A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been following the story. Reviews are encouraged!
Chapter 10
Titles and Travels
As soon as Kristoff entered the dining room, he could tell that something was up.
For one thing, everyone was already seated, and were clearly waiting for him to arrive. Elsa was sitting at the head of the table, as before, with Anna on her right. The first two seats on Elsa's left were taken by Rapunzel and Eugene, the latter doing his best to look innocent. I knew there was something fishy about that carrot shortage, Kristoff thought.
It was the seat to Anna's right, however, and the fact that Anna seemed to be hiding something, that caught his attention. Not the chair itself, of course—it was just like all the others, save Elsa's—but what lay on the table in front of it: a folded piece of parchment, and a silver medal attached to a green and purple ribbon, just like the one Sven had been wearing except smaller.
Anna said I've been named Arendelle's Ice Master and Deliverer, Kristoff thought. He stood there for a moment, speechless. Anna, meanwhile, was grinning from ear to ear.
"And you thought it wasn't really a thing," she teased, as if reading his thoughts.
"But it isn't," Kristoff protested stubbornly.
"Of course it is." Kristoff hadn't noticed the Queen approach; she was suddenly right there in front of him, standing behind her sister. "It's a thing because I made it one," she said. "Now, ordinarily I would do something like this in the throne room, with the court as witnesses, but I am the Queen, and we are all here, so I see no reason why we cannot do it now. Kneel, please."
Kristoff did as instructed, dropping to one knee before her.
"Anna," Elsa said, and her sister proffered the item she'd been hiding—a sheathed sword. Drawing it, she said, "Kristoff Bjorgman, in the name of the Queen, I dub you Sir Kristoff Bjorgman, knight of Arendelle." She tapped him lightly on each shoulder with the blade, then returned it to Anna. "Rise, Sir Kristoff."
Kristoff stood. "Your Majesty, I-I'm honored," he stammered, attempting a bow.
"This wasn't my idea, if you're wondering," Anna assured him, sheathing the sword again and setting it aside. "Elsa sort of sprung it on me last-minute..."
"Regardless of whose idea it was," Elsa said, smirking at her sister, "this will make your 'not-a-thing' title sound less silly to other people, Kristoff. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah... I guess so," Kristoff replied. "Where'd you get the fancy sword?" Stupid question, ice man! he thought, and felt like kicking himself. This is a castle!
Elsa rolled her eyes, and said, "It belonged to our father." Picking up the medal from the table, she motioned for him to bow, and he did so, Elsa looping the ribbon around his neck. "I owe the silversmith a great deal for making these medals on such short notice," the Queen said, "but they aren't the most important part."
Taking the document and unfolding it, she read, "By decree of Queen Elsa of Arendelle, the position of Royal Ice Master and Deliverer is hereby established. By order of the Queen, the duties and privileges of Royal Ice Master and Deliverer are hereby awarded to Sir Kristoff Bjorgman for his generous assistance to the Royal Family during the Great Freeze." Folding it again, she said, "Congratulations, Royal Ice Master." The others applauded.
"Hang on," Anna said, snatching the paper out of Elsa's hand and scanning the part her sister just read. "Thought so. This doesn't say 'Sir', Elsa."
"I know, but I didn't have time to rewrite the whole thing, Anna," Elsa replied. "So unless you know of a way to magically change the words on the paper..."
"That's crazy talk, Elsa!" Anna said in mock horror. Pausing a moment, she asked, "You can't do that, can you?" Elsa shook her head.
"Oh, good," Anna said, "'cause that would be pretty scary." She immediately covered her head with her hands, as if expecting a snowball to land there. When none came, she lowered her hands, muttering, "Huh... I thought for sure that—AH!" Elsa and Rapunzel both giggled at the snow on Anna's head.
"You let your guard down," her sister teased. Handing Kristoff the document, Elsa said, "Don't lose that, Kristoff. You should read the rest of it at your leisure."
"Uh, right. Sure," Kristoff replied.
"Ooohh...!" The strawberry-blonde turned to Kristoff, and said, "Did you know that she was spying on us, earlier today?" Kristoff realized what moment that day she was referring to, and felt his face burn red with embarrassment.
"Relax, Kristoff," Elsa reassured him, as she returned to her seat. "I haven't told a soul what I saw, except Anna."
"And I told Rapunzel," Anna said, grinning. Kristoff facepalmed, groaning.
"Is this what court life is like?" he wanted to know.
"Filled with gossip? Oh, yes," Rapunzel replied. "If you decide to start courting Anna, you're going to have to be a little more careful, if you don't want word getting out instantly."
Great, Kristoff thought.
"Rapunzel is correct," the Queen said. "While I personally have no objections to you courting my sister, word will undoubtedly spread among the people of your little moment this afternoon. Therefore, I would strongly advise you to be more discreet in the future, Master Bjorgman."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Kristoff replied, the awkwardness returning.
"Good. Anna, do you understand as well?" Her sister nodded stiffly, and Elsa said, "All right. We will continue this discussion, in private, another time. For now, let's drop the formalities and eat, shall we?" She rang the bell on the table.
Kristoff turned to face Eugene. "You didn't, by any chance, have something to do with that mysterious carrot shortage in the stables, did you?" he asked, frowning.
"Guilty," the prince admitted. "You have to admit, I'm very good at making things disappear..."
"And I'm good at making them reappear," Rapunzel added. "Sort of. We just wanted to delay you a bit, Kristoff—we meant no harm."
"It's all right," Kristoff replied. "Sven didn't mind waiting a little longer for his dinner."
The kitchen staff came then, bearing dinner (roast again; Anna apparently loved it). While they laid everything out, Elsa said, "I guess I should apologize, too." She paused. "For the... spying thing." For some reason, the Queen blushed.
"It's all right, Yo—Elsa," Kristoff stumbled. "I'll bet Anna didn't know about it, either."
"Speaking of the princess..." Eugene interjected, winking at Anna (and getting a jab in the ribs from Rapunzel). "Oof. Did my advice come in handy, Kristoff?"
"Yeah, thanks, pal," Kristoff said sourly, remembering how he sounded. "My brain knew what it wanted to say, but it came out all muddled..."
"Even the best of us get tongue-tied sometimes, Kristoff," Elsa said. "Especially Anna."
"Hey!" Anna protested.
"Relax, sister," Elsa said. "Let's eat."
"So, Kristoff," Elsa said, as she cut into her slice of roast, "how many people can your new sled or cart carry?" Like most top-of-the-line sleds, the one Anna had bought Kristoff was convertible between runners (for snow) and wheels (for everything else); this was important to ice harvesters, who had to travel between dry land and snowed-over mountains, even during summer.
"Two in the front seat," Kristoff said; the look he gave Anna told Elsa who he thought that other seat would be going to on their trip. Think again, Ice Master! Elsa thought. "I might be able to fit two or three in the back."
"Quite unnecessary," Eugene cut in. "I'll be riding Maximus."
"And Olaf will probably want to ride Sven," Anna added. "I guess that leaves you and me in the back, cousin!" At Kristoff's puzzled look, she said, "Elsa's the Queen, Kristoff. She gets to ride in front when she's with us." Elsa silently thanked her.
"Is it, uh, safe?" Rapunzel asked Kristoff.
"Of course it's safe," Kristoff replied. "Unless we happen to be attacked by wolves and ride off a cliff, then you have nothing to worry about."
"Well, that shouldn't be too much of a problem, if we avoid traveling at night." Elsa said. A thought occurred to her, and she asked, "How far is the trolls' valley from the North Mountain?"
"Not as far as Arendelle is," Kristoff said. "Why? Did you want to meet my family?"
"I was thinking about it," Elsa admitted, "but mostly I'd like to have a talk with Pabbie." Anna and Kristoff both winced; they were probably imagining how such a meeting would go, after thirteen years of her following his bad advice. "I know what you're thinking," she said to them, "and I'm sorry, but I have things to say to him."
She sighed. "Anyway, I figure if we leave here early tomorrow morning, and arrive at the ice palace around midday, we'll have time for a tour, and then we can head back down the mountain and reach the Valley by nightfall."
"What? How can we possibly get to the North Mountain that fast?" Anna wondered. "It took me and Kristoff almost two days to get there!"
"Yes, Anna," Elsa said patiently, "but that was an unseasonal winter landscape you had to travel in. Furthermore, by your account, you were on foot for a good portion of that time. And besides," she added, pausing to smirk at her sister, "you didn't have me with you. I was able to get up there so fast because I left before most of the snow accumulated, and I had my powers to aid me."
"Okay..." Anna said, still sounding doubtful. "But what about the ravine? How'd you get across that?"
"I didn't," Elsa replied. "I went a different way. Besides, I could always build a bridge."
"Oh yeah," Anna said, falling silent.
"How long can we expect to be gone, Elsa?" Rapunzel inquired.
"All day tomorrow, and a bit of the next day," Elsa answered, "so pack a bag accordingly."
"All right," Eugene said. "Will there be food?"
"You let me worry about that," Elsa said. "It won't be much, but it'll be enough."
"Just so you know," Rapunzel said, "I sent a letter to my parents, briefly explaining the coronation incident, and letting them know we might be staying another day or two. So... maybe the afternoon we return from the mountains?" she said, with a questioning look at her husband.
"Sounds about right," Eugene agreed. "I'll let our captain know."
"You're going to leave right after we get back?" Anna asked, looking crestfallen.
"Don't worry, cousin," Rapunzel said gently. "It's not like we'll never visit again. Besides, we can always write."
"Okay," Anna said, brushing a tear away.
"It's settled, then," Elsa said. "I hope you all can rise at an early enough hour; I'd like to leave at around seven or eight o'clock. And Anna," she added, facing her sister, "I will use snow if I have to."
"Hey," Anna protested. "I got up early today without any help! Willingly!"
"Fair point," her sister replied, "but you've been warned. Will breakfast at six-thirty be sufficient motivation for you?"
"I guess," the strawberry-blonde said, sighing.
The rest of dinner was mostly idle talk—celebrating Kristoff's new titles ("What are people supposed to call you... Sir Ice Master?" Anna wondered), or the fact that the treacherous Duke of Weselton and Prince Hans were out of Arendelle, the latter hopefully for good.
Finally, the Queen delighted everyone when she called the head cook, Mistress Nora, to bring out her surprise, and the middle-aged woman arrived with a plate of fresh-made krumkake (with cream filling) for dessert.
When everyone was finished indulging in the sweet pastries, Elsa stood, and said, "Good night, everyone. Pack a bag, and get plenty of sleep."
It didn't take Anna very long to pack. Despite owning nearly enough dresses to fill two wardrobes (all stuffed into one), she made her decision fairly quickly.
The winter dress she bought at Oaken's was the obvious choice; it would come in handy for the higher elevations, and she could always put the cloak on later if she got too cold. Otherwise, all she added was the necessities, as well as the usual things one takes on a trip into the mountains—blankets being a priority. I'm not going to be unprepared this time, no sir! she thought.
When she was done, she changed into her pale green nightgown, and left her room, wandering over to Elsa's room. Knocking her signature five-beat knock, she waited until Elsa answered before entering.
Unsurprisingly, Elsa was seated at her desk, going through a pile of missives. "Honestly, Elsa," Anna scolded lightly, "you expect us to get plenty of sleep, but what about you? You wouldn't want to be too tired to get up, or to use your powers on our journey."
"I'll go to bed soon, Anna," her sister assured her, "just as soon as I finish looking over these."
"Yeah, right." Anna said doubtfully. Looking around, she noted the absence of a packed bag. "Aren't you going to pack?"
"Of course," Elsa replied, "but I don't need much."
"Am I going to have to pack extra blankets for you, Miss The-cold-doesn't-bother-me?" Her sister glared at her, and with a flick of her hand sent a little snowball flying into Anna's face. "AAH!"
Brushing the snow off of herself, Anna admitted, "I guess I deserved that. Still, you probably don't want to sleep on the hard ground, Elsa."
Elsa sighed. "You're right, I don't," the blonde said, in a tone that suggested she would much rather sleep in a bed. "I'll bring some blankets."
"Are you going to bring any extra clothing?" Anna wanted to know.
"No," Elsa answered, gesturing to her ice dress. "I think I'll just wear one of these, and change it if I need to. As you pointed out, the cold doesn't bother me."
"Have you actually tried changing it, yet?" Anna wondered.
"No," her sister replied, "but I considered it when we were on horseback earlier; this isn't particularly suitable for riding, you know." She stood up, and said, "Still, now's as good a time as any to try."
Adopting a look of intense concentration, Elsa waved her hands up her body, changing the ice dress with the slit into an ankle-high garment somewhat lighter, with no slit, and a much higher neckline: an ice nightgown. "What do you think?" she asked.
"It's lovely, Elsa," Anna said. "You probably don't want to wander the halls in that, though."
"You're one to talk, sister," the blonde retorted, raising an eyebrow at Anna's plenty-modest nightgown.
"Hey!" Anna protested. "This makes yours look positively scandalous!" That earned her another snowball in the face. "COLD!" Elsa giggled.
"What I meant, Anna, was that I don't usually wander the halls in just a nightgown," Elsa teased. "Now, you'd best be off to bed, before I nail you again."
"Oh, all right," Anna muttered sulkily, and added under her breath, "you stinker." Her sister raised an eyebrow, and swirled some ice over her upturned palm. "Okay, okay, I'm going!" Anna said quickly, dashing out of the room, but not before calling back, "Love you, Elsa!"
"I love you too, Anna," Elsa replied. "Sleep well."
In Elsa's estimation, six o'clock came much too soon. Fortunately, she was accustomed to rising early, unlike Anna, so she didn't have too much trouble. Of course, if Anna knew how little sleep I've been getting lately, the blonde thought, she'd probably have me stay in bed for a whole week.
After freshening up and conjuring a new ice dress, Elsa picked up her bag of blankets and such and rang for Kai. When the butler arrived, she handed him the bag and said, "Take this downstairs for me, would you, Kai?"
"Of course, Your Majesty," Kai said.
"Have you cleared my schedule for today and tomorrow?"
"I have," the portly man replied. "If anything comes up, either I or the senior Council members will handle it."
"Thank you," the Queen said. "That will be all." Kai bowed and left with her bag.
Walking to Anna's room, Elsa put her ear to the door and heard the predictable sound of Anna's snoring. Figures, she thought, knocking on the door.
"Nghh... couldn't be morning already... five more minutes?" came the groggy voice of her sister.
"Oh Annnaaaaa... don't make me come iiiinn..." Elsa said in a singsong voice.
"Ah! I'm up, I'm up!" came her sister's hasty reply, followed by a loud thump! and an "Oof!"
"Breakfast is soon, Anna," Elsa reminded her, "so you'd best pick yourself up off the floor and get ready."
"All right," came the muffled reply, and Elsa left, hoping her sister didn't fall asleep again.
Elsa headed downstairs to the kitchens. After speaking with Mistress Nora about fixing some food for their trip (a few small meals' worth), and ordering breakfast for five to be served at six-thirty, she walked to the dining room to wait for everyone to arrive.
Sitting in her high-backed chair, she idly waved her hand, making little snowflakes fly around the room. It made her happy to be able to use her powers now without having to hide them, and provided her with some amusement, as the snowballs landing on Anna's head proved. I need to get more creative with that, she thought absently. Maybe have one sneak up on her...
It was at this moment, idly playing with her powers, that she had that strange feeling again, like she'd had several nights before during the snowball fight. Instinctively, she froze, listening, and heard the telltale patter of little feet approaching. "Hey, little guy," she said as Olaf opened the door, waddling into the room.
"Whoa... how did you know it was me?" the snowman wondered.
"I'm not really sure, Olaf," Elsa said, thoughtful, "but it seems that I can... sense when you're nearby. I don't really know how it works, yet." She chuckled. "I still don't know how I made you work, so I guess it's not a big surprise. What brings you here?"
"I heard you guys were all going on a trip to the mountains," Olaf replied, "and I was wondering when you're leaving."
"Well, I was planning on leaving at seven or eight o'clock," the Queen answered, "but it depends on how timely Anna and the others are. You're invited to come along, of course. We'll be going to the ice palace, and visiting the trolls on the way back."
"Sounds like fun!" Olaf said. "Hey... do you think we'll see my little brother Marshmallow there, Elsa?"
"He's hardly little, Olaf," Elsa laughed, "but as you were made first, I can see why you think that. It's almost as strange as calling him Marshmallow."
"I think it's a good name," Olaf replied. "Anyway, I'll go tell Sven and Max!" He trotted off happily, almost knocking Anna over in the doorway.
"Woah..." Anna said, stumbling. She was wearing the winter dress she had bought at the trading post, with the blue skirts, dark bodice decorated with rosemaling, and light blue sleeves. Elsa noticed the magenta cloak that went with it poking out the top of the bag Anna was carrying. By the way Anna was carrying it, Elsa guessed that there were more than a few blankets inside weighing it down.
"Did you carry that down here yourself, Anna?" Elsa asked her.
"Yeah... it's not much. Why?" the strawberry-blonde said, puzzled.
"You're a princess, Anna," Elsa reminded her. "You could have had Gerda or someone bring it down for you."
"Well, it's down here now," Anna replied, taking her seat to Elsa's right. "Where is everyone?"
"Oh, I'm sure they'll be down any moment now," her sister answered.
Sure enough, Kristoff, Eugene, and Rapunzel arrived shortly after. They ate breakfast then, a quick affair of porridge and honey. Elsa had only just finished hers by the time Mistress Nora appeared with the basket of food she had finished preparing.
"There are sandwiches, slices of leftover roast, fresh biscuits, fresh fruit, bread, butter, jam, honey, and... various other things," the head cook said, showing her the contents of the basket.
"Bless you, Nora," Elsa said, smiling. "Just set it by the front doors with everything else, okay?"
"Of course, Your Majesty," Nora replied, and left the room, basket in hand.
Eventually, it was time for the party to be leaving. Kristoff had converted the sled to a wheeled cart the night before, and now had Sven bring it around to the front door (Olaf, as expected, was sitting on Sven). Eugene went to fetch Maximus, and Kai loaded everyone's things into the back of the cart, leaving just enough room for Anna and Rapunzel to sit.
"Didn't know I was going to need the family size wagon..." Elsa heard Kristoff mutter, as she climbed onto the seat in front.
"You might, someday," she whispered back.
"Don't remind me," he replied, blushing. Glancing up, Elsa saw Eugene returning, leading Maximus, and that meant it was time to go.
"Kai," the Queen announced, "I am leaving Arendelle in yours and the Council's capable hands until I return. If we make good time, I expect we should be back tomorrow afternoon."
"Very good, Your Majesty. Safe travels," Kai replied. Bowing to the prince and princesses, he said, "Be safe, Your Highnesses."
"Oh, we will," Anna assured him.
"Let's be off then," Elsa said. "Kristoff?"
"Let's go, buddy," the mountain man said, and Sven set off at a trot. Eugene mounted up and followed on Maximus.
Because the fjord was not frozen, the group did have to go a ways, through the surrounding villages, to reach the path towards the North Mountain that Elsa had taken. Elsa, for her part, sat on the seat patiently, listening to the wind whip around them, and the sound of the girls playing hide-and-seek with Pascal ("I'd really rather he wasn't in my hair, cousin..." Anna complained).
As soon as they were mostly out of civilization, and on the mountain paths, Kristoff said, "Okay, Sven, ready to go fast?" The reindeer nodded. To the girls, Kristoff said, "Hang on, ladies." Calling to Eugene, he shouted, "Think you can keep up?"
"Are you kidding?" the prince shouted back. "Max could keep up with a team of horses!"
"All right, Sven!" Kristoff said, and Sven took off in a gallop, Maximus not far behind.
"Everyone hang on," Elsa commanded. "I haven't exactly done this before." Closing her eyes, she concentrated, bringing an icy breeze into being behind them, hoping that it would help them along. Opening her eyes, she saw that they were going faster than before.
"What did you do?" Kristoff asked.
"Not much," Elsa said. "I just gave us a cold breeze at our backs."
"How much control over the wind do you have?" Anna wondered.
"I can't really manipulate the wind itself," Elsa replied, "but I can make a cold breeze, and hope that it influences the wind around us. I haven't practiced this sort of thing much, but I guess this was enough to give us a little boost."
"Well, we ought to make pretty good time, with this," Kristoff said, sounding impressed. "Thanks."
"Not a problem," Elsa said. "I don't know how long it'll last, though."
Eventually, they reached the snow line. During the summer months, the snow was higher up than in winter, but it was still there. Kristoff, therefore, had to stop and switch the sled back to runners, giving Sven and Maximus a chance to take a breather.
"That was quite a clip we were traveling at," Eugene said
"With snow, it'll be even better," Elsa said. "Though, I'd bundle up a little, if I were you," she added, eyeing her sister.
"Oh... right!" Anna said, pulling the pink cloak out of her bag and pulling it on. "Need a blanket?" she asked Rapunzel.
"Sure," the brunette replied. accepting one from Anna. "It's a bit chilly for me."
Soon they were off again, going at a quick pace, but not so much as to be dangerous. As the sun climbed higher into the sky, Elsa kept the cool breeze on their backs, while keeping a sharp eye on the path in front of them, giving Kristoff directions every so often.
They started to climb, and Elsa started to get that funny feeling again... but it wasn't Olaf. "I think we're getting close," she said.
"What? How do you know?" Anna asked. "I can't even see the ice palace yet."
"It's... hard to explain." Elsa admitted. "When we were having our snowball fight the other night, I had this funny feeling that Olaf would be joining us, and sure enough, he showed up. I felt the same thing this morning just before he visited me in the dining room. And again, just now, but it's not from Olaf."
"Whoa, that's crazy," Anna said, eyes round. "So you can feel them? Olaf, and... Marshmallow too?"
"Apparently," Elsa said. "Which means we should probably be expecting him to be on guard when we arrive."
"Great," Kristoff said with a groan.
A/N: Been a while since I wrote in Kristoff's POV, hasn't it? (Hint: it was chapter 6.) I'll try to write him a little more often from now on.
–Having Elsa knight Kristoff didn't occur to me until I started writing this chapter. Elsa has the right of it: it makes his 'not-a-thing' title sound better! After consulting with a few peers, I decided this was the right way to go; making him a noble, like a baron or a greve (count), wouldn't make sense at this point in the story.
–Since it happens off-screen, I'll elaborate on the little diversion Eugene and Rapunzel pulled. Basically, Eugene ran after Kristoff and Sven, catching up to them before they reached the stables, saying he was going check on Maximus. He proceeded to fill his satchel with carrots while neither one of them was watching, then while gathering apples for Max, he points out to Kristoff the small number of carrots left. Promising Kristoff that he'll fetch some more, Eugene goes outside and waits until he gets the signal from Rapunzel that Elsa and Anna are ready, then goes back in and hands the carrots he pocketed to Kristoff, claiming Rapunzel brought them. Eugene then left, racing to the dining room to wait with everyone else.
–Dropped a hint for a future chapter here, when Elsa will be having a one-on-one talk with Kristoff about Anna.
–Introduced another (mostly) background OC—Nora, mistress of the kitchens. (By the way, "various other things" in this case includes chocolate, but she doesn't want to say that out loud, and have Anna raiding the basket before meal time. She knows the princess all too well.)
–No, I will not stop pelting Anna with snowballs; Elsa and I both think it's hilarious. :P However, please tell me if I'm writing either of them too OOC in that regard!
–Provided a bit of an explanation for Elsa's ability to reach the North Mountain so fast—magic, of course! I mean, if her powers can (unintentionally) stir up a raging blizzard, they ought to be able to make a steady cold breeze. As for whether she can control natural winds and other weather... I don't really know, but I'm going to say no.
–Playing with Elsa's snow golem (or snowlem) senses again. (Maybe it's "snowy senses"?)
Next chapter: a snow monster, a tour, and a confrontation!