Shout Out: ElsaFrozen, , and ViCtOrIoUsGaL41822. Thanks to all of you, I found mistakes from the last chapter and I can improve the next chapter. Thank you so much for your help!
Disclaimers: I don't own Frozen, Elsa, Anna, or the trolls (though I did name the trolls). Only the guards and maids are my OCs. Thank you!
WAIT! Read the bold words at the end for a new test!
Chapter 1
Even though Elsa was now queen and very busy, she managed to find spare time to read as she always used to do before her coronation and secret came out. The only different was that she could stay in the library instead of taking books back to her room to read. It was much more comfortable lounging in the larger, warm room and reading than sitting alone in her cold room.
The library was by no means completely stocked of every kind of subject matter, but it was also not limited in books or the subjects within them. Her parents' personal library was even smaller than this one. The light purple walls of the palace's main library were higher than most of the other rooms; the walls curved around like a cylinder. A crackling fire burned in the center of the room in a large pit. The books themselves were in their shelves which started nearly at the floor and continued to just before the ceiling. A ladder, which was almost as high as the ceiling, was place against the walls on a metal track so you only had to push and slide to go from one shelf to another. On the side opposite the books were sofas, loungers, cushioned stools and chairs, and other comfortable seating arrangements set around the fire.
For Elsa, who had become queen and finally come into society a short four months before, being in this library, on what she called her futon, and almost completely alone, was the best. Yes, she had the guard in the library, Sir Rolf, watching her, but he was never very intrusive. In fact, he was rather helpful exactly at the right time.
Elsa couldn't decide what to read after she finished devouring another book about rules and etiquette one of her ancestors had written. It had been a boring book, but it had at least taught her something new. Elsa sighed, already having read all of the books in the section she could reach. That was when Sir Rolf came in to help like he usually did. He seemed to know the library the best out of all the staff.
"Excuse me, Queen Elsa. If I may, I have a book you might find interesting."
Elsa smiled at him. "Thank you, Sir Rolf. Can you tell me what it is about?"
At this point, the guard would smile and explain the book while he retrieved it and handed it to her. However, this time was different. Sir Rolf walked over to his desk and took a package from a secret compartment. With the book in hand, he slowly walked back to her, and told her the truth in a low voice.
"Your father gave this to me a little after you were born and after understanding the truth, I wrapped it up and hid it so no one untrustworthy would know. A few others have found the packaged version, but I have always made up lies to protect you and your family. I'm sure he didn't know that he would die so soon, but even still, he felt he needed someone else he could trust to carry the secret…of your birth."
Elsa's eyes widened. "What? Am I…am I not really their daughter?"
Sir Rolf smiled apologetically. "Forgive me, my queen, for I have given you thoughts that have caused incorrect assumptions. You have your mother's complexion and blue eyes. If I remember correctly, your sister has a little green in her mostly blue eyes. I believe that came from your father. The only thing that differentiates you from the rest of your family is your paler skin and your white-blonde hair. I think the…gifts within this package will shed some light on that."
Elsa took the package hesitantly and then looked up. "But, I don't understand. Why now?"
Sir Rolf was not a man who was easily flustered. He was a big man; tall, broad-shouldered, with strong muscles. The most he did when in an anxious state of mind was play with the fingers of the gloves he wore. In addition, he was always truthful to the king and the rest of the royal family of Arendelle, but it wasn't his honesty that kept him close to Elsa's father.
"Your father trusted me to give this to you only when you had achieved control of your powers. He didn't know if you would be upset about why things happened the way they did. He trusted me not to let a soul know the truth of what you could do. And even after you came back, after you truly became the queen, I knew it was better to make sure you have achieved true control before giving this to you. But considering what the future holds, I realized it was time to give you this package."
Elsa stared at the package in her hand, not really understanding the last sentence and instead of pursuing answers, asked a different question, "Do you know if Anna is the same as me? Could she have her own power and just be late—"
Sir Rolf shook his head, causing the queen to fall silent before she finished her sentence.
Sir Rolf explained, "Your father left me a book and a letter, both of them inside the package. Your sister was, is, and always will remain an ordinary human in the magical sense. Within humanity, however, she has great strength. She holds a great power that any living creature is capable of feeling and which saved this kingdom in the end."
Elsa let a small smile grace her lips. "Love…true love."
Sir Rolf nodded. "But there is a problem that my family and I have watched develop."
Elsa looked at him as her smile fell again. "What? What is it? Is Anna in danger?"
Sir Rolf sighed. "In a way, she is. As you know, she has been betrayed before. She gave her heart to a man who she didn't know who had an ulterior motive. When things returned to normal and he was taken back to his country, he left behind a scar in her heart that has not faded and will not heal easily."
Sir Rolf looked away for a moment. "I don't know if you know this, but your father didn't give me the job of library guard. He gave me the job of watching over his daughters. You and your sister may not have realized it, but you were being watched quite carefully by me and two of the maids who your mother trusted with the secret. You know my wife, Nora and her sister, Emma? Yes, Nora was assigned to you."
The guard's eyes turned sad. "About four months ago, Emma has told me she started hearing Princess Anna talking in her sleep as she walked by the princess's bedroom door. She kept saying things like, 'He doesn't really love me', 'He's trying to trick me like…', and even shouted things like, 'Men are terrible!' Finally, I became more involved, walked by her door, and heard who she was talking about. She was so upset about her false romance with Prince Hans that she was unsure…about Kristoff. She's so unsure of her ability to identify true love because of what happened that being with Kristoff is hurting her too."
Elsa had understood since the event of four months before that this was a possibility. She just didn't want to believe that her sister was capable of feeling bitterness or hatred. Elsa had shut her out, after all, and Anna still came back to her and even saved her. But maybe that was because they were family and they knew and understood each other. What Prince Hans did, on the other hand, was unbelievably cruel and worthy of hatred. Even if Anna didn't openly or consciously express it, it was still within her. Elsa knew that if Anna didn't let that frustration go, she'd let it out on accident, possibly at the wrong time.
Elsa nodded slowly, her shoulders shaking a little. "Please keep an eye on her for me. I…I have a feeling that Kristoff can help her. She just needs to learn to let go of her anger and move on. I think if we can help her see the truth of what love really is, then she can be saved in time. And if you can give Kristoff hints on how to help her, that would be very helpful."
For what seemed like the first real time since the conversation had started, Sir Rolf gave a genuine smile. "As you wish, milady. I'll have Nora and Emma assist me, if that's all right."
Elsa nodded, barely keeping up her smile. "That's fine. I'll read the letter and look through this book in the meantime."
Anna was not one to be easily depressed. However, she was now and it was only getting worse. Anna, who felt she didn't know true love, was suspicious of how Kristoff truly felt about her. Sure, he was friendly and it was he who asked her for permission to kiss her, not the other way around. But then again, she had just given him an amazing new sleigh and upped his career status, so maybe he was just being hyper and not really thinking.
Anna sighed. She needed some help figuring this out. So, early the next morning, she got up and ready and left the kingdom to meet Kristoff's troll family.
On the way to the troll village, she talked to her horse. He was named Adalrik, but she just liked to call him Rik, which he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to almost enjoy it. He felt happier with the shorter name.
Anna, on the other hand, was still feeling very depressed and now very nervous about seeing Kristoff's troll family again because they seemed to always be pushing her – and Kristoff – down a path that she personally didn't want to take without caution. They were like a force trying to push her and the mountain man together.
But then again, she told herself, they were right. Kristoff was very loyal. He came back for her when she needed him, even if he didn't end up being the one to save her. He still showed that he was the opposite of Prince Hans. The trolls knew that from the beginning.
Anna smiled at this thought.
"I guess they know a lot more than I do about this sort of thing, and they are love experts, so maybe they can give me a better perspective on my relationship with Kristoff, especially since they know him better than I do." She told Rik as they approached the troll's little village.
Before she could dismount her horse, the trolls were waking up from their rock-like state. They knew her voice so well at this point they didn't bother to stay hidden when she first arrived. This was not the first time in the past four months that she had been to see him.
"Did I hear someone talking about our Kristoff?" The female troll who had been the main one trying to bring them together when they first met Anna sang.
Anna tried to smile, it was a little lopsided. "Yes, Linnea, it's me, Anna. I was wondering if you could give me some help. I don't necessarily need advice, but, you know, just help is fine." The young woman laughed uncomfortably.
Linnea gave her one of those looks that said, 'I know why you're here and I knew it would happen all along.' Anna looked down at her uneasily and waited.
"Let me guess," Linnea said smugly, "You want to ask us something to do with Kristoff. We heard what happened to the Hans-boy, dear. Boys can be terrible, but if you have a crowd of bad ones, there could be one with a heart of gold and soul completely pure. Kristoff is one of the good guys, I assure you. Like we already said, he has a few flaws, but so does everyone. You're lucky he has a great personality. Anyways, most of the bad ones come from royalty. It makes them stuck up. Just saying…"
Anna nodded, processing this. "So, you're certain Kristoff is the guy for me? How do you know?"
Another troll named Oskar answered her, "If you don't believe our words, you can test the guy. You'll see then how much he truly loves you."
Linnea glared at Oskar and punched him in the shoulder before laughing uncomfortably. "Yeah, you can do that, or you could just take our word for it. Either way, Kristoff will pass any test and become your man, I'm sure."
But Anna wasn't listening. She had a new hope. She loved Kristoff, but did he love her? Only time would tell, especially with a plan brewing underneath her bright orange hair. She would test the mountain man on his reactions, emotions, sensitivity, affection, honesty, and truthfulness. Only then would she know if he truly loved her the way she loved him.
TEST FOR REVIEWERS: I wasn't clear before. I wanted you to review about things like storyline/plot, back story, character development and originality (did I make them too OOC?), and then the regular grammar, sentence structure, and whatnot. In addition, if you find a mistake in there like "He is [going] to be fine." where 'going' is missing, let me know and I'll correct it and give you a separate shout out - I'll do that from now on. I need at least 2 reviews answering the TEST, and 5 reviews IN ALL this time before I upload the next chapter. Please advertise if you must! Thanks!