a.n. Chapter 12 is here! Sorry for the slight delay; though I'm back, I'm still in vacation mode and I have plans for a completely different story that I want to start work on so I'm distracted by that. I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!
Chapter 12: The Calm Before the Storm
The morning sun roused her and the unfamiliar hardness beneath her startled her for a moment before she realized where she was and why. Her tumultuous emotions and frantic thoughts had kept her awake for many hours, long into the night, and she had only managed to fall asleep mere hours before the sun rose.
As much as she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about everything. She knew what she did had perhaps been a bit childish, but as much as she realized that now in hindsight, the time away had already done some good.
She'd known ever since she was small that her powers were tied to her emotions. The stronger her emotions, the more powerful she felt. The ice flowed as effortlessly from her fingertips when she was laughing alongside Anna as it did when she was scared or frightened. The more she tried to control the power inside her, the more she began to fear what would happen if she lost that control, which inevitably led to her powers getting stronger. It had always been a vicious cycle, but it was one she had feared she'd never be able to escape from…until she found the key to her control: love. Once she realized that love could thaw even the iciest heart, she welcomed the strength within her as the missing piece that finally made her whole. Being here, now, made her feel more at peace and more in control.
Last night, however, had been a different story. Her arrival had calmed the raging storm somewhat, though not completely, and she had managed to use the powerful emotions still within her to create wondrous things that she never knew she was capable of. Her palace grew with a dozen more rooms here, a couple more there, each and every one as unique as the snowflakes that created them. She shaped each room, every nook and cranny, for a specific purpose. This room could be used as a bedroom and so could this one, thought its design was more suited for use by smaller, more infantile, people. There was a large room she created that looked remarkably similar to the infamous balcony room, though it had enough subtle variations that kept her from thinking too much about the original. She kept herself busy as she moved gracefully from room to room, mostly out of necessity. Staying in one place too long only caused her idle mind to swirl with thoughts that she'd rather not worry about now. Her active mind was too busy creating, exploring, designing to worry. It was only when the sky grew dark and her body was wearied that she dared to let herself succumb to her thoughts. Exhausted, she collapsed on an ice bed in her newly-created bedroom, burrowed herself beneath many snowy sheets, and closed her eyes, though sleep was still a long time coming.
Now, as she greeted the new day, her mind was clearer and her eyes were bright and cheerful. Breathing in the cool mountain air (made colder by her own chilly aura), she climbed out of bed and looked to the morning sun, the promise of a better day.
Anna was finding it quite entertaining having her mother by her side all day, though probably not as much as the woman herself was finding her day. Anya had followed her daughter faithfully as she flitted from one room to another, never tiring of the exasperated looks on everyone's faces as their princess did one thing or another that made them sigh in defeat.
After their first meeting of the day, word seemed to have gotten around that Anna and her special advisor would be handling all of Elsa's responsibilities that day as the queen was feeling a bit under the weather and was not to be disturbed under any circumstances. The former queen was quite a bit surprised at how adept and convincing Anna was at fudging the truth. Perhaps her naïveté of last year had forced the younger woman to develop her own deceptive skills as some sort of defensive response to make herself less susceptible to the deceit of others so she would never get hurt or be taken advantage of again. Or maybe she was just learning some essential diplomatic skills. Either way, her words almost had Anya herself convinced that what she was saying was true. Nobody questioned her and took the princess at her word. Pretty soon, they were just receiving well wishes from anyone who wanted her to pass it along to her sister. Anna always promised that she would and business would resume.
The young princess's strategically brilliant mind when discussing negotiations or trade agreements surprised Anya. She didn't know that her daughter had had such acumen for the family business. She'd always had a devious, analytical mind as a child as she thought up her next crazy activity or scheme to get her sister out of her room. Perhaps that was just her own special brand of political training. It also seemed to Anya that the young woman was very well-versed in everything that was being said and discussed in every meeting. When one group would talk about upcoming trading opportunities, Anna knew to what they were referring. During a peace negotiation between two warring parties (thankfully neither one was Arendelle), she knew how to appease each side without creating more conflict with the other one. It astounded her and she took the opportunity to ask her daughter about it all during their lunch break.
"Anna?" She noticed that the redhead looked her way after having first taken a big bite of her sandwich, as evidenced by her chipmunk-like cheeks. Anya smiled amusedly at her and continued speaking before Anna could, as she knew she would. "I've been very impressed with everything I've seen from you so far. You are quite attuned to what is going on in each individual discussion, you know the histories and backgrounds of all parties involved, and you know how to keep the peace. I never would have taken you for a diplomat."
The redhead took the time to swallow her food before answering. "Yeah, well." Anna smiled sheepishly. "That's all due to Elsa's influence. After last year, she thought it would be best for me to start taking on more responsibility and to learn how to do…princess-y things." She shrugged. "I never really saw a point in doing so, especially since she became queen and would be in charge of all of that. I even told her that about half a dozen times, at least." Here Anna grew quiet and for a moment, Anya was worried. Finally, Anna spoke up. "Every time, she only smiled at me and said 'Anna, you are the princess of Arendelle, the only one we have. If something were to happen to me, there needs to be someone around who knows what to do. Our people need someone to lead them. Our kingdom needs someone it can depend on. There is a high probability that you will always be the next one in line for the throne, and as the next in line, you really should learn how to handle all of your possible duties as diplomatically and tactfully as possible. Okay?' As much as I wanted to, I really couldn't disagree with her, so the next day, she brought me to all of her meetings to sit in and learn the ropes. In fact, at the last few, she's even let me lead a few of the discussions, though I never completely commit to anything without her approval." Anna sighed. "Though, without her here now, I don't know if I can rally agree to anything. I don't know if I can trust my own judgment. Based on past experience, my judgment isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"Listen here, sweetheart: you need to learn to trust in yourself. Elsa has trusted you enough to leave you in charge, even if it's only been for a few meetings. She hasn't totally disregarded any of your judgment calls at those meetings, right?" A nod. "And when she couldn't trust herself, she trusted you to lead Arendelle in her stead, didn't she?" Another nod. "Then trust yourself. Kristoff already told you as much. Would you doubt his words?" Anna shook her head. "We all believe in you, dear. You are a wonderful princess and a fine diplomat. Arendelle is lucky to have you; we all are. And I know you'll make a fine queen one day, should that day ever come. Don't you think I know a little something about what it takes to be queen?" Her encouraging, lighthearted tone eased Anna's worries and they finished their meal quickly before heading back to the great hall where even more duties awaited them.
The trip up to the North Mountain went much smoother now that both parties had settled their minds. The two men were able to actually to strike up a conversation and while Kristoff was surprised to have found some amicable ground to stand on with his soon-to-be father-in-law, Erik was surprised at Kristoff's sense of humor and the many colorful tales he seemed to have.
"…and that was the last time I ever asked Anna to go ice fishing with me. I don't think I've ever been that soaked in my life. And I spent most of my childhood outside! It took weeks to wash the smell out of my clothes." The pair shared a hearty laugh at the mountain man's mishap and lapsed into a comfortable silence. The awkwardness long gone, the silence was no longer the stifling thing it had once been. Instead, it was merely content and they were able to just sit and enjoy one another's company.
All too soon, they reached the last hill and it wasn't long before the ice palace was in their view. The beauty of the crystalline structure took their breath away once again and they remained in awe at the sight before them. Nothing seemed to have been disturbed in the short time they were away and Kristoff took that as a good sign that perhaps Elsa's mood had improved and she would be more welcome to visitors. If whatever emotions and feelings she had been holding in last night had been resolved, she should be more inclined to listen to what Erik had to say. But, knowing her, it would likely take much more than one night away to deal with the pains of the past. He could only hope that she would be willing to talk and hear her father out.
With a gentle slap of the reins, Sven shot forward and they made their way towards the palace of the snow queen.
It had been a lovely day so far for Elsa; she truly was enjoying the lack of responsibility in her home away from home. As queen, she was expected to arise early every morning, attend meeting after meeting, work long hours, and occasionally give speeches and grace the people with her presence. Sometimes it was all a little much and she wondered how she would ever manage everything. Yet she always managed to pull through it, day in and day out. She loved her people, her kingdom, her title, and she would do whatever she could to make sure that everyone knew how deserving she was of it, how devoted she was to her duty. There had been a few complaints about her ability to rule not long after the eternal winter had ended but they hadn't lasted very long. She had quickly proven to everyone, most of all herself, that she could do it, that she was worthy of the title of queen. For that, her people loved and respected her and she did all she could to keep that respect.
But, as she wandered about her icy home, sometimes it got to be a little much and she longed for some time off where she could just be herself without worry. While this little vacation hadn't been expected, it certainly was a welcome respite. She did wonder how Anna was getting along but she had complete faith in her sister. Anna would be able to take her place for the moment while she got her head together.
Elsa soon found herself on an upper balcony on the western side of the palace. She stood there and let the warmth surround her. The crisp air refreshed her and the gentle breeze swirled around her as she marveled at the beauty and solitude that surrounded her.
The sound of snow crunching pulled her attention away from the scene before her and towards the balcony on the opposite side. Quickly, she formed an icy walkway around the side of the palace and made her way around. Once settled, she glanced down and gasped as she saw a familiar-looking reindeer pulling a sleigh. There were two people in it, though she couldn't tell who they were from this height. While one of them was most likely Kristoff, she hoped that Anna hadn't come along, though the chances of that were slim. In any case, she knew she would have to meet her visitors to try to convince them to leave. She still needed some time here alone.
She walked back the way she came and headed inside and down the stairs. She hesitated only a moment before opening the door. Kristoff's startled face met hers as he lowered his raised hand.
"Kristoff? What are you doing here? Why did you…" She trailed off as she noticed the other figure that was standing next to her sister's mountain man. It certainly wasn't Anna. Her silence caused the other person to step forward and her eyes widened in surprise. She had been expecting her sister to have tagged along, trying to convince her to come back. That she could have handled. But this?
"Papa?"