CHAPTER 9
The following morning played out in a similar fashion. Anna decided that today's activity was an impromptu visit to the city. The royal sisters visited the bustling town on a monthly basis, but those visits were planned, which gave the citizens time to prepare for their visit. This way, the sisters would be able to see their people in a more relaxed and natural setting.
The two walked arm in arm towards the castle gates. Elsa was nervous, of course. Despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Arendellians had voiced their support of the Queen, she was still apprehensive about interacting with them. Her sister's excitement was contagious, however, and Elsa forced herself to relax. That is, until a familiar flying creature came into view as they approached the gates.
Elsa frowned. It was Viggo's raven.
Her mind immediately went into overdrive. She had instructed Viggo not to bother her this week. She wanted nothing to interrupt her time with Anna. The Queen knew that the man was extraordinarily obedient. What could have caused him to disobey her orders?
She came to a sudden realization: something must be wrong.
Elsa made the decision that she would have to abandon her plans with Anna in order to address whatever issue the spy may have discovered. She turned to Anna, an apologetic look on her face, and tried to figure out a way to make disappointing the girl as painless as possible.
"Anna, I'm sorry, but I suddenly don't feel very well." Elsa said. "I must have eaten something for breakfast that disagreed with me."
Anna's face was immediately taken over by concern for her older sister.
"Are you okay?" she asked. "Is there anything I can do?"
Elsa hated lying to her sister, but this could be a national emergency for all she knew.
"I'll be fine." She faked a grimace and gripped her stomach. "I just need to rest. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can partake in our adventure today."
Anna frowned. "It's okay. I understand. Just go rest. Maybe we can do something together later if you're feeling up to it."
Elsa smile faintly. "I'd like that." she replied, and turned to walk back towards the castle, leaving a disappointed Princess standing alone.
Anna watched her sister return to the castle entrance. She was frustrated, of course, but Elsa's health was far more important than a trip into the city.
The Princess quickly began thinking of something else to do to distract her from the disappointment she felt, deciding to walk around the grounds of the castle until she thought of something more concrete.
She walked through the courtyard, stopping for a few minutes to watch the Royal Guards practice their drills. She stopped again in the garden to admire the holly bushes growing there, sitting on the same bench that Elsa had been waiting for her on the morning before. She looked into the flowerless rose bushes for the letter that Elsa had 'sneakily' thrown aside, but it was already gone, most likely retrieved by one of the groundskeepers. Anna was disappointed by the letter's disappearance, even though she knew the contents.
The Princess stood up and continued her journey. She started to hear the faint sound of music as she rounded one of the castle's many parapets. She believed it to be a lute and determined it's origin to be the castle stables. Her eyes widened. She had forgotten that Kristoff moved into the stables on the grounds when he was granted his new position. She smiled and headed for the stables.
Upon her arrival, she found the blonde man strumming at his new lute in a pile of hay, a hat over his eyes. Sven, his reindeer, was silently chomping away at the same pile. Anna giggled at the sight. Sven perked up at the noise and let out a happy grunt upon noticing the Princess. Kristoff heard the reindeer and sat up, removing his hat and looking towards his furry companion.
"What is it, Sven?" the man asked. The reindeer motioned towards the entrance and Kristoff turned to see Anna standing in the doorway. She smiled and waved at the pair.
"Anna!" Kristoff said excitedly, getting up to welcome the woman with an embrace.
"Oof. Hi Kristoff." she said as he wrapped his large arms around her and lifted her off the ground. After a moment, he returned the woman to the floor and let her go. Safely back on the ground, Anna walked over to Sven's stall to greet him with a pat on the head.
"So, what brings Her Royal Highness all the way out here?" Kristoff asked, sarcasm clear in his use of the honorific.
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Anna replied before getting a carrot from a bucket on the floor to give to Sven. The reindeer took it happily. "Elsa and I were supposed to go visit the city today, but she's not feeling well. So I decided to come bother you instead."
"Well, my furry companion and I are honored by your bothersome presence, Your Highness." said the ice gatherer before falling into an exaggerated bow while Sven did his best to mimic the motion.
Anna frowned. She knew they were just teasing her, but it made her feel bad none the less. She had been ignoring her friend since she and Elsa had discovered their feelings for each other.
"I'm sorry, Kristoff." she said. "I know it seems like I've been ignoring you, but I've been busy and so much has happened but you're my friend and you don't deserve to be ignored and I just-"
Woah, woah, slow down there, feistypants." Kristoff said with a chuckle. "I get it. It's no big deal, really. After all, you do have a country to run."
A relieved smile came to Anna's face. "Thank you for understanding, Kristoff." she replied. "It really means a lot."
Anna was grateful that things hadn't been awkward between the two since they decided to stop dating each other. She knew that he was still upset, understandably so, but she appreciated that he hid it so well when she was around.
"Any time, Anna." the blonde replied. He sat back down in the hay pile and gestured for Anna to sit on a stool nearby.
"So." he began. "What's been happening?"
"Huh?" Anna looked at him, confused and he shook his head and laughed.
"You said that a lot has happened. So, what's happened?" He picked up a carrot, offered a bite to Sven, and proceeded to eat the rest.
Anna thought about everything. Her relationship with him, her relationship with Elsa, her Royal duties, and her betrothal. She figured it wouldn't hurt to tell him about the marriage, at least.
"Well, I found out that my father promised me to a Prince from another kingdom."
Kristoff sat up in shock, spitting out bits of carrot.
"What?!" he said in complete surprise.
"I'm getting married to a Prince." Anna replied forlornly. "I've been betrothed to Prince Mattias of Ørnhavn. Our fathers were friends. We were friends too once, before my father shut the gates."
"Anna... that's-" Kristoff began, but he was cut off by the redhead.
"That's the price of royalty. Unless you are a direct heir to the throne like Elsa was, you are free to be used as a political tool." she said with despair.
"Anna, that's terrible. Is there any way out of it?" Kristoff asked.
"Yeah, but not until after we're married." Anna responded.
Kristoff's eyes were still wide with shock.
"Anna, I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine what this must feel like." the man said sympathetically.
"It's okay, Kristoff. Elsa has a plan to get me out of it, but it can't work until after I'm married like I said."
The two fell into silence, unease thick in the air, until Anna spoke again.
"The Prince will be here in a few days, but for now I'm just trying to spend as much time with everyone as possible. So let's forget about it for now."
Kristoff nodded. "Okay, I can do that for you."
Anna smiled. He was such a kind and caring man. She knew that he would find his true love one day, and he would make that person incredibly happy.
"Thank you, Kristoff." she finally said.
Kristoff smiled. "Don't mention it. It's the least I can do."
Anna sighed before speaking again. "So what's been new with you and Sven?"
She sat in silence as he began to speak. Anna was happy to sit back and let Kristoff take her mind off of everything with his stories. However, there was one thing that he couldn't distract her from.
'I wonder how Elsa is feeling...' she thought to herself.
'I hope Anna isn't too upset...' Elsa thought as she made her way to her study. Her mind was torn between thoughts of her sister and whatever it was that Viggo needed her to know. As she approached the door to her study, she heard movement from inside. The spy was already there. She opened the door and walked into the room, heading immediately for her desk.
Viggo turned toward her and bowed his head slightly. "Your Maj-"
The Queen spoke suddenly, interrupting the man."Spare me the formalities Viggo, my time is precious." She sat down at her desk and looked up at the man before her.
"What couldn't wait, Viggo?" she asked in an annoyed tone.
"Nothing." he replied. Elsa looked nonplussed.
"Nothing?" she repeated.
"Nothing, Your Majesty." He affirmed. "The problem is that nothing has happened when something should have happened."
Elsa's brow fell and her mouth straightened. Viggo spoke again in an attempt to sate the annoyance that was clearly visible on the Queen's face.
"Several of my agents have failed to report."
Elsa immediately grew concerned. This could be a problem. If they were captured, they could be potentially linked back to Arendelle. Elsa would deny their existence, of course, but it would still create unneeded political tension.
"Which ones?" she asked curtly.
"Two from the court of the Southern Isles and one from Ørnhavn."
Elsa's nerves became even more frayed. She asked the first question that came to her mind.
"Does this have any correlation to the betrothal or the King and Prince's visit?"
"I cannot say as of yet." the man replied. "I have activated more agents to take their places and even more to determine their whereabouts. I can't say anything for certain until I hear from them. Ørnhavn going quiet could be nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence."
"Let us hope so." Elsa said. She then thought of Arendelle's security.
"If your men were captured, can they be linked back to Arendelle at all?"
"My agents are highly disciplined, Your Majesty." Viggo said. "They do now know that I work for you, and they would die before allowing themselves to be linked back to me."
Elsa felt her shoulders relax. "Good." she replied. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
"That is everything for now, Your Majesty." the older man answered. "I will be personally traveling to Ørnhavn to make sure all is well. I will return when I have learned more."
Elsa nodded before she spoke.
"Thank you Viggo, you are dismissed."
"Your Majesty." The man bowed and walked out onto the balcony before disappearing from sight.
The rest of the week had gone by without incident. Elsa and Anna spent as much time together as was humanly possible, even inviting Kristoff to join them on one occasion. No royal matters had arisen and Viggo had yet to return from Ørnhavn. All was as well as it could be.
Now, the two sisters were in Elsa's bedchambers, happily recalling memories of the past week. It was getting late, and the King and Prince of Ørnhavn were due to arrive the next morning. The conversation drifted to the plans for the next day.
"So you won't be joining me in the throne room to greet Aleksander and Mattias tomorrow. You will be presented later that night at the ball celebrating their visit." Elsa explained from her position on the floor next to her bed.
"Mhmm." Anna said and nodded in understanding. She was siting on the bed directly above the Queen and was busy brushing the platinum blonde's hair.
Silence fell over the two again. Anna let out a sigh and Elsa decided to speak.
"Anna..." she began. "Anna, I'm so sorry this is happening. I'm sorry I couldn't stop this."
Anna stopped brushing and hugged the Queen around her shoulders, her hands locking right beneath Elsa's breastbone.
"Elsa, I know you did everything you could. But it doesn't matter, because no matter what happens, I'm not leaving you. Ever."
The Queen smiled at the reassurance and nuzzled her sister's hands.
"I know, my love." she said as a stray tear made it's way down her face. "I love you so much, Anna."
Anna smiled and giggled.
"I love you too, Elsa." she replied, hugging her sister with all the force she could muster.
Elsa quickly turned towards Anna and pressed their lips together. There was no need for words anymore. Elsa needed the Princess to prove her devotion through actions.
The sister's made their way onto the bed, faces still locked together. Their bodies moved together in a mournful waltz as they both poured every emotion they were feeling into the kiss. Fear, anxiety, sadness, hope; the women held nothing back from each other.
That night, they made love with an urgency that neither sister had ever felt before. After showing each other that everything would be fine through their passion, the two fell asleep in each others arms, ready to take on this new challenge.
Besides, their love had stopped an eternal winter. How difficult could stopping a marriage be?
A/N
Plot, plot, fluff, plot, Pungent Reindeer King, plot, fluff, plot. Bendy straws, just like I told you.
Hey folks, how's it going? Good I hope.
So Kristoff's here, Sven too. Viggo's back as well, and trouble's brewing. Or is it? I'LL NEVER TELL!
We finally get to meet King Aleksander and Prince Mattias in chapter 10. I'm rather fond of them. Hopefully you will be, too.
I've written up to chapter 13. I usually write about a chapter a day, but I've come down with a nasty cold and really haven't been able to do much other than edit and post my already written chapters. Hopefully I'll get better soon and get back on the writing-wagon. After all, I don't want to exhaust my buffer with such a long way to go!
As always, reviews are welcome. Help me help you.
Love and more love,
-Cosmic