New Chapter 6 Elsa and Anna bonding.
Note: Reviews are welcome.
I fully appreciate the reviews by Loridhhp, but I would like to read from additional people.
Breakfast is on the table, spread out among several dishes.
A couple of maids stand against the walls, one behind Queen Elsa, one behind Anna, ready to help them. Kai is standing near the door, whispering to various assistants as they come and go, coordinating what is happening in the Great Room as they prepare for Queen Elsa, and being present, so Elsa can ask him questions. Other servants are passing by the open doorways...the novelty of Queen Elsa and Anna eating together is still very new.
Like last night, Elsa and Anna are across from each other in the small informal dinning room.
Elsa, wearing her Ice dress, is smiling and is humming the lines from Anna's version of the 'First time in Forever.'
She is happily eating a hearty breakfast.
Anna is nervously looking around and fidgeting.
She is picking at her food, not really eating it.
"How can you be so happy?" Anna finally asks her sister. "You are about to start your first full day as Queen, shouldn't you be more nervous than I am?"
Elsa beams at Anna.
Then she blinks, "Oh. I see." A slump. "Our mutual isolation from each other strikes."
"Yeah? What about it?" Anna replies defensively.
Elsa thinks, 'I must tell her. I did not talk to her for years and it almost destroyed us. Talking to her is better. I must tell her everything, no matter what.'
Elsa tightens her lips and says, "Anna, during my isolation there were three things that I had to do on a daily basis. First: I had to cry over how I was treating you."
Anna quickly reaches over the table and grabs a hand for comfort.
Elsa squeezes back.
"Second: I would spend a couple of hours, trying and failing, to control my powers. Now. I know what I was doing wrong. Totally suppressing my powers is not controlling my powers. That is like holding back the tide, which failed with Cnut the Great when he ordered the tide to stop and failed with me during the ball."
Anna nods, accepting the story.
"I must use my powers, in order to control them." She raises her other hand spreads her fingers out, snowflakes dance between her fingertips. "This is control. Not trying to pretend that this never existed, which was Father's goal."
Anna grimaces at the mention of their father, but nods.
Elsa looks at her fingertips, the amount of snow gathering on them is increasing, covering her hand in snow. She concentrates and after a few seconds the snow slowly vanishes. "Control." She whispers. "I must have control."
Anna gulps.
Elsa rushes on, trying to forget about what just happened, "The third thing I did was to study about how to rule as a Queen. If I studied hard enough, I could temporarily forget about my sadness over you and my disappointment over my curse." A low laugh, "and talking to my few teachers was also a highlight on my days."
Anna says confidently, squeezing Elsa's hand hard. "Your powers are not a curse!"
Elsa grips back. "Now. I know that, Anna. Then...then it was a curse." A snort of disgust. "And I got that phrase from Father, as well. That old Troll, Pabbie, asked about my powers, that night I hurt you, and Father told him that I was born with my powers. But, over the years, Father, and sadly I started to refer to my powers as a curse."
"I did not know that." Said in a very small voice from Anna.
Elsa squeezes her hand.
"I know, Anna. That is what I meant when I mentioned our mutual isolation. You should have know that, but did not."
Anna nods. "We have to get used to each other, again." She rubs the back of her neck with her hand that is not holding Elsa's hand. "That will take time."
Elsa agrees and says, "I will make as much time for you as I can Anna."
"You're the Queen and that will take priority." Anna finishes for her.
"And studying?" She grimaces. Studying is not a high priority for Anna.
"I could lose myself in studying, Anna. Reading the stories of the great kings and queens of history." A smile, "I have read, multiple times, the lives of Catherine of Russia. Maria Theresa of Austria-Hungry. Elizabeth of England. Eleanor of Aquitaine. Theodora of Byzantium. Boudicca of the Iceni. Cleopatra of Egypt."
"Yeah, you read a lot of stuff, Elsa." Anna says in a semi-peeved tone. "What good is it, especially today?"
Elsa smiles, "What good? Cleopatra made THE mistake of her life, the one that cost her the world, and it is the same mistake that I must not make. Today, though, I will come close to doing the same mistake."
"Huh?"
Queen Elsa explains, carefully and slowly, "While Julius Caesar was still alive, she moved to Rome for an extended visit. The differences between her Egyptian court and Roman life caused Rome to hate her and fear about how it would change Julius Caesar. When would he declare himself King or worse Pharaoh of Rome? She was alien to them. Different. And when Antony became Cleopatra's consort, that cost him much of his support in Rome. Due to her, they rejected him. Thus, giving Augustus the support he needed to win the world. That was how much Rome hated that alien Egyptian woman."
Anna looks at Elsa's Ice dress. "That is why you did not want to wear the Ice dress."
Elsa nods. "The more different I am from normal, the more people will fear and hate me. Like Rome feared and hated her." She waves her hand, snowflakes fall from it. "Oh, with this power, I could rule, as a Tyrant, a Dictator."
Both glance at her hand. The snow stops forming quickly and vanishes, a hidden sigh from both of them.
Kai flicks his eyes to the maids listening as they stand behind the sisters. They are totally silent, like well-trained maids they are.
"Everyone would hate you, sooner or later." Anna says in a glum tone. Her eyes narrow, "Can you avoid that?"
Elsa sighs, and says, "I think so, but, you must stand next to me."
Anna nods.
"I have to display my powers in non-fearful ways." She grimaces, "Freezing the room, like I did over the gloves, I can NOT do on the throne. And I can not do it when I'm with the Council."
"They would consider that a threat against them."
Elsa nods. "I would, at best, be bullying them."
She laughs, "As I lead them, I might have to bully them, but if I do, I will not use my powers."
Anna closes her eyes as she thinks, "So, you are happy because you...are prepared? Are confident?"
"Yes. Anna. What happens in the Throne Room or in the Council Chamber, I have thought about. I have planned. I have prepared. I have practiced speeches." A lopsided grin, "Admittedly, I was talking to myself in the mirror, but still, that has to count."
Anna laughs.
Elsa joins her sister laughing.
Elsa squeezes Anna's hand. "What worries me is this. Have I forgotten how a sister behaves? That worries me."
Anna squeezes Elsa's hand. "You are my sister, you have not forgotten." She says, decisively.
Elsa other hand shows more snowflakes. "My powers worries me. Can I control my powers when I am on throne? Or will I freeze someone who upsets me?"
Anna grabs Elsa's snow-covered hand. "You will control your powers, Elsa. You will NOT hurt anyone with them."
The snow vanishes.
Elsa smiles, holding both of Anna's hands, and whispers, looking deep into Anna's eyes. "And that, my sister, is why I need you. I will not, can not, and shall not, fail your trust in me."
Gerda hushes a servant about to enter the room, quietly.
Anna, holding both of Elsa's hands, looks deep into Elsa's eyes. "I trust you with everything, Elsa."
Time passes as they gaze into each other's eyes...
They release each other hands.
Anna begins to dig into the meal with enthusiasm, now.
After a couple of minutes, then, she slows down, and asks, "Today Elsa, you will be very busy, right?"
"Yes."
"And, tonight, you will probably collapse on the bed, as soon as you can."
Elsa, pauses, but she answers, "Yes, probably."
"So, the only time we will have together, alone, is now?"
Elsa glances around the room. Her concentration on her sister was total and she has paid no attention to her surroundings.
Anna looks around.
Kai and a couple of maids are in the room, waiting for orders. A servant is leaving, after giving a note to Kai, who is reading it and trying to pay attention to the Royal Sisters. One of the doors to the room is open, she can hear other servants walking in the hall and she can see the shoulder of the guard standing outside the room. Gerda's voice saying something, floating through one of the doors.
Both sisters blush deep red as they realize that the moment they thought was private, was not.
"I was awake when You and Kai were talking about Father." Anna whispers.
Elsa closes her eyes in pain.
A hitch. An order in a commanding tone, "Clear the room and close the doors."
Anna quickly says, "Kai, stay."
Kai looks at Elsa. Elsa grimaces, but nods, yes.
The door closes, loudly.
Elsa looks at Anna, waiting.
Anna licks her lips, "Can I know what is going on?"
'I must tell her.' She thinks, 'She is my sister.'
Elsa takes a couple of breaths and releases a hard sigh. "Ah. The habits of a lifetime. Keeping secrets is normal for me. My first thought is to say no, Anna."
A stormy expression forms on Anna's face.
"But. You are my sister and deserve to know."
That expression clears off Anna's face.
"When I said that I awoke in the dungeons, I did not mention that metal, glove-like manacles were around my hands." Elsa slowly explains.
"Glove-like?" Anna whispers.
An eye flick to Kai. "Father had them made."
Anna looks at him.
He grimaces and slowly nods, yes.
Anna closes her eyes in pain. "Father? How could you?" Slips from her lips.
"That, I assume, is in his diary." Queen Elsa sighs, "I really should have read them years ago. He would have known about the Council's skeletons. I will need that information, now."
"Why didn't you?"
"I did not want to know, for sure, that Father...hated me."
Silence.
"Why?"
"I am not a man. He wanted a son to rule after him."
end chap 6
OH, just talking about something will not fix it. It helps, a lot, sometimes. But Elsa and Anna will have this discussion in different ways, several times, before things settle out.
Thank you for reading
jeff