To Thaw a Hero's Heart

Chapter Thirty-Six: Within the Darkness

Chapter Thirty-Six: Within the Darkness

Past several weeks since the defeat of Joseph and everyone seemed to move on with their daily lives all except Mathias as he looked around and still thought of the men that died next to him and he never got their names and yet this made him feel guilty as he wandered around the area the damages weren't fully repaired yet but he could still see the damages done by the cannons and the guns used that day. He was getting tired of the bloodshed and the deaths caused by him or because of him he was sick of it all and just wanted a life from the chaos but even he couldn't escape that, not even as a human. With a heavy sigh he began to wander down another street surveying the progress of reconstruction. He stopped and watched in interest as a few men trying to lift a large pole upright, sweat protruded from their reddened faces from the effort when Mathias walked over not knowing that Elsa was watching him from one of the many homes in the town wearing some of the civilian clothing. The men were about to lose it when suddenly the weight suddenly left their shoulders and they looked behind them to see Mathias lifting the large object with ease as he pushed forward with heavy steps making the men move out of his way till he got it sitting up. Elsa stood there watching him in awe as he completed their tasks catching many people's attention as they began to thank him. She smiled softly as she watched him as he began to talk to the people with ease. She put a dark brown cloak over her head as she began to walk to the castle knowing it would be a while before Mathias would return. It felt strange to her to wear civilian clothing just to blend in with her people but she needed out of the castle walls as within it brought her painful memories of what Joseph did to her.

"Are you alright?" A feminine voice called out to her in concern as she jumped around to see a young woman standing there watching her closely. Chocolate brown eyes met blue as they stared at each other knowing who the other person was. Elsa became nervous as the woman walked over to her slowly but not enough to get others attention as she intently observed her.

"May i invite you to my place for some tea?" Abigail asked calmly and patiently waiting for the young monarch's decision. She was curious as to why she was dressed up this way but she wasn't going to ask her in the open and decided to talk about it in the privacy of her home. Elsa avoided her gaze as she looked at the ground pondering whether or not to take the woman's offer. The many pros and cons of what would happen flooded through her mind like a wild storm till she finally made her decision.

"Y-Yes... i would love to." Elsa said with a faint smile as she gestured Abigail to lead the way to her home. The house itself seemed simple once Elsa stepped foot within it, taking her cloak off her head showing respect to her hostess as she hung it on a nearby hangar.

"You have a lovely home." She commented and Abigail beamed brightly at the compliment as she turned to Elsa gesturing her further inside leading her into the kitchen offering Elsa a seat as she went to grab a kettle. The silence between them was deafening and Elsa decided to start the small talk while Abigail prepared the tea.

"How long have you been here?" She asked calmly as her hands clasped together on her lap watching the young woman.

"A few years i guess, but with the way i am it's hard to keep track of time with so many things going on around here." She said as she walked over to the table waiting for the tea to heat up in the fireplace. Elsa understood what she meant and hadn't taken offense to what she was referring to.

"The great freeze." Elsa said confirming what she was talking about and Abigail nodded with a small smile. Elsa sighed remembering the events of that day and it seemed that Abigail had noticed and quickly changed the subject.

"You're very lucky to have someone like him.... Mathias i mean." Abigail said catching Elsa off guard as she looked at the woman in wonder as Abigail gave her a sad smile.