Queen of Winter

Chapter 18 - Dun'Broch

Heey I'm sorry for that it's been so long. Alas, writers block.
Here ya go!

I laid down on the big canopy bed that I'd been allotted to by the Queen when we got to Dun'Broch. Queen Elinor seemed kind, but maybe a bit too strict. Well, she was much older than I and had been raised with much higher potential. I hadn't seen Princess Merida yet, I guess I would meet her at the dinner that was going to be in an hour. There was a knock on the door- A special Anna-knock. I smiled and sat up. "Come in!"
"Hiiii," Anna said when she came in and sat down next to me.
"I just wanted to see if you were okay."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little bit tired."
Anna nodded and looked at the clock.
"We should get ready for dinner now," she said.
"Yes," I answered, "What about changing in our rooms and then do our hair here?"
"That's great," Anna said and stood up. "See ya."
Anna left the room and I started gathering my clothes as I fell deep in thoughts. My meeting with Hans made me shiver inside, and what he shouted at me was still ringing in my head.
You are the real monster.
After all I'd done, I felt that was the truth. 'But no,' I told myself, 'You're not. Hans is making you feel that way, and he wanted to kill us.' But still- I was aware that I was hurting the henchmen. In the middle of the chaos I found a way to protect myself and that made me feel so powerful. But feared. And that's not what I want. And the killing could end up killing myself- Like Hans, balancing between proving he is worth something or feel the same unworthiness once again to then be killed. In that case, living is worse than death.

I, Anna and Kai stood in front of the entrance to the Great Hall. The big brown doors flung open. Inside were a big stone room, with three tables, and lots of people. The royal family sat at the middle table - There was a huge red-haired man, King Fergus, and Queen Elinor on his side. On the other side of Fergus sat a girl with a green dress and lots of red curly hair - Princess Merida. Screeching sounds of the instruments called 'bagpipes' started playing, and I smiled a surprised smile to hide that I didn't like their type of music. We went further into the room, and I glanced at Anna to see her just as surprised as I was, but I was sure she was more exited, and I was more nervous. The music finally stopped and King Fergus stood up.
"Their royal majesties, Elsa and Anna of Arendelle, welcome to Dun'Broch!"
I smiled and nodded in response, because it felt weird to shout back to him.
"We are delighted to see that you could come. Eeeh..." Fergus voice faded away as he thought of something to say. Elinor was about to continue when Merida interrupted her. "Sit down!" She said impatiently and added a smile.
Anna made a motion to walk forward but my confused expression made her stop. This family probably wasn't as formal as in Arendelle.
"Seriously, sit down," Merida insisted.
Me and Anna awkwardly sat down at the table and the people around us broke into applause. Anna put her hand to her mouth to stop her from giggling, this really was a weird situation. Everyone started talking around us and I immediately felt more comfortable. I looked at the many dishes on the large table - There was beef, smoked salmon, broth, haggis, cheese, roasted lamb and chicken, from what I could see. I was starving, and it smelled delicious so I filled my plate at once. Fergus cleared his throat. "Is Dun'Broch to your liking, so far?"
"Yes, yes, very much. Everything is so different from Arendelle - The nature, the castle, the food, but it's still great."
"Yeah, it's a whole new world," Anna agreed.

The next hour consisted of eating and talking about our kingdoms. Anna and Merida talked more privately sometimes. They laughed and got along well, making me feel jealous. Anna was an extrovert princess, which gave her the freedom to get along easy with all kinds of people. I was left out talking with Fergus and Elinor.

Then everyone went out in the entrance hall, and we stood there a while until we were invited back into the Great Hall. The tables had now been moved to leave place for all people to dance, and music was playing. The ball had started.

After getting something to drink I found Merida and Anna in the dancing crowd. They spotted me and started to make their way towards me through all the dancing couples.
"Elsa!" Anna exclaimed and looked at my glass. "Where did you get that?"
"Over there," I said and pointed at a table along the wall. "It has drinks and desserts and stuff."
"That sounds nice," Anna said and smiled. "Merida, want to go there?"
"Nah, you can go. But... get me something to drink will you?"
"Sure," Anna said and disappeared into the crowd.
"So, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, huh?" Merida spoke.
A flashback came to my mind.

"So, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, huh?" Jack asked.
"No, the....Snow Queen."
"Ah, I knew you you were that kind of 'bad girl!'"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, leaving the kingdom and building an ice palace on the top of a mountain..."
"Shut up!" I said playfully.

"Um, yeah," I replied and looked up at Merida.
There was a moment of awkward silence before Merida spoke again.
"What do you like to do in Arendelle?"
"Well... fishing and horseback riding is popular in the village, but the royal family haven't been involved in activities for a long time. Anna and I usually just ride our bikes, skate... and then I have my powers as well. I use them for skating, of course..." I laughed a bit and added, "I freeze the whole courtyard and everyone wants to join us!"
Merida laughed too. "That sounds wonderful!"
"What do you do in Dun'Broch?"
"Oh, I ride a lot on Angus, my Scottish Shire horse. As you've seen, the kingdom is surrounded by deep forests. It's such an adventure to go there. I also love archery. I started when I was five, so it's a big part of my life."
Just as Merida finished her last sentence, the bagpipers started playing again.
"Oh no, they're at it again," Merida yelled over the loud noise.
I glanced towards the musicians.
"They start at eight o'clock every morning, I get so tired of them!" Merida chanted on.
I didn't really pay attention to what Merida said because I'd suddenly noticed that one of the bagpipe players looked very familiar and had unusually white hair for his age. However, I was interrupted by Anna who'd just come back with two drinks, and beside her was Kai with a large plate full of desserts.
"I just love parties," she giggled.

The evening went along well and I learned that Merida was a really nice person. I danced and talked with Anna and Merida for hours and enjoyed myself more than I thought I would. When the party ended I was both tired and happy.