[https://i.postimg.cc/nL1D9Dk9/TTB-FF-Head-1-page-0001.jpg]
After much searching, Alex found the king and queen in a hallway on the upper floor. They seemed to be engaged in conversation and didn’t take notice of him.
Alex didn’t want to startle them, so he approached with audible steps. The king and queen became quiet as he arrived. Keeping a smile on his face, he greeted them, “Good afternoon, Your Majesties!”
Both of them smiled. “Good afternoon Alex! How do you like it here?” the king inquired.
Delighted, he answered, “Oh! The castle is so exquisite, Your Majesty! I enjoyed every bit of it, especially the library downstairs.”
Relieved, King Agnarr replied, “Oh, I am glad you found it interesting.”
Queen Iduna had an inquisitive look on her face. She asked very calmly, as though she already knew,
“Is Anna asleep, my dear?”
Studying her motherly voice for the first time, Alex answered,
“Yes, my Queen. However, I am amused to see how quickly she could fall asleep!”
King Agnarr laughed heartily and confessed, “Trust me, Alex, we all are. She can go to sleep almost anywhere, especially after her favorite dessert!”
Both Alex and Queen Iduna welcomed the king’s statement with a brief chuckle.
Alex then turned to the king and asked, “Your Majesty, may I ask where the lieutenant is?”
The king informed, “Your lieutenant is on a comprehensive tour of Arendelle.” He added, “You were engrossed in discussion with Anna, and we didn’t want to disturb you both.”
The queen started, “She has been all alone in the castle. We believed that she deserved some company, even if it were only for a few days.”
Alex reassured, “I did see the town of Arendelle yesterday, Your Majesties. It is truly a wonderful and lively place.”
Both of them seemed satisfied, seeing that Alex had not missed anything.
He quietly observed Queen Iduna’s burgundy scarf. For some reason, it seemed familiar to him. Turning to her, he said, “Your Majesty, that scarf, I have seen it before.”
For a while, he thought hard, trying to recollect something. Finally, he remembered,
“My Queen, I must ask: are you familiar with the Northuldra?”
Queen Iduna stood motionless for a while and then gently shook her head in agreement.
Alex continued, “Actually, I had seen a scarf resembling that one when I visited a small Northuldra community in the Tsardom of Russia!”
Both the king and queen seemed worried.
“I have also picked up some Northuldrian, so to speak, Your Majesty. It is one of the most distinct languages I have heard of; to speak it, you need not utter a word.”
The queen immediately seemed to be at ease. Alex turned to her and began to show an array of facial expressions consciously. Queen Iduna observed and interpreted, while the king only grew more confused. Alex told her in Northuldrian,
‘Don’t tell the king; he has a handsome mustache!’
Queen Iduna immediately understood and struggled to control her laughter, which inevitably turned into a muffled giggle. The baffled king turned to his wife in distrust and asked, “What is it, Iduna?”
His eyes humorously had the curiosity of a child. The queen held back her laughter and translated, “He says you have a handsome mustache!”
Alex smiled and playfully reminded, “I thought I said not to tell the king, Your Majesty.”
The king’s petulant worry soon softened into a smile. Both King Agnarr and the queen began to discuss something confidentially. Alex grew interested but made sure not to eavesdrop, knowing that would be imprudent.
King Agnarr later turned to Alex and instructed quietly,
“Follow me, sergeant, this way.”
He looked severe and meant what he said. Alex obediently followed while the king and queen moved with hurried steps toward Elsa’s room. Both of them looked anxious and alarmed at the same time: Alex didn’t dare to ask where they were off to.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
At a distance from the room, the king decided to fill him in,
“Listen to what I say very carefully now, Alex. No one must know about this, not even Anna. Do you understand that?”
The gravity with which the king spoke made Alex nervous. He answered firmly nonetheless, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Convinced, King Agnarr confessed, “We have another daughter by the name of Elsa. She was born with magical powers, whose source is of unknown origin.”
The queen carried on, “She can harness and control ice. But I’m certain she means no harm, my dear. However, she is scared that she might accidentally hurt someone. Please don’t be afraid of her.”
Alex shook off his anxiety and confirmed, “No, I won’t, my Queen.”
King Agnarr looked from his wife to Alex, confirmed everyone was ready, and knocked.
“Elsa, may we come in?” he asked his daughter. A soft, nervous voice answered from within,
“Yes, father.”
Alex pondered to himself, ‘A princess who can harness ice? Doesn’t sound like--’
But he thought no more. When he walked into the room behind the king, his doubt faded away into wonder. Elsa leaned against the wall, and a spectacular pattern of snowflakes stood stuck against it. She got up and tentatively began to walk over to her parents, but seeing Alex, Elsa grew terrified. Neither had she heard of him and nor was she prepared. She jolted back and demanded, “Who is this, father?”
The king introduced calmly, “Elsa, this is our royal guest from the Exploration Corps.”
Standing confidently, Alex took a few steps toward her. Elsa only furthered her retreat.
“No, don’t come close! I don’t want to hurt you!” she warned worriedly.
Alex stopped at a distance and asked her in the most assuaging of ways,
“Princess, would you ever intentionally hurt me?”
“No?” replied Elsa, confused but scared.
Alex firmly declared, “Then you won’t.”
After that, he continued to pace toward her.
“NO!” Elsa cried once, in fear, and put her bare hands in front of herself, unintentionally.
A burst of ice magic flew swiftly toward Alex. He watched for a brief moment in awe and put his hands before himself, trying to stop the mysterious energy.
To his surprise, the icy power deflected from his hands and hit the ceiling of the room, dissolving into a mesmerizing ice pattern. All of them gaped at the alluring design. Alex exclaimed, “Wow… Princess, you would make an amazing artist!”
Elsa only stood in her place, now slightly smiling but still confused. Alex continued to walk over to her, and this time she did not try to back away. He put his hand forward and began,
“Sergeant Alex of the Exploration Corps.”
Slipping her gloves back on, Elsa shook his hand and answered,
“Princess Elsa of Arendelle.”
The king and queen breathed a huge sigh of relief. Alex continued,
“Princess Elsa, I heard that you live all alone here. How do you spend your time?”
Elsa replied, “Well, I used to look out of that window over there.”
She pointed to the enormous triangular window. “But if I touched it, I always ended up freezing it over, so I lately started reading books instead.”
The sergeant thought for a while and suggested, “Why don’t we sit down?”
Alex brought a chair from beside the fireplace and placed it next to the one close to Elsa’s bed.
“Alright.” Elsa agreed. After both of them settled down, Alex started,
“So, what did you enjoy most when you looked out the window, princess?”
Elsa replied naturally, without looking at Alex,
“The beauty of nature, especially in winter. And the occasional Northern Lights!”
“No way!” gasped Alex. “You have seen the Northern Lights?”
He sounded nothing short of amazed.
“What? You haven’t seen it?” asked a baffled Elsa.
“No, I haven’t!” he accepted.
“Well then, you ought to see it, sergeant.” Replied Elsa with a slight smile.
The king and queen felt that they were no longer required to supervise.
“We won’t be bothering you both. Call for Olina or Gerda if you need anything, alright?” told King Agnarr.
“Indeed. Thank you, Your Majesties.” “See you, father.” Alex and Elsa complied.
Taking a glance at the bookshelf attached to the bedside table, he processed and guessed,
“You seem to be interested in wild animals, princess?”
Elsa chuckled to herself and accepted, “Oh yes! I am.”
“What do you like so much about them, may I ask?”
“Well,” started Elsa, seriously, but not letting her smile disappear, “perhaps it is the freedom they are born with, to roam carefree of the world and its constant troubles…”
Alex told Elsa about the different animals he had seen around the world. Elsa listened intently to his accounts. Although Elsa dodged discussions on people and culture, she discussed nature with him in an abstract sense. At length, Elsa even told Alex about the Northern Lights. Several hours passed and soon came evening. As the sky turned orange, King Agnarr quietly entered Elsa’s room.
Elsa was engrossed in a story that Alex was reminiscing, “… But the little bear-cub would never leave his mother’s foot, even though he was being dragged along in the grass!”
They both had a good laugh. Noticing the king, Alex and Elsa turned, almost in unison.
“Alex, the lieutenant has arrived and is looking for you.” King Agnarr informed.
Without delay, Alex got up and moved toward the door. Elsa grew a little concerned and asked, “Are you leaving, Alex?”
He stopped and turned to her, “Well, for now, Elsa. But I am stationed here for another three days.”
On hearing this, Elsa’s disquietude melted away. As Alex stood at the door, he finished,
“I will be taking your leave now, princess.”
Ridiculed, Elsa required with an inwardly chuckle,
“You don’t have to keep calling me that!” Later, she returned, “And goodbye!”
The king and Alex reached the guest room yet again. The lieutenant stood company for the queen and greeted Alex with a warm smile. Alex stood at attention and saluted once.
“At ease. Well, sergeant, how was your time at the castle?”
Alex reported, “Absolutely wonderful, sir. This is one of the finest places I have been to; the staff and attendants are very welcoming. And how did your tour go, sir?”
The lieutenant agreed, “I must accept, Alex. Arendelle is truly a one-of-a-kind place! Some of the best I have seen in my entire career.”
Setting the priority, he reminded, “It is almost sunset; we must head back to the ship now.”
Alex replied with a sigh, “Certainly, sir…”
As they prepared to leave, the king called out, “Lieutenant! We would like you to be our guests again; visit tomorrow and the day after too, if you please.”
The lieutenant was surprised; he looked briefly at Alex. The young sergeant was pleading with his eyes. It was somewhat contrary to his usual demeanor: he didn’t want to say goodbye to the two sisters forever so soon. The lieutenant understood this and nodded slightly with reproof.
“It would only be our pleasure, Your Majesty.” He remarked.