Elsa Comes Out (Side Story): Meeting the family.

        The audience chamber was filled with purple cloth bunting from column to column, flowers from giant vases bloomed in vibrant purples and golds. Servants of the household lined the central aisle of the chamber as The King and Queen of Arendelle stood before the throne.

        “She always does this, you know,” the queen whispered to her husband, “Showing up out of the blue. When I lived down there she would just up and leave at the drop of a hat.”

        “How do her people deal with that?”

        “She’d been queen for so long, I think they’re just used to it,” the queen shrugged.

As she finished horns blared as the large double doors opened and in stepped an older couple. The woman in whites and pinks, and the gentleman in a jacket of purple and black as they both walked up to the throne as casually as someone might walk through a market.

        The two bowed before the throne as the king and queen returned the consideration.

        “I do hope we haven’t put you through too much trouble, your highness,” the older woman said.

“We are, of course, glad to welcome the King and Queen of Corona” Arendelle’s king said.

        “Please, Queen Rapunzel,” the king’s wife said, “If you’d be so kind we’ve prepared a drawing room for the both of you.”

        “Ohh,” Rapunzel said as she and her husband were lead out of the chamber.

 

        Gone was the lavishness of the throne chamber, instead the drawing room was understated, plain wooden furniture, bookshelves, the only real decoration being the lush green and purple carpet and the pair of silver candles sticks on the table. Arendelle’s king couldn’t help but notice the side glances his Coronian counterpart kept sending over to the table.

        “Oh Little Crocus, look at you! Look at you!” Rapunzel said, “Last time I saw you, you were barely a slip of a girl!”

        “Oh Auntie, please don’t” the queen said, blushing as her cousin practically fondled her.

        “Oh don’t be like that,” Rapunzel said, squeezing the younger woman’s shoulders.

        “And this must be the little book worm that stole my princess’ heart from me,” Rapunzel’s husband said as he glared at the king.

        “Er. I’m sorry?” the king said glancing from the man to his wife.

        “Oh come off it Eugene. She wasn’t going to marry you anyway.”

        “You don’t know that, I’m very handsome.”

        “Yes dear.”

        “I am!”

He was, the king saw. Surprisingly tall, well built for his age, with chestnut hair with streaks of grey shooting through it. The King of Corona had an easy smile that he wore often, he saw. Probably as a defense for his wife who was beautifully aged, even more so when you knew her real age.

        “Er.. ahh yes. Well. Uhm. There’s well-“ the queen stumbled over her words.

        “Yes, there are some people we’d like you to meet. Girls!”

A side door opened and two little girls were shown in. The youngest, eight or nine, had blonde hair with a shade of pink to it, while the other, her sister, had hair that reminded Rapunzel so much of her youth and must have been at least eleven. The older girl wore a Dark blue dress with her blond hair tied back with a large ribbon of the same color. The younger sister had her hair pulled back into two small pompom pigtails. She was wearing dress of green and white and brown.

        “Oh my goodness who are these two?” Rapunzel squealed.

        “Auntie, may I present Elsa and Anna. The princesses of Arendelle,” The queen said, “Girls, this is your cousin, Rapunzel, Queen of Corona.”

        “Oh no no! I’m practically everyone’s cousin. You two can call me Auntie,” Rapunzel said, sitting down on her knees to look the girls in the eye, “Yes you must call me Auntie. Oh come here girls!” she held out her arms.

        Princess Anna ran over to the older woman and hugged her, both of them laughing as she did.

        “Hallo Auntie ‘Zel!”

        “Oh I like that! Eugene, can you call me Auntie ‘Zel from now on?”

        “Yes, Blondie” her husband said dutifully. He smiled at Princess Elsa, and held out his hand, “Come here dear.”

        He watched Elsa’s eyes widen at his hand and saw her look over to her parents. When they nodded she slowly stepped forward and offered her slightly trembling gloved hand to shake the older king’s.

        “Hello sir.” Elsa said softly.

        “Oh my, what manners,” Rapunzel said, still holding the younger sister to her breast.

Eugene smiled and took the hand in his own, leaning down and giving the girls knuckles a light kiss.

        “It is wonderful to meet you, Elsa.”

        The girl’s face erupted in red.

The two royal families spent a few more minutes talking before a steward was called for to send the two girls to bed. The drawing room’s door opened and in stepped a youngish man, older twenties early thirties maybe, wide shoulders with a large nose, though a little short. And, Arendelle’s queen thought, rather handsome in a burly sort of way. If rumors were to be believed he was a bit of a stud with the maids of the castle.

        “Kai, please take the girls to their rooms,” the king said, “It’s getting a little late for them.

        “Of course, your highness,” the man bowed then looked to the girls. Dutifully they followed him, Anna giving Rapunzel one more hug before leaving the room.

        Kai closed the door as they left, escorting the girls through the castle halls.

        “So what did you two think of the king and queen?” The man asked as they walked.

        Without even waiting for a lull, Anna blurted out, “I like them!” She looked over to her sister who was looking at her hand.

        “I don’t,” Elsa eventually squeaked out, unconvincingly.

 

        It was a few nights later when Elsa, tucked into bed, read through a book almost as large as she was, the flickering candle by her bed glowing and filling her world with designs of triangles sliding through rectangles, and making shapes that made her smile. It was late, ten o’clock or so. Elsa knew she should be asleep, but she just couldn’t. She wanted to read.

        She gasped as her window shook suddenly, opening and sending a breeze in through the room. She dropped her book to find a man crawling in through the window.

        “W-who are you! Go away!” she said, pulling the covers over her head.

        “Easy, easy,” she heard the man say, “It’s me Elsa. Uncle Eugene.”

Slowly the princess pulled the sheet over her head and, in the glowing candle light seeing the familiar smile of the king, blushed.

        “W-what are you doing here?”

Eugene pulled a chair over to the bed, and sat in it, lounging easily, “Well you looked so sad during dinner, I thought you might need some cheering up.”

        Elsa looked around the room, “I.. I didn’t come down for dinner.”

        “See what I mean?” he said with a grin.

Elsa couldn’t help but smile before looking away from the man. Eugene looked around the girl’s room.

        “You know, I’ve been in a princess’ room before,” he said offhandedly, “But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a room this neat.”

        “I-uh. I like to keep my room clean… it. It makes me feel better…” she said, her voice getting smaller and smaller, “like I’m in control…”

        Eugene made a sort of non-committal noise and turned back to the girl, “Would you like me to tell you a story?”

        Elsa looked at the door, wishing her father was here. She didn’t know what to do, what to say. Eugene pulled his chair closer and Elsa turned back to him. He was smiling.

“Well. Once upon a time,” he said, “there was a princess, locked away in a tall tall tower. All day she would read and read, and hope that one day she’d be able to leave her tower and see the world outside. Well one day a handsome prince came along.” He waved at himself when he said it, giving her a toothy grin, “He climbed the tall tower, even though the Princess at the top begged him to go away. Because you see, even if she wanted to go out into the world, she was scared to leave her tower…” Eugene continued, gesturing and acting out the story. Elsa laughed and gasped as the Prince and Princess faced danger after danger, until finally at the end they had their happily ever after.

Elsa smiled at her cousin-in-law as he finished.

        “Ahh there it is. I knew you could smile,” the king said, before leaning down and kissing her forehead, “Good night princess.”

        Eugene looked at the window and then to the door, “I uh, I think I’ll take the door. I’m not so sure I could get back out through the window…”