queen thought about it for a moment before responding, "No, Kai, I believe I'll retrieve my meal tonight myself, thank you. Maybe even eat at a proper dining table, for once." Even though that last line was meant as a joke, Kai saw the sadness in the woman's eyes when she spoke. She tried to cover it up with a slight grin, "Good night, Kai."
"Have a good night, Queen Elsa," the little man bowed and left the young woman alone. Elsa waited until she was sure he was gone before slumping down in her chair and picking up her pen once again, stifling a yawn behind a gloved hand. It was bound to be a long night.
"Anna, what do you think you're doing?" Kristoff whispered, barely able to make out the silhouette of his friend rummaging around their room. After dinner, (where a majority of the time was spent with them being fawned over by the rest of the staff) the two newbies had retired to their quarters, falling asleep almost as soon has their heads hit the soft, feather pillows. That was hours ago, judging by the position of the moon, and now the redhead was bumbling around the room like a reindeer in a china shop while everyone else slept.
"I'm starving," he heard her whisper back, (not so quietly, if he might add), "Do you have any carrots left?"
"You hate carrots," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes and sitting up to watch the girl rummage through something on the floor that he could only assume was his bag, "Besides, I'm all out. These royal horses really know how to put them away. And didn't you eat at dinner? I'm pretty sure I even saw you go back for seconds."
"Yeah, so?" She ceased her searching to meet Kristoff's sleepy gaze, "I haven't properly eaten in weeks. That was, like, a snack for me. I need more." They just stared at each other for a minute before the girl got to her feet and headed for the door after pulling her coat over her nightclothes.
"Oh, come on," Kristoff whined, "Where are you going now?"
"Relax," Anna smiled, already halfway out the door, "I'm just going down to the kitchen for a midnight snack… or two. Mr. Kai said that it was okay if we helped ourselves to whatever we wanted." She rolled her eyes at his arched eyebrow, "I'll be right back, I swear. Straight to the kitchen and back."
"Whatever, just bring me back something, too." The redhead didn't even try to hide the smile on her face as she tiptoed to the servants' stairwell.
The Queen awoke with a jerk, kicking back from her desk in a flash and blinking wildly in surprise. It was dark, too dark for her to see mere inches away from her own face. She pulled herself closer to the desk , fumbling blindly until she felt her hand clasp around a small bundle of matches. Striking one, she leaned forward enough to light the pathetic stub of wax she called a candle on her desk. With its light, Elsa could see much better in the pitch black room, and what she saw was displeasing.
The mountains of paperwork she had for that day had only slightly decreased in size, and those papers that she'd been working on before dozing off were scattered across her desk and floor thanks to her outburst upon awakening. The clock on the wall read a quarter past twelve, and the Queen sighed, realizing that she would have another sleepless night ahead of her if she intended to have her work completed before the next morning. Settling herself into an upright position, Elsa drowsily reached for her pen, only to stop mid-reach when she heard the most carnal and bone chilling growl… come from her own stomach. She groaned again; she'd forgotten dinner, again.
How long had it been since she'd eaten? She wasn't sure; her days seemed to mesh together into one indistinguishable blur. Without a second thought, she reached for a small silver bell sitting on the edge of her desk, prepared to call for dinner to be sent up as soon as possible, but a second glimpse at the clock made her hesitate. It was late; the servants were probably asleep by then, or at least retired to their chambers. 'It would be terribly rude of me to wake them just to get me a snack. I'm sure I could just wait until breakfast…' another growl emitted from her stomach, 'Or I could just get one myself.'
With a groan, Elsa forced herself to her feet and out of her study. The moon was already rising in the sky as she made her way down the stairs, and silence embraced her when she reached the ground floor. She treasured the moments when she could leave her room, leave her responsibilities, really. It wasn't often, and never for long, but sometimes she liked to be carefree and forget that she ruled over an entire kingdom.
She knew that she didn't exactly take the best care of herself, tonight was a prime example of that, but what else was she to do with her time? Take up a hobby? Please, what would I do, ice skate? Perhaps she could learn to play an instrument? Like the piano, perhaps? I'd probably just get frustrated and end up freezing the keys. There had been talk amidst the royal advisors of a possible future king. Courting was always a way to waste one's time.
Frowning at her own thoughts, Elsa shook her head before turning down the hallway to the kitchen. She was about to open the door when she heard a shuffle of movement from the other side. She hesitated, gloved hand poised just over the handle, trying to decide between waiting for whoever was in there to be done or to just go in and join them. It's probably Kai or another servant. The Queen turned the knob silently and slid into the kitchen, prepared to greet whoever it was with a smile and small talk, but stopped dead in her tracks when the room's other occupant turned away from the cupboards and locked eyes with the monarch.
Elsa's throat seemed to close up, her heart simultaneously plummeting and soaring at the same time when her eyes settled on the form of the girl in front of her. That red hair, those startling blue eyes, those freckles, those lips… there was no doubt in her mind about who this girl was, and her name came tumbling off her lips before he could stop it.
"A-Anna…"
Ok, I swear that next chapter is going to be chock full of Elsa and Anna and their terrible awkwardness and light being shed on delicate subjects, but I hope you're satisfied for now! Also, I apologize for any and all mistakes; I was too lazy to go back and reread this before posting it, so when I do eventually do that, and if I see anything majorly incorrect, I'll fix it. Until then, snowflakes.
To Be Continued