Frozen Together Chapter 9

It was coronation day.

Anna didn't exactly leap out of bed that morning. But with Gerda's help, she managed to tame her hair, get dressed, and look something like how a princess should look. She couldn't help but be excited. She'd taken plenty of trips outside the palace, but now, the gates were actually going to be opened! People would come and go freely for the first time in years! Guests would be coming! Royalty would be coming!

Maybe someone special would be coming...

Anna had the same dreams about young men as any other girl her age. She didn't know much about them, of course. Royal marriages were usually arranged by the parents, and a princess' first warning that a boy was entering her life could be her father congratulating her on her engagement. But in Elsa and Anna's case, there would be no such arrangements. The nobles who had run the kingdom until Elsa's majority would probably have something to say about it, but Anna realized that she might be able to pick a man of her own choosing.

How would that work? She had no idea whatsoever.

For all her romantic dreams, she could not be called boy-crazy. Her bizarre, strained, but increasingly close relationship with her sister kept her from feeling lonely or unappreciated. She wasn't desperate for a young man to give her life meaning. Her love for her sister, and the knowledge that no one else could effectively help Elsa cope with her special stress, gave her life all the meaning she needed.

How was Elsa taking the morning's preparations? Anna ran up the stairs to find out.

Elsa had been up early, and had gotten herself dressed and made up without help from any of the servants. She didn't want anyone around her. She was about to stand up in full view of the entire kingdom for the first time, and risk losing that kingdom in one unguarded moment.

"Conceal, don't feel... don't let it show..." she kept repeating to herself. "One wrong move and they all will know." She practiced holding the scepter and orb, using a candlestick and a candy dish. Every time she tried it, the "royal objects" visibly froze within seconds. This wasn't going to work.

Knock, knock, na-knock knock. "Hey, Your Majesty the Queen! Do you want to build a snowman?"

"Anna! Get in here!" Elsa quickly put her gloves back on as her sister entered and shut the door behind her. Anna attempted a curtsy and nearly fell over.

"Ooh, don't you look royal!" she exclaimed with a broad smile. That smile faded as she saw how worried her sister looked. "Elsa, you're going to be fine! I'll be right there beside you the whole time."

Elsa took her hands, wide-eyed and shaking. "I wish! But at the coronation and the presentation, no one can be right next to me except the bishop." She gestured at her makeshift royal objects, which still had a coating of frost on them. "That's where I'm going to ruin everything."

"But it's just for a couple of seconds!" Anna answered. "You pick up the royal jewelry, give everyone the regal look while the bishop reads all your titles, and put it down again. Maybe he'll forget you're supposed to take the gloves off." Elsa shook her head forlornly, but Anna went on. "I'll be right up there on the platform with you, just not close enough to touch. You can look at me if you get nervous. I'll be there."

"Anna... I'm scared," Elsa said simply.

"You'll do fine," Anna replied, and gave her a quick hug.

o

Ships were sailing into the fjord from all up and down the Norwegian coastline. Noble men and women in showy clothing were disembarking at the docks; some of them were visibly relieved to be on dry land again. Flags and pennants flew from the palace; a band was tuning up somewhere nearby; the street vendors were out in force. Today would be the most festive day Arendelle had seen in years!

Anna couldn't seem to drink in the pageantry fast enough. The coronation ceremony wouldn't happen until late afternoon, so her sister would be safe until then. She had nearly all day to enjoy the sights, the sounds, the smells, the tastes... but most of all, the people. She'd never seen such crowds! The people of her own kingdom knew her by sight, and greeted her happily but politely. The visitors assumed by her appearance that she was someone important, and greeted her respectfully. They certainly wouldn't have made that assumption by her behavior – she thought nothing of dancing on the edges of the bridge that joined the palace to the town, and she nearly ran headfirst into several barons, duchesses, and counts. But there was so much to see! Who had time to look where they were going?

When she finally did collide with someone, it turned out to be her luckiest break of the day. Actually, she collided with his horse and was nearly knocked into the water. She forgot that little detail when she took her first good look at him. He was gorgeous! He introduced himself as Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, and it was obvious to both of them that there was an immediate attraction. They had a lot in common, too.

"We even finish each other's..." he began.

"...salads!" she exclaimed.

"That's exactly what I was going to say," he smiled. They spent the rest of the day together in a joyous daze. As the time for the coronation grew near, he drew her aside. "Can I say something crazy? Will you marry me?"

Her voice died in her throat. Marry him? He was wonderfully perfect, or perfectly wonderful, or something like that... but... the "m" word? She wasn't quite ready for that.

Besides, his social rank was the same as hers, and he was a man and she wasn't, so she'd have to live in his kingdom in the Southern Isles. She couldn't stay with Elsa if she married Hans, no matter what airy promises she'd made before.

"Can I say something sensible?" she answered. "I'll need the Queen's permission."

"But there is no Queen, and there won't be, for another hour and fifteen minutes," he urged her. "Come on! What do you say?"

For a long moment, she was tempted. But thoughts of Elsa held her back. She couldn't leave Arendelle unless she was sure her sister would be okay.

"I really do have to think it over," she said sadly. At his crestfallen expression, she went on, "But I promise I'll give you an answer before you have to sail home!"

"I guess I can live with that," he sighed. "Well, it's almost time for the ceremony. I have to meet someone first, but I'll see you there!"

"I'll save you a seat," she giggled, and scampered off toward the palace. Hans waited until she was out of sight before meeting his "associate" in a secluded part of the town park.

"Are you making any progress, Prince?" the short man with the glasses demanded.

"You might say that, Duke," the Prince replied, with just enough emphasis on the word "Duke" to remind him that, in spite of his greater age and experience, he was still dealing with someone who outranked him. "No one has seen the Queen anywhere. But I've met her younger sister, and she's eating out of my hand! She was this close to accepting a marriage proposal."

"Oh, really?" the Duke of Weselton chuckled. "Excellent! We'll go with Plan B, then. You follow up with your Princess, I'll take care of the Queen, and our deal will soon be complete."

"What do you mean, 'take care of the Queen'?" Hans' voice took on a nervous edge.

"My boy, there's a lot about this grand game that you don't know yet," the Duke smiled patronizingly. "I can't teach you all my tricks, because the situation could change tomorrow and we might become mortal enemies. But for now, I'll tell you this: one of the best ways to dispose of an adversary is to stand aside, keep your hands clean, and let them dispose of themselves. This Queen is keeping a secret. I intend to find out what that secret is, make it public, and then..." He rubbed his hands in anticipation.

"Yes, I know, I know," Hans went on. "I get the throne, you get the exclusive trade deal, and the royal line of Arendelle gets..."

"Nothing!" cackled the Duke.