The Littlest Royal

~Chapter 1~

Ellie bends down to observe a line of ants in between crevices of the castle gardens. The afternoon sun shone brilliantly, almost reflecting off the streets of Arendelle. Chirping birds filled the summer air. Olaf kept a watchful eye on the sporadic four-year-old. She had the energy of a cheetah. She wore a comfy pastel yellow dress, spotted with various flowers complete with a coral pink bow lightly tied around her waist. In her opinion, cute pigtails were fitting for every occasion.

Her parents often spent time diligently fulfilling their roles as king and queen. So, she often spent her days exploring the assortment of greenery in the castle garden–under the care of Olaf. She enjoyed being outside and yearned to learn more about it. Catching bugs and playing in dirt was highly inadvisable...but she loved it! No amount of disgusted looks from her mother stopped this little rascal! But Anna still adored her, even though she tracked mud inside the castle. Kristoff didn't really mind Ellie getting dirty–he didn't mind a little mud himself!

In the corner of her eye, Ellie spots her parents right outside the castle door. She runs to them almost tripping and grabs Anna by the leg.

"Mama!"

Anna, who was having a conversation about an important matter, abruptly turns her attention to Ellie. Smiling fondly, she bends down to scoop her up. Ellie leans in and closes her eyes, comforted by her mother's embrace.

"Yes sir, traded goods from Weasel-Town seem to be minimal..." Kristoff trails off with a former Arendellian baker who was struggling to bake pastries with little to no ingredients. I don't want anything to do with them...especially the Duke. He explained to him that there were plenty of ingredients being shipped from all over the country, and there was no need to worry. The conversation ended with a polite bow from a content citizen. He turns to his wife. "Hi darl–" He stops, realizing that Ellie ran off with Olaf. He blinked at Anna, visibly looking sad.

"I–I feel like a bad papa."

"Why?"

"She's growing up so fast and I feel like I'm too..." He pauses to slump down on a stone bench. "Distant?" Anna follows suit, sitting next to him.

"....Look. It's hard being a king and father. Especially since you used to be an ice-cutting troll-dweller!" Kristoff smirks side-eyeing Anna. "But you're putting your best foot forward for the kingdom and your daughter...that says a lot." Anna continues, placing her hand on Kristoff's shoulder. He looks up at the endless blue sky, inhaling the fresh air. "Your heart's in the right place," Anna nearly whispers. Kristoff loosens up his shoulders at the words of his wife.