Elsa woke first with a slow groan as she lifted her head from an unfamiliar pillow of some kind. It was firmer and warmer than her usual one, not uncomfortable, just different. She opened her eyes and let the brief haze that clouded them to dissipate as she noticed that her room was covered in frost. That was odd, she hadn't had a frost covered room waking up in quite a while, she also didn't understand why there were two thick ice walls covering her door and window.
She gingerly sat up and let the covers fall from her chest and that's when she felt the air hit her bare body. Upon realizing she has naked, Elsa snatched at the covers and brought them to her chest her mind racing to remember why she wasn't wearing a nightgown. It wasn't until the heavy arm that was wrapped around her waist moved a bit in response to her sudden movement did she turn to her side and saw a peaceful Edward still sleeping.
Upon seeing his face, everything, came back in a flash. The dance, their talk from last night, Wrath, and finally their dance of carnal passion.
Her face heated up and for a moment she felt woozy, not in the way she was sick or horrified with what she'd done. She was woozy with all her feelings catching up to her that set off a swarm of butterflies in her belly. Last night was something that she would never forget, her brain was telling her that this wasn't ok and that as Queen she made a massive mistake but her heart vehemently disagreed. Seeing his face in such a cute and relaxed way made her heart melt.
He was usually hesitant and guarded but last night he was as open with her as she'd ever seen him before. He was gentle with her and saw to her needs first before his own. She knew men always enjoyed the pleasure they could receive from a woman and could easily see them not caring for their partner's pleasure. Edward catered to her first and went at her pace, he waited patiently for her to adjust to her first time and let her have control until he was confident she wasn't in any pain.
She blushed furiously when she remembered their last few moments, she had asked him to increase the pace and he obliged her before taking over reducing her to a quivering mess. She had no idea where all that sexual frustration came from, perhaps it was from her years of isolation. Or maybe it was the small pang of jealousy she felt when she saw Anna and Kristoff or other people being affectionate. Wherever it came from, Edward ignited all of it with his burning touch and she wanted it to be sated.
Which he did very well.
Now that her haze of passion was behind her, she could think a little and not feel as much as last night. They didn't really get to talk where this left them, they both had feelings for each other and he wanted to stay for her but there was still the matter of everyone else. The council first and foremost would not support a courtship between them so if they were going to do this, it would have to be secret. The main problem with that was if Edward could keep his cool while it was secret and him not feeling like she was ashamed of him. That couldn't be further from the truth, he was one of the people that saw her as just Elsa and couldn't place a high enough value on that.
There was just so much danger if they were discovered, the council could use this to remove her from the throne. If Elsa was being really honest, she wouldn't be devastated if that came to pass, Anna would succeed the throne and with her marriage coming up soon, the council would have no choice but to recognize her position. In fact, her sister already being wed and being very popular with the other kingdoms puts her in a more stable position than the one she has as a single Queen right now.
The only problem was that Elsa didn't want to put her sister in any more political crosshairs yet. Sometimes she really regretted giving the council equal power as an olive branch to make up for her coronation. Realistically, she still had more power and allies than the council, however they had experience as well as connections that far surpassed hers. She wasn't keen on making an enemy out of them, especially when her father hand picked them to oversee Arendelle alongside him.
There was no question they were useful but they were rooted in the old ways and despite their words she knew they feared her powers. If it became known that she was courting a man who was once a soldier to the Blackdust military as well as had the ability to decimate an elite part of that same military then they might feel that she was consolidating her power with his.
"What's wrong?"
Edward's deep voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she turned around to see him staring at her with a concerned expression. She just now felt him gently rubbing her spine which would've sent pleasurable shivers through her body last night but right now it relaxed her.
"Nothing, I'm just thinking."
He immediately frowned and sat up so that they were shoulder to shoulder. She should've known better, she could easily see when something bothered him, she should've known he could do the same to her. The hand that was rubbing her back vanished was brought to his front where he interlocked his fingers and gave her a patient stare. She instantly missed the contact and tried not to stare into his eyes, he'd be able to see what she was thinking if she made eye contact.
She was thinking of ways to explain to him what was on her mind without hurting him, all the while expecting him to ask her again what was wrong. He however said nothing, it seemed he was content on patiently waiting for her to open up to him. It was such a different route from the way Anna took who would constantly try to get her to open up. She was more like an impatient invader who just rammed the gates that led to her thoughts, he on the other hand was like an invader who knew he had the upper hand and prefered a surrender. The blonde had built up a resistance to her sister's methods, she had no such thing with his and found herself talking before she could hold out any longer.
"I'm just thinking about…" She waved her hand toward the ice walls, frost, and the two of them. "...all this."
"You're thinking you made a mistake?"
Elsa immediately snapped up her head and whirled on him before blurting out a particular loud 'no' that had him look to the ice wall covering her door for a second then back to her.
"It's not that, it's just last night we didn't really get to talk and define what this is between us. I truly value the night we shared but it made me wonder what we were going to do in the coming days ahead of us."
Edward honestly hadn't really thought past what he discussed with Anna last night. He knew that they would obviously had to keep it a secret but he didn't know how long that would last. Sooner or later, something would happen where someone would find out that there was something between them. As much as he would like her to remain 'single' in the eyes of her court, he knew the political game enough to know she'd need a King somewhere down the line. He personally didn't believe a monarch needed another to rule, Blackdust had single rulers for a very long time.
Mostly because the Kings would rather secure their thrones than try and have a family.
Alrick would've been one of the very few Kings to want his wife ruling alongside him but unfortunately she was killed some time ago. After that, he devoted himself to his kingdom completely so the odds of him marrying were very slim. The difference between Arendelle and Blackdust was that this monarchy was passed down from a family rather than killed for by the strong. Here, they felt that marriage brought power, which he knew Elsa didn't want that. She wanted peace, which unfortunately made it not too difficult for him to see her marrying someone else if it ensured peace for her kingdom.
It wasn't like he could marry her, he knew he was getting way far ahead than where they were right now but he was being practical. He didn't have an ounce of noble blood in his body and he was banished from his own kingdom. If he thought the odds were stacked against Kristoff before than he'd go insane listing what was against him getting a 'happily ever after' with Elsa.
There was however one thing he knew.
He gently grasped her hand with his right one and rubbed it making her look back at him. "I understand that it may seem hard, but I know that it isn't too hard for me to do it for you."
His words got the desired effect as she smiled before leaning into him to give him a kiss which he happily returned. When they broke apart, Elsa leaned her head against his shoulder while he looked at a clock in the room. It was still quite early that no one would be up for about four more hours. This would've been a good time for him to leave and act like he had returned home after the ball, however the person next to him easily surpassed that desire.
He unlaced their fingers before bringing his arm around her waist and pulling her back down with him until they were both lying down against the pillows. They then just sat there for an hour, they agreed to keep this a secret and only indulge in their affections at night when it was safe. They also agreed to tell Anna and Kristoff later when the four of them were alone, perhaps they could go on a picnic or something. After they finished discussing their relationship they fell silent and simply enjoyed each other's company, well aware that they were both still bare as the day they were born.
Edward made no move to initiate another carnal dance with the woman next to him, he was quite content with idly playing with her hair that had finally come out of her braid and moving onto her skin before going back to her hair. He didn't realize how much hair she had and how thick it was but it still flowed through his fingers. He still preferred her braid over her shoulder, it just screamed 'Elsa' like Anna's pigtails matched her.
The blonde was tracing one of the scars that covered his torso as she had done with a few others before working her way back to the ones she first started with. He honestly wondered when she'd finally ask where they were from, he didn't mind telling her, at this point he'd tell her anything. Nevertheless she remained silent with a pensive look on her face. Deciding to ask later, something occurred to him when she moved to a new scar that made her go from his chest to his left arm.
He raised his arm up and flexed his fingers, right now the claws at the tips of his fingers were completely blunt as he was relaxed. Last night toward the end of their time together, he wasn't relaxed as he lost himself to her embrace. Connecting the dots in his head, Edward pulled the blanket off the two of them before rolling to his side and giving the blonde an intense stare.
"What is it?"
"Did I hurt you anywhere?"
Elsa looked somewhat confused at the question and was about to tease him but when she saw the worried look in her eyes she knew to take this seriously. She scooted closer to him and softly put her hands against his cheeks.
"No, you didn't hurt me at all last night. Even with how out of hand things got, you kept my safety in mind."
It wasn't that he didn't believe her, but he really didn't want her to just be saying this to make him feel better so he scanned her body looking for any claw marks or bruises. When his head began to move out of her grip, she firmly made him look back at her and brought his forehead down to hers so she could look into his eyes,
"I'm ok, I know you would never hurt me. Or willingly let Wrath hurt me, if he really wanted to. You just need to see yourself the way I see you."
It was hard to argue against those beautiful blue gems. He found himself nodding again as they rested against the pillows again. For a few more moments neither of them said a thing, until a sly grin made its way onto Edward's face.
"So...do I call you Elsa now, or is it still 'Ice Queen'?"
"People call me the Snow Queen Edward, and privately you can call me Elsa."
"Well I don't know about Snow Queen Elsa, because last night you made a lot of ice and not a shred of snow. I mean look around the room, its covered in frost, plus you got more than enough on me when your mind wasn't...all there."
His sly grin turned into an ear to ear grin when he saw her bury her face into his chest to hide the blush that covered her face.
"There's patches anywhere you put your hands, like over there and there and also in my hair when I-"
A layer of frost flashed across his lips that forced him to stop speaking. He looked down at the woman on his chest and could feel a smile against his chest.
"Finally some peace and quiet."
Edward rolled his eyes before bringing his left hand to his lips and simply flicked the patch of frost which caused it to crumble.
"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by a certain Ice Queen, you got frost in my hair after gripping it so hard."
Elsa lifted her head and raised an eyebrow at him for a moment before putting on a regal face and sitting up. She kept her back straight and with grace and poise that shouldn't be combined with her angelic beauty, she rose off the bed with her back to him and her head up.
"Well if my ice is so bothersome then I guess we have no further business. I need to go freshen myself up, perhaps today there will be a nice gentlemen who would appreciate my ice, Kristoff certainly does but he's engaged to my sister. Such a pity, perhaps she won't mind trading with me…"
She kept her regal persona up until she felt two arms wrap around her waist and lift her in the air causing her to start squealing and giggling. She felt herself be spun around in the arms until she was staring down at Edward. She tried to regain her regal mask but when he brought her down for a kiss, she melted into his embrace. Her feet were still off the ground as he held her up by her waist so she wrapped her arms around his neck and had to lean down to deepen the kiss.
She felt herself being brought back to the bed and was immediately pinned by the mass of muscle above her. Two hands with different textures traced up her sides making her squirm in their grasp. The right one traveled upwards and cupped one of her breasts while the other scraped its fine claws down her spine drawing a moan from her captive mouth. Elsa was tempted to lose herself in her pleasure but she knew that she had a day ahead of her.
With great reluctance, she pushed him up enough for them to break the kiss so she could fix him with an amused expression.
"If I didn't know better, it would seem like you're jealous."
"Of Kristoff? Of course I'm jealous, you see how happy the oaf is, anybody would be envious of how happy he is. That's not the issue, the issue is you thinking about being with someone else with me right here."
"Come on Edward, you know you can't get territorial if we are to make this work."
"Yeah in public, when it's just the two of us, I'll be as territorial as Sven and his carrots. Just give me a few minutes, I'll have you thinking about nothing else but me."
"I'm sure you could but you need to get going, you need to sneak out before anyone can see you and I need more sleep for the day ahead."
Edward gave her his best attempt at puppy dog eyes that even included him digging his chin against her collarbone so she could only see his eyes. The blond raised an eyebrow at him and held his stare not looking at all affected by his attempt. After a few moments the man gave up and placed his forehead against her chest before rolling over. Swinging his legs off the bed, he began to gather his clothes oblivious to the pleased expression the blonde had on her face as she watched him move around.
With a wave of her hand, all the frost that she could see evaporated and she watched him to begin to dress himself. In no time he was tying his tie before tucking it in his vest and finally reached down to pick up coat. Upon looking at it, he turned to the woman with a bemused expression while picking it up for her to see. The intricate pattern of light frost that graced the back was quite artistic and would usually require great precision to accomplish, something neither of them had much of in the last few hours.
"Did you do this?"
"The blonde scooted up to closely look at the design with awe, it was certainly her ice and she had no idea when she had done it. The crocus designs and her personalized snowflake stood out the most making it quite impossible for anyone but her to do so.
"I didn't mean to, must've been when I grabbed your lapels. Give me a moment, I'll remove it."
When Elsa raised a hand to undo her work, Edward immediately snatched the coat out of her sight.
"No, I like it. I mean I can't really wear it but still, it looks nice."
The blonde shrugged as she watched him roll it up before picking up the discarded blanket from earlier and tucking her into bed. When he was done, he gave her a kiss on her forehead as she melted the ice walls covering the window and door.
"Alright sleep tight, Elsa. You got quite the day ahead of you, just make sure you have some energy leftover for later. After all, today is a special day."
"Oh and what day would that be?"
"I'll tell you later, I have some errands to run that have just been brought to my attention."
"I'm sure you do."
With one last smile, Edward placed his ear on the door and upon hearing no one in the hallway, he unlocked it and stepped out leaving Elsa alone. He looked at the window across her room and thought about the time it currently was. Guard shifts had already happened less than an hour ago so he could use that to his advantage. Edward couldn't keep the bounce out of his step as he made his way down the hallway and slid down the staircase much like Anna did. When he arrived at the front door, he happily clapped both guards on their shoulders startling them.
"Hey you two, drew the short straw with morning shift?"
"Yeah, after pulling security last night we only had a few hours of sleep before coming back here."
Edward nodded sympathetically but the grin on his face was too bright to make the gesture seem genuine. The first guard he was talking to looked at the other guard confused before asking.
"What's got you in such a good mood."
"Oh nothing, I just did Stonewell a huge favor so now he owes me big. I'd advise we keep this between us because if he finds out anyone else but me knows there will be hell to pay, get what I'm saying?"
"Is it really that bad?"
"I'll put it to you this way, anyone else that would ask for this would be on their knees begging, so we all know the Captain would rather be murdered then beg for anything right? Well he didn't beg but he asked me this, and I accepted so now I just need to claim my reward."
"Will we be able to see you get yours from the old guy, I'm sure it'd be entertaining."
"Trust me, I'm saving it for a special occasion, a chance like this is too valuable to use without thought."
The other guard then decided to join in as something occurred to him.
"And here I was thinking you'd ask the Captain to allow you to beat on Hector."
"Not going to lie that is so very tempting but Her Majesty would be very cross if I decided to assault her personal guard. Despite how much I really want to."
"Who knows maybe one day he'll give you an excuse."
"That'll be the day. Let me tell you if that day ever came to pass, I'll take every guard in Arendelle out drinking, Stonewell can go through his entire stash of cigars in anger for all I care."
"Sounds like a dream."
"Yeah, anyway I gotta get going. Remember, you two didn't see me here. Keep this between us and I'll share my winnings with you guys when I get my reward."
The two guards looked at one another for a moment sharing a look at his request before the first guard turned with a neutral expression.
"I'm sorry but it's our duty to report any suspicious activity to the Captain, and you are being quite suspicious right now."
Edward gave them a 'Really' expression as they both didn't budge.
"I'll pay for the first three rounds of drinks next time ya'll go drinking."
The two guards once again looked at each other before the second one shrugged.
"Deal. See you Friday night at the Lumberjack. Hope you weren't planning on buying anything expensive soon."
The new instructor waved them off before giving them a rude gesture with his middle finger before leaving the courtyard. Even with that slight hiccup he still had a spring in his step. He knew he would have to change when he got back to his room and hide his new coat so no one would see the personalized touch Elsa put on it. It was a shame, he really did like it and wearing it would feel like he and the blonde had a special connection, which they did.
But life wasn't that easy and he needed to suck it up.
Besides, with today being the summit, he had a free pass. Since Stonewell would be dealing with security and he still wasn't officially apart of the Arendelle guard, he couldn't get assigned anywhere. In addition the training sessions for the week had been cancelled to accommodate the Gathering as well as tournament to select the Queen's personal guard. This meant that he could finally search the village for the perfect gift for Elsa's birthday. He was sure Anna had something planned later tonight for her sister, that meant that Kristoff would likely be dragged to help the redhead. So he'd be on his own when he got to his room and got ready for the day.
It took a while to get to his room, get out of his clothing, get clean, put on his usual attire, and grab something to eat before he began his search. For obvious reasons, he avoided the sisters' favorite bakery so another incident wouldn't occur. He spent the majority of the day dipping into every single shop he could find. He went from clothing stores to fish stalls because they were along the way before taking a rest at the town square.
His search had been fruitless and somewhat demoralizing but he still had time. After the first few shops, it occurred to him, he had no idea what he should get her. Realistically speaking, she could have any physical object she wanted with just a few words. There was also the fact she could also create anything she wanted in her hands whenever she wanted, which was the cause of his current headache. It didn't take long for him to admit that blindly searching through Arendelle would yield no results, so he decided to take a break and relax his mind.
As he waited, he watched the townspeople go by with them preparing for something. They were putting up banners and reefs along their doors and street posts. The young man knew it was the Winter Solstice right about now but he couldn't think of any significant holidays they could possibly be preparing for. He continued to sit there and watch people pass by him, hoping that something would take his mind off his recent dead end on getting a gift for Elsa.
Maybe some divine entity heard his call but he happened to look over his shoulder to see a carriage rolling by. A brief memory flash of Elsa being kidnapped in a carriage had the young man study it longer than he usually would've. There were large boxes stacked on the back with ropes securing them to carriage that was being pulled by two horses. The driver was a middle-aged man with a mop of black hair and a thick mustache. He was wearing a thick winter coat and boots that was covered in snow, likely from being up in the mountain. That wasn't what captured Edward's attention, what did was the passenger. Mr. Jorgen was wearing a greatcoat with a double cape and a top hat that was recently snowed on.
Must've been in the mountains.
He hadn't seen the older man in a while since he left to be an instructor. Getting to his feet, the young man walked to the carriage where the man was getting off the passenger seat.
"Remember Mr. Claudius, you need to get these supplies loaded onto the ship for our Southern Isle guests. They may have had one bad Prince try to kill our beloved Queen but they are still guests here and we run a legitimate business." The driver waved the older man off before heading toward the docks leaving an exasperated Mr. Jorgen.
"Rough day at the office?"
The older man couldn't help but jump a bit before whirling around to see the somewhat sheepish young man who didn't mean to scare him. Putting a hand to his chest to calm his fast beating heart, Mr. Jorgen's face lit up when he recognized the person behind him.
"Well if it isn't Young Edward, how are you doing? To answer your question, it's been a little slow going, some of my workers are dragging their feet to help our Southern Isle guests."
"Because of a certain Prince trying to hurt their ruling monarchy, twice."
"Yes that may be true but its only one bad egg, that's no excuse to let your work become sloppy. Makes me wish I still had you down at the docks, no complaints, hard worker, and lightened the workload for the next morning. These boys could learn something from you, but I suppose it's better you're teaching our guard how to be better at their job. Not that they weren't bad, just one can always improve if they wish to learn."
"I think you might be too kind when describing me."
"Nonsense! You're becoming a hot topic around these parts, the stranger who showed up here who saved the Queen from an army of bandits. The only reason, people aren't busting down your door everyday is because you're either at the castle or they don't know what you look like."
"It wasn't an army and I got lucky, I'm sure the Captain would've been able to resolve the situation if you gave him more time."
"Oh I'm sure he would. I remember when he first arrived in Arendelle, angry little scrapper. Didn't let anyone tell him anything and didn't do anything he was told. Back when our previous King was just starting out, they used to butt heads a lot. I remember once, the Captain dueled the King over some trivial matter. His Majesty put up a good fight but, Stonewell was born in a war torn world and grew up learning to live in it."
Edward nodded and couldn't help but think of his own childhood. He may have been spared the horrors of war until he was older but there were times he would think growing up was harder than being in the Mystic Guard. The things he's done just because he was following orders and wanted his revenge still weighed him down. "I can relate…"
Mr. Jorgen noticed the far away expression the young man took and remained silent for a moment, waiting for him to snap out of it on his own. When he didn't seem to be making any progress, the older man decided to give a helping hand by clapping him on the shoulder.
"Well that's in the past and look at him now, Captain of the Arendelle guard. Even with everything, he turned out quite well. When I spoke with him a week ago, he told me that he was helping out this little spitfire that reminded him of himself as a kid. Took me a while but now I see that you two are somewhat alike, except that you don't smoke your weight in tobacco."
That earned a laugh from Edward, the old man loved his tobacco. Stonewell was very fast for a guy his age and build, if he stopped smoking and got better lungs, he'd probably be the best warrior in Arendelle history.
If he already wasn't.
"Now enough about Old Stone, what have you been up to? Usually it's all hands on deck with the foreign dignitaries being here, why aren't you helping?"
"Old Stone?" Edward couldn't help but chuckle at the nickname, oh how he was going to love seeing the Captain later. "Well I'm technically not an official part of the Arendelle guard, so I wasn't assigned anywhere. I just help out with some errands here and there before doing my own thing. Right now, I'm trying to pick out a gift and to be honest it hasn't been going well."
Mr. Jorgen couldn't help the sly smile that worked his way onto his face as he scooted closer to the young man looking for anything that might give him a way. "A gift? Who's the lucky girl?"
"None of your business, I just can't seem to decide what to get her."
The older man laughed as he clapped Edward on the shoulder and began leading him toward the docks. "Say no more, my young friend. Why don't you come with me? I have some documents, I need to look over but I'm sure I can give you some ideas along the way."
Elsa couldn't help the humming in her seat as she waited for the rest of the kingdoms to arrive for the summit. After her night, she definitely had a glow to her that only those closest to her noticed. She had decided to go with her usual Snow Queen dress and traditional braid when she recalled what Edward said when he was playing with her hair. While he did like her dress from last night, he felt that it wasn't really something that expressed 'Elsa'. He confessed that he rather she didn't try to put on a persona that wasn't her, even if it was for another kingdom. He understood why she would of course and didn't push the subject, but she could see what he meant.
So that when Gerda arrived to help her prepare for the day, she was quite surprised to see the blonde going with her usual attire. When she asked what caused the change of wardrobe, Elsa responded that she wanted her guests to get to know Elsa not just the Queen of Arendelle. The older woman had decided to say nothing but shared a warm smile when she could see the spring in the woman's step. The blonde knew she should tone down her giddiness but she couldn't help it, part of her was still on cloud nine and had no intention of coming down. Hopefully a boring summit meeting will keep everyone's attention off her.
As all the delegations filled into the room and took their seats, Elsa looked over to see Alrick sitting in his chair looking into his interlocked fingers with a focused expression. He had been the first to arrive, even before her and had thanked her once again for allowing her to address the summit. She assured him it was no problem and wished him the best before taking her seat. As it got closer and closer to the beginning of the summit, there were two things missing.
King Alrick's guard as well as the delegation from the Southern Isle.
One of the agreements of the summit was that any kingdom was allowed to bring one guard with them for protection. This would alleviate any attempts of assassinations and was an olive branch to show that Arendelle was a safe place. Alrick did not seem to mind being the only one without a guard, now that she thought about it, he probably didn't need one.
That left the Southern Isle delegation that she hadn't seen since they arrived here. In fact, they hadn't even attended the ball last night. She didn't mind to be perfectly honest. Elsa didn't feel like ascertaining if Hans was the only bad Prince from their kingdom at the moment. Now that they were the only ones missing, she couldn't help but feel her happy aura beginning to dim and get annoyed that they were late. She told the other kingdoms that they'd give the Southern Isles a few more minutes to arrive but quickly grew tired and was about to just start without them when the doors opened.
The blonde looked up expecting to see the Southern Isle Prince rushing in but it was Captain Stonewell with a deep frown on his face. He walked around the room while giving King Alrick a brief look that was returned before reaching the Queen. The old man leaned down and whispered something in Elsa's ear that made her eyes widen as she shot to her feet.
"Captain, I want extra guards posted at the castle as well as along the harbor and around any foreign ships."
"Already done Your Majesty."
"Good, I wish to see for myself, so we will be leaving immediately to go to the harbor."
"I would advise against that, it could still not be safe."
"I understand that but nevertheless this is something I need to confirm."
Bowing to the young woman, Stonewell led her out of the room and opened the door for her when one of the dignitaries rose from their seat.
"Queen Elsa, where are you going, we have a summit to conduct."
"I apologize Your Majesties but I've just received word that Prince Albert of the Southern Isles has just been found murdered in his ship. I would ask you all to remain here for safety concerns and to finish the summit but will not stop you if you wish to return to your ships."
With that the blonde left the room with Hector and Stonewell in tow as they quickly arrived at the docks where a wall of guards was surrounding the Southern Isle ship. There were a few people sitting around wondering what was happening but Elsa paid them no mind as the wall opened for her and she walked on the ship. She had to take some deep breaths as she had a slight fear of boats after her parents dying on a ship but couldn't let that stop her as she approached one of the guards who was waiting for her.
"Your Majesty…"
"Where's the Prince's body Sergeant?"
The Sergeant led her to the Captain's cabin, and hesitantly opened it and allowed her entry. When Elsa stepped through those doors, part of her wished she hadn't. She could easily see the resemblance between Hans and Albert when it came to their faces but she couldn't stop her hand coming to her mouth to stop the wave of nausea hitting her. The Prince's body was torn into pieces, not to mention cut all over and almost devoid of skin. The cabin was steeped in the stench of blood and the blonde could barely hold the horrified gasp that was in her throat when she saw the pain filled expression of Prince Albert's head that was on the Captain's desk.
Feeling that was enough, Stonewell lightly pushed the woman out of the cabin before closing the doors. He placed a comforting hand on her back and watched her try and compose herself for a moment before turning to the Sergeant.
"Where are the guards and the crew?"
"They're below decks, along with the Captain. We found the bodies stuffed into barrels below, whoever did this, they didn't want to leave any witnesses."
"Any clues?"
"Just one."
The Sergeant took out a rolled piece of parchment that looked like a letter of some kind. The specks of blood that covered the parchment was somewhat disconcerting but nevertheless, the old man took it and opened it to read.
Your time is running out Mystic.
Stonewell was somewhat pleased to know the letter didn't obviously allude to danger for the Queen, however he couldn't help the sigh that escaped his lips. When Elsa finally composed herself enough to speak, she turned to the Captain with a curious expression.
"What does it say?"
The older man handed her the letter before fishing out a cigar.
"Just that we need to have a talk with Alrick the Mystic."
Hey guys sorry for the long update. I honestly haven't been feeling the desire to write at all. I got so many ideas just no drive. Not gonna lie, my heart took a pretty good kick in the nuts and needed a minute. I'll try to drop another update soon and I'm thinking of making 7k chapters so I can pump them out sooner. Drop me some pm or reviews to tell me what you're thinking.
ANYWAY, this chapter was meant to be a fluff piece but we gotta move things along. Father's got plans you know and I'm sure you all are eager to find out so I can stop talking nonsense. I got work Monday so idk how that'll affect my update timeline since i'm hearing we got a heavy workload, so probably expect an update next weekend.
Remember to drop a review or pm if you need to contact me, I'll get back to you when I can. :P