The Head That Wears the Crown
Chapter Nine
Revelation
"Your Majesty, this is . . . incredible!"
Elsa smiled as guest after guest at the state dinner praised her and Anna for what they had done to the palace. Throughout the palace, the most exquisite, lifelike ice sculptures Elsa had ever created adorned the hallways. Guests stared in astonishment at the various shapes—foxes, birds, trees, assorted wildlife—and marveled at their realism.
Icicles dangled from the rafters, twinkling brilliantly as the candlelight danced around the palace. A constant flurry of light snow fell onto the ballroom floor, which had been coated in a thick layer of ice. The elated guests skated about the ballroom, marveling at the fact that despite the heat of summer, none of the snow or ice was melting.
Anna skated up to Elsa, grinning from ear to ear. "Elsa, I think this might be the best party I've ever been to!"
"You've only ever been to one other party," Elsa reminded her.
"And this one beats the other one hands down!" Anna gave Elsa her hand. "Come on! Skate with me!"
"I . . . I don't know, Anna," Elsa said, worried about causing another spectacle.
But Anna had already pulled her onto the ice. "Just let go!" she cried, dragging Elsa about the ballroom floor.
Slowly, as they moved across the ice, Elsa felt herself relaxing, allowing herself to finally have fun. The guests stopped and cheered as the two royals glided and twirled across the ice, moving as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The sisters grasped hands once again and spun about, faster and faster, until they looked like little more than two blurry shapes. Releasing their hands, Elsa and Anna shot to opposite ends of the ice, pivoted, and moved back in to the center. Elsa allowed her magic to create two ramps, and each sister flew up a ramp, grasped hands in midair, released, and landed perfectly on the ice.
The guests erupted in a barrage of cheers and applause. Elsa and Anna turned to them, holding hands, bowing and smiling in exhilaration.
"That was . . . That was fun!" Elsa said to Anna.
"Promise me we'll do it again sometime," Anna said.
The two skated over to Andersen, who roared with approval. "I must say, you two are the life of the party!"
"Thank you, Minister," Elsa said. "How have your encounters with the guests gone this evening?"
"Majesty, I hesitate to be overly optimistic, but I am confident that our allies' faith in us has been restored. Everyone I've spoken to has been eager to renew our trade agreements, thanks in no small part to the . . . unique atmosphere you two have created."
"What can I say?" Anna said. "I told you Elsa could do it."
The two royals and Andersen walked toward the ballroom entrance, preparing to greet more guests as they arrived. As they walked, Elsa was caught off guard as something pushed her.
"There she is!" A voice, slurred with drink, drew attention to her presence. "There's the snow queen now!"
Minister Jansen was pointing at Elsa, his face red and puffy, clearly intoxicated. He turned to various guests nearby, most of whom were desperately trying to find a polite excuse to move far away from him. "Don't listen to a thing she says! She'll send you to Siber-a-rea if you do!"
"Minister Jansen!" Andersen snapped. "You are out of line!"
"Ah, shove it, you old fart!" Jansen clearly was incapable of being rational. Andersen signaled for the palace guards who began to approach him slowly.
"Keep you hands off me!" Jansen roared, struggling as the guards restrained him. "I have rights! Did the snow bitch tell you to do this? I've heard her heart isn't the only thing that's frozen, if you know what I mean!" Jansen laughed at his own joke, while the guests stared at him in horror.
"Minister Jansen," Elsa said, her voice ice cold. "You are dismissed. We will discuss this first thing in the morning!"
"Oh, will we now? What are you going to do? Freeze my balls off? You might as well, since that's what you've done to me anyway!"
Anna slapped Jansen. "Apologize NOW!"
"Oh, go play with your dolls, Princess!" Jansen slurred. "Both of you are useless! You THINK you know how to rule a kingdom, but all you are is annoying, and you—" he turned to Elsa, "you are going to get us all killed! Your little parlor tricks are nice, snow queen, but they won't save you when the kingdom is about to be destroyed! You're alone, and you'll always be alone! And your loneliness will drive the rest of us into destruction!"
"Get him out of here!" Andersen roared.
The guards dragged the raving and ranting Jansen out of the ballroom, taking particular pleasure in forcibly ejecting him from the palace.
Anna turned to Elsa. "Don't listen to a word he said, Elsa. He doesn't know what he's talking about."
Elsa shook her head. "He's right, Anna. What do I know about ruling a kingdom?"
"All you need to know!" Anna protested. "Don't let him get inside your head!"
"He's already there," Elsa said quietly. "I need . . . I need to be alone for a while."
"Elsa, please don't—"
"I'll be back in a few minutes, Anna. I promise. Just . . . give me some space for a bit."
Turning, Elsa left the ballroom and disappeared upstairs, leaving Anna alone, realizing just how the mood of the party had shifted without her sister's presence.
Elsa sat at her father's desk, alone with her thoughts. No one understands what it's like, she thought. Even Anna, who had practically acted like a saint in her acceptance of Elsa, still couldn't truly understand what it was to be alone in such a fundamental way. Wistfully, the queen conjured a miniature snowman and set it on the desk. Is that all I am to them? A magician who performs parlor tricks for entertainment?
A knock sounded at the door. "It's open," Elsa said, expecting the guard that had been tailing her all evening to check in on her.
Except when the door opened, she beheld a man she had never seen before. He was older—in his mid-50s, most likely—yet his face retained an element of youth and mystery that typically vanished on most men his age. His hair, while short and refined, was still a shocking platinum blonde. And his eyes—his eyes—were the most brilliant shade of blue Elsa had ever seen.
"I'm sorry," the man said. "I was looking for the men's lounge, and I'm afraid I've gotten all turned around."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Elsa said. "I was just leaving. I can take you back to the dinner."
The man stared at her, absorbing her features. "Are you . . . Are you Queen Elsa of Arendelle?"
"Yes," Elsa said, figuring it would do her no good to pretend otherwise.
The man bowed before her. "Your Majesty, please, forgive my impertinence."
She smiled. "You may rise, Sir . . .?"
"Oh, of course, Your Majesty! You may call me Isarn."
Elsa paused. "I'm . . . unfamiliar with that name. Where are you from, if I may ask?"
"Of course, Majesty. My people live on the outskirts of the Four Kingdoms, never truly settling in one place."
"So your people are somewhat nomadic, then?"
"You might say that," Isarn said.
He was standing directly in front of Elsa at this point. Elsa knew she should feel uncomfortable about his proximity to her, and yet, she felt as if she knew this man, somehow.
She jolted herself from her thoughts. "My apologies, Isarn," she said. "I failed to offer you a beverage."
She strode to the liquor decanters her father had always kept prepared for visiting dignitaries. She retrieved two glasses from the cupboard. "What would you like?"
"Arandellian whiskey," Isarn replied. "Twenty years, if you have it."
"I can do better than that," Elsa said. "I have thirty."
Isarn smiled, impressed. "Not easy to come by."
Elsa finished pouring the drinks. "My father was particularly fond of the thirty-year-old variety. He insisted on always keeping plenty on hand." She offered Isarn his drink. "Ice?"
"Two, please," Isarn said.
Elsa allowed the ice to leave her fingertips and flow into her hand. Two perfectly-formed ice cubes appeared in her palm. Carefully, she let them slide into the glass and offered it to Isarn.
"So," Isarn said. "The rumors are true."
"Yes," Elsa said, her face twitching slightly at the reminder of her uniqueness. "They are. Didn't you see the display I put on earlier this evening?"
"Unfortunately, no, Your Majesty, I missed that particular event. I arrived much later than I had intended. I do hope you will forgive me."
"There's nothing to forgive," Elsa said, taking a sip from her glass. The warmth from the whiskey flowed down her throat, fighting the cold that always filled the center of her being.
"Is . . . Is everything all right, Majesty?" Isarn asked. "I don't mean to presume, but you seem . . . preoccupied."
A faint smile graced Elsa's lips. "My apologies. It's been . . . It's been a long night, and I'm afraid I'm simply getting tired."
Isarn took a drink and moved toward the queen. "It's more than that, though, isn't it?"
The cautious part of Elsa's mind began to wonder why Isarn was asking so many questions, but the whiskey and the desire to talk to someone—anyone—who would listen to her overrode her inhibitions. "It's just . . . It's just that the whole point of having this dinner tonight was to show our allies that they don't have to be afraid of me, just because I'm . . ."
"Unique?" Isarn offered.
"I was going to say 'a freak,' but I think I like yours better."
Isarn gulped down the rest of his whiskey. "Majesty, if I may, I'm a very good judge of character. You seem like a good, decent young woman. Yet, I sense a great deal of loneliness, of anxiety."
Elsa laughed bitterly. "Is it that obvious?"
"Not particularly," Isarn said. "You are very, very good at concealing yourself."
Elsa took another sip of her whiskey. "Anna says I need to just let myself feel, let me be who I am without worrying all the time."
"Anna?" Isarn asked.
"My sister. She . . . She's really the only person I have in the world right now. And she should hate me, after what I've done to her over the years. I never let her in because I was always so afraid I would hurt her with . . . with . . ." She held up her hands, staring at them. "And now, I can't stand not being around her, because without her I feel so . . . empty and alone."
Elsa could feel the tears starting to form in her eyes and she brushed them away quickly. "I apologize. You don't want to hear this."
"No, I do, Majesty," Isarn said. "I think . . . I think you're approaching this whole powers situation the wrong way."
"What do you mean?" Elsa asked.
"You're so worried about hurting people that you won't let yourself use your powers. And yet, you were given them for a reason. Who are you to shut them away?"
A memory jogged through Elsa's mind. "My mother used to say that when God gives us a talent, He expects us to use it to the fullest, or else we are committing a sin."
Isarn smiled. "It sounds as though your mother was very wise."
"She was," Elsa said. "She and my father did the best that they could, under the circumstances. Obviously, I wasn't the easiest child to raise."
"If I may say so, Majesty, it appears as though the late king and queen did a fine job with you."
Elsa blushed slightly and fought to change the subject. "Would you like another drink?"
"Please."
Elsa took Isarn's glass and poured another round of whiskey. "Two cubes?"
Isarn took the glass. "If you don't mind, Majesty, allow me."
Two ice cubes appeared in the glass. Elsa gasped.
"You . . . You . . . You can . . ."
"Yes, Majesty," Isarn said. "You are not as alone as you think."
"But how . . . How . . .?"
Isarn smiled. "My people have always had this ability, going back generation upon generation. Our entire recorded history is filled with the great deeds of men who have possessed the gift. Our wisest rulers have used it for the betterment of our people. And rather than fearing us, our neighbors embraced us, welcoming us as brothers, forging the greatest alliances our kingdoms have ever known!"
Stunned, Elsa listened, enraptured. "But . . . But you said, your people were now virtually nomads! What . . . What happened?"
Isarn's face darkened. "We were betrayed, Majesty. Betrayed centuries ago by men who should have been our strongest supporters. Your history probably no longer even mentions us, but rest assured, it was your rulers who turned on us, abandoning us in our time of need, forcing us to leave the land of our fathers and wander, alone, never welcome in one place for too long."
"I . . . I'm sorry," Elsa whispered.
"Sorry?!" Isarn cried. "Sorry is hardly adequate to assuage the centuries of pain my people have endured because of Arendelle's hardness of heart. Her fear of us is what led to my people becoming exiles!"
"Please," Elsa said, softly. "I don't know anything about this! If you'll give me time, I can investigate and see what we can do to make this right!"
Isarn paused, his mind seemingly shifting to another topic. He glanced about the study, absorbing every detail. "This room looks almost exactly the same as the last time I was here," he said quietly.
"You . . . You were here before? But I thought your people were exiled centuries ago!"
"They were," Isarn replied. "But, almost twenty-two years ago, a messenger from the king of Arendelle tracked us down and asked for me."
"My father asked for you?" Elsa said. "Why?"
"Because he needed something that only my people could provide. My people, as you can see, have retained their close affinity with the earth. We know its secrets better than any other living men, its beauties . . . its dangers."
Elsa was truly terrified, but she still wanted, needed, to know. "What did my father ask you?"
"I was brought here to this very room. And in this room, your father informed me that his beloved wife was barren and could not bear an heir. They were both devastated, as you can imagine. He implored me, begged me, to help, using the hidden skills of my race. He offered me anything my heart desired: a seat in the ministry, riches beyond counting! Anything I wanted could be mine.
"But I hesitated. Why, I thought, should I help the very people who betrayed my own? But then, it occurred to me: I could use this opportunity to plant the seed of vengeance, retribution, for my people."
"I don't understand," Elsa whispered. "You're not making any sense!"
"I prepared a medicine for the queen, using an ancient formula known only by the most experienced healers among my race. I gave it to your father, telling him it would help to open the queen's womb and produce the heir they so desperately desired."
A sense of foreboding began to grow in the pit of Elsa's stomach. No. It's not possible!
"And, true to my word, the queen did conceive shortly thereafter." Isarn smiled darkly. "But what I didn't tell your father was that within that medicine I placed part of my essence, my power, part of my soul, if you will. Of course, there was no guarantee that any of this would work, as a woman's womb is one of the most difficult things to control. And when I heard that the child the queen bore was perfectly normal, I assumed that my efforts had failed.
"Imagine my surprise, then, when just yesterday I was informed that the Queen of Arendelle had recently displayed the remarkable ability to control the winter elements! At that moment, I knew!"
Isarn gazed at Elsa in triumph. "Don't you see, Majesty? Do you understand?!"
NO! NOT POSSIBLE! NOT POSSIBLE!
"Say it," Elsa whispered. "I want you to say it out loud!"
Isarn moved toward the queen. "What?"
"SAY IT!" Elsa screamed, backing away, not wanting to believe but knowing within the depths of her soul that Isarn's words were true.
Isarn lifted his hand and gently placed it on Elsa's cheek. "It's so nice to finally meet you . . . daughter."
AN: More to come. I promise.