Shout outs to Rinzler01, Jt2300, Gabriel Butler, ArgetlamSnake, Interested Indiana Reader, Bethebeast for the new follows/favorites.
Also a huge shoutout to the guest reviewer who sent a review on the 30th of January, that REALLY made my day. To be perfectly honest been kind of salty I see some Frozen fanfics with a quarter of the amount of chapters and they have like 200+ reviews/follows/favorites but after reading that one review I feel better. Thanks!
Note:Still looking for a beta reader.
Today was the day, finally after much preparation and work, Anna was going to get married. There hadn't been as much happiness in Arendelle for decades. There were people singing in cheering in the village as well as tourists coming far and wide for this day. The castle was abuzz with activity getting the very last few loose ends tied. The redhead was quickly rushed away by Elsa, Rapunzel, and Cassandra while Kristoff had to hang with Edward, Eugene, Sven, and Olaf.
Getting the mountain man in the correct suit for a wedding would've been a challenge. Getting him to wear it right and look immaculate would've been impossible if not for Edward's experience in wearing such clothing. The ice harvester was in one of the empty rooms on the bottom floor of the castle, being forbidden from accessing the upper floors in fear of seeing his bride before it was time.
To say Kristoff was nervous would be an understatement. He was a nervous wreck when Kai came by and said that they would be starting soon. It was then it really started to sink in that he was about to be married to Anna. It wasn't when he went out with the Edward and Eugene as well as some friendlier guards to have a bachelor party. Throughout the night, they all drank copious amounts of alcohol and were rowdy in the taverns. Even Stonewell joined them for a few moments but quickly left when he saw some of his guards making fools of themselves on the tables and told Edward to make sure they didn't do anything too damaging. The mountain man was high off cloud nine spouting he was the happiest guy in the world all night.
Now that he was here, about to be married, he couldn't stop himself from beginning to worry.
"What if she changes her mind? What if she falls down the stairs and breaks her neck? What if Elsa makes her call of the wedding? What if she falls in love with Cassandra? What if she hates the way I look? Is this tie on right, am I wearing the right shoes? Hey Edward did you…"
By this time, the man in question had his arms gripped at his sides. He was resisting the urge to smack the ice harvester on the head to unscramble his brain. Eugene seemed to be getting a kick out of watching the two of them but soon stepped up to the plate to offer some advice.
"Alright Kris-man, you need to listen to me. That little firecracker of energy would be crazy to not want to marry you. You two are going to be crazy in love with each other forever, so what if you don't have the money, the sophistication, the status, the perks, the land, a throne, a…"
Edward did elbow the Prince to tell him to get to the point as Kristoff's face began to get paler and paler. Rubbing his arm, Eugene cleared his throat before giving the ice harvester a warm smile that screamed sincerity.
"Regardless of what you don't have, Anna loves you for what you do have. You're loyal, selfless, strong, funny, and will always be in her corner. Trust me when I tell you, I've met a few Princes in my thieving days and I can name a few who would sell their wife to save their own skins. You would never do that, Anna knows you would never do that, everyone in Arendelle knows you'd never do that. If her parents were here they would be excited to have you as part of the family."
A little shaky at the start but strong finish. Kristoff's breaths began to slow down and become calmer. Eugene was right, he truly loved Anna, no one else could say they loved her more than him, except Elsa, he'd concede to be on the same level as her. Today he would look her in the eyes and promise that he would be there for her until the day that they died. No one would stop him from doing his best to look out for her.
"Thanks Eugene, you're right, I'll always be there for her."
"There you go, look at me giving sound and appropriate advice in your time of crisis. Makes you want to change your mind and make me best man right?"
"Kristoff if you change your mind and pick this guy over me as your best man, I won't keep Stonewell off your back later tonight." Edward had been present when the Captain made his intentions known to a very small group of guards to test the ice harvester's worth to be with his 'granddaughter'. The gesture was sweet but the old man's idea of proving oneself generally ended with a weapon in someone's hand. So the young man had to fight tooth and nail to tone down the test to a level that wouldn't leave Kristoff too horribly disfigured.
"Come on Ed, you should know that besides Sven you're like the only guy I really talk to. Besides you gave me a pep talk already and helped me get the engagement ring after all my money got stolen, of course you're the best man."
The young man let out a smug smile as he watched Eugene make a slight pout as they all quickly went over the final details. Kristoff was in a traditional white tux that was worn perfectly and without a single wrinkle. The other two men were wearing black suits while Sven had a more fancy collar and Olaf had a little blazer jacket but no pants. After a few more words of encouragement, all of them left the room to wait in the courtyard where the ceremony would take place.
The courtyard was open and filled with a multitude of seats from the church as well as tables containing food and one specific table filled with nothing but chocolate. The theme of the wedding was unsurprisingly based off ice to which Elsa was able to make some sculptures here and there. Where normally there would be two water fountains were two statues of Anna and Kristoff reaching out for one another with their joined hands forming the altar. The citizens were already mulling around excitedly talking with one another as they waited for the bells to ring. Guards were posted on the far corners of the courtyard as this would be a perfect opportunity to assassinate the royal family.
Fortunately, Edward was able to keep that particular train a thought of away from everyone but nonetheless made sure to keep an eye out just in case. Stonewell actually came out in his military uniform, he was currently conversing with Duke Eren before shaking the man's hand and walking toward the edge of the altar.
When Edward was sure that the ice harvester wouldn't spontaneously combust in some fashion, he jogged back into the castle and up the stairs. He passed some of the staff who were running about before finding himself in front of Anna's room. Knocking a few times, he took a step back when Rapunzel cracked the door open and peeked out to see if Kristoff was around. When she couldn't find the ice harvester, she gave him a shrewd look.
"Is there anything wrong, we're kind of in the middle of something."
"No, just wanted to check in on the bride, the groom is at the altar and we just calmed him down. It'd be nice if we could get this show on the road before he finds some reason to lose his mind again."
The blonde gave him an intense look before grabbing him with a surprising amount of force and pulling him inside. When he got inside he honestly wasn't too surprised to see Anna pacing around in an identical fashion as Kristoff with her muttering what-ifs. Elsa was following her trying to calm her down but looked to be failing miserably. Cassandra was just sitting on an adjacent chair watching the redhead go by with a blank expression on her face.
"Ahh so you got one too, it's quite irritating isn't it?"
Rapunzel slapped his arm before glaring at him and pointing a finger at his face making him take a step back. "A woman's wedding is the biggest day of their lives and it is a very stressful event. I know you men can't possibly understand what we go through today but when you ever get to that important point with a girl you love, you better show some more sympathy or I'll feel really sorry for her!"
Edward slowly raised his hands up in surrender at the Princess's rant. His eyes very quickly wandered off to Elsa and inwardly cringed when she gave him a raised eyebrow that all but promised he'd be in trouble later. "Alright, forgive me. I'll work on that, in the meantime, I'll tell Kristoff that everything is ok and that she'll be down in no time."
He walked toward the door and put his hand on it trying to get out of the room but was caught by a very strong grip. He didn't even have to turn around to know who was behind him as he stopped hearing Elsa's heels click against the ground as she walked after her sister.
"You think I'm being irritating!?"
I am so dead…
Slowly and with his arms in surrender, he turned around and looked down to see a furious looking redhead. He took the time to admire her dress, it was a beautiful full white dress that covered her from neck to toe. Her hair was done up in a regal bun that she usually wore whenever she went to balls or special occasions.
"I think that us having to remind you that Kristoff wouldn't miss this day for the world is irritating. Especially considering you're his entire world."
She raised a fine eyebrow and eyed him intensely. To be honest, he started to sweat as he held her gaze and tried to put as much sincerity in his eyes as possible. After a moment she smiled before playfully throwing a punch at his chest. "Alright, that's good enough for me, let's get this show on the road!" With that the feisty redhead took off past him leaving everyone in the room flabbergasted that she was gone.
Except Edward who was rubbing the spot she punched, he didn't know if it was on purpose or not but he thought he felt a bruise coming. Cassandra got over her shock first and softly laughed before getting out of her seat and nudging a still surprised Rapunzel through the door. As they passed, he could hear the blonde mutter 'we've been trying for the last hour and he does in it two minutes after insulting her?'
That left him alone with Elsa who put on her regal mask and walked up to him, apparently the irritating comment was something she wasn't letting go. "So on the biggest day in my sister's life you call her irritating and just sent her on her way down to her wedding after I've been trying to get her to calm down for a long period of time?" He rubbed his head wondering what he should say but when nothing came to mind, he began to sweat.
Unknown to him, the platinum beauty was laughing behind her mask as she watched him fidget under her gaze. It was nice to see someone who could be so solemn and guilty, looking sheepish. After a while she let her face form into a bright smile before giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Don't worry, I'm kidding. To be perfectly honest, I was slowly approaching my wit's end, you should hear the scenarios she came up with."
"Well if they are anything like Kristoff's then I'm sure I'm won't be too surprised."
The two of them shared a laughed before Edward gestured to the door like a gentleman and gracefully walked behind her. They kept to themselves in a comfortable silence until they made it to the courtyard where the people began taking their seats. Anna was whisked off around the courtyard so that Kristoff wouldn't see her before they started the ceremony. This gave the two of them a little time to just take in the atmosphere.
"You must be torn right now."
Elsa already knew what he meant and truth be she told, she was. Most of her was bursting with joy and tried not to cry as she reminded herself she was at her baby sister's wedding. Her little sister who had enough love to fill the world had found her true love and was about to commemorate it for all of Arendelle to see. It was a definite sign that Anna was becoming a grown woman who was preparing to spread her wings and enjoy life to the fullest.
That led to her other feeling.
While she couldn't be happier that her sister was growing up, part of her wished she could go back in time to when they were little girls and just live there forever. She missed hearing her sister waddled up to her bed and try to wake her up so they could play in the ballroom or build snowmen. With her getting married to Kristoff, Anna would be spending more and more time with him, which was great and couldn't make the blonde happier. However secretly she somewhat felt like her sister was leaving her.
All the time they could've spent together as kids the blonde felt she could never make up for. Even though now they were definitely closer and loved one another's company, Elsa wished she could go back and open her door for her sister.
It was a petty and depressing thought that she wouldn't say out loud. She was actually touched that Edward voiced it for her instead of her forcing it through her lips. So she nodded and felt him drape an arm around her shoulder and brought her in for a side hug. For a moment she worried that someone would see but today was her sister's wedding, for right now, nothing bad would enter her mind. She leaned into the hug and smiled brightly.
Soon everyone was called to their seats and the ceremony began. Edward took his place next to Kristoff while Elsa was across from them looking down the aisle. Time seemed to slow as Anna emerged from the gates in her flowing white dress and covered with a veil. Kai held her arm in his as they walked down the aisle. The butler looked ready to cry but kept the happy tears at bay with a proud smile. Gerda was near the gates crying like no tomorrow but kept her eyes glued on her daughter about to marry the man she loved.
Kristoff stopped breathing when he watched the redhead come into view. He was instantly thrown back to when he first met her in Oaken's trading shop. He was so rude and focused on getting his tools and getting out after being blasted by a freak snowstorm that he really didn't spare the woman another thought. Her little quirks and quips would've made him laugh on a usual day but at the time he found them to be a bit airheaded. Then she expressed her desire to go up the North Mountain where he knew was quite dangerous and could tell she had no experience hiking up a mountain.
At first he had no idea what compelled him to agree to help her for some rope, carrots, and a pick. Even when she explained that it was her sister who caused the winter and she could talk her into bringing summer back, he fully expected her to fail. Nethertheless there he was taking her up the mountain. Even when she destroyed her carriage and told him she understood if he didn't want to help her, he didn't know what compelled him to go with her. He honestly could've lived without the sled, the trolls had their ways and he didn't mind leaving her to go on a suicide mission.
Yet he continued to keep going with her.
Through the wolves, snow monsters being thrown off a cliff, and battling the winter, he was by her side the entire time. It was only at the end when he watched her look at him for a long moment before rushing to save her sister from that bastard did he finally understood why he went with her. She was everything good in the world, she would do anything and everything for the people she loved and wouldn't give up. She was easily the strongest person he'd ever met, despite what people thought, Anna was well aware how in over head she was, but she never cared. If it meant she could help someone she cared about then she would tame the seas, bend the mountains to her will, and stand tall to anything.
Seeing her walking down the aisle to marry a small, invisible guy like him made his heart swell.
When she finally made it to the altar, the two of them brightly smiled at one another before turning toward the bishop. He began the ceremony and spoke the holy words to bring them together. Anna couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her face as she kept reminding herself to stay still but she couldn't stop her hands from wringing the bouquet. She was getting married, she finally found her beautiful stranger who was tall and fair. He cared for her and loved her and that sent her spirits soaring over the moon.
As she listened to the bishop she couldn't help sending a grateful and happy glance back at her sister as well as to Edward who gave her a wink when she looked his way. Soon they exchanged their vows and Edward pulled out two bands out of his pocket then handed them to Kristoff. That part made her look confused for a second, she already had a ring on her finger, why did she need another. When Kristoff took her hand into his and placed the smaller golden band on her finger, she finally recognized what it was.
It was her mother's wedding band.
The redhead looked back to Elsa in disbelief but only received a happy nod urging her to accept it. When Kristoff gave the larger ring to her so she could put it on his finger they kept their hands joined and listened for the big words.
"If anyone has any reason that these two shouldn't be joined in marriage, speak now or forever hold your piece."
Edward actually looked around just in case for anyone stupid enough to say anything. He noticed that Stonewell and Elsa also were on the lookout, whoever spoke up at this moment would be in some major trouble depending on who got to them first. Fortunately no one spoke and the bishop continued.
"Then with the power vested in me, I pronounce Princess Anna Bjorgman of Arendelle and Prince Consort Kristoff Bjorgman to be man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
When the wedding couple came together, doves flew out from behind the altar and everyone cheered. It was truly a happy day. The party that followed went by in a blur, too many people were dancing and laughing for anyone to keep track of one person. Except Anna of course, she was all over the place. It was almost as if she wanted to dance with every single person in Arendelle, while she did have the energy Kristoff did not. He valiantly tried to keep up but was soon sitting at a table nursing his worn out feet.
Edward was mingling about keeping an eye on things. He already finished his dance with the redhead who gave him a bone crushing hug when they broke apart. He spotted Rapunzel and Eugene dancing with a group while Cassandra was dancing with some man. Kai and Gerda were dancing with one another off to the side while Stonewell was leaning against a column looking out to the party.
Judging by the way he kept fiddling with his breast pocket, the young man could tell the old bag of dust was itching for a cigar. He probably was asked to not smoke at the wedding and being the loyal man he was, he kept the tobacco out of his mouth. Edward really thought about messing with the old man but there was something else he wanted to do.
He wanted to find Elsa.
Navigating through the crowds, he found her near the altar talking with some important looking people. He slowed his walk when one of them took her hand in his and gestured to the crowd of people dancing. A possessive flash rushed over his body but he clamped down on it quickly, he couldn't get jealous in public. While he knew that Elsa was his as he was hers, they both agreed to keep things secret. That meant that she would have to at least entertain some men asking for her hand.
Getting behind the man's back, Edward waited until she looked past the man's shoulder to see him. He nodded his head and gave her a 'go on' expression which she ruefully smiled before accepting the invitation to dance. The two made their way to the dancing crowd and Edward chose that time to lose sight of them.
While it stung to imagine Elsa dancing with another man, he couldn't bring himself to be angry. Today was a great day, Kristoff and Anna were finally married, nothing should make him feel down. He decided to look for the groom who was still nursing his feet and sat down next to him.
"So Your Highness, how does it feel to go from a lowly ice harvester to a Prince Consort?"
"Don't even start Ed, you know that I'd rather be called Kristoff then Your Highness, plus we're friends so keep those words out your mouth."
The young man raised his hands in surrender before clapping the mountain man on the shoulder. "Alright alright, I get what you're saying. I just hope you're ready for what happens later tonight."
"Yeah, I'm sure Stonewell has quite the test planned for me."
"That's not what I'm talking about."
Kristoff's mind drew a blank but when Edward took a slightly uncomfortable yet serious expression, the mountain man got what he was inferring. The ice harvester scratched his head in embarrassment about what they were about to talk about. While he knew what newly wed couples did on their wedding night, he actually never received 'the talk' from Bulda. He really didn't imagine that his friend would choose now to give it.
"Oh, you mean that. Well I think I know enough to get through it on my own and I don't need any tips."
"Kristoff, I love you big guy, I really really do, but I think you should hear what I have to say. First of all, I'm not going to give you tips to pleasure someone I almost consider to be my little sister, that's just wrong in so many ways. Second, there are some things that she may not even know and knowing her she might rush into this which will make things...unpleasant."
That alarmed the ice harvester who quickly leaned in and became attentive. Like a model husband, he wanted his wife to be comfortable at all times.
"Alright then spill, I don't want to hurt Anna."
Taking a deep breath, Edward mentally debated on how to explain a woman's first time to the mountain man. He could've explained it scientifically the same way it was explained to him as a child but that might go over the man's head. So he decided to use little yet uncomfortable words to explain.
"Ok...so when you and Anna...are about to do it for the first time, there's a…"
"Hi Kristoff and Ed!" Both of the men jumped at the shrill voice and whirled to see the still dressed up snowman waving at them.
"Olaf, before you say hi to someone, make sure they can see you first alright."
"But Ed it's so fun to see everyone jump so high!"
The young man put his face in his hands and sighed, leave it to the walking talking snowman to enjoy surprising people. That aside, he really didn't want to have their previous conversation around Olaf, he was like their kid brother and he didn't want to tell Elsa that her snowman knew about the mature aspects of being with someone.
"It might be fun but sometimes people don't like being surprised all the time. I don't mind it but maybe you can practice letting people see you before saying hi?"
"Alright, I'll try for you. So what were you two talking about?"
The two men knew better than to answer that question with the first thing that popped into mind. Clearing his throat, Edward quickly came up with a believable excuse. "We were just talking about how being married to Anna would effect Kristoff's ice harvesting business. He very well can't go out and ice harvest while he's learning to be a Prince Consort now can he, so he'll probably be leaving most of it to me."
The mountain man agreed but was inwardly hesitant toward that day becoming a reality. Ice was still his life and while he would give it up for Anna in a heartbeat, it'd be nice if he could still go out and do what he loved.
"Oh that makes sense, I thought you two might be talking about when you stick your cook in Anna's puppy."
If the two men were drinking something at that moment, they would've spat it out. They both whirled to the snowman's innocent smile and honestly had no idea how to respond. The first thing the two could think about was the fact the snowman said the wrong words. The second was where in the world did he hear about that? The two looked at each other and they both were thinking the same thing, one of them had to speak.
A good friend would let the groom off the hook and take the time to sit Olaf down and explain to him why he should never repeat anything remotely of the nature of what he just said again. However Edward already had done enough for the ice harvester for the night and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Well I can see you have this under control so I'll be going. Just consider this practice for when you have kids."
With that Edward quickly left before the ice harvester could argue. He sneaked around the courtyard dodging the dancing people as he checked in with a few guards to see if anything seemed out of the ordinary. So far nothing was amiss and the party was still going strong. The young man grabbed some food and stood off to the side watching Anna find her next dance partner before Kristoff found her and began another round with her.
The two of them looked so happy with each other that was easily contagious to everyone in the courtyard. It was a nice feeling, being surrounded by so many people enjoying themselves. He looked through the crowds and could pick out the couples based on how close they were and in sync they were with their partners.
It's been a good while since Elsa accepted that dance, maybe we can share one, everyone's been swapping partners anyway.
With that, he tried to find the platinum blonde among his current vantage point but his mind went blank when he locked on to a particular couple. The woman was an older yet still beautiful fair skinned brunette that was wearing a modest pink dress and light make up. He remembered seeing her in the marketplace from time to time manning a fruit stall. That made him guess that she was a farmer that lived outside the village. There was nothing extraordinary about her that made him keep an interest in his mind, just his old habits of taking in a lot of details.
She wasn't what made his heart stop.
It was the man she was dancing with.
He was taller than her yet slightly shorter than Edward and looked to be in his mid thirties. His brown hair was pulled back into a small low ponytail while his glasses still glinted in a way that hid his eye color. He was dressed in a dark blue frock coat with the buttons on the chest and two on the cuffs. He was wearing underneath it a black vest with the same color undershirt and tie. The warm loving smile on the man's face that was aimed at the woman was truly surprising.
As far back as he could remember, Talib never smiled at Rahim or Shahbaz.
Edward found himself striding toward the man that made him into what he is today. The logical part of his brain told him to stop that they were at his friend's wedding but his body wouldn't listen. He truly didn't even know what he was going to do when he got the man's attention. Would he just talk to him and get all the answers that eluded him for so long?
Or would he just rip his head off in front of all these people?
He was honestly too surprised to be angry right now, he just wanted to get to Talib and figure out everything after. He gently pushed through the dancing crowd and made a beeline straight for the couple, a few more meters and he would be there. As he prepared to voice his existence, a dainty hand tapped him on the shoulder.
"I finally found you."
Elsa's voice snapped him out of his trance enough for him to stop and look down at her with wide eyes. She was wearing a simple violet dress with that hung off her shoulders and covered her arms. Her hair was styled in her usual french braid and she was wearing the necklace that he got for her. Truly a beautiful sight that would always distract him, but this time, he had to be elsewhere.
He looked back to where Talib was dancing, only to find that him and the woman had disappeared. Edward quickly scanned the area for the man and woman but they were gone. He only looked away for a second, there was no way he could lose them in that brief instant, even in this sea of people. For a moment, he considered the possibility that perhaps he was hallucinating. A cynical reminder that he was a monster among all these happy people perhaps? As much as he tried to keep the darker thoughts out of his head these days, they were still there. His mind had been tested many times over and maybe planning Anna's wedding had finally pushed him over the edge.
But why Talib of all people?
If his mind wanted to show him he was a monster, there were far better people to choose from. Irina was a great choice, she was the first woman he tried to find comfort in after becoming what he was. Seeing her would make him feel incredibly guilty. Ahimoth was also a good one, he was supposed to be getting married, at least that's what Anna told him. Seeing his best friend he betrayed at a wedding and being reminded that he was probably missing it would definitely hurt. Any of his dead victims would also work.
Yet he got someone he personally considered to be an even bigger monster. Probably the biggest monster on Earth.
Edward wanted to search every inch of the courtyard to confirm if he was really hallucinating. There was no way Talib was here just for the wedding, the man always had a plan or some kind of agenda.
The young man kept scanning the faces of everyone in the courtyard trying to see the man's face again, oblivious to Elsa trying to get his attention. When he felt an icy pinch on his arm did he yelp and look down at the woman.
"What was that for?"
"You were completely ignoring me and off in your own world, so I wanted to snap you out of it. What's wrong, what were you looking at?"
His first instinct was to tell her exactly what he was looking for but thought better of it. There was no guarantee he really saw what he saw. Alrick already said Talib was dead and even buried him himself. Edward had a theory going that Talib used his ability to manipulate souls into a body to reanimate or revive them but how was he going to do that if he himself was dead?
"N-nothing, thought I saw something."
Elsa gave him a look that clearly showed that she didn't believe him, yet didn't push the issue. She explained that the party was about to end and that they were needed at the altar. He followed her there where she gathered everyone's attention and thanked them all for coming and celebrating the wedding. She also gave a few words for the newlywed couple that was truly heartfelt based on her facial expression as well as the unshed tears in her eyes.
Edward wished he would have listened to the woman's speech but he was more occupied with scanning the crowd again for the alchemist. With everyone not moving and him looking from a slightly raised platform he could see a majority of their faces. Yet there was still no sign of Talib at all. He thought about chalking it up to his mind playing tricks but a deep foreboding feeling in his gut kept him looking.
If Talib was in Arendelle then it must've been for something important.
"Edward, would you like to say a few words?"
The young man snapped out of his trance to see everyone turning their eyes to him. The ones closest to him had a slightly confused expression on their faces as he looked like a stunned deer before slowly taking steps onto the altar. As the entire courtyard had their eyes on him, his mind was unfocused. He already memorized what he was going to say to the wedding couple hours ago but with Talib's appearance he found it hard to focus. Even now, he was still scanning the crowd yet could see now sign of the alchemist.
For a moment everyone just stared at him as his mind kept coming up blank. He could only imagine what Elsa and the rest of them were thinking as he stood there silent. He tried to make his mouth work but it wouldn't produce sound. He couldn't clear his mind for a brief moment to say what he needed to say and get off the altar.
It wasn't until he heard his own voice did he realize his consciousness had taken a back seat.
"I haven't been here long or known these two for very long either. In fact, when I first met Kristoff, we were being attacked by bandits. He found me face first in the snow as he was being attacked. Instead of assuming I had frozen to death and continue trying to escape, he scooped me up then put me in his sled. A complete and total stranger, we barely escaped with our lives that day. The next day, even with the threat of bandits being on the mountain, he was still ready to work instead of just reaping in the perks of being with the Princess. This man is one of the hardest working people I've ever met and he's generous too. He gave me, still a complete and total stranger, a job to help provide for myself and during our time together he only talked about one thing with fondness…"
The young man turned toward Anna with a soft smile.
"...his feisty pants Princess Anna. Every single day I was with this guy he spoke of her like she was more valuable than the air he breathed. At first it got annoying, I mean come on, I was a random guy with no girl of his own and here I am listening to him talk about his all day long, he's lucky I didn't do him in on that mountain and left."
There was a chuckle that rippled through the crowd as he continued.
"Yet when I got to know Princess Anna, did I realize that she's the exact same when it comes to him. I haven't had a close friend in a long time and she with her bubbly attitude and unyielding spirit made herself one for me. Don't get me wrong, she has enough energy to run every job in Arendelle and still have leftovers to run back to the castle for some more chocolate. She showed me that even when things don't work out in the beginning, that if you really want it enough then you can overcome anything. This woman is easily one of the strongest forces of the world and I pity the fool who ever tries to get in her way. I hope you enjoyed being right Kristoff, because now that you got the ring on your finger, you're never going to be right again. These two met under odd circumstances but that doesn't take away from what they have. I know there isn't anything that can stop them as long as they face it together and even if one of them loses their way, I know their love will guide them back to each other."
He gestured toward the two of them.
"To Princess Anna Bjorgman and Prince Consort Kristoff Bjorgman, you two give hope that love truly can conquer anything."
The people cheered as he ended that speech, Kristoff and Anna both had some happy tears in their eyes as they watched their friend step away from the altar. It was a rocky start but truly a great speech that everyone was glad to hear.
All except Elsa who had her eyes narrowed as she followed the young man. She found him around the side of the courtyard looking out the past the walls and toward the fjord. Her shoes made audible clicks that announced her arrival. The young man said nothing for a moment before as he kept his gaze toward the fjord with his hands behind his back.
"So this is what it looks like past the castle walls, I wish it looked like this instead of pitch black all the time."
"That was a great speech, Edward must've spent a lot of time on it. Good thing too, if he didn't, perhaps you wouldn't have recited it so well. Isn't that right Wrath?"
The young man turned his head toward the blonde and revealed his red eyes. He wasn't surprised, the woman was very intelligent and observant. Edward's unfocused mind was quite easy to take over and push back like before. It gave the demon the perfect opportunity to get control for a short while. Normally, Wrath would've given the young man a stern jolt to get him to focus but that didn't work this time and he was beginning to make a fool out of himself.
Honestly the demon was going to give Edward back control right after but he was curious as to what the outside looked like from inside the walls. While he had seen the outside and could make an accurate guess of what it could look like, he wanted to truly see from inside the walls what the outside world looked like for a moment.
It would give him enough time to memorize it before returning to that pitch black world that was his soul.
"You're right, he spent hours on it. It was quite annoying to be perfectly honest. The fact I could recite it makes me uncomfortable but it moved things along. I know you're wondering if Edward can hear us right now, and if he is fighting to take back control. To answer your questions, he can only do one or the other, and right now he's listening. I'm sure if I made a move on you, he'd probably fight tooth and nail to regain control but his unfocused mind is hindering him."
"I suppose you pushing against his mind earlier is what was distracting him."
"I didn't do anything, the reason he was distracted earlier was because he saw Talib in the courtyard."
That made Elsa's eyes widened. She remembered the last time Edward spoke about the alchemist, he was told that the man had been killed. If he was somehow in Arendelle then that made the woman worry about what the man's intentions were.
"I can see by your expression that you're worried, you two are really quite alike. Personally I think neither of you two should worry that much, Talib never showed an ounce of emotion toward another human that was similar to what he showed that woman tonight. I highly doubt he'd entertain some woman as a cover for his plans. There a far more efficient ways of going about them. Now I'm giving control back over to Edward, make sure you remind him to keep his mind focused, if I can take over so easily then he doesn't stand a chance against Father."
The young man blinked and his eyes were blue again. He started to breathe heavily as he leaned against a support column as he tried to calm himself. Elsa was at his side in an instant and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked like he just had a heart attack, and with what happened she couldn't blame him. Wrath took over again with little effort and was surrounded by innocent people, yet made no move against them. It was strange, why did the demon just give a wedding toast and leave it at that?
While it did further Elsa's theory that Wrath and Edward were the same person, the fact they were still two entities proved that they were still resisting one another. Things could've been a lot worse if Wrath had decided to indulge in its old habits.
"Are you alright?"
The young man was able to get control of his breath before turning to face her. "I'll be fine, mostly worried about you. Elsa, Wrath could've killed you just now, you shouldn't have followed him here if you knew he was in control."
The blonde frowned and crossed her arms as she took a step closer to him that normally would've intimidated him but he remained where he was. "But he didn't. What just happened proves that he isn't as big as a monster as you believe. Tonight he had the chance to do horrific things yet he didn't, Grand Pabbie said that you two were the same but since you resist each other, you two can't be one person. You said that Wrath was confined until he was ordered to do terrible things right, that would mean he wasn't at fault for all that happened."
"He's still loyal to Father…"
"Then how are we having this conversation?"
That shut Edward up as he looked to the side with a frown. She was right, Wrath took over in an instant, there was no fight on his part at all and when he tried to push against the demon's will, it didn't even budge. The Sin simply relinquished control, had it made him fight for it then he would still be trapped in his own body.
"I can't possibly begin to imagine how you must be feeling right now but maybe you can try to consider that you two have more in common than you thought."
The young man said nothing as his face took on a thoughtful expression but still didn't look at Elsa. The blonde waited a moment before looking out toward the fjord and got an idea. She quickly grabbed his hand and began to pull him along behind her. The two of them made their way toward the section of the castle where she ran away during her coronation. There wasn't anyone around and it led out to the fjord.
"What are we doing here?"
"Do you know how to skate?"
"Excuse me?"
"Do you know how to skate?"
"When would I have ever had the opportunity to learn to skate?"
Elsa had an impish grin on her face as she took a step on the water and froze a small portion of it. The ice traveled until it made an ice rink with railings to keep them from falling into the fjord. "Well now."
Edward looked a bit unconvinced as he was about to ask about the wedding but was quickly pulled into the rink by the blonde who created skates for him before he could notice. He instantly tried to balance himself but ended up flailing his arms and falling. That made the blonde giggle a bit as she slid by with perfect balance. The young man had a frustrated look on his face for a moment before he staggered to his feet and tried moving forward but fell once again. This went on for a minute or two until Elsa finally decided to have mercy on him and stopped right in front of him then offered a hand.
"Come on, I got you."
Taking her small hand in his, he was able to get back to his feet with a modicum of balance. The blonde began to skate forward while keeping his hand in hers so he wouldn't fall. For a while she led and he followed as she gave tips to keep himself upright. Soon he was able to skate on his own, it was unrefined and he fell a few times but he was getting it. When he started to get the hang of it, his face transformed into a smile as he focused entirely on keeping his balance.
That put a smile on the woman's face who couldn't help but still think about what Wrath said. If the man who made the young man was here then it couldn't have been good, but they would worry about that later. Today was her sister's wedding and now wasn't the time to worry or have dark thoughts.
"I got this now."
"While you are getting better my young student, you are nowhere near my level."
Edward looked ready to challenge her claim on the principle of saving his pride but she was already skating circles around him. He watched her shoot forward before quickly turning directions and weaving around. She even jumped and twirled herself before skating backwards, all the while keeping him in her sights. When she was finished with her little exhibition, she raced toward him which caused him to begin panicking and readying himself to catch her. She stopped just out of his reach before taking one more step so they were nose to nose.
"What were you about to say?"
Edward swallowed the challenge that was on the tip of his tongue before looking sheepish. "I was going to ask if you would find it in your heart to teach me some more tricks?" Elsa laughed her melodious laugh and took his hands in hers again and began to lead. The two of them skated well past the end of the wedding with Elsa teaching Edward how to glide and pivot with grace and speed.
Anna had likely known where the two of them were because when they returned the courtyard was empty and a guard delivered a message from the Princess.
Don't have too much fun.
While it was addressed to solely Elsa to avoid suspicion, the two of them were well aware it was to both of them. The young man asked if Kristoff had completed his test yet, which got a laugh out of the guard. The ice harvester just finished and was thrown into the Princess's room a while ago. Poor Elsa looked confused when they mentioned a test but quickly blushed when she remembered what newlyweds did on their first night together. With how loud her sister was on a daily basis and compared to how loud she was with Edward, the blonde didn't want to be anywhere near where the two were. Edward picking up on the woman's facial expressions already had an idea.
"Thanks, I'll escort her Majesty to her study before retiring for the night."
The guard nodded and let them pass as they ascended the stairs and made their way to Elsa's study. Along the way, the blonde watched Edward put his fingers in his ears and quickly grew uncomfortable judging from his face. It wasn't until she was in front of her study doors that she heard a particularly loud moan that had her placing her own hands over her ears.
"I'll meet you out where we came out last time you used that passageway. Something tells me that neither of us are going to get any sleep tonight if we stay here, we can sleep in my room."
Elsa couldn't agree more but also couldn't resist poking at him a bit. "Just sleep?"
Edward gave her a grin before gently pushing her through the door. "Just sleep, my hearing is a lot better than yours and what I heard in the last few minutes has easily killed my desire for a while."
The blonde chuckled before closing the door and quickly snuck out and met up with Edward who offered her an arm. The two of them made it to his humble room and fell asleep in the other's arm, willing to put all their worries away for this one happy day.
Outside of Arendelle on a farm, a little girl was reading by candlelight when she heard the door to the house open. She excitedly closed her book and ran to the main room where her mother and father were getting back from the village. While it was true every citizen of Arendelle was invited, the little girl opted to stay to take care of the chores while her parents went out and had fun. Her father was usually in his room most of the time writing books and reading so the little girl had to come up with excuses for him to spend time with mom.
It wasn't like he didn't love the two of them, it was just that he always lost track of time when he studied. He would always tend to the farm but at night he'd stay inside his room. Her dad wasn't the happiest man in the world, there were times he'd stare into the distance with vacant eyes. Always in the same direction. When she brought it up with mom, the woman said that she'd explain when the little girl got older.
When her dad walked through the house, he had that same vacant expression on his face. He absentmindedly patted the little girl as he passed her before taking a seat at the table and put his head in his hands. The two of them watched him for a moment as he began to mutter to himself before they each took a side and hugged him. The gesture was nice and Talib hugged his wife and daughter but in his mind he could only think about one thing he thought about since he heard the last toast to the married couple.
He's here.
Hey guys here's a new chapter for ya'll hope you enjoyed it, like I said, with every fluff piece comes a little part to further the story. Bet ya'll weren't expecting Talib in Arendelle, don't worry, I have plans for him :D. Anyway please tell your friends and continue reading and reviewing, I'll catch ya'll later.