Two weeks had passed since the liberation of Arendelle. The inhabitants had been able to return to their homes, happy to see that most were still intact. Others had not been so lucky: here, gigantic claw marks lacerated the wall, and there, an entire section of the building had collapsed.
Fortunately, the people of Arendelle were not alone. The Northuldras had come to provide know-how and manpower. Even the spirits helped out - despite the fact that the earth giants were forbidden in town - with Gale blowing through the streets to gather debris and garbage, and the fire spirit happily burning useless rubble.
Even Anna, despite numerous protests ("But you're the queen! You have to get ready for the ball tonight!"), had donned a simple work outfit to help the locals. She wanted to get involved in rebuilding the city, to show what kind of queen she wanted to be, close to her people.
By her side, Kristoff was helping out with inexhaustible energy. His leg had quickly recovered from the onslaught of shadows, and his experience in manual labor was invaluable to the rebuilding efforts. Aided by Sven, pulling a wagon full of planks and other odds and ends, he made his way through the streets, which echoed with the sound of hammers and saws.
Miraculously, the castle was intact - apart from a few broken tiles. Fortunately for the kingdom, Roderick was so arrogant that he forbade his shadows to destroy "his" castle and "his" town. The creatures had obviously been a little overzealous in the streets, but nothing that couldn't be repaired.
As for Elsa, although she wasn't directly involved in the restoration work, she zigzagged between the various site managers gathered in the town square, offering her advice and sometimes using her ice to provide temporary reinforcement on certain buildings.
Aodhan, on the other hand, was strangely the most to be pitied of the four. The poor fellow could no longer take a step outside the castle without being hailed from all sides. Passers-by were all eager to thank the man who had saved their kingdom, clinging to his arm to have their photo taken with him, or dragging him in front of a painter who wanted to be the first to paint his portrait. The young man, a little embarrassed by the attention he was receiving, always found an excuse to take his leave and join Elsa in the square. Elsa always watched him arrive with a chuckle.
"Here's Arendelle's celebrity," she couldn't help saying to him as he stood beside her.
In response, Aodhan stuck out his tongue.
That evening, as the workers were putting away their tools after the last of the day's repairs, the castle gates opened to a very different sight. Anna had organized a fabulous banquet to celebrate the liberation of Arendelle and the imminent completion of the renovation work. Anna was dressed in her finest ball gown in the colors of the kingdom and stood on the castle landing to welcome the guests. Even Kristoff had to comply with the requirements and wear an elegant outfit, which made him feel like he was suffocating and prevented him from turning his head. He simply waved to the guests with his free hand, his other arm serving as a perch for his fiancée.
"Ooooh, snow!" exclaimed a child in the crowd.
Anna sharply turned her head in the direction of the courtyard and marveled at the fact that, indeed, the first flakes of winter were falling.
Completely dropping Kristoff's arm and the visitors, she made her way down the few steps towards the castle's inner courtyard. With an enthusiasm akin to that of the children imitating her, she whirled around the central fountain, watching the snowflakes floating over Arendelle.
Her laughter was contagious, and the guests all stopped to watch with affection as their queen danced alone, eyes closed and a smile hanging on her lips. The flaps of her dress and cape undulated gracefully with each movement, carrying a few flakes in her wake.
There was something magical about the moment, as if the whole world had stopped to contemplate this scene, where the magic of winter mingled with the joy of the inhabitants of Arendelle embodied in the young queen. Her joy was radiant and bright, and when they all returned to the castle, the guests couldn't help but smile.
The castle's great hall was now buzzing with people all dressed up for the occasion, servants coming and going, offering petits fours and champagne glasses to the guests.
But most impressive of all was the metamorphosis of the throne room. The latter had disappeared for the evening, and on its platform now stood a small orchestra playing a melodious, dancing harmony. The room was filled with people, garlands of golden crocuses - Arendelle's emblem - and multicolored ribbons adorning the walls or cascading between each pillar. On either side of the room were long tables laden with delicious food.
Guests were streaming into the room, dressed in their finest for the occasion, exchanging cheerful greetings and news of the day. The music echoed merrily through the walls and everyone had been dancing for a good hour.
Among them, Aodhan was trying to make his way through the crowd, which formed a circle and clapped rhythmically while watching Anna and Kristoff dance in its center. The young man had swapped his usual coat for an elegant suit, although the jacket had retained its wine-red color. He greeted the few people who recognized him with a shy smile, and his eyes lit up when he recognized the hair of the person he was looking for in the distance.
"Would you grant me this dance, O great spirit of the forest?" he whispered in her ear as he managed to slip behind her back.
Elsa gasped and turned to him, a broad smile on her lips.
"Forgive me, great savior of Arendelle, but I don't like dancing," she replied in the same amused tone.
They stared at each other mischievously for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.
The young woman was just as resplendent as her sister. She was wearing a long white dress embroidered in gold, a light veil hanging down her back and billowing with her every movement, and gloves in the same material running up her arms. She had tied her hair into a long braid that fell over her shoulder, but had let a few rebellious strands down in front of her eyes.
Eventually, they regained their seriousness and Aodhan stood beside Elsa, both turning to Anna and Kristoff who were still twirling gracefully on the dance floor.
"Do you think Kristoff has taken dance lessons from Sven for tonight?" murmured Aodhan, observing Kristoff's movements.
Elsa laughed again and gently nudged his shoulder. They giggled more or less silently, drawing questioning glances from those around them.
"I have to admit it's getting a little too crowded for me," Elsa continued.
"So come and sit by the tables, I'm starting to get hungry myself."
Aodhan took her hand and led her towards one of the tables overflowing with food. But what really caught their attention was the dish overloaded with chocolates.
"You know," the young man began slowly. It would be a shame if someone took the plate away and ate all the chocolates..."
"Aodhan, we're not going to eat it all!"
He locked eyes with her, his eyebrows raised and a smile on his face. Without taking his eyes off her, he slowly moved his hand towards the dish.
"Aodhan!" exclaimed Elsa, falsely disapproving.
"No one will know," he assured her with a wink.
He grabbed the plate and headed for the nearest door. Elsa called out to him once more, and after taking one last worried look around to make sure no one had noticed, she followed him out of the room.
The two young people had moved into the living room where they usually played charades with the others. The walls reverberated with the echo of their laughter as they sat comfortably on the sofa, enjoying delicious chocolates with the plate between them.
"I shouldn't be surprised that such a mischievous woman as Anna knows how to throw a remarkable party... But I must admit, this ball is impressive.
"It's true," Elsa agreed. She always pulls out all the stops, and I've always called on her to organize grandiose receptions. You should have seen our Christmas parties," she added with a smile.
"Everyone looks so happy tonight," commented Aodhan.
"And you, how do you feel after everything that's happened?"
He took a chocolate and ate it while thinking about his answer. Elsa waited, curious.
"I didn't really expect to find myself at the center of all this," he said at last. I still feel a bit lost not remembering my past completely, and suddenly becoming the hero of Arendelle...
He looked at Elsa and a smile lit up his face. His hand rested gently on hers.
"But my past isn't as important to me as it used to be," he continued. What's more important is who I am now. Here, in Arendelle. With you.
Elsa's cheeks flushed slightly at his words. She didn't know what to say, and a silence fell between them. They could no longer take their eyes off each other, and their faces slowly drew together.
The door flew open and Anna's triumphant voice rang in their ears as they hurriedly parted, blushing and looking guilty.
"Ahah! There you are! See Kristoff, I told you a plate of chocolates was missing!"
The queen, her fiancé and Olaf entered the room, unaware of the other two's discomfort. They sat down next to each other, but the sofa was too small and Elsa and Aodhan found themselves pressed against each other, the armrest painfully pressed against the young man's back. Anna sighed as she slumped down, momentarily forgetting her queenly stature.
"I can't take it anymore! she exclaimed. I didn't think the whole town would come! And everyone was watching us dance, I didn't dare stop, and now my shoes are hurting my feet! Is it just me, or is it hot in here?
The other two listened and nodded, carefully avoiding eye contact with each other. Luckily for them, Olaf suggested a riddle night to take their minds off things, and they accepted his suggestion a little too enthusiastically.
Elsa and Aodhan's awkwardness quickly disappeared, replaced by the hilarity of their games with Kristoff and Anna. Olaf made them all laugh out loud by imitating Roderick, now locked in his cell, in a caricature of a fairy-tale villain. Then he imitated Elsa with her braid over her shoulder.
"He imitates you strangely well," Aodhan commented in Elsa's ear. Hey, Olaf," he called out in a louder voice. Can you do Anna too?
Ignoring the queen's protests, the snowman changed form and his silhouette quickly recalled Anna, his hair tied back and a small crown shining on his head. They all burst out laughing, and even Anna, despite her falsely sulky expression, couldn't help smiling.
Aodhan caught Olaf in his arms and held him out to Anna.
"Sorry Anna, but I think we've found the real Queen of Arendelle.
Olaf immediately struck a pose, one arm behind his head, raising his eyebrows seductively. Anna frowned, apparently not the least bit amused.
"I admit it," she conceded. "I'm not the real Anna of Arendelle. The truth is, I am..."
She dived at Olaf, grabbed his two big snowy teeth and pulled them out.
"Hey, that tickles!" exclaimed the babbling snowman.
She separated the two teeth and stuck them in her mouth, before concluding her sentence:
"Fe truf is, I'm fe efil fampire who wants to drink your blood! Aaaargh!"
She reached out her hands and Olaf shrieked in terror as he leapt from Aodhan's arms. The whole group ran into the room, trying to escape the terrible snow fangs of the evil vampire Anna, who tickled them when she caught them.
She had just seized Kristoff and was about to "bite" him, when little knocks sounded at the door and a servant entered, looking imperturbable.
"Your Majesty, you are expected for the closing speech of the ball," he announced.
Anna immediately let go of Kristoff and dropped her snowy teeth to the floor. She now stood straight and proud, as if absolutely nothing had happened. Looking totally dignified, she thanked the servant and, after an amused wink at Elsa and Aodhan, left, accompanied by Olaf (who had retrieved his teeth from the carpet) and Kristoff, who looked like a sentenced man heading for the scaffold.
"It's the last time I'll wear this outfit," he sighed, before closing the door.
Elsa and Aodhan looked at each other, alone again, out of breath after running around the room. The young woman suggested they join a balcony to enjoy the fresh night air, and Aodhan gratefully accepted.
They walked along the castle's quiet, dimly-lit corridors. At the turn of a corridor, they passed two large paintings, and Aodhan stopped to observe them.
The painting on the left showed Elsa and Anna beside Kristoff, leaning against Sven, and Olaf smiling at the painter, cherry branches with pink petals above their heads. But it was above all the painting on the right that caught the young man's eye: it depicted a tall, thin man, a pendant with the symbol of Arendelle gleaming on his chest, his golden epaulets accentuating his upright stature. Beside him, a young brunette woman with delicate lines smiled peacefully, her hands clasped in front of her. Standing in front of them, a little girl with blond hair was imitating her parents, smiling while remaining upright, her hand resting on another young girl, with red hair, who was watching her older sister with admiration.
"I remember," commented Elsa, who had joined Aodhan. "Anna had had a hard time staying in place."
Aodhan, however, kept his eyes on the two young women's parents. He turned slowly to Elsa.
"They'd be proud of both of you, you know? Of you and who you've become."
Elsa faced him back, her eyes glistening. A tender smile slowly stretched her lips as she tilted her head to the side. For years, she'd been waiting to hear those words.
"Thank you, Aodhan," she whispered, taking his hand.
The cool night air caressed their skin as they leaned against the balcony railing. In the distance, they could hear the last notes from the throne room as the guests were leaving the castle to return home.
"Arendelle is finally at peace again," Elsa commented in a low voice. "Thanks to you, Aodhan."
"No, thanks to us," he corrected, shaking his head.
"It was you who climbed the highest tower to use the Narwhal's horn," she insisted, smiling at him. "By the way, how did you do it? The horn seemed totally inert all the way from the Enchanted Forest to Arendelle."
Aodhan's eyes wandered as he gathered his thoughts, the breeze gently stirring his blond hair.
"I can only speculate," he replied. I think the horn only responds to strong feelings."
"What makes you say that?" asked Elsa, surprised.
Aodhan suddenly looked a little embarrassed, but continued anyway.
"Well, it didn't react when I tried to invoke my own magic. Nor when I implored her to help Arendelle. It only lit up... when I thought of you."
"Of me?"
Aodhan turned to Elsa, who was looking at him with wide eyes. His heart suddenly raced as her hair glinted in the moonlight, just as it had the first time they'd spoken in the glow of night. Before all this.
He was at a loss for words. But after all, did he really need to? Elsa seemed to understand. Without realizing it, they had both moved closer, their breath trembling slightly, a pleasant warmth spreading through their bodies. Aodhan placed a tender hand on Elsa's cheek, and she responded to his smile by hugging him tightly against her.
He lost himself in the astonishing softness of her lips as they rested on his.