The Storm Rages On

Chapter Two

Vacation

"I'd forgotten just how beautiful the sunrise can be in the mountains."

Queen Elsa of Arendelle stood before the window, marveling at the orange and red hues reflecting off the snow-capped spires, the sunlight reflecting, refracting into thousands upon thousands of tiny shards of light.

Her sister, Princess Anna, smiled. "See? I told you this would be a great place to go for a spring vacation." She waved her hand. "And the accommodations aren't bad, either."

Elsa laughed. "No, they're not. Alúvelin has really outdone herself this time, hasn't she?"

"Speaking of," Anna said, looking toward the door. "Aren't we supposed to be at breakfast right now? She's probably wondering where we are."

"We'll just tell her Kristoff held us up," Elsa said. "That he overslept. That it's all his fault."

"Now, that's not nice," Anna teased. "Don't pick on my husband. He was up before either of us this morning. He's been out jogging since before the sun came up. I know, because he woke me up with his giant feet stomping about the bedroom."

"I'm sure that went over well," Elsa said, remembering the many horrors she had experienced when Anna was rudely awoken from a sound sleep.

"It wasn't one of my finer moments, I'll admit," Anna said, "but I wouldn't have to yell at him if he could just be quiet."

Elsa took Anna's hand. "And . . . how are you feeling? I mean, now that . . ."

"Tired," Anna said. "Irritable. Unsure of how I'm going to feel at a given moment. One minute I'm fine, the next I feel so terrible." She laughed. "Did you know that last night, all I could think about was eating chocolate with a nice side of onions?"

"I wish I could say it's going to get better," Elsa said. "But, it's been four months. I'm sure it's only going to become more . . . interesting from this point forward."

"Thanks for the pep talk," Anna said. She looked at herself. "Does . . . Do I look . . . Or do I just look chubby?"

Elsa wrapped her arms around her sister. "You look beautiful," she said. "I mean it. I've never seen you look better."

"Now I know you're lying," Anna replied.

"I mean it!" Elsa said. "You . . . You look so . . . right! I'm . . . I'm so happy for you." She leaned forward, her face less than an inch from Anna's stomach. "Do you hear that? It's your Aunt Elsa here. You be good to your mother, you hear me?" She looked up at Anna. "Do you think he . . . she can hear me yet?"

An odd expression passed over Anna's face. She involuntarily brushed her palm against her abdomen. "Well, I've never felt that before."

"What?" Elsa looked up, her face full of worry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just . . . When you talked to the baby, she . . . she moved." She looked at Elsa in amazement. "I didn't think babies could hear this early. I didn't think I could feel anything so soon. I thought they were too small."

"Well, if she's anything like her mother," Elsa said, "she's no ordinary child, that's for sure."

"Nor if she's anything like her aunt," Anna said.

Elsa's face clouded over. "Don't say that," she whispered. "Don't even joke about it." She shook her head, trying to convince herself that it was impossible. "It can't happen, anyway. We're not . . . You don't have . . . it in your bloodline."

Anna realized how Elsa had taken her lighthearted comment. "Elsa, I didn't mean . . . I didn't mean it like that. You know that, right?"

"I . . . I'm sorry, Anna. I know what you meant. It's just . . ." She looked at her hands. "I wouldn't wish this upon anybody. Especially not your child."

"How can you say that?" Anna asked, moving close to Elsa once more. "After everything we've been through, after all the good that's come from your powers, how can you still act like they're anything less than a blessing? An entire race has that power and they're thriving now, thanks to you! I thought you weren't ashamed of your heritage anymore."

Elsa shook her head. "That's different, Anna. The ice bærers . . . That's part of who they are, their culture, their heritage. The same with the brann wielders. But for me . . . I'm still an outsider in our own land. And I know, you're going to tell me not to worry about it, that our people have accepted me as their own. But I still wonder, deep down, if they really have want me as their queen, if they think I'm worthy."

"The ring," Anna said. "You know what it means. If you still have any doubts, just look at your hand. It's incredible, Elsa. Absolutely incredible. I've never seen it glow so brightly before, not even when Father wore it. You have earned your title ten times over. I don't know how many times I have to remind you of this."

Elsa looked at the Eden-stone, its brilliant luminescence filling the room. "Probably forever," she whispered. "But . . . thank you for that. I still . . . I still need to hear it sometimes."

She leaned toward Anna's abdomen once more. "Your mother is very, very wise. Agree with her and you'll never have any problems." She paused. "Unless Aunt Elsa tells you something else. Then, listen to me. I'm older, after all."

"Hey!" Anna shoved Elsa playfully. "Don't be turning my child against me already! I'm going to have enough problems when she's born. Watch yourself, or you're going to be on diaper duty, o wise one."

Elsa laughed, her melancholy evaporated like dew in the summer sun. A knock at the door interrupted their reverie. Kristoff entered, looking at them. "Are the two of you coming down for breakfast ever? Because if not, it would be a shame to let your food go to waste—"

"Don't you dare!" Anna cried. "I'm eating for two now. I need my sustenance." She turned to Elsa. "Well, you heard him. Let's not keep them waiting."

"Majesty."

Empress Alúvelin looked up from her breakfast, smiling when she saw who had spoken. "Minister Arberish! Welcome back! How was your trip?!"

Arberish rose, standing tall. "Well, Majesty. It went very well, indeed. I believe I was able to convince the Islanders to ally themselves with us. They were hesitant at first, but when I informed them that the might of Arendelle was with us, that was enough to convince them to join us."

Alúvelin nodded. "Thank God for Elsa. Without her, I'm afraid no one would take us seriously." She paused. "I . . . I want to do something special for her, Arberish. She's risked so much of her own reputation for us, spent so much political capital she could have used on the needs of her own kingdom."

"I won't deny that having her unwavering support has been a significant asset," Arberish said. "Still, I don't think you need to worry about Elsa's feelings on the matter. She is your sister, after all. She's only doing what any good sibling would—"

"Precisely!" Alúvelin cried, throwing up her hands. "Don't you see? I don't want her to feel obligated to come to our aid. I want . . . I want her to make decisions based upon what's best for her own people, not what's best for me. I don't want her to feel like we're using her." She shook her head. "I hope her and Anna's time here can be considered a form of payment for her help. She deserves it, after all."

Arberish looked at Alúvelin. "You mean, she's here, now . . .?"

The door to the dining room opened. A familiar voice rang through the air. "Don't take the food away! We're here! We're here!"

Alúvelin rose, smiling. "How did you sleep?" she asked, embracing her little sister.

Anna breathed heavily, trying to get air back into her lungs. "Just fine, thank you!" she gasped. "Whew! If this is how winded I get after just two months, it's going to be awful toward the end!"

Arberish looked at Anna, smiling. "Princess Anna! So good to see you again!" His brow furrowed as he reflected upon her words. "Wait. You mean . . . ? You mean . . . ?!"

Anna grinned. "Yes."

"Congratulations!" Arberish cried. He moved to Kristoff, who had caught up with his wife. Clasping his hand, Arberish shook it vigorously. "Well done, son! Congratulations, indeed!"

"Thank you," Kristoff said. "We weren't expecting this so soon, but we're . . . we couldn't be happier."

Alúvelin smiled. "Arberish, I think you need to get out of the way now, or I'm afraid my little sister is going to eat right through you to get to the table."

"Hey! Like I said, I'm eating for two now!"

Anna and Kristoff moved to the table, Kristoff barely able to keep up with his famished wife. While they began eating, Alúvelin and Arberish turned to Elsa.

"Minister," Elsa said, bowing before Arberish.

"Please," Arberish said, bowing before her. "The honor is mine, Elsa. I wanted to be sure to thank you personally for your unwavering support of our people. Your influence is what has allowed us to be so successful with our relations with other nations."

Elsa's face flushed slightly with embarrassment. "It's nothing, really. I . . . I just want to see your people be able to leave the mountains again without fear. Be able to find employment anywhere on the Continent and beyond."

Alúvelin took Elsa's hand. "You really don't know how much this means to us, Elsa. That's why . . . That's why I'm so glad the three of you were able to take some time away from your busy schedules and visit. If anyone deserves a vacation, it's you."

"I agree!" Anna called out, her mouth full of food.

Elsa nodded. "We're . . . We're looking forward to finally getting some rest," she said. "It's been . . . It's been a stressful series of months."

Arberish smiled. "Well, we are very thankful that you are able to join us." He turned to Alúvelin. "By the way, did the repair crews ever begin work on the cellar renovations?"

Alúvelin nodded. "Yes, just this morning." She looked at Elsa. "We're clearing out some of the unused space in the cellar. We want to turn it into an area in which the townspeople can come to receive needed supplies in times of trouble, where they can come and feel as though they are part of the great history of our people again."

"Good," Arberish said. His smile, faded, replaced with a look of grave concern.

Elsa and Alúvelin noticed immediately. "What's the matter?" Elsa asked.

Arberish shook his head. "It's probably nothing, Majesties, but . . . but . . ."

"Arberish, your instincts are too trustworthy to dismiss something if you feel there could be a hint of truth to it," Alúvelin said. "Please. Tell us."

Arberish gestured to the table. "Very well. This concerns all of us greatly."

The three sat down, joining Anna and Kristoff.

Anna's face fell when she saw the look on Arberish's face. "Oh, no," she said. "What now? Can't we just have a vacation for once without any crises getting in the way?"

"Like I said," Arberish replied, "it's probably nothing. However, we do need to discuss our contingency plans just in case we need to deal with a certain . . . situation that has arisen."

"Contingency plans?" Kristoff asked. He laughed. "You've come to the right people. We are the masters of Plans B, C, D, E, F, any letter of the alphabet you can think of besides A."

"Please, Arberish," Alúvelin said. "Please tell us what you've heard."

The minister sighed, uncertain of how to begin. "I suppose it would be best to start at the beginning . . ."

In the cellar of the fortress, the construction crew was busy clearing out space for the planned renovations. The hall was filled with piles upon piles of items left in storage for years, long since forgotten. Most of it was worthless, but occasionally, the crew members would cry out in surprise upon the discovery of a long-lost treasure.

The foreman looked about, searching for one of his men. "Vendross!" he shouted. "Vendross, where are you? Break was over five minutes ago. Time to get back to work."

Vendross emerged from one of the cellar's anterooms, his face pale. The foreman noticed immediately.

"Vendross? What's wrong? Are you all right, man? You look as though you've seen a ghost!"

Vendross couldn't speak. He simply pointed to the anteroom, his hands shaking.

The foreman gestured for two of his men to accompany him. The trio headed into the anteroom, stopping in their tracks as they saw what had upset Vendross so.

"What is that?" the foreman asked, moving forward slowly, cautiously. He leaned over, trying to see just what it was. A gasp escaped from his lips as he finally realized what he was seeing. His face ashen, he turned to one of his workers. "Run upstairs. Tell Her Majesty she needs to get down here right away. Now!"

AN: This story is already shaping up to be more complex than any I've attempted so far. I have at least three different plots going at the moment, but I'm loving it. Hopefully, you enjoy the ride. I didn't plan on writing Anna's pregnancy into the story, but it was just where the dialogue took me. I figure by this point, something had to happen to disrupt the status quo. More to come!