6/3/24: Started
8/11/24: Completed
YURI
Chapter Summery: Emory and Honeymaren adjust to their new temporary home.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Frozen, Tangled or any other Disney characters or locations that appear or are mentioned in this work of fiction, Disney does.
- 3:43 P.M. -
- Arendelle -
Walking into the castle courtyard, Honeymaren followed Anna through the portal, although they looked back to see Emory on the other side, looking away in apparent thought and hesitation. Honeymaren called her name, drawing Emory's gaze, and reached a hand out to her with a smile, prompting one from Emory, before she took Honeymaren's hand and stepped through the portal, followed by it closing.
"Well..." started Emory, looking up at the castle in front of them. "I know I've kinda been here already, but in person, this is impressive."
"You've been here already?" asked Honeymaren.
"In a way, yeah." answered Emory. "When I was stuck in the ice castle, I could sorta, mentally travel to where Elsa and Anna were when they called to me. I could see the area they were in."
"Wow, can you still do that?" asked Honeymaren.
"Nope. Well, not the mental travel; I can still talk to them mentally, but we haven't done that since they freed me."
"Well, that's a neat trick." commented Honeymaren.
"Well then..." starts Anna delightfully. "As your first real visit here, I officially welcome you to our home."
"Heh, thanks."
"Let's head in and get you two settled." added Anna before she led the way to the front door, into the castle, into the Great Hall, and up the stairs, where Emory silently admired the sights of the room. "I'm sure you two want a room together, right?" asked Anna, looking back to the pair.
"Ideally, yeah." answered Honeymaren.
After opening a door leading to the hallway of rooms, the trio quickly met Elsa on the other side of the door, who gasped lightly in surprise.
"Anna, your back." commented Elsa, before her gaze quickly turned to her guests. "Honeymaren and Emory too."
"Hi." greeted the pair with an additional wave of the hand before Anna added...
"They'll be staying with us for a little while."
"Oh." replied Elsa curiously. "Is there any specific reason for the sudden stay?"
"Well..." started Anna, hesitantly, before Emory commented...
"Some things have happened, and I'd like to stay here for a little while, if that's ok with you."
"Sure, you can stay." answered Elsa. "Do you mind telling me what happened?"
"I'd rather not, sorry." replied Emory. "But if Anna wants to, in private, I'm ok with that. I just want to take my mind off of it for a while."
"Oh, o... k." stated Elsa worriedly. "I hope everything is ok."
"With time, I'm sure it will be." commented Emory with a smile. "Being in a new place should help too. A particular mental stress is already fading."
"Well, there's a couple empty rooms down the hall behind me. One is close by." stated Elsa, before Anna commented...
"That's where we were headed."
"Ok, I'll join you there." stated Elsa, before walking along with the others down the hall, passing two doors before Elsa presented the third to them. "This one's free." added Elsa, as she opened the door to allow them in.
"Thanks." replied Emory and Honeymaren, who first entered the room, in silent awe of the sight, followed by Emory, who didn't quite share the same awe as she briefly looked around the room to see the large bed, dresser, full length mirror hanging on the wall and a set of double doors beside it which lead to the closet.
"By the way, Emory." stated Elsa. "Will the Spirits be joining you here?"
"No, they're staying in the forest." answered Emory, turning to face Elsa. "Though Gale did mention she'd visit me."
"Alright then." replied Elsa, "Well, the bathroom is further down the hall, all the way down to the left. The door has 'bathroom' on it, so you can't miss it. There's a shower in there too, so you can bathe. There shouldn't be anything in the dresser or closet, so I'll send someone later, about thirty minutes, to bring you a change of clothes and see how your doing."
"Alright, thanks." replied Emory, before Honeymaren added, walking up beside Emory.
"Yeah, thanks. I know this is sudden."
"It's fine, we're friends." replied Elsa, before Anna delightfully added...
"Yeah, family too, and friends help each other!"
Following a chuckle from Emory and Honeymaren, as well as Elsa, she commented...
"Well, we'll be going."
With a wave of her hand, Elsa departed, along with Anna, as Emory and Honeymaren also waved good-bye, along with Honeymaren giving the parting comment...
"See you later."
Closing the door, Honeymaren smiled as she turned around to see Emory walk towards the bed and sit on it, with a sigh as she looked at the floor, still in a low mood, which caused Honeymaren's smile to fade, but not go away entirely as she walked up to her.
"Pretty impressive place, huh?" commented Honeymaren, sitting to Emory's right. "This room is bigger than our home." she added, prompting a little chuckle from Emory as she lifted her gaze to the room with a smile.
"Yeah, it is." commented Emory before looking at Honeymaren, but sighing shortly after and asking, "Do you think I'm a coward for running away?"
"No, of course not!" gasped Honeymaren, quickly taking Emory's hand. "You said you didn't feel safe. You shouldn't stay some place you don't feel safe. Especially if you have the option to leave."
"He told me I should leave, and I did exactly that." stated Emory, looking down to the floor in frustration. "What if leaving was a mistake? What if I go-"
"Hey, no, don't think like that." quickly interrupted Honeymaren as she removed herself from the bed and knelt in front of Emory, taking both of her hands. "You didn't feel safe. That's all the reason you need to leave." she added, before a little smile came to her face and continued, "Plus, didn't you say your dad taught you to trust your gut? What does your gut say about it?"
With the ending remark, a small smile came to Emory's face as she met Honeymaren's gaze.
"My gut's saying I should stay here for the time being."
"Then it's decided, right?" asked Honeymaren, prompting a light chuckle and sigh from Emory.
"Yeah, we stay."
"Good." replied Honeymaren, returning to her spot on the bed, before Emory sighs and lays back on the bed.
"Ugh, I'm supposed to be taking my mind off of this. Thanks for coming with me, Honey. I'd likely be spiraling into self-doubt without you here."
"You're welcome." replied Honeymaren as she lays back with Emory, though quickly gasps into a moan. "Ohh, this bed is comfortable."
"Heh, yeah, it is." commented Emory before leaning over to face Honeymaren, who did the same. "Reminds me of my life before."
"So you lived in a place like this before?"
"Yep, my old boss before he trapped me in that ice castle. It wasn't quite as fancy as this room, but it had a comfortable bed. A good bed is all I really need."
"He must've thought highly of you to have you live with him."
"Heh, he thought highly of my abilities." answered Emory with a chuckle. "He wanted access to my abilities whenever he wanted. So I made an agreement with him; in exchange for free access to my abilities, he provided me with housing and food."
"Did you not have a home before then?" asked Honeymaren.
"A home I owned? No. I lived with a friend before then. When I lived with Von, that was my boss's name, Von Ludwick. My freedom wasn't taken from me though; I could come and go as I liked; I just happened to live with my employer. I say employer because eventually it didn't sit well with me to just hang around the place for basically free, so I asked him to be a servant or helper, which he agreed to and paid me for. Which then led to a prank I shouldn't have done and brought me here with you." answered Emory, smiling as she reached her right hand towards and caressed Honeymaren's cheek, bringing a smile from her and began to comment...
"Did you... uh, actually, never mind." stated Honeymaren before looking embarrassed.
"What?"
"It's nothing." replied Honeymaren, rolling onto her back and placing her hands over her face. "I'm embarrassed I even thought it."
"Well, now you got me curious. What is it?" urged Emory with a smile. "I won't get mad, I promise." she added, prompting a groan from Honeymaren before she lowered her hands and leaned over to face Emory again, though avoided meeting her gaze.
"Alright. Since you lived with him, did you and him ever..." asked Honeymaren before lifting her gaze to Emory and seeing her grinning at her.
"Did we ever 'what'?" asked Emory, which earned her a smirk from Honeymaren.
"Well, this clearly isn't a touchy subject for you."
"Nope, so go ahead and ask."
"You already know the question." stated Honeymaren.
"I wanna hear you ask it though."
"Ugh, fine." replied Honeymaren with a smile and roll of her eyes. "Were you two ever intimate?"
"Nope. He wasn't my type, and he never tried, likely because I was 'beneath him'. Our relationship was strictly professional."
"Alright."
"Alright? That's it?" asked Emory with a smile. "Not, 'that's good' or 'that's a relief'?"
"Heh, I'm not so naive to think that you haven't been intimate with others." replied Honeymaren. "Was just curious since you were living with him."
"Oh, ok then." replied Emory, before rolling onto her back and looking up to the ceiling. "So, what was your first visit here like?"
"I was in awe the entire time." answered Honeymaren, rolling onto her back as well. "Elsa and Anna gave me a tour of the whole castle and showed me some really tasty food."
- 4:30 P.M. -
- Twenty minutes later -
Emory and Honeymaren, now relaxing on the bed together with their eyes closed, enjoying the silence around them in comparison to the forest, were soon interrupted as a knocking came from the door.
"That must be the person Elsa said she'd send." commented Honeymaren, sitting up along with Emory. "I'll go." she added, before removing herself from the bed, although Emory still joined her, and the two walked to and Honeymaren opened the door to greet their guest, who was a young brunette woman around their ages, carrying a small bundle of clothes draped over her right arm, and greeted the pair with a smile.
"Hello." greeted the servant. "I'm Becka, and the Queen requested I bring you two a change of clothing and see if you need anything." she added, offering the clothing to Honeymaren, who takes it.
"Thanks." replied Honeymaren. "I'm Honeymaren."
"Emory." added Emory.
"Alright, Honeymaren and Emory." repeated Becka. "If the clothing doesn't fit, be sure to let someone know. The queen said you two are about her and Anna's sizes, so..."
"We will." replied Emory. "Thanks."
"So, do you two need anything, or have any questions, hungry?" Asked Becka.
"I'm good." answered Emory before looking at Honeymaren. "You?"
"Hmm, I do have a question." replied Honeymaren. "Would there happen to be some place here we could go to relax that's not our room? Not that this room isn't great; I'm just looking for something different."
"Hmm, maybe the garden is what you're looking for." suggested Becka. "It's outside, but still within the castle grounds. There's a clear view of the sky, trees, grass, flowers, and even a pond where you can watch the fish or ducks if that's something you're into."
"Oh, that sounds great." replied Honeymaren before looking at Emory. "How about it? Wanna visit the garden?"
"Sure." replied Emory with a smile.
"Alright then." stated Becka. "I'll lead you there." she added, before Honeymaren placed their clothes on the bed and departed from her room with Emory.
- Garden -
"Here we are." stated Becka as she opened the door leading out to the garden, prompting the impressed gazes of Honeymaren and Emory as they walked out to the outside area.
However, the pair were interrupted from admiring the area before they saw that they weren't alone, as they saw another woman, with long brown hair, kneeling near the pond, feeding a few ducklings, both in and out of the water, with two big leaves of lettuce she took pieces from; one was half gone. The woman's attention soon turns to them, and they quickly recognize her to be Iduna.
"Oh, hello." greeted Iduna, standing, though Becka quickly replied, as she gave a slight bow of her head...
"Oh, Your Majesty, I didn't know you were here."
"Heh, it's fine. I don't mind the company." replied Iduna. "I was about to leave anyway."
"Oh, well, ok then." replied Becka before giving another bow and departing, and Honeymaren and Emory walking up to Iduna and Emory commenting...
"Sorry about interrupting."
"Hehe, it's fine, it's fine." insisted Iduna with a smile. "My daughters told me you two were here and staying with us for a little while. I would've come and said 'hi', but they said you'd like to be left alone for the time being."
"Yeah, well..." started Honeymaren. "We just wanted a change of view from our room, and Becka said this is a good place to relax."
"It is." replied Iduna, briefly looking around the area before down to her feet upon feeling a couple ducks poking at her ankles, prompting a chuckle from her before she knelt down and continued to feed the ducklings. "I sometimes visit here for a few minutes just to relax and calm myself."
"Could we join you?" asked Emory.
"Sure." answered Iduna, before offering the whole lettuce leaf to her, which Emory takes and knelt beside Iduna to her right and began to feed the ducklings as well, while Honeymaren joined her to her right, which Emory tears the leaf in half and offers it to Honeymaren, and all three feed the ducklings gathered around them.
"Do you do this often?" asked Honeymaren.
"Feeding the ducks? No." answered Iduna. "Before I died, I rarely came here at all. Now though, I make an effort to come, if only just for a few minutes, to have a quiet moment alone and feel the wind and sun on my face and admire the scenery. Living with the Northuldra again has made me appreciate the outdoors and nature more."
Honeymaren gave a simple hum in acknowledgment, while the three continued to feed the ducklings in silence, just enjoying the moment with each other.
Until all the lettuce had been eaten and Iduna stood.
"Well, there's no more food for these little guys. I'll be on my way and leave you two to enjoy yourselves."
"Wait." commented Emory, standing. "Before you go, Anna told me about you having magic. I'm sorry it lasted only a day. If I knew, I would've told you, and you could've enjoyed it longer."
"Hehe, that's quite alright." replied Iduna with a chuckle. "That's not something you need to apologize for. I never asked for magic, but it was nice to experience having it for even a day. I'll happily leave that stuff to you and my daughters."
"Alright then." stated Emory with a smile, while Honeymaren stood beside her.
"Besides..." commented Iduna. "I'm 'sensitive to the spirits' after all. That's all the magic I need."
"Hehe, ok." replied Emory.
"Well then, I'll see you two later." stated Iduna, and she gave a wave of the hand as she departed, along with Emory and Honeymaren returning the gesture.
- Inside the Castle -
After spending about ten more minutes in the garden, Emory and Honeymaren decided to return to the castle.
"Feel better?" asked Honeymaren as she closed the door to the garden, while Emory stood in the middle of the hall.
"Yeah. A lot better." answered Emory with a smile and giving a relaxed sigh. "I just needed a quiet, calm moment in a new place to clear my head." she added before smirking at Honeymaren. "And you, of course, being there for me."
The comment earned Emory a big smile from Honeymaren, who walked up to her, briefly looked up and down the hall, to Emory's brief curiosity, before she was a little surprised when Honeymaren placed her hands on Emory's cheeks, squishing her face, making Emory pucker lips and bring a giggle from her, before Honeymaren moved her hands in a circular motion.
"Hehe, cut it out!" giggled Emory as she lifted and pulled Honeymaren's hands away.
"Heh, I just like seeing you happy."
"Well, I like being happy." replied Emory. "Anyway, let's walk around and familiarize ourselves with the castle."
"Alright."
The pair spent the next fifteen minutes walking the halls of the second floor, meeting a few servants and having some brief idle chatter. Walking the first floor of the castle and its halls, a particular door caught Emory's attention.
"Whoa!" gasped Emory as she hurried in front of a very tall set of closed double doors, at least four times her height. "Now that's a door."
"Yeah..." commented Honeymaren, reaching and stopping to Emory's right.
"What do you think is on the other side?" asked Emory with a grin.
"I don't know. My tour didn't include this room." replied Honeymaren, before she gasped when Emory reached both hands towards the door handle and grabbed Emory's hands. "Hey, we don't know if we're allowed in there!"
"If we're not allowed, it would be locked." replied Emory. "Aren't you curious what's behind such a big door?"
"Well yeah, but-"
"Then lets see if it's locked. If it is, oh well, but if not..." commented Emory before pulling the lever of the door and both found that the doors were unlocked. "Oh, nice." added Emory before pushing the doors open, and both gasped at what they saw- a very large open room of paintings hung on the walls.
"Whoa..." gasped the pair as she walked into the room, admiring the art.
"What are these?" asked Honeymaren.
"You don't..." started Emory before pausing and continuing. "They're portraits. People skilled artistry makes them with paint."
"Oh, wow..." replied Honeymaren as she walked towards a large, horizontal painting of a landscape. "I didn't know paint could make such beautiful images."
"Heh, yeah, people are really something." commented Emory, walking up to Honeymaren's left and admired the painting with her. "I've never seen such a large room dedicated to paintings before, though."
The pair can't admire the art for long before they hear a woman's voice, clearly directed at them...
"Hey, who are you two?"
The two quickly turned to face the door to see another servant, a youthful one with shoulder-length blonde hair.
"We're guests of Elsa and Anna. I'm Honeymaren." quickly answered Honeymaren.
"And I'm Emory."
The servant's suspicious eye quickly shifted to delight and hurried towards them.
"Emory and Honeymaren!? Anna's told me about you! It's so great to meet you! I'm Elly, Anna's handmaid." greeted the handmaid delightfully before offering her right hand to them, which prompts a relieved smile on the pairs faces, and they each take the handmaid's hand.
"It's nice to meet you too." replied Emory.
"Same here." added Honeymaren. "You're Anna's... handmaid? What's that?"
"Oh, it's just a fancy name that just means I'm Anna's personal helper and assistant." answered the handmaid. "I'm her go-to person if she needs help with something. If she doesn't need anything though, I help clean and maintain rooms, do the laundry, stuff like that."
"Like the other servants we've met." commented Emory.
"Yep. I just have the added benefit of being Anna's close friend." replied the handmaid. "I've been away for about two weeks for personal reasons though, and I just recently returned. Anna's filled me in on what's happened, though, and I've been looking forward to meeting Anna's relatives and the famous Emory!" she added delightfully, prompting an embarrassed chuckle from the pair.
"Famous, huh?" commented Emory, before the handmaid asked...
"How long are you visiting?"
"Well..." started Emory. "A couple days, at least."
"Oh, an extended visit!? That's great!" declared the handmaid, earning another round of chuckles from the pair at the handmaids excitement before Honeymaren commented...
"Anyway, we were just familiarizing ourselves with this place. Is there anywhere we're not allowed or should avoid?"
"A couple." answered the handmaid. "The obvious one is not going into a bedroom besides your own without permission; the kitchen is off-limits too. Hmm, what else... maybe the dungeon, the ice storage room. Well, every room on the first floor is open to you, except the kitchen. If you see some stairs going down behind a door, then that's off-limits too."
"That's helpful, thanks." replied Emory.
"Would you like me to show you around?" asked the handmaid. "So you're not just aimlessly walking around the castle?" she added, prompting the pair to look at each other and Honeymaren to state...
"Up to you."
"Alright, sure." replied Emory. "We turned down a few offers from the other servants we ran into since we wanted to walk around aimlessly, but since your Anna's friend, I wouldn't mind a tour."
"Great, if you like big rooms, then the library is big too." commented the handmaid.
"Oh, a library?" asked Emory delightfully. "I like reading."
"Great. There's a few other interesting spots along the way I can show you and tell you about." replied the handmaid.
"Alright, lead the way." requested Emory before Honeymaren commented as the handmaid turned around.
"Wait, I have a question before we go. What can you tell us about this room we're in?"
"Well, it's the portrait room." answered the handmaid. "A place to admire a bunch of art. Most were gifted or bought; some are commissioned paintings of the royal family, singles, and groups."
"Wow, so every painting here is a real scene captured in that moment?" asked Honeymaren, before the handmaid and Emory chuckled lightly, and Emory commented...
"Some are real-life scenes, others aren't."
"Right." added the handmaid, before walking past the pair and pointing towards a painting of a woman offering her hand to a man kneeling in front of her about to kiss the back of her hand as the two were the center of attention in an apparent party as Elly continued. "Like this one here. This is just a scene the artist imagined. It's likely inspired by a real-life moment the artist was at, but they likely didn't paint this at the party."
"Ohhh, I see." replied Honeymaren. "So the artist painted a memory."
"Exactly." stated the handmaid before she took Honeymaren by the hand and led her further into the room, with Emory following, and they stopped at a painting of a singular man sat on a stool, looking very dignified and well dressed in Arendelle colors. "This is a single-person portrait. The person in the painting, in this case, sat down and remained still while they were painted."
"He looks like someone important." commented Honeymaren.
"You'd be right." stated the handmaid. "That's King Runard. Elsa and Anna's father's father, the previous King." she added, which prompted Emory to silently gasp, wide-eyed, and look at Honeymaren, who didn't negatively react to the man's identity.
"Mr. Agnarr's father, huh? The previous King..." commented Honeymaren. "Then, what about the previous queen, his wife? Where's her painting? I'd like to see what she looked like."
"That would be Queen Rita." answered Elly. "Unfortunately, there's no painting of her. The only thing I know is that she disappeared."
"Disappeared? How?" asked Honeymaren.
"Dunno." answered the handmaid with a shrug of her shoulders. "But there's an old rumor that she ran away. I find that hard to believe, though. Why would she abandon her kid?" she added, before Emory chimed in...
"Maybe you're mistaking disappearing for her dying."
"If she died, there'd be a record of it." replied the handmaid.
"Hmm, true." replied Emory before thinking, 'Unless it was purposely hidden- but this has nothing to do with me. Best not to start digging.'
The only person I could think of with more information would be the King." stated the handmaid. "But it's not my place to ask about his mother."
"True." commented Honeymaren. "There's likely a reason there's little information about her." she added, before Emory stated...
"Yeah, but we have our own things to deal with. We shouldn't pry into this."
"Heh, right, we can just drop this topic." replied Honeymaren.
"Well then..." began the Handmaid with a smile. "Ready to head towards the library, or do you wanna stay here and admire the art?"
"We can go." replied Emory, before the trio departed from the room.
"So... Honeymaren. That's an interesting name." commented the handmaid as she looked at the person in question. "Is that two words or one?"
"It's one." answered Honeymaren. "My full name is Honeymaren Nattura. Calling me Maren is fine too, though."
"What about Honey?"
"Only certain people can call me that."
"Ohhhh, what kind of people?" asked the handmaid with a grin.
"Heh, close people." answered Honeymaren with a smile.
"Hehe, gotcha."
- 5:23 P.M. -
- Emory and Honeymaren's room -
"Thanks for showing us around, Elly." commented Emory, as the trio stopped in front of Emory and Honeymaren's room, who opened the door and also commented...
"Yeah, thanks."
"It was my pleasure." replied the Handmaid with a smile. "I hope you two enjoy your visit."
"I'm sure we will." stated Emory before entering her room, followed by Honeymaren as they both commented...
"See you later."
"Later." replied the handmaid as she gave a wave of the hand.
With Honeymaren closing the door, Emory headed to their bed and delightfully laid down with a happy sigh.
"Well, your mood has improved." commented Honeymaren as she sat beside Emory, who smiled at her and extended her arms towards her.
"I want cuddles."
The request prompts a chuckle from Honeymaren, but she complies without word, and Emory happily embraces her. The two lingered in their hug for about a minute, doing nothing but holding each other, until Emory began to nuzzle Honeymaren's neck, earning a chuckle from her and a giggling, "Stop."
"I'm in the mood for a little fun." replied Emory, pulling back with a smile. "How about it?"
"Heh, while I wouldn't mind, we probably shouldn't." answered Honeymaren before smirking. "Wouldn't want a repeat of what happened the other day." she added, which prompted Emory's face to redden before giving a pout and a dry...
"Ha, ha."
"I barely touched you." giggled Honeymaren. "You made such a mess."
"Ugh, I told you, it's been awhile. My body just isn't used to being touched like that anymore; yet anyway."
"I like how sensitive you are, though." replied Honeymaren, lifting a hand up to caress Emory's cheek, who closes her eyes and leans into the touch. "A simple touch can effect you so much." she added, before slowly guiding her hand from Emory's cheek, down across her neck, her clothed shoulder, down her side to rest on her thigh, which prompted a shuttering moan from Emory. "I'm going to enjoy this for as long as I can." added Honeymaren before lifting her hand and returning it to Emory's cheek, who opened her eyes to look at Honeymaren with a blushing smile. "But we shouldn't do that here."
"Or maybe..." commented Emory, lifting her hand to Honeymaren's on her cheek and lifting it away. "I can focus on you. I am out of practice after all."
"Maybe later." answered Honeymaren with a smile. "It's the middle of the day, and we're guests here."
"As long as you're quiet, we have nothing to worry about. Plus, we already have a change of clothing if things get messy." Commented Emory, prompting a hesitant smirk from Honeymaren.
- About thirty minutes later -
Walking down the hallway, towards Emory and Honeymaren's room, Anna smiled as she approached her friends room. Hearing from others, particularly her mother and Elly, that the two had walked around the castle, familiarizing themselves with it, and Emory seemed to be in a much better mood, Anna hoped they'd be up to taking a trip into town.
Upon reaching and knocking on the door, she hears Emory on the other side...
"Whose there?"
"It's me, Anna." answered Anna. "I came to check on you two. Settling in ok?"
"We're good." answered Emory. "I'm feeling much better now. Just needed a change in envi- AH! Mmm, H-Hey, cut it out! Anna's right there!" she added, before gasping and continuing in a lower but audible volume for Anna, who chuckles lightly with a blush rising on her face at what she assumed was happening behind the door, but also glad that Emory felt well enough for the extra activity.
"Well, sounds like you're busy. I'll just leave." commented Anna before turning and departing the way she came; however, she only gets a few strides in before Emory calls to her from within.
"Hey, wait, I have a question!"
Hearing the door open, Anna turns around to see Emory walk out, fully dressed, though red in the face with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead and breathing a little quick.
"Since we're going to be here for a little while, would you mind lending us some extra clothes?"
"Sure. But didn't you already get a set of clothes?" asked Anna, prompting a brief look of thought on Emory's face.
"Oh, uh..." replied Emory, clearly embarrassed, before the two heard Honeymaren snickering from inside the room, prompting a smile on Anna's face, before her attention was drawn towards Emory's crotch to see a dark spot forming, which prompted a smirk from Anna, and Emory followed Anna's line of sight and gasped when she saw what Anna was looking at, quickly placing her hands over her crotch, and reentered her room, but leaning her upper half out to look at Anna, her face cherry red.
"Sorry! I uh... we got a little carried away! I put my pants on without- Ahem, it won't happen again while we're here, I promise!"
"Hehe, it's fine." replied Anna with a chuckle. "What you two do in private is none of our business, unless it's something bad, of course. Just don't make too much noise. Trust me, that's not the kind of attention you want walking the halls."
"Heh, r-right, got it." replied Emory, before Anna was a little surprised when Emory flinched with a gasp, wide-eyed, before closing her eyes and shuttering, prompting Anna's face to redden more at the implication, before Emory opened her eyes to look at her and nearly moaned out, "S-see you later." before fully retreating into her room, closing the door.
Anna simply chuckled lightly before departing.
- 6:12 P.M. -
- Elsa's Room -
"So what's up? They up for a trip into town?" asked Elsa from her desk, shortly after Anna entered the room.
"They're doing just fine." answered Anna with a smile. "But they'd like to spend a bit more time alone." she added, walking to and sitting on the bed.
"Well, that's good." replied Elsa before sighing. "It's still hard to believe what happened. So soon after Nokk left too."
"Yeah, it's horrible." commented Anna as she lay back on the bed. "I can't imagine what Emory must be going through. She said she intended to go back too. If I were in her place, I'm not sure that would even be a possibility for me."
"Well, she considered the Northuldra her home." stated Elsa. "She just needs some time away."
"Yeah... but what if she changes her mind? What if Emory decides it's better for her not to go back? Would you welcome her to live in Arendelle?"
"Sure. Heh, I wasn't very fond of her in the beginning, but I consider her a friend too, and you help friends when they're in trouble. If she wants to live here, then she's welcome to, it wouldn't be for free though."
"Heh, I don't think Emory would have a problem with that."
"It would be after she's had time to mentally recover, of course." commented Elsa.
"Heh, Emory might be the type to work to take her mind off stuff. It wouldn't surprise me if she asked what she could do around the castle to 'earn her stay' for the time she's here now."
"Yeah, that does seem like something she'd ask."
- 6:40 P.M. -
- Thirty minutes later, Honeymaren and Emory's room -
Fully dressed, Honeymaren walks out of her room and slowly, gently closes the door.
'Ok, Elsa said it's down the hall and to the left.' thought Honeymaren as she departed from her room.
Just moments after making the only left she could at the end of the hall, Honeymaren reached her destination, a closed door with a hanging sign that read, 'Bathroom'.
"Heh, can't miss it." commented Honeymaren with a smile before opening the door, walking into the room, and was surprised at what greeted her.
While not as big as her bedroom, maybe a quarter of its size at most, what was in the room caused her to pause in awe of the new sights, two in particular: first, the large, white tub directly across from her, that she quickly guessed to be where she'd bathe; second, a strange white chair that was positioned against the wall to her right, next to the sink.
"This must be the toilet Iduna mentioned. It sure looks weird."
Honeymaren curiously lifted the lid of the toilet to see a small pool of clear water in the toilet bowl. However, Honeymaren's inquisitive examination of the toilet was interrupted when a familiar woman's voice spoke to her...
"You forgot to close the door."
Gasping lightly, Honeymaren released the lid, causing it to fall back closed as she looked to the open door to see Cassandra.
"O-Oh! Right." replied Honeymaren with a nervous chuckle, before Cassandra reached to the doorknob and began to close it, but asked...
"I saw you staring into the toilet, though; someone forget to flush?"
"U-uh, no. This is my first time seeing a toilet, so I was just looking at it a bit." answered Honeymaren, prompting a brief curious look from Cassandra before smiling.
"Ah, right."
"Yeah, there's nothing like this in the forest." replied Honeymaren.
"Well, do you need me to tell you how to use it?"
"No, no, that's alright!" replied Honeymaren with an embarrassed chuckle. "I got it figured out. Iduna mentioned it to me."
"Alright then." replied Cassandra. "My room is two doors down, if you have any questions- not about the toilet specifically, just if you have questions in general- I'd be happy to answer them."
"Alright, thanks." stated Honeymaren, before Cassandra closed the door for her. 'Well, that was a little embarrassing.' thought Honeymaren before proceeding with what she arrived for.
"Ok, so I just pull this lever..." thought Honeymaren after pulling up her pants and facing the toilet and reaching her left hand to the small lever at the left of the 'backrest' of the toilet. Upon pushing the lever, Honeymaren flinched a little in surprise from the swoosh of the water and saw the slightly yellow tented water and the small amount of toilet paper she used swirl around before draining out and replaced with clear water. "Wow... neat." commented Honeymaren with a smile. "And it gets rid of poop the same way? Where does it go, though?"
Lowering the lid of the toilet, Honeymaren moved to the sink, turned on the water, and noticed the bar of soap to the right of the faucet and used it to wash her hands. Upon shaking the excess water from her hands into the sink, Honeymaren hesitated as she reached her hands towards a hanging towel to dry her hands, looked at the soap, then her reflection in the mirror in front of her, her mouth in particular, and hummed in curiosity before picking up the soap again and lathered up her hands before placing her soapy hands on her mouth. Following the washing of her mouth and drying her hands, Honeymaren turned to leave before silently gasping and returning to the mirror, leaning close to it and revealing her teeth, taking just a moment looking before seeing what she thought she might, and removing a strand of hair from her upper gums.
Upon rounding the corner towards her room, Honeymaren spotted Anna down the hall in front of her room. Seeing Anna lift a hand to knock on the door though, Honeymaren gasped and called to her as she jogged towards her...
"Don't knock!"
"Oh. Why not?" asked Anna as she looked to see Honeymaren hurry to her.
"Emory's sleeping." answered Honeymaren. "I just didn't want her disturbed."
"Oh." replied Anna, before a small gasp left her with a grin. "Ohhhh. Is she sleeping because of something you did?" asked Anna, which prompted a smirk from Honeymaren.
"Maybe, maybe not."
"Heh, ok. Well, I was just coming to see if you two would like to have a little stroll into town with me before it get's dark, but I guess that can wait until tomorrow." stated Anna.
"Yeah, that's probably better. Don't want Emory to do too much all at once and get overwhelmed."
"Yeah... I know Emory said she was doing fine, but how is she really? If you don't mind telling me?" asked Anna.
"She's a lot calmer here and relaxed. So, being here is good for her."
"That's good to hear. Well, I'll give you two your space. If you need anything, let me or Elsa know."
"I will. Thanks." replied Honeymaren, before they both gave a wave of the hand as Anna departed, and Honeymaren entered her room to see Emory where she left her, still sleeping on the floor, with the bed cover draped over her. Although she was now on her back, with the cover not quite covering her bare chest and her arms above her head as if she fell asleep mid-strech.
Honeymaren chuckled lightly at Emory's position and walked up to her left, knelt down, and pulled the cover up to her neck. This small action, though, caused Emory to stir, her face briefly frowning and lowering her arms to the cover, before her eyes blinked open and sleepily looking at Honeymaren.
"I fell asleep?" asked Emory before looking down and surprised to see the bed cover on top of her.
"Yep, just like last time." answered Honeymaren with a smirk, prompting one from Emory as well before she sat up and briefly yawned.
"I said I'd focus on you. You just had to switch it around, huh?"
"Well, I can't let you do all the work. I'd feel bad. Plus, your moans are so cute." replied Honeymaren with a smile, which Emory only smiled at and blushed in return. "But I promise, next time you want to focus on me, I won't interfere."
"Good." replied Emory before standing, revealing her nudity. "Anyway, I gotta go pee. So I need to find the bathroom."
"I just came back from there."
"How was it?"
"Weird, but nice." answered Honeymaren. "I see what Iduna meant by convenience. Just do your thing, wipe, pull a lever, and it all just gets sucked down a pipe somewhere. I'm actually looking forward to having to poop."
"Well, that's nice to know." replied Emory before locating her pants, picking them up, and feeling the crotch of them to feel that they were dry before looking at the two dresses that were on the bare bed. "I'll just wear these until I bathe later today." she added lowly as she put on her pants.
"How are you feeling?" asked Honeymaren as she stood and picked up the cover and placed it on the bed in a pile and sat on the bed.
"Good." answered Emory, locating and putting on her top, before facing Honeymaren with a smile. "A lot better than I was, that's for sure. That nap did me some good. So, if you wanna go somewhere without me, I'll be fine. You don't need to keep doting on me."
"You sure?" asked Honeymaren. "I don't mind sticking around."
"Yeah, I'm sure. I should let Elsa and Anna know I'm feeling better."
"Well, Anna came by a couple minutes ago asking if we'd like to join her in town." stated Honeymaren. "I thought it might be too much, too soon, and turned her down. Would you be up to it?"
"Hmm, I'll pass on that. I'm sure it'll be fine, but I'm just not in the mood for a tour of the town and meeting a bunch of people. Maybe tomorrow."
"Ok, Anna suggested tomorrow too."
"Alright then, tomorrow. Right now, though, I got a bladder that needs emptying. See ya later." replied Emory as she departed with a return, 'See ya' from Honeymaren.
- 7:05 P.M. -
- Ten minutes later -
Standing in front of Elsa's door, Emory was actually a little nervous. She was now in Elsa's world; would it be ok to just walk up and knock on the Queen's door, unplanned? She could be busy, getting ready for a meeting, or resting from a tiring task.
"Ugh, just knock." commented Emory lowly before lifting her right hand and knocking on the door, and Elsa quickly responded from within.
"Whose there?"
"Emory."
After a moment, the door opens, and to Emory's surprise, Anna's greeted her with a smile.
"Hey! Feeling better?"
"Yeah. I didn't mean to interrupt." replied Emory.
"You didn't." commented Elsa, walking into view from behind Anna. "We were just talking."
"Come in." suggested Anna, stepping aside, and Emory walks into the room.
"I won't be long." stated Emory. "I just came to properly thank you two for welcoming me into your home under short- or rather, no notice. Thank you." she added, with a curtsy, which surprised both with a nervous chuckle, and Anna first commented...
"You don't need to go all formal on us."
"Yeah..." added Elsa. "We're friends. You don't need to do that with us."
"Oh, I just thought since I'm here, I should treat you as your position required." commented Emory.
"Heh, our friends don't need to be formal with us." stated Anna. "So treat us the same as always."
"Ok, well..." replied Emory with a smile. "Thanks for welcoming me. I feel a lot better, so I'll leave tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" questioned the sisters before Elsa added. "So soon after what happened?"
"Yeah..." added Anna. "If you feel like you're a bother being here, you're not."
"Thanks, but I don't want people thinking they can bully me into leaving." replied Emory with a smile, but it faded quickly with a nervous look on her face as she averted her gaze, thinking of meeting the man who attacked her, before closing her eyes and taking a breath and lifting her gaze as she added, "I gotta face-" however she sees Elsa walk up to her, with concern on her face and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Forgive me for saying this, but I don't think you're ready to go back. Not as soon as tomorrow."
"Yeah..." added Anna with a smile. "Who cares what they think. After what happened, you need time to recover. A single day is way too soon. We don't mind you being here at all." she added, which prompted a sigh from Emory as she lowered her gaze.
"You don't need to rush back." stated Elsa. "Just take your time and relax."
"Yeah..." added Anna. "You said you wanted to stay 'awhile;, a single day isn't awhile. Awhile is a couple of days, or week... Oh, oh, I got it! Stay until the party! That's about two weeks from now!"
"Two weeks?" asked Emory, lifting a curious gaze to Anna. "I-I don't know about that."
"I agree with Anna." added Elsa. "The party is a little over a week away. I think it would be enough time for you to calm your mind about what happened and make a clear-headed decision." she continued, prompting Emory to avert her gaze in thought for a moment, before Anna added...
"We won't force you to stay though, but do you 'really' want to go back that soon?"
Emory briefly lifted her gaze to Anna, and the random thought of Anna's lie detection popped into her mind and sighed before admitting the truth...
"No, I don't want to go back that soon. I just... I don't wanna... ugh, you're right, I'm still scrambled in the head from what happened. I need to spend some time away from that environment- or rather, him. Once I've had time to settle, I can face him again."
"Great." replied Anna. "After the party, you can decide when you want to go back."
"Decide?" asked Emory. "I thought I'd return after the party."
"Oh, no, after the party is when you decide when or if you'll go back." stated Anna.
"If?" asked Emory with a chuckle. "Of course I'll go back." she added, before continuing, a little agitated. "I'm not a coward."
"Hey, hey." commented Elsa. "No one said you were a coward." she added, prompting Emory to sigh again and take a breath.
"Right, right, sorry."
"Everything's gonna work out." stated Anna with a smile.
"Heh, yeah, I'm sure it will." replied Emory. "Just gotta slow down and relax. Since I'm going to be staying here awhile. Is there anything I can do to-"
"No, no, no..." interrupted Elsa with a smile. "You're a guest here. Just relax and enjoy your stay."
"I can't do that." replied Emory with a smile in return. "It doesn't feel right for me to stay here and not provide something to earn my stay."
"Earn your stay?" questioned Anna with a chuckle. "You do know what a guest is, don't you? By definition, you don't have to 'earn your stay'"
"I know that." replied Emory with a sigh. "You're doing such a big thing for me, though; I have to pay you back in some way. Even if it's small."
"Well, if you just HAVE to do SOMETHING..." continued Anna with a smile. "I'll talk to my friend, Elly, and see if she's willing to have you help her with some stuff. How's that?"
"That's good. I met her earlier."
"She told me. Did you get along?"
"Yeah, Honeymaren and I were walking around and found the big painting room. Elly found us there, and we talked for a bit before she showed us around."
"Well, that's nice." replied Anna.
"Yep, well, I'll be going then." stated Emory, walking towards the door.
"See you later." replied the sisters, before Emory gave a parting wave of the hand and opened the door, but commented...
"Oh, by the way, Anna, Honeymaren told me you invited us into town. I'm not in the mood for that today, but I'd be up for it tomorrow."
"Alright. I'm looking forward to showing you around." replied Anna with a smile.
"Me too." stated Emory with a smile in return, before departing, prompting Anna to give a satisfied sigh.
"It's good she decided to stay."
"Yeah, tomorrow would be way too soon." commented Elsa.
Outside the sisters door, a relieved, smiling sigh left Emory.
'A little over a week, huh?' she though. 'Yeah, that's good. It's not too long or short.' she added, before returning the way she came. 'After the party, I'll go back... or decide if I'll go back...' she thought, which prompted her to stop walking. 'Even after what happened, the thought of not returning didn't even cross my mind. It was just so obvious that I would. But what if I didn't? I live here, in Arendelle...' she thought before frowning with a groan. 'But living with the Northuldra is my first choice; I want to live there if I have the option. If I return though, people might look at me differently after what happened, like someone fragile who needs protecting, and I'd hate that; but if I stay here, I'm just doing what Kyle said and running away, and I don't want that either!'
Groaning in frustration, Emory placed her hands over her face.
'Ugh! I don't have the mental energy to do this right now. I have a whole week to think about this, so I'll just put this off until later. I'm supposed to be relaxing, after all.' she thought before resuming her walk. 'That would be easier if I had something to do... Well, I could take a bath. Hmm, but I'd rather do that with Honey and not be left alone with my thoughts right now. What I need is a distraction, something to do, or someone to talk to.'
Spending the next twenty minutes walking through the castle, Emory quickly found the distractions she was looking for as she met more of the castle's staff and occupied herself with brief conversation. Deciding to return to her room, Emory unexpectedly encountered Agnarr as she walked up the stairs of the Great Hall as he walked down them and greeted her with a smile.
"Hello Emory." he greeted as he stopped at the middle area of the stairs.
"Hello, Your Majesty." greeted back Emory with a curtsy, which prompted a light chuckle from Agnarr.
"I was told you'll be staying with us for a little while. I hope you enjoy your stay here."
"Thanks. I... uh, you're not going to ask why so suddenly?"
"Do you want to tell me?" asked Agnarr. "I've picked up that the reason is sensitive, so if you don't want to share that, then I'm fine with it. After-all, it was Elsa and Anna's decision, and I'll trust that."
"Oh, well, thanks." Replied Emory with a smile. "I don't want to talk about it. I won't bring any trouble to your home, though, I promise." she added, which earned her a chuckle from Agnarr.
"Well, that's good to hear. I'll let you be on your way." commented Agnarr before stepping aside to let Emory pass.
"Thanks." replied Emory before taking a few steps, before pausing as she recalled the conversation with the handmaid in the portrait room about the previous queen, Agnarr's mother. Emory turned her head to look at him and opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated.
"What is it?" asked Agnarr.
"N-Nothing, sorry. I'll be going." quickly answered Emory, before hurrying up the steps, leaving Agnarr briefly confused, before shrugging his shoulders and continuing down the stairs, while Emory thought to herself, 'Ugh, it wouldn't be appropriate to ask him about his mother out of the blue like that.'
- 7:41 P.M. -
- Emory's room -
Returning to her room, Emory curiously heard Honeymaren talking inside, assumedly, to someone. The current topic was about something tasting good. Choosing to knock on the door, Emory waited for a few moments before the door opened, and Honeymaren greeted her with a smile.
"Oh, you're back." commented Honeymaren.
"I am." replied Emory, before walking into the room to see another woman standing beside their bed; from her attire, she was one of the castle's staff. She was tall and youthful, with light brown skin and dark blonde hair that was currently pulled back into a single ponytail that reached her butt, and she wore a pair of small glasses on her face.
Before Emory could ask who the stranger was, the woman greeted her first, walking up to her.
"Hello, I'm Isabelle." greeted the servant with a curtsy, the act which slightly embarrassed Emory a little. "Honeymaren and I were just talking."
"Oh, I wasn't assuming anything." replied Emory with a chuckle.
"Well, that's good." replied Isabelle. "Don't want to start off with a misunderstanding."
"Thanks for that." stated Emory before Honeymaren commented, standing besides her...
"We ran into each other a little ways down the hall and started chatting before Mr. Agnarr walked by. After greeting him, I suggested we head to our room so we weren't in anyone else's way. We were only talking for maybe five minutes before you came. Isabelle is Elsa's handmaid."
"Oh." replied Emory, before looking at the handmaid. "So, you must know who I am, then?"
"Yep." answered Isabelle with a smile. "Elsa and Anna have told me plenty about you, Miss Emory." she added, prompting a blushing smile on Emory's face.
"You don't need to call me 'miss', just Emory is fine."
"Alright then. Well, I won't occupy much more of your time." stated Isabelle before giving a slight bow and heading towards the door, but paused and turned around. "By the way, I saw you have a change of clothes; have you two tried them on to see if they fit? If not, you could try them on now, and if they don't, I can go get an appropriate size."
"Hmm, well, I do plan to take a bath soon." stated Emory before chuckling. "It would be pretty awkward to leave the bath and discover my clothes didn't fit."
"Yeah, good point." commented Honeymaren.
"Alright then, I'll wait outside." replied Isabelle as she walked out of the room and closed the door.
The pair then undressed to try on their new clothes, which they were able to put on easily.
"Hmm, fit's fine." commented Honeymaren, extending her arms and moving her upper body left and right. "It's been awhile since I've worn a dress though." she added, lifting the skirt of the dress a little. "Going pantless feels weird. What about you." she asked, seeing Emory do the same stretch motion.
"A little snug around the arms, but it's fine..." answered Emory before attempting to touch her feet and feeling the dress resist the act, feeling it tighten around her upper arms and back, and quickly stopping to prevent a tear. "On second thought, I could use a change."
- Later that night -
- Emory and Honeymaren's room -
"Well, today ended better than it started, huh?" commented Honeymaren delightfully as she and Emory enjoyed the comfort of their bed and the warmth of the cover.
"Yeah, it certainly has." replied Emory with a smile. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
"Me too." added Honeymaren. "My first day of castle life was pretty great. I'm excited for more."
"Heh, speaking of tomorrow..." began Emory, with a briefly hesitant gaze. "I was gonna put off telling you this until later, but I may as well do it sooner than later. Earlier, when I went to talk to Elsa and Anna, I told them I intended to return tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" asked Honeymaren in surprise.
"Yeah, and before you continue, they talked me out of it, saying it was too soon and asking if I REALLY wanted to go back that soon, which I didn't."
"Good, I agree; that is too soon."
"Yeah, I realized that too." stated Emory. "I'm just so worried about what other people will think when I just need to worry about myself. Anyway, I've decided to stay until the party."
"Oh, that's a little over a week away, right? That's good."
"I think so too, but... Anna brought something to my attention that I didn't consider. She said that after the party would be when I decide if I even wanted to go back."
"Oh..." replied Honeymaren, wide-eyed.
"Just so you know though, currently, I intend to return." quickly added Emory. "That's where I want to be, if I'm able. But, say I decide to stay here. What would your feelings be on it?"
"Well, firstly, I'd support your decision." answered Honeymaren. "So you don't have to worry about that, but... I don't think I would be able to join you in living here, at least, not that suddenly."
"Yeah..." replied Emory with a sigh. "You have your family and friends there. Asking you to leave them like that wouldn't be right."
"Yeah... on the bright side, though, if you stay here, I have more reason to visit."
"But then, we wouldn't be able to cuddle as much." commented Emory with a little pout, which prompted a chuckle from Honeymaren as she quickly hugged Emory under the cover.
"Well, you said you still intend to return, so that's not something we need to worry about. And if you do change your mind, we'll deal with it when the time comes."
"Yeah..." replied Emory as she settled into the hug as she returned it. "After all, a week is plenty of time for things to settle down. Maybe even enough to face Kyle."
"Heh, yeah, and give him another kick in the balls." commented Honeymaren happily, prompting Emory to pull away.
"No, no violence, just talking." stated Emory.
"Talking? You want to have a normal conversation with that asshole? Why?"
"Because even if someone doesn't like me, I don't want to just leave it like that. Especially if it's someone within a group of people I'm with, like living with everyone in camp." answered Emory. "I want to try to understand why and see if there's a middle ground we could reach."
"And what if there isn't a middle ground?" asked Honeymaren.
"Then at least I tried." answered Emory with a smile. "We can go our separate ways." she added, prompting a sigh from Honeymaren.
"Well, the first time you meet him again, I'm gonna be with you." stated Honeymaren, which earned her a smile from Emory and the simple reply of, "Ok." before Honeymaren added, "Now, can we drop this topic about that jerk and enjoy this comfortable bed?"
"Hehe, alright. No more heavy topics at bed-time." replied Emory. "Let's end with something lighter..."
"Alright, hmm..." replied Honeymaren before grinning and adding, "I like how sensitive you are." which prompted a smirk from Emory.
"I said lighter, not sexual, perv." teased Emory.
"Perv?" questioned Honeymaren with a smile. "Nothing I said was sexual; you took it that way. I'm not the perv here."
"I know what you meant by it." commented Emory.
"Oh really? And what did I mean by it?"
"You like how easily I can come."
"Well, you're not wrong there." stated Honeymaren. "I just find it, and you, so cute. It's just not something I was expecting from you."
"Heh, well, since you said something you like about me, it's only fair I do the same." replied Emory. "I like how straight-forward you are. You don't dance around what you wanna say."
"Well, I dance a little." commented Honeymaren with a smile. "But if I feel like someone's wronged me, I'm gonna let them know it."
"As you should." stated Emory before she yawned, prompting Honeymaren to as well.
"Let's just go to sleep now." commented Honeymaren as she closed her eyes, followed by Emory.
"Yeah, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
END