Small Twists of Fate

Chapter Forty One

Ariel and Persephone quickly made their way to the council chambers; Ariel making the necessary calls to bring forth her council.

Some members, it seemed, did not require a phone call as they learned upon reaching the chamber's doors.

"Kristoff, you didn't need to come with me," Elsa said, clearly trying to calm down her brother-in-law who was angrily pacing in front of the locked council room's doors. "I could easily represent Arendelle for this council meeting."

"Elsa, you don't get it. I need to be here. I need to see that...woman is too nice of a word for what I want to call her but I'm before royalty so I'll hold my tongue."

"...You're a king," Elsa said, sounding slightly bemused. "And I abdicated, remember?"

"Ariel and Lady Persephone are standing behind you," Kristoff told her, still pacing back and forth.

"Ah...so they are," Elsa said as she looked over her shoulder to see the aforementioned women, Malionë still happily content in her mother's arms. "Queen Ariel, Lady Persephone, it's nice to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same Queen Elsa," Ariel said. "Unfortunately, I've called this council meeting on the bequest of your brother-in-law. A bequest that came after he provided some footage I asked for from the docks."

"...That would explain the angry pacing," Elsa said. "What did the footage contain, may I ask? Hopefully, it's nothing Arendelle's done and if anyone has, I will find out the culprit at once."

Ariel shook her head. "I haven't had the chance to view the footage, Elsa. Though I trust that Kristoff would have told me had the footage implicated Arendelle in anyway."

"Of course I would have!" Kristoff exclaimed, still angrily pacing.

"Okay, what's got the Ice Man all riled up?" Aladdin asked as he and Eugene made their way toward the council's chambers.

"Yeah Kristoff, I don't think I've ever seen you like this," Eugene nodded. "Then again, you've never attended a council meeting with Leah so that makes sense now that I think about it."

Elsa shook her head as Kristoff continued to pace. "He won't say what's bothering him, only that we have to wait until the council meeting. Anna was concerned but thankfully Akiho decided to do something cute the moment we left so she'll be focused on that rather than worried about what's bothering Kristoff."

Malionë decided that would be the perfect moment to coo, as if to say that Akiho wasn't the only baby who could do something cute.

"Oh hello there," Eugene said with a grin as he saw Malionë. "I am so sorry we failed to greet you, my Lady."

Malionë made a small face at that, if it was possible for a baby to make a face, causing Eugene and Aladdin to chuckle.

"Seems she's not fond of her title," Aladdin said.

"Takes after her father," Persephone shook her head.

Hercules chuckled as he walked up. "There are worse people to take after," he said as he gave Persephone a smile. "How is Uncle Hades doing?"

"He's doing well," Persephone told him, opting to ignore Eugene and Aladdin's shocked looks upon hearing Hercules call Hades 'uncle'. "Hates to have Malionë leave his sight but I'm just as guilty of that, hence her attendance today."

"Well I see no harm in having her attend," Hercules said. "I'm always happy to see my little cousin."

"And I believe she is always happy to see you as well," Persephone said with a smile as Malionë cooed softly. "Are we waiting on anyone else?"