Chapter Eight
Day seven, Anna reminded herself once she was awake enough to think coherently. The halfway mark. If she remembered the schedule correctly, Elsa and Kristoff would be at the third village by now. With a deep sigh she rubbed her eyes then rolled herself out of bed. Seven more days to go. She could do this. She really could.
As long as she didn't think about the meeting today.
Or anything that happened over the past week.
Or goats.
Or meat pastries.
Breakfast with the Royal Treasurer included a review of all they had talked about so far. She shared the plans she and Elsa had made, and was startled to learn he had actually discussed those same plans with Elsa. He heaved a sigh of relief, saying, "Well, I'm certainly pleased to learn just how much the Queen had already involved you… although why she hadn't gone over some of the more basic trade principles with you..." His voice died with a wince, then surged with a hasty apology. "Not that I'm faulting the Queen at all!"
Princess Anna gave the worried man a sheepish smile. "To be fair, she probably did. Or at least tried to. I…. may not have paid that close attention."
The Royal Treasurer tapped his plate a few times, then hesitantly said, "She… well, I did have to instruct her as well. Perhaps she didn't… perhaps I didn't instruct as well… ah, well, it is what I do every day. I wouldn't know how to rule." His body shook in an expressive shudder. "Nor would I want to. Numbers I understand. People I do not."
Anna gave a sheepish chuckle to go with her smile. "Sometimes I don't think I understand either. But I keep trying! Aaaand sometimes I'm very trying!"
She was rewarded with seeing the older man's shoulders relax. He smiled in return, saying thoughtfully, "I think you understand people far better than you realize, Princess Anna. It was you who believed in your sister when no one else did, after all. And that young man of yours, the one with the reindeer… well, he's proven an adept, intelligent man. Surprisingly worthy of our Princess."
A heated blush crept over Anna's cheeks, making the older man give a fatherly chuckle. She was saved from further commentary, however, by the approach of a castle servant.
"They're beginning to assemble, Your Highness," said the servant with a grave bow.
"Who… oh, the dignitaries." Anna sighed and, with a silent prayer for her breakfast to stay down, stood. The Royal Treasurer hastily did the same. She curtsied to him, then gave him an impulsive hug that made him squawk. "Thank you! For everything you've done, for my parents, my sister, me..."
"You're, er, welcome, ah, Your Highness," he grunted and patted her back awkwardly. "Good… good luck in there."
With a nervous laugh, Princess Anna let go of him then followed the servant to the main dining hall. A large portion of each of the delegations was already gathered there, men standing and chatting in apparent nonchalance as they awaited her arrival. She consciously straightened her spine and shoulders as she entered. She could feel the weight of her royal cloak pulling at those shoulders, just as she could feel the tiny prongs of her small crown tugging at her tight braids. All those eyes, all those faced turned towards her…
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she found herself wondering how much of Elsa's ice castle was her exercising her snow powers… and how much was running away from moments like this.
Breakfast heaved in her stomach, reminding her that such thoughts would not be helpful.
Many men bowed as she passed, murmuring polite greetings. Many more did not. A small handful made token bows, their faces full of frowns and side-glances.
Would they have done that if Elsa were the one approaching the head of the table?
At the start of this week, Anna would have thought "absolutely not!" without hesitation. Now, as she placed a hand on the arm of the ornate chair, she remembered again Elsa pointing out members of the court advisers that seemed less than supportive of their Queen. At the time, she had thought it was just because of that crazed coronation night, something would pass eventually despite Elsa's concerns. Now, as she sank into her chair and watched men assume seats along the length of the table, she began to wonder…
...and the wondering was abruptly interrupted with the realization all those men were looking to her in expectation. The head dignitaries were seated to either side of her, faces carefully polite as they awaited her approval to begin.
All that attention made her want to slide under the table. She had the distinct impression, however, that her stomach would be trying to slide up at the same time. Deciding to keep both body and stomach where they were, she swallowed, cleared her throat, then swallowed again.
"Gentlemen," she greeted. There, her voice was reasonably steady. That wasn't a squeak she heard at all.
"Princess Anna," they more or less chorused.
Gripping her hands together to hide the tremble, she said, "I thank you all for gathering here today so that we may review our countries' trade agreements together." There, it felt like it was getting easier. "I know this past year has seen many changes for all of us-"
Someone snorted. She suspected it was the Weselton dignitary, but his face was studiously bland when she glanced his way.
After a pause, she continued, "-but it is Arendelle's hope to see improved relations between all our countries, despite those changes." Privately she gave thanks again to Kai for his coaching sessions, as well as to Elsa for all the ceremonies she'd invited Anna to attend.
The French and Spanish dignitaries both moved to speak at the same time. They paused to eye each other for a long moment, then the Spaniard nodded graciously to the Frenchman. The Spanish dignitary leaned back, lacing hands across his chest, while the French dignitary leaned forward to address Princess Anna.
"It is our honor and pleasure to be here, Your Majesty," he crooned, placing a hand over his heart. Ignoring another snort from somewhere further down the table, he added, "Arendelle has ever proven to be a bastion of serenity even through its own troubled times."
"Thank you," Princess Anna said aloud, but muttered under her breath, "I think?"
"Pardon, Princess Anna?" inquired the Frenchman.
"I said, 'Thank you, that's sweet'," she covered hastily, ignoring the cough from that same area of the table as both earlier snorts.
"Personally," spoke up the Spanish dignitary, "I think Arendelle has shown glorious stability despite many recent… ah, upsets."
"Er," said Princess Anna.
"Funny you should mention upsets," spoke up the young man representing Weselton. No snorts or coughs now, but there was a definite insolent tone to his voice. "Just how many kings have you been through in the past few years?"
The Spaniard's chest puffed almost comically. "I'll have you know our current king is a proud, stable man. Spain is unified under his rule!"
"Gentlemen, gentlemen," interrupted the French dignitary, "is this really how we wish to start this meeting? It is rather disrespectful of our hostess, is it not?"
A chorus of "no" ran its way up and down the table. Princess Anna wasn't sure which of the Frenchman's questions they were answering.
At this point, the German dignitary spoke up. "I would dare to point out, Your Majesty, that Weselton does have a point. Spain's recent civil wars has made trade agreements… well, tricky at best."
"Tricky?" huffed the Spanish man. Medals glittered across his chest, candlelight catching metal as he heaved an indignant breath.
"Yes, tricky," the stout man confirmed, his voice calm and steady, "We've had three successive trade charters drawn up with them in the past and subsequently canceled as each successive king wished to renegotiate." He paused to peer at the spluttering Spaniard through his monocle, then turned the gleam of glass on the Frenchman. "Still, better than dealing with a tyrannical powerhouse."
The French dignitary sniffed loudly. "Considering how little your newly-made country has to offer, it's a wonder they were willing to renegotiate at all."
"I'll have you know the coal and steel we produce will revolutionize the world," declared the German.
It was proving to be a repeat of the other day. This time, however, there were more participants. Even the dignitaries from the Southern Isles and Weselton began tossing in their own jibes. Princess Anna watched in horror as the insults escalated. It rapidly became apparent that none of the other representatives much cared for France's delegation. It also became apparent that the French dignitary had little care for the other countries' representatives. The only one that appeared to be neutral was the Irish dignitary; yet even he looked as frustrated as Princess Anna was beginning to feel. She was at a loss as to why they had agreed to meet together at all.
The entire morning was spent struggling with their rivalries. Servants unobtrusively delivered lunch, sliding full plates and glasses beneath gesticulating arms. Even after the food and drink were noticed, the bickering did not abate. At one point, Princess Anna feared that a childish food fight would break out.
She sincerely doubted that should such happen, it would be as fun as the ones she had instigated with Elsa and Kristoff.
Sometime during the afternoon, they began to tire. Princess Anna found gaps in conversation she could leap into and try to wrest the topic back to actual trade. She had increasingly success with that, but by that point the dignitaries were in such foul moods that they bickered over the least things. The smallest detail would cause an outburst of umbrage that would take a great deal to pacify. The least imagined offense in tone would set off an angry tirade that would have to splutter to an exhausted end.
Finally, Princess Anna put her head in her hands. "Gentlemen," she groaned. When the volume of argumentative conversation didn't abate, she put her hands down and her head up. "Gentlemen!" she commanded more loudly.
Almost all heads turned to her immediately. After a few seconds, the few stragglers became aware of the growing silence and followed suit.
Too tired and irritated to bother with nerves, Princess Anna declared, "Well this has been an… informative… day. It is nearing dinner time. What say we retire to our quarters for a quiet meal, and agree to meet again the day after tomorrow?"
"Why not tomorrow, Princess?" spoke up the young man from Weselton. He had an insufferable smirk plastered across his face.
"Because," Princess Anna half-snapped, then took a deep breath to recompose herself. Starting again, she said, "Because we could use the respite, and I still have a castle and a kingdom here to run. There are duties tomorrow I must attend to, but the day after tomorrow should be fine." Well, she had intended to be tactful, but she was simply too worn out. Truthful would have to do in its stead.
She was startled to see him nod to her in apparent respect. The other dignitaries, including the passive Irish man, appeared more irritated by the announcement. There was a muddle of protests and agreements, but everyone was feeling the drain of the day. Princess Anna excused herself, stating she had court matters to address before she could attend to her own supper. She left the men in the main dining hall and retreated to the royal private dining rooms. Kai met her there after seeing the dignitaries to their rooms.
Princess Anna found herself staring at her plate, her appetite not in attendance.
Kai paused in cutting a small portion from his cooked hen. "Something wrong, Princess Anna?" he asked as courteously as he could.
She heaved a great sigh and dropped her face into her hands. "I just… was Elsa ever really this bad? Or… or my parents? I had no control in there! Every time I think I've got this…. Boom! In my face!"
Kai's expression softened. "You are, perhaps, a more honest and gentle soul than court life calls for, Your Highness."
"So, no, then," Anna confirmed, rubbing her eyes. She jerked her head up with a gasp. "Wait, what? Honest? Gentle? Elsa's both of those and more! You're honest! Maybe not gentle in your lessons, but definitely a caring man! Wait, I didn't mean you weren't gentle, too, but-!"
He lifted a hand to halt Anna's torrent of words, chuckling quietly. "Be at ease, Your Highness. I understand your meaning." His chuckle faded as he stared at his plate. After a moment, he sighed and rested the fork over his unfinished meal. "It may be 'honest' is not the right word. 'Forthright', perhaps? It is not in your nature to conceal your emotions."
Anna snorted. "Yeh, no, more like I yell them from the parapets."
Kai hesitated, tilted his head, and gave a thoughtful, "Perhaps."
Another sigh rocked her shoulders. Poking at her food, Anna said, "Maybe… maybe this wasn't a smart thing to do. Maybe Elsa should have stayed here while I went out to the villages…"
At this the castle steward firmly shook his head. "The Queen's powers will serve well in the mountains, and this trade delegation is far too important to leave unattended." He leaned over to place a hand on Anna's arm, making the Princess look to his face. "Every ruler has their own method, Your Highness. The King and Queen, your parents, each had their own way of approaching things, and they did not always agree." He smiled at Anna's startled expression. "Yes, they often… discussed… different methods of handling things. I myself had my own method, more forceful and less forgiving since I had only two children Princesses to back any orders I gave. Queen Elsa, your sister, you have seen her manner in attendance to court."
Anna nodded, thinking of how stern yet gracious Elsa often appeared. Even on those rare times her temper frayed, and usually on Anna's behalf, there was still a terrible sense of control about Elsa. She also had a way of being incredibly gentle, something she had demonstrated with the messenger that had come from the villages.
Leaning away from Anna, Kai's tone turned thoughtful. "You, Your Highness, have always been something of a, forgive me, but a bit of a wild child. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and you expect others to do the same."
Looking away, Anna grumbled, "Yeh, and look what happened with… with Hans." A shudder still touched her whenever she thought of him.
"Yes, let's look at that," Kai said, causing her to give him a startled stare. He waggled a finger at her. "He fooled us all, remember… but when did he let go of his mask?"
"When… when he thought I was as good as dead." Anna shivered, remembering the deadly chill that had crept into her body from her heart.
"Yes. And no doubt, you were being as earnest as ever with him, yes?"
Shame touched her cheeks, a strange kind of icy blush as she remembered desperately trying to kiss him. "Too much so."
Kai shook his head slowly. "I think not, Princess Anna. Hans was a skilled manipulator. He could have kept the act up until he had the throne. He certainly kept up the act with the Queen on the ice, even choosing to attack her from behind. Yet with you… he told all. It could have been nothing more than pride… but I choose to think the truth in you called to the truth in him." He gave that odd, wry smile that sometimes touched his lips. "You bring out the truth in all of us, including the Queen. It can be… uncomfortable… and most certainly unconventional, but I daresay the results by and far are positive."
Anna brushed away the shimmer of tears in her eyes. "Careful, Kai, you're making me sound like I actually know what I'm doing."
He startled her with a burst of laughter. "Princess Anna, I can assure you most of us rarely know what we're doing. Just some of us are better about bluffing than others." He picked up his fork again, gesturing at her to resume her meal. "Eat. Sleep. Enjoy the morning tomorrow. I've made sure to keep all court business to the afternoon, to give you some respite after today. And know that regardless of what those… dignitaries… think of you or Queen Elsa – for they would test her as well, be assured of that – we of Arendelle support you. And enough with the tears. We will offend the cook if we keep trying to add salt to the meal."
Anna blinked a few times, sniffled, then burst out laughing. The castle steward gave a rare, deep chuckle as well.
The rest of the meal was finished in a far better mood. On her way back to her bedchamber, Anna paused at Elsa's door. Her fingers traced the painted designs. She was too tired to give order to her chaotic thoughts. All she could do was look at the closed door and whisper, "Seven days. You're come back in seven days." Finally she moved away from the door, making it to her own bed.
Sleep came quickly, but stalked her with uneasy dreams.
Morning came too soon, but at least it came with that promised respite. Breakfast was surprisingly quiet affair, as the Royal Treasurer was not present. It seemed Kai meant for Anna to truly have the morning to herself. It was a well-meant kindness, but the sudden isolation brought back echoes of haunting a nearly deserted castle. Within a short amount of time, Anna found herself trudging along the paths of the private gardens. She found herself tiring quickly as she kicked her way through a small, thick layer of snow. It had not occurred to her just how often Elsa had cleared the way for her.
That realization was crystallized when she came to a snow-laden bench. For a long moment she stood there staring at it. Finally she realized she was waiting for the snow to clear itself. With a wry laugh, she wrapped an arm in her woolen cloak and brushed the bench clear. Flopping onto the seat, she looked about the winter-coated garden.
It was so strange. Snow had come to mean Elsa to her. Elsa was absent, yet she was surrounded by snow.
"Day eight," she said aloud, wincing at the sudden sound of her voice against the quiet snowscape. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Eight days. Six more days to go, then you'll be back. And I'll have so much to tell you! And maybe you'll have a lot to tell me, too." Anna paused, looking around but gazing inward. "I'm trying, Elsa. I know I can do this. I have to do this. I just… I don't know how I can do this."
She leaned forward, resting her face in mittened hands, but almost immediately sat back up at the sound of a familiar voice.
"Do what?" chirruped Olaf as he ambled towards her.
"Olaf!" Anna happily greeted him.
"Anna! It's good to see you!"
"And it's good to see you! Where have you been all this time?" Remembering something Kai had said, she playfully asked, "Wandering into more houses?"
"Nope!" answered the cheerful snowman as he bounced onto the bench beside her. "Turns out most houses don't have an open door policy. Especially when the doors are closed! How have you been?"
A chuckle bubbled from within Anna's chest. "Busy. I'm sorry I haven't been around much, Olaf."
"Oh, that's alright! You're running a kingdom, after all!"
"Running from it, more like it," Anna grumbled to herself, then shook her head. "It's no excuse. Elsa always made time for me. I can certainly make time for you… somehow."
"You're making time for me right now!" Olaf grabbed his stubby snow legs with his twig hands and waggled them back and forth, like a child waving its feet.
"It's not the same, though," protest Anna.
"Well it's not like we can spend the whole day together like we used to," Olaf said, "I know, I already asked Kai about that. He said something about reindeer and kitchens. I'm not really sure what Sven would be doing in a kitchen, though, reindeer don't cook. Do they?"
Anna grinned at the mental image of Sven, with his impressive antlers, prancing about in the castle's kitchen. The dishware would certainly be at risk with a rambunctious reindeer on the loose! "No, they don't," she said to Olaf, but got distracted by a thought. "Why can't we spend the day together, though?" she wondered aloud.
"Do you have snow in your ears? I have to ask, because I don't have ears, and I don't think you heard me. Kai said-"
"Oh, I heard you. I'm just thinking… maybe it would be a good thing if you came along with me today."
"Oh really?" squealed the snowman in excitement.
Anna nodded, feeling wheels turning in her head. "I could certainly use the company, and I think you and I can shake things up a bit."
"Just don't shake me too hard! Catching my butt can be tricky!"
A cough interrupted Anna's reply. As one, Princess and snowman looked to where Sergeant Jostein stood at the edge of the garden. Princess Anna's playful response faltered as she saw the soldier's solemn expression. He held a letter in his hand.
"It's about the Queen. A messenger, one of the expedition, arrived just a little bit ago-," he started to explain.
His words were cut off as Anna leaped from the bench. Snatching the envelope from his hand, she nearly ripped it in half as she hastened to open it. Her eyes darted back and forth across the parchment. Lips parted just enough to whisper a single name.
"Elsa…."