Chapter 3: Throwing the Gauntlet
On the morning of January the second, Elsa stood outside the door to her Council chamber and took a deep breath.
Kristoff – now Greve Ismester – and Anna were right behind her. Anna had already switched the engagement ring to the proper hand. Elsa wasn't going to worry about that. No matter how this meeting went, she was sure that news or at any rate rumors of Kristoff and Anna's engagement would be all over the city by nightfall.
"Everything ok, Elsa?" Anna asked.
Elsa froze. Then she forced herself to relax. "Of course."
"It's just, you don't look—" Anna started.
She stopped when Kai came out of the chamber. "They're ready for you, Your Majesty," he said, nodding to Elsa.
"Excellent. And the extra chairs?" Elsa asked.
"Also ready."
"Thank you, Kai. You're a treasure." Elsa glanced behind her, at Anna and Kristoff with their linked arms. Anna was blushing and radiant, the picture of what a bride-to-be should be. Kristoff had forced himself into a suit and looked awkward, nervous, and uncomfortable.
The picture of what a groom-to-be should be.
With that heartening image in her mind, Elsa took another deep breath, rolled her shoulders back, and sailed into the Council chambers.
Every one of her councilors stood as she entered and remained standing until she sat. "Good morning and happy New Year, everyone," Elsa began, nodding to each of the twelve in turn as they took their seats. "I understand we have a great deal of business to attend to today. However, there is one item I should like to announce first."
She forced in another breath and nodded at the door, where Anna and Kristoff were still standing. They made their way inside (a bit tricky, given that the door would not fit the both of them arm-in-arm. But Anna wasn't letting go for anything, and Kristoff didn't seem inclined to let go either).
Elsa was quite sure that the way Anna was holding her left hand so that the ring showed was no accident.
She turned back to her councilors, each of whom was staring at Anna and Kristoff. "Kristoff Bjorgman, Greve Ismester, has asked for Princess Anna's hand in marriage. Princess Anna is willing, and I have given my blessing to the match. Now all that remains is for the Council to approve it, and then we can start planning a wedding."
Silence.
Elsa didn't dare to look at Anna and Kristoff – especially not Anna. She couldn't see the hope and happiness die from her sister's eyes, only to be replaced by confusion, doubt, and sadness. So Elsa tilted her chin up, eyes narrowed, daring her Council to break her sister's heart.
What happened next was not what she had been expecting.
Madam Voll, the Chief Justiciar, shot out of her seat with what could only be described as a whoop. "I KNEW IT!" She ran around the table to hug Anna, who squealed and returned the embrace. "I knew we'd be getting an announcement as soon as I saw that ring! Didn't I say so, Gudrun?"
Gudrun Tennfjord, Chancellor of Arendelle, sighed and rested her forehead on her hand. "You did indeed, Lovise."
"And now we've got it! Oh, you will be lovely bride, Your Highness!" She pulled back with a smile. "Now simply must tell me. How many babies were you thinking?"
Anna laughed. "Oh, a dozen at least!" Kristoff looked like he'd been punched in the stomach.
"That's the spirit! Oh, congratulations, you two!" Madam Voll embraced Anna again, and then she gave a startled Kristoff a hug. "From me and from the whole Council, I'm sure!"
More silence.
Madam Voll stiffened. She turned around and surveyed her fellow councilors over her pince-nez. "You're all going to be sticks in the mud about this, aren't you?"
"Lovise," Chancellor Tennfjord warned.
"No, hang politics, Gudrun, I'm not backing down on this. This is a lovely young couple, and heaven knows that Master Bjorgman—er, that is, Lord Ismester has more than earned a Princess's hand in marriage! And didn't we all learn about a year and a half ago that princes aren't all they appear?" She folded her arms in front of her, glaring at each councilor in turn.
A discreet cough from the far end of the table sent all eyes away from Madam Voll. Elsa quirked one eyebrow before schooling her face back into impassivity.
The cougher was Lady Sylvi Raske. Elsa folded her hands on the table and watched the older woman. She was Elsa's newest councilor, the representative from Letemark who had replaced Councilor Arud when he resigned (more or less) following the events of the previous winter.
Not for the first time, Elsa found herself running through all that she knew about Lady Sylvi. She was a scion of one of Arendelle's oldest families, the wealthiest woman in Rosen (not counting the royal family). She had proven herself to be a paragon of good sense. She had an unflinching devotion to duty, doing what was Right at the expense of what was Easy.
She was also married to Captain Vilmarsen, Captain of the Rosen Town Guard. They had a seven-year-old son, and by all accounts they were exceptionally devoted to each other. Elsa was still trying to wrap her head around that one.
All told, she was not sure what to expect Lady Sylvi to say … but when she said it, Elsa was not entirely surprised.
"We're not all going to be sticks in the mud, Lovise." Lady Sylvi turned to Anna and Kristoff with a warm, welcoming smile. "Congratulations, Your Highness, Lord Ismester. I am sure you will be very happy together."
"And your marriage will be a good thing for the realm, too!" added a voice Elsa had not expected to hear, or at least had not expected to hear so soon – Treasurer Akselsen.
No one else seemed to have expected it, either, to judge by the way every head turned to him. But the little man was not to be deterred. He straightened his waistcoat and sent a glare around the table, sparing only Elsa, Madam Voll, and Lady Sylvi. "It's—it's high time that Arendelle joined the nineteenth century. Blood—bloodlines aren't as important as they used to be. Better for a young man to have a sound head for business, for economics, than the best breeding in the world but no conception of how the world actually works!"
Elsa found herself blinking in surprise and was rather gratified when Jorn Hagebak, the representative of Cajhus, gasped, "What on earth is that meant to refer to?"
"I'm saying—I'm saying, rather than some young man with a sterling pedigree and a mind full of hunting, gambling, and … other things – or gods forbid, one only with an eye toward power! – better a man who's worked, who knows the value of an øre, and who understands how finance works!"
"Um …" Kristoff started.
Treasurer Akselsen held up a hand. "Not high finance – nobody understands howthat works – but true finance, how money moves from one part of the market to the other, how to save and how to spend. That kind of thing." And he glared around the table again, daring anyone to disagree with him. "His ideas regarding the ice trade were most invaluable. Most invaluable. It's thinking like that which will get us ahead on the Continent, not a 'marital alliance' to a young man whose name was drawn from a hat!"
"But surely an alliance is to be desired?" asked Councilor Hagebak. Well, Elsa should have known better than to continue to expect support. "We—our nearest marital ties are to Corona and Andalasia. And what with … everything …"
"Princess Anna being married out of the country against her express will and desire is out of the question," Elsa replied in a tone that could only be described as icy. "In fact, her marrying anyone other than the man whom she has freely chosen is out of the question. I won't hear of it, ladies and gentlemen."
Once again, silence fell over the table. Elsa drew herself up, shoulders back, chin up.
"But … Your Majesty …" Councilor Hagebak looked to the Foreign Minister, Bernt Falk, obviously requesting backup.
Minister Falk didn't say anything.
"Surely … surely with … everything?" Councilor Hagebak went on. "I can't be the only one who …"
Thump! "Blood will tell!" said Councilor Moller, representative of Grums. He scowled around the table. "There! I've said what we're all thinking. Blood will tell. Is there anyone who—"
He looked around the table, his gaze coming to rest on Lady Sylvi with something like polite disgust. "Well—anyone whose view on the matter isn't thoroughly compromised who disagrees?"
Judging by the throbbing vein at the side of Treasurer Akselsen's head, to say nothing of the points he had been attempting to make, Elsa rather thought he did. But she spoke before he could. "I certainly disagree, Councilor Moller. We have all known blackguards who come from some of the best families … and we all have known men and women whose background may not be quite as esteemed, but who nonetheless have proven themselves to be noble in the most ancient of ways – through their actions."
Councilor Moller frowned. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, this is the real world, not some children's fairy story where 'true love conquers all' and a princess marries a peasant and no one bats an eye."
Elsa took a deep breath, a carefully-worded retort arranging itself in her mind—
She never got to say it. "Seriously?" Anna snapped. "Did you just say that out loud?"
"Your Highness—"
Anna stepped forward, eyes smoldering, hands balled in fists at her side. "True love does conquer all! Or was I the only one paying attention when I froze and then thawed because—"
"Anna!" That was Kristoff, coming forward with a hand laid gently on Anna's shoulder. "It's ok. Just—calm down. Getting upset is not going to help. Ok?"
Anna looked up at Kristoff, and Elsa turned her head. To look now would be to intrude. Besides … her Council wouldn't have a problem with intruding. And she could learn much more by watching them.
Unfortunately, Elsa was not the only person in the room who knew a thing or two about concealing her emotions. Madam Voll and Lady Sylvi both openly showed their approval, and Councilor Moller had no difficulty revealing his disgust, but other than that, Elsa saw nothing she could use.
She took a deep breath and stepped into the silence. "Ladies and gentlemen, arguing and shouting will get us nowhere. And I will not tolerate any harsh or cruel words directed toward Princess Anna or Lord Ismester. I should prefer instead," Elsa laid her hands on the table to center herself, "to hold a preliminary, non-binding vote on this matter, so that all of us know where we stand. Are there any objections?"
Her councilors knew better than to object when she spoke in that tone. One by one, they shook their heads.
"Very well. We shall go around the table, one by one. Chancellor?" Elsa asked, turning to the person who was her right-hand woman in both a literal and a figurative sense.
But if she was hoping for good sense, strong reasoning, or even a clear-cut opinion, she was doomed to be disappointed. Chancellor Tennfjord's eyes were inscrutable as she surveyed Anna and Kristoff. "I am sorry, Your Majesty, but I must abstain from voting at this time. This is a momentous affair, and I need some time to consider it."
Madam Voll usually sat next to the Chancellor, but though she wasn't in her seat, she wasn't shy about her opinion, either. "You know how I feel about it!" she declared. "I'm already planning the twelfth naming gift. Aye, I'm in favor!"
Elsa bit back a smile before turning to the man who sat on Madam Voll's right, Jarl Casper, Jarl of the Western March and head of Arendelle's armed forces.
His brows were furrowed, gaze unblinkingly fixed on Kristoff in a way that Elsa couldn't read. "I fear I must abstain as well, Your Majesty. There are some … well, there are some things I need to think about."
Trying to fight down the disappointment, Elsa only nodded and turned to Minister Falk.
"I too must abstain. This is a weighty decision, Your Majesty, and I should very much appreciate the opportunity to confer with you in private about it."
The worry and disappointment, even if she knew she ought to have expected this, were getting harder to fight. Still Elsa nodded. "Of course. Treasurer Akselsen?"
"Aye," the Treasurer replied, looking around the table as if daring anyone to take issue with it.
With the exception of Bishop Elias, who sat to Elsa's left, that was the last of the officers of the Council. Now it was time to turn to the representatives. First in terms of seniority and by virtue of his position at the table was Halvor Vang, representative of Alemecht.
The old man watched Anna and Kristoff steadily, frowning, arthritic fingers steepled together. He shook his head. "Nay."
Elsa held her breath, expecting a long speech. She never got it. With a single nod, and not daring to look at Anna and Kristoff, she turned to the next representative. "Councilor Omdahl?"
Renate Omdahl was the representative of Sorgaland, a woman with a throaty chuckle, a sultry smile, and a mind sharper than most of the swords in the armory. "I also must abstain for the present. You did spring this on us with very little warning, Your Majesty."
"Very well," Elsa replied, forcing a polite nod. "Councilor Moller?"
"Nay!" Councilor Moller snorted, and nodded, as if he'd said something brilliant and self-evidently correct.
Elsa ignored that. "Councilor Hagebak?"
For a moment she almost felt sorry for the man. He'd never been anything other than kind to her, even just after the Great Thaw when most of her Council was still treating her like they expected her to explode in ice spikes at any moment. Now he was looking up and down the table, eyes still wide with shock.
Still, he shook his head. "Nay," he said.
Three nays. She needed nine ayes – eventually – if Anna was to get permission to wed. "Councilor Steensen?"
The representative of Buskefold, Kare Steensen ought to have been one of the first behind Kristoff. Buskefold made much of its wealth (such as it was) off ice-harvesting, and Councilor Steensen himself was a product of a marriage not unlike Anna and Kristoff's would be. But he looked up, impassive, and said only, "Nay."
Four nays? Damn and blast. But it wasn't over yet. Elsa swallowed.
That left only two people. The first was Lady Sylvi, who smiled at Anna and Kristoff and said, "Aye."
The last was Bishop Elias. Elsa straightened her spine, waiting for the inevitable nay, followed perhaps by a lecture on the fitness of things and the importance of staying in one's station in life.
It didn't come. "Aye," he said. "Mas—er, I'm apologize, Lord Ismester, Your Highness, I am sure you two will be very happy together when you wed."
"But they won't!" Councilor Moller said. "The Council has to approve the marriage of the Queen's heir by a three-fourths majority. Even if everyone who abstained were to eventually vote in favor, the ayes won't have it!" He leaned back, looking uncommonly pleased with himself as Anna's face fell and Kristoff seemed to sag.
But it's not going to be that easy, Councilor.
Elsa took a deep breath. "Not at all, Councilor. While it's true that a three-fourths majority is necessary for the Council to approve of the marriage, this issue is not put to rest yet."
"But Your Majesty—"
"First," Elsa counted on her fingers, "this was only a preliminary vote, not a final one. It was meant for us to know where we stand. I specifically said it was non-binding. There is plenty of time for certain parties to change their minds.
"Second," Elsa continued, "even if this was a binding vote, there is nothing – nothing – in the law that says that the Council must approve the heir's marriage on the first vote. All that is required is that the Council approves before the marriage takes place. It does not matter if it takes one vote, two votes, or a hundred votes."
Was it Elsa's imagination, or had Councilor Moller's eyes gone wide as he glanced from side to side, visibly questioning his compatriots?
"Third – and arguably most importantly – there is equally nothing in the law that states that the Council which approves the marriage must be identical to the Council to which the question was first put."
Elsa folded her hands together and waited for the meaning of that to sink in. To judge by the way Councilor Steensen's face swiftly lost color and Councilor Moller's eyes widened, it soon did.
"You—all of you—serve at my pleasure. I can dismiss any one of you at any time and for any reason. Denying my sister her happiness is, in my mind, an excellent reason for dismissal. So I urge you to think on that very carefully before you cast your final vote on the matter."
Elsa looked at each of the Councilors in turn – even the ones who had already voted aye – letting them see she was serious. Then she made as if to straighten the papers before her (difficult, as there were no papers at the moment).
"That being said, I am more than happy to hear anyone's concerns about this match, and I am willing to work with all of you to achieve a favorable vote. I should like to meet with all of you individually to hear your thoughts on this matter. Please speak with my secretary, Master Moller, to set an appointment at your convenience. Now—are there any other concerns to be raised, regarding my sister's marriage?"
Twelve heads shook. Elsa nodded. "Very well … Anna, Kristoff, if you wouldn't mind …?"
Anna's hands were still balled in fists, and she was trembling. It was Kristoff who nodded. "Of course. Come on, Anna." He put an arm around her shoulder and led her out.
The door shut behind them. It was a very well soundproofed door. Whatever Anna said as soon as it was closed – and Elsa was sure she had quite a bit to say – Elsa wouldn't hear it.
Not until later.
Elsa swallowed and turned to the Chancellor. "Next order of business, Chancellor Tennfjord?"
When Elsa's Council meeting was finally over, when all the councilors had finally left, when it was just Elsa in the Council chamber, then Anna barged in with Kristoff on her heels.
"You knew!"
It was not a question.
Elsa was sitting at the table still, slumped, forehead propped on her hand. Anna watched as she took a slow, deep breath. "Anna."
"You knew this was going to be a problem. You knew they were going to react like this!" Anna went on. She heard something that sounded like a door closing, but didn't look back to check.
Elsa didn't answer right away, even though Anna's heart was pounding, even though her fists were clenched and shaking, even though every muscle in her body was tensed and ready to spring.
"… Yes," Elsa finally admitted.
"And you didn't tell me! You sent us in there with no warning and—Elsa—you shut me out again!"
If anyone else had made Elsa cringe like that, Anna would have seriously considered proving to them that her right hook was just as painful as rumors insisted it was. "It wasn't like that, Anna."
"Oh, really? Because where I'm standing, it's exactly like that."
She had thought they were done with this. Thirteen years of lies and hiding and not telling Anna things. Wasn't that enough? Wasn't the majority of their lives to this point more than enough? Would it have been too much, really too much, to let her know what was going on and what to expect?
"No. No. It's not." Elsa had her eyes closed, and she was twisting her hands around each other. "I just—it's not your problem. I didn't want to trouble you—"
"Not my problem? It's my wedding!"
"Our wedding," Kristoff mumbled.
That made Elsa's eyes flicker open. And for a moment, Anna saw something that looked like guilt.
"Oh, now you're feeling guilty? Because you didn't let Kristoff know what was going on? Damn it, Elsa!" Anna pounded her fist on the table, making Elsa jump. "I'm your sister! I'm your heir! I can help!"
"No!" Elsa looked up. She'd barely said anything, but she was starting to pant. Somewhere in the back of Anna's mind, faint alarm bells were ringing. She ignored them. "No, this—this is not your—"
"Concern? Don't you dare tell me this isn't my concern!"
"Your burden, Anna!" Elsa stood up. Anna could see that her hands were shaking and the pants were coming more quickly. She turned away, hands clutching her middle, head bowed.
The alarm bells started to ring with more force.
"I will fix this," Elsa said, her back still to Anna. "I will take care of this. You will marry Kristoff. I just need some time."
"Odin's beard!" Anna flung both her hands out, hearing something that sounded like Kristoff jumping back. "That's not what this is about!"
Elsa straightened. "It's not?"
"It's not?" echoed Kristoff.
"No—and don't you start!" she said to Kristoff. "You—you stay out of this!"
"Anna—"
"No! And Elsa—" Anna stood still, trying to come up with words, words that would work, words that would mean something and be more than the pointless rambling she'd created to fill up so many lonely, cold, and utterly empty hours.
When you had no one to talk to for so long, just the sound of your own voice to fill the silence, you forgot – or never learned in the first place – what it took to make people listen.
"You're shutting me out. Again. That's what this is about." Elsa cringed again, and Anna knew she had found the right words. Cringing meant she was listening; cringing meant that she was hearing. "You're not telling me things. You're—you're assuming that it's better that I don't know! That it's not my problem! It is! It was thirteen—ok, fourteen years ago, and it is today!"
"I'm just trying to protect you, Anna!" Elsa fired back.
"Oh, great! Trying to protect me! Because that's worked so well!"
Elsa seemed to fold into herself, her head bowed so that Anna couldn't catch a hint of an expression.
"I am not a child, Elsa. I do not need protection, and I don't need to be kept in ignorance anymore. I shouldn't have been in the first place! That's where all of our problems came from! And now you're doing it again!
"Why, Elsa? What do I have to do to prove to you that I'm ok? That I can handle this? What do I have to do to keep you from shutting me out—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Anna. Calm down." Kristoff planted himself in front of her, hands on her shoulders.
"Ugh—Kristoff!"
"You're upset. I get that you're upset. You have every right to be upset. But right now, you need to calm down."
"Damn it, Kristoff, don't you—"
"Deep breaths, Anna," he said. Even through the fog his breath was making, Anna could see that his eyes were intense, boring into hers, begging her to—
Wait—
Fog …
The anger rushed out of her, constricted by the cold. Slowly, she shifted so that she could see around Kristoff.
Her sister was still standing on the opposite side of the room, still hunched over, her breath coming in short, quick pants.
It was very, very cold in the room.
"… Elsa?" Anna whispered.
Elsa shuddered.
For a minute Anna froze. She knew what to do, sort of, when Elsa got into a state. The important thing was to speak gently and softly, to make sure she had time and space to recover, and to let her know that everything was going to be all right.
But the problem was that the last time Anna had been directly responsible for Elsa getting into a state was … well … the time she'd gotten her heart frozen.
She didn't think Elsa was to that point yet. For one thing, there was no snow, just cold. And … well, the last time Elsa had gotten to that point (which had nothing to do with Anna), Hans was on the loose and her stables had been burned down and there were all those pamphlets and … it hadn't been a pleasant time for anyone.
Anna stepped around Kristoff, and Kristoff let her go forward. She walked slowly and quietly, making just enough noise that Elsa would know she was coming. "Hey … Elsa?"
"I'm fine," Elsa said.
Anna rolled her eyes. "And I'm the sultan of Agrabah."
That made Elsa giggle, though it came out sounding more like a snort.
Slowly, Anna put her hand on Elsa's shoulder, ready to jerk it away if Elsa reacted badly. She'd learned to stop being hurt when Elsa didn't want to be touched when she was in a state. Mostly. Sort of.
Today wasn't one of those days. She felt Elsa's shoulder muscles relax. Anna started patting her. "It's ok," she whispered. "It's ok."
In the year and a half she'd had her sister back, she'd learned that saying this was sometimes the best way to help her through these states, and sometimes it was the only way.
Today it helped. Anna felt the room get warmer first. It took a few moments more for Elsa's breathing to slow and steady. It took longer still for her bunched-up muscles to relax fully.
Finally Elsa seemed to wilt. She pushed her bangs back from her face. "I'm … I'm sorry about that."
"Don't be," Anna said, as she always did. "It happens. It's ok. Do you want to sit down?"
Elsa didn't answer at first. But she bit her lip, and she nodded. Her hand still on Elsa's shoulder, Anna coaxed Elsa back to her seat. She sat next to her, not moving her hand away for a second.
Kristoff took the chair on Anna's other side and took her free hand in his.
Elsa didn't speak right away, which Anna was expecting. What she wasn't expecting was what Elsa actually said. "I just wanted you to have a nice holiday."
Wait, what—oh.
"Elsa—"
"Why should two—three of us be worried and anxious?" Elsa asked the table. "There—there was nothing you or Kristoff could have done to make the Council think differently. Not in a week and a half's time. So … why should I burden you with it?"
Anna glanced at Kristoff. Kristoff was watching Elsa. He glanced at Anna, eyebrow raised.
That gave Anna the courage to say what she said next. "Because it's not always about doing things, Elsa. Sometimes it's enough to just … be there. And help. And, you know, this is about us—"
"I know," Elsa said. "And—and perhaps I ought to have warned you both."
Anna said nothing, not trusting herself to say the right thing, or anything other than the wrong thing.
Elsa didn't lift her eyes up from the table. "I'm sorry."
Now it was time for the tension to slip from Anna's shoulders. Kristoff squeezed her hand.
"It's ok," Anna said, patting Elsa's shoulder again.
Elsa looked up, disbelieving blue eyes staring into hers.
"I mean it. It's ok, Elsa. You made a mistake. Even you do it from time to time." Anna jostled her shoulder a bit. "Proves you're human like the rest of us."
Elsa snorted, and Anna knew she'd won.
"Besides … I'm sorry too. For going off on you like that. Maybe I should have …" Anna shook her head. "Well, too late now. I am sorry, though."
"You don't have to apologize."
"I want to."
Elsa smiled.
They sat like that for a few moments, Elsa staring at the table, Anna watching Elsa's breathing, and Kristoff holding Anna's hand. Finally Kristoff cleared his throat. "Did … did you, um … Elsa …"
That made Elsa look up.
"Did you mean it, when you said you'd be sacking people, for … well … us?" asked Kristoff.
Anna watched Elsa blink, very slowly. "Yes."
"Can we put Moller at the head of the list of people to be sacked?" Anna asked.
That made Elsa laugh.
"Well?" asked Anna. "Can we?"
"Oh, trust me," Elsa replied. "If there's any sacking to be done, he'll be the first to go."
"Excellent," Anna said, leaning back and looking from Kristoff to Elsa and back again. "See? Our match is already doing great things for the kingdom, and we haven't even gotten formally engaged yet."
Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, feistypants."
But Elsa laughed again. And in Anna's mind, that made everything worth it.
And now the plot is thickening.
Thank you to Jacob Flores, homers8736, CrunchDeNumbers, RJCA27, fericita, TheHumanCanvas, MagicOfDisney, Batman1809, NrDg, Guest, WinterKnight2104, and LinesoftheLost112 for your lovely comments! :D Feedback like this is what keeps me going!
To answer your question, Guest: a Greve is a rank of nobility. It's roughly equivalent to a count. When I was writing this, I thought I had found sources saying it was more-or-less equal to a baron … but now I can't find them again.
I find myself getting very confused by these noble rankings (I'm most familiar with the British system), so this is the point where I throw up my hands and say, "I give up!" A Jarl is more-or-less equal to an earl, a Greve (in Arendelle) is more-or-less-equal to a baron, and the reasoning is Because I Said So.
Anyway, thanks for reading, everyone! Chapter 4 is a long one. But the good news is that you only have to wait until I finish Chapter 9 (which shouldn't be as long) to read it! Yay!
Until next time!