Omphalos (Hiccelsa)

Chapter 24

"What's the meaning of this?" Kristoff gasped out, "What kind of person…playing with my emotions. My god…" He breathed, letting his voice trail off. He stared at the first picture of Ophelia, her smiling face. She'd lost a tooth since he'd last seen her, or so the picture depicted. Her hair was really curly, as if it hadn't been properly brushed in weeks. She looked gleeful, standing there with her hands behind her back, and he knew that stance well. She may have just committed a minor crime, and used her big puppy-dog eyes to get out of it.

"That's the thing. I can't…I don't…" Anna fished for words, "I…you need to read this." She said, handing Kristoff one last stack of papers. These, however, had not drawings but words. And the words were in the unmistakable penmanship of the missing queen. He went back to his own desk, holding the papers hard, so that he could fully focus on them, and would already be sitting, if the letter forced his knees to be weak.

Dear Anna (and Kristoff),

I hope this letter finds you at the time I told Pabbie it should. That time being about six months since I disappeared. There's so much to say, so much that I need to say, that I fear that this whole letter will be a jumbled mess. I apologize.

First, I suppose I should assure you of the thoughts you may have undoubtedly been thinking; I did not run away. Nor did I kidnap your daughter. At least, not intentionally. We have found ourselves in another land, far away, and farther than just a week's journey by ship. We have, as it has, defied logic.

I'll explain, but before I do, recall every impossible thing in our lives. Trolls that are rocks that talk. A real life-snowman. Your sister possessing powers of ice. You coming back from the dead via true love. So, please, when I explain this next part, keep those in mind and believe me.

Remember that hole that Ophelia said she scraped her knee on and found dragon scales? I went out the next day to assess if this would be a danger to our forests, see if it needed to be filled. Ophelia, the sneaky little girl, managed to hop aboard a carriage and follow me as you both probably already know. A leaping deer knocked us accidently in. We perhaps should have hit the bottom, and sustained a couple broken bones. Instead, we have landed 1,000 years in the past.

How I have come to understand it is that there are portals. They are called Omphalos, and they are centers of the universe. But nothing is really the center, making everything the center. And they pop up without warning, and can take you anywhere, at any time. I've met people that claim to be from another 200 years ahead of Arendelle, or back when Roman and Greeks dominated this earth. I have come to know a great many people in the same unfortunate place I am.

Ophelia and I have found ourselves back in the times of Vikings, which apparently, had dragons (before they died out, I'd assume, seeing as we don't have them now). The chief of a Viking Clan found Ophelia and I, and they were generous to take us in, seeing as Arendelle doesn't even exist here yet. Ophelia did break her leg, but it has almost completely healed. Before I knew what time it was, I announced myself as a queen. And, being the time, I was betrothed to the chief that found me.

Crazy, I'm married. Thought you'd never see that day- I included a picture my husband drew of us at our wedding, along with others to assure you we're okay, just really far away. And even crazier, I'm pregnant. About four months so, now. And I love my husband. I love it here…but Ophelia needs to come home. We're trying to find an Omphalos that will bring her back to you, but as you can imagine, finding one in the right time and place is hard enough as finding just a portal itself. We have been unlucky. She doesn't belong here though, and misses you both terribly, which I realize is exactly the thing you probably don't want to hear.

I don't even know if this will find it's way to you- 1,000 years in the future. I have given it to Pablo (Pabbie as we know him) to safeguard it until it's been six months after I vanish. I know that this won't give you the peace of mind you were hoping to find, because it's really a lot to wrap one's mind around, I understand, but it at least will leave with a sort of closure to what happened to us.