A Snow Queen's Tale- a Frozen Fanfiction

Chapter 73: Spy Pig

🌻Anna's Pov🌻
It was the previous morning, and I was trying to think of a plan.
I was flipping another page of the gigantic library book I had pulled off the shelf— a book of myths and legends from around the world. It was one of my favorites from when I was little, when my sister, Elsa, had still been hiding from the world. Back then, I had worked my way through nearly every book in the library. There hadn't been much else to do.
Now things were very different. Everything about life in the castle had changed since Elsa had returned home from the North Mountain and learned to control her powers. By Elsa's Royal decree, the gates were always open, sunlight streamed through the unshuttered windows, and villagers and guests came and went freely every day. There were so many new people to meet: blacksmiths and glassblowers and cheesemongers.... There was even a man whose entire job was to repair dolls' shoes. He was a doll cobbler, and his work was amazing! Everything was great....
      But I sometimes found myself thinking about all the things my sister had missed out on while she was locked away: birthday celebrations and playing with friends and everything. All of them had drifted by. Life had been lonely for me, but for Elsa, it had been so much more difficult. And I knew how much happier my sister was now. But particularly on days like this, when Elsa was especially busy with her duties as queen, I could not help wondering if I could make Elsa's life even better.
      So there I was, sitting in the library, pondering what to do. What would be a great way to properly welcome my sister back to a world of open doors?
      I turned another page of the book. This story was about a gigantic spell-casting octopus monster. What kind of spells a gigantic octopus monster would cast was not clear. It did not matter. I always skipped ahead so I could read my favorite section— the tale of a giant boar that could transform into shadows. He guided his Princess bravely through the land of giants, keeping her safe from discovery by her enemies. When I was six, I had decided the heroic boar should be named Spy Pig.
      "Anna!" A happy voice called out from nearby. "I'm so glad to see you! I've missed you so much!"
      I turned, a small smile forming on my lips. "I saw you this morning, Olaf!" I responded to the snowman as he walked into the library. "At breakfast, remember? Just before Kristoff and Sven left on their ice delivery?"
      Olaf climbed into a chair near me, the snowflakes from his personal snow cloud tickling my arm. "It feels like a long time ago! I've spent all morning looking at books! Did you know that every one of these books is completely different?"
      "Yeah!" I laughed. "I've read most of these already... a lot of them twice actually."I pointed at Olaf had brought in with him. "So... uh... what do you have there?"
      Olaf lit up with excitement. "A book about phantoms!" he exclaimed. "Did you know phantoms are everywhere? Especially in castles... like this one! Gerda has been reading it to me! Do you know her?"
      I nodded with amusement. "Only my whole life! Gerda and Kai have been overseeing the castle household since before I was born." I poked at the book Olaf was holding. "But I think that if there were any ghosts or phantoms or whatever here, I would know. I am the princess, after all. I think all ghosts have to report to me by law or something."
Olaf was less amused. "You should not laugh about these things, Anna. It says so right here. See?"
Olaf held up his book. The title was Do Not Laugh at Phantoms!
Olaf continued, "From what Gerda read to me, phantoms are invisible, and they can not talk to anyone unless that person talks to them first, and even then they have to be reminded of what their mortal life was before they became spirits. Do you not see? It's lonely and hard being a ghost. Everything operates by them, and no one ever talks to them or ask them to play or sing or dance.... They need our help so they can remember how to enjoy themselves. They need— "
"Whoa," I said, interrupting the small snowman. "Olaf, you're so right. You're so totally right about everything!"
Olaf looked awestruck. "I knew it! I knew the phantoms are real!"
But I was already running out of the library. I would make sure that Elsa never again felt like things were drifting by her, and I knew just how to do it. I had a great plan— the best of plans.
First I would need a pig.