Chapter 3: Nuffink Meets the Queen

It had been almost a week since Nuffink's trip into Arendelle, and he was currently on yet another hunting trip. He regretted not taking a pouch of seeds with him when he left the Archipelago, but it was the harvest season in this new land, so they wouldn't have been any use anyway. He walked along a path with his bow held at the ready and an arrow nocked. He suddenly heard a twig snap, and he froze, looking around. About a hundred feet to his left, a large, furry creature with an impressive rack of antlers ambled into view. Nuffink licked his lips; he couldn't even remember the last time he'd eaten reindeer! Smiling, he pulled the arrow to his cheek and took aim.

"Sven! What did I tell you about running off in the middle of the forest?" The reindeer perked at the sound of the voice and ran toward it, and Nuffink's arrow narrowly missed impaling its eye, landing with a thwack in a tree trunk instead. Nuffink clenched his teeth and cursed his rotten luck. Based on the reindeer's reaction, it was somebody's PET! "Whoa! Where did that arrow come from?" the oddly familiar male voice came again.

"I don't know. I didn't think there'd be hunters in this part of the forest." Another voice, this time female. Nuffink jolted with panic and started running back the way he'd come, to his hut. He could hear at least two sets of feet in pursuit, maybe three, and he started running faster. The reindeer rammed into him from the left (unfortunately, Nuffink's biggest blind spot), and he grunted as the wind was knocked out of him. The reindeer charged again, and thinking fast, Nuffink nocked another arrow and let it fly. This time, the arrow clattered off of one of its antlers, causing the reindeer to freeze in place. Someone big and burly tackled Nuffink as he reached behind his back to draw a third arrow from his quiver, sending Nuffink and his adversary tumbling down the hill.

When they stopped rolling, Nuffink was on top. He quickly pinned the other man to the ground with his knee and drew a dagger from his belt, preparing to bring the fight to a swift end (obviously, carrying a sword while you're hunting is very impractical).

"Nuffink?" The young Viking froze. Trapped beneath him was none other than Kristoff! With a growl of anger, Nuffink stood up and sheathed the dagger.

"For Thor's sake, Kristoff! I could have killed you!" he yelled. He walked over to where his bow had fallen when Kristoff tackled him, picked it up, and turned around just in time to see a brunette young woman swing a branch at his face.

...

A while later, Nuffink came to. He groaned as his head throbbed painfully. He gingerly probed himself with his fingers, and hissed when he found a goose-egg above his left temple. He was lying on something much softer (almost uncomfortably so) than the mattress of waterfowl feathers he'd made for himself, and he gradually moved himself into a sitting position. Looking around, he could see that he was in a large bed with fine velvet sheets. His cloak, boots, and armor had all been stripped away, leaving him in just his tunic and breeches. The room he was in was very ornately decorated, with stone walls, a blazing fireplace with a framed portrait of a regal-looking couple above the mantel, and several gilded candelabras. The heavy oak-and-iron door was closed, and none of his gear was in sight.

Silently slipping out of bed, he crept over to the door and tested the knob. The door was unlocked, so he carefully pulled the door open and made his way down the hallway, his bare feet sinking into the rich red carpet. Along the walls, prized trophies and heirlooms were proudly displayed at regular intervals, along with suits of armor that looked very strange to Nuffink. Each time a guard or two came into view, he ducked behind a pedestal until their footsteps faded from his hearing. In hindsight, he should have grabbed the fireplace poker to use as a weapon. He was about to stand up from where he was crouching behind a pedestal, when...

"Hello!"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Nuffink shouted in fright when the unexpected voice behind him almost gave him a heart attack. He whirled around and spotted a squat snowman with twigs for arms, a long, crooked carrot for a nose, a single buck tooth, and three lumps of coal on the front of its body.

"Hi, there!" it said again in a high-pitched masculine voice, waving one of its arms. "You must be the new friend Kristoff and Anna brought home. I'm Olaf!" Nuffink couldn't care less what the snowman called himself. As far as he was concerned, this was some peculiar creature from Niflheim, the realm of ice and fog, and it had just discovered his presence. Abandoning his previous plan of secrecy, Nuffink turned and fled as fast as he could. "Hey, wait! Come back!" Olaf called after him, trying to give chase with his stubby, footless legs and falling flat on his face in the process.

Nuffink ran through the halls at top speed, not stopping for anything. The only goal he had was finding an exit. He passed several clusters of guards, and they were all hot on his heels. He turned a corner and found himself at a dead end. He whirled around, and the guards had him cornered, pointing swords and halberds at him. That was when his instincts flipped from flight to fight.

Clenching his fists, he let out a battle cry and hurled himself at the guards. They had nowhere near as much battle experience as he did, so he was able to fight through them and make his escape. Before he could get very far, Nuffink was suddenly immobilized by a rush of something very, very cold. After jerking his body around in a vain attempt to move, he looked down. His entire body from the shoulders down was encased in a block of ice!

"Careful, now. My guards had orders not to harm you, but if you tear around the castle like that, they might get the wrong impression," a feminine voice to his left said. Nuffink turned his head to see a regal woman clad in blue and white walking toward him, the pale braid hanging down her back swaying with each step.

"Who are you? And what sorcery is this?" he demanded as he continued to struggle.

"I'll tell you, but first you have to hold still long enough to listen," the woman replied. Seeing that there was nothing more he could do anyway, Nuffink sighed and obeyed. "Let me begin by saying that it's a real pleasure to meet you at long last, Nuffink. Kristoff has spoken very highly of you. My name is Elsa, and I am the Queen of Arendelle. You became a guest in my castle after my sister mistakenly knocked you out. I've had powers over ice and snow ever since my birth. Does that answer all of your questions?"

"All but one: what did you do with all of my stuff? My weapons? My cloak? My armor?" Nuffink asked, his teeth beginning to chatter from the ice still holding him captive.

"They are safely in storage elsewhere in the castle. I gave strict orders for them to not be disposed of," Elsa reassured him. She then noticed that he was shivering. With a wave of her hand, the ice around him shattered, sending him tumbling to the ground. "Sorry about freezing you, but I needed you to calm down and listen to reason. I'll have the servants prepare a hot bath and a warm meal for you, after which your belongings will be returned. Does that sound fair?"

"Aye, fair enough," Nuffink grunted, allowing Elsa to help him to his feet. Elsa summoned her lady-in-waiting and instructed her to draw a bath for Nuffink.

"Her Majesty must have a high opinion of you if she gave up her own private bedchambers for your recovery," the maid noted with intrigue as Nuffink followed her through the castle.

"I don't know why she would. This is the first time we've officially met," Nuffink replied. When his bath was prepared, Nuffink waited for the maid to leave before disrobing and submerging himself in the frothy, steaming water that filled the iron basin. He sighed in pleasure as the heat seemed to seep into his very bones. It took him a moment to realize that the strange white bar on a shelf attached to the basin was soap. Actual, genuine soap! Lye soap was difficult to come by in the Archipelago, as the traders asked high prices for it, and it was difficult to make properly. Homemade soap from wood ashes and rendered yak fat cleaned well but smelled awful!

Nuffink had to forcefully pull himself out of his relaxed state to finish washing himself, wincing as his fingers combed through the tangles in his hair. He climbed out of the water and dried off with the fluffy white towel that hung from a rod nearby. While he had been bathing, someone had snuck into the bathroom and replaced his tunic and breeches with items that were very similar, but made of a soft, sturdy fabric, much more comfortable than the rough leather and sailcloth canvas the originals had been made from. His armor and boots had been returned, but there was a new cloak of a better-quality material, dyed a murky green with an intricate silver clasp shaped like an oak leaf.

The maid returned right as Nuffink was fastening the buckles on his leather armor, and patiently waited for him to finish before telling him to follow her. The maid led Nuffink to a small dining chamber, where Elsa, Kristoff, and Anna were already seated.

"Sorry for knocking you out, Nuffink," Anna tried to apologize, but Nuffink brushed it off.

"Nonsense, milady; you have actually earned my respect with such a feat," he replied.

"Really?" Anna was confused.

"Of course! It normally takes a substantial amount of effort to knock out a Viking such as myself!" The three other adults were stunned.

"You're a Viking?! I thought the Vikings died out!" Kristoff exclaimed.

"Oh, they died out alright, just far more recently than you think. I may very well be the last one in existence." The others picked up on Nuffink's somber tone and decided not to question further. A roasted turkey and assorted vegetables were soon brought out by the servants, and the four people ate.

At the conclusion of the meal, Elsa asked Nuffink, "It is the duty of the Queen to see to the welfare of her people. Is there anything you don't have that I could provide? Anything at all?"

"All I need is a means of earning money, preferably something involving smithcraft. Everything else I can obtain for myself," Nuffink responded. "Now if you don't mind, I would like my bow and my knives back."

"Of course; a deal's a deal, after all!" Elsa said and motioned for Kristoff to pick up a nearby wooden chest and put it on the table. Unlocking it with a golden skeleton key on a chain around her neck, she opened the lid to reveal Nuffink's bow, quiver, and knives. "As for your request for a job, I'm sure I can find you a position in my armory. If not, you can probably work in the stables and make horseshoes. I'll send for you when something comes up. Anna, would you be a dear and show our guest to the door?"

"You're too kind, milady," Nuffink said, humbly bowing after slinging his bow over his shoulder and tucking the knives into his boots. "Oh, and Kristoff?" he asked as he turned to leave. "I'd keep a closer eye on that reindeer of yours. I don't want to accidentally shoot him while I'm hunting."

"I don't know if you could tell, but Elsa likes you," Anna said as she walked with Nuffink through the castle. Nuffink stayed silent, and Anna cleared her throat uncomfortably. "We, uh, we have our annual Harvest Festival in a couple weeks. You're more than welcome to attend the banquet Elsa and I organized," she offered.

"I'll think about it. Right now, I need to go home and get some rest," Nuffink replied. "I meant what I said about earning my respect. Knocking out me in particular is no easy feat."