Chapter 2 – Unexpected news

First off, thanks for the follows, favs and reviews. They are much appreciated. Kristoff is home, and bringing with some bad news for Arendelle.

Anna didn't expect Elsa to still be there when she woke up. Mostly because Elsa was still getting used to human contact, and every other time she'd fallen asleep behind her sister Elsa had crept away in the middle of the night to hyperventilate and escape somewhere where there were no other people.

So it came as a surprise when Anna opened her eyes and saw blonde hair still in front of her. She was even more surprised to find that Elsa felt quite warm. The storm outside could still be heard, and Anna had a brief moment of panic – Kristoff! – before smiling at the fact that Elsa was still there.

And very warm.

Anna's sleep addled brain finally began ticking, and she rubbed her eyes. "Elsa? Are you okay?" She rested a hand on her sister's shoulder, surprised when the pale skin felt warmer than Anna's hand. She shifted her hand to Elsa's forehead, and that made Elsa's eyes flicker and open, her face scrunching in annoyance at the contact.

"You're blazing hot," Anna drew her hand back. "Do you have a fever?"

Elsa hoped the royalty of Arendelle was never overthrown, because Anna clearly didn't have a future in medicine. She mumbled something, then closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

Anna clapped her hand to her own forehead to try comparing temperatures. She was pretty sure Elsa was warmer. "Has this happened before? Is it the storm? Should I get someone? I'm going to get someone. Stay here."

Elsa opened her eyes again at that unnecessary statement. She couldn't have got up even if she wanted to; her insides were still swirling around and threatening to leave her if she so much as blinked. Even Anna launching herself off the bed made Elsa gulp, and clench her jaw, determined not to throw up snow.

She didn't know if she would or not, but didn't really want to risk it.

Anna bolted downstairs, hoping to find Kai or Gerda, who at least were a bit more familiar with Elsa's seasonal fluctuations that Anna herself. She found Kai at the bottom of the stairs when she rounded the corner too fast and barrelled right into him.

The old man grunted, and nearly dropped the book he had been carrying. With everything in Arendelle closed due to the storm, he had been taking an impromptu holiday. Seeing as the weather appeared to be set for today as well, he had woken up at a leisurely time, and was preparing to spend the day reading and avoiding energetic princesses.

Not going so well, then, hey?

"Good morning, Princess," he tried to walk around her, but Anna latched onto his arm.

"Hey, Elsa's sick, like, really sick, with a fever and everything. Come on." She tugged at his arm.

Kai sighed, and allowed himself to be dragged up the stairs towards Elsa's room. He seriously doubted the Queen was in any sort of danger, Anna tended to be an over reactor. Then he remembered a winter, many years ago, when tiny little Elsa had almost starved herself to death because she said her powers wouldn't let her get out of bed.

He remembered her blonde hair sticking up from under her duvet, and the storm raging outside. She felt sick, she said, too sick to move. Ever again. She was going to just lie here because her body was churning. That had lasted until the storm had stopped.

Arendelle hadn't seen a storm this bad in years, and the knowledge of this made Kai hurry a little faster.

Anna let herself back into Elsa's room quietly, announcing herself in a more subdued manner than usual. "Elsa? I brought Kai."

Kai knelt down at Elsa's head. She had her eyes resolutely shut, her body trembling occasionally. He gently felt her forehead, and Anna saw a look of worry flicker over his face. "My Queen? How are you feeling?"

Elsa's answer was to open one eye to glare at him.

"I know it's because of the storm, but have you ever got a fever at the same time?"

"No," she whispered.

"Is that good or bad?" Anna asked, hovering over Elsa.

Kai straightened. "This. . . um . . ." he seemed to be struggling for words.

"Agonizing gut wrenching discomfort," Elsa supplied.

"Of course. This is probably magic related, it happens every year in mid-winter."

"It does?" Anna sounded surprised, but then it occurred to her that she hadn't really seen Elsa much in the middle of winter for over a decade. Would she even know if Elsa always got sick in blizzards?

"But the fever is different," Kai continued. "I think that's just normal people illness."

Anna and Elsa both sent him a look.

"Normal?" Anna echoed.

"I'll get the doctor," Kai said briskly.

"Don't want a doctor," Elsa muttered, sounding incredibly petulant. "I'm fine." Apparently Elsa's power manifested in complete denial as well as ice.

"You've been in bed for two days," Anna pointed out. "At least take something for the fever."

Elsa flicked her fingers, and a flurry of snowflakes burst over her head and started settling down on her skin. "There. Go away."

"You're really grumpy when you're sick," Anna sat on the bed next to Elsa, causing her sister to groan a little as the rocking of the mattress made her feel like someone was taking her lungs and making origami shapes out of them. "Kai will fetch the doctor, and we'll make you feel better. And your snowflakes have melted."

Elsa sighed. "Fine. Then you have to go. I don't want to hurt you."

"I'll go once the doctor's seen you." It did occur to Anna that it might be challenging for the doctor to see Elsa at all, since the queen was fixed determinedly into a ball shape and hidden under three or four blankets. But she felt it best not to bring it up just then.

While Elsa pouted at the doctor ("I'm fine, this happens every year, what good could you possibly do? Your hands are cold." The irony.) Anna bundled herself up in many layers of warm clothes and sauntered out of the castle into the blizzard.

Bad weather had never kept her indoors before, and she wanted to go down to the docks and ask the coast guard how long this storm was expected to last. And stare blankly at the horizon wondering where Kristoff was.

After nearly freezing herself to death (a remarkably common occurrence in her life) Anna shivered her way back into the castle and flung her outer layer(s) of clothes off into a sodden, snowy heap in the door way. She blew into her hands, and was relieved to find that all her fingers were still there, then started her way up to Elsa's room.

Elsa was sitting up again, still with her knees drawn up to her chest, looking at the window and taking steady, measured breaths. She didn't turn her head when Anna burst into the room.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Anna jumped up and down for a bit to try warming herself up. "So, I went to the coast guard-"

"In this weather?" Elsa jerked her head up, turning disbelieving eyes to Anna.

"I wasn't out for long, just wanted to see how long the storm would last. Anyway, what did the doctor say? Or do? And the storm is probably only going to last for another two days."

"Two days?" Elsa groaned, dropping her head back onto her knees. "I can't do this for another two days."

"You're looking a bit better."

"Hm," Elsa shifted a little. Why couldn't she get comfortable? "The doctor said the fever is probably not important, and he said something about eating before I starved myself, and left a painkiller. Not as good as he made it out to be, I still can't get comfortable."

"You still haven't eaten anything?" Anna exclaimed. "I'll get you something. What do you want?"

"Anna, there mere thought of eating makes me want to throw up."

"That's because you haven't eaten anything. Wait here, I'll be right back."

'Wait here?' Where on earth did Anna think she was going to go? The only way Elsa was moving from her bed was if someone picked her up and carried her away. Elsa resigned herself to throwing up later in the day and waited patiently for Anna to return.

Anna sprinted towards the kitchen, but a movement outside the window caught her eye and she backpedalled a bit. There was a shape moving through the blizzard, towards the castle. Anna jumped, hands clapping together, "Kristoff!"

She detoured to the front doors instead (devoid of her winter clothes, and realising that immediately upon opening the door and nearly freezing on the spot) and yelled fruitlessly into the wind, "Kristoff!"

A snow-encrusted figure slowly made its way towards her, braced against the gale. Anna waved him inside enthusiastically.

Kristoff let out an audible sigh of relief as he entered the castle, and began shedding frozen layers of clothing. "Hi."

"Are you alright? Did you get caught in the blizzard?"

"Sven and I were already sheltering when it started. We've been moving a little bit each day. He's in the stables now. Are you sure it's alright for me to be here?"

Kristoff was still uneasy about life inside a castle. And around royalty. And imposing older sisters who could freeze him to death with a mere glare if she wanted. He cleared his throat a little, and rubbed a hand against the back of his neck.

"Yeah, its fine, Elsa doesn't mind."

"Good. Because I saw kinda saw something while I was out there which I think she should know about."

"What?" Anna actually stopped moving for a few moments. "Something bad?"

"I don't know. It seemed a little strange." Kristoff absently brushed more snow off his clothes. "There are quite a few ships out in the harbour. Or, just outside the harbour. Since the weather is so bad, I wondered what they were doing there. They didn't look like Arendelle's ships."

Anna paused. "There's a fleet of foreign ships approaching?" She chewed her bottom lip for a second. "Maybe Elsa is expecting them. Come with me," she grabbed Kristoff's hand.

"Me?" he dragged reluctantly behind her. He and Elsa had spoken very little since the Great Freeze, and to be honest, he wasn't sure what he thought of her.

Anna wasn't listening; she dragged him up the stairs and to Elsa's room, using the sound of her body ramming into the door as a substitute for knocking. "Hey, Elsa. Kristoff has something important to tell you."

There was a brief moment wherein Elsa had a minor panic attack, remembering the last time Anna insisted a man had to speak to her, before she got a hold of herself and remembered to breathe.

Kristoff looked incredibly uncomfortable, hovering in the doorway. His eyes darted around the room, looking everywhere but at Elsa. He'd seen her at her worst before, but quite frankly she looked perfectly unroyal right now.

Her hair was loose and unbrushed, and the light blue night dress she was wearing looked a little big for her. One shoulder had slipped down, and she looked bony and pale. She didn't try to untangle herself from how she was sitting. She just eyed him suspiciously.

"There's a fleet of ships just outside the harbour," he said without preamble. Unlike Anna, he could get to the point.

"What?" Elsa sat up a little straighter. "Ships from where?"

"It's a little hard to tell in this weather." Kristoff admitted.

Elsa took a second to think. Then, she let go of her knees and started unfolding her legs. "Anna, help me up."

"Why?"

"Because," she winced as she straightened, all her muscles protesting, "I am the Queen and have to ensure the safety of my country."

"It's storming."

"I still have to keep them safe, even in a storm," Elsa waved a hand around until Anna came and stood next to her to provide a shoulder to hang onto.

"Should you be getting up? You look a bit unsteady." Anna grasped Elsa's elbow as her sister nearly landed back on the bed.

"I'm fine. I have things to do. Don't move until the room stops spinning."

Anna remained still. "This is clearly a good idea."

"Kristoff, thank you for your message," Elsa aimed a nod in his general direction; her vision was a little blurry, but she just pointed her gratitude at the Kristoff in the middle of the field of Kristoffs. "Please, feel free to stay here until the storm is over."

Kristoff assumed that was a dismissal. "Uh, thanks. I'll be with Sven for a bit, making sure he's comfortable."

Anna nodded. "I'll catch up to you later. Where are we going, Elsa?"

"Don't move." Elsa repeated, propped unsteadily against her sister. "Seriously, stop it."

"I haven't moved."

"You're spinning me."

"I'm still not moving."

"…Put me down."

"I haven't lifted you."

"Okay, here's plan B, put me back into bed and fetch Kai."

Anna shifted Elsa towards the bed again.

"No, wait!"

Anna froze. "Now what?"

"Don't move again. I think I'm going to be sick."

"Ew," Anna shoved Elsa back towards the bed and jumped aside.

Elsa landed face down, and the mattress was nice and soft. She mumbled something, and thankfully didn't vomit snow all over her bed.

"I'll get Kai," Anna edged away.

Elsa mumbled something else into the mattress. She heard Anna leave the room, and spent the next few minutes trying to get herself into a comfortable position. Just like the last two days, she couldn't find one, and she eventually settled for lying on her back, arms holding her stomach gingerly, shifting her feet through the blankets in an attempt to get some relief from the storm in her belly.

She was still squirming when Anna and Kai returned, and Kai raised an eyebrow at her. "Aren't you supposed to be resting?"

"I am," Elsa snapped. "But there are apparently strange ships outside the harbour, and I need you to go outside and see what they are doing there."

Kai gave the window a pointed look. "Go outside? In a blizzard? How bad is your fever, again?"

Elsa sent him a withering look. "This is important."

"It might be important."

"Fine, then help me up," Elsa was ready for take two of getting out of bed and not passing out. She levered herself into a sitting position. "I'll go."

"In the blizzard?"

"The blizzard doesn't bother me." Elsa waved her arm at Anna again, and the red head sighed and went to Elsa's side to act as a post again. "And I won't freeze to death."

"I might," Anna squeaked, as Elsa's hand gripped her shoulder. "You're freezing."

"Make up your mind; you were complaining earlier that I was too hot. Tell the room to stop moving."

"I'm sure it'll listen to you, you are queen after all."

If Elsa didn't need her eyes closed to prevent herself from getting dizzier, she would have glared at Anna. As it was, a long silence stretched between them, until Elsa deemed it safe to open her eyes again. "Okay, take me to the docks."

"Seriously? You can't even stand up on your own. I'm not freezing to death just because you want to go for a walk to the ocean."

"I must insist that you remain in bed," Kai said. "It's not advisable to wander off in a storm when you have a fever."

"Five minutes," Elsa said. "Stop fawning over me for five minutes. Anna, start walking."

"Don't throw up on me," Anna warned and began walking cautiously towards the door. She could feel Kai's eyes burning into her back.

By the time she had dragged Elsa all the way to the front gates, Elsa had changed herself into her signature ice dress, which she had considered more appropriate attire for confronting foreign ships than a night dress with a damp spot from when she hadn't quite had her powers as under control as she had thought.

Anna paused. "Do I really have to go outside? Can't I at least put a coat on? Or three?"

Elsa straightened herself, not without effort, and stood unaided. "I've got this. Just wait here until I come back."

Anna nodded. "Don't get blown away. No seriously, you're tiny, the wind will carry you off."

Elsa ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to smooth it out, and then stepped outside into a blizzard which immediately sent her blonde locks flying in all directions. A waste of time, then, clearly.

If the weather man at the docks was surprised to see his Queen approaching in the midst of a massive snow storm he hid it well, opening the door to the little look out room and inviting her inside.

Elsa remained standing, leaning her back against the door, mostly because she was afraid if she sat down she wouldn't be able to get back up again. She didn't beat about the bush, "Do you know anything about the boats outside the harbour?"

"Yes, your majesty," the weather man took a sealed letter from his desk. "They sent a message earlier today. I was waiting for a break in the wind to deliver it." He handed it over to her.

Elsa took it, frowning when she recognised the seal of Weselton on the parchment. Why would they be writing? Or sending ships? Elsa thanked the weather man, and slowly took herself back to the castle.

Anna and Kai were waiting anxiously at the door. Anna immediately slipped an arm around Elsa's waist, feeling her sister lean heavily on her. Elsa held out the letter, "This is from Weselton, apparently."

Kai took it from her and carefully opened it. He skimmed through it, and the more he read the deeper his frown got.

"What does it say?" Anna asked, seeing as Elsa was slowly sinking against her side and didn't seem particularly awake anymore.

Kai's next sentence caught the Queen's attention, though. "Weselton is declaring war on Arendelle."

Next chapter should be up in a day or so (Just gotta finish spell checking). Thanks for reading

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