Chapter 4 Elsa and Anna 1
NOTE A castle has many servants. SO... During any scene in the castle, there will be servants and/or guards within sight and/or within hearing, unless mentioned otherwise.
Note: Reviews are welcome.
The laughter stops, everyone separates and stands up. Elsa resumes sitting on the couch with Anna.
"I am sorry, Anna. I was hoping to get some things done, while you were sleeping. I should have moved somewhere else and let you sleep." She apologizes.
Anna yawns, but says, "No problem, Elsa. I was just about to wake up anyway. It is 10 or so, right?" She asks hopefully.
"I am sorry, Princess Anna." Kai says, "It is 6 am."
She looks crossly at him, "Don't tell me, that. Now I have to go back to sleep!" She tightly wraps the blanket around her as she pretends to sleep.
Elsa shakes her head, "I am sorry, Anna. But I have already ordered baths and breakfast for us."
"Bath! Great idea! I stink..." She says loudly, then she leans over to Elsa and whispers into her ear, "And so you do."
"Yes." Elsa nods. "I was going to fix that in the Palace. But...not enough time." She whispers back.
A pause.
Then Anna licks her lips and asks, "What were you two talking about?"
Elsa and Kai share a look.
Then Elsa says, "We were going over my... schedule for today."
Anna nods, "Fine. What is your schedule?"
Elsa places her hand in front of her face as she and Kai share a laugh.
"A confused mess." Kai says.
All three share a bark of laughter.
"Kai." Queen Elsa begins her orders again. "Make sure that report that you were talking about is available sometime today."
He nods, "Yes. Your Majesty."
She sighs, "I'm sure that a goodly portion of those emergencies you mentioned are requests from the council to meet."
He nods, her guess is correct. He adds, "The head of the Arendelle Royal Guard has also requested an immediate formal meeting."
Elsa raises her eyebrow. "Formal? In the Great Hall with me on the Throne? In Public?"
He nods his head in agreement.
"About?"
"He has requested that he tell you that reason in person, Queen Elsa."
Her lips purse, as she thinks, angrily, 'He is going to quit! Why else something so public? Just what I needed...' A small gust of icy wind circles the room.
"After breakfast." She growls.
Kai accepts her order.
"Tell the council that a meeting will be held this afternoon." Queen Elsa decrees. "Tell them to bring everything they might need, because I expect that meeting to last hours. In fact, order the cook to prepare a meal for everyone. That meeting will continue until late tonight."
"I will do so." Kai states.
Elsa looks at Anna, who might be trying to paying attention, as she stretches and scratches her back. Then, back at Kai. "Mine and Anna's doors." She pauses to make sure of her wording, but.
Kai interrupts, quickly, as he begins to say, "Yes, ma'am. We did not awaken you since the carpenter wanted to replace the damaged lintel, jambs and sill. Then he painted them. We were awaiting for the paint to dry."
"I only said to remove the door? All that could have waited? Why?" She asks.
Kai looks down, "He said that he wanted everything to be perfect, Your Majesty."
A laugh from Anna, as she remarks, "Can't even complain, can you, Elsa?"
Elsa shakes her head. "No. Not at that level of service." She smiles at Kai, "Pass along my thanks."
Kai coughs into his hand, "He was asleep in front of the doorway, waiting for you, the last I was informed. I expect someone will wake him before you get there."
Elsa closes her eyes and shakes her head in surprise.
Anna hugs her. "It's all good."
Elsa nods, yes.
"Kai, last night Anna had a great idea." Elsa begins to say, but.
"We are going to destroy our doors in public!" Anna cries out.
Kai opens his mouth and closes it.
"Sometime today, in the courtyard, or maybe just outside the gates." Elsa suggests.
Kai coughs into his hand, "Princess Anna... You are a strong health female. That door is firmly made."
"And we will look foolish, trying to destroy it with a heavy axe." Elsa completes for him.
He nods, grateful.
Anna twists her mouth in disgust. She thinks, 'A perfectly good idea, down the drain, simply because it will look bad.'
"Have the carpenter... Cut, damage the doors so we can break them easily." Elsa states.
Kai purses his lips as he comments, "Ahhh... That will be noticeable to anyone watching."
Elsa replies. "It is the thought that counts."
"Good idea, Elsa!" Anna hugs her, bouncing with joy. She gets to destroy something and be praised for it.
"And, impress upon him, he only has to do it today, not this second. This afternoon is fine, even this evening, will work. We will need to take breaks every so often." She adds.
Kai nods in agreement. "I will tell him so, Your Majesty."
"And finally, Kai, I want to spend some time in the morning outside in the courtyard or just outside the gates, meeting and greeting the common townsfolk."
"Why?" Anna asks before Kai can.
Elsa licks her lips, "After what happened. They... I want to show the people of the city that...they do not need to fear me." She finishes in a quiet voice.
Anna hugs her fiercely and whispers. "You are not a monster."
Elsa hugs her back, "Will you be there?" She whispers back.
"Of course."
Elsa closes her eyes, nods, then looks at Kai, "That is everything for now. Now, give Anna and I a few minutes alone, please." She orders.
He nods and leaves the room.
The doors close.
"Huh?" Anna asks.
Elsa smiles and asks, "Before we get into the serious stuff. How did you get bed-head? Is my hair that bad?"
Anna grabs at her messy hair and starts to try to straighten it. She begins to fix it and says, "ahh... No. Yours is perfect as always. Well... a few loose hairs, but on you it looks good, real good."
Elsa licks her fingers and begins to help Anna control her hair. "Here. Be still and let me help."
Anna whispers into Elsa's arms as she bends her head down so Elsa can get to her hair, "Just like the old days."
Tears form and drips down Elsa face and into Anna's hair. "Old days." She whispers.
She sits back down and hugs Anna. "I'm so sorry." Her voice breaks down.
Anna grabs her sister. "Hey... Yesterday is over. Everything is fine."
Elsa shakes her head. "Not Yesterday. The years... I ignored you. I wish..."
"I understand now. You were trying to protect me." Anna softly says as she rocks Elsa in her arms.
Elsa cries as she whispers. "I did not know what else to do..."
Anna closes her eyes and tears flow. "It is over now."
"Yes. It is."
Time passes...
Elsa wipes her tears, helps Anna wipe hers, and clears her throat.
"Anna," Elsa licks her lips, "Today... I will need your help."
"Sure. What do you want me to do?"
"That quick?"
Anna shrugs, "I do not have schedule either and I know that today... will be challenging for you." She smiles, "Just remember I get bored easily."
Elsa waves that off, "I... I made a total mess of things." She begins to explain, "I must fix it. AND...first impressions are powerful."
Anna laughs, "Not a powerful as that blizzard!"
Elsa grimaces, "Yes. But... that was not the impression I wanted to leave. I have to correct that."
Anna states. "I understand."
Elsa sighs and relaxes. "Just be with me. So we are Together. If it looks like we are fighting, in addition to what happened..."
Anna interrupts in a thoughtful tone. "That would make things worse, wouldn't it."
Elsa nods. "Stand by me when I meet Marcus."
"You know how scary he is." Anna states. "All those scars."
Elsa explains as she says, "A lifetime of wars, starting with Napoleon at Jena, 30 years ago. But. Do not worry about it. Unless I am wrong he will be resigning."
"Resigning, why?"
A flick of snowflakes. "This most likely."
"Oh. Lovely." Anna says in a small voice. "Do think that others will quit?"
Elsa shrugs, but nods yes. "Some of the servants, I'm sure. Kai must have a report about how many people missing from the castle."
"They should not be afraid of you." Anna says strongly. "You are the gentlest person I know. Hell. Even Marshmallow gently threw us down the bridge. I was the one that started the fight."
"Marshmallow?"
"Yeah, Olaf named him that." She looks at Elsa, "What did you name him?"
Elsa blinks, her mouth opens and closes.
"I am a fool." She says, her voice ashen, "I..." She wipes tears from her eyes. "I am so very stupid."
"You didn't name him?"
"Never crossed my mind." Elsa whispers in pain.
Anna blinks, her mouth opens and closes.
"I..." Stop. Anna is trying to speak. Start. "I'm sure that you'll come up with a good name."
A semi-laugh form Elsa, "We only had those marshmallow treats from France once. When the French envoy visited after our parents deaths. It's an old Egyptian medication for sore throats with added in egg whites and sugar, I think."
"HUH?" Anna asks, "Sometimes you say the weirdest things."
"Just thinking about Marshmallows." She takes a deep breath. "It's good enough. I will ask him if he likes it, before I think about changing it."
'And wondering,' She thinks as she tries not to think about something, 'How, if Olaf is my memories of my childhood, did he know about marshmallows? What else did I give him?'
Her fist closes and she hits the couch. "Damn. And he fell down the cliff. What happened afterward?"
"What?"
"When Hans came," Elsa simply states.
"Hans come up to the Ice Palace?" Anna asks.
Elsa stops, looks at Anna. "I think Anna, before we do anything else, we need to compare stories."
Anna agrees and says, "We can do that as we bathe and eat."
Elsa nods in agreement. "And change clothes." She gestures at her Ice Dress, as she explains, "This is nice. But, I think I need something else to make the impression I want to create as a stable ruling Queen." She stands up. "Ready, then?"
Anna stands up and states, "Ready."
They walk out of the room together.
Anna is already talking about what happened after Elsa left the ballroom.
Let's give them some privacy in the baths...
North Mountain.
The side away from the Ice Palace.
Darkness.
The quiet of death.
A sniff.
A growl.
A scrape of a claw through filth.
A forgotten voice tries to speak. "ah. gr. Hiss. Cough."
"A crack." it whispers.
Scrape against rock.
"The Seal is broken."
Scrapes becomes stronger.
Rocks begin to split.
"I will escape. I will have revenge."
Outside.
Under the snow.
Under the ice.
The basalt rock of the Mountain looks unbreakable.
A stone slab welded, somehow, to the basalt of the mountain.
Carved on it are Norse runes. They read:
"Murderer."
"Berserker."
"Werewolf."
"Accursed by Loki."
"Accursed by Odin."
"Thou art sealed forever."
The weld holding the slab against the mountain begins to crack.
Ulfr will be free. Soon.
Elsa released massive amounts of magic... uncontrolled.
Actions like that have consequences.
End chapter 4
NOTE: Picture the author rubbing hands together. The set-up is over. The main characters are all here.
That's four threats/threads to weave into a story. Many chapters of story.
Before I get to the reaction when Hans returns home.
thank you for reading
jeff