Frozen III: Zenith

Chapter 2

Two years have passed since the royal wedding. Two fast, yet slow years. The one thing that happens without fail is the rise of the sun, which today shines on Arendelle, a bustling kingdom for its size. Market stalls have lines going for blocks through the streets, fishermen dock to unload their bountiful hauls, and Anna sits down at a desk in her and Kristoff's bedroom to write. She touches the tip of a feather to ensure its sharpness, and she dips it in a small vial of ink. She brings the makeshift pen down to the tan paper to inscribe upon it whatever it is she wishes to inscribe. Only she knows. At this moment, almost as if planned, a knock is heard on the door.
"Anna!" A voice calls.
Anna sets the feather down in the ink and gets up, going to the door with a smile on her face, as she recognizes the voice. She puts her hand on the door's handle, but then thinks the better of it.
"What's the password?" She asks playfully.
"Come on, Anna," the voice says. "Just let me in."
"What's the password?" She asks again, with a hint of taunt in her voice.
The voice sighs and gives in. "Who cares about danger when there's love?"
Anna opens the door, almost jumping in place with excitement. The voice's owner hugs Anna immediately.
"It's been too long," Elsa says, breaking the hug to hold Anna's arms.
"Did he finally propose?" Anna asks impatiently.
Elsa sends snow into Anna's face.
"That is for holding the door on me," she says seriously.
"Come on, Elsa, did he?" Anna asks. "Is Jacksa officially happening?"
"Jacksa?"
"You know, 'Jack' and 'Elsa' in one word?"
"No, I know. But you know what that sounds like."
"Yeah, I do. Kristoff came up with it."
"Of course he did," Elsa rolls her eyes. "But, while Jack didn't propose to me, he did give me this."
Elsa holds up her right wrist, showcasing a bracelet. Not just any bracelet, but a clear, medium-blue, perfect-circle bracelet, completely flawless.
"Whoa," Anna reacts, taking Elsa's wrist in her hands. "Did you make this?"
"He did," Elsa corrects.
"Kristoff! Olaf! Sven!" Anna screams. "Come see what Elsa--"
"Quiet down," Elsa says, pushing her arms down to signal Anna to shush herself. Footsteps from outside are heard, and Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven break into the room.
"Did Jack finally propose?" Olaf asks Elsa.
"It's happening," Kristoff says, putting his hand on his forehead as if in shock. "It's finally happening. Jack and I are going to be brothers!"
"Only in the loosest sense of the word," Olaf wet-blankets the blonde mountaineer.
"Don't turn this around," Anna tells the boys. "This is Elsa's moment."
"Yeah," Elsa says, annoyed, "and if you listened for a minute, you'd realize that he did not propose yet. He only gave me this bracelet." She holds up her wrist. "But it means so much."
A short silence ensures, broken by the queen.
"Well...?" Anna pries at Elsa.
"Well, what?" She asks, immediately regretting it.
"Aren't you going to ask me?" Anna continues.
"Ask you what?" Elsa tries to prolong Anna's wish.
"You know..." Anna attempts to get Elsa to ask.
"Legitimacy is a great thing to have," Olaf speaks his mind, "but who cares about legitimacy if it's true love?"
"Fine," Elsa gives in, smiling at her sister's immaturity over the situation. "Can we have your blessing on our still-pending marriage that you think for whatever reason if going to be very, very soon?"
"It's been two years," Anna replies.
"Kristoff took three."
"Well, no," Anna states, becoming serious, squinting her eyes a little to act the part.
"No?" Elsa expresses surprise.
Anna starts laughing. "Of course you have my blessing," Anna ends the joke, "and even if you didn't, you could still do what I... well, what I..."
"Hans and Anna, sitting in a tree," Olaf recites the old tune, "F-R-Z-I-Y-N-G!"
"Come on," Anna says, taking Elsa's hand and running between the barricade of man, snowman, and reindeer, "there's something I want to give you!"
Kristoff watches the sisters dash down the hall. He looks at his left hand, seeing his simple silver ring.
"Remember when you were young and in love?" Olaf asks him, putting an arm against Kristoff, crossing his legs, and looking at his fingers in his free hand.
"Okay, snowman," Kristoff says, "first off, I'm still young and in love. And second, Anna and I were the first to get married, so, uh... yeah."
"Oookay," Olaf acts confused as Kristoff walks away. "Someone is jealous of--"
"At least I'm married!" Kristoff calls back, putting his left hand up and pointing his right at it.
"What's up with him?" Olaf asks Sven, who responds with a dumbfounded reindeer response.
*~*~*~*
Anna giggles as she opens a door with her right hand, continuing to lead Elsa with her left. The room they enter is largely empty, save a chest and a small wardrobe, so small it can fit only one suit or dress, depending on the user.
"Okay, Anna," Elsa says, keeping her constant coolness. "What is it you wanted to give me?"
Anna wordlessly opens the door to the wardrobe. A cloud moves away from the sun, sending sun onto the old, white wedding dress inside the closet.
"Anna, is this..." Elsa looks at Anna, who gestures her head at the dress. Elsa feels its old-fashioned fabric in her hands, calmly shocked at what she is seeing.
"Mother's wedding dress," Anna explains. "We were going through everything they left behind. You know, decluttering your life. Everyone's doing it now."
"Are they?" Elsa turns her head.
"Um..."
"Right." Elsa turns back to continue examining the dress.
"Anyway," continues Anna, "I found this in the corner of Father and Mother's room. I, of course, am already married, and you can't remarry someone unless you get a divorce or an annulment first, and you can't just--"
"Anna."
"Yeah?"
Elsa gives Anna a look that says to stop rambling and restart storytelling.
"I can't get married again," Anna goes on, "so I thought that when--"
Elsa looks at Anna.
"--if you and Jack got married, well, you could wear it."
"It's beautiful," Elsa comments.
"I know!" Anna squeals. "And you're would look so pretty in it!"
"I'd hope so."
"Come on, Elsa. When will you finally see yourself the way I see you?"
"Okay, Anna. And how is that?"
"Elsa, standing here, in this room," Anna begins, taking Elsa's hands in her, "is a strong, confident, beautiful young lady."
Elsa smiles.
"And you," Anna adds, eliciting a playful punch in the arm from Elsa. A comfortable silence ensues, as the mimic violence lingers in the minds of the royal siblings.
"We're going to have so much fun tomorrow!" Anna squeals with delight.
"Wait, what?" Elsa responds, lost in thought.
"I planned a whole day for you and me tomorrow," Anna replies, skipping ahead down the hall. "We're going to do so much stuff. Don't worry, I got Kristoff to take care of the kingdom for me. He knows how to do it."
*~*~*~*
A fire rages in an above-ground stone pit. The night stands silent in the fields around the small, makeshift blacksmith's hut. A sword is thrown into a bucket which is lowered into the inferno. The weapon is reduced to liquid in the intensity of the heat, and a heavily-gloved hand dips its forefinger and middle finger into the thick glop, raising it to its owner's face. The appendages rub the metal in an oval on the right cheek of the head, and, upon completion, are given a shake, removing any excess sword remains. As the material slowly drips, a second figure with a small knife removes the runny portions of the quickly-hardening substance on the forehead, forming a near-perfect ellipse. The original fingers lower into the heated sword soup a second time, this time applying it on the lower part of the right cheek. Again, an attendant molds the metal into a form-fitting oval. A third application finds itself on the left side of the face, about an inch from both left eye and nose. To complete the trifecta, the second man forms this spot into a circle, though not immaculately, as circles are difficult to mold.
"There," the metal-faced figure declares menacingly. "The solution is found. My scars are covered, and I have a face that will inflict fear into any who dares strike their gaze upon it."
The injured tosses a bag of coins at the attendant.
"Keep it," the scarred gifts. "I'll have much more when I am through." Sighing to himself, he adds, "This is it. What I have worked for is about to come to fruition. It worked once, and it'll work again. In the morning. Now, I ride!" The man gets on a horse waiting outside the hut and rides off into the dark beyond.
*~*~*~*
The sun rises. Birds chirp. The leaves of the green trees are wet with dew, as are the flowers around the base of their trunks. Sunlight finds its way into Anna and Kristoff's bedroom through a crack in the curtains, falling onto Anna's face. She does not wake, however; rather, she continues on in her deep slumber, ignorant of the fact that her hair is a mess and her pillow is at her feet. She snores with an open mouth, and a few stray strands of her single-braided hair have found their way into her mouth. The bedsheets have been kicked away overnight, only still in contact with the queen by hanging over her feet and ankles. The covers lay partially over the side of the bed to the right, and onto the other half on the left. The sunbeam moves across Anna, across the no-man's-land on every bed shared by two, and onto the highest-ranked man in the country, waking Kristoff, whose sleeping habits differ greatly from his wife's. He springs up as if he had never been asleep. His eyes silently lament the fact that they, too, have to put an end to the sleep that was rightfully theirs, earned by a hard day's work of doing nothing, save everything. He notices the pillow at the other corner of the bed. Stretching and yawning, he gets out of the bed and walks to the large window. He peaks out, pulling the curtain to the side with one hand and shading his eyes with the other. Various busybodies, though few in number, bustle in the streets, preparing for a day of selling, buying, and fellowship. Kristoff pulls the curtain to its normal nighttime state, making sure no gap is left so as to keep the yellow starlight out. He walks to the foot of the bed and grabs the pillow. He lifts Anna's head and gives it its soft slab to rest upon; he then pulls her hair out of her mouth and tucks it behind her ear; finally, he shuts her mouth and pulls the covers up close to her chin. He sighs a sigh mixed with sorrow and contentment, sad at the inevitable advancement of the day's plans made over the previous week, and satisfied with the current state of his life. He would not have it any other way.
He walks to the door slowly, holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, the world will stop spinning so that he could return to sleep, peaceful sleep, dreamy sleep. He yawns a second time and looks back at the bed longingly, wishing he could, perhaps for eternity, envelop himself in the soft covers, the kind only used now in hotels. Alas, he realizes the truth: he must press on with the day, regardless of his desire for sleep, blissful sleep. He opens the door, now ready and prepared to begin the day and meet its obligations. Unfortunately, his worst fear is met: an anthropomorphic snowman is waiting for this moment which was dreadfully wished to be avoided. Kristoff, as usual, does not want to deal with Olaf's childlike mind frame.
"What is it now?" Kristoff asks Olaf sleepily.
"Do you ever wonder," Olaf states with a hint of philosophy in his tone, "why frogs croak? Or why lions roar?"
"It's in their biology," Kristoff concedes, rubbing his eyes, adding, "You know early morning isn't a good time to be philosophic with me. I need maybe... five... hours."
"I see," Olaf says, squinting at Kristoff, despite being wide awake. "I will come to you no later than eleven-thirty, and we will talk then."
"Olaf--"
"Don't 'Olaf' me! Being a plebian of the modern age has its psychological troubles. Of course, being royalty, you wouldn't know."
Olaf canters off whimsically, worrying in his own mind about whatever it is on which snowmen dwell their thoughts.
Kristoff walks to the wall in front of him to look at the pictures hung upon it, faded as they might appear due to candlelight being the only source of brightness in the hallway. A hint of smile appears on his face and his eyes as he gazes at the pictures. The first, on the left, is a portrait, a realistic rendering of Kristoff with those closest to him: Anna, Sven, Elsa, and Olaf. In the middle is Kristoff with the Trolls, a tough image to obtain, owing to the Trolls' rambunctiousness and constant failure to listen to direction. On the right is a picture of himself with a clenched fist raised on his right, slightly in front of him. To his right is Anna, looking as happy as one would expect a bride to be. Her own left hand is holding the groom's arm with her left hand, and flowers in her right. A bouquet of roses and daffodils. Anna's favorites. The events of that joyous day briefly, yet with painstaking detail, pass through the still half-asleep mind of the ice harvester. He touches Anna's beaming face with the back of his fingers, wishing he could relive that moment. That moment when he had never been prouder or happier. He knows that Anna is his to keep, and he takes solace in this.
"I love you, Anna," he whispers to himself emotionally. Sadly, his contemplative moment must come to an end. Acknowledging this in his own mind, he walks left, head down, towards the spiral staircase leading downstairs. What awaits at the bottom is a list of things to do, checklists to complete, and obligations to fulfill. While these things are not those befitting to a rugged mountaineer, he makes note of the point that if it were not for Anna, he would not have such a life as this. He adjusts his attitude halfway down the staircase to become that of royalty: outward optimism and calm. He is ready to meet the day's demands, those of his position and his people.
*~*~*~*
Light blue walls, periwinkle, stand still in the dawn. They remain unchanging as the bustle of day moves in the rooms around it and streets below it, even inside its perimeter. Unknowingly, they know that the recent constant of a familiar guest residing in their chambers will come to a close, as she has her own demands to meet. Elsa sleeps peacefully, her right cheek against the cool, soft pillow, as she has habitually done for every night as long as she can remember. Her eyes wake after a few blinks; even in sleep, she knows what time it is, and that it is time to call the time of starry darkness complete. She sits up, moving her hands over her eyes once upwards, as if trying to glue her eyelids above her eyes to prevent herself from that occurrence that is all too common to the human race. She looks at the nightstand on her right, and leans over to open the small, ornately decorated drawer. Inside sits her bracelet, obtained the previous day from her lover. Elsa takes the bracelet and slides it on her right wrist. She silently stares at it, its crystal-blue diamond-like material reflecting its wearer. Turning her hand slowly, she examines every part of the bracelet, as if inspecting it to ensure its readiness for sale, or perhaps trade. The blue band is unblemished and shiny, though it will inevitably fade from exposure to the sun as time runs its course. It mirrors its owner, literally and figuratively: a strive for perfection combined with the calm of tranquility which only comes with inner peace. It is hers to keep and wear as she pleases, and her excitement is immeasurable to show it off to everyone. However, she must ignore this desire, as it would be unbecoming of a former queen and a spirit to run to every living soul and share what is going on in her own life. Rather, she must attend to the needs of other people on most days. But today is not like other days. It is her vacation from being guardian of the Enchanted Forest, and she is going to enjoy it. In fact, she is going to spend time with her favorite and only sister, a day always eagerly anticipated by both sides. Her sympathy for her brother-in-law, having to deal with running a kingdom by himself for a day, a task he will easily accomplish, is ignored in wait of the impending hour's happenings. She looks to her door and gets out of bed to approach it, ready to start the day with a boldness for the new that resides within those experienced with adventure and danger. She swings the door open, having already forgotten of the chambers at her back. Unnoticed, however, is her own creation, eagerly anticipating this moment.
"Elsa," Olaf gets the attention of the named.
"Yes, Olaf?" Elsa responds, trying to be receptive to the views another might have on life.
"Why would anyone," Olaf wonders, "ever spend money on things besides necessities? If they aren't necessary, why bother?"
Elsa looks at her bracelet and chuckles, not looking up from her left hand. "Some people want to have things to enjoy."
"That answer came a lot more easily than I thought it would."
"Okay, Olaf. I'm going to go get breakfast now. Do you want to get some?" Elsa inquires.
"No, not until later," Olaf denies. "I need a little time after waking to let the ol' engine get running."
"Your insides are made of snow," Elsa points out.
"That's true. But it still takes a while," Olaf defends himself.
Elsa smiles and proceeds in the direction of the spiral staircase recently traversed by Kristoff, passing the pictures on the way, but paying no attention to them.
*~*~*~*
Olaf remains standing where Elsa left him, in a hall outside her bedroom door. He knows that anyone's private quarters are private, so he shuts the ajar door in an act of temptation prevention, as, despite common sense, he wishes to ransack the room, as anyone would when it is determined that something is off limits. He skips and hums up the hall, ignorant of all trouble in the world, not caring to think that crime may exist or evil may lurk. Instead, he exists in his own mind, living his life as he sees fit, regardless of what others think about him. His relationships with those whose opinions actually matter to him are different and strong. With Anna, he can be quirky, playful, and even philosophical, knowing the queen can take it in stride. Elsa, who brought him into existence five years ago, is like a playmate. She is his favorite to host snowball fights, ice skating sessions, and anything else a snowman might find recreational. Kristoff is like an older brother, who tolerates but does not appreciate any nagging thoughts or questions the younger may have. In fact, Olaf might bug him on purpose, intent on generating a negative reaction from Kristoff, a source of constant amusement. Finally, with Sven, Olaf can be his truest self. Curiosity and demands to not bother the reindeer; in fact, he appreciates Olaf's company, as his original owner's jobs of administration keep him busy. Olaf's life is as exciting as he might want it to be, and with those he loves all around him, he has no reason to desire anything else.
*~*~*~*
As usual, Anna is the last to wake. Every morning, it is the same: Kristoff jolts out of bed and leaves the bedroom, gifting Anna a few precious minutes to have all the covers and pillows to herself. Of course, being the heavy sleeper that she is, this is unnoticed. This small, seemingly insignificant daily occurrence reflects Anna's personality. She presses on in life, unaware of what is happening around her, so as long as it does not pertain to her. What Kristoff does is his own business, so long as it does not involve herself. Even when matters relate to her, so long as they are not important or potentially damaging, does she feel the need to become involved. After an extra hour in bed by herself, a knock is heard on the door, as it is every morning, day in and day out.
"Queen Anna?" Kai, the head attendant, attempts to wake the sleeping ruler. No answer, as per the norm.
"Queen Anna?" Kai has to ask again, this time a little louder, tapping on the door twice more to ensure any intentional noise he makes might bring the sleeping out of nighttime's dreary spell.
"Queen Anna!" Kai calls loudly. It is not quite a shout, but definitely noisy enough to accomplish his goal.
"What is it?" Anna calls back, sitting up in bed, stretching, without opening her eyes.
"It is seven o'clock, your majesty," Kai informs. "It is time you start your day."
"That's... good to know..." Anna responds, slipping back off to sleep without laying back down.
Kai grunts in frustration and looks around, hoping to find something to use to bring the queen to attention. He sees his own foot and kicks low on the door. Where he kicks, there is a small divot in the wood. Not from this quick strike, but from being impacted once a morning, each morning, for the previous two years.
"I'm coming!" Anna wakes up immediately and straight-up yells at Kai, who walks away unoffended. He is used to being treated like this every morning, and is no longer hampered by it. What he looks forward to, however, is the daily apology he receives from a regretful queen. Both know that the same tradition will be repeated again the next morning, and they find solace in the fact that this routine almost never changes.
What has changed, on the contrary, is Anna's relationships with those around her. She can still taste the hair in her mouth, but it is not present, owing to her husband having lovingly removed it for her. She loves Kristoff for the little things: taking the hair out of her mouth, which becomes unhinged overnight; agreeing to run Arendelle for a day so that she may spend time with her sister; discreetly swapping their dessert plates if he sees that his serving is bigger than hers; things like that. Even though they had a rocky start, they found mutual comfort within one another, the kind only felt by two people who were made for each other. Anna had found true love, though not without first obtaining familial love lost so long ago. After being struck in the head by Elsa's powers, Anna grew up believing that her sister shut her out for no apparent reason. Despite this, Anna still loved her, and tried to get the best out of what she had. When she finally got her relationship with her sister back, she became determined never to lose it, and to make up for all the time of a lost childhood. They did such childish things as building snowmen, drawing pictures, playing tag and the like. Yes, Anna and Elsa share the closest bond that two siblings ever had. One thing makes Anna scared, and it is the thought that either of these relationships could be gone in an instant. She ignores this fear and presses onward, bringing out the best in everybody and herself.
Upon realization that she has a full day planned for herself and Elsa, Anna springs out of bed and dashes to the wardrobe in her room, taking out a dress carefully selected for the day. She has not worn red in a long time, and hopes to generate a reaction of shock from her sister. The brown trim on the dress enhanced its redness altogether, and the occasional note of green gives it a Christmassy, oriental look.
Within minutes, Anna slides down the railing of the spiral staircase, a practice performed hundreds, nay, thousands of times that she is incapable of failure. She has mastered the art of not crashing into one of the suits of armor that lines the wall waiting at the bottom, a technique subconsciously worked on for years. She sprints for the dining room to grab breakfast as quickly as she can, believing that Elsa has already eaten and is waiting outside. Kristoff sleepily eats at the table, slowly hacking away at a stack of pancakes. Anna ignores the pancakes and other pastries, save the muffins. She chooses a blueberry muffin, this being her favorite flavor. She chooses a banana to eat, as well, and leaves the dining room as rapidly as she had come in, uttering only a quick "Hi, Kristoff" upon entrance and "Bye, Kristoff" upon exit. Anna stuffs the muffin in her mouth while running to have it consumed at the fastest rate possible, and she swallows as she runs across the bridge that leads to the gates. Elsa is waiting at the end. When Anna gets close to her sister, Elsa steps on the ground. A sheet of ice covers the walkway in front of her, and Anna cannot slow herself down in time, and she slips and falls onto the bricks below.
"What took you so long?" Elsa asks sarcastically, helping Anna up.
"Hardy, har, har," Anna reacts.
"So," Elsa says. "What did you have planned for today?"
"Well, first we're going to go for a walk," Anna declares, "so I can eat this banana."
They start walking into the heart of Arendelle as Anna quickly consumes her banana.
"There," Elsa comments. "It took you thirty seconds. Now what are we going to do?"
"I have an idea," Anna grins mischievously, "but I don't think you can handle it."
"Oh, come on," Elsa protests. "I can handle it."
"Are you sure?" Anna questions.
"I'm sure whatever it is," Elsa states, "is a good idea."