A Saga Of Ice And Fire

Chapter Two - Visitors From The Wilderwest

King Agnarr, the third of his name,
busied himself  in the main  halls of Arenhall, the royal palace of Arendelle, overseeing proceedings as his many staff shuffled about hurriedly, mumbling amongst themselves or calling out to their colleagues, evidently too preoccupied to notice their King amidst them.   The first visit from the King and Queen of the Wilderwest was a mere half an hour away from Port Nikolaii and the very last of the preparations were being carried out .

The gliterring white marble floors were polished until it looked like if one were to stand on it, it'd appear as if they were standing on clear, reflective water; beautifully woven lush rugs and silk carpets  stretched out over the floors , extravagantly exotic potted plants brought in from lands beyond  dotted the halls here and there and the inhabitants of the large portraits that hung over the walls gazed down curiously at the proceedings below. With the overall preparation, as the sunlight cascaded down through the tall, glass domed roof, the great hall truly was a sight to behold. But Agnarr's mind was oblivious to all of this as he hadn't had a proper night's sleep for the past two days. He couldn't believe how fast time had flown past. It had already been three years since the day he and the  King of the Vikings, Stoick, had agreed upon the Alliance Treaty. Many things had happened since then, among which was the fact that he was no longer the father to just one child, as he was back then. He and his wife were now the parents of Elsa and their second born daughter, Anna. The two bright lights in their lives. 

The king moved towards one of the balconies of the hall and found his elder daughter playing downstairs in the garden with another young girl ; the daughter of one of the grounds staff . Their gleeful laughter filled the air and spread a rather refreshing energy through the castle.His daughter's  silvery pale hair stood out,  gleaming in the bright sunlight as she ran around , being chased by the other girl , the sounds of their shrill laughter struggling to keep up with them.

Elsa had  turned five and her sister Anna who was born just two summers ago, was still far too young to be running around outside. But they were growing much faster than he'd like them to and they were bundles of unlimited energy, managing to make even the most grumpiest of their staff  smile at their antics. 

Despite it all, Agnarr still couldn't shake the deep seated concern about the fact that he might have just destroyed his daughter's life by signing her away like some trade good to a group of people that most people would consider to be 'savages'. And the fact that the Arendellian scouts who'd found the isle of Berk almost had their arms chopped off if it weren't for King Stoick, was not a relieving sign. At the very least , the King had the temperament to listen to what they had to say. And then there was the concern that the boy would be just as vast, uncouth or belligerent as the other Vikings. He feared that his daughter would resent or even hate him for marrying her off to someone whom most of her friends would consider a savage. He felt like he'd traded in his daughter for a few sacks of grains and it made him feel a bit sick on the inside.  Three years hadn't eased his concerns in the slightest. Having to continuously put off questions from his peers about why the Vikings who were looked down upon were now seated at the table for trade talks didn't help either.

He hoped to the gods that his fears were unfounded. 

"Would you stop worrying?" a voice spoke, pulling him out from the dark cavern of his mind, "I can tell you're worrying when you start fiddling with that ring of yours "

Iduna, the Queen consort, joined her husband at the balcony , watching their daughter running around  with her friend.  Agnarr glanced down at  his hands and indeed, he had been fiddling with his wedding ring. 

"I still don't know if what I'm doing is the right thing, Ida" he sighed apprehensively.

"You're doing the best you can with the circumstances you've been given. It's all any of us could've done. " She says reassuringly, placing her warm hand atop his.