Chapter Fifteen: A storm might come
Elsa, Hiccup, Astrid and Kai were standing at the docks.
Elsa looked on as the crates filled with weapons were loaded onto the docks.
Finally the deal was done. Thiana had given them weak potions and useless notes in trade for some heavy armor and weapons. But the king and queen of Berk didn't know that. They thought that the research was useful...Elsa chuckled. It was not useful at all. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was that they finally had some good armor.
"So..." Hiccup looked at Elsa. "I suppose that our kingdoms are now at peace...we can stay for a few more weeks, but after that we really need to go back home."
"It's all good." Elsa said.
"You won't miss me?" Hiccup asked.
"Eh." Elsa shrugged. "We're not that close."
"What?!" Hiccup threw his arms around her. Elsa almost choked by his strong hold. "But we're best friends!"
"Queen Elsa!"
A couple of guards ran towards them and pointed their swords at him. "Get away from the queen!"
"Ah, right..." Hiccup released Elsa and scratched his head. "I forgot about your security."
"Guards, stand down." Elsa said with a cold voice and the guards put their swords away and took a few steps back. "And king Hiccup...we are not best friends. I don't have any friends."
"Then...we aren't friends?"
Elsa cringed as Hiccup showed her his puppy-eyed look. She cringed even more when he took both of her hands and rubbed his thumbs over hers.
"I-I..." Elsa bit her lip with a slight blush appearing. "I...I...I..."
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Astrid gave Hiccup a hard slap against his head. Hiccup released Elsa's hands and he stumbled back a little.
"She is our business partner, behave yourself for once, Hiccup!" Astrid yelled. She turned to Elsa and said in a softer voice: "I'm so sorry about him."
Elsa giggled behind her gloved hand. "It is no problem, queen Astrid. Your husband is very amusing."
"He is more irritating than annoying..." Astrid rubbed her head. She smiled slightly at Elsa and the two women looked at each other for a few seconds. Astrid wasn't that friendly with Elsa yet. She was a bit more tame than first, but she still weren't that trusting of her.
As for Elsa...she was still wary too. Surely, she and Hiccup were now friends, but she wasn't sure about Astrid. The woman was really crude and...
"Anyhow..." Elsa sighed and smiled. "Thank you for the weapons. They will surely be useful."
"Ah, no problem!" Hiccup said. "But speaking off...we haven't seen your husband. Will he return before we leave?"
"No...I'm afraid not."
"That is unfortunate. I was hoping to meet him."
Elsa nodded. She wanted Hans to be back too, but he was at the Southern Isles.
"I'm sorry." Elsa said. "My husband is at his home country. But perhaps you can meet him another time."
"I hope so." Hiccup said. "Anyhow, now that we're still here, how about we go for a ride?"
Elsa looked confused at him. "A ride?"
Astrid sighed and Kai looked as confused as Elsa.
Hiccup chuckled and said: "Yes, a ride."
"Sooo..."
The water plashed against the wood. Elsa groaned as she pulled the oars closer to her body.
Together with Hiccup and Astrid they were rowing in two small boats at the lake. Elsa was in her own boat, rowing.
"This is what you meant by a ride?" Elsa said.
Hiccup who was rowing with Astrid in his boat next to him, grinned at her. "Yes, it is! Don't tell me that you're too weak for rowing!"
Elsa gasped. "I'm not!"
Hiccup laughed. He stopped rowing and his boat bumped against Elsa's. He stood up and Astrid held on as their boat rocked.
"Hiccup, don't you dare." Astrid said with a stern voice.
"I'm gonna do it!"
"Wait, do what?" Elsa asked.
Hiccup stepped with one foot on the edge of her boat and the other foot on his own boat. He balanced between the boats laughing.
"Hiccup!" Astrid stood up. "Get down!"
"I'm the king of the world!" Hiccup yelled and he held his arms out.
"Hiccup, stop!" Astrid yelled. "You're gonna fall!"
Hiccup turned his head towards her and laughed. "I'm not gonna fall!"
"You are!"
"Just trust me woman, I won't fall!"
"Yes, you will!"
Elsa rubbed her neck. "Look, I think that-"
At that moment Hiccup fell between the boats into the water.
He disappeared for a few seconds. Elsa crawled to the edge of her boat and looked down at the water. Astrid stayed calm as she stood up. After a few seconds Hiccup resurfaced. The water was shallow, so he could stand up.
He spit out some water and pushed his hair out of his eyes.
"Ha, loser!" Astrid said laughing.
"Who are you calling, loser? Get over here!"
Hiccup turned around and came towards Astrid. Astrid shrieked and tried to get away. Hiccup managed to climb onto the boat, but due to Astrid trying to kick him away, the boat wobbled and turned over into the water.
Elsa watched the two of them go under and resurface. They both laughed as they came back up.
"Jerk!" Astrid laughed and she swatted some water towards him.
Hiccup laughed too. He turned towards Elsa with a grin. "Well...how about we soak her majesty too?"
Elsa gulped and she backed away. "W-wait, no! I can't swim!"
"I'll hold you!" Hiccup said. "Don't be afraid!"
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
Elsa tried to get away, but there was no way out. Hiccup pulled at the edge of her boat. It rocked around and finally turned on its other side, making Elsa fall into the water.
The water around her made her panic for a second before Hiccup pulled her up.
Elsa sputtered out some water and blushed when she realized she could stand.
Hiccup released her hand. "And? Are you still afraid?"
"No..." Elsa cracked her knuckles. "But I am furious!"
"Wait, h-huh?"
"Let's get him!" Astrid yelled.
The two women swam towards him and grabbed him. They tried to push him under and Hiccup struggled against them.
"Let me go!" Hiccup yelled.
"You're dead for pushing us in the water!" Astrid yelled laughing.
Elsa laughed too. She hadn't had such fun in a very long time...
"Your majesty, what happened?!"
Kai yelled as the three of them returned. They were all wet and soaked to the bone.
Hiccup looked down at the wet carpet underneath his feet. "Right..."
"I was rowing together with king Hiccup and queen Astrid at the lake when the king threw me and Astrid both into the water!"
Kai frowned at them. "The queen cannot swim, king Hiccup..."
"I'm so sorry." Hiccup bowed towards Kai. "It was reckless of me to do so. But the water was shallow."
"Don't bow, Hiccup." Elsa said. She looked at Kai. "Kai, I'm fine. We were only having a little bit of fun."
"Alright..." Kai said. "Well, you better freshen up, your majesty. It is soon time for dinner."
"Of course! I'll be down quickly!" Elsa pulled the seams of her wet dress up and ran off.
Kai sighed and looked at Hiccup and Astrid. "King Hiccup, queen Astrid, the queen did not say anything about it, but the maids shall prepare a bath for you to freshen up in. Oh! And I'm sorry if the queen was any trouble..."
"No, she wasn't." Hiccup said. "The queen is a very nice person. She is really fun and we get along well...although, I'm still surprised that the queen is so young of age..."
Kai raised his eyebrows. "Really?"
"Yes, an 18 year old as queen? I mean, there are kingdoms with young queens, but not many."
"Well, after her mother and later father passed away we had no other choice. There was no one else to run the kingdom. And queen Elsa was already married. We would have a king as well, which would also give the kingdom hope for a future heir."
"Still..." Astrid said. "It must be a lot for her to carry..."
Elsa sighed as she dried her hair with a towel. She walked into her room after she had just took a bath. Around her body was a bathrobe.
The queen pulled the robe from her body and hang it over a chair. She threw the towel from her head onto there as well and stepped towards her closet.
She grabbed a yellow dress and put it on. It was a simple dress, with long sleeves and in one colour, but she couldn't wear her pajama to dinner. She once tried to as a young child, but her parents scolded her about it.
She pushed her hair back and looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.
"Okay, I actually look good in this."
"Queen Elsa?"
She turned around when she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Elsa said.
The door opened up and Jack stepped into the room. He closed the door behind him.
"Jack, is something wrong?" Elsa asked.
Jack shook his head. "No...I heard from Kai what had happened."
"Ah..." Elsa sat down on her bed. "I was only having a bit of fun with Hiccup and Astrid."
Jack smiled and sat down next to her. "So, you have become good friends with them?"
"I believe so..." Elsa blushed. "And I'm glad to have some new friends besides you and Hannah."
"Oi." Jack chuckled.
"What?" Elsa raised her eyebrows in a playful manner and moved a bit closer to him. "I do enjoy our friendship, but Hiccup's might be more enjoyable."
"Really?" Jack moved a bit closer to her too. "I highly doubt that!"
Elsa smiled a little at him. "Maybe you're correct. I mean, Hiccup can't do to me what you did..."
"What I did?" Jack scraped his throat. "I mean, I don't hope he will..."
Elsa put her hands against his chest. She leaned even more towards him.
"Jack..." She whispered lowly.
Jack gulped and looked down at her lips. He could barely hold himself back and said in a whisper; "Your majesty, didn't we agree upon staying as professional as we can be?"
"Yes, we did." Elsa smiled at him. "Now, lie down."
"Huh?" Jack blinked with his eyes.
"Lie down. That is an order, Jack." Elsa said.
Jack raised his eyebrows, but did as he was told. He laid down onto his back on the bed.
"Now, close your eyes."
Jack closed his eyes. Elsa smirked and she moved on top of him. She lowered her head and placed a kiss on his lips.
The servant opened his eyes a little. Elsa moved her lips against his. She felt a bit nervous, but knew that she had to take the lead more to keep this relationship under control.
After a minute she pulled back and her eyes met his.
"We should be more professional." Elsa said. "So...this was your last kiss for now!"
"The last?" Jack said teasingly. "I hoped for a better kiss, but alright."
Elsa blushed and glared at him. "Fine, I'll kiss you again! But this will be the last one, got it?"
"Yes."
Elsa leaned down to kiss him. But Jack suddenly grabbed her shoulders and turned them around. Elsa shrieked as her back hit the soft mattress.
Jack hovered above her with a mischievous smile.
"What are you doing?!" Elsa asked.
"If it's going to be my last kiss then I want at least a good one."
"Are you saying I can't kiss?!"
"I'm not..." Jack leaned closer and kissed her on her neck. "...but...you do need to work on your technique."
"Technique?" Elsa whispered. "What are you..."
Jack suddenly kissed her onto her lips. Elsa gasped into the kiss and Jack used this as an opportunity to french-kiss her.
Elsa closed her eyes and made a noise while he kissed her. His tongue and lips moved against hers in a sensual movement. Her mind went blank from the kiss. All she could feel was him against her...and...
After a few minutes Jack stopped.
He moved back and looked down at Elsa with a blush.
"That..." Elsa's eyes fluttered open. Her chest was rising up and down as she caught her breath. "That was...memorable, Jackson..."
Jack smiled at her which made her heart skip a beat.
"Yes, like I told you; my technique is a bit better. I do have more experience after all."
Elsa quirked her eyebrow and eyed him suspiciously. "Experience? With whom...?"
Jack leaned closer to her and whispered; "With you, who else?"
Elsa blushed. She pushed him away and sat up again. She sighed. "Right...a-anyway, this was our last kiss for now! From this moment on, we shall only be a servant and a queen, understood?"
"Understood..." Jack grabbed her hand. "Although...I will miss your lips, Elsa."
Elsa felt her heart skip another beat.
"O-oh..." Elsa stuttered. "I...I..."
"There is no need to answer that." Jack kissed her hand.
"J-Jack..." Elsa gasped. "Seriously, you are giving me a heart attack here."
Jack released her hand. "I know, your majesty." He stood up and looked down at her. "Elsa Rosalia Erika Christina Snow...I really love you. But I understand your reasoning."
"Thank you." Elsa stood up too and smiled at him again. "Jack, I...do care about you. But I need to think more about the future of the kingdom now that I'm queen."
Jack noticed that she didn't say that she loved him, but he made no remark about it.
A knock on the door made the two jump a little.
"Queen Elsa?"
It was Kai. He asked if she was in there and Elsa let out a small sigh before answering him.
"Yes?" She said.
"Dinner is ready. The king and queen are waiting in the dining room."
"Okay, I'll be down soon!"
"Alright!"
Elsa turned towards Jack. "I'm going to have dinner..."
"Yeah..." Jack whispered.
Elsa put her hand onto his arm. "Jack, you will always be by my side, correct?"
"Of course!" Jack put his hands onto her shoulders and looked at her intently. "No matter what happens, I will always be here. So, please...do not worry about this."
Elsa nodded.
"You're right!"
"Aren't I always?"
Elsa pushed him away with a laugh and Jack laughed too.
"Oh, shut it! I'm going downstairs, see you!"
Elsa quickly dashed out of the room. Jack stayed behind. His smile slowly faded. He couldn't help but feel disappointed at the fact that he wouldn't be able to kiss her anymore. He did love her a lot, after all.
Later that night it was calm in the town of Arendelle.
Hannah was in her bed. She was looking up at the ceiling.
Hopefully Elsa was alright. That king from Berk seemed a bit dangerous...but knowing Elsa, she would be able to handle him.
Hannah smiled to herself.
Her sister was a lot fiercer than she at first expected to be. The queen wasn't afraid to back down, even when that king was face to face with her Elsa stood her ground. She even kept her from telling the king about her job...Hannah almost wanted to tell him that she was a prostitute, but that might have been a bad thing to tell someone she didn't even knew...especially someone with that much power...
Elsa protected her again.
Hannah sighed. Even after she had called her a 'monster' once, Elsa was still protecting her.
"I'm so stupid." Hannah whispered.
She had almost driven her sister away. The only one who was related by blood and who had never stopped caring about her. Just like...
Her thoughts quickly shifted towards Kristoff.
I wonder how he's doing.
Hannah turned around. She looked at the window on the other side of the room. The moon was shining through it, illuminating the room a little. Hannah yawned and closed her eyes.
There was no need to think about him. For now she had to concentrate on her friends and her sister.
They were still here.
Faraway in the kingdom of Corona was a man.
He stood silently in the throne room of the castle. The queen, Rapunzel walked towards him.
"You." She said and he made a small bow. Rapunzel nodded at him. "I need you to bring a letter to Arendelle. We won't be using doves because...you know that our enemy will shoot them out of the sky if they can."
The man nodded.
"Good...oh..."
The queen was about to walk away, but stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder at him with a smile.
"Say hello to queen Elsa for me."
Two weeks later it was a normal day in Arendelle.
Hannah was watering the plants in front of the whore house. When she finished she stood up and stretched her arms.
"Hannah!"
Hannah turned around to see Kai walk towards her. He was rolling a barrel in front of him.
"Good morning, mister Kai!" Hannah said. "What are you doing here?"
"Good morning, I'm here to deliver a barrel full of beer for the whore house. Can you help me out?" Kai asked.
"Sure, but..." Hannah grinned. "Are you here to visit Gerda? Do you liiikkkeee her...?"
Kai sighed. "Just help me out, Princess."
Hannah obliged and the two carried the barrel into the whore house where they put it down in front of the bar. Gerda noticed them and walked over. She put her hands on her hips and she looked at the barrel.
"What is this?" Gerda asked.
"A barrel of beer for milady!" Kai said. "We had a little bit too much at the castle and the queen doesn't drink that much, so I thought, why not?"
"Ah...well, thank you."
"How nice of him!" Hannah said. She moved closer to Gerda with a mischievous smile. "Hey Gerda, don't you think that you should thank mister Kai?"
Gerda glared at her a little. "Hannah..."
"What?" Hannah raised her eyebrows. "I am only giving a suggestion..."
"Actually, I'm not only here for Gerda." Kai said.
"Hm?" Gerda and Hannah looked at him with confusion.
"Hannah?" Kai asked. "Can we please talk in private?"
"Sure..."
Hannah took Kai upstairs to one of the rooms. There she grabbed two chairs and they sat down from across each other. Hannah had no idea what the man wanted to talk about. Maybe he wanted to get some tips about love from her?
"Soooo..." Hannah cracked her fingers. "Is there something you need to know?"
"Hannah." Kai sounded serious and Hannah stopped cracking her fingers. He looked at her with a dark gaze. "You know that the queen's life hasn't been easy, right?"
"Yes..."
"But your life hasn't been easy too. What I want to say is that; I'm so sorry."
"Hm?" Hannah cocked her head in confusion. "What for?"
"For everything that had happened. I should've stopped Agdar's personal servant when I was working here and...we could have founded you and prevented all that pain."
Hannah nodded. She started to tear up a little. The words of Kai meant everything. But...
"That pain can never be erased..." Hannah said as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "E-everything...even if I weren't taken, then Elsa would have been...and if both us weren't kidnapped, then Elsa would still have to endure the king's abuse..."
"But you could have had a better life!" Kai said.
"I wouldn't have met Gerda and my other friends. I might have had a better life, but...I don't think that it would have solved everything."
Kai started to cry. The man buried his face in his hands so that Hannah wouldn't see his tears.
Hannah wiped her own tears away. "Right...look, we can't change the past. All we have is the future...so...I'm going to be a better sister to Elsa. And yes, I know that I'm basically a peasant and that she's the queen, but...that doesn't change the fact that I...I...love her."
Kai stopped crying. He wiped his tears too and looked at Hannah.
"Hannah...no, princess Anna...thank you so much for loving her. She doesn't have many people who do."
"Except for Jack?" Hannah said.
Kai chuckled a little. "Yes, except for Jack..."
Meanwhile Elsa had breakfast with Hiccup and Astrid.
She wanted to invite Hannah too and asked Jack to get her, but Hannah had to help Gerda clean up at the whore house.
Today Hiccup and Astrid would leave back to Berk. Their deal was done, so they had to head home.
After breakfast they went into town with a couple of guards. Elsa asked Hiccup about Berk and if the kingdom was nice. Hiccup told her that the kingdom was full of mountains and dragons and that it was beautiful.
"But I'll miss you when we're going home!" Hiccup said.
Astrid rolled her eyes at him. "Hiccup, we'll see her again when she throws a ball."
"A ball?" Elsa asked.
"Yes!" Astrid said. They stopped by a flower shop and looked at the blooming plants. "When you throw a ball then we can come visit you again! Or does Arendelle never have any?"
"We did, but..." Elsa trailed off. She stared at a rose. The stem of the flower looked prickly and dangerous...
"Elsa?" Hiccup asked.
"Ah! Right!" Elsa snapped out of her thoughts. She looked at Hiccup and Astrid again. "Well...I actually have never thrown a ball before. My father usually did it, but he passed away...and after that we had one ball, but Kai arranged it."
"Is it lonely?" Hiccup suddenly asked.
Elsa shook her head. "No...I mean, I miss my parents dearly, but I have managed to make a good friend..."
"Who?"
Elsa narrowed her eyes at him. "That is none of your business."
"Is it Jack?"
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Then..." Hiccup moved a bit closer to her. "Who is able to break through your frozen heart?"
Elsa smirked slightly at him. "How about you figure that out for yourself, Hiccup?"
"Ha!" Astrid said with a laugh. Hiccup moved back with a blush and looked at the flowers again.
"Fine, then don't tell me..." He muttered with a slight pout.
"Queen Elsa!"
A guard ran towards them. The man was out of breath and needed a second to catch it.
"Yes?" Elsa asked as she and the others looked at the man.
"There...there..." The man was still panting for air.
"Speak up." Elsa said.
"Hold on..."
"Guard!" Astrid yelled. "Talk or get out of our way!"
The man finally caught his breath when Astrid yelled at him. He straightened his back and finally spoke up.
"King Hans has returned."
Elsa eyes widened.
"Hans..." She whispered.
"Yes." The guard said. "He has just arrived at the docks with his brother."
Elsa turned around and ran towards the docks, leaving Hiccup and Astrid behind.
She ran past the citizens who all stared at her. Elsa wanted to see him again...she didn't knew why, but she had missed him. Elsa stopped running when she reached the docks. She looked around, but didn't see him. People walked past her and looked at her as if she was crazy.
Elsa didn't look at them. Her eyes moved around to see if she could spot Hans, but she couldn't.
"Damn..." Elsa put her hand against her forehead. "Damn it all..." She couldn't find him. Maybe the guard was lying to get her away from her guests. What if he was an assasin or something? She had to go back and...
"Elsa?"
Her eyes widened. She turned around and saw a familiar face.
"W-wait...Hans!"
Elsa leaped into his arms. Hans caught her and spun her around.
She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tighter around him. He smelled like sea and cologne. Elsa normally hated his cologne, but in this moment she loved it.
Hans stopped spinning her around. He set her down with a grin on his face.
"I see that you missed me, Elsa...was it so hard being away from me?"
Elsa blushed and looked away from him. "Not necessarily...I mean, I did miss you...you were longer gone than you said..."
"Well, I did miss you!"
Hans grabbed her face and gave her a kiss. Elsa moaned and smiled into the kiss.
"Uhm, Hans?"
Hans pulled away from Elsa with a sigh. Elsa was a little confused. None of the guards would call Hans by his first name.
Hans turned around. "Chris, come on..."
Elsa almost felt like throwing up. There was only one guy who Hans called 'Chris'...and that wasn't even his full name.
A man with dark hair and greenish-blue eyes stood in front of them. He was wearing a dark attire and had a smirk on his face.
"Ah, did I interrupt something?"
Elsa glared at him. "Christian...why are you here?"
Christian, Hans' oldest brother and the king of the Western Isles, stood there with a smirk. The Western Isles was a part of a couple of kingdoms, the isles, which were all a set of island build around each other.
Elsa felt the hairs on her arms stand up.
"Am I not allowed to visit one of my favorite family members?" Christian said.
Hans sighed. "Christian is here to help us out. He has been king for years and knows more about it then we do."
"But we both have studied for it..." Elsa said.
"We did, but...we have only recently been crowned. It is different in reality then in the books."
"Hans, I know that your brother has a lot more experience, but you can't just bring anyone here and expect me to take advice from them. Arendelle is not the same as the Western Isles, therefore any advice your bother might give could be completely futile."
"But..."
"And why would I get advice from anyone except my own advisors..."
"I'm not just anyone!" Christian suddenly put his hand around her shoulder and pulled her a bit closer to him. "Come on, we're family! And doesn't family mean the world to you?"
Elsa cringed at his words. He was such a slimy and disgusting man. Every word he told her sounded like poison. If only he were a stranger then she could have him arrested easily...
All of a sudden she was being yanked away at her arm.
Hiccup pulled her close to him while Astrid stood next to him with an axe between her hands. The two of them glared at Christian and Hans.
"I don't know who you two are." Hiccup said. "But you've got a whole lot of nerve to touch our friend like this!"
Elsa smiled at him. "Hiccup, I'm thankful that you're willing to protect me, but...these men aren't strangers."
"Wait..." Astrid lowered her axe and blinked. "They are not..."
Hiccup released Elsa. "They aren't?"
Elsa extended her hand towards the men. "That is my husband, Hans and his cree...I mean, his brother Christian."
"Why didn't you tell us?!" Astrid said.
"Uhm..." Elsa scratched her head. "I kinda just did..."
"It is a pleasure to meet you both." Hiccup made a small bow. "My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. I am the king of Berk." He straightened his back again and pointed at Astrid. "That is my wife Astrid."
"Nice to meet ya." Astrid said.
Hans raised his eyebrows. "So you two are our newest guests?"
"Yes." Hiccup said. "And Elsa here has been a great host. With her as queen of Arendelle I don't think that anything will go wrong. She is really charming. Even my dragon likes her."
"Excuse me?" Hans said.
"Ah, Hiccup has a dragon!" Elsa said. "Hans, it is adorable! At first I was a bit afraid of Toothless, but now it is really kind to me!"
Hans chuckled. "Oh really? You befriended a dragon too...well, I suppose that you needed to make the deal..."
"Are you saying she only befriended us for a deal?"
Hans and Christian both noticed Hiccup's tone. The king of Berk seemed serious about his statement and his confident look didn't help.
"If I were would you be my friend now?"
Everyone looked at Elsa who suddenly spoke up. The queen folded her arms and looked at them with a bit of an annoyed gaze.
"We have only recently met, Hiccup, but if I were to try to be your friend while lying, which I wasn't doing at all, then you would have surely found out, correct?"
"Yes..." Hiccup said.
"Then we are not only friends because I needed armor." Elsa sighed. "You know this, Hiccup."
"Wait..." Hans looked at them. "You are on first name basis with each other?"
"We decided on it." Elsa answered. "We're friends and what kind of friends wouldn't call each other by name? Now, let's all retreat back to the castle. We all need a bit of rest, don't we?"
Everyone went back to the castle. While they all took a rest, Elsa had a small meeting with the council.
She had to talk with them about the deal with Berk. It wouldn't take long and was only an extra little thing she had to do.
"So!" Elsa clapped in her hands as the four council members looked at her. "As you already know I've made a deal with Berk. We have traded some of our research for some good armor."
"We know, your majesty." One of the men replied. "And we hope that the relation with Berk will grow and incase of a war will stand by us."
"I hope it doesn't come to that." Elsa said. "A war..."
"You don't believe in the strength of our kingdom?"
"No! But, king Hans is a bit too weak to lead us into battle...I could do it, but..."
A knock on the door stopped her mid-sentence. Everyone went silent.
"Come in..." Elsa said after the silence was too long.
A knight walked into the room. He was holding a letter in his hands.
"Queen Elsa...a servant from the kingdom Corona has brought this for you..."
He extended the letter towards her. Elsa took the letter from his hands and opened it. Her eyes widened when she read it.
Dear Queen Elsa Snow of Arendelle,
My name is Queen Rapunzel of Corona. We have met briefly at a ball in your kingdom.
I am writing this letter to warn you. Through one of our spies we have obtained information about a possible war.
The kingdom of the Darkened Forest has already attacked a few small villages and managed to take them. They attacked us last month, but lost.
Now, I was hoping that the king of the Darkened Forest would stop after his defeat, but he has not. Instead I heard from our intel that he is planning to take your kingdom as well. I don't know if it is because of your ice powers or something else...
But I needed to warn you. Make sure to let the battle take place outside of your kingdom and be prepared.
With kind regards,
Queen Rapunzel
Elsa grasped the letter tighter between her hands. She felt her heart drop. A war...a real war was going to happen...
"Your majesty?" One of the council members looked at her. "What does it say?"
Elsa handed him the letter without saying a word. The others all looked at it. Elsa looked down at the floor deep in thought while the members read the letter.
How was she going to prepare the knights? They only just got the new armor, there was still a lot more to be done, the knights had to get used to the new armor first and now...how was she even going to fight in a war?! She had no experience! And Hans was their king, but his sword skills were too low. She knew because he had lost a fight to her father once and her father barely managed to survive the battlefield himself!
"So, that's a problem you're having here."
Elsa looked up. She saw Christian suddenly standing between the council members. He whistled between his teeth as he looked at the letter too.
"Christian!" Elsa said surprised. The council members seemed surprised too and they took a step back.
"What is the plan, your majesty?" Christian looked at her with a dark gaze. Elsa gulped. She clenched her fists tightly.
"I don't have one yet..." She whispered. "We only got the armor recently..."
"Which you can use."
Elsa nodded. "Right..."
"And?" Christian raised his eyebrows at her.
"And what?"
"Come on, Elsa, think!" Christian said. "You are the queen, you need to come up with a plan within minutes!"
Elsa put her fingers against her chin. "You're right...okay...how about...we make the knights wear the armor today, tomorrow I'll start to practice for battle and then we'll write a letter to the Darkened Forest kingdom!"
Christian nodded. "Good...and I'll give you lessons."
Elsa cocked her head. "W-what?"
"I have fought in a few wars, Elsa, I know what to expect. And believe me, you won't learn anything from your servant."
Elsa narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you know about Jack?"
"Enough. He won't be able to prepare you for the worst, trust me."
Trust him?
Elsa knew not to trust him. But she had no choice. There was no one else who could teach her...
She sighed. "Then so be it. Alright. End of meeting."
All of the council members left, leaving the two behind.
Christian walked over to Elsa who glared at him.
"Do you always keep glaring at me like this?" Christian said.
"Be glad that I'm not spitting into your face, Christian."
Christian moved closer. Elsa took a step back and her back bumped against the wall. The man looked down at her with a grin.
"Well, I am looking forward to helping you out, your majesty." He said in a low voice. "Speaking of...did you really sleep with Jack?"
Elsa looked away with a blush. "Hans must have told you, huh?"
"He did. Really, your servant? You know that all servants eventually die, right? Don't you want to give your future child a father?"
"I do, but...I'm not even thinking about having children yet...not that it all even matters. We already decided to be more professional."
Christian sighed. "Elsa, come on, you are so naive. Do you think that just because of an agreement his feelings will stop?"
"I hope so. What else was I supposed to do?"
"Fire him."
Elsa looked back at him with widened eyes. "I'm not going to fire my own personal servant!"
"Why not? You had your fun with him. Throw him away."
"I won't throw him away! I..."
Christian grabbed her chin roughly. "Elsa, you need to toughen up. He will only get in the way."
Elsa slapped his hand away from her chin and glared at him. "He is my servant, so I'll decide for myself what to do with him. I'll call you when I need a lesson tomorrow."
"Hm...let me guess, you are not looking forward to it."
Elsa smiled a little. "You guessed right, king Christian."
Christian chuckled. "My...Elsa, I never would have thought..."
"Have thought what?"
"You're a lot more fiercer than before...you only trust yourself to save the kingdom, which I get! Hans can fight, but he is a bit weak..."
Elsa's smile faded away. "What are you trying to say...?"
"You're exactly like your father."
Her heart stopped at his words.
Christian took a step back. "Anyway, I'll see you at dinner, Elsa!" He said in a sudden cheerful voice. "I have to talk with Hans and annoy him some more!"
He left the room. Elsa kept quiet. She slid down to the floor as his words sank in.
You're exactly like your father.
But she didn't want to be like him.
She didn't...
Elsa pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself.
Her father could be ruthless and she didn't want that. She wanted to protect everyone.
Excluding Hans wasn't only because of his lacking skills, but also to protect him and Arendelle. If she died then someone had to look after the kingdom. Also, as much as she sometimes cursed his name, she didn't want Hans to die. And he would surely die if he went out into battlefield...
But...
It also felt good to know that he was weaker with his fighting skills. It made her feel a bit superior to him.
Snow started to fall from the ceiling. Elsa didn't notice it.
Maybe she was going to be like him.
That night Hannah was walking down the street. She had to buy some bread and only one more store was open. Gerda just found out they were out of bread and send her out on the errand.
The young woman had just bought the bread and walked back down to the streets to the whore house.
Hannah sighed. She kept thinking about what Kai said. If she weren't kidnapped...then Elsa would have been. And even though she sometimes couldn't stand her sister, she didn't wish her such a life. Sure, it was nice to have friends, but the job with all of those disgusting men doing those things to her...
She stood still in the streets. The only thing she regretted was not meeting Elsa earlier in life. If she had known the existence of her sister before hand, then their relationship would have been better...
If only...
All of a sudden a man bumped against her shoulder.
Hannah almost fell over, but she managed her balance and glared at the man's back as he walked off.
"Hey, watch it!" Hannah yelled.
The man kept walking away as if nothing happened. Hannah gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to let this man of the hook! The street wasn't narrow at all, there was no reason for him to bump into her.
Hannah ran after the man. When she managed to catch up she jumped in front of him. He stood still and Hannah looked up as she prepared to berate him.
"Sir, you bumped into me and that..."
She trailed off when she saw who it was.
"Kristoff..." She whispered.
The man looked at her. His brown eyes were looking at her in surprise. His blond hair was shorter and he seemed a bit thinner.
"Hey Hannah." Kristoff said calmly.
Hannah clenched her fist. How could he act as if nothing had happened?
"How dare you..."
"Huh?" Kristoff leaned a bit closer to her. "What did you say?"
"You piece of shit!"
Hannah punched him hard. Kristoff held his cheek and he stumbled back.
"You fucker!" Hannah said. "How you can you show up as if nothing has happened between us two?! You left me alone here when I needed a friend the most!"
"Hannah..."
"Let me guess, you weren't even going to visit us! You were just here for some business and now you're going back to Corona again! Oh and, you're now a rich man who only cares about money!"
"Hannah!" Kristoff grabbed her shoulder roughly, shutting her up.
He glared at her with annoyance.
"I'm not here because I'm some sort rich business man! I am here on behalf of queen Rapunzel to bring a letter about the war!"
"Wait..." Hannah tilted her head. She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "War?"
"Yes." Kristoff released her shoulders. "I'm here because I am now working for the queen of Corona as a spy. She asked me and Sven to deliver a letter about the king of the Darknened Forest. Although he has lost against our kingdom, he is planning to attack Arendelle."
"Why?" Hannah asked.
"Well, we don't know. But I think the king has a bit of an ego problem."
Hannah scratched her head. "This is really, really, really bad timing!"
"Hm?"
"I just got to know Elsa better!" Hannah yelled with her hands in her hair.
Kristoff sighed. "You really haven't changed..." He whispered.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Anyway, I can't stay here for too long. Not when there is an upcoming war. I need to get back to Corona to report..."
"Report what? Weren't you just the delivery boy?"
Kristoff rolled his eyes. "No, stupid. I said I was a spy. Weren't you listening?"
"I was. But you? A spy?" Hannah lowered her hands and looked at him as if he were crazy. "If you are then you're a really bad one. Who says that they are a spy in the middle of the streets?"
"There is no one around to hear!" Kristoff said.
"Still, should you really say that out loud?"
"If there's no danger, then yes!"
"Then..."
Hannah trailed off and evaded his gaze. Kristoff raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"Hannah?" He asked. "Is something wrong?"
"You should go." Hannah said. Her eyes had suddenly darkened.
"Huh?"
"We aren't friends anymore..." Hannah looked back at him. "Are we?"
"Well..."
"We're fighting as usual. As if nothing happened. But so much has happened, Kristoff. Everything is different."
"But you're still the same."
"I am...but also not...Kristoff, there is no reason for you to stay here..."
"But there is."
"Hm?"
Kristoff smiled at her. Hannah's heart made a small little leap.
"I travelled all this way and I'm really thirsty for some beer! And you work at the whore house, right? So you must have some!"
"We do, but..."
"Great, I'll meet you there in ten minutes, need to get someone!"
Kristoff quickly ran off, leaving Hannah behind.
The young woman put her hand against her chest. Why did her heart keep pounding? She wasn't in love again, was she?
No, she wasn't.
Hannah and Gerda were both sitting at the bar, watching Kristoff and his reindeer Sven eat some left over meal. The two were watching the man and his reindeer eat their meal as if they were orphans. Hannah scrunched her nose in disgust. There was no way she would fall for someone like that...
"So..." Gerda titled her head at Hannah. "Your boyfriend is back for you."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Hannah said. "And he's not here for me. There is an upcoming war, Gerda."
"Wait, Kristoff is not your boyfriend?"
"Gerda!"
"Okay, okay..." Gerda held her hands up with a chuckle. "I know, a war is coming...how is the queen handling it, Kristoff?"
Kristoff swallowed his bite and shrugged. "I don't know...but I think Elsa is going to handle this. She is the queen for a reason. Plus, that king from the Darkened Forest has already lost against queen Rapunzel's kingdom..."
"How is the kingdom of Corona?" Gerda asked.
"Oh, it's beautiful. There are a lot of hills and the people are nice...there are a lot of flowers, oh and each year there is a lantern festival!"
"Lantern festival?" Hannah asked.
Kristoff nodded with a bright smile. "Yes! It's amazing! People go to the square and light up thousands of candles near the river! It was first done when the queen was kidnapped as a young child to help her find her way back home, but even after she returned, she kept the tradition. Each year on her birthday they light up the candles...you should come with me, next time, it's really beautiful, Hannah!"
"I..." Hannah blushed and put a stray of hair behind her ear.
Kristoff realized his words. He quickly turned back to his meal and ate further with a heavy blush on his cheeks.
"Right..." Gerda coughed to break the awkward tension between the two. "A war...what if the queen loses?"
Kristoff and Sven stopped eating. Hannah looked at Gerda with wide eyes.
She hadn't thought about it. If they lost the war...
Hannah shook her head.
Her sister wasn't someone who would lose.
TO BE CONTINUED