"And then it burst into flame! Just, poof! My whole livelihood, gone," said Kristoff as he swung a bottle of wine around to demonstrate.
"Hey, I replaced that!" said Anna, taking a deep drink from her own goblet after she spoke.
They had moved from their dinner table to more comfortable seating in the room with the gifts from Lord Derek, so now Kristoff and Anna leaned against a couch as they sat on the floor while Elsa had drug one of the comfier chairs into their circle. Lord Derek, meanwhile, sat cross-legged on the cold wooden floor as he stared with all his might on his own bottle of wine.
"It's the principle of the thing! We could have waited until morning, when we wouldn't've had to worry about nighttime beasts or cliffs and still beaten the others to Elsa!"
"I thought that I replaced his sled," murmured Elsa as she sank deeper into her chair.
"You both did," said Kristoff as he attempted to avoid dangerous waters.
"Principals are important," muttered Lord Derek as he slowly lifted his bottle to look at it closer. "For instance, I am making it a principal that I shall finish this bottle of wine without help." he then uncorked it and guzzled it down, falling backwards as he did so.
"Thank you Lord Derek! My point is that if you weren't so jumpy about getting into stuff, half your problems would solve themselves!" said Kristoff as he waved an accusatory finger at Anna.
Lord Derek raised an arm from his spot on the floor and spoke up at that. "In her defense, leaping into things has worked out in her favor as well, Kristoff. If Anna hadn't tried to marry Hans, then Elsa might never have learned how to control her powers and the Duke would have sent more witch hunters after her."
Elsa perked up at that. "No, the Duke only sent his bodyguards, not witch hunters."
Lord Derek sat up from the floor and shook his head. "All Weselton bodyguards were trained as witch hunters after the Witch Queen of the North tried to kill the King of Weselton in his sleep. Never mind that she's dead now, it's still one of the first things they learn about. Is there any more wine?"
Elsa and Anna stared at Lord Derek as he glanced around the room in an attempt to find another unopened bottle of wine. He seemed almost unaware of the effect his casual statement and quick change of gears had on them.
"Are you saying that you brought a ship full of witch hunters to Arendelle? Into my home?" asked Elsa, her voice seething with anger.
"Like there aren't any number of witch hunters here already. Did you think that your parents wouldn't have prepared for that, just in case? I wouldn't have wanted a repeat of the Witch Queen of the North if I was them, especially if it was my own daughter who was doing the magic. Why else would there be a cell here designed with magic users in mind?"
Anna was fuming but Kristoff nodded in agreement with Lord Derek. He'd been raised by trolls so he'd heard any number of horror stories about magic users who went down the dark path. More often than not, the trolls and other forest folk would handle the situation before it got out of hand but the Witch Queen of the North had been a nightmare for everyone.
"Lord Derek, allow me. Anna, Elsa, have you heard anything about the Witch Queen?" Elsa and Anna shook their heads, so Kristoff went on. "I only know about her from the stories Grand Pabbie told me, but she was not a nice person. She subjugated much Weselton as well as part of the Southern Isles and would have made a move for Arendelle if not for Grand Pabbie."
"It took a veritable army of witch hunters to kill her, and we still lost so many men to her magic. The former Duke was one of the leaders in that final charge. Ever since he's taken a much more stringent stance against magic, but we had no idea that he was ready to go on the war path." Said Lord Derek in a somber tone.
"So, she couldn't control her powers?" asked Anna, her voice tinged with concern.
Lord Derek laughed. "Oh she could control her powers alright. You say that love is the key, and that's true, but there are many kinds of love. Love of power. Love of hate. Love of control. Love doesn't only mean positive things."
"And how would you know what kind of love drove her?" asked Elsa with ice dancing at her fingertips.
"Because I knew her at the beginning and I was at that charge and I saw how much she'd changed. In those last moments I don't think there was enough love left in her to merited sparing her. But what love is changes from person to person, so what worked for her would not work for you, God be praised. And in regards to my own bodyguards, your Majesty, if they touched even a hair on your head against your will I will ensure that they are punished accordingly. I give you my word." Lord Derek looked around at the now quiet and contemplative group and perked up. "Besides, anyone who could make as delightful a being as Olaf would never cross to the dark, I'm sure. But enough talk of those dark times! I say that we open another bottle of wine, or, if you are all willing, allow me to bring up a cask of ale from my ship so that we might all enjoy some of Weselton's finest drink!"
With that Lord Derek sauntered out into the hall and sang a little ditty to himself. Elsa sat in silence, absorbing his words. "What would you do if I went to the dark, Anna?" She asked in a quiet tone. "Would you stop me?"
"Elsa, please," Anna began, but Elsa interrupted her.
"Anna, I want you to promise me that if I ever go to the dark that you'll stop me no matter what it takes. Promise me," said Elsa as she sank onto the ground in front of them, near tears.
Anna shook her head no, unable to think of doing such a thing to her sister.
"I promise we'll stop you if it comes to that, but I hope it never does," said Kristoff finally, gently holding Elsa's hands in his.
"Thank you," said Elsa with a slight smile.
"And it won't come to that, I just know it!" said Anna in a cheerful voice, although Kristoff knew that she wasn't happy with him now. Anna loved Elsa and the idea that Kristoff might play a hand in her death, no matter how outlandish the idea was, did not sit well with her.
"I wonder why they never told us about her," said Elsa, less as a question and more as an idle musing.
"Who never told us about who?" asked Anna.
"Why our parents never told us about the Witch Queen. I'd never heard of her before now."
"I'll bet it was because they didn't want to scare you with stories about other people born with power who turned evil. Not something you tell a growing girl who can't control her own power, I'd think," said Kristoff to her, who had grown up hearing stories about people who went to the dark because his Troll family believed that tough love was important too.
"That makes sense. I guess my childhood would have been even more stressful if I thought that I might become a wicked witch at any moment," said Elsa with a smile.
"Instead of the beloved queen that you are," said Anna cheerfully.
"Indeed! All hail Queen Elsa, long may she reign!" cried Kristoff as he raised up a glass of wine.
"All hail Queen Elsa!" said Anna in chorus with him. Elsa just laughed and leaned into them, as all her fears drained away.