Irritably, the Snow Queen glanced at the large grandfather clock in her personal study. Eleven o'clock couldn't come soon enough for her. It wasn't that she minded the absurdly large stacks of paperwork that the position of queen required her to attend to - in fact, she usually possessed an intent focus that allowed her to keep at the job for hours - but today, she was waiting impatiently for her scheduled meeting with Kai to begin.
Elsa had wanted to begin reading the large book Kai had shown her at once, to learn about the origin of her magic, but Kai had insisted, almost pleaded, that she refrain until he had spoken to her about the book's contents. Grudgingly, Elsa had agreed to wait, and now the thick volume sat to the side of her desk, maddening with its secrets that she chose to not yet explore. Staring at the book, Elsa drummed her fingers on the desk in a rapid rhythm, trying to ignore her rising agitation.
At eleven on the dot, a knock sounded on the queen's door. "Come in!" called Elsa, momentarily relieved. Kai entered, bowing formally to his queen before advancing into the room to stand by her desk. "Please, sit," Elsa told him.
Gratefully, Kai sat - he wasn't a young man anymore. "Are you well today, Your Majesty?" the steward asked, clearing his throat.
Sighing, Elsa said, "Let's skip the pleasantries today please, Kai. I've been out of my mind wanting to know what's in this book you found. And since you haven't wanted me to read it myself, tell me everything. Right now. After this discussion, I intend to peruse the book myself, no matter how well-meaning your warnings."
"Yes, my queen," Kai responded. His face was a little paler and his brow sweatier than normal. Elsa tried to soften her expression, but impatience made it hard. "I didn't want you to read it yourself, Your Majesty, as I said, because I fear it will upset you." Seeing Elsa's rising annoyance, he hastily continued, "Very well, then, what I read was essentially this:
"Agvaldr, your distant ancestor, was a Viking with his heart bent on conquest. He had an outstandingly large and fierce navy, but unsatisfied with his force, he sailed north to find a being who would grant him magic power so that he could rule the lands as well as the seas. This… this monster that he found gave him power to create snow and ice and to cause blizzards. It's written that the power had the price of causing destruction wherever it was used." Elsa couldn't help herself; she gasped, clenching her hands fearfully to her chest. "Now, don't worry, Your Majesty," Kai interjected hastily, "You see, Agvaldr had a daughter, who was left in charge of the kingdom when she was of age and her father was out conquering foreign lands. The girl was kindhearted and ruled her father's subjects with great mercy, and she helped them to become relatively prosperous even though her father's fearsomeness limited the country's access to trade. She was grieved because of her father's ruthlessness and calamitous power. Because the girl was kindhearted and hated her father's cruelty, a fairy came to her - it stretches belief, I know, but you've had experiences with trolls yourself and they're closely related to fairies - and the fairy offered the girl a gentle magic, to cancel out her father's destructive one. The girl was given the power to help plants grow, everything from wheat to flowers. Her father died in war, and she became well known throughout the lands as a benevolent queen. Her descendants often had magic as well, of differing kinds, though the farther down your lineage you look, the less frequently magic appears. I've, ah, spent a lot of time looking through obscure family documents of yours. I could write down a list for you, if you like, Queen Elsa," Kai offered. Elsa nodded absently.
"So yes, you see, magic has been part of your family lineage nearly as far back as it goes. It's not a curse, but a blessing, as long as you choose to use it as such," Kai concluded.
Elsa nodded once in Kai's direction to acknowledge him, but her eyebrows were knitted together and she was frowning at her desk, tugging absently at her plain black quill. She was thinking over Kai's story, newly determined to read the book herself, although the historical account was bound to be duller than the legends and stories that had sprung up around it. Pushing her worries aside for the moment, the queen looked up at her steward and said, "Thank you, Kai. Now, as I asked you several days ago - why didn't my father tell me about this? Did he know?" There was a faint trace of accusation, as if Kai may have deliberately withheld such information.
"He knew, Your Majesty. As soon as I learned, I told him… Though I searched for information as soon as the king had confirmed to me the existence of your powers, I didn't find this old tome or anything relating to it until after the, ah, incident with Anna. In hindsight, the timing of my unearthing this book seems very unfortunate, and I almost wish that I had held my tongue until the king had come to terms with your power once again. As it was, the king was frantic for news of magic, and only a week had passed since Anna's injury. I told him at once what I'd discovered, about the origins of Agvaldr's power and about his daughter and your other, more benignly magic ancestors, but he seemed hardly to hear what I was saying. He demanded I fetch the book, this very one that rests on your table, at once. The king seemed absolutely frantic, and if I may offer my impressions, I believe he hardly took in anything except that Agvaldr's powers were intended for destruction."
"How do you know he wasn't right?" Elsa interjected, eyes wide. Clearly, the queen wasn't taking this news well, although Kai thought she was much more composed than her father had been. "My powers have caused destruction!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, they have. But, if you recall, for the first eight years of your life they brought nothing but joy to this house - although your parents had a bit of anxiety, you caused no actual harm, and I'm sure you must remember how much you delighted Princess Anna. And, for the first twenty-one years of your life until your coronation, you had only one major incident with your magic, and though it was dangerous, it was remedied within a day."
"One near-death incident is more than enough to make my powers dangerous!" Elsa snarled."Don't you see?! They were meant for destruction - "
Forgetting himself, Kai yelled back at her, "No, Your Majesty, THEY WERE NOT!" Struck by compassion like a fist, Kai saw before him not his queen and ruler, but a frightened little girl whose open smiles faded as she shut herself away. "Your magic is a blessing, Princess Elsa… Queen. True love thawed Anna's heart - you do believe that? Well, true love - the love of a young queen for her people - broke Agvaldr's curse. The destruction began and ended with him. Love and kindness and the blessing of the fairies didn't get rid of your family's magic, but now, that magic can be used for good. Do you understand me? Do you believe me?" Kai asked this last question a bit desperately, only peripherally aware of Elsa's complete shock at his outburst.
"I… I, well…" Elsa faltered, her thoughts a jumbled mess. She was so ready to believe herself a monster, even now, but Kai seemed so passionate. This kind of outburst could be expected from Anna, but Kai? "Well," she finished lamely, "I suppose you're right about the fun Anna and I used to have… and my ice palace, you didn't see it, but it's beautiful. I felt so… so free, while I was making it. My magic isn't meant to stay locked up inside."
Bleakly, Kai noticed that the queen still hadn't admitted that she believed her powers could be a blessing. "Well, Your Majesty," he said, "I suppose that's a start. Please, continue to think on the matter." Kai's not-quite-professional tone and beseeching eyes implored her. Elsa nodded faintly, stunned and touched by his emotion. He cares about me far more than I've realized, she thought. Far more than I dared to let myself see, in my fear. Kai cleared his throat, tugging his collar uncomfortably. It just wouldn't do, in his opinion, to get so emotionally charged in front of one's superiors. And yet for Elsa's well being, he'd do it again. The royal sisters were nearly family to him.
"Ahem… to continue; I was saying that your father saw only the destructive potential of the, er, family magic… I don't believe he was of that opinion permanently, but he did have the gloves made for you at that time. He didn't give them to you until he was somewhat calmer, and I think, meaning the dead no disrespect, when he was a bit more reasonable and looking out for your best interest, not blinded by panic. However, he still refused to look at the book after that first time; I believe it made him uncomfortable to think of, even if it had the potential to be useful. He rationalized to himself and to me that you hadn't had another incident and that therefore you were doing fine and needed no assistance, at least not from that source." Kai stopped abruptly, looking this way and that, as if unsure of what else to say.
Elsa hardly noticed Kai's silence, so preoccupied was she with her own thoughts. Her turbulent emotions were making it hard to rationalize - a consequence of 'letting it go,' she now realized. Finally realizing she wasn't going to get anything sorted out right then, the queen rubbed her temples and leaned forward. "Thank you, Kai. Unless there's anything else you wanted to say, you're dismissed."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the faithful steward answered. "That is all I can think of for the moment; if I recall or discover anything else of relevance I will be sure to inform you." Kai rose from his seat and backed respectfully toward the door. "And, Queen Elsa," he added, causing her to glance up at him, "if I may… do try to focus more on Agvaldr's daughter than on him. That is where your magic comes from." With that, the steward backed hastily out the door before Elsa even knew how to react.
When her steward was safely down the hall, Elsa let out a breath and slumped to rest her forehead on the desk. Magic, she cursed silently to herself. A queen's life is complicated enough without magic. Tilting her head, Elsa happened to catch a glimpse of two pale, colourful shapes. She smiled. The shapes were the dolls she and Anna had played with as children. Anna had recently brought them out again, sentimentally placing them in her sister's workroom so that she would always be reminded of their love for each other when queenly duties got too boring and depressing, as Anna was pretty sure they must.
Sighing, Elsa rose from her chair and paced over to the door leading to the balcony. It was only a single door, not the large double door of her guest chamber, the room she was supposed to use to entertain important guests such as other royal families. The balcony here was narrower as well compared to the one from which she'd made her speech after the thaw. Elsa stepped out, not bothering to shut the door behind her as it was such a pleasant day, and folded her arms over the railing, leaning against it. Can I still be queen? she wondered, as she had not allowed herself to wonder in the previous days. Even after nearly ruining my kingdom? Am I fit for this? Will I do well? Musing over what she'd learned about the origins of her magic, Elsa let her eyes drift in and out of focus across the courtyard and the clear blue skies.
Arendelle was beautiful. Its people called cheerfully to each other in the streets, and in the bright morning sunlight, unmarred by clouds, the summer flowers created bursts of colour on every street. From the castle's outer wall, the view of the town was as good as it got. Of course, Anna would have appreciated a bit more privacy, but in light of the recent threats to her sister, Kai had ordered that the number of royal guards on the castle wall be doubled. A patrol walked past every ten or fifteen minutes, and Anna and Kristoff could easily be seen by over half a dozen of the stationary guards at any given time. Not that Kristoff minded - he was pretty sure he could get in a lot of trouble if he were suspected of doing anything unsavoury with the princess, not that he would, of course. Amazed at his good fortune, he turned to stare at the beautiful, funny, spunky girl beside him. Sensing his gaze, she turned to him.
"What?" she asked, as eloquent as ever.
"It's a little unreal to me," Kristoff admitted. "Dating… ah, being with you, it's great, I mean, I, uh, I never knew I could enjoy anyone's company so much before." Anna smiled affectionately. His words warmed her.
"What's so unreal about that?"
"Well… I can picture myself with Anna, the wonderful girl who threw a bag of carrots at my head - "
"I didn't mean to hit your head!"
" - but standing in the castle or on the wall, and thinking about how the girl I'm dating is a princess, the princess heir, that's just really weird to think about."
"Well, I'm sorry I'm making your life so difficult by being born this way!" Anna huffed.
"Hey, hey, easy," Kristoff said good-naturedly, a little alarmed but getting used to Anna's quick and short bursts of temper. "I really like being with you. You're wonderful. You gotta admit, going from sleeping under the stars to walking around this place" he gestured to the castle "is a pretty big adjustment."
Mollified, Anna grunted her agreement. "Do you really sleep under the stars? Like, on the ground?"
"Usually," Kristoff answered. "Sometimes in my sled, sometimes in barns or hunter's cabins. On a bed of moss beneath the trees around the valley, if I'm with my family."
"That must be nice," Anna told him wistfully. "Being able to move around all the time, never being cut off from the outside world…"
"It is nice," Kristoff agreed. "But sometimes, I've wished I had a real home. Oh, I love Bulda, don't get me wrong, I'm forever grateful that she took me in and gave me a family… but it just isn't the same as being around your own kind. I usually don't wish for a home, but sometimes, I can just barely remember living with my mom and dad in a cottage in the woods… I think eventually you'd miss having a roof over your head," the ice harvester concluded.
Anna gaped slightly, staring at Kristoff. Has he ever said that many words at once before? she wondered. "I think that's the longest speech you've ever said to me," she blurted out. Kristoff chuckled bashfully, wishing he could take it back. Until Anna wrapped her arms around him and looked up at him adoringly, smiling. "I didn't say it before, but, you know, I'm lucky to have met you too."
Kristoff laughed then. "Yeah, well, don't go expecting anymore speeches. I'm not Elsa. God, her address to the kingdom was long!"
"Hey!" Anna scolded, "Elsa did great at that speech!"
"Yeah, yeah," Kristoff grinned annoyingly. "But remember, I'm just the stinky mountain man who likes to be alone!" Suddenly troubled, Kristoff said, "Hey, speaking of Elsa - I'm kind of worried about, you know, how people are feeling about her." Anna frowned, and Kristoff continued, "I've been hanging around the village these last few days, and I hear talk in the taverns from a lot of people who are pretty afraid of magic. Of Elsa particularly, what with the sudden winter and all. They say a lot of crops were frozen."
"Elsa's going to fix that," Anna argued angrily. "That's what she's been doing, all day every day!" Which wasn't, strictly speaking, true, for though Elsa was busy all day, a lot of it involved foreign relations, and that left her struggling to organize a solution for Arendelle into the late hours of the night.
"I know, I know," Kristoff said placatingly, "I'm just telling you what people are saying." He ignored Anna's grumbling about how 'some people are stupid' and went on, "Anyway, the sooner everyone gets their recompensation for the winter, the better. I worry about the unrest - granted, I'm not the most political guy, but weren't you the one telling me about how someone came into Elsa's rooms before her speech with armed men?"
"Yeah," Anna agreed unhappily, "but that was just one nut-job… right? That's what Gerda thinks."
"Maybe," Kristoff responded doubtfully.
"It's just one guy. I'm sure it'll all blow over soon," Anna declared, not quite hiding her uneasiness.
Kristoff didn't answer, and the silence grew awkward between them. Anna cast about for something to change the subject to, but was saved by a cheerful, "Hey, guys!" from behind them.
"Olaf!" the couple shouted, relieved.
"Guys, you gotta come see what I found! I've been exploring the castle, c'mon, it's really neat!" Taking their hands in his stick ones, Olaf led Kristoff and Anna into the castle, and at the moment they were all too happy to comply.
It wasn't quite yet noon when Kristoff wandered into the tavern and ordered a mug of ale while he considered what he should get for lunch. It turned out that Olaf's discovery was a children's picture book that the late king and queen had evidently commissioned, depicting the imagined adventures of their two young daughters. Anna had gotten all misty-eyed, and from her rare silence Kristoff gathered that she had wanted to be alone. So he'd hugged her goodbye and let himself out, and now here he was, wondering idly if her crossness at being woken so early (In what world was ten o'clock early?!) was worth the hour or so he'd spent with her. Of course it was, he admitted to himself. You're falling head-over-heels for this girl.
A group of men huddled at a corner of the bar near the wall, fairly close to Kristoff. Having no concept of the impoliteness of eavesdropping, Kristoff listened in to what they were saying. He didn't like what he heard.
"She's a blasted sorceress," a big man growled. "I don't like it."
"We're a country of good, honest labourers," another agreed, scratching his beard.
"Patience," another man counselled. Kristoff glanced subtly to his right, but he couldn't see the man's face, only his large, broad shoulders covered in a plain jacket that nonetheless could only be afforded by the nobility, judging by the quality of the material. The corner of the man's jaw seemed to be twitching. "An archer is headed to the queen's courtyard even now, to shoot her when she shows herself. If she doesn't come out on her own, I have ways of arranging for her to. I doubt the queen will die today, but perhaps she'll know that we mean business. No cursed magic for us!"
"Hear, hear!" the other men agreed, clanking their mugs loudly and downing their drinks. Kristoff froze in horror. Surely they weren't serious? Assassinations, resistances to the crown - these things just didn't happen! But then, according to people who didn't live with trolls, magic wasn't supposed to happen. Suddenly anxious, Kristoff paid for his ale and, seeing the treasonous crowd occupied by their own morbid glee, shouldered his way quickly out of the tavern. He hit the streets at a swift walk, his reindeer abandoning the nearby flowers he was eating to quickly trot along. Sven grunted.
"Not now, Sven," Kristoff answered. "I'll tell you later." Kristoff quickened his pace, anxiety getting the better of him until he was all-out sprinting. I look like a fool, he thought. Well, at least I'll be a fool with a queen who is alive! I hope.
Kristoff and Sven burst through the perpetually open gates of the castle courtyard, startling the guards at the entrance, who pointed their spears suspiciously and took a step in after him. Kristoff glanced around and, to his horror, saw the unmistakable glinting blue dress of the queen. Elsa was standing in plain sight on a balcony. In the shadows of the wall, to Kristoff's left, a group of townspeople were chatting amicably, but even as Kristoff watched, one of them withdrew and picked up a bow from where it had been laying near a cart of game being sold. He knocked an arrow, seeming not to have drawn anyone's attention so far, and pointed it at the queen. Kristoff charged him. "ELSA!" he shouted as he ran. The arrow fired.