Love Turned Cold

Chapter 9

Back in Arendelle, Oliver, Signe, Kristoff, Honeymaren, and Ryder were doing their best to keep Arendelle under control while the royals were away. Kristoff remembered what the first eternal winter was like, even though he had been away with Anna at the time, he used his expertise to guide citizens to keep warm. Oliver and Signe were on royal duties mode and helping the citizens the best they could as well.

Oliver had written to his advisors the day of his brother's death that he would be away longer than anticipated and to keep the kingdom running in his place until he and Signe could return.

The three of them ran the affairs of the kingdom for the time being, while Honeymaren and Ryder provided personal care to the elderly and sick. With their survival skills, they were more capable of handling harder personal issues than the royals could.

They were managing as efficiently as possible.

And then there was poor Olaf. With so much happening in so little time, hardly anyone had acknowledged the snowman. He kept trying to offer help where he could, and the only thing he was told to do by Kristoff was to entertain children for the time being. Olaf didn't mind, of course, he loved being around kids, but he just wanted Anna and Elsa back.

Olaf had the talk about death well before he had flurried away, and he understood it very well. But that didn't mean that Conrad being dead didn't hurt any less.

While Olaf was mostly with Anna and Kristoff, the times he was with Elsa and Conrad were absolutely delightful. Conrad took some time warming up to the snowman, as he was still baffled, yet amazed by how the snowman was Elsa's creation, but once he did, Conrad interacted with Olaf as much as possible, since he still had the personality and mentality of a child.

Conrad had taken it upon himself to educate Olaf alongside Kjerstin and Jonis when they were growing up. And Olaf adored being like Conrad and Elsa's kid.

But now Kjerstin and Jonis were all grown up, with lives of their own. And it scared Olaf seeing Elsa so sad and knowing he couldn't really do anything about it. And he knew Conrad being dead didn't help either.

He would wander around Arendelle, smiling at villagers, doing silly gags with his nose, rearranging himself in strange ways, and read stories to kids, now that he could read. And there was no Sven around either. His best friend. The adored reindeer had died happily of old age in the stables, where Kristoff sat next to his beloved lifelong friend in his final moments. The whole family was there to bid the reindeer farewell. That had been Olaf's first time seeing someone pass away in front of him, and he could see the grief being processed by those around him.

Additionally, Anna and Kristoff's children were also trying to do their best to help their kingdom, shadowing their father while he was working, or helping citizens with Olaf, Honeymaren, and Ryder.

Iduna II, the eldest, was one year younger than Jonis, but was next in line for the throne, as Jonis wanted nothing to do with ruling a kingdom. Iduna was very similar to Kjerstin, as the two often were taught together by Anna for lessons in being queen and how to run a kingdom. The pair were close and got along very well, much like Elsa and Anna. Her hair was a shade of auburn, reminding Anna of her own mother, and Anna felt there was no other name that would fit her daughter best than Iduna. And the princess shared her mother's eyes.

Lisbet was the middle child, she was much like her mother, with lots of energy, and very bubbly, and contrary to a typical middle child, was the center of attention. She was a perfect mix of Anna and Kristoff; light strawberry blonde hair, and brown eyes, tons of freckles, and Anna's brilliant smile.

And Daniel was the youngest of the three. He was a little quieter than his siblings, bookwormish, and good at academics. He actually got along the best with Oliver, whenever he would visit, he would be the first Daniel would talk to. He was a clone of Kristoff, but with Anna's blue eyes like his eldest sister.

And all three absolutely adored their uncle Conrad. He loved to play with them and his kids, and they could always count on him for advice. He was the best, and with him gone, it was not the same.

It felt emptier without him.

Iduna had been asked by her father to go to the storage closets where the good winter cloaks, blankets, socks, and mittens. After locating a few suitcases, she fetched some servants to help her. As she carried fur cloaks, she walked past the family portraits. She gazed up, seeing the faces of her mother's family watching her. The portrait of her great grandfather Runeard and his wife, queen Rita.

Runeard had always had a... not great reputation in Arendelle to begin with. Not just with him betraying the Northuldra people, but supposedly, Runeard as a person was not the best. Queen Rita was the total opposite of him, she was quiet and rather demure compared to her husband.

As she made her way down the hallway, she smiled seeing the warm faces of her grandparents and seeing the lovely smile of her namesake brought a sense of comfort to her.

And then the family portrait of her aunt and uncle and cousins. You could feel the positive energy radiating from the painted canvas. With a sigh, she picked up her pace and scurried outside, already shivering as she handed the cloaks to guards to pass to citizens. She craned her neck up as a strong gust of wind blew through the courtyard.

This was going to be a long week.