Many Beauty and the Many Beast

by Felicity Collins

  I've also been spending some time with Storm in this period. There are many things I could say about him. First of all, we were courting, officially for a month now. He was my suitor. During the events we had, he was always my 'date' you could say. I've never danced with him, though. I just couldn't, but even though I declined each of his invitations, he was never insistent, he was always very respectful. I told him he could ask anyone else, of course. I didn't want him to miss out on all the fun just because I was simply going to stand there chatting with the guests and Skylynn, who would also not dance. Storm didn't abandon me at the parties. He would dance a bit, then come back to me, usually with something to drink, and talk together, then go back to dancing, and the cycle repeated itself.

  Other things I could say about Storm were that he was just incredible. He would say everything I'd need to hear, it seemed like he always knew what to say. I felt like I couldn't have asked for anything better. He was very nice, polite, handsome, respectful of my space and when we hand an appointment he would never keep me waiting. He was always there when he said he would, whether we met up for walks in the gardens, or around town, or for some political matters. Anna liked Storm a lot, he got along well with Kristoff, and he was close with Skylynn. He was charming, brave, well-mannered, endearing and made me feel comfortable. Though somehow, it felt… off. I don't know. Maybe it is just me overthinking it. It seemed just too good to be true.

  Sometimes I would go watch Storm train with Skylynn and the soldiers and it was nice seeing them getting along. Speaking of Skylynn, what to say about her? Just that, even though I'm older than her, dealing with Skylynn felt a lot like dealing with… a very annoying older sister. She was always poking me around, insulting me with affection sometimes (when no one was ever around, of course, apart from Anna and Kristoff), and I usually had a comeback ready, but so did she, basically most of the time we bickered, a lot, like siblings. But apart from that, Skylynn always had great advice for me when I needed it. It wasn't rare that I would share my reform ideas with her and Anna, but unlike my sister, if Sky noticed that I could improve what I had in mind, she shared her piece of advice with me. I had finally learned to trust her and she trusted me. She may have been Hans's sister but she had proven herself trustworthy, trustworthy enough for me to grant her permission for a request she made me.

  I was in my study with Anna. Since the last regicide attempt, I kind of forced Anna to take some social studies lessons and law classes from our tutor, which also turned out to be the perfect opportunity to distract Mrs. Hyles, our tutor, from bugging me with how great Storm was and how I should consider marrying him to provide an heir to the throne. Anyway, no matter how much she huffed and complained saying she knew just enough, I obligated Anna to increase her knowledge regarding our laws and how to run a kingdom because: you never know.

  Right now, Anna was doing her homework: which consisted in writing a paragraph and learn by heart and write a paragraph on another set of Arendellian Laws assigned her. It is useless to say that Anna can't sit still for more than five minutes or stay concentrated on things she didn't like. Anna was quite studious when she liked what she was studying or when she was good at something, but when it came to boring stuff she could take hours because she kept distracting herself. Reason why, lately, I would help her out whenever I could as she herself told me that she needed someone to call her attention back on what she was doing when she got distracted. Ergo, Anna started using a method Skylynn suggested her and I kind of imposed her to follow: read, underline, rewrite simplifying the language but keeping it appropriate to the topic, reread and repeat. It was a long method, but efficient and Anna admitted that it did force her to pay attention.

  "Elsa, I need a favor" Skylynn said barging inside my study, while I was trying to teach Anna some queenly stuff.

  "Don't you know how to knock?" I answered, but she ignored me.

  "I'm kind of in a rush, I'm sorry" she said.

  "Okay, shoot"

  "Do you mind if I sail back to Drakora? Princess Angel sent me a letter saying that a thing only I am allowed to take care of came up"

  "Does it matter if I mind?" I had answered sarcastically "If I say 'no', which I do, you're just going to go anyway and get away with it once you're back"

  "Elsaaaa…." Anna moaned interrupting us "What the heck does this mean?" she said pointing at an article of the Arendelle Law "The Executive Power is vested in the King or in the Queen if he/she has succeeded to the Crown pursuant to the provisions of Article 6 or Article 7 or Article 48, Comma 3, of the law of this kingdom. When the Executive Power is thus vested in the Queen, she has all the rights and obligations which pursuant to this Code and the Law of the Land are possessed by the King, or the nubile Queen. Such power shall endure in the Queen's hands in case her affianced shall enter the Royal Family entitled as Consort Prince"

  "What do you think it means?" I asked her gently.

  "It's got something to do with power and land and marriage, but- in English?" she answered.

  "It means that Elsa can do whatever she wants but has some obligations according to your laws and that while she's still a bachelorette the Law of the Land is in her power until she's married. If her husband is Consort King that power shall go to him, if her husband is Consort Prince she will keep that power" Skylynn brutally translated.

  "A little shoddy for a translation, but yes, what she said" I answered, glaring at Sky. I wanted Anna to get that article by herself.

  "Oh… and what do Article 6, 7 and 48 say?" Anna asked.

  "Open the law book and look" I told her.

  "Can't you just tell me?"

  "Anna, don't be lazy and study"

  "But-"

  "I'll have Mrs. Hyles called and leave you two to an extra lesson" I warned. Anna paled.

  "I'm on it!" and she immediately opened the law book and looked it up. I turned back to Sky.

  "The idea of sneaking in an out of Arendelle is tempting, but I'd rather have your formal permission to avoid any trouble" Sky said. I raised an eyebrow.

  "You're actually serious about it?" I asked her slightly surprised.

  "Yes" she answered like it were obvious.

  "Sorry, I can't let you go" I told her.

  "I'll be back as soon as I'm done. On my honor" she insisted.

  "Skylynn, you swore that you would have remained in my land until you brother's punishment was over. According to our law, you can't leave Arendelle, now" I told her apologetically.

  "But your law also says that I can leave if I am escorted by an Arendellian functionary and I have the Queen's permission" she answered. I glared at her, she smirked "You were so hoping that I didn't look up your law before asking" she trumphantly.

  "Who are you taking with you?" I asked ignoring her satisfied face.

  "I was thinking about Storm" she replied.

  "Storm? Why Storm?"

  "We have some business in Drakora to take care of" she vaguely explained. I really did not want them to set sail now and for good reason.

  "Sky, storm season is getting close, sailing will be impossible around December" I told her.

  "More reason for allowing me to go now!" she argued

  "Skylynn, I don't-"

  "-Blondie! I've got a kingdom to run too!" she interrupted, cutting the argument short. Next to me Anna half-failed to stifle a laugh as she studied, but didn't look up. I lightly gave her a smack behind her head, causing a silent complaint from her.

  "How long does the trip take?" I asked Sky getting a paper and writing down her special pass, defeated. She had a kingdom to run... being queen myself, I couldn't argue with that.

  "Four days, two to go and two to return by ship"

  "Storm is at my service for now, but he's not Arendellian. Bring another functionary with you"

  "Ouch! I thought we were over the trust issue part" she joked, I gave her a look.

  "It's just for formalities" I told her "You and Storm have 10 days max, starting from today. Go
get your stuff ready" I told her handing her the paper… yeah… she always manages to get her way.

  "Thank you" she said and turned around to leave the room only to be stopped by Storm who entered the room as well. The moment he got in, Sky muttered something about him being here for 'that thing' and Storm gave her a nod. Sky patted his arm and left the room. As soon as she was gone, Storm asked if he could speak with me in private. Leaving Anna to her studies, Storm and I made our way out of the room and into the corridor. I closed the door behind me and after taking a few steps away, I stopped, waiting for him to speak up.

  "What did you need to talk to me about?" I asked.

  "About the business Skylynn and I have to attend in Drakora" he replied seriously "You do remember when Sky was mad at me because I left Drakora, right?" I nodded "Skylynn and I have been talking about this for a while and now that the opportunity came up she doesn't want to waste any more time. She asked me to come back and face trial in my homeland and I accepted with no hesitation"

  "Wait- Trial? For what? You told me that you hadn't betrayed your people" I said slightly shocked.

  "And I didn't… but to Drakora I am a deserter, a traitor and now that she knows the truth, no matter how hard it's going to be, Sky will not allow me to be remembered to my people as such" he replied. I took a deep breath. By the look in his blue eyes, I could tell, Storm was nervous to tell me this. I gently stroked his stubbly cheek to let him know it was alright and that I was listening.

  "Why did you leave them?" I asked. I wasn't angry or upset. It was a simple question and I knew that this was the question he was willing to answer me. It was why he wanted to speak with me.

  "Because in order to defeat Hugh, King Landon wasn't enough. We needed someone who would take a risk and break the rules… we needed Skylynn" Storm started "Drakuyiir apnì panoate. It means 'Drakora above all'. My kingdom needed a hero. I was not going to let Drakora lose her. She either doesn't accept it or doesn't want to understand it, but we only won the war because she came along. Of course, not everyone agreed with the idea. She had and still has enemies among the Drakorians. Long story short, I found out someone was planning on having Sky assassinated and after taking care of the traitor I left in secret to stop any further attempts on the future queen's life from its roots" It didn't take long for me to realize who were the ones behind Sky's attempted murder.

  "The Southern Isles" I concluded. Storm nodded "Her brothers wanted her dead… but why? Why do they hate her and Hans so much?" I couldn't help but ask.

  "I don't know. Maybe they feel threatened by them" he said "To my surprise, Sky's father was more than willing to help me, still in secret, but he did. He'll be joining us to Drakora to testify for me… Skylynn doesn't know that yet, I'll tell her later, but I'm afraid she won't like the news" he said, bracing himself for an almost certain argument he was going to have with her later.

  "Considering what she told me, I don't blame her" was the only thing I could comment.

  "I'm not doing this just for myself, though" Storm said, making me glance back at him "I cannot be marked as a traitor. You are a queen, Elsa and I don't want your people nor other countries doubt you or your ability to rule because of me"

  One thing he said left me with a question mark, but I didn't give much weigh to it at the moment. After his last statement, in an instant many thoughts came up to my mind. I couldn't help but feel… good. How else could I feel? He was willing to go back to his country and face a trial to clean his name in order not to compromise my rule, considering our courtship. Apart from that, knowing that he was willing to sacrifice his honor and reputation for the good of his country impressed me. He was loyal and someone you could rely on. Anna's and Mrs. Hyles's ramblings came back to me and in that moment I couldn't help but agree with them. Storm was the perfect husband. Respectful, loyal, smart, brave, dutiful, dedicated, honorable, handsome… what more could I ask for? I might have put some boundaries because I was terrified of freezing him for getting too nervous, but he still managed to find a way to show that he cared or show affection in a way. Like redeeming his name in his country, or accompanying me whenever I needed to go somewhere, playing the lute for me, taking walks together. He always managed to make his company pleasant, he was always smiling and sometimes I forgot that I had put a boundary because of my powers.

  I knew that with an accusation of high treason in Drakora meant death sentence, but I did not want to plainly point that out at the moment. If there was someone who could help him it was Skylynn and I knew she cared about him, if she thought it was possible to reabilitate him, then I had to trust her… trust them.

  "Thank you for telling me, Storm" I said smiling at him "I appreciate what you're doing, I really do. Yours was a noble act, Drakora better see that like I do. I know you'll be careful" he smiled back at me.

  "I will. Thank you" he said.

  "I'll see you off at the docks later" I told him.

  "Of course…" he paused "But before meeting up there and be all-formal, I was hoping to say goodbye now, my way" I looked at him inquisitively as his blue eyes met mine. Then before I even had the time to react, he leaned down and gently kissed me on the cheek. By the satisfied look in his eyes I knew I was blushing.

  "I'll see you at the docks, your Majesty" he said with a smile.

  "General" I said smiling and we parted ways only to meet up a little while later at the docks.

  The moment Storm and Skylynn arrived to their waiting ship, it took me only one sorry look on Storm's face and Skylynn's stoic one, with the look in her eyes, to realize they just had a huge fight. It was a look it took me a while to recognize. While her face was impassive not daring to show any sort of emotion, Sky's silver eyes betrayed her. It was a look mixed up with anger and sadness the she sported only when she was hurt. It meant that whatever they argued about had something to do with her past. She did not feel sorry about herself, but when she opened up to me on that September day before heading off to fight her half-brothers, it was clear that it hurt her because she couldn't really find a plausible explanation to put her mind at ease. Yet, she bottled everything inside and did not want to show anyone how she was feeling.

  The moment they saw us, their expressions changed into fake happy smiles, hoping to make us think everything was alright. I had brought Anna and Kristoff along and, no matter how much they complained, I brought Hans with us as well. Skylynn was his sister, it was in his right to say goodbye to her. He just stood quietly beside me so that I could see him.

  The moment the two drakorians were in front of us, Anna didn't even ask, she just got to her toes and wrapped an arm around Skylynn's neck and one around Storm's waist in a hug, wishing them a safe trip. I wasn't surprised to see Kristoff say goodbye to Storm in a very brotherly way, like if they were old friends. So much for formally saying 'Goodbye, have a safe trip'.

  Still true to his word, the moment he got in front of me, Storm went for a bow, but I stopped him and gathering up my courage I told him to give me a hug. He smiled widely and embraced me as I wished him a safe trip. It felt… nice.

  Sky was just done saying goodbye to Kristoff, before walking to her brother, who embraced her immediately.

  "Before you crack a joke on it, I'll behave" Hans told her, slightly pulling away from their hug. completely ignoring the fact that Anna, Kristoff and I were one foot away.

  "I know you will" Sky answered.

  "Look, I know Father is going to be there, so please, you behave yourself too. You're a queen now" Hans warned.

  "Oh, I will, it depends on him"

  "Sky…" he warned with a look, I interpreted as his 'I'm-Serious' look.

  "Okay, fine. I'll try to be nice. I promise" Sky replied. Hans seemed satisfied with her answer and smiled.

  "Take care" he said and hugged her again, planting a fond kiss on her cheek. Then he pulled back taking Sky's face in his hands "I'll see you in 10 days, Tiger" and planted another kiss on the top of her head. She smiled at her big
brother and stroked his arm as Storm walked to Hans to say his goodbye to him. I glanced at Anna, who glanced back at me and failing miserably to hide her surprised look, taken off guard by seeing Hans acting so… affectionately, brotherly… human.

  "Storm, I'm counting on you" he said seriously motioning to Skylynn, shaking Storm's hand in a warning grip. Fatherly, was now to add to the list. Because that was a typical father sentence.

  "Don't worry, Sky and I were the Demolition Duo during the revolution" Storm said eyeing her with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

  "Demolition Duo?" I said walking to them, raising an eyebrow. Hans looked as confused as I did.

  "Yup! That's what they called us. I hope that makes you feel less worried" Sky said. Hans and I shared a look, holding back a smile.

  "No, it doesn't, but that's fine" I confirmed shaking my head with a smile as Anna laughed a little, luckily missing the look Hans and I shared. It was now my turn to say goodbye to Skylynn. As queens at least we were supposed to keep it formal. We had to give an image, it didn't matter that Sky was leaving on a date close to storm season, or that my parents died in a shipwreck, because they did the same thing Sky and Storm were doing. I didn't even get the chance to hug them one last time because of how much I feared my powers. But once again that day, I found myself not caring about formalities. Preceding me, Sky gave me a playful look and opened her arms, I replied by smiling and wrapping my arms around her neck embracing her, as she hugged me back tightly.

  "Take care, Sky. I am seeing you two in 10 days" I said.

  "Don't worry, I'll bring him back to you" she joked earning a small laugh from me as we pulled away. With that Storm and Skylynn got on the ship and sailed back to Drakora.

  Later on that day, I finally found some free time from my queenly duties. Considering that Anna was with Kristoff, I decided to go out for a ride. I headed to the stables expecting to find the usual stable boy working, but surprisingly I found Hans, alone, as he was petting Sitron, while he brushed his coat. He was wearing a white, wide V-neck shirt, neatly tucked in by a red sash around his waist, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black trousers and boots. His shirt slightly spotted with dark dust. He didn't notice me at all. Hans looked so at ease around his horse, whispering something to him, smiling and letting out a small chuckle when Sitron bumped him lightly with his muzzle. He turned around putting the brush back down to get another one for the horse's main, but as he turned around Sitron bumped his elbow and his side with his head. I realized the horse had seen me and was trying to get Hans's attention on me, succeeding as Hans turned in my direction and saw me. The moment he did he immediately straightened himself and bowed.