Tundra

Chapter Two

By Ravner Dyr

Anna brushed the dusting of snow from her dress while she and Elsa began approaching the open gates of the castle. After nearly two hours of snow fort construction, snowmen building and snowball wars, she was virtually exhausted. The children at the schoolhouse were eager and full of energy when they learned that the queen and the princess had come to play with them. Their joy was fueled even more by the display of Elsa's magic. Halfway through a snowball war, Olaf joined Elsa's team. The snowman had been jubilant at the prospect of playing and giving out his signature warm hugs.

Elsa's living creation skipped alongside the sisters on the way home, stopping every now and again to marvel at the various sights of the marketplace. The remainder of Arendelle's royal family walked hand in hand back to their home, neither wanting the moment to end. This had possibly been the longest time they had spent together without any interruptions.

"You know, I'm glad we spent time together today. I've been so busy lately with trade agreements and law amendments and my magic… Anna, I'm sorry." Elsa apologized, looking at her younger sister earnestly.

"Elsa, you have nothing to apologize for. You're the queen; you have enough things on your plate as it is without needing to spend time with me. Knowing that you love me as much as I love you is enough." Anna returned Elsa's warm look, smiling a small grin.

"Why would you ever doubt how I feel about you?"

Anna dropped her gaze, finding the rough cobblestone under her feet much more interesting. "For those 13 years that I hardly saw you, I thought the reason for your isolation was me; that I did something wrong and you hated me for it. Do you remember that I would slip those notes under your door, telling you how sorry I was and asking you to come out and play with me again?"

Elsa did remember and she had kept every single note and drawing that had been slipped under her door. A sorrowful, pained expression flitted over her face.

"I wrote so many… and when you didn't come out of your room or reply to any of them I thought you truly wanted nothing to do with me. So I thought it would be better if I stopped bothering you altogether, it seemed like it was what you wanted."

Elsa stopped walking and gently clasped Anna's hands in her own. The action caused the younger of the two to look up and meet the icy blue gaze of her sister. "Anna, words cannot express how truly sorry I am for doing those things to you and making you feel the way you did. But you have to know that even though I stopped seeing you, I didn't stop loving you for a second. The little letters you wrote and the drawings, those kept me going and brought a little solace to my solitude." Elsa smiled slightly as Anna's eyes began regaining their spark of joy. "I will always love you no matter what."

Both royals broke into smiles, hugging each other as tightly as possible. "C'mon, guys! What's the holdup? I thought we were all going to get a cup of cocoa?" Olaf beckoned, already at the gates.

Anna giggled before running after the little snowman while Elsa beamed, walking as fast as her queenly station would allow. The trio was just entering the large central courtyard of the castle where Kai was waiting for them. Elsa's confusion was evident. She didn't have any dignitaries visiting today and she was sure she didn't have any meetings with parliament either. What was this about?

"Hello, Kai. What brings you out here?" Anna hoped that he was just waiting for them to arrive to ask how much cocoa to put in their drinks. She was having far too much fun with Elsa for her to leave.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty, Your Highness." Kai bowed his head respectfully to address both of the young royals. "I'm sorry to disrupt your afternoon, Your Majesty, but you have an engagement to meet the newly appointed Royal Guards."

Of course! How could she have forgotten? But now her afternoon with Anna would be cut short. She turned to Anna, "I'm sorry, but-"

Anna's eyes dimmed slightly at the prospect of not spending time with her sister. "It's okay, Elsa. I understand, I'll just see you at dinner, alright?"

Elsa smiled at her sister, thankful she was so accepting. "Thank you Anna. I'll see you then." With that she left for the castle's main meeting hall. Anna sighed heavily before dejectedly turning to exit the gates again, planning to sit along the wharf for awhile. Olaf skipped along beside her, attempting to cheer her up along the way with his antics.

Elsa quickly made her way in the direction of the meeting hall. While her castle wasn't as large as some of the others throughout Europe, it did take some time and navigation to get to her destination. The meeting hall was situated on the ground floor, right next to parliamentary chambers. This wing of the castle was unofficially dubbed the 'Borwing' by Anna as it contained nothing of enjoyment for her. And she was slightly right; nothing in this part of the castle really excited Elsa either. It housed the meeting hall, parliamentary chambers, the kingdom's complete archives, a command and strategy hall and her office.

As Elsa neared the large double oaken doors she considered what an odd tradition it was to meet newly appointed guards. She didn't know of any nearby kingdoms that adhered to such a tradition so she assumed that it was another unique aspect of Arendelle. It was a tradition founded by her grandfather, King Henrik the Third. He had been a great ruler, though suspicious of the servants and guards who worked within the palace. He wanted to know the names and faces of everyone should they ever attempt an assassination. Elsa's father had continued, although not for reasons of paranoia. He had liked to personally introduce himself and her mother to new guards because he felt it raised morale and the loyalty of his guards.

The large double doors opened for her and she was greeted by the sight of 20 young men dressed in the uniform of Arendelle's Royal Guard, lined up in one row, facing the front of the hall. All stood stock still, waiting for the queen. Elsa made her way to front of the line of guards, wearing her best queenly façade.

"At ease, gentlemen." She commanded, watching as their tense formation relaxed into one of awaiting attention. "I congratulate you all on completing your training and assessments. I invite each of you to step forward and say your name."

The first guard on the left stepped forward nervously; he voice wavered slightly as he spoke. "Siegfried Andersen. It is an honor to serve the royal house of Arendelle, Your Majesty."

"Karl Dahlberg. It is an honor Your Majesty."

"Espen Arntzen. I am honored to protect the royal family of Arendelle, Your Majesty."

Elsa nodded in response to each introduction, her attention drawn to each new voice and the face it belonged to. She slowly tuned out, her face an excellent mask of interest, as she nodded and smiled where she thought was appropriate. Playing with those school children must have been more exhausting than she thought. She shouldn't be this impolite, she normally wasn't. But the fact that she was tired and had disappointed Anna twice in one day had severely impacted her mood and attention skills.

It finally came to an end and Elsa dismissed them. "Thank you for your pledge of allegiance to the royal house of Arendelle. It is I who should be honored to have such loyal men protect my family. You are all dismissed."

Hans paced impatiently along the wharf of Weselton's largest sea port as he waited for his ship to be prepared for the voyage. The auburn haired prince looked at the numerous ships moored in the large loch, all waiting to set sail for Arendelle, his future kingdom. The military force that he had organized was decent enough to take Arendelle with little difficulty. Currently, there was a fleet of 18 ships under his command. Ten from Weselton's navy, five from his own kingdom and the remaining three were a few ruffian pirates that he had paid off. It was by no means an armada but it would be enough. Arendelle was not a militaristic kingdom, choosing to rely instead on diplomacy or, in very hostile situations, their allies. But there had been no such situations for nearly a century. Hans doubted whether Arendelle even had an armed force aside from the small faction of royal guards and the even smaller division of law enforcement that patrolled Arendelle.

This time he would not fail, Arendelle would be his and so would the queen, both would do his bidding. And when Elsa legally made him king, there was no political way anyone could dispute his rise in station. Hans had entertained the thought of killing her after she made him king like he had intended on his first attempt, but giving it some more thought he realized what an asset she would be. Ever since the Frozen Summer, word had spread throughout the realm of her magic wielding abilities. Not only did the news set ablaze a wave of awe and wonder but also fear. People of course wouldn't know of her new lack of magical ability. Hans grinned. Kingdoms would kneel and bow before him with the threat of a devastating eternal winter hanging over their heads.

Hans had it all thought out. If Elsa didn't comply with any and everything he wanted… well, he had something to hang over her head too. Anna. Oh, he had seen how close the sisters were, how overprotective Elsa was of her little sister. One little threat of violence or violation and she would cave. She would do anything to prevent harm from coming to her only remaining family. And without her magic, she could do nothing but sit by and watch her world threaten to fall apart.

The beautiful sunset of the sky was tranquil and warming as Hans imagined watching this very same sunset from his new kingdom. Now he would have everything he ever wanted. He could finally show his father what a man he had become, what he had achieved without needing the help of anyone. He would make his beloved mother proud. His melancholy thoughts were interrupted by the hushed thudding of heeled boots marching along the wooden planks.

"Your Highness, your ship is ready to set course for Arendelle. The voyage is roughly three days, sir. So the captain suggests you make yourself comfortable." A soldier meekly informed him. Hans nodded and boarded the Hevner, heading straight for his personal quarters.

The ball was once again rolling in his favor.

Please let me know about your thoughts on this chapter. Hans is launching his attack on Arendelle and Elsa and Anna had a little heart to heart. I had fun writing this chapter so I hope my writing expresses that. And also if you spot any inconsistencies or mistakes please let me know so that I can fix it.

Again, please review as it keeps me going.

Sincerely,

Ravner Dyr

I own no trademarks or copyrights mentioned in this story. I write purely for fun and receive no financial benefit from it. Frozen is the property of Disney.