When All is Lost… Part Two

Caught in a Daydream Productions is proud to present… the next installment of When All is Lost…! If you need a refresher be sure to check out Part One here. Now, on with the story!

“Take him to the dungeon. This one isn’t worth bothering the queen about.”

            Queen Anna of Arendelle paused on her way through the foyer. She had caught the voice of General Mattias, her chief advisor. The general had been an old friend of her father and grandfather, before getting trapped in the Enchanted Forest for many years. After his return, he was eager to keep serving the royal family. However, he was getting on in age, whether or not he would admit it, so Anna had given him an advisory position rather than a defensive one.

            At times, he oversaw matters that he deemed beneath the queen’s notice. He meant well, and only wished to make things easier on Anna. However, he tended to handle things differently than Anna would.

            As soon as she had taken stock of the situation, she decided that this was a time to interfere. A pair of guards flanked a boy. He had light blonde hair and blue eyes that stood out against his pale skin. He couldn’t be older than twelve or thirteen.

            “Wait,” Anna said, and the guards along with General Mattias, snapped to attention.

            “Your Majesty,” Mattias said with a bow, a note of surprise in his voice. “I was just taking care of a small matter.”

            “Sending a child to the dungeon?” Anna arched an eyebrow and sent Mattias a pointed look. “What exactly has he been accused of?”

            “He, ah, stole a loaf of bread from one of the market stalls. Stealing is a crime,” he reminded Queen Anna.

            Anna knew Mattias considered her too lenient at times. She preferred to examine things closely before she made a decision. Well did she know that things were not always as they first appeared.

            “Let him go,” she commanded the guards. “I will handle this matter, General Mattias.”

            The guards released the boy’s arms, and he jerked away from them. At a signal from their queen, the guards bowed and retreated from the foyer.

            General Mattias hesitated a moment longer. “Are you sure you would not rather have me handle this, Queen Anna?”

            “I am quite sure. That will be all, General.” She softened her tone. “Thank you.”

            He lowered his head in a brief bow, and left Anna and the boy standing in the foyer alone.

            Anna turned her full attention to the boy. He rubbed his arm where one of the guards had gripped him, and refused to look at Anna. She stood and watched him in silence for a few minutes, waiting to see what he would do.

            He seemed to be waiting for the queen to speak first. When the silence continued on for longer than was necessary, he sighed and finally looked up at her. “I didn’t mean any harm,” he said.

            “I know.” Anna waited for him to elaborate, but he had relapsed back into staring at the floor silently. “What can I call you?”

            He looked up in surprise. “Wait, what?”

            “What is your name?”

            He scratched his head and stared at her in puzzlement. “Why would you care? If you don’t lock me in the dungeon, you’ll just toss me back to the street where I came from.”

            A sad smile crept on to Anna’s face. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

            “No ma’am. I’m not from anywhere.”

            “Everyone is from somewhere.”

            “Not me.”

            Anna cocked her head expectantly, but once again, the boy fell silent. “Well, if you won’t tell me about that, will you at least tell me what to call you?”

            The boy smirked, realizing he’d been beaten. “Jack. You can call me Jack.”

            “Well, Jack,” Anna said, placing an arm around his shoulders. Jack flinched, but didn’t pull away. “You don’t know how we do things here in Arendelle. I’m not putting you in the dungeon or on the streets.” They walked together down one of the halls. “In fact, how would you like to have dinner here at the castle tonight?”

            The boy stopped in his tracks and looked at Anna warily. “What’s the catch?”

            Anna gently started guiding him down the hall again. “No catch; we take care of people here in Arendelle.”

            That was true. Anna made it a point to make sure the poor of the kingdom were always well taken care of. Usually, that consisted of tables of food being set up in the courtyard and distributed to the needy. Taking in ragamuffins off of the street and inviting them into the castle was not a common occurrence, even for Anna.

            She couldn’t say why she did it; there was just something about the boy. He was special. Anna didn’t know how or why, but she was determined to find out.

*****

            “And then I climb the tower and look out over all of my new dominion!”

            “Frigga,” Lars stared up at his sister perched on one of the highest branches in the tree. “Can I get up now?”

            “Silence, dragon!” Frigga pointed dramatically to where her little brother lay on the ground. “I have vanquished you once, don’t make me come down there and do it again.”

            Lars squirmed but stayed on his back. “You use too many big words,” he complained.

            “She means she already beat you, and it would be repetitive to have to do it again,” Olaf chimed in happily from where he sat surrounded by a pile of rocks. “It’s the same with me,” he continued. “Frigga the Adventurer already captured the troll king (that’s me,) and defeated the dragon, (that’s you,) so it would be redundant to the story if she was forced to do it all again.”

            Lars huffed and flopped over to his stomach. “You made it worse,” he pouted.

            “Frigga, Lars, Olaf! It’s time to get ready for dinner!”

            “Coming, Daddy!” Frigga called. She then proceeded to scramble from branch to branch, skipping the lowest ones entirely, and landed on the ground in a tumble of arms and legs. She rolled several times and then lay still.

            Olaf and Lars gasped and ran to her. “Is she dead this time?” Olaf asked.

            Frigga popped up and laughed, startling Olaf and Lars. Sticks and leaves poked out of her matted blonde curls, dirt smudged her face and arms, and there was a large tear in the hem of her dress. Otherwise, she seemed none the worse for wear.

            Their father Kristoff, (who just so happened to be the king of Arendelle,) walked over and sighed. “Frigga, what have your mother and I told you about jumping out of trees?”

            “Make sure to land in a roll?”

            “No…”

            “That’s what Mamma says.” Frigga shrugged innocently.

            Why was Kristoff not surprised? “I am going to have to speak to your mother about that.” He scooped Lars off the ground, making the little boy giggle. He held out a hand to Frigga who jumped eagerly to her feet and took her father’s hand. “Come on, Olaf,” he called over his shoulder to the little snowman.

            Olaf drooped a little. “I don’t get a hand to hold?”

            “Here, Olaf!” Frigga said, reaching for him. “You can hold mine!”

            Olaf brightened and took the girl’s hand eagerly.

            The little group stopped on the steps before entering the palace. Kristoff looked his daughter up and down. He let out a low whistle. “We need to get you cleaned up before your mother will let you at the dinner table.”

            He pushed open the door and set Lars down inside. Frigga, he lifted in and sat right in front of the door. Olaf came trailing with her, giggling all the while. “Stay right there,” he told the children. “We don’t want you tracking dirt all over the castle.” He went to a rope across the corridor and pulled, ringing a bell to summon one of the royal family’s many servants.

            It wasn’t long before one of the maids appeared. “Your Highness,” she bobbed a curtsy. “How can I be of service?”

            “Please take these little rascals up to the nursery and have Mrs. McIvery clean them up for supper.”

            Kristoff watched as the maid herded the children away with Olaf tagging happily along. He smiled as he turned and walked down the corridor in the opposite direction.

            Sometimes he had to pause just to make certain that his life was real. Here he was, married to the love of his life; two adorable, if unruly, children; and living in a castle, a literal king. It was such a far cry from the lost little orphan who had been taken in by trolls.

            He was thankful every day that his children would never have to grow up the way he did. They would always know love, and would never know what it was like to go hungry.

            He had reached the library by now, and he slipped inside, expecting to find Anna there. Despite having spent so much time there as a child, she tended to retreat there before dinner most days. He suspected it had much to do with the solitude and silence of the room. Even though she thrived on being around people, even Anna needed a break every now and then.

            Imagine his surprise when he found the room empty. He checked several of her other favorite spots: the upstairs drawing room, the gallery, and even the barn. She was in none.

            He finally found her pacing outside of the dining room.

            “There you are!” They both said it at the same time.

            “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. What are you doing here?”

“Oh,” Anna said, trying too hard to sound casual. “I was just waiting for you.” She laughed nervously and twisted her fingers together.

            Uh oh. That could herald nothing good. “Sweetie, is there something you want to tell me?”

            “Well…” She drew the word out. “I may have taken in a child off of the streets.”

            “Anna,” Kristoff groaned, leaning his head on his hand. “I thought we had a rule?” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “You have the kindest heart, and I love that; but just keep in mind what happens when you go overboard helping people. Remember the orphans and puppies pageant?”

            Anna shuddered. “I found fur everywhere for weeks.”

            Kristoff couldn’t hold back a grin. “I just don’t want you taking on more than you can handle.”

            “I’m not this time, I promise. It’s just one boy.”

            “Alright, fine.” Kristoff lifted his hands in defeat. “Where’d you find this one?”

            “Mattias actually brought him in for stealing.” Kristoff opened his mouth to protest, but Anna cut him off. “It was just a loaf of bread. He was hungry, Kristoff.”

            That hit him. He tried to build back his resolve. Anna could take on an orphan project, but he wasn’t getting dragged into it. But still, the situation resonated with him.

            “Just meet him,” Anna pleaded. “There’s something about him. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something special about him; I can feel it.”

            Kristoff heaved a sigh. “Fine.”

            Anna squealed, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “Great, he’s in here.” She pushed open the double doors to the dining room.

            Kristoff laughed, feeling like he had somehow gotten played. He followed his wife.

            A boy sat in a chair at the dining room table. He looked to be a few years older than Frigga, but he appeared so small sitting all by himself at the large table. His bright blue eyes stared at the royal couple.

            “Jack,” Anna said her girlish excitement from moments before gone, except for a hint in her voice. “This is Kristoff, er, King Kristoff, my husband.”

            The boy nodded, but stayed seated. “Sir.”

            It was ironic; Kristoff had sent his children to get cleaned up moments before, not wanting to annoy Anna. Yet here sat a dirty street urchin, face and clothes covered in dirt, placed at their table by Anna herself. Kristoff didn’t know what she saw in the boy, but he couldn’t help empathizing with him.

*****

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed the second part of When All is Lost… There’s still quite a bit of the story to go, so be sure to check back every Monday!

Have a brilliant week, and never let the troubles of this life steal your joy!

~Jadyn