Note:
WE DID IT. WE DID IT. IT IS DONE! Well...we still have the epilogue to do, but for the most part, THE FANFIC IS DONE! WOOO! This has been a trip and a half, but I could not have done it without the help of my beta team (the bros) and all of you lovely readers. I unfortunately don't have any funny notes about why it took me so long to upload, but the truth is I am an adult and I had work to do so that I could pay my bills. I love this fandom, and I LOVE all of the people who took a chance and read this. I hope the epilogue gets uploaded before Valentine's Day, but if not, I know it won't take longer than March. Comments, reviews, and questions are welcome! You guys are the absolute best!
Disclaimer:
If I owned any part of Frozen, I wouldn't need to write fanfic about it.
Happy Reading!
-JQ
Chapter Thirty-Four: The Jig Is Up, Lads
[Vennesvurg, Sweden]
Elsa wasted little time as she ran through the hallways of Vennesvurg's castle. The ice wielder was deaf to the calls that Arnold had shouted at her after Karl told her that Tina was in her guest chambers. Respectfully, there was absolutely nothing else on her mind but the princess. She apologized briefly to staff as she nearly knocked them over in her pursuit, but never slowed down.
Once she reached Tina's door, she knocked an excessive amount of times, not caring in the slightest how desperate she appeared. As she waited for the door to be answered, she could not stop herself from fidgeting. She used to make fun of Anna for not being able to sit still, during meetings with her royal advisory. Anna would state that she was just 'an excitable person' and Elsa never understood how anyone could be that excited about anything. However, as the ice wielder stood outside of her love interest's chambers, eagerly waiting to finally sweep her up in a bone-crushing embrace, Elsa could confidently say that she understood the feeling a little better.
Suddenly, the door creaked open to reveal Tina, all dressed up in her traditional wedding garb. Elsa felt her jaw go slack as she saw the outstanding vision before her. Tina's figure was perfectly accentuated with the dress she wore and the colour of her amber eyes was even more striking with the gold trim of the outfit. On top of all that, the traditional warpaint that adorned the princess' face was certainly doing something for Elsa although she couldn't exactly pinpoint it at the moment. All she knew was that she felt unworthy, lucky, and incredibly elated all at once.
As the door opened a little more, the princess' own eyes widened at the sight of the ice wielder and she let out a small gasp. "Elsa?"
"Tina!" the ice wielder's smile was wide as her eyes were glowing with happiness and unshed tears of joy. She wasted no time in blurting out the good news. "We did it!"
It took a second for Tina to understand what the blonde was referring to. She shook her head slightly to bring herself back into reality. "W-We did it?" amber eyes searched ice blue in disbelief and hopefulness.
"Yes!" Elsa cried, jumping up and down as she grabbed Tina's hands in hers. As uncharacteristic as the action was, neither of them pointed it out in fear of breaking the moment of bliss. "Malkvist has to meet with the chancellor and the wedding is stalled!"
"Oh my go – mmmph!" before Tina could finish her sentence, Elsa quickly wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist, tugging her close. At the same time, she crashed their lips together in a searing kiss – a kiss that was long overdue. Elsa hoped to convey every single apology, every single compliment, every single hope and dream into this kiss. Elsa desired a new beginning for them, a beginning free from fear and free from interruption.
For her part, Tina was taken aback. The kiss was surprising but not at all unpleasant. In fact, she rather enjoyed this side of her ice queen. The desperation, the incessant need to be close, the urgency in her touch, the unwavering lust – Tina had to admit that she liked this version of Elsa.
Although, she would have preferred this version of Elsa in a more...private setting.
"Uh..." a sudden third voice came from someplace in the distance, "...hi, your highness..." Elsa abruptly pulled away from Tina to look over her shoulder. Before her, and behind the princess, was Tina's entire family.
Tina's face flushed and she felt more embarrassed than she had ever felt in her entire life. Her sisters – and father – had just witnessed her being kissed senseless by the former queen of Arendelle. "Heh...m-my – uh – my family is...they're here to support me." the princess explained, her cheeks glowing pink at what her family had just witnessed.
"I see that." Elsa managed to choke out, as she made awkward eye contact with each of Tina's sisters. All of which looked fairly amused at what they had just seen. Once Elsa regained enough composure to be a decent human being, she greeted them in hopes to salvage whatever was left of her dignity. "Hello, princesses. King Hallgrimur."
Each of the princesses waved or nodded shyly at the former queen while King Hallgrimur was still flabbergasted at many different things. For starters, he thought he was having a stroke as he laid his eyes upon someone from the past. "Queen Iduna?" he huffed out in reverence. It was at this moment that Elsa remembered that her hair was still dyed.
"Elsa, actually." the ice wielder corrected nervously, trying to make sure she was standing at a respectable distance from Tina, "F-Formerly the queen. I...it's a lot to explain but this is not my original hair colour." as if to emphasize her point, she ruffled the ends of her hair in hopes to get the king to laugh or smile at the absurdity of the whole scenario. Hallgrimur, for his part, just stood there processing.
"I think there's quite a bit more to explain..." Princess Gilly stated under her breath, causing Finn and Rikki to laugh a little.
As the scene before her started to come to an awkward standstill, Tina reflected on what her father had just told them. When he initially joined her and her sisters in preparing for her sham of a wedding, he told them that he regretted all that he had done to tear their family apart. Now, he was here, presently with them. She supposed that if he was going to do his part and try to willingly be apart of their family, she needed to be honest with him about who she was. Taking a deep breath, Tina grabbed Elsa's hand and led her to stand directly in front of her father. Once they were a mere two feet in front of the large man, Tina pulled Elsa a little closer.
"Daddy," she said, looking up into his deep brown eyes, "uh...I have something else to tell you."
"Hrafntinna?" The king was still confused.
"I..." Tina looked back at Elsa. The ice wielder just offered a timid and genuine smile, hoping to encourage the younger woman to say what she needed to. Tina smiled back and squeezed Elsa's hand a little tighter before addressing her father again. "Elsa and I are...involved."
From behind them, Finn, Katla, and Gilly fawned over the admission while Rikki scoffed and said, "You don't say..."
Ignoring them, Tina continued. "Since we're all trying to be honest, I...I want you to know me, Daddy. The real me." with one more sharp inhale, she wrapped her arms around Elsa's shoulders and hugged her close. While looking at her father with determination and strength, she said: "I won't be taking a husband. Not now and not ever."
Tina didn't know what she expected him to say or do, but laughing was not on the list of possibilities. The brunette looked quizzically at the former queen in hopes of finding answers but the older woman just shrugged in response. Once the king was done laughing, he said: "I guess you could do worse than an ice mage with royal lineage." He then looked at his daughter with pride. "Hrafntinna, as long as you are safe and happy, I do not care who you choose to be with." he reached for her hand and she took it. "I'll admit there was once a time where I would have been furious," the king admitted with a hint of shame and guilt, "but if I am trying to be there for you and your sisters, I have to show for it."
Tina felt her heart swell with a warmth she hadn't ever really associated with her father in years. She smiled up at him while hugging herself further into Elsa's embrace. "Thank you, Daddy." reluctantly, the brunette then untangled herself from Elsa and basically threw herself at her father. Happily, the large man caught her and held her tight. After their hug, he let Tina go and returned his attention to the former ice queen.
"Queen Elsa?"
Elsa swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yes, sir?"
"You'll do well to treat my daughter with respect, love, and reverence from here on out." He told her. He didn't sound mad or intentionally forceful, but she knew that if she crossed the lines he just set, she would find herself in a world of torture.
Elsa just nodded and stared into his eyes with determination. "I assure you, I intend to do nothing else." the king then extended his hand for her to shake. His hands dwarfed the ice wielder's completely, but Elsa could feel the love and genuine compassion emanating off of this man. Before her was not the war-tainted and isolated king she had once assumed. Instead, it was a man who simply loved his daughters and intended to show the world just how much he did.
Before anyone could say anything else, the group of royals were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Turning their heads toward the door to the chamber, they found Anton. He was dressed in his cleanest formal attire and his face was just as stoic as it always was. Once the butler knew that he had everyone's undivided attention, he finally made his announcement.
"Just so you lot know, the wedding ceremony is stalled." Anton told them. The barest hint of a smile making its' way across his lips. "The guards have loaded up Malkvist, along with his band of merry mischief, and are taking him to the court as we speak."
Tina's eyes lit up. "Are you telling us for transparency or are you inviting us to go watch an old man's ass get handed to him?" she asked.
"The latter, my Lady."
Tina cackled – like, genuinely cackled. The sound was foreign to Elsa as she just watched her lover laugh maniacally about the old man's downfall. Once she settled down, she leaned her head on Elsa's shoulder and said: "What a fantastic day it's turning out to be, huh?"
...
In the main foyer of the Vennesvurg castle, Karl, Anna, Lindahl, Arnold, Ingrid, Gunn-Britt, and the Nattura siblings patiently waited for the others to join them. While everyone was mostly breathing a sigh of relief, Queen Anna was standing as stiff as a board – her arms crossed over her chest and her brows furrowed. Don't get her wrong – she was overjoyed that Tina was now free from the shackles of the makeshift agreement – however, she was still angry at a certain someone for taking matters into her own hands...
"Oh, Anna," Honeymaren said as she rubbed soothing circles on the redheaded queen's back, "you know she meant well." Anna, however, just grunted.
"You don't understand," the queen retorted, "she always, always, always does something like this." the queen's hands flailed around wildly as they usually did, when she was trying to illustrate a point but the words were hard to come by, "She'll promise me that she won't get herself into trouble and then immediately goes and puts herself into trouble!"
"Not that this will quell your frustrations," Lindahl tried, "but the princess had already done a number on Elsa when she originally showed up."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Ethan," Anna sighed, "but my anger about the situation is a little different than Tina's perspective. Elsa should know by now, and if two people have to rip into her about it from now on, two people it shall be!" as the queen fumed over her sister's shenanigans, Lindahl just looked at Ryder, Karl and Honeymaren while holding up in his hands in surrender. He internally decided that this was the last time he was ever going to try and de-escalate a situation that did not explicitly involve him.
As the group from Arendelle got acquainted with the Vennesvurg group, the esteemed guests for the wedding walked around aimlessly, confused as to why the ceremony was suddenly put on pause. The seconds quickly turned into minutes and they had begun to get restless. The Vennesvurg castle staff worked tirelessly to make more snacks and provide bottomless wine for all the inconvenienced visitors to keep them sated and calm.
Eventually, Tina, Elsa, Tina's sisters, and King Hallgrimur came down to join the chaos. Princess Finn was the first to spot the group and pointed out Queen Anna as soon as she saw her. She jumped up and down, waving her hands about, trying to get the queen to notice her.
"Anna!" Finn cried out.
Hearing her name, Anna whipped her head around trying to identify the person who called her among the sea of guests. After a few seconds of searching, the queen spotted a young blonde woman jumping up and down. It took mere milliseconds for Anna to clue into who was calling her. "Finn!" Anna exclaimed as she made a mad dash towards the excited princess. Once she got to her, the redheaded queen wrapped up the younger royal in a tight embrace. After getting her fill of the young princess, Anna noticed everyone else as they approached. "Tina! Everyone! I'm so happy to see all of..." of course, when her eyes landed on her sister, the queen's smile quickly began to fade. "...you..." The queen's eyes narrowed and a clear disdainful grimace began to appear on her usually jolly features.
"Us?" Hinrikka asked, very confused at Anna's new tone.
The queen just shook her head and pointed an accusatory finger at the person who looked suspiciously like one of her mother's portraits. "You!"
"Ah," Elsa deadpanned, "me." she knew that her sister was going to be furious with her. She just hoped that the successes of the day would have overshadowed that for now.
Apparently not.
Anna marched her way through Anton and Finn to stand directly in front of her older sister. "You promised me that you wouldn't cause trouble!"
The ice wielder just sighed. "I'm sorry." she said remorsefully, "I-I-I just –!"
"No!" Anna exclaimed, cutting her off, "You always do this! Every. Single. Time!" each word was punctuated with a singular poke directly in the apex of Elsa's sternum. "All you had to do was stay out of trouble! And then you went and got arrested for adultery and incest?!" Elsa's cheeks reddened at the reminder of her charges and she quickly started to redirect her sister's statement.
"Technically Kjellfrid was charged with all of that –!"
"Elsa – that is hardly the point!" Anna nearly screamed, "You can't just keep doing shit like this and expecting everyone to just go along with it!"
Sensing the heightened tension between the sisters, Tina stepped in front of Elsa hoping to physically break up what was starting to unfold. Tina placed a calming hand on the queen's shoulder and offered an apologetic smile. Seeing Tina's calm demeanor, Anna quickly got a hold of herself and took a steadying breath. Once Anna visibly calmed down, Tina turned towards her lover, placing both of her hands on her chest to calm her down.
"I know I yelled at you already but your sister is right." the brunette pointed out in a gentler tone. "You have to trust us and we have to trust you. Stop putting yourself in precarious situations."
"Yeah, Elsa!" Anna stated from over Tina's shoulder, "Listen to your future wife!" at the very mention of the 'W' word, both Elsa and Tina paled instantly.
"Okay now," Tina choked out nervously, whirling around to face the queen before Elsa had a panic attack, "let's all just keep some of our thoughts to ourselves about that." after everyone settled down, Elsa stepped in front of Anna once more.
"Anna..." the ice wielder said softly, "I know I nearly messed up everything and I'm sorry that I came to Vennesvurg behind your back." she fiddled with her hands, her gaze cast downward in remorse. Anna just sighed in exasperation – she was becoming more frustrated with the fact that she couldn't stay mad at her sister for long.
"Why can't you learn to at least tell me?" the queen asked earnestly, "I know I can't always protect you, but that doesn't mean you have to keep me in the dark."
Watching Anna's disappointed gaze (for probably the millionth time in her life) made Elsa feel terrible. Even without her sister's disappointment, Elsa knew she had let everyone down in one way or another. She had to learn to stop doing this – stop putting herself before others in the worst way possible. To be quite real, she had always felt alone. Even when her family was clearly by her side, she felt alone. However, if she wanted that to change, she would have to start trusting others and start communicating better. She knew this and she desperately wanted to show for it.
The ice wielder stepped before Anna and hung her head in defeat. She lifted her gaze, ever so slowly, until her ice blue eyes were level with her sister's matching pair. "You're right. I'm sorry." Elsa told her, "I don't know how I can prove that I won't do it again, but I promise I won't." to emphasize her promise, she extended her hand for Anna to shake. Finding the gesture absolutely ridiculous, Anna scoffed and tugged Elsa's offered hand turning the would be handshake into a tight embrace.
After they hugged, they noticed that Tina had a bright smile plastered on her face. Wordlessly, the princess walked up to Elsa to give her a chaste peck on the cheek.
"And I'll help to make sure she doesn't." Tina promised causing Anna to laugh a little.
"Honestly?" Anna giggled, "I trust that Tina will actually carry through with that."
Elsa just rolled her eyes. "Wow."
Anna then turned to face Tina directly, held her by the shoulders and said: "Keep her out of trouble and I will owe you my life."
Tina stood a little taller and puffed her chest out, as if she was a soldier being given a new task by their commanding officer. "Yes ma'am." Tina replied. She then turned to face the ice wielder and poked her in the shoulder. "Hear that? I'm the boss from now on."
Elsa just chuckled and wrapped an arm around the brunette's shoulders, "Not sure that's what that means but I'm fine with this."
"If we're all done being a dysfunctional bunch," Lindahl deadpanned, clearly tired of all of this nonsense, "I believe we have an evil old man's questioning to attend to."
"Yeah, like, I want to see that guy's ass get verbally handed to him." Ingrid piped up, balling her fists in anger at her sides.
"I wish it was physically." Gunn-Britt supplied, cracking her knuckles.
"Me too, Gunnie," Arnold said to both of his friends, "me too."
After moving on from their very emotional reunion, Anton led the way to the front of the castle where a few carriages awaited to take the group to the courthouse. Surely, everything was set to be fine from here on out and all that was left was for Karl and Tina to get the closure they desperately deserved.
Right?
...
[Vennesvurg, Sweden – The Courthouse]
"All rise in the presence of the High Chancellor Dahlström," said the court officer. Everyone present stood and waited for the chancellor to arrive. The old man was slow, as was expected, but everyone's nerves seemed to amplify how slow his pace seemed to be. Karl's foot kept tapping, Tina's teeth were clenched, Arnold's knees shook –!
"Can all of you, like, just chill the fuck out? Like seriously?!" Ingrid growled. Immediately, everyone stopped and tried to regain their individual composure. The handmaiden was right – fidgeting and being high strung was not going to make the questioning happen any faster. They all tried to calm down, in their own ways, as the chancellor finally took his seat at the podium before them.
"Good morning, everyone." Dahlström greeted in a level tone – his face everything but level. His eyes darted towards Malkvist immediately.
"Good morning," the congregation replied. Each of them eager to see what was about to unfold.
The chancellor cleared his throat and shuffled some of his papers around dramatically, all without breaking eye contact with Malkvist. "Please be seated," Dahlström instructed. Once it looked like most of the audience was in their seats, the chancellor began the proceeding. "Norman Malkvist..." Dahlström stated, looking through some papers, "I'm very surprised at this unexpected turn of events."
Lindahl scoffed and nudged his shoulder against Ryder's. "We aren't..." the reindeer herder just smirked and nudged the assistant back.
"Are you aware of why I have requested you before me, Malkvist?" the Chancellor asked.
"No, Your Grace," Malkvist replied, "I haven't the slightest idea."
Princess Tina gritted her teeth together. "Bullshi –!"
"Tina," Elsa said carefully, placing a calming hand on the princess' knee. Usually, this would not have any effect on the brunette, but Elsa managed to lower the temperature of her hand. Because of Elsa's icy touch, Tina was able to be momentarily distracted from her rage. Once she regained her composure she leaned against Elsa for more support. From his seat, Hallgrimur noticed the exchange and felt his heart begin to warm.
Dahlström cleared his throat. "It has been brought to my attention that you have – allegedly – gone against our late king, Oswald."
Malkvist was still acting as if he had no idea what was occurring. The old advisor just shrugged his shoulders as he addressed the court. "In what way, Your Grace?"
Having enough of the advisor's obliviousness, the chancellor then addressed Karl's assistant. "Mr. Lindahl," Dahlström stated, "Would you please step forward with the documents?"
The assistant quietly stood to his feet and nodded towards the chancellor, "Yes sir." He then carefully manoeuvred around the others as he made his way to the front of the courthouse with his stack of papers. Before handing them to the chancellor, Lindahl separated the nullifying agreement from King Oswald's will.
After looking at the documents briefly, Dahlström handed them to a court officer. "Hand them to Malkvist please, Officer." the officer nodded and did exactly as he was told. He approached the table where Malkvist was sitting and carefully placed each document in front of the old man. Malkvist squinted his eyes at each of the documents before him and just shrugged.
After enough time had passed, the chancellor waved his hand towards Lindahl, signalling him to begin questioning the old advisor about the documents on the table in front of him. Lindahl nodded towards Dahlström and rolled his shoulders in preparation for what he was about to do. This felt strange to Lindahl, as if he had dreamt of this moment for so long that it barely felt real. He tried not to blink in fear that this was all a dream. He feared that if he did blink, he'd reopen his eyes and still find Karl in a forced marriage to the dramatic Botaskalic princess.
Once Lindahl was directly in front of his old boss, he narrowed his eyes at him. Without anymore hesitation, Lindahl slammed his hand onto the table. "Do you recognize either of the documents before you, Malkvist?" he questioned.
Malkvist looked up with a smirk. "No."
"What about this first one?" Lindahl asked, pointing to the previous king's will.
"No, Sir." he repeated.
Before Lindahl could retort, Dahlström said: "You should, because I notarized it myself in your presence." the chancellor laughed humourlessly.
"It is Oswald's last living will and testament." Lindahl explained, trying not to look too happy about the chancellor's last comment. "See? It's dated a week before the royal family's unfortunate accident."
"Well...I just don't recall it." Malkvist replied slyly, "That doesn't necessarily mean that I am denying what it is, I just do not recall it being signed."
Getting frustrated, Lindahl skipped to the last few pages of the will and pointed at one of the signature lines. "Is that not your signature on the second witness line, then?" he tried once more, staring into Malkvist's soulless gaze.
Once again, the old advisor appeared all too smug. "It appears similar to mine."
"God, he's insufferable." Honeymaren muttered under her breath as she crossed her arms in frustration.
"I agree." Anna stated, continuing to stare daggers into the back of Malkvist's head. She couldn't wait for this man to get exactly what he deserved. She only wished that she could give him the exact treatment that she gave Hans' chin.
Feeling empowered, Lindahl asked his next question. "Can you read the beginning of the twelfth page, near the top?"
Malkvist just scoffed and shook his head. "I'm not quite sure what all of this is even about –!"
Chancellor Dahlström had had enough of this man's run around, "I am being polite in letting Lindahl ask these questions of you, Norman," Dahlström said in a gruff manner, "read the section as he has described right now."
Clenching his jaw to keep from saying something he would regret, Malkvist took a second to himself. It was obvious that the gravity of the situation was slowly seeping into the advisor's psyche. Unwillingly, Malkvist began to read the section of the will. "...If my eldest son, Tobias Oskar Mattsen Nordquist, is to perish before having any heirs of his blood, my second son, Karl Edgar Mattsen Nordquist, shall be the rightful King of Vennesvurg." he cleared his throat before continuing on, "Should Karl Edgar Mattsen Norquist ascend to his title, his court shall be headed by his appointed assistant, Ethan Lindahl, who shall then be ascended as his Royal Advisor."
"Now then, Malkvist," Lindahl said with a confident smirk, "Can you please explain to us how you've been maintaining your position as Royal Advisor to the King, despite this term?"
"I'm not exactly young, sir," Malkvist replied, "it must have slipped my mind."
"I'm not exactly young either, Norman." Dahlström commented smartly, "What about the other document, do you remember that?"
"I..." Malkvist began carefully, "...I-I'm not quite sure what that is."
"Lindahl, please read it for him." Dahlström ordered as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "I'm losing my patience."
Lindahl acknowledged the high chancellor's request with a curt nod before turning his attention back to Malkvist, "This is the nullifying agreement between Botarskal and Vennesvurg, Malkvist." Lindahl told him, pointing at the second stack of papers on the table, "It was signed because the marriage was supposed to be between Arnkatla and Tobias –!"
"What?!" the crown princess hissed at her father. Hallgrimur paled and put his hands up in defence.
"Your grandfather came up with that, before he passed, not me." he explained, hoping that it would quell his daughter's rage.
Despite what was occurring in the gallery, Lindahl continued to grill Malkvist, "– but the Crown Princess was already married by the time Tobias became of age. Thus," the assistant began to tap the stack of papers with his fingers, drumming a quick tune, "it was nullified."
"There's no signature from Botarskal on it, Ethan." Malkvist pointed out.
"But there is also no document that explicitly asks for Karl and Hrafntinna, is there?" Lindahl rebutted. Malkvist's smile disappeared as he straightened his posture. His gaze just continued to bore into Lindahl's soul, as if trying to telepathically get the assistant to stop questioning him. Getting frustrated with his [soon-to-be] former boss, Lindahl turned to face the chancellor. "Your honour, he needs to respond."
"Malkvist," Dahlström ordered strictly, "answer him."
"Ask me a proper question then." Malkvist stated.
"Fine." Lindahl huffed, "Is there a document that explicitly outlines a marriage between Karl and Hrafntinna?" once again, the court was met by the advisor's silence.
"Answer him Malkvist." Dahlström repeated. This time, the chancellor narrowed his eyes at the advisor – he was absolutely done with this nonsense.
After a few more moments of stubbornness, the advisor sighed. "No." he eventually admitted, "There isn't." a collective gasp could be heard throughout the building after he admitted that.
"Ha!" Ryder suddenly exclaimed, having no clue how courtroom decorum worked. He pumped his fists into the air in victory, "I knew it!"
"Order!" Dahlström yelled, slamming his gavel down on the bench.
Ryder's head cocked to the side in confusion. "Order what?"
"Ryder!" Elsa pleaded through gritted teeth, already as red as a tomato, "Sit!"
"Oh," Ryder said, still not exactly understanding what he had done wrong, "Sorry!"
"Gods..." Ingrid groaned, hands encased in her palms in embarrassment.
"Why did you do it?" Lindahl asked as soon as everything else calmed down.
Malkvist, despite the look of defiance and exhaustion on his face, began to answer. "Oswald had plans..." he explained carefully, "...plans that Botarskal kept delaying."
"So...?" Lindahl asked seriously, "...why Botarskal?"
The advisor looked at his apprentice as if the question he just posed was the stupidest question he had ever heard. "It is one of the biggest kingdoms with one of the strongest armies." Malkvist explained in great detail, "With all of its' natural resources, immense wealth, and international trade connections, why not Botarskal?" After hearing Malkvist give his statement, everyone in the courtroom felt a sense of relief wash over them. It was as if they finally began to see the light at the end of the tunnel after being trapped in a subterranean cave for months on end.
"I have nothing left to ask this..." Lindahl struggled to keep from using profanities in such a formal setting, "...this felon, Your Honour."
"Thank you, Mr. Lindahl." Dahlström said gratefully. He then motioned for Lindahl to go back to his seat. After quietly writing something down on his own paper, the chancellor asked Malkvist to stand. Once the advisor got to his feet, Dahlström began to give his final words on the matter. "Norman, I am shocked to say the absolute least." he started, a look of the utmost betrayal underlay the shock and hurt that appeared on the chancellor's face, "I've known you for quite a long time and I always knew how loyal you were to the crown. I just didn't realize that you could 'cherry pick' who you gave that loyalty to." Dahlström then began to shake his head, "Do you have anything else to say for yourself?"
The advisor inhaled sharply. "No, Your Honour."
"Then Norman Malkvist," Dahlström began steadily, "I have no choice but to find you guilty of fraud and treason." he then slammed his gavel on the bench twice. "You are, hereby, removed from your position effective immediately – AH!" the chancellor's sentence was swiftly interrupted by an arrow being shot directly into his shoulder. A few officers ran to aid the fallen chancellor while the people in the gallery lost their minds.
"OH MY GODS!" Karl exclaimed, hopping over the seats and running after the guards who moved to help Dahlström.
"A CROSSBOW?" Hinrikka shouted in disbelief, her expression incredulous, "SERIOUSLY?"
"I swear we have guns in this time period..." Ingrid sighed while shaking her head.
Gunn-Britt grunted. "I personally would have thrown him out window."
Amidst the chaos, Lindahl, Arnold, Ryder, and Elsa turned to the back of the courtroom and immediately saw the person who shot the arrow at the chancellor. They were absolutely shocked to see who was holding the crossbow.
"NILSEN?!" Ryder and Arnold both exclaimed.
"Gotta go!" the councilman stated before dropping the weapon and making a run for it. As he did so, Malkvist managed to escape from the guards who were tasked with holding him and began to run as well. They both managed to escape through one of the courtroom's side doors and into the greater area of the building.
"Oh no you don't!" Elsa stated as she started to run after both men, determined to keep them here.
"Go, Elsa!" Anna cheered as she watched her sister sprint into action. Without any hesitation, the queen of Arendelle followed her sister into the hallway. Not wanting to miss out on any of the action themselves, Lindahl, Tina, Hinrikka, Ingrid, Honeymaren, and Hallgrimur also followed the ice wielder's path.
Once Elsa made it to the hallway, she saw the two council members near the grand foyer of the building. They were a little further away than she would have liked, but she was confident in her abilities at this point in her life. Inhaling as she gave chase, she wiggled her fingers in preparation for her shot.
"Gaaah!" within three seconds, a large ice blast shot out from Elsa's palms and began to expand outwards. The ice quickly coated the walls, the marbled floor, and some of the ceiling. The ice quickly reached Malkvist and Nilsen as it coated their feet and crept up to their ankles.
"What in the – AHHH!" Malkvist exclaimed once his feet stopped moving.
Nilsen tried to move his legs but couldn't. He then looked down to see what he had stepped into. "Ice?!" he shouted, shocked and bloody confused.
"Ah..." Elsa sighed, just letting her magic flow around her, "That felt good..." at this point in time, everyone else had caught up to them. Everyone smirking at the predicament that Malkvist and Nilsen had now found themselves in.
"Q-Queen Elsa?" Malkvist said in utter disbelief. He knew that the person before him was not the princess' cousin, but he hadn't exactly expected her to be the Norwegian ice queen.
Tina carefully meandered her way across her lover's ice path to stand directly in front of the [now former] royal advisor. "That's former Queen to you, punk!" without another word, Tina clenched her fist and swiftly brought it across Malkvist's wrinkly face.
"OOF!" he said as one of his teeth managed to retire from his gums.
Anna clapped and cheered. "NICE LEFT, TINA!" she encouraged.
"That's my girl!" Hallgrimur beamed with pride as he nudged Honeymaren's shoulder, "I've got five of them!"
"Darling," Elsa said, grabbing the brunette by her shoulders. She rubbed them gently, trying to soothe the princess' rage. "l-let's leave this to the Vennesvurg Guards, hmm?" Tina just sighed and wrapped her arms around the ice wielder's neck. Her burst of energy had taken more out of her than she realized it would.
"Well..." Lindahl said, clapping his hands together in finality, "Now that that's over, how's about we utilize the wedding stuff for a real celebration?"
Tina released Elsa only to give Lindahl a quick hug. Although he had been a pain in her side for most of her stay, she appreciated all he had done before the court, this afternoon. "Couldn't have come up with a better way to use them, brother."
"I mean, like..." Ingrid said, stating the obvious, "...a real wedding, but I guess not." the rest of the group erupted into a fit of laughter as Royal Guards began to make their way into the icy hallway to arrest Nilsen and Malkvist for their crimes. Indeed, it was great that there were a ton of party decorations as there was a lot to celebrate after all.
...
A few hours later, the celebration at Vennesvurg castle was in full swing. The guests, now more drunk than confused, were elated to finally be having a real party instead of just waiting around a castle with hors d'oeuvres and a near lethal amount of alcohol. Music filled the grand hall and everyone was dancing about. Among the crowd that had congregated on the dance floor, for a slower dance, Tina and Elsa swayed together.
"This is nice, huh?" Tina asked, tucking her head under the taller woman's chin.
"Yeah," Elsa said softly, holding the princess closer, "my view's pretty great too." Tina then pulled back a little to gaze lovingly into the ice wielder's eyes. For a moment, it was just them again – no one else. They leaned in slowly, but just before their lips could touch, they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Both woman paused and whirled around to see who was there.
It was Katla with a smug look on her face. She laughed softly and placed her hand on Elsa's shoulder. "May I cut in?" she looked at her younger sister, asking permission. Both the brunette and the former ice queen looked at one another quizzically before shrugging their shoulders in unison.
"Sure, Kats." Tina said, backing away. As she began to leave she mouthed a message to her lover: "Let me know if I need to save you." Elsa just giggled and nodded as she allowed Katla to pull her onto the dance floor.
After a few moments of them just swaying slowly, Elsa asked, "Is this another protection speech?" Katla smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Of sorts," she admitted, "but overall, I'd like to thank you."
Elsa just stared at her in confusion, "For what?"
"Well," Katla began as she twirled Elsa around for their dance, "your stupidity actually allowed for our family to get closer than we have ever been before."
Elsa squinted her eyes trying to replay the set of words back, in her mind. "T-Thank...you?" she didn't know what else to say. Katla laughed once more as Elsa twirled her around too.
"Don't get me wrong," Katla said, once they were face to face again, "I will still choke you out if you hurt my sister one more time."
"I understand."
"But I am grateful for what you helped her find."
"And...what's that?" Elsa questioned.
"Love," Katla said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "she has told you hasn't she?"
Elsa blushed and shrugged her shoulders, "...well..."
"Ugh, of course she hasn't." Katla rolled her eyes but her smile alluded to her reaction being endearing as opposed to annoyed, "Either way, she does love you."
Elsa just smiled, "Not to spoil anything for her but –!"
"Don't tell me – I can see it." Katla stated, "Just promise me that you'll tell her instead."
"I will," Elsa promised, the tone she used settling deep in her chest, "everyday that I am given, I'll tell her."
"Good." Katla smiled, as she bowed and backed away from Elsa. The dance was over and she could feel her sister approaching them once more. "I look forward to calling you one of my new sisters." Katla told Elsa earnestly.
Elsa chuckled affectionately at that last statement. "One of?"
Katla just shook her head as she grinned, "I think Anna would be jealous if I left that title to just you."
"I see," Elsa agreed, "fair enough."
At this point in time, Tina returned and Katla moved to chat with some of the other visiting dignitaries. As she walked away, Tina's eyes narrowed after her before turning back to Elsa.
"Do I need to say anything to her?" the brunette asked protectively. Elsa just laughed and tugged Tina into a hug.
"No," the former queen sighed, "she just loves you, that's all." after a moment of just looking into Tina's amber eyes, Elsa attempted to make good on the promise she just made to Katla. "And uh...I...do too."
Tina's head cocked to the side in confusion. "You what?"
"I..." Elsa suddenly felt the air leave her lungs and everything started to become way too heightened. She desperately tried to regain her composure, but Tina was looking at her and she just realized what she was about to say. "I-I uh –!"
"Oh." Tina said, finally realizing what Elsa was trying to convey. "OH."
"Yeah." Elsa confirmed. "That."
Wordlessly, Tina just chuckled and leaned upwards to place a quick kiss to Elsa's cheek. As she pulled away and her eyes locked onto the ice wielder's, Tina sighed and said: "Me, too."
Elsa just sighed in relief and leaned against Tina for support. The shorter woman just smiled and hugged her back. "Good, because it would be painfully awkward if you didn't." Elsa admitted with a laugh.
Tina thought for a moment before saying one last thing. "Just promise me something,"
"Anything, dear." Elsa said, waiting for her lover's request.
"Please dye your hair back," Tina pleaded, "I liked it better blonde."
Elsa laughed heartily. She expected anything but that, "Really?"
"Yeah." Tina nodded, "You're beautiful to me no matter what, but I've seen pictures of your mother and...this is very strange for me."
"Yeah, I'll bet." Elsa agreed. Just then, another slow song started to play in the background and both women decided to try and dance again. Hopefully – this time – they wouldn't be interrupted. The began to sway to the beat again. After a few minutes of bliss, Elsa asked another question. "So what now?"
"What do you mean?" Tina asked, her face now tinted with slight concern.
"Are..." Elsa tried to make this next question as straight forward as possible, "...are you going to go back to Botarskal?" Tina stopped their movements for a second. This was a decision she had already made but she realized that she hadn't exactly voiced it to her lover. She suddenly felt nervousness overcome her as she realized that there might be a possibility that Elsa may not approve of her decision. However, looking into Elsa's eyes, Tina felt empowered and slowly began to say what she desired to.
"I..." Tina began carefully, wary of the ice wielder' reactions, "...I think I'd rather remain in...Arendelle...if that's okay?"
Elsa pulled back a little, her hands still on Tina's waist, her eyes widening in shock. "Really?" she asked.
Tina just shrugged as a sheepish smile graced her face, "I-I want to go to school to then become a teacher..." the brunette trailed off slowly, allowing Elsa time to protest if she wanted to, "...and I hear that your university isn't so bad."
Elsa's shocked expression slowly turned into an expression of joy. "That's more than okay," Elsa said with a smile that conveyed pride more than anything else. She tugged Tina back into a tight embrace. "I can't wait to see what you do."
"You're not cross that I won't be in the forest with you?" Tina asked, nerves still telling her to remain skeptical of this response. Elsa could see Tina's hesitancy and she decided to quell it with a kiss. The ice wielder leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against the brunette's, hoping to demonstrate that she was incredibly okay with what Tina had decided. After their kiss, Elsa decided to elaborate on what she thought of the younger woman's plan.
"How could I be cross?" Elsa asked, chuckling in mild disbelief, "You have your life and I have mine. I want you to experience whatever you wish to."
Tina felt her heart melt and she tucked her head under Elsa's chin again. "Thank you." the brunette said, hugging her beloved ice queen close. "Just come visit me as much as you can, please."
Elsa held the younger woman tighter in her arms. "Nothing could stop me." she stated as she embraced her princess. They continued to bask in the glow of their hopefulness for the future and their gratefulness for what had transpired.
In a way, both of them ended up pretty thankful for the false arrangement between Botarskal and Vennesvurg. Without it, Tina may have never crossed paths with Elsa the way that she had and they would have never been able to experience any of this. Without the arrangement, Elsa probably would have never learned that she could feel this way about anyone.
For the first time in forever, Elsa was not afraid to set her feelings free. And for the first time in forever, she experienced a connection that would last a lifetime.