"Wow, you go fast !" Anna shouted over the wind. They'd been riding for a few hours now, judging by the position of the sun, but Sven didn't seem to be tiring in the slightest.
"Yeah," Kristoff agreed. "We've been hauling ice for a decade now. Both of us have gotten pretty strong over the years," he explained.
"How long do you think until we reach the mountain?" she questioned casually. Every day she was gone was a day Elsa was without her protection.
"Tomorrow night, if we're lucky," he answered.
"I've heard that the journey to the mountain is dangerous this time of year," Anna noted. "Is that true?"
Kristoff nodded. "Wolves can be a problem… and we've had to deal with bandits once or twice during the winter," he answered. "Why? You afraid?" he teased.
Anna scowled. "Of course not! I'm the second-deadliest woman in Arendelle! It'll take more than a few wolves and brigands to take me down," she said proudly.
He looked at her curiously. "So tell me. What's your story? You're a maid in the Castle… but you know how to fight? How did that happen?" The question briefly made Anna tense, but his tone was curious rather than accusatory.
"Nothing much to tell. I never knew my parents. When I was a child, the Castle took me in… I've been a maid ever since. I… some soldier friends… friends of mine who are soldiers… taught me how to use a sword. I was always pretty good, but after this magic started kicking in, eventually none of them could beat me," she lied. "What about you?"
"Pretty similar to yours, sort of. My parents died when I was two, but I know who they were. Ror and Silvia Bjorgman. It wasn't long after that I apprenticed myself to a group of ice harvesters. When I was five, I fell behind and was found by the trolls. They sort of adopted me. Been with them ever since."
Anna nodded. "Listen… I really appreciate this. Going out of your way and all to help me."
Kristoff shrugged. "The trolls don't like being taken advantage of for petty reasons, but Pabbie would want to speak with you. He'll be curious about your magic, and if he can, he'll want to help you. They took Sven and me in when we had nothing… seems right to return the favor."
The redhead suppressed a sigh. Here was this slightly grumpy mountain man, taking her on a trip across the country for noble reasons… and all she was doing was lying to his face.
"What kind of magic can they do?" she asked him, trying to change the subject.
"Some of them can't do any. The leader, Grand Pabbie, is the one with the most skill. But what he can do… it's not really combat-related. Nothing like they say the Queen is capable of. Locator spells. Healing. Creating potions that can erase memories. Stuff like that. You'd be surprised how useful some of it can be. Sometimes, Pabbie can even catch glimpses of the past and future."
"The Queen can heal," Anna blurted out.
Kristoff looked at her skeptically. "For a maid, you seem to know a lot about the Ice Queen," he pointed out.
Anna's face turned bright red. "Well… I've seen her around the Castle more than once. And when you've lived under the same roof as her as long as I have, you hear a few things," she said. "Her magic can heal almost anything… though not as much as Princess Rapunzel's."
"Princess Rapunzel? Of Corona?" he questioned. "What can she do?"
"She… I mean… it's rumored her tears can heal literally any wound. No matter how serious, as long as the victim is still alive. That's what I've heard, anyway," she covered. Best not to let him know just how close to royalty she actually was. The last thing Anna wanted was to ruin this stroke of good luck by making him doubt her story. If he thought she was lying, he might never take her where she needed to go.
\
Elsa stared down at her desk, trying to focus on the paperwork in front of her.
Outside, the sun was setting. It had been three hours since her cousin had finally departed. Despite the Princess's arguments, Elsa had refused to forgive her immediately. The Queen disliked parting on bad terms, but her anger was not so easily overcome. Rapunzel's misjudgment had placed Anna in unnecessary danger, and it was a struggle for Elsa to resist turning her cousin into an ice statue.
Maybe she and Anna could decorate the garden together. It would be lovely.
Elsa sighed. As furious as she was with Anna, the main emotion she was feeling right now was worry. The redhead was supposed to be here, in the Castle, where the Queen could keep her safe. Not traipsing through the wilderness in the middle of winter!
A knock on her door.
"Enter!" she called. Time for another meeting with Evangeline.
The spymaster opened the door and walked into the room. To the untrained eye, she seemed perfectly normal, but Elsa could see through the facade. Evangeline was weary. Drained even. Recent events had taken their toll on her.
"Your Majesty," the spymaster bowed, then sat down in a chair opposite the Queen.
"Good morning, Evangeline. Has there been any progress?"
The older woman shook her head, frustration clear on her features. "None. We've found nothing on the men's bodies. Our searches for knowledge of magic and rituals are continuing, but so far we've had no luck. I… I apologize. We're failing you."
Elsa's eyes narrowed. Doubt wasn't something the Queen was accustomed to seeing in Evangeline.
"Are you alright?" the monarch questioned. "Ever since Vlora's death, you haven't been yourself. If you require a short leave of absence…"
"No!" Evangeline immediately protested, the sudden raising of her voice causing Elsa to jump back in surprise. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I know I haven't been effective recently. But I refuse to rest while her killers are still out there. I am going to find them, no matter how long it takes," she promised. Her voice was overflowing with determination.
The Queen nodded. "I understand. I'm not doubting your skills. You saved my parents many times. I was simply concerned… were you and Vlora close?" The personal question slipped out before Elsa could stop it. She didn't want to pry into Evangeline's life, and now as a servant of the kingdom, the spymaster was obligated to answer.
Evangeline's eyes betrayed the older woman's pain.
"We… yes, Your Majesty."
The Queen's eyes widened. "Were you…?"
"Lovers?" the older woman prompted. "… Yes. It wasn't the most… traditional relationship. I met her when I was twenty-one and started working in the Palace. She was thirty-three at the time. It… we… started to grow close. When your parents selected me at as their spymaster despite my young age and brought me onto the Council, she mentored me. After that…"
Elsa nodded in understanding, concealing her surprise. The knowledge that her spymaster had been involved with the representative of one of Arendelle's most prominent noble houses was borderline shocking… but the Queen really wasn't in a position to judge.
Still, the story made sense, in a way. Both Evangeline and Vlora (in her younger years, at least) were certainly attractive women. Evangeline had been born into an upper-middle class family and had worked as an intelligence agent before being selected for her skill to be the kingdom's spymaster by Elsa's parents. But she would have been out of her depth on the Royal Council, and Vlora, a woman born into nobility, would have been a perfect candidate to help her along. If they were both attracted to women (which would have limited their romance options) then Elsa could see how they ended up together despite the age difference.
Anna is five years my junior.
"Gods, Evangeline. I'm… I'm so sorry," Elsa said, dropping her regal tone for a moment. "Why didn't the two of you ever tell anyone?"
The spymaster sighed. "Her family would never have approved. I didn't want to risk her being disowned. We talked about getting married one day and telling everyone, but… we waited too long."
The Queen frowned. Vlora was one of the members of the Liddel family, a noble house that had existed in Arendelle for centuries. She had been delegated to act as its representative on the Royal Council, but her parents were still the heads of the family. If there was one thing the House of Liddel was known for, it was their strict adherence to tradition. Evangeline was right, the knowledge of Vlora's choice in partner could well have enraged the Councilor's parents.
"I can promise you one thing, Your Majesty. I will hunt those responsible to the ends of the earth. Both out of my duty… and for her," the spymaster promised.
Elsa nodded. "I expect nothing less," she replied, slipping the royal mask back on.
"A word of advice, Your Majesty?" Evangeline offered.
The Queen's eyebrows raised, but she dipped her head in consent.
The older woman sighed. "Don't make the same mistake with Anna."
In a rare moment, the monarch was speechless. For five seconds, she simply stared at Evangeline, at an utter loss for words. The spymaster gazed back at her, the expression on her face neutral.
"I...what are you talking about?" Elsa finally managed.
Was it the Queen's imagination, or did Evangeline just roll her eyes? "With due respect, Your Majesty, it's my job to know things. All it took was observing how the two of you looked at each other for a few days to put the pieces together. I understand your reasoning for wanting to keep the affair a secret for a moment, but I would suggest not planning on keeping your relationship hidden forever."
Elsa's hands gripped the sides of her chair in frustration, but the Queen didn't have the heart to reprimand the spymaster after she had just suffered a personal tragedy.
"Thank you, Evangeline, but that decision is mine to make. You are welcome to your suspicions, but I expect you to keep them to yourself for the moment," the monarch commanded, neither confirming nor denying the relationship.
The spymaster nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty. Although… if I may ask, where is Miss Anna at the moment? Should she not be guarding you?"
The Queen's grip on the armrests tightened. "Anna is…" she hesitated only for the briefest moment. Not only was Anna disobeying her, but the redhead had placed the Queen into a position in which Elsa had no choice but to propagate her lie.
"I sent her on an important mission…"
\
They set up camp an hour after sunset. By this point, traveling to a town would have taken them hours out of their way, and Kristoff had more than enough supplies to make the night outside semi-bearable.
It was cold, to be sure. But Anna had been through far worse. The three of them had a roaring fire, heavy sleeping bags, and more than enough food to last through the trip.
After making sure the fire was going strong and eating a warm meal, Anna and Kristoff readied themselves for sleep. The redhead was given a firm pillow and several large blankets to go over her sleeping bag. Choosing to situate herself a few meters away from the fire, Anna watched as Kristoff moved his sleeping bag over to Sven's side and rested his head on the reindeer's flank.
"Aww…" Anna cooed. "No wonder you smell like reindeer."
Kristoff merely shrugged, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a plump orange carrot. Within two seconds, Sven had leaned over and happily devoured it.
"Sometimes I feel like half of my salary goes into his carrots," the ice harvester mused. "Not that I mind, of course," he added.
"Well, he does do half the work," Anna pointed out.
"True."
Anna made to lay down and sleep, but then a thought occurred to her. "Should we set up a watch for tonight?" the redhead questioned. "You said there might be wolves or bandits around, and if they found us sleeping…"
"It's fine," Kristoff interrupted. "Sven could hear them coming from a mile away. He's saved my life more than once in the past, haven't you buddy?" he patted the reindeer affectionally.
Anna sighed in relief. She was someone who liked her sleep.
"So what's it like?" he asked. "Working in the Ice Queen's Palace? You ever wake up to find it snowing in your room?"
"No. Why?"
Kristoff shrugged. "Just wondering how much of what they say is true."
"What they say?" Anna questioned.
"About our monarch being cursed and all. Especially after the storm she caused, there's been a lot of-"
"Elsa is not cursed!" Anna shouted. How dare he… how dare anyone accuse the Queen of such a thing! Elsa was such a benevolent monarch… they didn't know how lucky they were.
" Elsa ?" Kristoff questioned. Shit.
"Queen Elsa, I mean. Anyway… how can you say that about her? You were raised by magical trolls, for the sake of the gods! Having powers doesn't mean you're cursed!"
"The trolls never buried half the country in ice," the ice harvester retorted. "I don't know where you were during that storm, but I was outside on the roads. Another ten minutes of that and Sven and I would have been crushed to death by snow!"
Anna took a deep breath, trying to rein in her anger.
"I'm not saying she's evil or anything," he added, his voice defensive now. "I know she probably didn't cause that storm of her own free will…"
"She was attacked!" Anna interjected.
Her companion nodded. "I know. All I'm saying is that she's been saddled with powers she might not have full control over. Maybe it's not a curse, but they still make her dangerous. Very dangerous."
Anna glared at him. "She has complete control over them. Okay… the storm was an exception… a big exception, but that's the only time I ever remember her powers going haywire. Otherwise, the only people the Queen's ever hurt have been trying to kill her."
Kristoff's eyes narrowed. "You sound like you know her," he pointed out.
"I don't," Anna lied reluctantly. "But I've still lived in the same building as her for over ten years. I think I'd have heard if her powers had ever mutilated someone."
"Fine," Kristoff sighed, clearly not in the mood to argue.
"So… what was it like growing up with the trolls?" Anna asked, trying to change the subject.
"Fine. A little weird sometimes. They're not exactly normal… but then again, neither are we," he smiled slightly, laying back against Sven. "We always had enough to eat, and I never had to live in an orphanage, so you could say we were really lucky."
Anna frowned. "Yeah… I mean, me too!" she covered quickly, not showing how his words had affected her. Not that it was his fault, of course… according to the lies she told him, Anna had been fortunate as well, living in the Castle since her parents had died.
"Sometimes I think of how it would have been different," he mused. "What would have happened if they'd never taken us in? I'd probably have spent my childhood in an orphanage… and never seen Sven again. Doubt I would have been adopted."
"Yeah," Anna agreed. "That would have sucked."
\
They rode in comfortable silence for most of the next day. The longer they traveled, the more both Anna's excitement and her fear grew. She couldn't wait to meet the trolls and learn everything she could, but at the same time, the redhead knew she might be met with nothing but disappointment.
What if they don't know anything? What if they don't want to help me? What if Kristoff doesn't actually know them and is simply pulling a prank on me?
Okay, that last one was ridiculous. Going on a journey for several days just to pull one over on someone he'd never met didn't seem like Kristoff's style. But the first two points were definitely valid.
"Almost there," Kristoff told her. "Another few hours, at the most. Just gotta pass through the Clashing Hills, and the mountain will be in sight."
"The Clashing Hills?" Anna asked.
He simply smirked. "You'll see."
And a half hour later, she did. The forest around them gradually faded away, the trees becoming more and more scarce. Ahead of them was a snow-covered mountain range.
Although 'mountain' might have been stretching it. The mounds in front of them had clearly been eroded over the years, though they were still taller than what she would consider a hill. But what struck her the most about them was the way they were formed. On either side of the path, the mountains appeared to be stretching towards one another, as if they were in opposition. A jagged edge formed the top of each mound, and each was unfailingly pointed at the other side of the range.
"I see why they call them 'clashing'," Anna remarked. "How did they…"
Kristoff shrugged. "How did they form like this? Probably just a coincidence, unless you believe the legends, of course."
"Legends?"
He nodded. "You know how some traditions say that a war between the gods will occur in the future, ending the world?"
"Yeah," she agreed, not sure where he was going with this. Anna had never been one for religion (there were just so many, it was hard to choose. Plus, religion hadn't exactly been kind to her in the past…) but she knew the basics of some of them.
"Well, there's a few… you probably wouldn't have heard of them, they're mostly based outside of Arendelle, and they're not very big. But some believe that the war already happened, though it didn't end the world. Some believe that these hills are the product of one such battle… a skirmish between two deities who could control the earth itself."
She looked at him curiously, but Anna didn't doubt his words. She'd traveled through much of the country, but Anna had rarely been beyond Arendelle's borders. The ice-harvester, on the other hand, had probably visited half a dozen nations while doing his job.
"Who won?" Anna questioned.
Kristoff chuckled. "It's only a legend. Those who believe in it argue over the details, of course. They can't even agree on why the war started in the first place. Some say it was a power struggle between the King of the Gods and his son. Others believe it was a rebellion in response to the King's chosen consort… a human girl he decided to raise from the underworld. Most seem to think it was an argument over what to do about the spread of humanity."
"How'd it end?" Anna asked.
"Woah… why all the questions?"
"I guess I'm just a curious person," she said impatiently. "So how'd it end?"
The ice-harvester sighed. "Again, they don't agree. One sect says that there was a truce. Some others claim that the gods chose to banish themselves from the world. A couple even argue that the gods completely destroyed themselves, vanishing into the dust."
"How would… wow!" Anna breathed. Ahead of them was a massive formation of snow and rock, dwarfing the hills that they were riding through. It seemed to reach into the sky itself, parting the clouds around it.
The North Mountain.
\
The trolls, according to Kristoff, had a camp at the foothills of the mountain, about a thousand feet above ground level. Sven continued to ride on, moving carefully up the inclined surface.
"I hope they can help you," the ice-harvester said. "If anyone will know anything about your condition, it'll be Grand Pabbie."
Anna sighed. As they'd ridden, the redhead had come to a realization. She would have to tell the trolls the truth about why she was there, and that meant that Kristoff would learn as well. It would be best to let him know now. Anna already felt guilty about deceiving him; she didn't want to make it worse.
"Wait, Kristoff… before we get there, I have to tell you something."
Her companion looked at her suspiciously, but he lightly jerked the reins. Sven slowed to a halt.
"I…" Anna bit her lip. "I haven't exactly been telling you the truth. The reason I want to see the trolls… it's not because I'm curious about my magic. The truth is…"
"Fuck," the ice-harvester cursed. His eyes were wide with anger as he turned to the front of the sleigh. "Sven, turn us around!"
"Kristoff let me explain!"
He rounded on her. "I should have known you were lying. Why I agreed to help you, I'll never know. I am so sick of people trying to take advantage of them…" he paused for a brief moment. "I'll take you back to civilization… I won't leave you to freeze out here, even though I want to. But I will never take you to them."
"It's for the Queen!"
Kristoff stared at her dumbly for several seconds. "Excuse me?" he finally demanded.
"I'm not a maid in the Castle, I'm the Queen's personal attendant… basically meaning I'm her guard. I was living on the streets until I saved Elsa from an attack… she took me in and I've been living at the Castle for over a month now. During the assassination attempt last week… I was there… for most of it, anyway. I got shot with an arrow, but Princess Rapunzel healed me… anyway, that's not the important part. The last assassin mentioned something to Elsa about a ritual before he killed himself. That made us think the attack had something to do with magic, but we don't know what… and Elsa's father had written about the trolls… so I decided to find them…" she rambled.
The ice-harvester looked at her skeptically.
"It's true, I swear! The reason I have these powers is because Elsa's been dosing me with her healing magic for the last month. It's been giving me these abilities, but we don't understand why. I guess that's something else I could ask the trolls…"
"And you kept this a secret because…?"
Anna sighed. "I'm not supposed to talk about our investigation into the assassination attempts. Elsa doesn't want people knowing how much we're in the dark. I'm sorry…"
As she talked, Sven continued on ahead, in the same direction they had been traveling before.
"Sven, I didn't say go toward the trolls!" Kristoff hissed. The reindeer ignored him, continuing forward.
Anna crossed her arms triumphantly. "At least someone believes me," she grinned.
Kristoff was silent for a few moments, probably processing her story.
"It sounds crazy, but some of it also makes sense I guess," Kristoff admitted. "How you just happened to get these powers. Why you were so defensive of the Queen last night…" he sighed. " If you're telling the truth now, I can understand why you lied… look, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
"Thanks," Anna smiled.
"Only because Sven trusts you," the ice-harvester huffed.
\
They rode on for another ten minutes. The sun had set, plunging the mountainside into darkness. A light snowfall had begun a few minutes ago.
Kristoff said they were almost there, but Anna couldn't see any sign of…
The air in front of Sven seemed to ripple, and the next moment he was out of sight. Anna didn't even have time to gasp before the world briefly went black. It felt like they were passing through a cold wind.
Then the world changed. Where before they had been riding through the snowy mountainside, now…
Anna's jaw dropped.
The ground below them was now composed of the greenest grass the redhead had ever seen. A circular field of green was arrayed before them; it was around a hundred meters in diameter and decorated by dozens of oddly shaped purple rocks. The area was further complemented by a massive assortment of tents and living supplies, none of which were currently being used.
Immediately behind them, the mountainside still remained… as snowy as ever. Fully processing the change in scenery, Anna realized that the grassy field they were in was a bubble in the middle of the snowy foothills. A patch of spring, surrounded on all sides by the dead of winter.
"A barrier…" Anna breathed in awe.
Kristoff smirked. "More like a cloaking spell. It doesn't keep anyone out, but unless someone stumbles upon their camp, it hides the trolls pretty well. Pabbie's magic keeps it up… and keeps it warm and grassy in here."
"Amazing…" she looked around, taking it all in. Magic really was incredible.
"Where are the trolls?" she finally asked. Except for her, Kristoff, and Sven, the camp was deserted. As if in answer, the ice-harvester pointed to the purple rocks.
"What…?"
"They usually sleep through the entire night," Kristoff explained. "But Grand Pabbie doesn't mind waking up when it's important."
At the sound of the name, one of the rocks began to roll towards them. Anna watched in disbelief as the stone seemed to hop off the ground, changing into…
She was staring at a purple creature that was roughly two feet tall on a pair of stubby legs. A worn greenish cloak adorned it, plain except for a pair of sleeves that allowed the creature's small arms to poke through and a smattering of glowing yellow crystals. The face… Anna could only describe it as troll-like. His posture seemed to imply age… but also wisdom and experience. Dark blond hair was matched by the color of the troll's eyes, which were now appraising her.
"Kristoff," the troll spoke in a deep yet kind voice. "Always good to see you. I see you've brought me a guest," he intoned.
The ice-harvester frowned. "This is Anna," he indicated to her. "She says she's here on behalf of Queen Elsa, but her story is… doubtful. I'll let her describe it."
Anna bowed. "It's an honor, Your Grace. I'm Queen Elsa's personal attendant. In the past month, there have been two separate attacks on the monarch, and something one of the assassins said makes us think it may have something to do with magic. We weren't even sure you existed… all we had were writings in the journal of Elsa's father… but we don't have anywhere else to turn to."
"Pabbie is fine, child." He said, considering her words. After a moment, he appeared to come to a decision.
"I believe you speak the truth. Your story would explain why the monarch in Arendelle has not contacted us for several years. And I can see it in your eyes… you care deeply for your Queen, do you not?"
Anna blushed. "I do," she agreed, making Kristoff send her a curious glance.
"The trolls are a secluded people, but we have always been happy to offer assistance to Arendelle's monarch. For generations, the Royal Family has known of our presence here and kept the knowledge of our existence a secret, and they have ruled their country wisely for the most part. We have heard about the King and Queen's tragic end, and now I can only assume that they did not tell their daughter of us before they passed."
"Did you know them?" Anna asked.
The elder troll nodded. "They came to me for assistance several times. In particular, the King was eager for knowledge about Princess Elsa's magic, but I'm afraid that in that matter, we could not help him. Her powers are as much a mystery to us as they are to the rest of the kingdom."
The redhead sighed. "Then I'm guessing you don't know anything about my magic, either."
Pabbie raised his eyebrows. " Your magic?" he questioned curiously.
Anna nodded. She crouched down on her knees, tightening her muscles, then leapt into the air as high as she could. The redhead's strength propelled her nearly ten feet off the ground.
She landed on the grass smoothly, barely feeling the impact in her legs.
"Definitely still getting stronger," she murmured as Kristoff stared at her, open-mouthed.
"For over a month, the Queen's been using her healing magic on me daily," she explained to the surprised troll. "It's made me stronger, faster, and tougher. Elsa fears it's a curse of some kind… though nothing bad has happened yet. Would you have any idea how…"
Pabbie slowly shook his head. "This is remarkable, but… I have never seen magic such as yours. And I have never known the abilities of one person to awaken powers in another. And the Queen does not possess this strength and speed, correct?"
Anna nodded.
"Stranger still. I do not know how this is possible, and I truly wish that I did. And you never had any magic of your own before you met the Queen?"
She shook her head.
"I may, however, be able to confirm that it is not a curse," he mentioned. "Tell me… is there anyone in your life that you truly love?"
Anna stared at him blankly. "What?" she asked dumbly.
Pabbie offered her a small smile. "Curses are something that I am familiar with. They are a dark subject, to be sure, but there is a known cure. A method that can erase even the strongest of curses."
"Oh!" Anna breathed in sudden realization. "True love's kiss? I've read about that in fairy tales… but I never imagined it would actually be true."
Pabbie nodded. "That expression of mutual love between two individuals, whether it be familial, platonic, or romantic, can dispel the effects of any curse."
"Right… well, I have a girlfriend," Anna admitted. "We've said we love each other… and we've both saved the other's life. And we've kissed plenty of times…"
"If that is indeed the case," the troll interrupted, "Then you may be confident that your abilities are not a curse."
Kristoff's eyes had grown wider with every sentence spoken, but now he finally spoke up. "It's Elsa, isn't it?" he questioned, the shock in his voice apparent. "Your girlfriend… the Queen is your girlfriend."
Anna's face turned as bright as a tomato. "What makes you think…?" she began hopelessly, knowing that denying it was a lost cause.
"Anyway," she deflected the question. "The reason I came here was that the assassin that Elsa briefly interrogated said… what was it…'control… you… can't… ritual' right before he died. Do you have any idea what that means?"
Her heart fell as Pabbie shook his head.
"No," he said slowly. "There are many out there who fear those with magic and believe that they should be eliminated. But a ritual that would have something to do with the Queen's abilities… I do not know anything of the sort." He sighed. "The Queen's magic is unlike any I have ever seen. There are a few others I have heard about in far-off places with the ability to manipulate ice, but none on the scale that she is able to. That does not mean that there is no such ritual. The Queen's magic is the strongest in recorded history, after all. Perhaps there is a spell that requires so much power that only Elsa herself would be able to enact it. But what that would be… I do not know."
Anna sank to her knees. All of her efforts had come to naught; she had nothing of use to take back to her Queen.
Pabbie stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I am truly sorry that I cannot assist you. But you may return to Elsa with the knowledge that we do indeed exist, and that our services are at her disposal should she ever require them."
The redhead nodded. "Thank you," she said simply.
It was something, at least. But in essence, her mission was still a failure. Anna and learned nothing about the attempts on the Queen's life. Elsa and her advisors would remain as blind as ever, and those who sought to kill her would continue to run free.