CHAPTER 10

Elsa sat in her throne anxiously. The tension in the air was palpable, made even more noticeable by the fact that the room was several degrees cooler than what was comfortable. Elsa could see the breath of the guards and servants that lined the walls of the throne room.

She wished she would wake up from this nightmare. She wished that her father had never signed that accursed document.

She mostly wished that Anna was with her.

The Queen sighed, a forlorn look on her face.

Anna would not be present to greet the visiting royals as they had agreed upon. At Elsa's insistence, she would be presented later that evening at the welcome ball that was being thrown.

'Anna is a special woman.' Elsa thought. 'She deserves a special entrance.'

Elsa shook the unpleasant thoughts from her mind and came back to reality. The ships carrying the King and Prince had docked in Arendelle several hours ago. Dark red flags adorned with the silhouette of a golden eagle dotted the harbor. Now Elsa sat wondering why the King and Prince were taking so long.

The large doors to the throne room began opening almost as soon as the thought entered her head. Immediately, the Queen wiped all trace of emotion from her face. Kai entered the room to announce the arrival of the visitors from Ørnhavn.

The servant stood to the side of the doorway and gestured towards the maw before speaking.

"Presenting His Royal Majesty, King Aleksander of Ørnhavn."

Elsa's eyes widened in shock as the King began his entrance. He was adorned in the most opulent and elaborate robes she had ever seen. A flowing red cape trailed behind him, golden eagle on it's back mimicking the banner of Ørnhavn. On his head sat an enormous crown absolutely covered in jewels.

Elsa laughed internally.

'He looks ridiculous!' She thought.

He slowly made his way to the throne, giving Elsa ample time to size the man up.

He looked nothing like the boy she remembered. His hair was still the same walnut brown, but that was about the only feature that remained unchanged. His eyes were a very dark brown, almost black. A large, bushy beard adorned his face. He was fairly tall, with broad shoulders and thick biceps, though it was almost impossible to make them out through the many layers of robes he wore. Elsa saw the late King Fredrik in his facial features, and recalled the memory of the man fondly. He had, long ago, been like an Uncle to the sisters.

The King reached the foot of the throne and knelt to one knee, taking Elsa's hand and planting a kiss on her knuckles. Elsa noticed that each of the fingers of his hand was adorned with an oversized ring.

"Your Majesty." Aleksander finally spoke. "We are most pleased to see you again, and in good health none the less."

Elsa's face scrunched slightly in shock. 'Did he just use the royal we? In a foreign court?'

"It is good to see you again as well, King Aleksander. Please, rise. We are old friends, there is no need for such formalities." the Queen replied.

"Of course, Your Majesty. Please, forgive our brother's absence." 'There it was again! The majestic plural! Absurd!' "He was... delayed... at the docks. He will be joining us shortly."

Still reeling from the King's arrogant formality, Elsa finally noticed that Prince Mattias had not entered.

Suddenly, she heard a flustered voice from outside the room before a man strode in engaged in a conversation with no one in particular.

"-can't believe that. I'm a military officer! Can you believe it brother? They took my pistol! I love my pist-" the man immediately quieted and stilled when he noticed the occupants of the room. "Oh. Oh dear." he said nervously.

The man stood in the entrance to the room, face reddening more and more by the second. Elsa raised a hand to stifle a giggle, and King Aleksander rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Unbelievable." she heard him mutter under his breath.

Kai cleared his throat in an attempt to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation. "Presenting his Royal Highness Prince Mattias of Ørnhavn." he announced.

The Prince regained his composure and began to slowly walk towards the throne, just as his older brother did. Elsa, still smiling at his uncouth entrance, observed him as he walked.

Prince Mattias walked with a clearly forced elegance. He was adorned in a dark blue military uniform, much less formal than his brother's over-the-top display of opulence. A sword was sheathed on his left side, and on his right was an empty holster for a pistol, likely the source of his earlier complaints. His brown hair was trimmed close to his head and his face was clean shaven. His eyes were as gray as the stone that built the castle, but they still managed to be bright and full of life. He looked similar to the boy she remembered from so long ago, but much more masculine now. His facial features were angular and pronounced, and Elsa noticed a slight scar across his lips as he approached.

Mattias knelt at the Queen's feet and replayed his brother's actions, kissing Elsa's hand with unexpected tenderness.

"Your Majesty." The Prince said, and a smile grew on his face. "It is very good to see you again after so many years."

Elsa gestured for the Prince to rise before responding.

"Likewise, Mattias. You look well." She returned her old friend's smile.

Elsa meant what she said. Despite the circumstances surrounding their visit, it was good to see them. It had been so many years since they had seen each other, and Elsa was glad that they showed no sign of contempt towards her for not even so much as a letter over such a long time.

Elsa also imagined that she would be more hostile towards them given the reason that they were here.

She sighed with an unexpected complacency before gesturing towards the door.

"Come! You arrived in time for tea." she said. "Let us retreat to my study. We have much catching up to do."

Led by the Queen, the trio made their way to her study.

Elsa closed the door to her study and turned towards the King and Prince after the servants had poured the tea for the royals and retreated out of the room. She noticed the King relax as a wide smile appeared. He stretched his arms out to his sides before moving to embrace the Queen.

"Hello, Elsa." He said, hugging his old friend. "I apologize for the formality earlier, but you know how it is. Have to keep up appearances and all that."

Elsa smiled with relief. 'There's the Aleksander I remember.' "I fully understand. Don't fret about it." she assured him.

Not long after the King let her go, she found herself in a much more enthusiastic embrace from the Prince.

"Elsa!" he cried. "It's been far too long!"

"'S'good to shee you too." Elsa said, voice muffled by the Prince's shoulder. Mattias released her and held her shoulders at arms length.

He chuckled and turned to his brother. "Look, Aleks, I'm not frozen!" he said, and the King laughed.

"Yes, it looks like our old friend isn't an 'evil ice witch' after all." Aleksander said with a guffaw. "A rather good thing too; I'm not very fond of the cold!"

Elsa laughed, though uneasily, and moved to sit behind her desk, motioning to the two chairs placed in front of it.

"So." she began as the brothers sat. "I take it that means you heard of the... incident... at my coronation."

Mattias nodded as he sipped his tea. Putting the cup down, he explained.

"Yup, pretty much the entire world has heard about it, and with good reason. It's a great story!" he said enthusiastically. "It's different no matter who you hear it from though. Some people say you did it on purpose, but we know you wouldn't do that. Some people call you the Snow Queen, others an ice witch."

"And others call you a god." Aleksander finished his brothers statement.

Elsa grimaced. She knew that people would hear about the incident, but she didn't expect to be called a god.

"I assure you both, I am no god." she said. "I am simply a human, born with a unique gift."

"And what a gift it is!" Mattias cut in. "The power to manipulate ice and snow to your will! Amazing!"

Elsa smiled. His enthusiasm reminded her of Anna. The thought made her wonder if her younger sibling was alright. She would see her at the ball in a few hours time, but the Queen still worried. As if reading her mind, Aleksander began to speak.

"So where is your sister? I was hoping to see her too, and I'm sure my brother is anxious to see his future wife."

The words made Elsa wince. She clenched her teeth together, as if being reminded of the betrothal put her in physical pain. She tried to loosen her jaw to speak.

"Anna will be joining us at your welcome ball this evening." she informed them. "She is busy getting ready for now."

The brothers nodded in understanding before Mattias spoke. His voice was timid, much unlike the way he spoke only a few moments ago.

"So, um. Elsa." he began as his face flushed. "D-do you think An- I mean, Princess Anna, will, um, well, that is..."

Aleksander and Elsa both laughed quietly at the man's nervousness. Elsa chimed in to reassure him.

"Mattias. We are friends. You may speak candidly."

"Yes, come on, brother! Out with it!" the King added.

Mattias let out a short breath. "Right." he said. "Do you think Anna will be, well, happy with me as her husband?

'NO.' Elsa immediately thought, but stopped the words from escaping. If she were being honest, Mattias did seem like a perfect husband for Anna. His personality matched hers almost exactly, and she could see them together in another life.

But not in this one.

She raised a façade of happiness and spoke.

"You shouldn't worry, Mattias. I believe Anna will be perfectly happy with you." The Queen was reeling internally. The words burned her as they crossed her lips.

Elsa could see the tension leave Mattias' shoulders. The Prince let out a held breath.

"Well, that is certainly good news." he said.

His older brother laughed and roughly patted his shoulder.

"See brother? You worry too much." the King chortled.

"I suppose I do." the Prince replied. He turned back towards Elsa. "Do you think she would mind a spring wedding? I was thinking that we should have the ceremony on the day of the equinox."

The Queen's eyes widened, and she became slightly relieved. The equinox was four months away. That would give her even more time to try to stop the wedding. She jumped at the opportunity.

"I think that's a marvelous idea. Anna has always loved the springtime."

"Excellent!" Mattias exclaimed. "The equinox it is!"

"Well, now that business is out of the way, I believe we have some catching up to do." the King proclaimed.

Elsa nodded. "Indeed. How have things been in for the two of you in Ørnhavn?" she queried.

"Well, obviously, I became King, and I think I've been doing a decent job." Aleksander answered. "As for my brother, he joined the armed forces. Became Captain of the Guard. He's quite the military prodigy." Mattias blushed slightly at the compliment. Elsa smiled at the display.

"I suppose that explains your reluctance to part with your pistol, Mattias." She asked the Prince.

"Yes it does." he started to explain. "I know you have banned the use of firearms by all but the Guard in Arendelle, but I thought maybe, since I'm a friend, that the Harbor Agents would make an exception. It would seem that I thought wrong." he said with a shrug and a crooked grin.

Elsa returned the smile. The lack of real anger in his voice reassured her that her friend hadn't changed much. He still had the same carefree personality that she remembered from their youth.

"I'll see what I can do for you, Mattias." she said, and winked at the Prince. He returned the gesture with a toothy grin and nodded his thanks.

The trio spent the next hour catching up as friends do. They reminisced on times long gone and told stories about their parents' actions together. Elsa told them the story of her coronation and the two brothers listened intently, amazed at the incredible turn of events that transpired. As she finished her tale, Aleksander spoke.

"Well, that certainly trumps any stories we may have Mattias. I think we should go prepare for the evening's festivities."

Elsa nodded and rose from her seat. The King and Prince followed the motion.

"Right then. Please do make yourselves at home." Elsa told them. "Kai will show you to your quarters. I shall see you both this evening."

Aleksander and Mattias bowed slightly, and took their leave. As the door closed behind them, Elsa fell back in to her chair. Her brain immediately went into overdrive as she processed all the emotions she was experiencing.

Despite the happy reunion with her long lost friends, she couldn't help but be overcome with sadness. It was wonderful to see the brothers again, but the joy was tainted by the fact that one of them would be marrying her lover.

She was suddenly overcome with emotion as all her fears and anxieties came rushing back all at once.

It was happening. Mattias was going to keep Anna from her, and at the moment, she was powerless to stop it. The realization hit her like a tidal wave, and her hands met her face. The tears began to flow freely as a sob lurched from her throat.

A/N

New characters, isn't that fun? I'm gonna have a damn good time with these two. I have big plans for them.

Violence is coming soon folks, so don't you worry. 3 or 4 chapters away, maybe.

Stick around, everyone!

Love,

Cosmic