Frozen 3

Chapter 24

Anna

For days I could see that Kristoff was not well. No matter how much I told him that I was convinced he would make an excellent king, he didn't seem convinced. Understanding his perplexity about his future duties as a king, I decided to hire a teacher who would teach him everything he needed to know. He would then be given an accelerated education to learn the customs, traditions and to understand all the political, sociological and economic issues of our kingdom. I hoped that this would make Kristoff more serene and prepared, even though deep down I doubted that he would adjust to this new life so quickly.

***

While I was lost in thought, there was a knock on my bedroom door.

"Come in," I said simply.

Then I saw Gerda, the maid, enter hurriedly.

"Oh, your majesty! You're still not dressed," she said, putting a hand to her mouth in astonishment.

I then noticed that I had been lying on my bed most of the morning without bothering to groom myself. I looked at the clock in the opposite corner of my room. It read ten forty-five past.

"Do I need to remind you, Your Highness, that you have to give audiences to the people of Arendelle in just fifteen minutes?" continued Gerda as she searched for a suitable outfit in my wardrobe.

Damn, I thought, I forgot again. I jumped out of bed, grabbed the first corset I could find and went behind the screen to change. After putting on my underwear, the maid helped me into the long black and apple green dress she had chosen. I had just enough time to quickly braid my hair before I heard the clock strike eleven. I grabbed my crown, which I had left on my nightstand, and ran through the castle. I arrived breathless in the throne room, where Kai, the butler, was trying to maintain calm and order among the people of Arendelle already there. As I entered, all eyes were on me, and after a short moment of silence, a stream of untimely remarks came to me:

"Your Majesty! There are more and more children in class, it's becoming unbearable! We must create a new school!""The price of bread has almost doubled in recent months! It is not possible anymore! You must increase our wages!""One of my workers got hurt this week. I need to put up posters in Arendelle to recruit a new one. Will you give me permission?""What are you going to do with the dead trees? Shouldn't we get rid of them?"

Here we go again... I thought.

***

I dropped from exhaustion into one of the dining room chairs. I had spent nearly two hours listening to every complaint of the people of Arendelle and trying to find solutions. My usual energy seemed to have completely vanished. I was starving now. Kristoff came in, looking just as exhausted as I was. He sat down at the other end of the table and smiled weakly at me. I opened my mouth to ask him how his morning had gone but didn't get the chance. Kai entered at that moment, followed by two servants holding plates topped with bells at arm's length.

"Pork roast and fried potatoes," he announced with a solemn air.