WAIT! Before you leave, read ALL of the Author's Notes at the bottom. They can tell you or hint to things that are coming up! Thanks!
Chapter 2
The dark, glistening water of the fjord was slowly becoming icy as the November air grew colder above it. But to Olaf and Sven, this was nothing. After all, the snowman was made of cold stuff and the reindeer had a warm and furry winter coat.
Today the snowman had planned to go fishing, and had convinced his big four-legged friend that he would get to eat all the fish he caught. Sven, who had rarely gotten the chance to eat fish because Kristoff could rarely afford them, was eager for a taste of the delicious-looking sea trout, brown trout, and salmon he had seen in some of the stores.
But after the first fish, a salmon, was caught and quickly devoured, Olaf, who had seemed perky in the beginning, began a strange and depressing monologue so unlike him that Sven listened carefully, suddenly feeling worried for his little winter friend.
"I don't know what to say or how to start, Sven. I have to say I've enjoyed summer in Arendelle a whole lot. But now, I feel something missing. It's been four months since things went back to normal and I've had so much fun with my new friends, but now it seems I'm all alone like I was in the beginning. Elsa is doing queen stuff; Anna is busy chasing Kristoff even when he's on duty."
The snowman paused an added quietly, "By the way, I think Kristoff is cheating on Anna with another lady named Abigail. I wonder if I should tell Elsa about that. I don't wanna tattle, but I think it's the right thing to do. Anyways," he continued normally, "no one else seems to have time for me."
Sven finally cut off his speech with a moan and a lick on Olaf's cheek.
The winter creature giggled. "Oh buddy, you know I love you, too. I just meant that it feels strange when all your friends are by your side for two days and then suddenly, some or all of them just disappear…and you're left with either one or none. It's almost as if you never had any friends at all. I know I'm lucky to have you, Sven. But it's really not the same. I'm sorry to say that. I think we need the whole group back."
Sven nodded, though his eyes were half-lidded in disinterest and he wasn't really listening as carefully as before. He continued to munch on a sea trout Olaf had just caught.
"I've been thinking. Maybe the thing I'm missing is the thing that brought Anna closer to Kristoff, even if he doesn't feel the same way, and what ultimately saved Arendelle."
This got Sven's attention as he looked at his friend with one furry brow higher up than the other, an expression that said to Olaf that he did not understand.
Olaf looked at the reindeer sideways. "Tell me if I'm wrong, but don't you think everyone deserves love if they feel they want or need it. Even…someone like me?"
Sven, finally understanding, nodded with a tongue-lolling smile and grabbed one of Olaf's falling snow flurries with his tongue just as another salmon was placed in front of him.
"Thanks Sven, I'm glad you agree." Olaf patted the reindeer's head with his twiggy hand.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" A loud man shouted from behind them in a voice that made it clear he was astonished and enraged about what they were doing.
The duo turned and saw a rather small but vicious-looking guard from the palace marching toward them.
Olaf smiled and bowed, "Well hello, good sir! We were just chatting and fishing is all!"
The guard growled at him, "That is illegal, you white weirdo!"
Olaf blinked in confusion. "Chatting is illegal now? When exactly did that law get passed? I only ask because I'm sure many people are doing it too."
"Not chatting!" The guard spat. "I meant fishing, you oblivious little marshmallow! Fishing is illegal this time of year and even when it's legal, you need a specific license."
Olaf scratched his head before replying, "For starters, you really should be more specific. Also, the thing is, we were never told what the laws were. And lastly, I'm not a marshmallow, I'm a snowman. There's a difference."
Olaf smiled, his eyes closed, thinking he'd gotten his point across. But when he opened his eyes, the guard, who was originally going a little red in the face, now had a bulging, very strained purplish complexion.
Olaf's smile vanished. "Do you need some help there, buddy? Should I get one of your guard buddies? I think you need help cuz your face is turning purp–"
"YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!" The guard shrieked.
Olaf, who was just getting used to laws and now knew what 'arrest' meant, let out a high pitch scream and jumped on top of Sven. "Run for your life!"
Before the guard could react, Sven was running through the town, toward the mountains.
"Guards, guards! Lawbreakers heading towards the mountains! Cut them off!" The purple-faced guard screeched.
But before the other guards could make much of a move, the wintery duo sprinted through the exit and began to climb the mountains. Above them, the air became thinner as a storm approached. Olaf thought he heard voices ahead of them, but shook it off as they kept going.
However, they only made it to a space so narrow due to rock walls on either side when an eerie feminine, human-looking shadow just beyond blocked their way. Sven halted just as a teenaged girl stepped through the narrow gap. When she looked up, she gasped at the sight before her.
"Oh my," The young girl said. "You're a snowman! And is that a cloud of snow above your head?"
Olaf's gaze shifted slowly up to the snow cloud above his head. Then he looked back at the girl. "Yes…"
The girl small smile grew bigger. "That's amazing! My name is Karia Dahlin. I'm from the kingdom to the North-West, Kokonoke."
Seeing her smile, hearing her praise, and knowing she was a kind person, Olaf forgot that there were guards right behind him and answered, "My names Olaf and I like warm hugs! I'm a snowman created by Queen Elsa of Arendelle and I'm best friends with her, Princess Anna, Mountain Man Kristoff, and Kristoff's fuzzy friend, Sven, who I am currently riding."
Sven moaned and then cried out as the guards caught up, roping him and pulling him backwards.
"We've got you now, you criminals!" The guard who had caught them before snarled.
"Karia? Where did you go? My goodness, you are very fast, my dear!"
The girl turned as a man walked through the gap.
The guards stared at him and finally noticed Karia. Everything was silent for over ten seconds as snow began to fall from the increasingly dense clouds above.
All the guards bowed, some of them in an uncomfortable position due to the different levels of land on the mountain. "Prince Axel of Roddenon, Princess Karia of Kokonoke, to what do we owe this surprise?"
Axel walked down to where Karia stood and looked from the guards to the trapped pair.
"We have come to meet with Queen Elsa, as a source of help and guidance to her majesty. We heard what happened this past summer and are here to help."
None of the guards quite understood what the prince was talking about. But seeing as it was not their place to ask questions, they could only guide them back down the mountain and into the main square of the kingdom.
When they reached the square and headed to the gates, Axel asked to one of the guards, "Why are that reindeer and snowman tied up? Did either of them really do something to offend the kingdom?"
Another guard, the original guard and angry man who had arrested Olaf and Sven, replied angrily, "They were stealing fish from the fjord when it was illegal to do so. They had no permit and they are ignorant of the rules."
Olaf twisted in order to say, "I didn't know that was a rule. I'm still getting used to living here. C'mon guys, cut me, I mean us, some slack."
The angry guard leered at them. "Be quiet, you little abomination! You're messing with the wrong guard!"
Olaf sighed and looked away only to see that some of the guards were smiling amusedly while others were shaking their heads while holding back laughter. But what was so funny, he didn't know.
Elsa didn't know what to do after she had finished reading and looking at what her father had left for her. She knew that the pictures in the scrapbook were painted, but even still, she could really feel the reality of what had happened all those years ago.
Elsa had never really thought about why she was given the powers she had. In the past, she only feared that her secret would come out and it would be the end of her. She had never dreamed that she had them because some other source besides what she knew had given them to her. And according to her father, she wasn't the only one this had happened to.
The door to the library opened and Sir Rolf, who had left only a few minutes before, returned with two other guards, Sir Alfred and Sir Dag.
Sir Alfred was a watch guard of the palace; a good man with a noble and courageous attitude; he went on duty and protected the palace whenever his superiors asked or even as a favor to those in training; he never said no to doing something when it came to something of great importance to the kingdom.
The man next to him was small and a little bony. Sir Dag was very narrow-minded as he tried to give out harsh punishment, only to be stopped by the royal family or his superiors. He always thought he would get his way, but in the end, he very rarely did.
Elsa stood up, placing the letter swiftly and inconspicuously back into the pages of the scrapbook, before putting the whole thing in Sir Rolf's outstretched arm. To the guards, this action would seem like nothing important or out of the ordinary since Sir Rolf or other library staff always put the books away.
"May I help you, gentlemen?" Elsa asked politely. She only considered two out of the three to be truly worthy of the title gentlemen.
Sir Rolf was the one to answer, "Sir Dag caught two…um, subjects fishing in the fjord without a license and at a time when such actions are illegal." Sir Rolf wanted to add who the subjects were, but he decided against it, knowing full well that everything would be fine whether he did or didn't.
Instead, he added, "Sir Dag believes they should face justice." His lip twitched up into a smile that Elsa did not understand.
Sir Dag puffed out his chest as best he could and stepped forward. "Your highness, I caught the two scoundrels as one of them did the fishing and the other ate each fish. At first, I didn't know what to think of what was going on because I thought it was absurd, but then they tried to evade arrest and I knew it was time for justice. I only state an opinion when I say this, but they need to be punished, and I believe sending them to prison will do it."
Elsa eyed Sir Rolf questioningly. He gave a small shrug as the sheepish smile on his face grew more confident, and then nodded once. Her interpretation of the gestures was, 'Just go ahead and ask.'
She turned back to the small guard before her and asked the obvious, "You haven't told me who did this yet? I need to know the full details before I can give any sort of judgment."
Sir Dag smiled almost maliciously as he bowed. "Of course, please excuse me."
Only a brief moment passed after Sir Dag left before he returned and brought with him Kristoff's reindeer friend, still struggling in the ropes and moaning loudly, and, trapped by the same ropes and riding on top of the animal's furry neck, the snowman that had helped save the kingdom and bring back summer four months earlier.
"Hi Elsa, how have you been?" Olaf asked, trying to be cheerful.
Sir Dag scowled, but before he could utter a word, the queen spoke.
Elsa smiled sympathetically. "I'm absolutely fine, Olaf. Thank you for asking."
She walked up to the snowman and reindeer and carefully undid the abnormally tight and tangled ropes that bound them, much to Sir Dag's growing annoyance.
"Now Olaf, have you been bad?" The queen asked the quivering snowman in a sweet and tender voice.
Although Olaf frowned and looked down at his feet, his shaking stopped. "Maybe a little, but I am sorry. I didn't know that fishing at this time was not allowed. I didn't mean to invade arrest, either. I got scared and…I just wanted to talk to someone and Sven was the only one available…just cuz you're all busy now, and stuff. And that's fine, but I…"
Elsa patted the snowman's head, "Were you lonely without all of us? Are you lonely now? You can be honest."
Olaf sighed and frowned deeply. "Yeah, I guess I was…and sometimes still am." He sniffed softly and looked up into the queen's eyes.
Elsa nodded understandingly, the small but appreciative smile still present on her delicate lips.
"I appreciate the truth, Olaf. Lies may get you out of trouble in the beginning, not to mention sound better or easier on the ears most of the time, but it is honesty that truly matters in every situation where true and false is present. More often than not, especially in situations like these, if you explain what really happened, including both good and bad on your part, the punishment for the action or actions can be less than what you expect."
"But your majesty," Sir Dag cried in protest, "What they did was illegal! Neither of them should just get off without any punishment at all. I think—!"
Elsa cleared her throat, silencing the guard. "Forgive me, I guess I wasn't clear. I plan to punish Olaf by sending him to Lady Liv so he can learn about our rules. I'm sure Olaf will find her teachings to be…enough of a punishment."
Sir Alfred and Sir Rolf smiled with amusement and appreciation for the queen. Everyone in the kingdom of Arendelle had heard of the infamous Lady Liv, though only the ones who resided within the walls of the palace knew who Lady Liv truly was, what she was like, and what her policies were.
Elsa turned to Sir Alfred. "Can you please take Olaf to your…um, to Lady Liv."
Sir Alfred smiled politely, knowing all too well why she had corrected herself. "As you wish, your highness."
The guard turned, walked to the exit and waited until Olaf, still a little confused about what had just happened, followed him, coaxed by Elsa's nod. Elsa couldn't help but to smile when she heard Olaf ask if Lady Liv was nice. Sir Alfred chuckled and said something in return, but by then, they were too far to hear. Eventually the sound of footsteps vanished too.
Elsa turned to Sir Dag, who was fuming because of what he would have called his millionth failed attempt to bring justice.
"Can you please escort Sven to the stables? Tell Lady Meg that he is to be punished by only getting half a cup of food instead of two and a half cups. That should be enough to teach him."
Sir Dag stared at the queen dumbfounded. "Who?"
The word came out so rudely and the guard was too angry to take it back. Elsa shrugged it off, however, and explained.
"This reindeer's name is Sven. He belongs to Kristoff, Arendelle's Ice Master and Deliverer. You remember him, right?"
Sir Dag seemed to come out of a haze, his glazed over eyes becoming clear again. "Oh, the mountain man who your sister is dating, right? He's the big guy with the blonde hair, isn't he?"
Elsa smiled and nodded as she spoke very slowly, "Please take his reindeer, Sven, to the stables and tell Lady Meg what I told you."
Sir Dag turned to the reindeer and sighed before bowing to the queen. "Yes, your majesty."
As soon as they were outside the room, Sir Rolf turned to the queen.
"You have two visitors from the northern kingdom of Roddenon and the north-western kingdom of Kokonoke waiting to meet you. I don't mean to put more on your plate, Queen Elsa, but I believe this is an urgent matter. However, I could be wrong."
Elsa, who was usually told them outsiders were coming, looked at the guard in confusion.
"Why didn't you mention earlier that two visitors were coming?" She asked softly so as not to sound rude.
Before the guard could reply, a warm, soft, almost musical masculine voice said, "I am sincerely sorry that we came at such an inconvenient time. If you give us the chance to explain our presence, I'm sure we can work something out."
Elsa stood up as a tall man walked around the closed half of the double doors connected to the library and into the room. He was followed by a much shorter, younger girl wearing a vibrant and elegant, summery-colored dress. The man was wearing an equally elegant suit. His dark blue eyes seemed to make his black hair a tint bluer.
"I present to you Prince Axel of Roddenon and Princess Karia of Kokonoke!" Sir Rolf said as he bowed and left, leaving the scrapbook and letter on the seat cushion of a chair near the door before he left. "If you need my assistance, I will be in the room next door." And with that, the door closed.
Elsa frowned; something didn't feel right.
"How old are you, Prince Axel? Do you have any older siblings?" She asked.
Axel had been asked this kind of thing before and knew where it was coming from.
"I know what you're thinking. I am old enough to be king of my country and I am indeed the oldest of my brothers, but I realized when I was younger that I had a different purpose."
"And what purpose is that?" Elsa asked quietly.
The prince evaded her question and said instead, "Let me just say this. The three of us are very similar in a way you may have thought was impossible before today." Elsa noticed his eyes were directed to the scrapbook.
Elsa looked away, her frown deepening as she realized who these two people probably were, until her hand bumped into the scrapbook, which had somehow moved. She looked to the spot where it had been before and then looked back at it. She gasped when she realized that the entire book was floating in mid-air.
She turned back to Axel as the package flew into his grasp.
"Wait! That's my—" Elsa began.
"Actually," Axel cut her off. "It's not just yours. It is about all three of us and more…"
Author's Notes: Okay, I am SOOOOOOOOOO sorry this is so late. Here's the reason why I couldn't get it done and edited faster. My focus and concentration became corrupted. I go to a great doctor and get special meds for that and they were not working because I used them too often and I did a high dosage. I'm sorry, but at least I finally got it up!
AN Continued: Okay, besides the notes above, what did you all think of my writing for Olaf. I tried really hard to get his character down AND to include a depressed version of him. Not to mention, I did some foreshadowing.
AN Continued 2: Also, and I want to thank a reviewer (who has a name I don't remember) for this. I didn't make Anna very in character before, so now I gave a better reason WHY she is so depressed. She is in love with Kristoff but believes he loves someone else. Or that he loves another girl in addition to Anna. Anyways, it's making her depressed. I didn't want to redo Chapter 1, so I just added to it here. Sorry about that!
AN Continued 3: Lastly in the story related section, as you read above, there is a character Lady Liv. I am currently writing a very long back story that will actually TIE into this story. You'll need to read Lady Liv's back story in order for part of this story to make sense. And it will hint other things along the way. I feel very clever. XD Also, I'll be doing OTHER back stories. I'm thinking Kristoff's story and possibly the villain's story. Maybe. Kristoff's I'm DEFINITELY/MOST LIKELY going to do because it'll help with the story, with a certain character. ;) No spilling the beans, though!
AN Continued 4: ALRIGHT! Two final, non-Frozen-story-related things. A) Now, I decided to give this some time. I'm deleting a few of my OLDER stories. Check the list on my profile to know which ones. I'll keep it up till around Jan 1st. Then I'll begin deleting. If you like some of the stories to be deleted, better save them now. B) As for the 2nd thing, I honestly don't care about that whole review for a review challenge thing. If you like my stories, leave a review and whatever, and if I like yours, I'll do the same. I was only doing that so I could improve my writing. I will still say R&R, but only if you want to from now on. Thanks.