Disclaimer:
Frozen, The Hunchback of Notredame & Tangled are in properties of Disney, therefore I do not own the rights.
I do, however, own the OCs Mikkel, Vegar, King Marcus, Frida and Kasia.
Thank you to everyone who has read/favorite/alert/reviewed my story so far!
Warnings: Foul Language, OOC-ness, Background OCs, Cameo/Name Drops
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So who's excited for the festival because I am! Except, it's not in this chapter, haha.
Make way for the biggest in-your-face-cameo of the story yet!
Chapter Eight
Anna felt excited for the first time since the ball. With the festival only two days away, all the guests slated to attend and all the merchant stands prepped and ready for their vendors, Anna was finally able to say that things were coming together perfectly. There were only a few things still missing, like the winter wonderland Anna wanted Elsa to incorporate as part of Arendelle's contribution to the festival.
There was still issue on whether or not Corona's crown princess and her husband would arrive in time for the festival, as Elsa still had not received their letter of acceptance. At least the Corona merchants were ready in spite of their missing princess.
The dance Anna wanted to perform with Esmeralda was another thing that still needed a few tweaks. Elsa did not approve of the decision and Anna felt her sister never would, no matter how many times she insisted she could do this. Yet, she cast the doubt aside for something more optimistic.
All Elsa needed was a trial run. If she saw what the gypsy woman had planned for the performance then maybe the Queen would get off Anna's back and for once just trust in the red head's judgment.
Why she had such reservations about letting the towns people know about Anna's pyrokinetic abilities was beyond her.
Anna found her sister surrounded by court officials just outside the castle gates. Curious, she approached the crowned, recognizing a few faces as members of the council she hadn't seen since the party. In the center of it all was Elsa, pacing nervously on the cobble flooring. The Royal Adviser Mikkel tried to placate the Queen's anxieties, but by the flurries of snow raining down on the group, Anna figured he wasn't doing well.
"What's going on?"
The council members suddenly parted at her voice, surprised with her unexpected appearance. Before anyone could grace the princess with a response, Elsa was suddenly in front of her. Taking her hand, she pulled the girl into the front of the group and anxiously stared down the stone bridge as though she were expecting something—or someone—to arrive.
"Anna, I'm glad you're here. We have unexpected guests."
"No one from the Southern Isles, I hope." Anna frowned.
Elsa spared her sister a halfhearted smile, but it was Kai who responded.
"No my lady. One of the royals have decided to arrive to Arendelle much earlier than expected."
Anna blinked back at Elsa. "Who?"
A thundering sound of hooved feet suddenly filled the air followed by the angry yells from the carpenters fixing up last minute errors, a chorus of gasps from the council men surrounding them and a very feminine, boisterous laugh.
A beautiful cream colored horse came to an abrupt halt in front of the Arendelle sisters, its lush windswept blonde mane falling graciously against the horse's neck. A pretty faced young woman sat on top of the horse, her forest green eyes bright with amusement; her smile just as wide. Her cheeks were pink from heavy laughter and her short chocolate brown hair was messy and wild from having the wind course through it. It only took one sweep of her thin fingers to fix up the unruly mess.
A small green chameleon, who had been clutching onto the woman's hair for dear life, suddenly fell from her head and onto her lap, dazed. The monarch laughed.
"Sorry Pascal. Was I going too fast?"
Another flurry of steps came from behind; this time the noble steed was off-white with a pale blonde mane and tail. The stallion stopped with a snort beside the mare, almost as though he were angry he had just lost a race. The horses' rider was a man, the most handsome Anna or Elsa had ever seen, and terribly, terribly adorable with a discontent frown on his face.
"Was it really necessary to run off like that?" He complained. "Do you have any idea how mad Kasia is going to be when she finally gets here? And exactly who has to hear her lecture?!"
The brunette waved a careless hand at her male companion, a bubbly laugh escaping her lips. "Eugene, don't worry about it. You're good at sneaking around. Just hide from her!"
"I can't hide from her," He muttered. "That woman's got a sixth sense for finding me."
"Your majesty," Kai interrupted with a cough, expertly masking his amusement. "May I present to you the crown Princess of Corona, Her Grace, Rapunzel and her husband, Eugene Fitzherbert."
"Do I have to formally get introduced every time I come here?" Rapunzel grinned. She dismounted from her horse with the ease of a professional and handed the reins to Kai, who bowed respectfully in return. "I'm so happy to be back in Arendelle! Did you get my messenger falcon? You must have, if you're here. I wrote in my letter that we were going to be a few days ahead of schedule because I was just way too excited to see what Anna came up with for the festival."
"Uh…" was Anna's intelligent reply.
Elsa came quickly to the rescue. "We're happy to have you both back in Arendelle," She smiled pleasantly. "However, I must apologize. The guestrooms aren't quite ready yet. We only heard word of your arrival when my messenger spotted your ship in the horizon."
"So that silly bird got lost again." Rapunzel sighed. She turned to her husband precipitously. "I think it's time we retire Jinx. He lost another letter."
"Can you really blame him?" Eugene snorted, dismounting from his horse. "He got lost sending a letter to your mother when she was in the castle, did you really think he would be able to send Arendelle a letter?"
Rapunzel (and a few of the council members) chuckled at the imagery.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," the Corona Princess said, turning back to Elsa and Anna. "Sometimes when I get too excited about things I just go ahead and do them." She shrugged helplessly.
Elsa gave Anna a pointed look that made the red head pout in mock offense.
Rapunzel whipped around the bridge, squinting off into the town square and the decorations that had already been hung in preparation for the festival.
"It looks amazing! I can't wait for this thing to kick off!" She gushed jubilantly. "You did a magnificent job, Anna!"
Anna felt her cheeks grow hot at the compliment. She felt even more embarrassed when Eugene flashed her a beautiful smile, his gratitude less flamboyant, but genuine.
"Th-thank you." She managed, suddenly feeling very shy.
Elsa raised an eyebrow at the girl's strange meekness, but her attention was abruptly stolen by the sound of Mikkel clearing his throat.
"Shall we lead their graces inside, Your Majesty?" He questioned.
"Oh, yes, of course. My apologies. Please, let me show you around the castle."
"You don't have to trouble yourself, Elsa." Rapunzel started, following the group into the castle courtyard. "I know how busy Queens are with stuff like this. I'm sure Princess Anna wouldn't mind giving us a tour?"
The red head suddenly perked up at the suggestion. "Sure! I would love to!" She grinned.
Elsa mulled the thought over for a second before nodding. She gave her sister a meaningful look—one that told Anna to keep her powers a secret from Rapunzel and Eugene—before she allowed Mikkel and the council to whisk her away for some last minute festival funding.
Anna spent the rest of her day giving the Corona couple a tour of the castle.
She started with the ground floor and showed them the dining hall, the library, the ballroom, the study quarters—which was mainly for guests—and the way to the kitchens and servant quarters.
She showed them her mother's precious garden; she had to bite her tongue whenever Rapunzel or Eugene asked why there were patches of burnt flowers and grass littered throughout the otherwise beautiful garden. (She had forgotten about the damages thanks to the festival planning and was surprised her sister had yet to bring it up.)
She showed them around the second floor where the guestrooms and baths were stationed. She showed them the wing that held the Queen's study; the council room where all things important and political were often held. She gestured to Elsa's bedroom, but didn't lead them inside for the sake of her sister's privacy. She did the same with hers. (Eugene thought it was amusing how close the sister's bedrooms were in comparison to all the other rooms. Rapunzel, on the other hand, thought it was terribly cute.)
Anna even showed them the room they would be staying in once the maids had properly prepared it for them.
("Oh look Eugene! You can see the Ice Palace from here!"
"Wow. Now that's what I call a palace.")
They ran into Olaf somewhere along the tour.
Rapunzel warmed up to the little guy in only the two seconds it took for him to introduce himself, but Eugene eyed the snowman like he was a dangerous creation. Pascal's initial reaction was just as hostile and distrusting, but seeing Rapunzel hug the petite creature made the chameleon less likely to attack, much to Anna's relief. Still, he kept a wary eye on the snowman as they continued their tour.
The last place Anna brought them to was the frozen courtyard.
Rapunzel was the first to step into the square, her leaf green eyes wide in astonishment. Pascal nearly fell off her shoulder just at the mere sight of the ice walls enclosing the open court. Anna watched in minor amusement as the brunette followed the ice walls all the way to the very top her mouth propping open in a physical manifestation of her disbelief.
"This is amazing." She breathed.
Eugene eyed the thick walls with skepticism. He approached one nearest to him and wrapped his knuckles against the ice, testing it's sturdiness despite knowing how thick the walls were.
"What exactly does the Snow queen do here?" He asked curiously, light brown eyes glancing back at Anna.
The red head shrugged. "Nothing. She doesn't use this courtyard."
"So what's with the ice?" He queried with a frown.
He turned back to examine the wall and spotted something he hadn't noticed before. He reached out to the bitter wall, marveling at the strangely thin patch by the cobblestone ground. The ice seemed thicker on top than it did on the bottom, which piqued his interest.
Why would that be?
He stole another glance at the open sky above them, making note of the way the sun's rays would splash across the upper edge of the western wall. Logically, the ice would be thinner on the top, not the bottom. And yet, all along the eastern edge of the wall, by the floor, the ice was thin. He could just barely make out the stones making up the pillars through the thin layer.
How curious.
"The way this place is set up, it's almost like she was trying to… hide something." He murmured, taking in the yard in all of its entirety.
Rapunzel hummed thoughtfully.
"I wouldn't be surprised," She admitted. "Mother always said the new Queen of Arendelle liked her privacy. In all honesty Anna, I didn't even know Arendelle had a ruler until Elsa's coronation last year. You two were always shrouded in mystery."
"Until now," Anna added tentatively. "Because of Elsa's magic, my parents thought it would be safer to keep us from the public eye." She shrugged, but twirled the end of one of her braids. "They did what they thought was right to protect her at the time."
Rapunzel and Eugene gave Anna small smiles of understanding.
It was lucky for her that Rapunzel was royalty. Being Royal meant that princes and princesses were often privileged to information most people wouldn't know during their private lessons, like being privy to another royal family's past. Anna was certain Rapunzel knew of their isolated adolescence, just like she knew about Rapunzel's kidnapping as an infant. They might not have known of why it had happened at the time. (Anna didn't know Rapunzel had been kidnapped because her mother had eaten the last of a magical flower that had once been coveted by a witch, just like Rapunzel didn't know about Elsa's ice.) But at least they knew something of the other.
She needn't to explain and that made the conversation all the more easier.
"Well, anyway," the brunette grinned, dispelling the heavy atmosphere. "Will your sister be joining us for dinner? I'm starved!"
"Of course!" Anna laughed, mirroring Rapunzel's smile. "Elsa wouldn't miss it for the world."
Eugene glanced back at the ice walls for a moment, a cynical frown marring his handsome features. He pushed the notion aside for another time then followed his wife and Anna back into the castle.
Anna felt awkward in dinner that night.
It wasn't usual for them to have such casual guests, so when Rapunzel and Eugene joined them in the dining hall, Anna couldn't help but think the whole thing was surreal.
Rapunzel spent most of the time chatting with Elsa about things they corresponded about in their letters. Well mostly it was Rapunzel speaking to Elsa about things they wrote in their letters. Elsa merely smiled, chuckled, hummed and nodded at all the appropriate times. Her husband would pop in every now and again with a sarcastic remark, which would make one or all of the women laugh.
But for most of the dinner, it was just Rapunzel yammering away. Anna would have chimed in had she not been distracted with thoughts of the festival and her performance. (Or the fact that she hadn't had the time to properly release her flames since Elsa gave her the job.)
"So Anna," Eugene began, snapping the red head out of her thoughts. "I heard you planned the festival all on your own?"
"I had help," She admitted modestly. She grabbed her goblet for a drink and nearly spilled it on the table at the light steam that rose out of the goblet. Eugene frowned curiously but attributed the sudden jerk as Anna's fabled clumsiness. "Elsa helped out too. Most of my ideas had to be OK'd by her and she was the one who signed off on all the funding."
"Still, you did a pretty good job."
"Thank you." She smiled.
"So what's the story with the snowman?" He casually asked, watching Olaf attempt to give Pascal a hug.
Anna blinked in bewilderment at the loaded question. She wasn't sure how to answer it without delving too much into the story, so she decided to play it safe. She acted coy.
"Like you don't already know."
Eugene returned Anna's coyness with a debonair smile. "I wasn't aware your sister could make snowman come to life."
"She didn't know either at the time."
"I hope your room is to your comfort?" Elsa announced loudly, bringing Anna and Eugene to attention.
"It's more than enough. Thank you." Rapunzel smiled. "I really love the view. Arendelle is a gorgeous kingdom."
"Oh yeah," Eugene agreed. "That Ice Palace sure is something alright."
Elsa's body went ridged, buy the reaction was so subtle only Anna caught onto it. The red head glanced back at the former thief, a ghost of scowl forming on her face. She noted the way his calloused fingers wrapped loosely around his goblet. Her eyes quickly tinged gold.
"Is there a chance we could get a tour of that place?"
Queen Elsa gave them a strained, yet apologetic smile. "I'm afraid not. The Ice Palace isn't safe for visitors."
"Aw, that's a shame." Rapunzel sighed. "I can only imagine how—"
"OW! SHIT!" Eugene suddenly cried. He jumped out of his chair in a flash, frantically shaking his right hand as though it were on fire. The goblet he had held rolled innocently across the table, spilled wine already staining the pearl colored tablecloth. Gerda and a few other maids were at the table in an instant, apologizing to the man and promising him another glass, which he turned down.
Eugene stick his aching fingers into his mouth in a desperate attempt to alleviate the pain of burned fingers.
"Are you OK?" Rapunzel asked, leaf green eyes shrouded in concern. "What happened?"
"I don't know." He muttered, scanning his saliva coated digits. He glared at the offending goblet suspiciously, now no longer rolling across the table, but perched properly on its stem. "It was like…I don't know. Maybe I just pinched myself or something."
"Perhaps you're just tired." Elsa supplied helpfully. "It's been a long day after all."
"Yeah, you're right. Come on Eugene, let's go to bed."
Anna watched the Corona couple get led away by one of their many maids when ice suddenly frosted her goblet. She lazily turned to her eyes, blue eyes unimpressed.
Elsa's wintery orbs narrowed in disapproval. "Really Anna? That was childish."
"Like freezing my goblet wasn't?" She quipped. She tipped over the frozen cup and frowned when her half-finished drink stayed in place.
"What did you think you were doing?"
Anna brought the frosted rim against her lips and blew. The liquid inside defrosted in an instant, leaving only small patches of ice inside to keep her drink nice and cold. She drank her win in leisure, feeling the room cool down considerably in response to her nonchalance.
"He made you uncomfortable." She stated simply. "So I returned the favor."
"You cannot use your powers in that way Anna!"
"I can't use my powers in any way, Elsa!" The girl snapped.
Elsa rose from the table unexpectedly, her expression stony but fierce.
"We're not having this discussion again." She turned on her heel and swiftly left the hall, leaving Princess Anna behind to simmer.
"Ugh! She's so infuriating!" Anna growled, pacing fanatically in front of Kristoff and Sven, who watched her in a mixture of exhaustion, concern and confusion.
The duo had just been ready to retire for the day when a frantic set of knocks almost burnt down their door. Kristoff had to usher the fuming red head a few feet away from the cabin when he saw that every step she took melted the snow around her.
"What did Elsa do now?" He sighed tiredly.
Anna gave him a scathing glare.
"Haven't you been listening?"
"It's kinda hard to understand Annaese when you're ranting and spewing out fire." He quipped, rubbing his eyes.
"I don't 'spew out' fire, Kristoff." She huffed angrily. "I'm not a dragon."
"Well you're spewing out something." He remarked, eying the steam radiating from the snowy ground.
Anna released an exasperated sigh. "This isn't about that Kristoff! Focus!"
"What do you want me to say, Anna? Your sister is just worried about you. Can you blame her?"
"How many times do I have to tell everyone that I can take care of myself?" She huffed. She waved away the puff of smoke impatiently. "Why can't Elsa just realize that? Did I ever tell you she canceled our lessons?"
"No, but I know about it." Kristoff yawned. "Olaf told me."
Anna scowled. How could she have forgotten? Kristoff had sided with Elsa in that argument.
"Yeah, well… you know she made me in charge of the festival? At first I thought it was just her way of trusting me—like she said—but then, after a while, I started to realize I barely had any time to properly practice with my magic. I think she purposely gave me the job just so that I wouldn't practice!" She shook the heat from her fingers, not wanting to start a fire so close to Kristoff's cabin. "She doesn't want me using my powers, Kristoff. She absolutely hates it!"
"I don't think she hates it." He said. "I hate it. I think Elsa just fears it. Fire isn't exactly a beautiful element, Anna. It's savage, vicious and dangerous if left on its own. Fire is only useful when it's constricted. Give it enough room to breathe and it'll keep me warm on those bitter winter nights, but any more than that and my cabin will catch fire."
"Fire is beautiful." She murmured, her back to the blond. "It cooks the food you eat, it keeps you warm at night. It makes our weapons and our tools; provides us the ability to mold our materials in any way we want. It creates our currency. How can you tell me that fire is not beautiful?" She whirled on him, her golden eyes blazing. "The sun is a fire ball in the sky, Kristoff! If it weren't for the light of the sun, we wouldn't be able to survive!"
"Your fire isn't light Anna!" Kristoff barked. "Your fire is a curse!"
Anna's heart hammered painfully against her rib cage; her blood suddenly hot like the sun. Her chest felt painful, as though the magma that was her life essence burned her from the inside out; but in the face of stubborn pride, Princess Anna kept her pain from showing. The only visible signs of her aggravation lay in the honey hue of her eyes, the muddy puddle around her feet and the bellowing steam from rapidly melting snow. She tore her eyes away from the angry blond, choosing to stare at the kingdom of Arendelle instead.
"My fire is only a curse if I make it so." She responded quietly.
Kristoff exhaled. "Anna—"
"It's time for bed," She interjected coldly. "Sorry for disturbing you. See you at the festival."
Kristoff watched her leave, their angry voices echoing in his mind.
Sorry if Rapunzel and Eugene (aka Flynn) seem a little out of character. It's been a while since I last saw Tangled and I really wasn't in the mood of watching the movie again. How they ended up becoming important cameos in the story is beyond me. I guess I'm just a sucker for it.
Prepare yourselves my readers! More cameos are on the way as the festival kicks off in chapter nine, but none of them are as important as Rapunzel, Eugene and Esmeralda (so don't fret.)
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BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO -RAWR-