Chapter Text
It was a beautiful, sunny Friday and a royal ship in the Arendellian docks was ready to set sail.
Queen Anna was standing by the window in the library, looking at the bay. Her heart pounded. She was trying to convince herself that it was nothing, but deep down she knew it wasn’t exactly the truth. The last weeks were rough, to say the least. They should have been on their way for days now, but there was always – something! Annoyed ambassadors, urgent news from the Snoob’s baron, a sudden visit of King Jonas of Vesterland regarding his daughter. The main issue that persisted was an epidemic of flu, which was currently decimating their sailors. During the first wave, she had intended to just wait it out and give people time to rest and recover, but then there was a second one to follow, even stronger. Their schedule was tight already and had to be settled, now. Today, according to Captain Tristan, was the last possible date. If they weren't on board by sunset, they may as well not go at all.
“Cold feet, Your Highness?” General Mattias approached her and gave a slight bow.
“Maybe I am just tired.” she said with a sigh and smiled weakly. “But I hope to rest on the deck. Everybody’s present?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We are waiting only for you.”
“Well then. Let’s get this over with.” She adjusted the crown over her braid. She was thinking long and hard about what should be said, but she could still feel dryness in her throat.
As they were walking down the hallway to one of the conference rooms, Anna tried to remember the last time she had some time for herself. The crown, accepted with grace from her older sister, laid heavily on her head. With each year passing, she was gaining more grace, manners and distance, but often she could feel, looking in the mirror, that it wasn’t really her. She missed Princess Anna, who could slide on the floors and meet new friends in town. Now she rarely had a moment to go for a sweet roll in the bakery or to accompany Kristoff during ice harvesting. Well, give and take. She was grateful for her role and for the possibility of changing people’s lives for the better. She would be even more grateful, though, if it didn’t mean multiple hours of desk work, reading and signing meaningless papers and trading opportunities to dance during balls for sitting at banquet tables to hold polite conversations with people thrice her age.
Fortunately, she thought, as she tried to chase those doubts away, the next weeks were going to be full of goofiness. And laughter. There is only one more meeting to go through. Just a summarization.
When the door opened, everybody at the long table arose and bowed to her. Representatives from both Arendelle and the Northuldra, her most loyal advisers and friends had arrived. Her most trusted people, who could take care of everything during her absence.
“Please, sit down,” she said, when a young servant moved back her chair. “I am glad to see you all before my leave.”
“It is a great pleasure for us, Your Highness,” Lord Petersen assured. He was the oldest in the group and had been a regent during the time when Elsa was still too young to be a queen.
“I hope I won’t keep you for long, so I allow me to try and get to the point quickly.” She folded her hands over the tabletop, actively trying to pretend they were not at all sweaty. These meetings were always affected her this way, because she always felt like she was doing something wrong. Or, at least, not as good as Elsa would do it. “After careful consideration I have decided that during my trip to Corona you will all take care of the kingdom, together, as one. General Mattias will be in charge, ” she pointed to the old soldier, “with the help of Yelana”, then nodded to the Northuldra chief, “and Grand Pabbie.” She gave a cheerful look to the wise troll, who was sitting at the very end of the table. “Each one of you will have an equal right to vote for any decision. Also, I establish Lord Peterssen as the main advisor, given his experience and devotion to Arendelle. I hope you will accept this task, my lord?”
For a moment, the old man just looked into the distance. His head was completely grey at this point and his face covered in wrinkles. She didn’t know how old he was exactly, but he looked like someone approaching his one hundredth birthday, that’s for sure. In the end, he was not only Elsa’s regent, but also their father, King Agnarr’s. He had to be ancient.
“Of course, Your Royal Majesty," he finally responded in his creaking, characteristic voice, reminding her of an old staircase leading to an even older library. “I will immediately send someone to prepare my move closer to the castle.”
“I don’t want it to be a burden for you!” That was exactly what she was afraid of! Lord Peterssen’s age during the last years was really catching up to him. His health was deteriorating. She had even considered not dragging him into this and let him enjoy his well-earned retirement, but his knowledge about both current and past politics was priceless. General Mattias was making up for the time lost in the Enchanted Forest fast, but Yelana and Grand Pabbie were outsiders. Even if the Valley of the Living Rock and the Northuldra were now actively engaging in matters of their shared country – every day a little more – they still needed someone who was really up to date and ready to deal with anything unexpected.
“Oh, it won’t be, Your Royal Highness!” he assured quickly, “For real. I will do everything in my power to help. I will send a message home immediately.”
“That’s great.” She sighed with relief and turned to the remaining people. “Of course, everyone besides Yelana, Mattias and Grand Pabbie will always have a chance to speak their minds also. If the matter is deemed worthy of my personal attention, but also can wait till Yule, please, leave it on my desk. I will get acquainted with it as soon as possible. If it won’t be possible to wait until then, then, well. You know where to write. To Corona, till the end of November, and then, to the Emperor’s Court. Is everything clear?”
They all said “Yes, Ma’am” in unison.
Thank God. She had thought they would be more stubborn, especially for Yelana and Grand Pabbie. But maybe they were really getting used to new people in the court?
For the next half an hour they tied up all the loose ends they could, and then, finally, Anna heard a knock on the door.
“Your Highness?” Gerda, her old overseer, peeked inside. “It is time.”
“Well, that’s my cue!” the queen said, her nervousness starting to make a room for the actual excitement. “Well, my friends. Time to go. Will you accompany me to the docks?”
The royal procession was formed just as the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. The port wasn’t far – only a few minutes walk - but when someone is a beloved ruler, a route like this can, apparently, take a little bit longer. Especially when all the children want to give you a hug, every woman needs to bid you farewell and every man – give you some advice about survival on the sea. Some of them even tried to gift her with small talismans for the trip. Maybe, she mused, they were subconsciously trying to protect her from danger. In the end, naval journeys were not really lucky for her family.
“Take care of yourself, Anna.” Yelana warned, walking on her left, as if she were a mind-reader. “The sea is untamed”.
As if I didn’t know it best! she thought as her heart sank a little.
The Northuldra woman probably noticed a small spark of annoyance in her eyes, because she quickly added, “I didn’t mean anything bad—”
“Sure, sure!” Mattias grunted. “Don’t scare the queen! The odds of anything going wrong—”
“Can we please not jinx it?” Anna hissed. The weight in her stomach was back.
“Oh. Of course. I apologize.” He bowed uncomfortably while still walking, and then he started again. “I am, personally, not a big fan of ships. The world rocks too much.”
“In other words, you get sea-sick?” she smiled.
“Oh, terribly!” he nodded, not acknowledging Yelana’s hard stare. “That’s why I am thanking God I don’t have to go with you. When I was sailing the last time, with your father and grandfather through the Southern Sea, I barely left my cabin. I was terribly ashamed, because, well, I was supposed to watch over the prince… and I wasn’t even able to stand straight. And all of my insides went upside down. The worst weeks in my life. Even now I have chills.”
Anna let out a polite chuckle, but the truth was, the memory of her father only tightened the knot on her own bowels. Mattias apparently noticed it, because he became serious. “Everything will be alright, Anna,” he tried to reassure her. “Every one of our meteorologists are saying the weather will be astounding. The route is known and you have the best captain in Arendelle. Your vessel is freshly out of the shipyard, so nothing has weakened her yet.”
“I know,” she sighed. “Those are nothing but mere jitters.”
Finally, before her eyes, the sea appeared, glimmering in the evening’s light – and the ship, gently rocking in the waves. On the quay, the captain stood at attention, wearing a crisp, freshly-ironed uniform.
“Your Highness!” he saluted. “I report the ship ready!”
“Marvellous!” So, this was it. This was the moment. They were going. But where was…
Suddenly, everyone heard hoofbeats. They were coming not from the town, but from the horizon. From the North. All present immediately looked in that direction.
In the last rays of the sun, Elsa was riding on her glittering, magic horse. Her platinum hair, long and loose, waved in the air. From under the Nokk’s hooves shot small water sprinkles - orange and red lights looking like small sparks. Both Spirits were going fast with an unimaginable grace, which could only belong to the forces of nature. All of Arendelle sighed in awe.
The horse stopped right before the quay, furiously throwing his head and snorting. Elsa jumped from his back onto the deck, waved shyly to her former subjects, and stood before her sister.
“Anna.” she bowed.
“Elsa.” Anna did the same.
For a moment they just looked at each other in silence – and then they both laughed and jumped into each other’s arms.
“I am so happy you’ve agreed!” the queen breathed.
“Pleasure’s all mine!” her older sister promised. “But it is so horrible they are all this sick!”
“I tell you, it is like a plague!” Anna admitted. “That’s why we are only taking the smallest crew possible. Fifteen survivors on a three-mast ship, plus the captain and the first officer. It wouldn’t be possible in any way if it wasn’t for you!”
“Don’t worry, sis!” She patted her on the shoulder. “Gale and I will blow in your sails so hard we will be in Corona even before the due date!”
“It will be perfectly fine to just be on time.” Anna wiped her forehead. “I feel so stupid to trouble you, but…”
“Oh, come on!” Elsa just laughed. “You know I will always help.”
“But… Ahtohallan and everything… you are surely busy.”
“Ahtohallan was there since the dawn of time and will be there when we get back. And for now – a sisters’ trip into the unknown!”
Anna smiled again. Yes, that was exactly what she needed to hear.
They both looked at their ship. A big three-mast-galleon, with sails still coiled on yards. The sailors – those who have managed to avoid getting sick – were already on the rigging, going up and down. The banks with Arendellian coat-of-arms, the bulwark painted in green and gold. The deck was freshly polished, as it was just out of the carpentry. Everything still held the smell of a fresh wood.
“Astounding, right?”
Anna lifted an eyebrow and waved to her husband, Kristoff, as he bent over the railing. He was probably there the whole day, helping with the loading. The trip itself was not going to be long, but they still needed food. Not to mention gifts for Princess Rapunzel and her family.
The royal family of Corona and the Arendellian sisters were on the best possible terms since their first visit. Especially because of the magical qualities of the long-missing-princess’ hair. Even if she was wearing it short nowadays, the fact is a fact. She was the first person they had met who once also had paranormal abilities.
Now, they were going to make even better acquaintances, but not only. Their main hope was to have fun. After all, Rapunzel was, first and foremost, their friend. They intended to run around her castle and kingdom for two months and then, together, go to the Empire for a great reunion of all the monarchs from all over the Continent. It was the first one in a decade – and their first at all.
It probably won’t be that fun there, Anna thought, musing about all she had known about the most important court on this side of the world. The word was the Empy… I mean, of course, the Great Emperor, The Sovereign of the Seven Kingdom, Lord over and-so-on and so-on, the list of titles was long… used to be a pretty entertaining guy, throwing parties so great the stories about them had reached the farthest corners of Earth. But well, she sighed internally, it seemed we are not going to know this side of him.
“Do you think His Majesty the Emperor will even be able to show up for anything besides the official part?” she asked, looking a little more serious.
“I hope so,” Elsa stated. “But on the other side – it’s hard to demand it of him. They were praying for this baby for so long…”
“Such a tragedy,” she sighed. “It’s good we are not heading to Eldora.”
“The sea was so calm when we visited that last time. Who would have thought the storms may be so vicious over there?”
“The nature and its unbounded power. But, well,” she poked her gently, trying to lighten up, “You probably know it the best now, right?”
Elsa didn’t laugh.
“We both know it the best”, she said sternly, looking at the horizon.
Anna’s heart shook. She involuntarily remembered how she bid farewell to her parents, standing on this exact pier. She didn’t know that this journey will be their last and they will never be back. Just like the newborn heir to the Empire was never back from his first.
“We have to remember to be very delicate”, she stated, taking a deep breath. “And don’t bother him without need.”
“That would be the best,” Elsa nodded. “But you know what? Let’s not talk about it. It’s probably not the best idea to talk about the naval disasters once you get onboard the ship, don’t you think?”
“You are probably right,” Anna admitted. Yes, Mattias has advised her the same. Truly, the anxiety was getting the better of her.
Especially since there was yet another thing to worry about. From across the sea they heard about the increasing amounts of pirate attacks on trading fleets. What was interesting - said pirates seemed to take a particular interest in the navy of the Southern Isles. And in the Southern Isles in and of themselves. There were even rumours about some direct attack on their castle a few years back. But it had to be some sort of a spoof, right? Either way, it was certainly peculiar in itself, especially since the king and the eldest prince were mentioning more and more often about the necessity of creating new forces to fight the sea robbers. As for now, though, Anna preferred to not jump into this idea, because, well, arendellian fleet seemed safe, and also it’s not like she hadn’t made deals with pirates before, but… those were pirates. Their taste could change anytime. You never knew when it might occur to them that the Southern Isles were no longer enough. And Arendelle was, as she could admit, quite rich. They were planning to sail on a vessel full of expensive presents for Corona, after all.
“Well. Anyway, you are the best insurance policy we need!” She sheepishly patted Elsa’s shoulder.
“I’ll do my best, Your Royal Majesty,” Elsa laughed, gesturing to Gale to come and toss their hair.
Anna giggled and took a deep breath, but her doubts still stood. She hoped the word about treasures in their cargo bay wouldn’t reach far. When they were back, perhaps she would call upon a new set of meetings and reconsider this matter, even if it would mean seeing the Westergaard family more often.
Anna shuddered. No. She didn’t want to think about the Isles now. Yes, they were allies. Yes, they even had a trade union, which had brought them great increase in income and job opportunities. Yes, they were good partners, but every time she looked at this spot on a map she remembered her damned engagement and her mood was spoiled for the remainder of the day. Every time she had no other way than to visit them, she nervously looked around the corners and could swear she could spot a flash of a sword being lifted over her head.
“Captain Tristan says everything is ready, and so does the Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer.” Kristoff walked down to her and hugged both sisters, which helped to distract Anna from her suddenly grim memories with which she had no intention of dealing with now. “And the clock and the calendar are ordering us to hurry up.”
“Yes, hurry, everyone!” They heard the voice from the deck, this time childish and cheerful. “I want to go for an adventure!”
“We are coming, Olaf!” Anna yelled, smiling at the view of the snowman sitting between Sven’s antlers. “Captain? Are we sure we have everything we need?”
“Everything on the list, Your Highness”, the sailor replied.
Elsa sighed briefly, looking at her people. They clearly loved Anna. She knew that her abdication was probably the best she could have done for them. Her sister loved them back and was keen to meet and greet every person possible all over the world. She understood their problems. There was probably no better candidate for this job than Anna in all of Arendelle’s history. Elsa’s heart grew every time she saw her little sister taking pleasure in her tasks. After all, having a lot of friends was her biggest dream and, it seems, it had finally come true.
She herself had been spending her days in the Enchanted Forest, studying Ahtohallan and integrating herself with the Northuldra tribe. Honeymaren especially, proved to be a great guide. She showed her around every place, and tirelessly taught her all the old arts, even how to build a traditional yurt and feed reindeers. Every evening in her company was wonderful. When she was with her, she could truly feel like she was in her place in the world.
That didn’t mean she didn’t miss her family and so she visited every time the occasion arose. Like now. There was a new adventure waiting for them, during which they could forget all about their duties as the queen and as the Fifth Spirit.
She glanced at the ship once again and shivered a little. She wasn’t scared of the sea – especially not with Nokk on her side - but she was a little uneasy, looking at the waves crashing on the banks. The evening tide was up so there was no other excuse. They had to sail. Now.
She went onboard, holding Anna’s hand as Kristoff embraced his wife around the waist. As the gangplank was pulled up, they waved one last time to their subjects. The anchor was lifted.
The great journey to Corona had officially begun.