For My Kingdom

A Frozen Fan Fiction

Chapter Sixteen:

The Second Time Around

As Elsa rushed out the door in a tizzy, a slightly perturbed Olaf appeared to replace the queen's presence. It took Anna a few moments to recognize the strange man in the doorway, but did manage to resurrect the memory of the previous morning before it became too awkward. Funny how she hadn't seen him since then... Where had he been?

"Hi, Anna!" he greeted happily in his usual, flambuoyant manner. His voice almost sounded strange coming from a human mouth. He bounced in the room like he had springs strapped to his feet just before the door shut and grinned at the princess.

Anna smiled adoringly. "Hey, Olaf." She brushed a truant lock hair from her eyes. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you since yesterday morning."

The sweet smile on Olaf's face slowly morphed into something that looked more like sad embarrassment. "I was just walking around the castle. People treat me a lot different now than they did when I was a snowman." And he was also stood up by a pretty blonde girl named Charlotte, but that took more explaining than he cared to do.

The princess sighed. "I'm sorry. It's really quite strange what happened to you... I wonder what caused it."

Olaf raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. "But, isn't it obvious?"

Taken aback, Anna shook her head a little as if trying to stir up an understanding. "Do you know what happened?"

The transformed snowman smiled again knowingly. "Well, Elsa had a fever right, so she was really hot? And I was a snowman, so I was really cold."

Anna nodded her head a little, still not really getting the big picture.

"So," Olaf continued, "we hugged, and while I like heat, I'm sure Elsa wanted nothing more than to be at a normal, cooler temperature. Now, I don't know a whole lot about magic..." He paused for a moment and shrugged. "But it seems to me like it would make sense that I absorbed her heat, healing her of her fever, and she absorbed my cold turning me into... well..." He looked down at himself awkwardly. "This."

When it was explained to her like that, Anna was shocked she hadn't thought of that earlier. There must have been too many other things on her mind to really give it much thought. In spite of it's unexpectedness, the safety of her sister had really dominated her thoughts for the past three days. "Wow, Olaf... That's a really accurate-sounding deduction."

Olaf shrugged again; that innocent little grin that Anna loved still ever present in his lips and cheekbones (he had a skull now, and bones. That was really weird). He shook his head abruptly as if remembering something important. "Why was Elsa leaving in such a hurry?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. Though Olaf appeared as an adult, he had the mannerisms of an eight-year-old.

Anna had to chuckle a bit. "She was late for her date."

"Ooh!" Olaf had both his hands on either side of his face, a movement that, though adorable on a snowman, looked a little weird on a human-man. "Who's the guy?!"

"A visiting prince." Anna shook her head as she held back a laugh. "Prince Alexander of Denmark."

"Well, I'm sure he is just amazing." Olaf grinned about as widely as Anna was pretty sure was possible.

The princess laughed, "Perhaps."

ooo

Elsa sprinted through the castle as fast as she could, her riding boots landing heavily on the floor with each hurried lunge forward. It wasn't until she reached the courtyard that she finally stopped to catch her breath before she went to meet the prince. The grandfather clocks spaced out throughout the castle went off signalling fifteen minutes after the hour. She closed her eyes to gather herself, took a deep breath trying to make up for the run as quickly as she could, and headed out at a more casual pace into the courtyard toward the stables.

Where the horses were kept smelled as foul as ever, but the queen almost welcomed the scent. It was a change from the perfume of roses and lilac that indicated her status to something a little more rugged and less... prissy.

Alexander was waiting for her, but he looked anything but impatient. At the far end of the stables, he was interacting rather animatedly with Anna's horse Aksel.

The prince was smiling happily as he stroked the large stallion's white snout. "You're quite a handsome horse, yanno?" he said, his voice not quite cooing like he was talking to a baby, but more like he was talking to an seven-year-old that likes to receive compliments, just not babying ones. He patted the horse's snout. "You remind me of my buddy back home, Jaques. He was a gift to me from Princess Rosaline of France... She wanted to marry me, but she wasn't really my type, yanno?"

Elsa had only opened the door a crack to listen to the one-sided conversation from man to horse. Though she may have had less-than-kind feelings toward the man, that little interaction with the horse softened her enough that she actually felt confident that she could treat this man with some sort of respect. Without any other announcement of her presence, she pushed open the door completely and placed a heavy barrel in front of it to prevent it from slamming shut behind her.

She watched with some amusement as Prince Alexander jumped with surprise at her appearance. "Good morning, your majesty," he said, bowing, some shock still left lingering in his tone.

Shaking her head slightly, a little smile playing across her lips, she curtsied. "Good morning, your highness. I'm sorry I'm late, but my sister needed to give me a little push to get me going today."

Her face was soaked with apology and the prince recognized this. He hardly could blame her majesty for having a difficulty with emotions during such a hard time. He probably wouldn't have acted much different had he been in her situation. "I completely understand, Queen Elsa." He bowed his head and looked around at the many horses in the stable. "And which one of these beautiful beasts is yours?" he asked.

Smiling, Elsa approached the second stall on the right where a beautiful, black mare stood. She seemed to be drinking from her trough, but when Elsa knocked on the wood of the cubicle she turned to see her and poked her head over the door to be stroked. The queen happily obliged. "This is my baby, Britta," she introduced, patting the horse on her neck. "I've had her since she was just a colt." Sighing, Elsa began running her nails gently against the animal's fur. "Sadly, Britta hasn't been ridden much since I got her. I've tried to make up for it the past couple years, but I've had other responsibilities."

When Elsa turned to look at the prince, he was standing next to her, running a hand through Britta's thick mane. "She's beautiful." He looked at Elsa and smiled.

Smiling back, the queen pulled open the stall door. "Pick your steed, your highness!" she said, gesturing at the rest of the horses and grabbing her saddle from a shelf near her. "The day is only so long and there is much of Arendelle to see."

As Elsa was prepping her horse for the ride, the prince selected a copper colored mare just across from Britta.

"That's Eira." Elsa commented as he began to saddle the horse. "She's a sweety, but doesn't respond well to a heavy hand." She tightened the straps on Britta a little. "She was my mother's horse. She's old, but still going strong as long as she's not weighed down too much."

The next look that Alexander gave her seemed to be that of sympathy. Was he sympathetic because her mother was dead? Was he having second thoughts about his choice of horse?

Deciding that it was probably a mixture of both, she added, "You can ride her. Poor thing hasn't been ridden in ages. She'll probably love you forever if you take her out." Elsa smiled encouragingly for the prince to finish putting on the saddle. He did, and they lead their steeds out of the stable together, the prince and Eira following close behind Elsa and Britta.

Once they had led their mares to the castle gates, Elsa lifted herself onto Britta so she was riding sidesaddle. Alexander quickly followed her lead, straddling a happy Eira, and they set off at a walk onto the bridge and into town.

Upon passing the first couple of cottages, some of townsfolk began to notice the royal couple riding through. They slowly trickled from their homes and business until soon the streets were lined with people and children waving and cheering them forward. Elsa smiled and waved, letting the image and the emotion of the crowd sink in. They didn't hate her, and that meant the world to the self-conscious queen. Next to her, the prince waved a bit too, though he flushed brightly when he heard people shouting, "Marry her!" at him.

Elsa turned to look at the prince. He was already looking nervously her way, and she gave him a sympathetic shake of her head with a small smile. Sorry, the queen mouthed, quite certain that even if she yelled he wouldn't be able to understand her over the crowd.

As they neared the edge of the town and the farmland beyond, the townsfolk began to dissipate and Elsa could hear herself think again. The fields on either side of the road were golden with growing stalks of wheat that waved and rustled in the gentle, easterly wind. The air was fresh and warm and the queen could almost imagine what it'd be like to not have all the burdens that were weighing down on her. She looked down at her gloved hands that gripped Britta's reins. Almost.

Elsa brought Britta to a steady trot, moving several yards ahead of the prince before he quickened his pace as well to catch up and even move slightly ahead. The queen's eyes narrowed mischievously as she watched Alexander's back bounce up and down ever so slightly on Eira.

Turning around, Alexander saw the sly little grin playing with the queen's countenance. He raised an eyebrow, practically seeing what the queen intended to do, but not soon enough. Elsa dug her heels into Britta's sides and was off at a run down the dirt road, zipping past a startled prince and steed. She was no longer riding sidesaddle. Though it might not have been very lady-like, she selected that particular dress because it allowed for straddling her horse should the need arise. She counted this as need arising.

The sound of Eira's hooves against the ground behind her began to get faster and louder as the prince attempted to catch up to her. Turning around to see how close Prince Fancy-Pants was getting, she saw him just a few yards behind. His face was radiant with a competitive grin. For some reason, this struck Elsa as enormously funny and with a snort of laughter, she urged Britta forward even faster. Dust really began picking up around them as she and the prince raced through the farmland and into the woodland.

Laughing and out of breath, Elsa slowed Britta to a trot so the prince could finally catch up.

Once he caught up to the queen, Alexander slowed to her exact speed and smiled at her. "You ride exceptionally well, your majesty."

"Call me Elsa, please," she replied, patting Britta appreciatively on her neck. Her good mood fluorished in the safety of the wood. "And thank you."

They rode on in silence together for about a half mile before the prince spoke up again. "Your people really love you, Elsa."

Elsa sighed, her mood lessening by the second. "I guess you could say that."

They both slowed to a walk while Alexander looked questioningly at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Elsa closed her eyes and pulled Britta to a stop. Alex stopped just a few feet ahead of her and coaxed Eira around so he could look at her. "I mean I don't really deserve it." She looked up at the prince, her face impassive but for the sadness in her eyes.

There was a small clearing to their left where a few fallen trees would serve well as benches. The prince gestured toward it and asked, "Would you like to take a breather?"

Elsa sighed and nodded, getting off Britta as delicately as she could while straddling the saddle. Once both she and Alexander had their feet on solid ground, they led their horses into the clearing and tied them to one of the stronger branches of the fallen trees.

The trunk was rough and splintered, but Elsa was no dainty princess to avoid sitting just for that reason. She was about to sit when the prince held out a hand for her to stop. As she stood back up, confused at first, the prince's suit coat was off of his shoulders and he placed it on the trunk where Elsa was going to sit. She looked down on it, frowning, then looked back up at the prince, wanting to say something to the effect of, "Wha-huh-ner-bu-what?" but decided that gibberish likely wouldn't express what she wanted to get across.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "You... You'd tear your dress..."

Elsa smiled a little, but was still a little perturbed by the act of chivalry as she sat down lightly on the jacket.

The prince sat down about a foot away from her and sighed. "I'm trying to understand you, Elsa... You're not like any queen or princess I've ever met." His fingers drummed nervously against his thigh. The harmonic birdsong chirped all around like background music to The Play of Life.

Elsa said nothing. After a quiet stretch, she finally slouched forward, resting her chin in her hands, relieving herself all pretense of being regal. "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult," she finally muttered.

Chuckling a little, the prince shifted his body so he was in a more casual position. "I would think it'd be a compliment... So many of the royals in Europe, men and women are just so..." His face screwed up as he searched for a word. "Overly self-assured, I guess? I mean, they either are loved by their kingdom and aren't worried about a thing they do or their hated by their kingdom and still aren't worried about a thing they do. They might as well be gods." His eyes seemed to search the ground for something as Elsa slowly became curious as to what he had to say.

"But you..." he continued, hunting for the right way to say what was on his mind. "You have more right than them all to be considered a goddess..."

Elsa's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed pink, but she remained quiet.

"You're so beautiful, and you have... a gift that no one else has..." He nearly said 'ice powers' but thought better of it. "Everyone loves you. What happened two summers ago... That's in the past. You came through. You 'reformed' I guess you could say." He put the word 'reformed' in air quotes, not really thinking that she ever need to be reformed, but couldn't think of a better word to use. "Everyone appreciates what you've gone through now that they know, and yet you're still so unsure of yourself." He glanced sideways at Elsa who was watching him carefully, but revealing no other emotion.

He sighed and ran a hand through his wavy, light brown hair. "You've done so much for your kingdom since your coronation... I don't think I've ever seen happier townspeople..." He paused in thought for a moment. "Except maybe in Corona, but you've met Rapunzel." He laughed a little at that, and to his delight, so did Elsa.

"She is quite the powerhouse for sure," she replied with a chuckle and fidgeted with the skirt of her gown.

"But Elsa." He turned his body slightly so he could be more engaged with her. "You are too. Last night you told me that part of being a ruler is being strong, even if you don't believe you are."

The queen cringed inwardly at the memory of her poor self-discipline at that particular moment in time, but the prince didn't seem to notice.

"I want you to know, your majesty, that I believe you are stronger than any ruler I have ever met. You're apparent love for your kingdom and your family is inspiring and, in my opinion, it takes a lot more guts to love than to have any other emotion." Resting a hesitant hand on Elsa's shoulder, he caught her eye. To his surprise, she stayed there. "I don't know a lot about your history, but from what I understand, you spent a lot of your life hiding from everyone that mattered most to you."

Elsa's eyes averted guiltily toward the ground. She still carried so much shame from the years she spent almost exclusively in her bedroom... sending Anna away almost daily to prevent her from coming to any harm, but the prince tried to remain steady with her.

"You've pent up your emotions for far too long, Elsa. What happened two summers ago was a result of those thirteen years of pressure building and you know it." He squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "If you start that again, it won't get better, you'll just..." He cleared his throat quietly. "You'll just freeze another summer."

Elsa wanted to curl up in a ball of royal shame. He was right. This man was actually intelligent. Another wave of guilt for her behavior the other day washed over her like high tide. "I'm sorry..."

Of all the responses he could've gotten, an apology was not one that Alexander expected. "Sorry for what, your majesty?"

"I'm sorry I called you 'Prince Fancy-Pants'..." she muttered quietly, smiling with embarrassment.

The prince raised an eyebrow, a smile spreading across his face like a wildfire. "I'm sorry... You called me what now?"

His amusement was obvious enough that Elsa felt it was alright to say it again a little louder. "Prince Fancy-Pants."

Alexander's chuckles grew in volume until he was practically rolling with laughter. The queen couldn't help but join in. His laugh was really just... pleasant and infectious. Elsa looked up at the sky and inhaled deeply, letting the happy moment set in. The sun was high enough in the sky that she was quite certain that it was around noon, perhaps even a little after. Her stomach growled in affirmation.

To the queen's embarrassment, Alexander heard. "I suppose that means you're about as hungry as I am," he joked, resting a hand on his stomach.

"I guess so." Elsa stood and looked around the clearing. "We probably should head back," she suggested, looking toward where the horses were grazing, but just as she made the suggestion, Britta reared back and started to whinny loudly, spooked by something. It had a domino effect on Eira who began to respond in kind.

The queen and prince looked at each other briefly with surprise before rushing to the horses to try to calm them down. In an effort to keep the two mares from hurting each other, Elsa hastily untied Britta from the branch and tried to pull her away from Eira, but rather than move with her, Britta bolted. The queen yelped as she was knocked over the trunk and landed awkwardly on her upper back, her dress all cattywhompus from the fall.

Seeing the queen fall over the trunk, he left the frightened horse and rushed to her, but not before seeing the cause of all the ruckus. A little, green garden snake slithered through the grass and back into the brush. Elsa was already trying to get herself back up, but Alex offered a hand and soon she was on her feet and covered in dirt and splinters.

"Are you alright, your majesty?" he asked hurriedly, lightly brushing dirt off her shoulders.

Elsa pushed his hands away and began brushing herself off. "Yes, your highness, but please call me Elsa."

"I'll call you Elsa if you'll call me Alex," he replied, half annoyed and half amused about the double-standard the queen seemed to have when it came to respectful treatment, and plucked a few small twigs from her white-blonde braid.

Elsa sighed and gave up trying to brush off the dirt that coated her backside and smiled at the prince. "Fine, Alex." She shook her head with some exasperation at the pretty unexpected predicament she found herself in. "How do you feel about walking? With all due respect to Eira..." She looked over at the copper mare who had finally calmed herself down and started eating the grass again and whispered, "I think she's old enough that the trip back to the castle with two people on her back would probably kill her... That's why you lost our little race." She smiled a little and winked.

Alex laughed softly. "That's alright with me. Will Britta find her way back to the castle?"

"Oh sure." Elsa shrugged. "But if she's not back by tomorrow morning, I'll send some guards out to find her. She won't go far."

They headed back to the castle on foot with Eira in tow. The ice effectively broken between the two, no pun intended, the three to four hours of hiking was enough for Elsa to think that maybe... just maybe... he would make a good king after all.