On Matters of Indecision
"So what was all that in there?" Anna asked Elsa as the two men were smoothing over matters in the room, their voices reverberating softly from behind the door. The two sisters didn't want to leave the immediate vicinity yet, in case sorting out the situation turned into another fist fight. Anna was glad that it didn't sound like another scuffle was going to happen again.
Her fiancé's lack of caution around Hans really worried her. Yeah, Kristoff seemed like he knew what he was doing (and was surprisingly good at it, too), but that didn't mean she would stop feeling agitated for his well-being. The same went for her sister.
Then again, she felt torn on how to react to the confirmation of her suspicions. On one hand, she wanted to go back into the room and dissuade the prince from developing more feelings for her sister. On the other, she wanted to gush with Elsa and talk more about her preferences in men so she could (somewhat) discreetly mold Hans into somebody who would make her amazing sister happy. After all, Elsa had never hinted at having a pinch of romantic feelings for anyone before. Heaven forbid she ever deny what bit of joy Elsa had in trying to fix whatever ailed the man.
A rather irrational and… bizarre source of joy, but then again, feelings were strange anyway. Best to learn to reign in her impulses and act accordingly by Elsa's response, as a princess should – which Anna had failed to practice on many occasions, admittedly.
To let it be? Or to not let it be?
"Are you sure you don't like him that way?" Anna asked when Elsa didn't respond.
"No, I am not sure, Anna," Elsa sighed. "I'm afraid that I've let myself become too sympathetic of him, as you warned me not to do." She turned her face to the floor. "I'm sorry. You must be really angry at me for doing that. He left you to die, after all."
A flicker of something rather unpleasant lit inside of Anna upon being reminded of why she really didn't like Hans.
But the assassins, and his lack of misconduct –
But he also attacked Kristoff –
But he did it because of a breakdown –
Argh! Why did everything have to be so complicated!? Of all the people to fall for her sister, why him?
Okay, okay, she'll give the guy a chance. Just one more. If he so much as looked at anyone funny while she's around, she'll sic Marshmallow on him. If Marshmallow would listen, of course. On the the bright side, maybe it would encourage him to stay on the kingdom's good graces if Anna didn't dismiss his feelings right away?
Of course, there were lines that had to be drawn.
"I'm not mad at you. I promise I won't ever be mad at you for this," Anna enunciated.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness," Kai said, approaching the two siblings an bowing to each in turn. "The Councilmen are waiting for you in the throne room."
Right, they had scheduled that meeting a while ago. Something about the massacre the Council wanted to talk about, and Elsa wanted her to be in the room with her, especially since she witnessed the carnage as well. For emotional support.
"We will be there," Elsa said, nodding to the steward. "And please make note that Prince Hans has been assigned to be our valet. He was assigned to the stables earlier, so please ensure the person who will fill that role will be compensated for the sudden shift change."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," Kai said, bowing before he left the two sisters alone.
"Should we just… wait until those two are done?" Anna said, referring to the room where her fiancé was currently in. "And I still want to talk about what happened in there."
Elsa waited a beat before answering, "I think they're fine for now. We should really be meeting with the Council. They wouldn't appreciate having to wait for us."
###
Meeting with the Council had to be the most uncomfortable experience Anna had ever born witness to. She had no idea if she wanted to fall asleep at her seat, or to pace around the room to get rid of her agitation, or to doodle pictures on the papers in front of her to pass the time. The urge to draw the toupee-wearing Councilman – also known as the the kingdom's administrator of finance, yawn – that sat across from her at the meeting table in a mime's suit was intensifying as the meeting dragged on.
He droned on and on and on about his advice on changing the budget the kingdom was on, and preparations for the fast-approaching autumn and winter. Autumn and winter weren't really around the corner, since it was only late spring, but agh, the administrator's hyperbole didn't make his statements any more interesting than the dust motes that caught the sun's rays, floating around the room from some unseen force.
Now that she came to think of it, the dust was much more interesting.
She couldn't understand how in the world her sister was able to handle coming together with these people on a regular basis. It was just crazy to think about it.
Then again, she and Elsa were very different people. Of course, they shared their similarities and liked to bond over them, but temperament-wise they almost complete opposites. Don't get her wrong, though, Anna loved her sister, but Elsa was a lot more capable for blending into the boringness of the room. It… suited her, strangely enough.
Good thing Anna wasn't the one to be queen, right?
Anna almost forgot her own purpose for being in the meeting until the dignitary at the far end of the table stood to speak for his turn.
She almost gave away her shock at seeing this particular man, since he was one of the visiting dignitaries. Namely, the very same dignitary from France that returned Hans to the Southern Isles and one of the few foreign dignitaries that witnessed the disaster after Elsa's coronation.
Needless to say, the acknowledgement of his presence gave him Anna's undivided attention.
"I thank you, Queen Elsa, for allowing me an audience in regards to the criminals that were sent here from my kingdom," the dignitary said.
"The pleasure is mine," Elsa said with regal grace.
"My sincerest apologies on behalf of my people for being a part of the disaster that has taken place in your kingdom. No amount of condolences and compensation could ever amount to being enough to fix the damage caused by their actions.
"I'm afraid that I was too late to warn you about them when the danger that surrounded them was known. We all had assumed that they were common rogue mercenaries, befitting for an execution, but not dangerous enough to pose a threat to your kingdom. We were wrong, and I was sent to help relieve your dungeons of them, hoping to prevent the terror they have caused within your walls. I'm saddened to hear upon my arrival in your kingdom of the great loss of life a few nights ago."
"They mentioned being a part of some sort of 'Order' before they attacked. I believe this is what you've wanted to warn us about?"
"Yes. From what we've been able to investigate, these criminals are a part of the Order of the Lynx. They were originally founded as a group of skilled warriors, known for their ingenuity and coordination between members, but they were extremely secretive. What originally was a force for good had corrupted itself over generations into the assassins that attacked you and your people. Since not much is known about them, we had unwittingly sent you their leader and his closest cohorts when they were arrested a few months ago when they were caught for a series of murders in a small village."
"They confessed as much during their trial."
"They… did? How were you able to get a confession from them, if you don't mind sharing that information?"
"There is a… certain individual that they fear would come to… harm them, in a way."
The dignitary blinked a few times and his lips faltered, forming words without sound, clearly disquieted. Finally composing himself, "I-If I'm understanding what you mean to say, Your Majesty, you've… threatened them? With your magic? Uh, certainly… it could be an effective means for interrogation, of course—"
Wide eyed, Elsa brought a hand to her mouth, causing the dignitary to retract his statement. Well, this got awkward. Yeah, she had to agree with the man about intimidation as an interrogation tactic, but Elsa of all people using her powers in such a way? Unthinkable.
"Well, they weren't afraid of her powers when they attacked her, so absolutely not!" Anna said indignantly, glad to finally have something to say throughout the whole meeting. Elsa cast a look of thanks in her direction. Anna responded with a short nod of her head.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty! I've disrespected you in implying that you were of little merit with my mindless assumptions."
"No, you've simply come to a logical conclusion with what little I've given you, so there is little need for you to worry," the queen responded, recomposing herself by shifting in her seat a a little. "Please, continue with relaying the information you wanted to share with us. We can discuss the nuances of the criminals' confession when today's meeting has ended, if you so desire."
The dignitary, embarrassed now, gave an apologetic smile to everyone in the room before seriousness took hold of his expression once again, "The Order of the Lynx has members across many kingdoms, and have made countless attempts at assassinating people, namely those among the nobility and royalty. We don't know their motives, nor do we know how they've been able to pull people into their ranks, nor how many are in those ranks.
"As far as we know, the other affected kingdoms are trying to investigate this group as much as they can, and their efforts have little to show for. I'm afraid that the likes of their attack in your our castle won't be the last."
"What do you think is going to happen, now that their leader has been executed?" a Councilman asked.
"It's hard to say for certain. I'd imagine they would be trying to find another person to fill that role."
"What do you suppose Arendelle should do?" another member asked. "From what it sounds like, there is little being done about it!"
"My countrymen are trying, I assure you. I propose that the other sovereigns come together, possibly at a summit, to collect everyone's findings and solutions to end this group's tyranny. We cannot risk having another assassination attempt on a leader again, there is too much at stake if we continue to block relations from those we aren't allied with."
"And in saying this, you mean to reopen negotiations with the likes of the duchy of Weselton?" the finance administrator cut in. Anna wrinkled her nose at the thought of the duke and her sister being in close proximity once again at a summit.
"I don't particularly like it either, but it's come to my attention that in keeping to ourselves, we deny the sharing of important information. They might know something that we don't, and vice versa. It doesn't exactly have to come to trade with the duchy, but at least keep the doors open for informants. I know the Duke of Weselton's character isn't very acceptable, but I'm sure that if he were to be assassinated, the duchy would suffer immensely."
"I advocate that a summit should be held," Elsa said, nodding. "Is this your only concern that you wish to share with us?"
"There are also the criminals that have been sent to you in mistake. I can take them from your dungeons if their captivity poses a problem."
"Their imprisonment is under careful watch, I assure you. Their execution dates are pending to be scheduled."
"Then that is the only concern I wished to address."
"This meeting is officially over, then."
The Councilmen filed out of the room, bowing to the queen and princess as they passed by. The two royals and the French dignitary were the only ones left in the meeting room.
"I do sincerely apologize for making disrespectful assumptions of your character, Queen Elsa."
"All is forgiven."
The three of them fell silent, unsure of whether they wanted to be the first one to broach the subject.
The dignitary's curiosity won out, "How were you able to gain a confession from the Order members? I didn't know that their sort would willingly reveal information if one were to simply ask them."
"We didn't. As I've mentioned, they were afraid of someone under my command, namely their executioner. He demonstrated something rather… unpleasant to one of their comrades before being apprehended once again."
"If that is the case, then I hope to never meet this person," the dignitary said light-heartedly. "From what it seems, he must be quite a character to have to contend with."
Elsa and Anna shared looks knowingly, the latter trying to hold back a fit of laughter.
Oh boy, if the dignitary only knew the lengths of "contention" they had to deal with.
A knock from the large double-doors and in entered said executioner, dressed in a valet's uniform, along with Sir George, the guard. Hans still wore the ratty gloves that Anna gave him, which didn't really match the rest of his ensemble. At least it helped to shatter the illusion of the old Hans that tried to woo her last summer. Hm, if looks were really anything to go by, Hans certainly looked to be a changed man. She wondered at that for a moment.
And at his impeccable timing, once again.
The dignitary and the prince locked gazes upon noticing each other and froze in place.
"Prince Hans?" the dignitary said in disbelief. "I thought you were in the Southern Isles?"
"Uh… it looks like you two are busy. I'll just…" Hans said and pointed a thumb behind him towards the open doors.
"No, no, come in here," Elsa directed, smiling at him. "We were just talking about you."
"Your Majesty, I don't mean any disrespect, but I think it would be best if I'm not… um, here, at the moment."
"I share the same request with the queen, Prince Hans. You should stay."
The discomfort written all over Hans' face was enough for Anna to want to watch the awkwardness unfold before her. Sure, it was petty to want to see him squirm, but it was retribution for harming her fiancé, right? Which reminded her…
"So, how'd it go with Kristoff? You didn't kill him when we left the two of you alone, right?" Anna asked sarcastically. Hans paused in his desires to escape the room and rooted his feet in place. Good, the question was working as intended.
"No, I didn't," he replied politely. Okay, also good was that he wasn't giving an attitude. That helped his case for vying for her sister. Somewhat.
They really needed to talk about the weird crush situation when she finally had alone-time with her sister.
"Then where is he?" Anna asked, genuinely interested in knowing Kristoff's whereabouts.
"He's returned to the stables."
"Why are you here?" the dignitary asked, wanting to get to the crux of the matter. Hans started as if he almost forgot the dignitary was there. Man, he must have had a lot on his mind if he left out that detail.
"I'm their valet. I was told to wait on them as soon as the meeting was over."
"Valet? How—"
"He's serving his punishment in Arendelle. We have resources at our disposal that the Southern Isles doesn't have," Elsa explained.
"Is he… somehow related to all the convicts you've requested to be sent here?"
"…you didn't tell him?" Hans asked. "Isn't information like that important to—"
"I know, I know," Elsa said, exasperated. She heaved a sigh and looked to the floor. She turned to the dignitary after a moment of consideration. "It wasn't completely my idea to keep Prince Hans' new situation in Arendelle to ourselves, but considering the risk of panic for all the other countries to hear of the chaos I've caused during my coronation, and the consequences of my actions, we thought it best to withhold information until we were certain that our plans would work."
Elsa clasped her hands together, a nervous tic that Anna was all-too-familiar with in her sister.
"Seeing that things are going rather well despite the tragedy that occurred a few days ago, I believe that I can at least spare you some of those details," Elsa continued. "Prince Hans' primary duties in Arendelle is to be our executioner. The land itself has called for human sacrifices due to my… killing of the land when I cursed it into winter. That job was then bestowed upon him by the pixies, and the very least that we can assure is that no one innocent will fall victim to these sacrifices. As a supplement to his sentence, he is to be a servant in the castle to earn his stay in one of our rooms."
"If I recall the events during your coronation correctly, his actions didn't permit him to be freely walking around the castle, but at least it doesn't appear that he is unattended," the dignitary pointed out, nodding to the castle guard.
"If it were up to me, there would be far more keeping watch," Hans added. Anna slapped him chidingly on the arm at the statement. She didn't know which she hated more: the Hans that faked everything or the Hans that was all mopey. Either way, they were both annoying.
Can't he just accept that he was doing relatively good so far and be done with it?
"Stop with that," Anna scolded. "We've discussed your attitude earlier."
"Sorry, Princess Anna," Hans grumbled.
"If I may, it would ease my worries if I could talk to him alone," the dignitary requested.
"You may," Elsa said. She left the meeting room with Anna following close by, their discussion with the dignitary finishing with their departure.
They made their way to the throne room to prepare to hear more of the concerns the people had regarding the kingdom. If yesterday's requests for the queen's audience were anything to go by, it was mostly going to be about people complaining about Hans being executioner.
If the people would just see how dangerous it could be without the measures Elsa was putting into place, they would understand. Then again, they saw the execution the other day, and they obviously didn't like it too much.
Anna supposed that sometimes seeing isn't always believing. Or maybe they didn't want to believe what they were seeing.
Finally at the throne room, Anna took the opportunity to voice her concerns about earlier regarding Kristoff, Hans, and Hans' newfound… uh, feelings in relation to her sister. She knew they were going to be busy for the next few hours, and she didn't want to run the risk of forgetting to talk about it later on.
Fortunately, Elsa seemed to understand this concern in obliging in Anna's questions.
"Okay, so, you're not sure if you like him?" Anna asked as Elsa settled in her throne. Anna stood to the right of Elsa, her usual standing spot.
"No, I'm not sure," Elsa replied. "I honestly don't know what I think about him, or even this whole situation." She placed her face in the cup of her hands, covering her eyes. "I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing, or if my feelings or lack thereof are getting in the way, or… something. I don't even know if I'm the best one to be ruling this kingdom anyway."
"Hey! Don't say that! I mean, wouldn't it be terrible if I was the one with the crown on my head? Imagine how much less chocolate there would be in the world if I had that kind of power." Anna tried to change the atmosphere into something more light-hearted before she continued in seriousness, "But really, what makes you think you're not doing the right thing? You're acting on the advice of various well-meaning people instead of doing by your own feelings. You're trying to fix your own mistakes. Heck, you're even trying to see the good in a person that didn't seem to have any when he first came here."
"But what if I end up falling for him? It's terrifying how much I'm starting to see myself in his situation, and I feel like it's possibly creating a bias somewhere. If the kingdom thinks that having Hans as an executioner as being scandalous, then what happens if my heart chooses a person it shouldn't? It won't ever be more than just personal fancies, but I don't know if the people would rest easy with that idea either."
"Well, remember how some people didn't really like the engagement between me and Kristoff? Then all those naysayers went away when he proved to them that he was good enough for a princess like me? I think Hans just needs to prove himself to the people, and your worries about that should go away."
Huh, strange. Somehow she found herself trying to defend the guy, too. Well, maybe it shouldn't be strange. Hans was reforming, after all. Well, trying to.
Elsa gave her a small, knowing smile. "It's funny, actually. I've been thinking about how he might go about that. How would you feel about him performing at the talent show during your wedding celebration?"
Anna gaped at the suggestion. "What? You want him to… Haha, no. Elsa, he's going to be run off the stage if that ever happens."
"Then he'll just have a disguise. Once he's won over the crowd, then we reveal his identity. If he doesn't win the crowd, then we just keep him disguised and be done with it. It might even be good for him, give him something more productive to do, make him feel like he's contributing to benefit others. What do you think?"
Anna mulled over the idea. It does sound like a good plan. After all, one less performer to have to parse out of potential hundreds of auditions. Just give him a lively piece and have him stop shaking his notes so much, and he'd be good to go.
Okay, if her sister was happy with it, then Anna would be.
"Alright, that sounds good. I'll ask him if it ever comes up."
"Thank you.." A grateful smile stretched the queen's mouth.
"Just… remember to keep your distance with him, okay? Conflict of interests and all that stuff. While I'm still mad about him trying to kill us last summer, if seeing him happy makes you happy, and him changing because of all of it, I won't get in the way. But if he so much as reverts back into old Hans for just a fraction of a second—"
"I'll freeze him for you, Anna. Don't worry." A mischievous, playful grin pulled at the queen's cheeks. Anna wasn't able to suppress the chortle that escaped her when she remembered the accidental ice sculptures.
"If you do, can you make his statue similar to the one you made that 'accurately' resembled Lord Jörgens?"
Elsa reddened a bit, giggled, and shook her head good-naturedly at Anna's reminder.
"It would be tempting, I'll admit."
A muffled announcement came from outside, the wide doors to the throne room opened, and a line of the kingdom's people filed in.
###
The earlier light-hearted atmosphere after the two sister's conversation was later diluted to non-existence when today's concerns of Arendelle's people were heard.
The people were getting more restless and divided, Elsa's ability to rule starting to be questioned, and the motives of the convicted prince was ever more prominent in their complaints. And each time, Elsa would repeat herself in saying that they were doing the best that they can.
Her sister's encouragement from earlier echoed through her mind, however, giving her enough strength to withstand the worries she felt that she was starting to share with her people. She hated to see others so distraught and torn, and even worse when it felt like she couldn't do anything more about it.
By the time the throne room closed its doors for the day, Elsa was just about ready to pull her hair out in frustration.
"Elsa? Are you okay?" Anna asked, blue-green eyes reflecting her worry. Was Elsa really being obvious that she was stressed out?
"I just need a moment. There's just a lot for me to think about right now."
Anna stared at her sister with a thoughtful expression before beaming a wide smile and singing playfully, "Do you wanna build a snowman?"
The princess didn't even have to ask her twice, since the queen leapt out of her chair and stomped a foot in front of her, an ice rink forming from the floor of the throne room. She waved her hands and covered the walls with a thin sheet of frost, swirling subtle designs into the white, to ensure that the icy manifestations didn't melt right away.
"Of course, Anna," Elsa said, skating her sister to the middle of the throne room by her hands.
"No living ones, alright? Olaf and Marshmallow are already too much to handle."
"Old-fashioned way it is, then."
With a flick of her wrist, Elsa conjured a pile of snow for them to shape their icy creations. The more-traditional route of snowman-building was safe from creating sentient ones. Plus, the extra physical exertion was good enough to relieve the stress she was feeling.
Anna squealed at seeing the thick pile of snow and leapt into the powdery substance, leaving a hollow outline of the red-haired princess where she landed. Elsa snorted at her sister's display of glee and leapt into the snow beside her. The two of them popped out of the snow covered in chunks of white on their heads and shoulders.
"Ooh! How about we make a snow fort?" Anna suggested, pushing aside large armfuls of snow to one side.
"Or how about a snow castle?" Elsa said.
"How about a snow kingdom?"
Elsa really liked the sound of that and conjured even more snow around them, creating a generalized layout of the mini-kingdom they would make. They would add the smaller details later.
###
"I'm telling you, I have no malicious intents towards the queen, the princess, the princess' fiancé, the kingdom of Arendelle, or anyone," Hans pleaded with the French dignitary. "I don't know how else I can prove this to you."
They had been going at it for a few hours now, the dignitary with probing questions and Hans begrudgingly answering each one. He explained his new arrangement with the land, the pixies, the kingdom of the Southern Isles, the kingdom of Arendelle, the trolls, even with himself. But words appeared to be doing nothing if his old actions spoke even louder.
As it should be, his self-doubt rang in his head. Failure is inevitable. He shook the negative thought to the back of his mind, trying to bring the encouraging words of Elsa and Kristoff to the forefront.
"It seems that you cannot, since it would mean that I would have to witness this first-hand, and that requires me to reside in this kingdom for far longer than I have been allowed to stay."
"Then we agree to disagree, then?"
"For now, it appears that we should."
The three men (three, since the guard was with them, who thankfully kept his mouth shut throughout the whole conversation) left the meeting room and parted ways.
Hans was just a few steps into making his way to meet the royals in the throne room when a sudden shiver passed through his spine, along with a very distant feeling of… fear?
That was strange, since there wasn't anything that Hans was particularly afraid of at the moment, nor did he even feel remotely cold.
Then, a faint, burning anger radiated from his chest and a faint, lilted whisper sang in his thoughts.
Stop her.
Another shiver, and the cold fear snaked across his chest again. A faint glimmer of realization of its cause flickered across his thoughts.
Elsa.
Impropriety ignored, Hans sprinted as fast as he could muster through the castle corridors, barely registering the cries to slow down from the guard that shadowed him.
###
Exhausted, Elsa and Anna stopped their frolicking through the snow, their project completely out of their league to do by hand. A surge of magic from Elsa, and the miniature winter wonderland of the throne room disappeared as if it never happened.
Elsa felt much better now that the agitated energy of her stress was exerted properly.
At that moment, Hans barged into the room, panting with a panic-stricken look on his face.
"Oh hey there, Hans. How'd the talk go with the dignitary?" Anna asked.
"What happened? Is everything alright?" Hans asked, worried.
"Everything's alright," Elsa responded. "Why? Is there something we should know about?"
Hans shook his head and brought a gloved hand to his temple. "No. I… think I'm just… a bit jumpy after my conversation with the dignitary."
"I assume it didn't go over well."
He sighed, "No, it didn't. He's still suspicious about me."
Elsa nudged an elbow into her sister's arm. Anna looked questioningly at her, and Elsa twitched her head in Hans' direction, hoping that the princess would remember her idea.
"Oh! Uh," Anna sputtered, remembrance lighting her eyes. Then, with as much faux-exuberance it seemed her sister could muster, "Hey, about that. Have I got a deal for you!"
Confusion raised an eyebrow of the prince as well as distorted the calm tenor of his voice, "A deal? Should I be concerned?"
"No, silly. How about you perform at my wedding's talent showcase, maybe help lift the spirits of the people with your violin-playing?"
"I don't think the audience would like that idea."
"Don't worry, Elsa and I will disguise you."
"But wouldn't it defeat the purpose for having me in front of a crowd?"
"Come on, will you do it?" Anna continued to prod. "It would make the queen very happy."
Hans and Elsa both blushed at the statement. Hans cast a fleeting, embarrassed look directly into Elsa's eyes and flicked his gaze away from her as soon as they made eye contact.
"S-sure, if the queen requests it," Hans said.
"Good! Auditions are happening next week."
She clapped a hand on Hans' shoulder and skipped out of the doors in the throne room, almost running into the guard that chased after Hans in his mad dash.
"What just happened?" Hans said, watching the princess as she made her exit.
"She's like this sometimes," Elsa said, shrugging slightly. "Kristoff says it's endearing."
"Kudos to him, then."
Elsa allowed herself to smile at his new laid-back attitude. If she felt like she wasn't doing any good in the world, at least she could rest easy in the fact that there was one person she felt like she could help. It also made it a lot easier knowing that Anna and Kristoff weren't trying to hinder Hans' transformation.
Still, that warning the trolls gave everyone nagged at her, and she knew that everyone else felt it, too.
Sighing, she gestured for Hans to follow her to her study. Who knew how many documents that were piled on there for her to leaf through today?
The young guard groaned a small complaint at having to move again before he was able to catch his breath, but followed them anyway as dutiful as ever.
Author's Note: Wow, I haven't been this delayed in updating a chapter before. Dang, school and other obligations are really putting a damper on my opportunities to write.
A bit funny how unlucky chapter 13 is the chapter I had the hardest time trying to even type the words out. Ugh, so many things I want to fix in here, so many details I want to shove in but had to remove since it messed with the flow. And all the relationship hoopla that I'm finding strangely difficult to portray. I felt like I seriously wrote myself into a corner with Anna and her attitude about the whole situation, so I decided "Well, not much is going to happen in this chapter, it seems like, so might as well try to address those problems for future events." In seriousness, I saved this file under "I can't think." That just shows you how much trouble I had in writing this chapter, ahahaha.
Hopefully I did, because if this plot is going down the drain with my quality of writing, I blame my lack of planning before starting this fanfic. Gah! Seriously children, don't ever start a long project with little planning beforehand.
Thank you to everyone who left lovely reviews! Without you, my creativity will lack direction and motivation, and have me continue to nitpick things to the point of nonexistence. I appreciate each and every single one of you!