Once Upon A Time Frozen Over: Shards of Secrets (Book One) [COMPLETE]

CHAPTER NINETEEN - AFTERMATH

Present Day

East Forests

As the night grew closer, the evening sky looked like a painter's canvas.  Streaks of soft purple and orange painted over an endless sea of dark blue, along with one single star shining brightly over the myriad of colors, gave a sense of peace and hope.  The trees were like a whispering audience as a cool breeze whisked through them.  The branches slowly moved back and forth as if in a celebratory applause for the kingdom's victory over the manticore.

Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Evie, exhausted from the day's events, had been sitting on the ground resting and drinking water from their canteens before starting their long trek back to the castle.  Evie got up to refill the canteens at a small brook up the east path, while the others readied their horses for the journey. 

Elsa kept to herself as she tried tightening her horses saddle.  She still was harboring feelings of doubt, guilt, and fear, even though she had just defeated the manticore.  Realizing how difficult it was for her to defeat it, she worried about the other pending dangers that she must face to keep her kingdom safe and that she would have the same difficulties battling them.  She also could not shake the thoughts of her almost destroying her kingdom with an eternal winter she started a few days ago and ended just yesterday — let alone the guilt she felt for shutting her sister out for years — she didn't think she could ever forgive herself for that.  Also, the worry of what the royal council will say or do about the princess being courted by a commoner.  She didn't agree with it and she knew the council definitely wouldn't agree with it.  She wasn't sure of what the outcome of that would be, but knew it was going to be a living nightmare.  Her guilt and worry were weighing down on her greatly and she didn't know how to conquer them.  Snow flurries began to swirl around her once again.

Anna gave her horse an apple and a pat on its long, soft nose.  She turned and saw the snow flurries swirling around her sister.  She walked over to Elsa and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.  "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, why?" Elsa answered, still fixated on her horses saddle.

Anna looked up above Elsa's head, didn't say a word, and pointed her finger in a circling motion to the flurries all around her.

Elsa took her focus away from the saddle and became aware of the multiple flurries around her.  "Oh...I didn't notice," she said, swiping the flurries away with her hand.

"Okay, Elsa, I know something's been bothering you today.  Yes, Kristoff was a part of it, but there's something else....What is it?" Anna asked with concern.

"I'll tell you, Anna, I will, just not right now...please," Elsa said, turning toward Anna, taking her hands in hers and giving her a loving smile.

Anna respected her wishes and said, "Okay...promise?"

Still holding Anna's hands, Elsa smiled and answered, "I promise." 

She then let go of her hands and turned back to her horse trying to buckle the saddle.

"Here...let me help," Anna said, taking the leather strap and easily pulling it through the buckle.

"Thank you.  Thirteen years locked in a room doesn't really give you great equestrian skills," Elsa stated.

"Or topography skills," Kristoff whispered, leaning in to Anna's ear.

Anna jabbed Kristoff in the ribs with her elbow, causing him to emit a small ow.  

"Everyone has their own strengths," Anna encouraged Elsa while secretly shoving Kristoff away.

Elsa smiled and felt a little reassurance with those words...and those words also refreshed her memory of a thought she had earlier.  "Oh, speaking of..." Elsa said to Anna,"about Evie...she put her life on the line to help us and the kingdom — she is quite brilliant.  I was thinking we could do something to repay her."