Chapter Text
The night was alive, and the sky was awake again.
Princess Elsa of Arendelle knew what that meant, and what it meant was currently poking her little ginger head just over the edge of the foot of Elsa’s bed. Wide eyes smiled at her with a quiet burst of giggles.
“Are you awake, Elsa?”
Feigning that she was still asleep would only dissuade her baby sister for so long, so the eight-year-old princess decided it wasn’t worth it. Slowly, she climbed out from under her covers, and inched down to the foot of the bed. That was where she found more of the shock of red she’d seen just barely poking up, and a set of bright green eyes, as wide as the desert plates they kept in the kitchen.
“Yes, Anna,” Elsa replied with a small yawn. “How could I not be?”
Princess Anna, unlike her older sister, had energy seemingly ready to burst out of her tiny body at any moment. But between the two of them that was likely an even trade.
“Good! So that means we can play?” She asked. The smaller princess was speaking in a hushed whisper, like everything the two sisters were doing ran the risk of getting them in trouble. Which it did. Technically both of them were supposed to be soundly asleep by now. Too bad the whole time Elsa’s known Anna, she’s known that her little sister didn’t much care for rules like that.
That thought in mind, Elsa tried not to smirk at her baby sister’s antics. “Come on, Anna. Mother and Father wanted us in bed. Do we have to do it tonight?”
Something about it set her uneasy, for a fleeting second.
“Of course we-- Of course we do.” Anna’s brief outburst, completely with flailing arms, was cut short just as quickly as it began. Her hands flew to her mouth, and she continued in a whisper again. “You promised we were gonna build a snowman! “
Of course she’d agreed to that. She’d agreed to that request countless times; whenever Anna wanted to build a snowman, Elsa was ready to assist her in the best way she knew how. A wave of her hand and there could be enough snow in the ballroom for an entire snow family! Maybe one night they could even convince Mother and Father if they’d want to join in.
An honest smile crept onto Elsa’s face, both at the idea and at her baby sister’s quivering bottom lip. A brand new tactic and, honestly, how could she say no?
“Okay, okay! Stop!” Elsa giggled to herself and began to climb off the bed. “Let’s go, before anyone hears us.”
Her little sister did a little victory dance, and hurried to the door, soundless as a mouse even as she pulled it open.
“Let’s go to the ballroom! It’s really, really, cold in there.”
Cold? Elsa felt like she should have rolled her eyes a little. A little cold didn’t bother her, neither did a lot. They’d discovered that pretty clearly several winters ago.
The door was pulled open with just enough of a crack that Elsa and Anna could slip through. Elsa went first, stepping out into the hallway, and she was quickly joined by the hand of Anna, who began to pull her the entire way. Down the stairs, through the first hallway, then the second, and a flurry of giggles and finally... the ballroom was before them- dark, spacious, empty. It was perfect.
A stomp of Elsa’s foot against the hardwood and she “did the magic” as Anna loved to call it. She wasn’t sure how she could just do it, or how exactly she had the power in the first place. But oh it could just produce the most wonderful things.
Such as the smoothest layer of ice possible, stretching from corner to corner of the ballroom. Their very own private ice rink, all for her and Anna.
The surface of the ice had a sparkle to it. But it wasn’t just the ice that got a sheen from the moonlight peeking through the room’s skylights. She could see the same shine in her sister’s eyes.
“This is amazing!”
Elsa had to laugh. Her sister’s energy had always been contagious, and soon enough she was joining in on the fun. Practising their ice skating in their slippers was a favourite game of theirs- Elsa would lead Anna by the hand behind her. All good fun that usually ended in one of them, or both, colliding with a conjured snowdrift.
This was the life Elsa wished for. Twirling around on the ice while Anna briefly slipped away to practice some moves based on the ice skaters they’d seen at a competition with their parents- but not before promising to call to Elsa when she was ready to build a snowman. That was the most important part of the night.
The moon was visible through one of the skylights. It floated high above, like an eye that was peering in at both of them- no, just at Elsa, who had slid to a stop in the light to gaze at it.
“Elsa?” She heard but didn’t turn just yet. Her hands were hard at work crafting a flurry of snowflakes that circled around her.
“Hey, Anna. You should see this. I’m getting better at it!”
“Elsa...!”
Elsa laughed, the smile on her face was plain as she turned back around. “Okay, okay, I’m coming-”
Elsa stopped, because Anna hadn’t been calling to her so they could finally build an Olaf together. Instead, she found her baby sister tugging fruitlessly at her foot. “Elsa! I think I’m... stuck.”
Faster than she thought possible, Elsa skated across the room to Anna’s side. Her sister was tugging fruitlessly on the leg that was stuck in the ice and seemed altogether unhappy with how this night was turning out.
"Weird... Hang on, I'll pull you out." Weird indeed, since she made the ice to be smooth, specifically so nothing like this happened. But what sort of big sister would she be if she didn't try to help Anna out. She didn't want to wake mother and father because of something silly like this. So, taking Anna's hands, she pulled back, moving from side to side in the hopes that it would dislodge Anna's foot.
"Ow! Ow ow!" The cries of pain and protest told her that she wasn't getting anywhere. "Elsa stop!" Said Anna, not giving Elsa much of a choice before letting go of her hands, accidentally causing the blonde to slide back, and nearly fall over. To Elsa's surprise, all of her attempt had been basically for nothing. Her sister remained stuck. "It's not working!"
She wasn't the only one getting frustrated, Elsa skated up again, this time going for a closer look at the problem. "I don't get it. I thought I didn't make any cracks." And as she peered closer, it started to become evident that was the case. One the one hand, her powers hadn't failed her in making the ice smooth. On the other hand, closer inspection could have made Elsa’s blood run cold if that was possible. Because Anna's foot wasn’t just stuck in a crack, it wasn’t stuck at all.
It was frozen to the spot, covered in a layer of ice, up to the tip of her sock.
Her heart jolted as it suddenly crept up further.
The entire room seemed to shift. The moon had passed on, leaving the room to turn dim. Shadows grew longer, everything turned sharper. Her sister’s voice started to sound worried, “Elsa...?” A shiver passed through her. “What’s going on?”
“I-I don’t know.” Elsa tried to remain calm, but there were cracks forming. "There's ice, but I don't think I did this."
“Just fix it, with your magic! Hurry!”
“I know! I’m trying!”
She didn't know, though, especially what she should be trying in the moment. What could she do? Helplessly, her gaze flipped from Anna’s worried expression to the ice that had started to overtake her nightdress. She couldn’t just tell the ice to stop, she never learned how. But if she didn’t learn fast, then Anna... "We have to got get mama and papa! Maybe they can-"
“Why...” Her little sister’s body was trembling violently, but her voice remained somehow just as clear as ever. The ice moved smoothly up one side and completely encased her right arm. It stopped moving. “Why are you doing this, Elsa?”
The first sounds of of Elsa’s mouth sounded strangled, horrified. She wasn't sure where that came from, it almost didn't even sound like her sister. “It wasn’t me! I-I didn’t.... mean to do this! I didn’t think my powers would ever-!”
She couldn't begin to understand the look in her sister's eyes, so unlike Anna, and so painful. "But you made the ice. You did this to me!"
“Anna, that’s not true!”
The ice crept up to Anna’s chin.
“It’s your fault, Elsa! Your fau-”
The ice finally stopped as it reached the tip of Anna's head.
A statue of a child looked into Elsa’s eyes, an expression of accusation frozen in time.
A cold stillness gripped the room, utterly silent, save for Elsa’s sobbing breaths. She staggered back, unable to tear her eyes away from what once was her baby sister, but desperately wanting to. She got her wish as her foot sank too far. She looked down, just as a sound broke the silence like an eerie groan.
The floor of the ballroom was suddenly uneven under Elsa's feet, and a large crack had formed in the ice. All around her, cracks were growing and spreading across the floor. Where two met, some of the floor began to fall away into what looked like pitch black nothingness. A particularly large one crossed right underneath Anna, and she started to fall back.
Eyes wide in horror, and hand reached out in a futile gesture, Elsa could only watch as her sister tumbled down into the darkness under the ice. She didn't notice how the cracks had also spread out under her feet.
The rest of the floor splintered and collapsed. Elsa felt her footing give out, and she fell, and fell-
And woke up.
The first thing Elsa’s eyes saw as they opened were dark shapes looming over her. A moment later, and the shapes revealed themselves to be merely shadows stretching across the opposite wall, cast in the pale moonlight. She was in her bedchamber.
She had always been in her bedchamber.
Princess Elsa sat up in bed, her chest heaving, and brought a hand up to wipe at the blonde locks that had fallen over her face. Some, she found, were stuck to her forehead with sweat- no, no. They were frozen.
She frowned at herself in the dark. It was just another nightmare, again. They came most frequently when she was younger, but it had been thirteen years now. It was starting to feel like, recently, Elsa was being roused by some terrible dream every other night. The worst ones always felt like proper memories, until they twisted and warped and eventually shocked her awake in the early hours of a night. They weren’t even kind enough to be ones she forgot about instantly. She never had been that lucky.
It seemed like that luck of hers would continue as she laid back down, screwing her eyelids shut, hoping for an easy return to sleep. But she couldn't ignore the images that still flashed behind her eyelids now, and her pulse had quickened from the rush until it felt as if the Earth Giants from her mother's stories were stomping around inside her ear.
With a quiet sigh only she would hear, Elsa rose from her bed with monotonous movements. Rubbing her eyes and yawning silently. At least here, in the solitude of her bedroom, there was no need to worry about her appearance for anyone else.
In the dreary hours of the night Elsa sometimes found herself in, she typically busied herself with something, anything to set her mind at ease. Be it finishing a chapter of a novel, or writing a letter. None of that felt like it would help tonight though. So, she crossed her bedroom with nightgown trailing behind her in cotton waves, to her favorite spot to think: the window.
The large, triangular window in Elsa’s room stretched almost from floor to ceiling. It also gave her one of her main connections to the world outside the castle grounds. From the vantage point of the alcove in her bedroom window, she could take in the courtyard, the bridge that stretched beyond the gates, and the town beyond that which stretched into the hillside. It was all still dark, save for a lamp post or two that hadn’t been put out, but the moon overhead provided more than enough light to see with.
She felt calmer already, but a feeling persisted. Frustration? Anxiety? Possibly a combination of both. But some cold feeling sat in the pit of her stomach and she at least knew the likely reason why. It was likely why she’d started having more nightmares to begin with.
Tomorrow would be coronation day.
Her coronation.
In less than twenty four hours, everyone out there would be looking to her as the official ruler of Arendelle.
The mere thought used to stress her to the point that she felt physically sick. Now, it was resigned to a knot in her throat and a silent dread.
After three years of their parents.... without them, Elsa was expected to take the throne as the next in line. But... could she? She had gone through all the lessons, learned all the proper poise. She had even gone to the length of reading up on every country she could find mentioned in the castle’s library in case they were to show up unannounced. She could act like royalty, but was she really ready to be queen?
Did she even have a choice in the matter at all?
Her vision of the night outside suddenly began to blur. Blinking once, twice, didn’t seem to clear it. Only after that did she notice one of her hands was touching the glass, a web of cold spreading from fingertips that were idly running across the surface while she was in deep thought. She pulled back, but it was already too late. The frost remained. It would probably say there until the morning sun melted it away.
She closed her hand into a fist. Her powers... Possibly the greatest obstacle she’d have to overcome. Besides the coronation itself. As well as her sister, who she would be standing beside, in the same room that she hurt her in all those years ago and why did she have to start thinking about that now.
The temperature in the room had already dropped several degrees. But that wasn’t what made her uncomfortable. The knot in her throat had returned.
The clock in her room jolted Elsa from her thoughts as it struck and rang out the hour. It was midnight already. Technically, it was already her coronation day. About a minute into the day and nothing bad had happened. That seemed like a good way of looking at it.
She needed more of that.
She took a moment to shut her eyes and breathe, blocking out the noise, the light, everything that would set off her powers. She willed herself to be calm and, as the seconds passed, she started to feel that way.
This wouldn’t be a complete disaster, she wanted to tell herself. Not if everything goes as it should; she would be crowned queen, meet with some of the other nations, see her sister for the first time in forever, and then retire to her room for hopefully the rest of her life to oversee her royal duties from there. Perfect.
All she had to do was keep her emotions in check. No one would know about her powers, everything would be fine.
And, most importantly, Anna would be safe.
Conceal it, don’t feel it. Her father had told her years ago. It had become something of a mantra for her in the intervening years.
She could keep herself together, just for today. Surely, she could manage that much, couldn’t she?
The sun, already high in the sky, was the first thing Cassandra saw as she stepped out onto the deck of the Sunchaser. She squinted and rubbed her face as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the light. Below deck was always so stuffy and dark. Lantern light didn’t prepare you for the glare of a new day.
And it certainly didn’t prepare her for the view this morning. Days on the open sea with only water for miles around had finally given way to something different: mountain cliffs that now towered over the left side of the royal galleon, so tall that Cassandra needed to strain her neck to make out the snow-capped peaks. To the right there was more sea, sporadically dotted with small, rocky islets.
They certainly weren’t in Corona anymore. If the maps were correct- they should’ve been, they were her maps -this had to be the right way and they would be sailing upon the fjord they were looking for within the hour. Maybe less.
And not a moment too soon, either.
“Oh man, just smell that air! Sure beats being stuck below deck, am I right? You’d think that seawater would overpower the smell of horse – turns out, only makes it worse. Who knew?”
A loud, somewhat irritating voice behind her instantly ruined the calm of Cassandra’s morning. She knows who it is before she even turns.
Eugene Fitzherbert- formerly ‘Flynn Rider’, and lifetime annoyance, had swaggered onto the deck.
Now, he was ‘Prince Eugene.’ After several years of adventures and mishaps, what had been an international thief had become an in-law to royalty. Cassandra could remember the early days of their friendship. It was rocky on the best of days but, begrudgingly, it truly had grown with time. He was something like a brother to her now... though she’d loathe to admit that to his face.
He fiddled with his outfit, a royal black suit with a purple vest, tailor-made for him. For whatever reason, he specifically requested a golden sash to go with it. There was something about it “bringing together the whole ensemble” but she just stopped listening after a point.
As it was, she acknowledged him with a slight nod. “Morning, Euge-“
“I’m telling you, Cass, you’re going to just love Arendelle. I’ve been there probably three times already and from what I can remember, it is amazing!” He said, one arm slung over Cassandra’s shoulders, the other stretching outwards, upwards of the coast the ship was currently heading through. “I know all the best places to shop. Food, clothing, even weapons for your freaky war cabinet, you name it! And at least some of them have to still be there.”
Not even holding a new position of authority over Cassandra could stop her from responding with the first dry remark that entered her mind. “You mean, the best places to steal from, right?”
“Ah, Cass… You kidder. No more thieving, those days are far behind me.” He laughed, then, “But please, ix-nay on the ynn-Flay. Kind of wanting to present a new, different me?”
“A new you? You mean you’re finally sick of this one?” She shot back.
“Nah!” Eugene puffed out his chest. “I just want everyone to get a look at the brand new me- you know, the real me, Eugene Fitzherbert, prince of Corona? All around awesome stand-up guy?”
He flashed a million-dollar smile that Cassandra wouldn’t be collecting. Trusting her instincts was what got her through the past few years, and something smelled fishy.
Besides the ocean brine.
“No, that’s not it,” Cassandra says, now intent on following this string of clues to the source. “You’re hiding something.”
“Really! It’s nothing, I’m just... excited! So excited!” Enthusiasm quite like this wasn’t typically Eugene’s brand, add in the smiles and excited ramblings about Arendelle...
Her eyes lit up, and she grinned.
“Oho, you’re not just excited about showing everyone who ‘Eugene’ is, you’re wanted in Arendelle, aren’t you?”
“Well first of all, I like to think that I’m wanted everywhere.” He laughed again. Almost immediately, his expression shifted. “But yes, I am definitely wanted here.”
Cassandra wasn’t sure whether to laugh and tease, or press her face into the palm of her hand. She settled on the latter. “And you only thought to bring this up now because...?”
“Because... I’m nervous?” Cassandra’s raised brow urged him on. “Really. I was excited to get out of Corona, you know? First official business as a royal. And... now that we’re almost there I keep hoping they haven’t updated their wanted posters in a while.”
“You don’t think they got the memo that you married the princess?” She asked with a roll of her eyes. To which, Eugene tugged on his collar.
“Yeah, I’m more worried about running into some people I stole from than the new queen not getting the news?”
Cassandra chuckled. “Right. Because we wouldn’t want any karma coming back at you.”
Then again, looking at Eugene’s face and how worried- actually worried -it was, knocked Cassandra off her game more than any smart retort would have. This wasn’t a matter for jokes, was it? He was serious.
Matters regarding Rapunzel often were.
“Alright, alright. Don’t start freaking out on me, Fitzherbert. No way I’m letting you or anyone else ruin this very important trip. That’s my job, remember?”
“Ruin what?”
A voice spoke from behind both of them, and they turned as one. The other, much more important passenger on this trip had awoken: Princess Rapunzel, looking as radiant as always.
The lost princess, the Sundrop, heir to the throne of Corona, Mrs. Eugene Fitzherbert. And, like her husband, she was also dressed for her diplomatic duties, wearing a floor-length purple dress. Simple but elegant, and matching too. That had been Rapunzel’s idea.
Cassandra took the opportunity while Eugene was picking his jaw from the floor to pick up hers as well. “Your husband over here’s worried about meeting some old ‘friends’ in Arendelle that’ll recognize his... ‘devilish features?’”
“To be fair, she is correct about my devilishly good features.” Eugene fidgeted with his bangs, apparently unsure of where they best sat on his face. “But she’s right, sunshine. What if someone remembers me and blows this whole thing for us? Maybe this was a mistake.”
“Aww...” Rapunzel cooed as she crossed to her husband’s side, reaching up to help settle his hair down, which also gave her the perfect opportunity to steal a quick kiss. “I’m sure they’ll love you, just like I do. It’s the perfect opportunity to show how you’ve changed.”
Eugene’s torn expression softened at that. Cassandra had to admit, Rapunzel had a certain way with words, especially when it came to encouraging the ones she cared about.
“Let’s hope not just like how you do.”
“So don’t think about that! Just think about... how much fun we’re going to have! I’ve never been this far from Corona before, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen pictures of Arendelle in books! Isn’t it exciting, Cass?”
She had to admit, it was a little exciting seeing how things had shaped up to be. She might even admit that. “Sure. But don’t forget this isn’t just a vacation, okay?”
It was a reminder she found herself repeating almost regularly over the past few days. The idea had been so simple when it came to Rapunzel upon hearing about a royal coronation; her and Eugene were to marry and then travel to Arendelle to attend the crowning, while enjoying their honeymoon all the meanwhile. A fairly simple plan to strengthen the relationship between kingdoms.
Rapunzel simply continued, unfettered. “I know, Cass, it’s really important. But it’s also special for us; not only is it our first trip after the wedding... but I get to finally meet my cousins!”
She outright bounced between Eugene and Cassandra, an excited little dance carrying her around them. That revelation brought on by King Fredric and Queen Arianna had only sweetened the deal for their daughter.
“I cannot believe we’re doing this!” She gasped, as if the fact was just as new as the moment she first heard it. “This is going to be amazing! After twenty years I finally get to meet a family I didn’t even know about!”
“Yup. Long lost family, pretty exciting.” Eugene quipped.
“I’ll get to introduce myself, and Eugene- Oh, and you of course, Cass! If everything goes well, we could all become best friends!”
Her enthusiasm, while infectious, seemed to dive as she looked out past the railing of the ship, out towards the rocky hills and cliffs that hadn’t opened up yet. “I mean, if they want to, of course. I wouldn’t force them, even though I really hope they like me...”
She passed them both a smile before a new silence settled in, punctuated by waves.
Cassandra glanced at Eugene, who was doing the same. They shared a look.
“I’m sure they’ll love you.” Echoed Eugene, joining Rapunzel at her side, his hand coming to rest on hers. “I mean, it’s you. What’s not to love about you?”
Rapunzel frowned, but her fingers intertwined with his. “But… I don’t even know the first thing about them. What if we don’t have anything in common?”
“What if you do? I mean, I don’t know – maybe this Elsa person likes… painting? Or playing guitar! Or…” Eugene floundered. “…Hair?”
“Hair?” But before he could continue, Cassandra finally found the best place to re-enter the conversation and join her princess on her other side.
“I think what Eugene means is you shouldn’t worry yourself too much, Raps. You’ll find things in common with your family.” Cassandra gave a shrug. “Hopefully besides seventy feet of magical, golden hair.”
Rapunzel felt up the side of her face and brushed short, brown locks from her eyes. Cassandra could recall the amount of effort they had to go through to get that hair cut. That adventure felt like it was already worlds away.
“Wow. I guess that’s one thing I won’t have to explain right away.”
“Or the magic, or any of the wild adventures,” Cassandra affirmed.
“You’ll probably have to explain the frog though,” Eugene chimed in, “If he’s coming to the coronation. Is he coming to the coronation?”
Pascal, or the ‘frog’ as Eugene put it, was probably still curled up somewhere. Most of the ship hadn’t even stirred yet. But Cassandra deemed that her two friends were too excited to sleep, both in their own ways. That was fine. She had hardly slept either.
“Um, if I can help it? Definitely.” She let out a breath, seeming more at ease. “Okay. Are you two sure you don’t know anything about them I can know before we get there? At all?”
Cassandra shrugged bluntly. She was almost as frustrated by her lack of answer as the princess was. “Sorry, Raps.”
“The royal sisters don’t exactly strike me as living such… exciting and public lives as you do.” Eugene remarked in what was definitely meant to be the best way.
“The castle gates have been kept shut for most of their lives, even before King Agnarr and Queen Iduna were lost at sea three years ago. The sisters made no public appearances after that, which is what makes today so important.” Cassandra dredged up what little she knew, once again. “Now that Princess Elsa is being publicly crowned as the new queen, kingdoms from far and wide are coming to meet her in person. Or just witness the event themselves.”
“It must have been so hard,” Rapunzel ruminated. “Not being allowed to go outside... and then losing their parents like that.”
She hadn’t heard half of what Cassandra said. Or, maybe she simply chose to focus on the tragedy of it. An errant thought slipped into Cassandra’s mind that Rapunzel had returned to her family safe and sound, but the Queen and King of Arendelle would never be so fortunate.
...Ugh. She discarded the thought immediately and tried to refocus. They had been talking about the king and queen, but that was hardly a topic Cassandra felt like continuing now.
“I’m sure I’m just worried over nothing. So, uh…” The sound of Rapunzel’s voice thankfully signalled the end of the thoughts she'd been trying to ignore. “Cass, can I just say that I love your armor?”
“Oh. You may.” The raven-haired woman looked especially pleased to be wearing the metal breastplate bearing the royal sun emblem of Corona. The suit itself was clean and shined to perfection, but Cassandra still felt like she was shining all the more after that compliment.
“Wow. First fully-official solo guard duty.” Rapunzel noted. Hearing it now just made Cassandra's new position all the more real in her mind. “And you get to come along with us! It’s just perfect, Cass!”
The opportunity to continue protecting Rapunzel, while staying closer to her than what a simple guard position would provide? How could she possibly refuse? Something about staying behind at the castle while the princess set out on her own- officially, this time -just didn't sit right, so she'd made certain to volunteer as quickly as possible.
“Yeah,” Remarked Eugene. “Pretty perfect for you, how you get to come and spend our honeymoon with us, huh, Cassandra?”
Cassandra’s brow creased. She was about to ask what he meant by that when a voice rang out from the crow’s nest.
“Arendelle, coming in!”
That distraction meant Eugene's question had to go on forgotten, as all three of them were now looking on as the galleon reached its destination; where towering mountains opened up to the deep Arenfjord that continued on some distance. There was finally nothing standing in their way. They could see it now, just up the way, and what a sight it was.
Arendelle, with the stone castle of the royals sitting on a small island in the bay, the first thing to greet incoming ships. And there were a lot of those. The waters of the bay were already swarming with other ships, all flying flags of distant kingdoms. There were some Cassandra recognized, others she didn't.
Either way, she was just a little irritated. “Looks like some people wanted to get here first.” She sighed. “But we should be able to find a place to dock before the ceremony beg-Whoa, whoa?”
“Hurry up!” Said Rapunzel, already pushing her handmaiden-turned-bodyguard in the direction of the lower decks. “Go grab your helmet before we reach the dock!”
“Okay, okay! I’m going! Raps, you don’t need to push-!”
Soon enough, both of them had disappeared into the depths of the ship, leaving Eugene topside with the rest of the crew that was slowly being roused into action as they drifted towards the harbor.
It was going to be a very big day.