The gates were closed, by Ingrid, from then on. Ingrid told them it was in case Emma tried to lash out at that poor boy again, but Emma knew why really. It was Ingrid could have the three of them trapped. Her puppet sisters, as she had always wanted.
Everyday, over the bridge that connected the castle where Emma and Elsa were held prisoner, Emma watched as her look-a-like son played with his friends in the courtyard. He, like Henry, was an astonishingly fast climber, and could shimmy up any of the branches on the few trees faster than any of his friends, to retrieve a ball, or sometimes simply observe the fjord and the incoming trade ships.
Elsa had tried repeatedly to pull Emma away from the window, to make her forget about the fake Henry. She had been reading, and thinking, about portals to get them out of Arendelle, but Emma just wasn't interested in the sparse ideas that Elsa had. Regularly she got snappy with ELsa and told her to go away, but the worst days were when Emma wouldn't talk, she would just sit quietly and let her breath fog up the glass, drawing unhappy faces in the steam.
Elsa and Emma were required to eat lunch and dinner with Ingrid. Generally, Emma would sit at one end of the table and Ingrid at the other, whilst Elsa sat in the middle, too far away from either person to make any kind of conversation. She remembered how her parents had said that the table was too long for them, and that was why when they were little they hadn't really eaten there, but now it was uncomfortably long, and most meals passed in relative silence.
As they sat down to a dessert of ripe strawberries and cream, a rather odd dessert for the coldness of the weather, Ingrid spoke.
"I'm going on a trip after this, to retrieve some things."
"Where?" Elsa said after gulping down her strawberry a little too fast
"Not far. I'll be back for dinner." She picked up her cold glass. "I'll miss tea, I'm sorry, but continue our family tradition and eat it without me." ELsa heard Emma scowl at the word tradition, and Elsa felt her insides growl, what did the Snow Queen know about family tradition? "Don't grumble Emma, it's unattractive."
"Don't tell me what to do, we aren't related." Emma retorted, and the Snow Queen smirked. Elsa felt her mouth twitch into a smile but she kept her eyes trained firmly on her plate. It was like being 6 again, and cheeking Nanny at the table with Anna.
The Snow Queen finished her last sip of water and wiped her lips delicately with the napkin before standing up and clapping her hands. A footman and several maids were at her side immediately, cleaning up and listening in for more orders.
"I'll have my horse." Ingrid said. "And I'll take 2 guards." The footman scurried off. "Don't forget about tea, Elsa. And don't leave the palace whilst I'm gone, not that you would anyway, because you wouldn't like to break our trust." Ingrid walked towards the door. "I can't wait to see you for dinner!"
The maids bustled around for a while, picking up the small plates and tiny forks the girls had used for dinner. Elsa watched the fire crackling in the fireplace. What was she going to read this afternoon? There was very little else to do, and Elsa didn't really want anything else to do than find a way off this hellish fake Arendelle.
"Princess Elsa?" A maid said from the door. Elsa winced, she was expected to answer to Princess, when her whole life she had been trained to be a Queen - even more specifically, Queen of Arendelle. "Where would you like tea? In the library perhaps? You spend an awful lot of time there!"
"Oh," Elsa looked to Emma. "Emma, where shall we have tea?" Emma shook her head and Elsa sighed. "In here is fine, thank you, Olga, and don't wait around to pour for us, we'll be just fine." Olga smiled and nodded sadly to Emma, before closing the door and leaving them in peace.
As if someone had lit a rocket under her, Emma jumped up from her chair and pulled ELsa from her seat.
"Emma! What is going on?" Elsa laughed
"She's gone! She's gone! She's finally gone out!" Emma laughed "Come on! We've got stuff to do!" Emma ran out of the room and down the corridor.
"What stuff?!" Elsa cried as she ran after Emma, smiling again. "If you mean research, I've done loads, and I've got plenty of theories as to how we can do it!"
Elsa caught up with Emma when they were back in their room. Emma was crouched at the foot of her bed, unlocking a cabinet with a key from the chain around her neck.
"What's in there?" Elsa asked as she knelt beside Emma. What Emma pulled out Elsa had not been expecting. Raggedy, old clothes, handsown and almost identical to those that the villagers of fake Arendelle wore.
"I've been making them whilst I've watched him play." She handed a dress to Elsa. "They aren't great quality, but they'll do for one wear."
"Emma, where did you learn to sow?" Elsa asked, turning the garments over in her hands.
"I don't know, at some care home somewhere." Emma shrugged. "Now, come on, put it on, we're going out to see Henry."
"What?" Elsa said, putting a hand on Emma's arm as she tried to rip off her dress. "You know we can't leave."
"We can't. But these people can!" Emma lifted up her dress and grinned.
"Emma this is a terrible idea! What happens if we get caught?" Elsa cried
"It doesn't matter, anyway, it's worth the risk to see him." Emma pushed Elsa off and pulled the dress over her head. "I'm going anyway, even if you aren't coming."
"I can't let you go Emma." Elsa said.
"And I can't let you stay." Emma replied. "Get changed, what's the worst she can do?"
"I don't know? Kill us with her ice magic?" Elsa said as she watched Emma mess up her blonde hair in the mirror.
"And then she'll have no family left. Don't be stupid." Emma turned to look at Elsa. "How do I look? Suitably messy and poor?" Elsa smirked and Emma smiled. "Good. Now come on."
"We have to be back in time for tea." Elsa said, but she started to change anyway.
"I promise on my shiny cape." Emma laughed back.