For the first few days the hunting expedition was gone Anna and Elsa were able to go about their business, enjoying their time together and exploring Arendelle's port city. They didn't think about it, considering that they had no way of knowing how well or poorly it might be going. They were content to go from shop to shop, pub to pub and store to store mingling with their citizens.
There were a few people everywhere they went that wanted to know more about Kristoff as the rumors had begun t o circulate. Some said he was just a knight from across the mountains that saved the kingdom by slaying the frost giant that was the true bringer of the winter storm; while some claimed he was a witch man that had come to cast a spell on the royal sisters in an effort to control Arendelle. Neither Anna nor Elsa feigned to answer any of them.
Most people, though, were happy just to see the royal family taking an interest in their lives once again after almost thirteen years of nothing.
As the days went on, though, Anna's patience began to wane. She began to spend more and more time waiting in the highest room in the tallest tower of the palace as she looked out to the mountains to see they were on their way back. She'd approach the men out from the mountain when they came in to sell their firewood and ice to ask if they'd heard anything of them yet. No one ever did.
Elsa, meanwhile, made a point of not hovering and watching for the hunting party, instead throwing herself more and more into the nuances of running a nation. She tried to not shut herself away in her office like she had before she reopened the doors but as the days turned into weeks she found it was easier to just not think about it. The little cocoa device became a veritable mainstay in her office and something was always on the brew.
She learned that it could do more than hot cocoa; there was a small bean it came with called coffee that she decided to try out. She found that it tasted divine, only second to chocolate in its palpable delight. It took her a few days before she found that grinding the bean made it taste even better. It also made a number of parts on the little cocoa device make more sense, as she found that she could pour the grains into the various bits and watch as the machine worked its magic.
She became quite twitchy, inclined to giggle fits and began to grow snappish if she wasn't able to get to the cocoa device for a drink on a regular occasion. When she realized that her own meager supplies of coffee and tea were diminishing, Elsa sent for three prominent merchants to see if they could work out a route to get more. They'd used to get theirs from Weselton, but that wasn't an option anymore.
The three merchants had been debating in front of her for over an hour when a watchman rushed into the room.
"They're back," was all he was able to say before Elsa rushed out the door, colliding into Anna as she bolted into the hall.
"Did you hear?" asked Elsa as she helped Anna get up.
"Yes! Finally! I don't even care if Hans is with them, I just can't want to see Kristoff!" said Anna as she balled up her fists and squealed.
When they got to the palace gates their enthusiasm diminished. The group had been reduced by half and many of the men they'd sent were battered, broken and bruised, with arms and legs sent in thick binds.
Anna was polite enough to the group as a whole, but they moved out of her way when they saw her scouring over them.
"He's alive, but only just," said Captain Bjorn, the lead huntsmen, as he went over to the wagon they took with them and pulled back a blanket to reveal Kristoff. His breathing was ragged and forced and his face was covered with bloody scars.
"Oh Kristoff!" cried Anna as she rushed to embrace him. His skin felt cold as ice but Anna didn't care. She was content to hold him for as long as she could stand.
"Ribs, Anna," he said with a wince, but he still smiled despite her fierce grip.
"Sorry," she said as she loosened her hold on him, unwilling to admit that she was a little relieved to let him go. He really was quite cold. "What happened?" she asked.
"The Wendigo happened. He surprised us, in the mountains. It killed Hans right off the bat and ripped apart five huntsmen before we were able to pull together," said Kristoff, his face curling into a grimace as he remembered the events of the mountain.
"So Hans is dead, then," said Elsa.
"Unless he survived being eaten, then yes," said Kristoff.
Anna thought she saw a ghost of a smile flicker across his face, but it was gone just as soon as it appeared, as if it was a flicker of an image out of sync.
"Did you bring the body back?" asked Elsa, looking over the wagons for signs of the Wendigo.
"Yes, your majesty," said Captain Bjorn, opening one of the bundles to reveal a clutch of hacked limbs and body parts.
Anna gasped at the bundle of limbs, putting a hand to her face to hide her gag. Elsa just nodded.
"It seemed safest to do it this way, your majesty. I trust you don't mind?" asked Captain Bjorn, eyes wide as he watched for Elsa's response.
"That's fine, you did well" said Elsa, walking around the wagon to get a better view of the clutches of broken Wendigo flesh.
"Oh, and one more thing, your majesty," said Captain Bjorn. He reached down underneath the front seat and pulled out a small, fist sized bundle wrapped up in brown sackcloth. The thing pulsed in and out in his hand in a steady, rhythmic fashion. "It didn't stop trying to reform until we cut it out," he said.
"What is it?" asked Anna as the thing captivated her attention like nothing she'd ever seen.
"It's the beast's heart. Kristoff suggested we cut it out to keep it down," said Captain Bjorn. Elsa held out her hand and the lead hunter dropped it in, shivering as it left his control.
Anna staggered back, away from Elsa, Kristoff and the hunters. "And it's still beating?" she cried, unable to tear her eyes away no matter how hard she wanted to.
"Of course it is. It's magic," said Kristoff, never looking away from the beating heart either. He didn't look horrified, though. He looked content, pleased even, despite the shivers it sent up everyone else around it.
Elsa, meanwhile, stood there with her eyes wide as she gripped the beating heart in her hands. At Kristoff's words, she broke out of her little trance and narrowed her eyes. "Well that's a nice little catch-all, isn't it? It does this, so it must be magic. Really, I would have expected better from you, Kristoff."
Elsa turned to Captain Bjorn. "I want you to cut out its gut and set free anything in it. I don't expect anything to be alive but we can at least give its latest victims a proper burial, even if it is just Hans. Then build five pyres and burn it to ash and dump the ashes as far apart as you can. I want to be sure it's dead," she said as she looked on at the various clutches of Wendigo.
"It shall be done, your majesty," said Captain Bjorn and like that he and his men set to their task, taking care to take Kristoff out of the wagon before they went on their way.
Elsa looked up and saw Kai hovering near the door, having caught up with the pair of sisters at last. He looked prim and proper, hands clinched behind his back and face wrinkled up like someone had just waived a dead fish under it. "Kai, if you would be so kind as to call down some servants to transport Kristoff back to his chambers, he seems rather unable to move at the moment."
"It shall be done, your majesty," he said and within moments servants appeared almost out of thin air and began to lift and maneuver Kristoff inside, ignoring his protests as they moved him.
None of them commented on Kristoff's frigid skin. Talking about how cold things were had become taboo amongst the servants of the palace once Elsa's powers were revealed. Elsa had told them any number of times to let her know about the temperature if it was uncomfortable and to add more wood to the fire if that made them feel better. The servants in turn smiled at her and bundled up like they'd always done; taking pride in their Queen's icy powers and their ability to serve her no matter what.
Anna followed close by as they moved him, hovering about like a mother hen.
Elsa, in turn, left and carried the beating heart to her chambers. No one questioned her motives, trusting her to do the right thing. Their trust was not misplaced.