OKAY! Now I'm finished with this chapter! Now I can focus on shipping our two favorite ladies off to Corona and meet Rapunzel finally!
And yes, I used Princess Diaries references. It's a great movie.
Kristoff was trying to admire himself in the mirror, but his nerves were singeing his skin too much for him to see just how nice he looked. Absentminded, he tugged at the large lapels of his jacket, thinking that will make him feel more confident. But the fact that he was going to have to go out there, and be in the midst of hundreds of people? Who were all going to keep coming up to him and congratulate him? He felt hopeless for relief as he just stood there in place before the large full body mirror, festering in his own anxiety.
He saw of the door behind him opening in the mirror but he was now completely frozen with fear to react to it, or the people who had come through it.
"Hey honey." Anna called out as she skipped over to him. Her elation making her feel as light as a cloud on a warm summer day, like how today was outside. Elsa stuck to just walking. Her graceful hands folded in front of her and a small hint of a smile on her regal, poised face from seeing her sister buzzing to her boyfriend.
"Krissy? Darling, dear, love of my life, what's wrong?" Anna asked as she looked from his somber face to his somber reflection.
Elsa's smile vanished when she finally caught sight of his reflection. She knew that look all too well and it put a bitter, acidic taste in her mouth from it's foulness that it stirred in her. She knew he'd be a little nervous, but not terrified, no she didn't think of that.
"Kristoff, you're starting to worry me here. At least tell me if you're okay." Anna tried to plead as calm as she could. But, there was still a tiny little crack in her voice as it wavered when she almost said scare instead of worry.
Elsa strode over and went to stand in front of him. She was no where near tall enough to block his view of himself, but that's not what she was going for. He kept staring at his pallid face as his fear crippled the words straining in his tightening throat.
Elsa tugged at the standing collar of his shirt straightening it and smoothed out his rumpled cravat. "How nice you clean up, Kristoff." Elsa looked up with her eyes only and cooed as she continued to groom him. She hoped that maybe a mother's touch would ease his jumbled emotions. His eyes flickered down to hers then he looked over to his left where Anna was standing, clutching at his sweaty hand. Then he looked back at himself.
"I'm glad I talked Georg out of putting you in one of those suits of armor standing in the halls." Elsa joked and she looked up at him again and she saw his mouth twitch.
"I'm for one bummed!" Anna interjected sarcastically. Again his mouth twitched, harder this time, but then his lips came back to rest in their hard line. Elsa knew he needed much more than a motherly gesture to cure him.
"Hey, look at me." Elsa softly commanded. She lifted a hand to his clammy face and she curled her delicate fingers around his chin. She gently tugged on it to force him to look away from the mirror and look at her instead. When his eyes found hers through her forcement his pupils shrank a little as some of his fear drifted away at her calm face.
Anna looked from Kristoff to Elsa's hand then to Elsa herself and back and forth, with a puzzled expression. She still held onto Kristoff's hand knowing that she must have been comforting him by her warm touch.
"I am sorry you're feeling this way." Elsa heard her mother's voice come through her mouth. "But, that does not mean you can't feel something else. You can feel scared all you want, or you can feel happy. It's your choice what to feel, just as long as you're feeling something though."
"I'm feeling unworthy." He muttered. It was more that his lips moved that let Elsa know he said something.
"After everything I said yesterday?"
"You didn't hear what people said today."
"What'd they say?" Anna spoke up, her voice growing intense and large with wrathful anger at whomever made her sweetie pie feel hurt.
*Knock knock*
"Mr. Bjorgman?" The girls turned their heads towards Wilbur's voice behind the door. Kristoff saw his eyes light up when he looked to his reflection and then to the door.
"Yes!" He answered eagerly. The door cautiously opened and Wilbur poked his head through and then almost bowed back out when he saw the royal sisters with him.
"Excuse me, but the guests are all waiting for you, and you two as well my ladies." Wilbur said. He kept his eyes on the carpet and his voice sounded fragile.
"We're sorry Wilbur. We'll be right there."
"Your majesty, you're already late from looking for Mr. Bjorgman here. The p-"
"A queen is never late Wilbur." Elsa snapped, and with that Wilbur bowed and quickly closed the door back shut. He then scurried down the hall to explain to the guardsman at the end of the hall why he returned alone.
"So he got his feelings hurt, big deal!" One guard said quite irritated and even going so far as throwing up his arms to showcase his annoyance. He then stared down the door from the distance of which him and the two other guards and Wilbur were standing from.
"Oh give him a break will ya Greg? From what I've heard they really did a number on him." A second guard pleaded. He slapped the first guard on the arm which issued a dirty sneer from him when he whipped his head back behind him to see who struck him.
"Besides! He's not used to being around people all the time! Haven't you heard about how it was trolls that raised him?" The third guard said a little bashful feeling when the first guard set his dark glare on him when he began to speak.
"Well, there's no use in just standing here talking about it." Wilbur spoke to break the glare of the first guard from the third, even though that meant bearing it himself, but he was fine with that. He felt too guilty to care. "There is still a crowded Great Hall to appease until they choose to arrive. Like Elsa said, queens are never late."
"Oh yeah? Then what does she call being half an hour late looking for the poor fool who can't handle a few criticisms?" The first guard inquired with a boiling voice.
Wilbur held his ground and even matched the guard's glare as he felt quite fed up with the guard's attitude. "Everyone else is simply early."
The guard scoffed and turned around harshly, feeling Wilbur was too beneath his status to argue any further. "Let's go then." He coldly demanded and the two other guards leapt back into their formation. They marched down the halls to get back to the restless people.
Wilbur stayed put and looked back behind him towards Kristoff's door. He felt his heart crack inside his chest and that made him look away and trudge on forward. Passing by an array of portraits of dead kings and dukes he thought to himself about the senior guard's remarks.
Wilbur came to the conclusion that Gregory just didn't like the idea of Queen Elsa knighting Kristoff. That would make Kristoff higher in status than him, than the whole royal guard. None of them were knights were they! No.
But, Gregory must know that Kristoff will most likely marry Anna in the future though, right? Which could result in Elsa gifting him the title Prince. So, either way, Gregory was just being a giant sour puss about his inevitable demise of being less in status as a former peasant. That's what brought back to mind how Wilbur defended Kristoff not long ago.
"What do you mean they called you worthless? Or a free loader?! Elsa has given you a great opportunity and they call you lazy?!" Anna was flaming, her temper more red than her hair, while Elsa was sitting next to Kristoff on the couch across from his bed.
This was a situation none of them thought they would ever face. Anna was being angry for everyone, especially Kristoff, and Elsa was being calm and uplifting for everyone. Kristoff was just being crestfallen. But, that was changing by the second with Anna's adorable, angry mumbling as she paced about the room heatedly. You could just hear her manic plotting of how she was going to destroy those responsible for all this.
"You're not worthless Kristoff, and today you're going to prove it to their faces when I dub you knight. I'm not just giving you some fancy honorary title. I am going to touch your shoulder with my father's sword and dub you a knight. You're going to be a legend someday because of it, I swear it!" Elsa attempted to cheer him up which did elicit a smile from him, finally.
"Oh yeah?" Kristoff asked with a small chortle. He shifted his eyes over to Anna and she grinned when he winked at her.
"Of course." Elsa confirmed.
She dropped her hand away from his chin and Kristoff took his freedom and leaned in to kiss Anna square on the mouth. Elsa stepped away, smiling, from the little love birds.
"We best be heading out now. I don't even want to imagine what complaints I'll hear of our tardiness." Elsa said to break up the snogging going on behind her.
She heard a whisper as she strode to the door that faintly sounded like, "Just wait until tonight." It sounded like Anna's voice, and that was more than enough to elicit a disconcerting tingle down Elsa's spine. She let the feeling pass and coughed out loud to garner their attention to the door she had opened.
"If you two don't come with me now neither of you will have a tonight." Elsa lightheartedly threatened and the lovely couple hurried along to the door. Elsa saw to it that they exited first, then she trailed behind them as she shut the door.
"Why is it that you're allowed in my room, but I'm not allowed in yours?" Kristoff murmured into Anna's ear as they walked side by side. Elsa could still hear every word though. Thirteen years of straining to hear every sound her sister made to feel closer to her had trained her for moments like this.
"If you two ever marry then you can be together all you want. For now, Anna has her studies and you Kristoff have your business to worry about." Elsa resolutely defined. Anna turned her head back and stuck out her tongue at Elsa.
"Ah! There he is! Alone at last." Georg chimed out with a slightly slurred tongue.
Kristoff frantically looked about for Anna, who had just left to use the restroom. She had promised earlier to never leave his side to help ease his anxiety of people coming up to him, but she couldn't hold her bladder forever, now could she?
Georg came up to him with a drink sloshing around and out of his chalice. He slapped Kristoff on the shoulder with congratulations even though nothing had happened yet.
"Are you excited my boy?" Georg asked and Kristoff could smell a faint whiff of bourbon on Georg's breath.
"Uh... Yeah. Excited, yeah of course!" Kristoff stammered out with as much forced enthusiasm as he could muster.
Georg gave him a narrow look, scanning Kristoff's face for the truth. He wasn't that drunk to not be able to clearly see through a lie. Elsa wasn't the only one taught how to hold her liquor.
"You must have taken your lying lessons from Elsa, because young man, you frankly stink at it."
"Just drop it okay? I've had kind of a rough day as it is, and it's not going to get better with you hounding me."
Georg took a step back from Kristoff's sharp tongue and his eyes spread wide open in unadulterated shock. But, he couldn't find it on him to let his anger surge through him. Not with the look of guilt and hurt that shrouded Kristoff's face.
"I see... You know that if you ever need some man to man time, I'm your man." Georg said warmly and a little smirk lifted up the corners of his mouth.
Kristoff looked onto the man and he felt his heart lighten with Georg's sentiment. "Thanks Georg. I guess that did make my day a little better."
"Anytime young man. Anytime. How about you come by my office later this evening and we can discuss your day then? What flavor cigar to you favor?"
"Uh, I've never smoked in my life."
"Ah! A true spectacle! We shall change that tonight my dear boy!"
"Kristoff"! Anna's high voice floated above the din of the party. She ascended through the crowd as quickly, but as composed as possible. Kristoff let out a giant sigh of relief at the sound of her voice, and Georg looked around to find the adorable little red head.
Luckily people saw the princess and got out of her way. Anna sped right up to Kristoff and grabbed his hands and began to yank him through the crowd with her as she led them to the band, leaving Georg stranded alone with his drink.
"It's time! Elsa says it's time!" Anna excitedly whispered. His knighting was still a surprise. Everyone that was watching the princess towing along the Ice Master simply smiled at their young antics. They were under the assumption that this dinner was just a long overdue act of gratitude for Kristoff. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Elsa was just coming onto the platform in front of the band, and the conductor began to lower his baton and the band faded away, but she urgently gestured for them to continue on. The conductor gave her a puzzled look but raised his baton again anyway. Elsa looked out at the crowd and saw how some people were elbowing each other and pointing at her to draw attention to everyone that the queen was up there.
She thought fast when she saw Anna's bright hair flashing between the dark colors of various formal dresses and tuxes of their guests. She went over to the conductor and said into his ear, "Just keep playing until the end your piece. Don't worry about me just yet." He firmly nodded, and then responded.
"Just a few more bars your highness."
Elsa nodded and then walked away and off the platform. She went behind the curtains she had installed the night before so she could hide there and make this whole things that much more dramatic. She just didn't think that she'd have to go out beyond them to try and find her sister and blow her hiding spot.
"They're coming." She quietly spoke, more so to herself than to Wilbur who was standing behind the curtains holding a cloth sheathed sabre in his hands. She looked behind her thinking that they were going to come onto the stage instead of behind the curtains like planned. Anna's blatant excitement set course a sea of worry that she would do such a thing. All she saw was the band huffing and puffing away.
She sighed and turned away and her eyes immediately found the sword in Wilbur's hands. "May I see it again?" She asked already reaching to uncover it. Wilbur stretched out his arms in a gesture for her to just take it from him, and she did gladly.
She held it at it's hilt and then pulled away the green velvet cloth that was being used to sheath it. She held it up before her and she marveled at it. The blade was encrested with the words "Å erobre frykt omfavne det." To conquer fear embrace it. The sword had been handed down many times in it's lifetime, and there was something about it that made Elsa feel powerful just being able to even touch the sword, let alone hold it, let alone wield it.
Elsa then saw Anna's hair in her peripherals and she covered the blade again and handed it back to Wilbur. Then she went to meet Anna and Kristoff half way as they approached the curtains.
"Very subtle Anna." Elsa hissed. "Running around dragging him over here."
"Sorry. I'm just so excited!" Anna breathed out.
"At least someone is." Elsa sighed as she saw the panic in Kristoff's eyes as the pair come to a halt in front of her. He was beginning to struggle for every breath when he saw what was in Wilbur's hands. "Hey now. It's alright. You're going to be okay." Elsa started to calmly reassure him as Anna rubbed his back when she noticed how tense he became at the sight of the covered blade.
"Now, I'm going to just tell you exactly what is going to happen, okay?" Elsa asked him, trying to pry his wide eyes from the velvet covering the sword that Wilbur was turned around with to get it out of Kristoff's sight. Once out of his vision Kristoff felt a lot better but still labored for his breath. He was able to look at Elsa now though.
"Okay. When ever you are ready, I'm going to go out there and call everyone's attention, and they are mainly going to focus on me the whole time. This will all be over in just a few minutes. I'm going to say a little speech and then call you out here. Anna you're more than welcome to accompany him. And Sven is over behind the curtains over there." Elsa turned to point at the reindeer that was sitting on his rear end as he was being petted and adored by the stable boy who was tasked with watching him until it was time for him to come out. A giant grin erupted on Kristoff's face and suddenly the world felt much easier to tackle to him when he saw his buddy over there.
Elsa then turned back around and garnered Kristoff's attention again. "I will have you kneel in front of me. You can just kneel on one knee if you like, or both. I want you to be comfortable. Then I will ask my my sword and I will tap it on your right shoulder first, then your left. I will dub you Sir Kristoff, you will rise and I will pin my insignia onto your jacket and then you will face the crowd and make everyone regret ever insulting you. You are going to look them in the eye and make them squirm in their expensive boots. Got it?"
Anna was trying to suppress a rising giggle from Elsa's ingenious pep talk. Kristoff's stature had increased the whole time until he was standing fully erect and proud, and Elsa smiled at her victory.
"Got it." He affirmed strongly. He didn't hold an ounce of fear in him anymore.
He felt so brave in fact that he looked to Wilbur's back and called out to him. Wilbur turned around to his beckoning and looked onto Kristoff as the man came towards him.
"I just want to thank you for what you did today. I never really thanked you before." Kristoff murmured low so the girls couldn't hear him.
Wilbur's eyes twinkled and he humbly bowed his head in respect. "My pleasure." He murmured as well, and with that he knew he had been forgiven for every time he had tried to prove his superiority over him.
The music had stopped and there was finally applause after the people saw the conductor bow and then exit the platform, signaling the end of their entertainment for the time being.
Elsa stopped mid sentence of speaking with Anna when she felt a tapping on her shoulder and she turned her head around to see the conductor behind her. "Pardon me my lady, but may I ask how long we will be excused?"
Elsa turned around and glanced over to Kristoff, seeing him shaking hands with Wilbur. "Anna, will you please excuse us?" She asked with a smile from seeing Kristoff and Wilbur getting along, and Anna gladly curtsied and left to go over to them.
"Not very long I think. I just have a surprise for everyone." Elsa said, glancing back over to Kristoff as Anna took his arm into hers.
The conductor looked behind him as well, but he focused on Sven instead. "Yes, the reindeer has risen quite a few questions from the players."
"Oh!" Elsa's focus shifted over to Sven as well. "Oh, he's not the surprise. He's just here for it." The conductor turned back and shot her a questioning look. "You just take your players and let them mingle among everyone else for the time being. I'll take it from here maestro." Elsa lightheartedly jested and bowed a little towards the old man.
"As you wish your majesty." The old man returned her bow for an even deeper one and then went off to direct his band off the platform and into the crowd.
"No, no. Don't take your instruments with you. Yes, just leave them here. They'll be fine!" The crowd all laughed as they watched the tuba players waddle back to their seats and set down their behemoth horns next to them.
Elsa strode over to the little trio still behind the curtain and went in front of Kristoff to straighten up his attire once more.
"Whenever you're ready big guy." She said smoothing out his cravat again.
"I think I'm good now." He replied, looking down at Anna's proud smile.
"Okay, Anna? Could you grab that little box over there?" Elsa asked, pointing over to a dark box sitting on top of a stool and Anna skipped over to it and brought it back over to them. "Thank you." Elsa said as she reached for it.
"What is it?" Anna asked with intense curiosity.
Elsa first looked up to the both of them and then lifted the lid up to show off the medal inside. "It's Kristoff's insignia that I'll pin on him."
"Elsa, it's beautiful." Anna gasped. Her finger instinctively reaching out to touch it, but Elsa snapped it back shut before she could and Anna yelped at the loud noise and the crushing of her tiny dream.
"If it's not yours don't touch." Elsa playfully scolded, and Anna stuck out her tongue one more time in protest.
"It really is beautiful Elsa. But when did you have time to have it made?" Kristoff asked.
"After you left my office yesterday I went to the local blacksmith and commissioned it. You'd be surprised how quick men work for a queen." Elsa said and she handed the box back to Anna. "You can hold it for me. Now I'm going to go out there and say my speech. I'll call out for you two and Sven and you guys just come on out okay?"
They both nodded and Elsa grabbed both of their hands and gave them a comforting squeeze before she went off onto the platform again. She put gestured for Wilbur to follow her out and together they were issued a wild round of applause from the crowd.
"I'm so proud of you Kristoff." Anna purred as she wound her arms around him.
"Thank you Anna." He sighed and then he kissed the top of her head, and his brain focused on nothing else except Elsa's words as she calmed down her people and began to change his life forever.
"Yes! Yes! Hello!" Elsa started. She raised her hands up to signal for the people to suppress their undying adoration through their applause. IT made her feel so uncomfortable.
"First, I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight in honor of Kristoff Bjorgman. But now I'm assuming you are all just wondering when you're going to get to eat!" Laughter rippled through the Great Hall, along with rumbling tummies.
"Soon, my good people of Arendelle, I assure you. I just have a very special announcement. As of yesterday Princess Anna and myself have been invited to the kingdom of Corona in the matter of two weeks. And what with my "lovely" Chief of Court's behavior tonight." Another bout of laughter went through the crowd and Georg found himself blushing into his chalice. "I've decided to add another member to my courts to help watch over Arendelle while I am away."
Elsa looked over to where Anna and Kristoff stood behind the curtains. With a warm, inviting smile she gestured for them to come on stage. Wilbur followed suit with the sword in his hand, and he kept his eye on the box that Elsa entrusted onto Anna as she carried it haphazardly under her arm.
Then Elsa looked to her left and signaled for the stable boy to bring Sven on out as well. Sven took to the feat like a champ and he strutted onto the stage with swagger and pride when he saw his best buddy across the way. He didn't want to disappoint him in Kristoff's greatest hour. His little show sent the crowd into another laughing fit.
"I hope you all feel just as honored as I do to have such a marvelous hero among us." Elsa said as she gestured towards Kristoff who was trying to shrink in size until no one could see him. All his anxieties returning when Elsa dropped the spot light on him.
"You're doing fine." Anna whispered through her teeth so she could keep smiling for the crowd.
"Now Kristoff, if you'd please kneel." Elsa turned to face Kristoff and Anna full on and Elsa waved her hand slightly to communicate to Anna to step away from him now. Anna saw Elsa's message and she gave Kristoff a quick kiss on the cheek, eliciting a wave of aw's from the people before she stepped over to Wilbur.
Wilbur was just walking away as Anna came over though as Elsa had summoned him to bring her the ceremony sabre. He pulled away the green velvet covering it and and the light from the chandelier gleamed off the shiny blade. Elsa grabbed it by the hilt and then rested the blade against her other hand and then turned to face the kneeling Kristoff in front of her.
"Kristoff Bjorgman, for your valiant service of protecting my dear sister from ever harm you two encountered I here by bestow upon you the honor of the Arendellian Order of Merit." She took the sabre and placed the flat side of the blade upon his right shoulder and then over his head and touched his left shoulder while proclaiming, "With the power vested in me by the Royal Crown of Arendelle, I dub thee Sir Kristoff Bjorgman, Master of the Order of Merit."
The hall exploded with cheering and applause as Elsa handed the sabre back to Wilbur. Elsa then signaled for Anna to bring the medal over to her, but in a twist of events took the box and she winked and murmured low into Anna's ear, "Your turn." Then she stepped over beside Kristoff and helped him back to his feet, knowing how bad his knees were going to shake and she kept him steady. When she thought he was well enough to stand on his own she let go of him and opened the lid of the box and looked to Anna expectantly.
"Wait, what?" Anna mouthed over the booming voices.
"Pin it on him." Elsa mouthed back.
"Oh!" Anna yelped in surprise and joy then she quickly composed herself and stepped forward to pick up the medal from it's case and then she carefully stuck it onto the left side Kristoff's jacket, right next to the lapel. After a hesitant glance at to her older sister Elsa nodded in knowing what Anna wanted. Anna got to her tiptoes and firmly set her lips upon Kristoff's and that rekindled the life in him as he swept her off her feet. The room went even more deafening after that.
Elsa smiled and she walked back to the center. She looked to the stable boy trying to reign Sven's excitement and pointed towards Kristoff and Anna signaling for him to take Sven over to them.
"Now, let us feast!" Elsa shouted above the joyful cheering, throwing her arms in the air. At once servants came pouring in with trolleys and trays. They set up the tables with dinner and the people all rushed to their seats, tripping and shoving over each other like school children. You'd never know it was a room of grown, wealthy adults if it weren't for their elegant attire.
Elsa lowered her arms and went over to the little trio celebrating on the stage in one big hug. She smiled at them and felt just so emotional a tear came to her eye. Another situation she never thought she'd experience, but she was glad to have had to.
Anna lifted her head up from Kristoff's chest and eyed Elsa coming towards them and she immediately threw out her arm and pulled Elsa into their group hug. Kristoff threw his free arm around her too and just went on snorting and neighing. At that moment it felt impossible that anything could ever top Elsa's level of pure happiness.