many years looking at from a distance. She’d see more than the tops of the turrets. She’d be right there in the middle of everything, with Freya, who knew the place so well. “Do you think Papa will say yes?” Anna asked her mother.
“Perhaps,” Ma replied.
Freya smiled and took Anna’s hand. She seemed hopeful. “When I get back from my trip, we will find a way to bring you to Arendelle.”
I might die of boredom.
Elsa would never say those words out loud, of course. But as she sat in the portrait hall in a large velvet chair and stared up at the ceiling, she couldn’t help thinking them. Her parents had been gone only a week, but already she was feeling the weight of their absence. She’d done all her studies for the next three days, sat in on the visits her father had outlined for her, walked around the courtyard daily, and visited with Olina in the kitchen. The castle’s chef was the closest thing she had to a real friend, if she was being honest. Miss Olina—who insisted Elsa call her Olina now that she was practically an adult—didn’t care that she was the future queen of Arendelle. She gave it to Elsa straight.
“You need friends—or better yet, a suitor,” she had told Elsa that morning. Elsa was sitting in the kitchen with her, eating eggs for breakfast.
Elsa groaned. “Now you sound like the Duke of Weselton.” She knew where the conversation was headed: she was about to get a lecture.
“Would it be so wrong for you to find someone who is your equal?” Olina asked.
Elsa sighed deeply.
“You listen, my darling girl.” Olina waved a wooden spoon, the pink in her cheeks from the heat of the stove growing deeper as she got wound up. “You spend too much time alone.”
“But—” Elsa said, but Olina cut her off.
“I know you’re learning how to follow in your father’s footsteps, and that’s good, but when was the last time you went outside the castle walls? With someone other than this staff? A good queen knows herself inside and out, and you are too inside your head. The only way you can understand the people you serve is to get to know them. Enjoy their company. Hear their stories. In the process you might figure out what you enjoy, as well, when you’re not focused on your studies and your future.”
Olina made a good point. What did Elsa enjoy doing other than spending time with her parents and learning how to be a wise ruler? Olina was right. She needed friends. She needed a hobby. She needed something to do. But what?
“Oh my goodness!” Olina said, spying Kai coming through the door with a large box. Various scrolls and hats were falling out of it. Olina ran over to help him place the box on the floor. “Let me help you with that.”
“Thanks,” Kai said. “That was heavier than I anticipated.” He noticed Elsa. “Hello, Princess.”
“Hello.” Elsa nodded.
“Who told you to carry it all the way from the attic by yourself?” Olina scolded him, stepping back to the stove and stirring the contents of a large pot. Whatever she was cooking smelled wonderful. “How is it going in the attic?”
“Good. We cleared out several boxes. You can see the floor again now.”
“You didn’t throw out anything the king or queen would want, did you?” Olina asked, placing her hands on her hips.
“No, no, just these random old hats and broken things.” Kai held up a Viking hat with one horn and a chipped blue vase. “Thought you might like this.” He pulled out a large pot.
Olina’s eyes lit up. “Look at that! I could put this to good use.”
“I’ll go up to the attic again tomorrow when it isn’t so hot and see what else there is. I’ll bring you back anything special. Good afternoon, Princess Elsa.” Kai lifted the box again and walked out.
“Good afternoon,” Elsa said.
She’d never realized there were things stored in the attic. She’d never even been up there. She had a whole afternoon ahead of her. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have a peek at what was stored right above her bedroom. It wasn’t a hobby, but it was a start.
After saying goodbye to Olina, Elsa decided to stop in her room to grab a lantern. With her parents away and no engagements being held at the castle until their return, it seemed like everyone was trying to catch up on long-overdue chores. She passed workers