● Helena ●
Helena frantically tried to think who was aboard the ship as they neared it. The princess dragged her feet, trying to delay the inevitable. She racked her brain, trying to think which one of her darling sisters was just mere meters away.
The first one she discarded was Astrid. Their queen wouldn't be bothered with something like this. That also meant it was not Maddy, Astrid's right-hand wouldn't leave her Majesty's side to deal with this kind of situation. Cecile was bedridden and sick, so that was a certain no.
Helena checked the next ones on her mental list. Number four and five... The twins? Emilia and Olivia? That sneaky duo who seemed to share a brain? While Sonja and Cristina were also a set of twins, they were completely different, only sharing the same blonde hair. Their body type, their personalities, everything else was unique. Emilia and Olivia, though, they were copies of each other. Olivia was a little chubbier, her features a little rounder, but besides that they both had the light auburn hair and the same shade of blue eyes. Those two were inseparable, their obsession went so far that they had married twin boys to be even closer. Helena didn't particularly care for them, and she wouldn't mind if they were the ones aboard the ship. They were more like weird aunts than sisters to her.
Number six was... a bastard. The first child out of wedlock her father had with a beautiful foreign woman. Daria had been the product of that affair. Helena hadn't yet been born to witness it, but it was said her Lady mother had made things very difficult for little Daria. That mistreatment had made Daria distant from her royal roots, up to the point where she packed up and left altogether. Helena hadn't seen her in years, the last time had been during Astrid's coronation. So, yeah, it was extremely unlikely that Daria was aboard that ship.
Next was Sophia, a legit Westergard, the same age as Daria but she grew up with the perks of not being a bastard. Helena remembered little of young Sophia, since most of her sisters had been fully grown by the time she was born. But what she did remember was Sophia's passion for the theatre and acting. She'd landed a rich husband thanks to that. The important thing was; could she be aboard the ship? Perhaps. Sophia did enjoy traveling to Corona on occasion.
Katherine was the eighth sister, and Helena clung to the hope that it was her. The sister that had taught her to sword fight, who didn't take shit from anyone. That was Helena's best chance. If Katherine stood up for her, Elliott would have to see there was some good in the Westergard family. She prayed it was not sister number nine, Rowena, because that insane woman was the opposite of what she needed right now. Luckily it was very unlikely that she would be around Corona, last Helena heard Rowena had been forbidden from ever returning to the kingdom after an incident involving a sun flower a few years back.
Her list of siblings was running out, as was her time. They were almost on the gangway, she could touch the smooth wood of the ship if she wanted to. Okay, okay, after Rowena there was... another lovely set of twins. Cristina and Sonja, the polar opposites. Helena had convinced herself that since it was not a military ship, Admiral Cristina was not aboard, and that gave her incredible peace of mind. Sonja was useless, and she would not be convincing anyone of Helena's good heart, but she was beautiful and soft-spoken and maybe they would take pity...
And lastly, number twelve, Johanna, Helena's dearest sister and also a bastard. She was positive the little bookworm could talk her way out of anything, and maybe she'd to the same for her youngest sister. Yes, it would be nice to have Johanna here, by her side.
The four of them, Elliott, Andy, Krista and herself stopped at the bottom of the gangway, waiting for the visitor to descend. Helena's heart leapt to her throat when she saw a mop of black moving at the top of the ship.
Black hair...?
No. Please not Rowena, gods, please don't let it be Rowena.
Johanna also had black hair, but hers was long and shiny. The one she'd spotted just then had been short and curly and please not Rowena. I'll take Sonja, even Emilia or Olivia just not Rowena.
"Any idea who it could be yet?" Elliott said, barely above a whisper. He was standing strong and tall, his diplomatic mode on. All business-like. Andy was trying to copy his brother's stance, but his anguished face annulled the effect. Krista had her arms folded, and Helena could feel the brown eyes glaring at her from the corner of her eye.
Helena tried to answer, but her voice wasn't working. All that came out was a wheeze. Her eyes couldn't possibly go any wider. If it was Rowena, if she's up there...
The first to step down was a large man with olive skin and dark hair, carrying a bunch of luggage. Helena's mind raced; was he carrying Rowena's books and herbs and all that garbage she used to make potions? Her hand twitched near her hip, hovering over a sword that was not there. Krista glared pointedly at this; she had noticed. Helena ignored her and clenched her hand into a fist, trying to slow down her heart which was probably very near cardiac arrest. She took deep breaths as the man grinned at her as if they were old friends.
"And now," Kai, Elliott's servant, announced, "May I present to you..."
Helena held her breath, waiting for her nightmare of a sister to climb down that gangway. Rowena. Rowena. She could almost see her smiling with that shark grin of hers, with a smug look and a "What trouble have you gotten yourself into, child?"
Kai cleared his throat. "... Sophia Westergard of the Southern Isles."
Helena didn't mean to, she really didn't, but the huge breath she exhaled when the seventh sister appeared at the top of the gangway just escaped her. From the deepest pit of her soul, the relief she felt was beyond anything and she was just so so glad.
Sophia had dyed and cut her hair, but it was Sophia alright. All skinny and pointy features, her sharp eyes and red lips smiling as she approached them. Her sister had had image issues when she was younger, the palace staff tried to hide it as best as they could, but Cristina's loud mocking of their "skeleton sister" had not helped Sophia's self-esteem growing up.
"Helena," she said in her sing-songy voice. Not Rowena's raspy growl, but Sophia, SOPHIA.
"Oh, gods," Helena was literally overcome by emotion, and it was embarrassing, but she did not care. The moment her sister's fancy shoes stepped on the dock Helena had thrown her arms around her sister's bony frame, so glad someone from home was here.
She had not realized how lonely she'd felt the past few days, how much it actually hurt. Helena obviously deserved it, but still. She was just a young girl! She had been ambitious, and arrogant, and all of that had blown up in her face. Sophia was far from perfect, but right then it felt like she was a raft from the sea Helena had slowly been drowning in.
Sophia pulled back a minute later, an confused smile on her face, "That's new!"
True- Helena hadn't been very affectionate towards any of her sisters, save Johanna, but the comfort Sophia's presence brought was almost ridiculous. It felt like someone was on her side, and she wasn't surrounded by only enemies anymore.
"Princess Sophia," Elliott, ever the polite one, bowed his head and Andy followed suit, mumbling his welcome.
"King Elliott! And prince Andy, too!" Sophia quickly dropped into a curtsey, and she gestured at her companion, "Kronk! You stand before a King!"
Kronk dropped her sister's luggage clumsily as he lowered himself to one knee. "Ri-ii-ight!"
One of the bags bounced off the wood and landed on the water beside the ship with a splash!
"I got it, I got it!" Kronk yelled, and before anyone could react, he'd jumped off the dock to join the luggage. He emerged seconds later, holding up the dripping bag, "Got it!"
Sophia cringed but hid it quickly with a smile at Elliott, "Forgive my companion, Your Grace. He's not the brightest, but he means well. Anyway... thank you for having us in the beautiful Arendelle! I only wish the circumstances were different."
Elliott raised a hand, "You must be tired from your journey. Please, join us at the palace for a meal and some rest. We can talk tomorrow."
"That sounds splendid, thank you!" Sophia clapped her hands together before lowering them to grasp Helena's hand on her own. The thirteenth princess was surprised, but did not pull away. With her free hand, she snapped her fingers, "Kronk!"
"I'm coming m'lady!" the man was soaked to the bone, but he still managed to gather all of her sister's belongings very efficiently. Elliott's expression was neutral as he turned around, followed by Kai and his abomination of a snowman that they called General Winter.
Helena narrowed her eyes as Andy quickly caught up to his brother and started whispering furiously at him, Krista not far behind. How annoying. She wondered what Andy was so unhappy about. Like this was an inconvenience for him. Ugh, if only his silly blonde girlfriend hadn't interfered, she would be on a ship and on the way out of here right now.
"You're scowling, dear," Sophia said pleasantly, hooking her thin arm around Helena's, like they were just taking a leisurely stroll around Arendelle. "You'll have wrinkles by the time you're my age!"
The unlikely group traveled towards the palace. Elliott at the front with his brother, Krista, Kai and the snowman. Helena followed behind with Sophia in arm, keeping a distance more out of annoyance than from respect. Kronk walked behind them, humming to himself a song in Spanish. Helena wasn't sure, but his accent sounded from South America.
"I don't care about wrinkles! I- I... Sophia, what's going to happen?" what's going to happen to me? Helena wanted to scream, "What are we going to do?"
"A 'how are you, sister, how is your husband, is everything well' wouldn't hurt, you know." Sophia said, as she canted her head to the side to try and see the gates of the palace. "As for your... situation, don't worry. Astrid has it figured out," her sister lowered her voice, and Helena had to lean in to listen, "I just need you to tell me exactly what happened here. Leave no detail out, and do not sugarcoat things. You can be completely honest with me. You must."
"It's... it's really bad. What I did..." Helena would have groaned out loud if there had not been anyone else present. It almost gave her a headache to think about. And when she did, it was almost as if she were someone witnessing it from above. Like it had happened to someone else.
There they would be, in the dark... the only light coming from the fireplace. Andy would be laying there, half-dead, his hair white like the snow outside. The snow outside that was becoming a storm with each passing second. He would ask her to kiss him, and she would, but nothing would happen, and then...
"...it's unforgivable," Helena forced her eyes shut, shoving the memory to the back of her mind. If it was terrible for her she could scarcely imagine what Andy felt when thinking back on that awful event. The betrayal, the cruelty, just... everything...horrible horrible horrible.
"Oh, Helena," Sophia squeezed her arm. "There are many unforgivable things. I doubt that whatever it is you did is one of them."
"You have no idea," Helena almost snarled, but tried to keep her temper in check. Having Sophia against her was the last thing she wanted. She quickly fixed her tone, "I... I will tell you. In private."
Sophia nodded, "Good. This is how this is going to play out... I am the caring sister, and you are a saint before my eyes, no matter the wrongs you have committed. Almost like a blindsided mother. You are the ashamed child who very deeply regrets their actions, yes?" Oh, Helena had not missed this kind of shit from her sister. How she would pretend her life was a role, and it had to be played out exactly how she wanted it to. No wonder she had been so touchy-feely and nice. She was playing the caring sister part.
When they were younger Sophia would just order everyone around in a similar way when they played pretend, "Emilia, you'll be the kitchen maid who loves tomato soup! No- Olivia can't be your long-lost daughter. No! Olivia is the wind miller's wife. Shut up. Cristina, you're the girl with a sense of duty who joins the army disguised as a man. Why you? Just look at your man-shoulders!"
Helena had no love for her sister's game back then, and she had no love for it now. In those stupid games, she almost always ended up being the dog. They went as far as to lock her in the kennels once! Sure, Sophia could act her way out of anything, her manipulation was well-known. Helena simply did not want to mix playing a role with her life on the line.
"And remember- I need complete honesty from you."
Great.
● Andy ●
Andy didn't know why, but he felt like he was being stalked by very dangerous creatures- which he kinda was. The Westergards walking behind them were like two lionesses; honoring the animal on their flag most likely. It felt like they would pounce any minute, and tear off his face, and-
"I don't like this, I don't trust them, I don't like them," blowing off steam by complaining to Elliott helped, if only a little. Helena's sister, this Sophia... she was weird. She tickled Andy wrong. She was pretty, but in a scarecrow-sort of way. She looked incredibly thin, and her smile was like perfectly placed. It reminded Andy of watching people acting on a play. He wondered if this sister was a big fan of the theatre. "Have I mentioned that I don't like this?"
"I know. You've only said it, like, two or seven times. That's enough." Elliott sighed. "I can't just throw them both in the dungeon. Sophia is our guest, and we will be gracious to her."
Andy opened his mouth to very loudly voice his opinion, but Krista's warm fingers around his mouth stopped him from doing so. "Elliott's right, Andy. You can't be rude to the sister just 'cause Helena did something shitty- bad! Something bad." The ice harvester glanced nervously at Elliott, as if he would reprimand her for cursing.
He pried the blonde's fingers away, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't unleash another ice storm when she betrays our trust after being gracious to her."
Elliott actually seemed to consider Andy's words for a moment before calling Kai closer, "I don't want this ship leaving without my say-so. Let the dock master know."
"Right away Your Grace," Kai bowed and left.
"Still not happy," Andy remarked, trying not to pout but failing.
"You're never happy," Krista teased, bumping her hip against his and almost making the prince lose his balance.
"Yeah?" he grinned back, and just for a moment allowed himself to lower his guard. He threw an arm around her, "Well, I'm happy now."
Andy's face went tomato-red when Krista pressed a kiss against his cheek, "Good. You deserve to be happy."
"You kids stop that," Elliott's amused laugh only helped to make his face even redder, "We're here."
Andy's happy moment plummeted.
Great.
Andy had thought speaking to Krista's uncle earlier that day had been uncomfortable.
It was nothing compared to having dinner with the Westergards.
Sophia did most of the talking along with a painfully polite Elliott. Andy had to admire this wonderful skill his brother possessed. There was no way Andy would have stayed so civil around Helena's family, after everything she had done. Then again, as far as he knew, Sophia knew nothing of Helena's treason. And so they dined with them.
Krista made the affair fifty times more bearable, considering Helena was sat right across from him. Luckily she didn't look at him, or try to start any sort of conversation. Once or twice she'd look up sharply at something her sister said, but quickly went back to staring at her salad plate. She also shot annoyed looks Krista's way every now and then, most likely remembering her failed escape plans.
Sophia stressed the fact that her sister was young at that she was bound to make mistakes; Elliott said the matter would be discussed until tomorrow. Andy wondered if Elliott was offended that the Southern Isles had sent Sophia; it felt pretty insulting to the prince that they would send the seventh person in line and not someone more... up top. Whatever, a representative was a representative, right?
Sophia was being rather amusing with her stories about the Southern Isles; everything she said was in a positive light. Andy knew better, from the things Helena had told him during their walk in the rose garden on coronation day. Everything was not as pretty as Sophia was painting it, she was probably trying to get in Elliott's good graces.
"We had lots of fun growing up," Sophia was saying, "Thirteen of us- can you imagine? So lively. What fun times we had!" Helena snorted into her glass of wine, something the princess should probably not have been drinking, but nobody stopped her. Andy himself had been drinking a little more than he was used to, just to get through this gods damned dinner. "I can't imagine my life without any of my sisters! Did you and Prince Andy have a good relationship growing up, Your Grace?"
Andy took a gulp of wine to avoid answering the question, so Elliott took it, an awkward smile on his face. "We had... good times, bad times... all brothers do." No times at all, a tiny part of Andy that was still salty over his brother's rejection for years piped in. Stop! They did have good times, before the accident...
"I agree. We were so close, more like best friends than sisters if I'm being honest!" Sophia said. Helena drained her glass of wine, shaking her head ever so slightly. Her sister's blatant lies were clearly bothering her. "Helena here, being the youngest and all, she always had a hard time fitting in... The age gap was large with some of us. Always looking to impress us! Isn't that right, dear?"
"Yes," Helena's words were so strained Andy imagined an invisible knife pressed against the princess' throat, forcing her to agree with whatever her sister said.
Sophia patted Helena's shoulder fondly, "Sometimes, when trying to get our attention, she did some silly things. Things she did not mean. Remember when you flipped over Rowena's potion over yourself? Your skin was bright blue for a week!"
Krista snorted a laugh and Elliott chuckled- Andy's mouth twitched at best. Helena's face was bright red, making her freckles stand out. Ah, yes, embarrassing sibling stories. Sophia could've passed for Helena's mom, if she'd had her at like...fifteen. The age gap was really big. The seventh princess was older than his brother. Andy didn't want to admit that he was enjoying the story, so he told himself he was enjoying Helena's humiliation instead. But that didn't feel right either.
"Reminds me of Andy," Elliott raised his glass in his brother's direction.
"Hey!" Andy, more tipsy than angry, threw a chunk of bread at his brother's head that missed him by miles. Krista laughed the hardest, followed by Sophia's graceful laugh. Helena was pretending to be busy with her soup, not cracking a smile. It appeared they were on the same page, refusing to laugh at the other's expense. Fine. Not acknowledging each other at all was fine by him.
Andy tuned them out as their conversation changed to friendly politics. He still wasn't sure what Sophia was trying to accomplish with all this sort of talk. Under the table, Krista held his hand, quite honestly giving him the strength he needed to get through his fake dinner.
Tiring of Elliott and Sophia's small talk, Andy reached out to grab some bread- which proved to be a terrible mistake- as Helena was doing the exact same thing, and their fingers brushed.
"Gah!" Andy pulled back his hand immediately, like he'd been electrocuted. Helena withdrew her hand as well, a pained expression on her face. Their eyes met. The last time he'd looked into that pair of hazel eyes had been when she'd left him on that study, dying and helpless...
"May I be excused," Helena didn't wait for Elliott's consent, and her words hadn't been said in a question, but she stood up anyway, making the chair scrape loudly as she pushed it back. She forced her eyes away from Andy's. Was that... shame on her face?
Before Elliott could awkwardly explain that no, you can't wander around by yourself, Sophia stood up as well, "Me as well, Your Grace. I'd love to catch up with my sister, if you don't mind. Kronk and I will see that she gets to bed."
"Ah, well... given the circumstances, there will have to be a guard outside the door," Elliott was apologetic, "But you may sleep in the same room if you'd like. Just- with the guard."
"I understand. It's fine." Sophia Westergard flashed one last smile before grabbing Helena by her forearm, "Come, sweet sister."
Helena shook her sister's hand off, her face flushed. It was not a soft flush at all; it was hard and red and bricklike. Was she drunk, or upset? Both? Andy couldn't tell. Elliott's icy blue eyes frowned slightly at the princess' state, mild concern clouding his face. "I look forward to our talk tomorrow," he said evenly.
"Kronk, help her up the stairs, would you?" Sophia called the large man over. He came obediently and guided Helena; she couldn't quite shake him off as easily as she'd shaken off her sister. "Thank you for everything, King Elliott," Sophia said, and seconds later the trio had disappeared up the spiral staircase.
Once the three of them were alone, Andy cackled and tipped his head back, finishing the last of his wine. "Well! That was a disaster."
Elliott slumped back against his chair like a deflated balloon, "You can say that again."
+++Okay gang I haven't decided about Helsa yet (Elliott+Helena) bc it's a problematic pairing and all but... I want opinions on this. Tell me in a review what you think of them together. If you don't speak up, it's going to happen if the majority wants it. If you do not express your disapproval for the pairing now, you can't complain later. It's like the people that don't go to vote on elections, and then complain about the results yknow?
Regardless...- just, keep in mind I'm the author, and whatever I decide is endgame. I'll be taking some executive decisions if no one speaks up. You can love it- or hate it, and that's okay. I just want to know what you guys think. Personally I think they have chemistry and that it could work, but eh...
++ Ah, also, I've updated the first 'chapter', the Princess Guide, now complete. Changed things up a bit, and as you know, that's just there if I'm ever not clear enough and to avoid confusion.
+With that out of the way, updates should be more frequent.
As always, thank you for reading!:)
