Snow Red

By Eversskye

Chapter Four: Stranger at the Door

In the years following the death of the queen, Arendelle had become a quiet place of mourning. Celebrations occurred much less often if at all, and only during rare occasions did the entire royal family formally appear before the crowd.

Perhaps the only consolation to the people was the persistent attempts by Princess Anna to sneak out of the castle and into the nearby villages. Every other week or so it seemed, the royal guards were sent from beyond the gates to frantically search for the missing princess.

And while the newer restrictions placed upon the princess did not quite allow for the young royal to mingle with the common folk as much as before, the mere sight of her served to mollify the spirits of Arendelle's citizens. It was a comforting reminder that while marked with secrecy, Arendelle's rulers continued to watch over the kingdom. At the very least, there would always be Princess Anna, who would be willing to speak for the people should the time call for it.

What no one realized, of course, was that Anna had snuck outside during the day in order to relate those adventures to her twin sister during the night. Being the more strictly guarded of the two, Elsa's training had become only harsher when their mother died.

It was through their secret meetings and Anna's tales that was Elsa able to experience some semblance of normality common of most children their age.

Thus for ten years, Arendelle's quiet stasis remained, until the emergence of a young boy from the land of Pan triggered the chain of events that would change the kingdom like never before.

It all started with the arrival of a ship at the fjord. One would believe that, as a kingdom that heavily relied on nautical trading, the sight of a ship incoming would not seem unusual.

Yet the vessel was not what one would expect to ever encounter. To be more precise, it had the black and white skull-marked flags of a pirate ship.

It was also flying.

Needless to say, all attempts to sink cannonballs into said ship had failed, and when a youthful captain emerged from the ominous boat to approach the royal castle, his path was unobstructed.

He called himself Peter, and Anna did not know much about his quest aside from the fact that her father had granted him immediate attendance the moment he set foot through the palace gates.

What she was told, however, was that Arendelle was only doing the proper thing in helping him. In what, she was never informed. But two days afterwards Princess Elsa was ordered to lead an army of a thousand men, headed towards some sort of calamity further south.

It would be the first time out of many that Elsa was finally allowed to leave the confinement of their home.

Anna's stomach churned with worry.

It would also be Elsa's first experience with leadership and war. For a young woman who had spent her entire life surrounded by walls and a mere dozen or so servants and tutors, taking the reins of battle would be quite the challenge.

Anna had never been jealous of the attention her sister received from their father. Yet when Elsa departed for the south, the princess found herself wishing that she could take the fairer twin's place.

It was not due to any form of malice. With all her heart, Anna wanted to protect the other princess from all of the dangers that she might encounter. However, with no training whatsoever in the arts of war, Anna could only watch as the legion departed.

Meanwhile, the object of Princess Anna's worries was currently seated in the main dining hall of King Hubert's castle, eyes calmly gazing across towards Prince Phillip.

"According to our sources, your Fiancée is currently trapped within a castle surrounded by dark magic. I would like to propose a treaty with you- an alliance that would benefit our kingdoms both."

/The ice dragon circled King Stephen's castle, its deafening roar catching Maleficent's ears. The evil fairy wasted no time in materializing into a dragon herself, quickly letting out a stream of fire from her nostrils. The ice dragon continued to fly almost mockingly, un affected./

The prince smiled politely but shook his head, undeterred it seemed, by the knowledge of the troubled state of his wife-to-be.

"I will do the best I can to free Princess Aurora from her spell. It is what honor dictates, and what is proper considering that my father and hers are close friends. However, if you are offering some sort of treaty between Arendelle and the merging of our kingdoms, then I'm afraid you will meet only disappointment. I do not plan to marry the princess after she is rescued, for my heart belongs to another."

He looked expectantly towards the princess, as though believing that she would back down. However, Elsa's icy blue eyes continued to stare into his own emotionlessly.

"What if I told you that Princess Aurora also goes by the name of Briar Rose?"

With a deep intake of breath, the brown haired prince leaned closer across the table, earnest visage displaying deep worry now that his beloved's name was mentioned.

"Are you sure? How did you-"

"Let's just say I have my sources. What do you say, Prince Phillip? Time is surely running out for the girl being held captive."

Her tone was indifferent, as though she was offering dessert after a friendly dinner. But the prince felt the sense of urgency rush through his veins just the same. His eyes bore into the treaty before him as though seeing it for the first time.

/The white and black dragons flew around each other, wrestling in heated battle. With a flap of its majestic wings, sharp icicles surfaced from the ice dragon's coat, piercing into Maleficent's skin. The wicked dragon let out a painful snarl, opening its mouth to display four rows of jagged teeth. She bit into the other dragon, to no avail./

The youthful prince picked up a feathered pen from the long table and held it testily between his fingers, still contemplating on whether he should sign. With a sigh, he turned to the royal in front of him.

"It almost looks too good to be true. I can see how it would benefit me should I sign this. But what is in it for you? Your kingdom is larger than ours, and it is clear that you are more able militarily in both defense and offense."

At this Elsa's delicate eyebrows raised slightly.

"Fear not, Prince Phillip. All Arendelle seeks is security of the Southern borders. Word has it that evil has been stirring within the Northern Mountains as of late, and we do not wish for the Southern Isles to take advantage of this should we pour our resources and men to the north."

/A snowstorm appeared above the castle in which the sleeping beauty rested. As the temperature within the vicinity lowered and an icy rain fell upon the white dragon, the creature began to grow in size. It did not take long before Maleficent realized that she would be overpowered completely./

The argument was sensible. Seeing no hint of deception behind the princess's words, the prince smiled benignly and set the quill upon the treaty, signing it with broad, rounded letters.

"Well then, our alliance is settled! How many men do you suggest that I bring to collaborate with yours?"

Elsa closed her eyes, as if in deep thought.

/Ice wove itself onto the black dragon's wings and it plunged to the ground, the magical beast's form soon giving way to that of a woman. The vile fairy let out a cry of pain and frustration as she was hit by a blast of ice. She slumped to the ground, unconscious./

"Great. Consider the job done. My soldiers will take care of the vines around the castle, and all we need is for you too wake her up with a kiss."

Russet eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean-"

Without missing a beat, the composed princess rolled up the treaty and placed it within the sleeve of her dress.

"Maleficent has been taken care of. Are you ready?"

The prince stood up, mouth open in surprise.

"What? How…"

A powerful gust blew into King Hubert's castle, bursting through the glass windows.

Elsa placed a hand on the young man's shoulders, pupils turning a clearest blue as she summoned her powers.

It took less than an hour for the cold wind to arrive at the battlefield, taking Elsa and Phillip along with it.

There was a time, years ago, when Elsa had always looked at Shan Yu with eyes filled with fear. But as her powers developed, the swordsman found himself growing increasingly tense within his former student's presence.

The princess had learned her lessons well.

Perhaps too well, and despite his years in fighting formidable opponents, Shan Yu found himself struggling not to avoid eye contact with the menacing young woman as her stormy pupils narrowed with barely hidden constraint of her powers.

"Where is Maleficent?"

Her voice was quiet, but sharp.

Had the tone been uttered during her days of tutelage, perhaps he would have answered her with a slap on the face for insolence. In fact, he could feel the urge within him to yell out a gruff retort.

But as it was, she had surpassed his skills long ago. For the time being the King had assigned her as General, with him serving beneath her as second in command. It would not bode well to sound anything but obedient.

"We do not know. When your ice dragon disappeared, a mysterious ray of light surrounded the comatose witch, and she vanished before any of our soldiers could get to her."

Elsa did not speak after hearing the man's recollection. Yet Shan Yu fought back a shudder as the air around them became noticeably colder.

The princess spared a glance at the thorny vines that Prince Phillip and the soldiers were struggling to cut through. Frowning slightly in irritation, Elsa turned to the direction of the castle and blew.

Frost spread from her lips to the vines, freezing the once-green plants and shattering them.

The soldiers watched in silence, amazed.

"Escort Prince Phillip to the highest tower, where he will no doubt find his beloved waiting. Make sure that the prince can get back to his own kingdom safely should he wish to do so. I will head back to Arendelle tonight."

The bells chimed somewhere in the distance; she noted the time as three in the morning. Anna strained her ears to catch the sounds of any footsteps in the halls before opening her bedroom doors.

Careful. Silent.

She darted through the dark corridors with a well-practiced pattern in her steps. A certain turn would cut through the castle fastest. Crawling in such manner could she avoid the guard station. With what angle should the stairs not creak when she climbed them.

She carried herself in a precise manner that would deeply surprise everyone in Arendelle. After all, Anna's clumsiness was legendary.

What they didn't know was that the princess could be careful if she cared enough to be. But of course, no one had ever seen this side of her before. Her heartbeat quickened as she approached the stone entrance, and she prayed that no one would ever find out about her nightly adventures.

Distracted by the thought of anyone approaching from the halls, she could not have predicted that a pair of hands would reach out from behind the doors, muffling the surprised scream from her lips as the stranger pulled her into the room.

"Shh! Quiet. You wouldn't want father to find out that you've been visiting me, would you?"

Anna froze midway from a kick she was about to let loose.

"Elsa!? But I thought you were…"

"Shhh."

The taller girl pulled Anna into a tight embrace, burrowing her chin into the strawberry blonde's neck and kissing it.

"I missed you."

The gentle words and loving gesture made Anna's heart race as her own arms reached forth to encircle themselves around her sister's waist.

The lack of human interaction might be a valid excuse for Elsa's highly inappropriate ways in expressing love towards her sister. Surely, the lighter haired girl did not truly know what she was doing.

On the other hand, Anna had enough experience with people to know where certain boundaries lay. But what did it mean if she realized it all, yet allowed her sister to continue and enjoying such motions?

As she reveled within the comfort of her sister's touch, the shorter girl attempted to distract herself from the emotions threatening to burst in her heart. Such questions would be left for much later, she figured, and there was nothing inherently wrong with loving one's sister as much as they did.

"Say, Elsa."

"Hmm?"

The other princess's breath tickled Anna's skin, and she shivered, stuttering somewhat.

"H-How did it go?"

Elsa broke away from the hug, melancholic face showing much more expression than it had all day.

"Peter of Pan had offered a ship full of gold in exchange for the rescuing of his friend, Tinkerbell. He said that someone had used her to cast a spell on King Stephen's castle, placing everyone inside into a deep sleep."

A look of understanding dawned on the shorter twin's face.

"So that's why father had you leave for the south!"

Elsa shook her head.

"The gold would serve us well to prepare for war. Father also wanted me to secure an alliance with King Hubert."

Anna grinned encouragingly. "You succeeded, didn't you?"

"Partially, yes. But when I freed the castle from Maleficent's grasp, both Tinkerbell and the evil fairy had disappeared without a trace. There's more to it. More to this than we know."

End Chapter Four.

A/N: Once again, Thank You to everyone who had read, reviewed, and favorite/followed this story. It really means a lot to me. Your comments, especially, was what helped me overcome the writer's block I had received upon writing this chapter. I am truly sorry for the delay. I'm afraid that this chapter is quite lacking; I've been having trouble coming up with how to best describe the changes that had taken place after the ten-year gap. But finally, things are beginning to move into place to get this story rolling. Things should go more smoothly here on out, with a much of the plot actually presenting itself. Please leave me some feedback, I would love to hear what you think of it, even if only to tell me that switch between scenes are too abrupt or something.