It was a foggy morning when Anna stepped out of the door of Madam Frosk's shop for the last time. Her guardian wasn't there to send her off. In fact, she hadn't spoken to Anna since Kai and Honeymaren left the day before. She just stormed off, leaving her to celebrate her escape from her guardianship with her fellow seamstresses who all rejoiced along with her.
The street was quiet. The sun wasn't even up yet and the building was empty. Anna felt so strange looking at it. This was the end of an era for her, and Anna felt as if the weight of the last four years had finally been lifted off her shoulders. No more cramped attic bedroom. No more barely livable wages. No more being hated or overlooked. She was free.
Kai had told her to look out for their carriage the next morning, and right on time, she heard hooves clattering down the cobbled street. Anna waved and they slowly came to a halt. A royal guard was driving and Honeymaren poked her head out of the carriage. The Arendellian family crest was displayed on the door. So her first instincts were right. She was going to the castle.
"Morning!" Honeymaren greeted
The guard hopped down from his seat, tossing a carrot to the reindeer pulling the carriage who huffed gratefully in response. He introduced himself with a kind smile. "Hi, I'm Kristoff. Let me help you with your trunk."
"Sure, but it's not really heavy."
Kristoff heaved the trunk only to find out she was right. Even though he was incredibly strong, it still almost felt weightless. "You travel light, huh?"
"You could say that." The truth of the matter was she barely had anything she deemed worthy of taking anyway. With no family and no close friends, it was no wonder she only had less than a trunk's worth of possessions to her name. But she didn't want to be a downer and say that.
Kristoff secured the trunk to the back of the carriage and Anna climbed in with Honeymaren before they began their journey to the castle. It wasn't a long ride, but Anna still felt restless. Excitement bubbled up inside her as they approached. While the royal family hosted one or two public events every year, she had never been allowed to go. This would be her first step onto the grounds, her first breath of royal air. The prospect was invigorating.
"So who exactly am I working for here?" Anna asked, still unable to tear her eyes away from the palace's silliouhette that grew as they approached. "A guard? A minister? A duke? I mean, since they're after my suits, I'm assuming they hired me to make them some of their own. Unless they just liked my tailoring work. Then are they a duchess? A baroness? A countess? Don't tell me I'm working for the queen. I think I might pass out."
All of her words came out in an exhilarated rush and Honeymaren was tickled at how fast she was speaking. "The client has requested to remain anonymous until you two meet and I intend to honour their wishes."
"Oh. Well can you tell me what they're like?" Honeymaren and Kai hadn't given her all that much information the day before, the pay and promise of good working conditions being enough of a draw. Now that the initial thrill of the offer had worn off slightly, Anna wanted to have a better idea of what she was getting herself into.
"They're… particular." Honeymaren settled on that as a suitable Elsa description. "They know what they like and they'll tell you exactly that. They're detail oriented and care a lot about fashion. To me at least. I'm kind of a dunce at that stuff, but I guess that's what happens when you wear the palace uniform every day."
"Why me? I mean, i"m super grateful for the opportunity and all, but I would have thought that the palace would have its own tailors and seamstresses to take care of everyone in there."
Honeymaren shrugged. "They liked your style. There's nothing else to it."
"So hang on. If I'm working in the castle, am I gonna be like, bumping into people?"
"Probably…"
"Like royalty?"
She shook her head. "Less likely. The queen and princess are the only two royals who live in the castle full time. Dukes and duchesses not so much, and other nobles even less so. You're far more likely to run into the palace staff than a member of the royal family." That was technically true. Honeymaren specified 'run into', not 'work for'.
"I don't really know the palace very well."
"You'll learn."
"I hope it's not rude to ask this, but what do you guys do? I know I'm going to make suits, Kristoff is obviously a guard, but what about you and Kai?"
"It's not rude at all," Honeymaren assured her with a kind smile. "Kai used to be the king's royal advisor before he passed. He still maintains that role with Queen Iduna, but he also does a lot of work around the castle, just in terms of managing things. I help out a lot around the castle too, but my main job is I'm the princess' lady in waiting. Have been for a long time."
"Oh wow. The princess." Anna was awestruck. "I think I've only ever seen her once, when I went for one of the Solstice ceremonies with my mom when I was twelve."
"Elsa and I kind of grew up together," Honeymaren explained. "My mother used to do my job when Elsa was younger. She tutored me and my brother in her free time and I observed how she did her job along the way. When I was a little older, Queen Iduna let Elsa and I just be tutored together before the princess went off to boarding school. I got a better education that way, but eventually, my mother got too sick to work. Her hands couldn't move as well as they used to. Since I knew how things were done, I took over."
"That's pretty amazing," Anna commented. "And your mom…?"
"Alive," she quickly answered before collecting herself. "She's alive. She just has decreased mobility. It's a new illness. I hadn't heard of it before. It's called arthritis. It just means her joints can get really stiff and swollen sometimes. That's the good thing about working for the royal family. Queen Iduna is generous. King Agnarr was too. We can access physicians from all across the continent."
"That's good to hear."
They approached the grand palace gates, metal creaking as they were opened by an unseen mechanism. Anna gawked at the main entrance but didn't have much time to as they passed it, making their way to the servants' wing.
"Honeymaren," Kristoff said from the front as he brought the reindeer to a halt. "I'm already late for my shift and Matthias isn't gonna be forgiving. Do you think you guys can manage the trunk while I bring Sven back to the stables?"
"Yeah, of course."
The three of them broke off, Honeymaren and Anna going into the castle with her trunk while Kristoff tried to erase any evidence of their secret trip to pick up the illusive tailor. Anna tried to keep track of the cavernous, winding halls in her head. Honeymaren noticed her expression of extreme focus and nudged her lightly. "Don't worry about memorising your way around. The palace is a big place. It's confusing but you don't need to get it all down right now. I'll give you a proper tour later." They paused in front of a door at the end of one of the corridors. "This is your room. Mine is across the hall from you. There are eight sets of uniforms in your closet; four summer ones and four winter ones. I'll leave you to change and get settled."
It wasn't anything special. There was a single bed already equipped with a mattress and bedding, a closet, a chest of drawers, a chair and vanity, and a window that was just beginning to let in the day's first rays of sunshine. Just the necessities, and yet Anna was reeling. There were no high slanted arches in the ceiling where dust could build up. The mattress was at least twice as thick as the one she'd been sleeping on for the last four years. There was so much storage space she didn't even know what to do with it. There was a mirror so she could get ready in the mornings in private as opposed to in the shop as the first seamstresses clocked in. The windows had curtains so she didn't need to worry about any creepy faces that might appear in the glass at night.
Her heart swelled in her chest as she set her trunk down on the already made bed and undid the clasps. Dust from the attic puffed up in a small cloud, but even that reminder of her past couldn't dampen her spirits. She withdrew her treasured sketchbook from between her bundles of clothes. The last piece of her old life that she carried with her.
"I did it, Mom," she breathed, hugging it close to her chest. "I did it."
XXX
Anna felt entirely out of her element. Her new uniform felt foreign against her skin. The skirt was so long it practically dragged on the floor. She'd have to alter it herself later. She would have done so then and there, but Honeymaren insisted they were short on time that morning.
The palace was bustling with activity even though the sun had only just come up. Palace staff ate together in the kitchens where Olina, the castle's head chef, had prepared what Anna was told was the standard breakfast spread. Eggs both boiled and scrambled, thick slices of toast, jams and honey, coffee and tea. If that was the food the servants were getting, Anna could only dream of what the royal family got to eat. Up to that point, her breakfasts had consisted of a bowl of lumpy oats and a mug of watery tea.
After she had thoroughly stuffed herself, Honeymaren gave her the tour. She saw many things like the throne room, the stables, the gardens and the libraries, but didn't see any actual royals. Queen Iduna and Princess Elsa must have been attending to their duties somewhere.
"And this is where you'll be working." The two of them stood in front of a door in the servants' quarters, something that Anna found a little strange. If this was really a royal job proposal, she would have expected to at least be working in one of the palace's main wings. But once again, the pay was good. How could she complain?
"Okay, let's go—"
"Wait!" Honeymaren hastily stopped Anna from turning the doorknob. She rifled through her satchel before handing Anna a blindfold. "The client has requested that you wear this."
She chuckled before quickly realising that Honeymaren wasn't laughing. "Oh, you're serious."
"Anonymous, remember?"
Anna didn't exactly see the point considering she would be meeting the client in the next five minutes, but as someone who also valued their anonymity when it came to fashion, she couldn't find it in her to point out the blindfold's absurdity. "Okay then."
A few moments later, Anna's vision was properly obscured by the blindfold. Her ears pricked up at the sound of keys turning in the lock. Hoenymaren took Anna's hand and led her into the illusive room where she'd be working. Anna tried to count her paces but she was in completely uncharted waters. She couldn't even pretend to have any idea where she was going.
"Wait right here," Honeymaren instructed. "The client will be here in a minute. And don't remove your blindfold until they tell you to."
"O-okay," she replied, this time a little more shakily.
"Okay." Honeymaren made sure Anna wasn't going anywhere before she stepped back into the corridor and shut the door. This time, Elsa was waiting for her on the other end.
"The suitmaker…?"
Honeymaren feigned offence. "Jeez, I get that you're the princess and all, but what happened to 'hello'? 'Good morning'? 'How are you'?"
Elsa rolled her eyes endearingly. "Hello. Good morning. How are you?" she deadpanned.
Honeymaren grinned. "I'm great. She's inside."
She did a double take. "She?"
"Her name is Anna Bell. She's eighteen and used to work under Madam Frosk. I've already shown her around and she's moved into her quarters and why do you look like you're about to throw up?"
"I, um…" The suitmaker was a she? And she was eighteen? Elsa hadn't expected the suitmaker to be a young woman. The craftsmanship she saw the night before seemed like it should have come from someone with decades worth of experience. And, while she wasn't proud of this fact, she had thought that the suitmaker would have been a man. Not that women couldn't design suits — that was a problematic mindset that she had no intention of ever following — but it would have just saved Elsa from any… complications. She cracked the door open and peeked at the woman waiting for her inside. She's pretty…
Stop that, she thought firmly before internally correcting herself. It's fine. This is fine. I can think someone's pretty. Professionally. Platonically. There's nothing wrong with that. Nothing whatsoever. "Does she know she's serving royalty?"
"I think she has a hunch, but there's not been any confirmation. Then again, I don't think she's \ too familiar with all that. She mentioned that she's never attended a palace event and the only time she's seen you and the queen was at a Solstice ceremony in the village when she was twelve."
Elsa remembered that ceremony. She was fifteen and she hadn't spoken a word. Since Anna was blindfolded, that made it even less likely that she would recognise the princess by her voice. "And my mother?"
"Has no idea any of this is happening."
"Good." Elsa lowered the pitch of her voice. "Wish me luck."
Honeymaren still wasn't sure about this 'remain anonymous for as long as possible' plan, but she was going to be supportive regardless. "Good luck."
Anna heard the door open again, but she knew it wasn't Honeymaren this time. The weight of their steps and way they carried themself was different from the lady in waiting, but Anna didn't know enough people in the castle to be able to guess their identity. "H-hello?"
Elsa flinched. Even her voice was pretty. She shook her head to snap herself out of it. Strictly business. "Hi, Anna." She hoped her voice was deep enough to pass as a man. "I understand that you're responsible for one of the suits worn to the palace's Summer Ball last night."
Anna strained to recognise the voice from somewhere, anywhere. It was low but she couldn't put a face to it. She couldn't even decide if it was more masculine or femenine. It was authoritative, so it probably belonged to someone of a high status in the castle. Maybe she should have attended more royal events. It certainly would have been useful at that moment. "That's right."
"My job for you is simple," Elsa continued, her voice even. "You'd work in this room. I just need you to design and make me suits like that. Formal, informal, the works. I really loved what I saw of your style last night, so you can have full creative liberty over what you design for me."
Anna blushed at the compliment. "Thank you."
"I intend to remain anonymous while you are under my employ. We will liaise through Honeymaren."
That made her stop short. "Sorry, so you're gonna stay anonymous the entire time?"
"That's right." Elsa echoed her own words from earlier.
"I can't see you at all?"
Her voice was soft, etched with disappointment, and her lips were curved down into a slight frown. Elsa felt a twinge of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She barely knew Anna and yet she could already tell how disheartened she was. How could Elsa have already let her down so much in their first five minutes of meeting? "It's not ideal, but yes. Anonymity is very important to me, in maintaining my image."
Anna knew her employer was probably an important person. Why else would she be in the palace right now? But she couldn't stop herself from speaking out and voicing her displeasure. "But… but that makes no sense, that's… I won't even be able to see you in the clothes I design? I… I can't measure you or see what you look like at all? How am I supposed to do my job? The job that you hired me to do? How am I supposed to get the sizing of everything right and match the colours to what would fit you best and—"
"Careful!" Anna had gotten so riled up that she was pacing the floor as the questions poured out from her. That wasn't the best thing to do while blindfolded, as she nearly tripped over a low table, only stopped by Elsa's outstretched hand which grabbed her firmly so she wouldn't fall. Right at that moment, the two women felt something between them. Like a spark, though neither acknowledged it at the time, nor would they acknowledge it for longer than they'd like to admit. Anna noticed the slender fingers of the hands that righted her again, making sure she was planted firmly on her feet before they pulled away.
"Sorry," Anna said meekly. "Clumsy."
Elsa sighed heavily, taking a step away from her. "No, you're right," she admitted. "I suppose my original plan of doing things doesn't really make sense."
"We could still do it that way if you want," Anna offered, though she held the hope in her mind that her employer would say no.
"I hired you to do your best work," Elsa said pragmatically. "And my own qualms about anonymity would prevent you from doing that. But wait, not yet!" she blurted out when she saw Anna reaching for her blindfold. "Just… give me a minute."
There was some rustling around before Elsa spoke again. "Okay. You can take it off now." Her heart thudded in her chest as she watched the blindfold come off, revealing eyes as blue as the sea. Elsa was a princess. She was used to people recognising her for who she was, noting the way their expressions changed and warped. Yet she saw no signs of recognition on Anna's face.
Blue eyes blinked a few times to adjust to the light before they fell on her employer. Despite being able to see, Anna was still no closer to finding out their identity. They wore a plain dress shirt and pants that were too large for them, but the thing that drew the most attention was the scarf tied around their head, covering their mouth and nose. Anna could barely even see their eyes which were almost entirely concealed by the wide brim of their hat. Even her hair was tucked underneath it. She was clueless.
Elsa could see the gears turning in her head as Anna tried to work out who she was, and she didn't want to give her that chance. She cleared her throat. "So, how does a fitting for you usually work?"
That voice was still making Anna second guess herself, but her boss asked her a direct question, so she couldn't dwell on it. "Right." She dug through her satchel with her main essentials, including needle and plain thread, a small notebook and a pencil. Anna pulled out a length of measuring tape. "I need to get your measurements first. Then, we can talk about what kind of design you're going for." She glanced at her surroundings. "Actually, can I take a look around? Considering I'm gonna be working in here for the foreseeable future."
"Of course."
Excitement rushed through her as she took in the space. It wasn't overly extravagant, but it was vastly different from the shop she'd spent the last four years of her life working in. The room felt quant and homey. A few wardrobes were pressed up against its walls and Anna imagined all the things she could fill it with. Aside from a sofa, table and mirror, the rest of the space was free for her to fill. Elsa noticed how Anna was smiling from ear to ear and found it endearing how happy the redhead seemed already.
"Wow," she gushed, walking around the room and taking everything in.
"This room is yours to use for all your work," Elsa said. "You can do whatever you want to it."
"Whatever I want," she whispered under her breath. "This is incredible."
"I take it your last job wasn't quite like this," Elsa said, slightly amused.
"My last job didn't even come close." Anna took a deep breath before her rambling instincts took over and she went on an excited monologue, feet pacing around the room. "I can already imagine where I'm gonna put everything, though I think we need to add more stuff. Mannequins! I. Need. Mannequins. And I can sort all my fabrics in these cabinets, and my pins and needles could go in this dresser, or maybe that dresser, and if I can get my hands on a sewing machine, it would go over there by the window, and— woah!"
The hem of her uniform was too long, It tripped her up, and unfortunately, sent her stumbling right into the path of her employer once again. Anna grabbed on to whatever she could find to steady herself, and Elsa, not wanting her to fall, let her. That thing just happened to be the scarf covering the lower half of her face. When the two righted themselves again, the scarf had come loose, revealing the princess' face in all its glory. She tried to cover up once again, but the damage was done. Anna had seen her.
"Oh. Princess Elsa." She said it like it was nothing, just the act of her realising the identity of her employer, before her brain caught up with her. "Princess Elsa!" Anna was caught between bowing and curtseying and ended up doing a weird mix of both which sent her stumbling once again, falling to her knees in an ungracious lump. "Your Highness."
"No, no please get up," Elsa insisted, offering Anna her hand which she sheepishly took. Her voice was back to normal, no longer trying to keep up the ruse now her face could be seen. They both ignored the spark that rushed through them once again when they touched. "Don't bow to me. Those formalities aren't needed here. Just call me Elsa."
Anna was wary, her throat tight. "Is this a trick? Am I gonna get… beheaded?"
"I promise it's not a trick," she replied evenly. "And we don't do beheadings here. That's more of a French thing."
Anna released Elsa's hand, taking a cautious step back. "You're a girl, you're … you're the princess. You're the one who asked for me? To make you… suits?"
Elsa shrank in on herself. She knew she should have listened to Honeymaren. This was a bad idea. "Please don't tell anyone about this." Her voice was so soft that Anna struggled to catch every word. "This room is my safe space. When I'm here, I don't need to be a royal or think about my ascent to the throne or my impending betrothal. I can be myself. The princess who… wears suits."
Anna held her breath. Princess Elsa looked so fragile, as if even a breeze could break her. "I am Arendelle's only descendent," she continued. "The future of the kingdom rests on my shoulders. If people knew this side of me, it would only bring shame onto the royal family. And my mother, she… she already lost my father. Knowing that this is what I've been doing in his absence, raiding his wardrobes to parade around like a child in a playroom… it would ruin her."
The two held the silence for a long time, neither daring to move. Elsa scanned Anna's face for any signs of… anything. But she was never good at reading people. It was one of the many reasons she loathed going to that school full of other royals, other people. The princess broke the silence. "I'm so sorry. I'll get Honeymaren to call for a carriage right away."
"Why?" Anna asked, eyes trailing Elsa as she made a start towards the door.
She thought the answer would have been obvious. "I brought you here under false pretences. But now you know who I am."
"So?"
Was she serious? "Surely you don't want to be associated with someone like me."
"Okay, for the record, no one ever told me I was working for a man. Kai and Honeymaren only said you were a client. So no false pretences there. And what difference does it make? Working for you? Here in the palace? A job like this was something I could have only dreamed of for the last four years of my life. We'd be helping each other."
Elsa thought about it. "You'd help me make amazing suits while keeping everything a secret…"
"And you'd help me get the practice so that I can design amazing suits, just like I've always wanted to."
Elsa tried to think of any other reason that Anna should leave. She couldn't, for the life of her, understand why the redhead was choosing to stay. What kind of respectable suitmaker worked for a woman, even if that woman was a royal? Masculine fashion was reserved for men. And yet, Anna… didn't seem to care. Though Elsa knew people who would.
"No one can know what we're doing here, Anna," she emphasised once again. "The only people who even have access to this room are Honeymaren, Kai and Kristoff. They're the only people who know about me. You can't tell anyone else. No one in the castle, none of the villagers, and especially not the queen."
"I know," Anna assured her. She held out her hand. "Do we have a deal, then?"
Please don't make me have to regret this, Elsa begged to whatever unseen forces had brought the two of them together. She grasped Anna's hand and the two shook on it, each holding on a second too long before they pulled away.
This story is also available on AO3. I also have a Twitter where I post behind the scenes content, polls, writing updates and more. Both are under the same username kalesalad003 and the links are in my bio!
