Important Conversations

King Agdar sat at his desk in his study. Sitting across from him is Captain Storstrand of the royal guard, Bishop Ruud head of the church. They were waiting for the last attendant of the meeting Agdar had put together to discuss plans for the upcoming weeks regarding Elsa. After several moments later a man walking in the study. The man appeared to be older than everyone in the room, and wore formal clothing and glasses.

"Good morning, your majesty. I'm sorry if I'm late."

"It is alright, Councilman Gad." Agdar gently assured him as the councilman moved the desk, giving a greeting nod to the other men in the room.

"Thank you for taking your time to meet with me this morning, gentlemen. I've called upon you three because I need your assistance for a very important task. What we're about to discuss for the next several minutes cannot leave the room. For the time being you three must keep the utmost secrecy until I say otherwise. You cannot tell anyone about it. Do you all understand?"

"Of course, your majesty," Bishop Ruud replied. "If I may ask, what is this task?"

"There is someone…Important staying here in the castle. For the time being, I would prefer to keep her identity hidden away until she is ready. The only ones who know about her are me, my wife, my daughter, Kai, Gerda, and Kristoff."

"Kristoff?" Gad wondered. "That ice harvester that Princess Anna is friends with? What does he have to do with all this?"

"What is so important about this girl that only us three need to know about?" Storstrand questioned.

A knock echoed through the room. "I believe you three are about to meet her." Agdar walk over to the door, all three pairs of eyes watching him as Anna entered.

"She's a little nervous. New people after all," Anna glanced over her shoulder, indicating that someone was behind her. "These guys are nice. They don't bite."

"They won't hurt you, Snowflake. I promise you," Agdar assured the person behind Anna.

The three other men watch the exchange with quizzical expressions. What was Princess Anna doing here? Who did she bring? And why did the king talk to them with such tenderness? Does he know them? What was so important about this mysterious person?

Agdar guided a young woman into the room. She appeared to be on…edge as if she was expecting one of the men to try to harm her. Only until Agdar gave her a comforting touch on her shoulder did she seem to relax a little.

"Councilman Gad. Captain Storstrand. Bishop Ruud. Allow me to introduce you to my daughter, Elsa." Agdar announced.

Shock isn't enough to describe that feeling of news the king had revealed. Was this young woman the lost Princess Elsa of Arendelle? The one that was snatched away in the middle of the night never to be seen again? Whose loss deeply affected the entirety of the kingdom, and sent Agdar on a path that almost destroyed himself in the months following?

"I'm sorry your majesty, but did you say this is Elsa?" Gad questioned, clearly surprised.

"I am." Agdar affirmed. "This is your lost princess. My firstborn who was stolen from me fifteen years ago."

"Are you certain this is her?" Storstrand questioned him.

"Of course, it's her! Can you not see the resemblance?" Anna retorted as she stood next to Elsa.

"Anna…" Agdar spoke back in a firm tone.

"Sorry..."

"Anyways. I understand the skepticism, gentleman, especially after fifteen years, but I say with full confidence that this is my daughter."

Councilman Gad then spoke up. "While I do agree that the resemblance between this girl and the Princess is uncanny, is there any other way to confirm for sure? Not that I'm accusing her of intentionally impersonating the princess, but I'm saying we have to be a hundred percent sure."

Elsa glanced down at her hands. She remembered the words of Fritjoff telling her that anyone who saw her magic would see her as an abomination and that they will kill her or use her for their own gain. For a long time, she did believe that up until she met Anna. Even before finding out about their blood connection Anna was never afraid of Elsa's ice magic. Even Kristoff, though skeptical at first, seems to admire her gift. And though she had only been reunited with her parents for a short time they never seem to be afraid of being around her. And papa and Anna seem to trust these men greatly enough to keep her identity a secret for a time. If they trust them with that, maybe she can trust them to show her her magic.

Taking a step forward, Elsa laid out her palm. A small gust of snow emerges from her hand. Agdar and Anna quickly caught on to what Elsa was doing but kept their guard up. All three kept their attention on the three men watching. Storstrand's, Gad's, and Ruud's expressions were a mix of bewilderment, and awe at the magical snow coming out of her hand.

"I can make snow & ice," Elsa revealed to the three men. "I've had them since the day I was born. As far as I know, I'm the only person in the world who can do this. My father can confirm."

"Is what she's saying true, your majesty," Bishop Ruud glanced at Agdar.

Agdar let out a breath. "What she says is true. My eldest daughter, Elsa here, was born with it. At the time my father had been dead for about a decade yet the wounds of his death were still fresh in the kingdom. I was afraid of how people would've reacted to Elsa having magic, especially considering how many citizens blamed the Northuldra for his death. So Idun and I decided to keep that out of the public until the time was right of course. I'm sorry I never told you this but…I wanted to keep Elsa safe from any potiential scrutiny."

All three of the men remained silent for the next several minutes. Then the Bishop was the first to speak. "I think it's safe to say that Elsa here is our lost princess, gentlemen."

"I believe it as well," Storstrand confirmed. "Though I'm curious about this: How did you manage to find her?"

"Actually…Elsa found me," Anna responded.

Anna then explained what happened that fateful day back in February when Elsa saved her life from that blizzard, how she spent those three days with her, the secret visits that occurred in the months afterward, and that they both found out they were biological sisters just barely two days prior.

"And that's the whole story."

"That is quite the incredible tale you told, Princess," Ruud commented. "But why have you not told us that she helped you. We would've welcomed someone who saved your life into the castle."

"I think that was mostly my fault," Agdar admitted. " I was not fully honest about Elsa's gift to Anna when I told her. Mostly because I didn't think Anna would understand. Instead, it made Anna believe that I hated magic. If I had only put in more faith in Anna, perhaps Elsa would've come back much sooner…"

"Papa, that doesn't matter now. As Kristoff said, all that matters is that Elsa is here now."

Agdar smiled at his daughter. It's amazing to see how compassionate & kind she was. No doubt she will lead the kingdom well when or if the time came.

"Princess Anna is right. All it matters is that Princess Elsa is home now. Arendelle and all of Europe will rejoice to hear that she has returned!" Gad beamed.

"We're not going to tell the public for the time being," Agdar told him.

"What? Why your majesty? The kingdom will be happy to hear her return."

"I am very much aware, but I want to give my daughter a few weeks to adjust here."

"But my king, the kingdom had believed Elsa to be lost for almost two decades! Arendelle will be thrilled to see her returned! I just don't understand why you want to keep her hidden."

Agdar did not get the chance to explain because Anna decided to speak to the councilman. "Elsa had spent five years after her kidnapping with some maniac who did nothing but abuse her until she finally escaped when she was eight years old. Then she spent the next ten years surviving on her own in the wilderness. I was the first person she ever interacted with since she escaped. It took a while for her to get comfortable with me and Kristoff. Even though Arenedelle is her home Elsa has been away from here for a long time. Life here is different from what she knew in most other life. So I think maybe we should be considerate enough by giving her time to adjust to life here."

Everyone looked at the strawberry blonde teenager in shock, Agdar especially. The king had expected her to snap at the councilman, just as she did with Storstrand for even questioning Elsa's relation to her. Yet she was calm in her explanation. Anna had the regalness of a princess.

Elsa on the other hand got a warm feeling in her as she watched Anna defend her father's reasoning. Anna cares for her well-being. Getting adjusted to castle life may not be that big of a problem after all.

Councilman Gad stood still before giving out a response. "I…I see those are rather good points you made. I apologize if I was out of line. But if Princess Elsa is going to be out of public view for a while, what will she be doing? Wouldn't everyone in the castle question why an unknown woman is hanging around here all of sudden?"

"Elsa is gonna be known as 'Joan' for the time being. She'll be posing as my handmaiden," Anna explained.

"I need to ensure that it stays that way for the time being, which is why I brought you three here." Agdar faced the three men. "Captain Storstrand. You have been in service of the Arendelle Guard for almost as long as Elsa had been alive. Since becoming captain, Arendelle has been safe, including me and my family. I ask that you extend that courtesy to Elsa by keeping prying eyes away."

"I will protect her with my life, just as I do for everyone in Arendelle."

"Councilman Gad. There are many on the council, but I chose you because you're the one I trust most with this. You have been by my side since I lost my father and Mattias. You helped me out a lot in my years as king, especially during the dark months after Elsa was taken. Now that she's back I trust you to keep her hiding."

"You have my word, my King."

"Bishop Ruud. Anna told me that you were the first person she confided about Elsa when she came back?"

"Princess Anna left out certain details, name included, but she reasoned that it was to respect her privacy which I understood. The Princess asked me to keep our conversation between us."

"And I can't thank you enough for that Bishop," Anna stated with gratitude. "But can I ask you again to keep Elsa's identity a secret just until she's ready?"

"As I promised you back in February, the only one who will know aside from everyone in this room will be God himself, princess." Ruud turned to Elsa. "Elsa, I want to let you know that if you need anything, my chapel is always open."

"You're very nice, for a priest…" Elsa commented.

Ruud looked at Elsa curiously. "Oh?"

"My…captor told me that priests would see me as a witch, or a demon or something like that due to my gift. That they would kill me."

"Unfortunately, there are some priests, and bishops like that out there. They do it because they do not wish to understand. I am not such a priest. Your ice magic, however little I understand I believe to be a gift from God. There's nothing shameful about it."

Unbeknownst to the Bishop, a sense of relief left Agdar. While the king was certain that Storstrand and Gadd would not be an issue he was afraid of how the Bishop would react. Like Elsa stated there are those in his position that would've seen Elsa as a tool of the devil. While the bishop never outwardly express any negative opinion on magic, even after what happened to King Runeard, Agdar had arguments prepared just in case but it seem like they were not needed.

"Anna?" Agdar whispered to his youngest.

"Yeah, papa?" She whispered back.

"You made the right choice letting Ruud in on this."

Anna was touched by her father's words. He was proud of a call she made.

"Now that everything is settled. I trust you three know what you must do?" Each one of the three men nodded in agreement with their king. "Then you're all free to go. Thank you for taking the time to come here. I will let you know if anything changes."

One by one everyone proceeded out of the room. As Agdar tried to leave, he felt a gentle tap on his arm.

"If I may, your majesty, may I get a few moments of your time, alone?" Councilman Gad requested.

Agdar looked at his daughters standing in the doorway. The man assures them that he will catch up to them later on. It was enough to get them to leave the room. This left the two men in the room alone.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I'm still trying to comprehend that Princess Elsa is back. God, I can't believe it. I just assumed that she was…You know."

"I could not believe it myself when I saw her standing in the throne room. I thought for a moment my sleep deprivation from the days planning Anna's birthday was playing tricks on me. Once I touched her cheek it did it hit me that it was her."

"Are you sure it is wise to not announce her return now?"

"As Anna explained, Elsa has not been part of civilization since the day she was taken. Lord knows all of Europe will be frolicking over here to see themselves. Elsa was deprived of many choices. The least I can do is give her time to adjust. Let her see that she's safe."

"That's actually what I want to talk to you about."

"About what?"

The councilman took a moment to straighten himself. "Has Elsa shared any details about the ones who captured her?"

"I…I didn't ask. I've only had her back for two days." Agdar looked at the man with interest. "Why do you want to know?"

"A thought had occurred to me when Princess Anna shared the details of Princess Elsa's circumstances before her return. She mentioned how Elsa spent the five years after her capture being held captive by those responsible before escaping, correct?"

"She did."

"And the fact that Princess Elsa spent the next ten years in the wilderness…"

"What are you getting at?" Agdar demanded.

Gad let out a breath. "Put this into perspective, your majesty. Do you expect an eight-year-old child to survive in the wilderness alone?"

"I suppose not."

"And especially someone like Elsa who was held against her will from the aged to three to eight?"

"Mind getting to the point?"

"The fact that Elsa survived on her own for the next decade without anyone guiding her is proof that her captors most likely did not expect an eight-year-old to survive on her own. Yet here she is, alive and almost nineteen. Now let me ask you this, my king. What do you think those captors will do if they hear that the princess that was held captive for several years is alive?"

This epiphany struck the king like a rock being thrown at him. A hand-rubbed through his hair. How did this not occur to him? Agdar had long since given up trying to find the ones who captured his daughter. Now that she was back there was a possibility that could come back should he announce her return. What would they do if they heard such news? Would they try to take her again? Or would they try…to kill her?

"I...I did not think of that." Agdar shuddered. "I was so happy to have her back that it never crossed my mind."

"I do not blame you. I could see how joyous you are to have her back. I probably would be the same too." A stern look grew across Gad's expression. "But what I said is true. This is something you should take care of before you bring Princess Elsa to the public"

"I know but…I could see the fear in Elsa's eyes whenever the mere mention of her captor. I do not know much of the details but I could figure out what those people-no…monsters did to her. I'm not certain if she's in the right state to talk about it. And I'm not sure if I want to know the details."

"Forgive me if I sound a bit insensitive, but if you truly want to protect Elsa, you're gonna have to too. Princess Elsa is our best witness. Up until not that traitor Stonewall was, though he claimed to know nothing. And even if he did, he took his life a month into his incarceration. Dead men tell no tales after all."

Agdar did not say anything in response. Gad continued to speak.

"I'm not saying this to scare you, Agdar. I've known you since you were a child. I remember how you were in the months after Elsa's disappearance. You took that loss worse than when your father and Lieutenant Mattias were lost to us, may he and King Runeard rest in peace. I admit I don't have any children but I can imagine the pain you felt. I hate the thought of you going through that again."

Agdar let loose of his stiff posture as he listened to Gad's words. There was a reason why Agdar chose him to let him know Elsa. Unlike the men in the council, Gad tends to be more sympathetic towards Agdar and is seemingly the only one to remember that he was still a human being. Even when Agdar felt like the entire council was against him, Gad was always there to remind him they were doing what is best for Arendelle, while understanding the king's frustrations…

15 years ago…April 1821

"King Agdar, wait!"

Agdar did not bother to listen to Gad as he stormed out of the council room. For her was furious, outraged, and sick with anger! Agdar's march of anger ceased when he felt Gad tug his arm.

"Agdar! Listen to me!"

"You expect me to do that? After what the council just pulled!" Agdar's furious voice echoed off the walls of the hallway. "They voted to call off the searches for my daughter without telling me! And to make it better, Councilman Blackwell had the gall to say since Idun was pregnant I shouldn't have to worry about Elsa! The nerve of him!"

"Believe me, the rest of the council were just as appalled as you and I were. They're giving him an earful for that as we speak no doubt!"

"And you! How could you let this happen, Joshua?!"

"I did everything I could to have them extend the searches! But…They raised some good points."

"Like what?"

"Agdar…it's been two months. Whoever took Elsa doesn't want to be found. We covered every region that we could think of and found nothing. Send letters to every kingdom as far as Agrabah and they say they saw no sign of Elsa. Every lead that we had always ended up with a dead end. Chances are she's most likely-"

"Don't you dare say that word..."

"But you know it's true. Agdar, we can't spend any more resources on dead ends."

"I am not abandoning my daughter if she's still out there."

"But you can't abandon your kingdom, and the family you still have. You're not the only one that's hurting from Elsa's absence."

The furious expression on Agdar softens, mostly likely registering his words. As much Agdar does not want to admit it, Gad was right…

"Look I managed to convince the council to give at least today. Unless you find something, you' have too announce the end of the searches tomorrow.

Agdar did not say anything to the man. Instead, he resumed walking down the hallway, in a calming matter this time. "All he said to Gad before he left his site. "I'll find something. I will."

Gad could only standstill as he watched the heartbroken father walk down the hallway.

"Agdar?" Gad called out to him

"Once again, you raised some good points." A breath escaped the king. "Thank you for sharing your concern."

"There's certainly no rush for you to make any moves. You do what you need to do what's best for Elsa for the time being. But there must be a time when I need to talk to Elsa about her captors. It may as well be the only way to keep her safe."

Gad exited the study. Agdar was alone in the room for a good while. The king made his way over to the balcony looking over the courtyard. Down below he could see his daughters with the Bishop who was showing Elsa the cathedral. It still feels surreal seeing her in the walls of this castle. All he wants is for Elsa to be not only happy but safe as well. He will not make the same mistakes he did when she was taken, and he most certainly makes the same mistake he did with Anna

It won't be easy, but he's certain he will get there.

So Agdar made certain people aware of Elsa's presence, while becoming aware of a potential problem that could arose in the coming future now that Elsa is back home.

In real life news, I finally finished college. That means its off to the real world for me *shudders in fear*. Also I posted portions of this story on Archive of our Own (AO3) if any of you have an account please go support this fic on there as well if you can. I hope you guys like this short but enjoyable chapter.

Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews. Happy Reading