AGNARR
What a day it had been.
Finding out that General Colden was the one behind everything - even things I'd long since overlooked four years ago - had been quite the revelation!
But now he was finally behind bars, where he should have been a long time ago. And it was all thanks to Iduna.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out how I'd known what she wanted me to do, but I didn't really care to know either. All that mattered was that it had worked; Colden had been so distracted by her, he hadn't even noticed me sneaking up behind him, taking his handcuffs from his belt, and securing them around his wrists.
That defeat had been enough to wake up the rest of the Council, and Sigurd, accompanied by a few other Guards, had taken him to his new, damp home.
There was just one more thing I had to do now before I could call this a happily ever after for Us.
I knocked on the door nervously.
Renata opened it and smiled uncertainly at me, "Agnarr. Where've you been? No one was telling me anything."
"That's actually what I came here to tell you. May I come in?"
She have a small nod and held the door open for me.
I walked inside and noted the room was luxurious for a simple Guest suite; rich, supple fabrics dressed the mahogany bed, and fine tapestries adorned with the Arendellian crest were draped across the furthest wall. I was quite surprised by it actually; I so preferred spending my time in the village that I had barely explored my own Castle.
But admiring this room was not the task I had come to fulfil, and I turned back around to where Renata was watching me, waiting for me to explain myself.
I felt awkward, but didn't bait her any longer, "Look Renata, I don't really know how to tell you this but ... I er, I went to Corona." I swallowed before saying, "A-after Iduna."
Renata looked back at me. She didn't look angry or upset or even mildly surprised. Her entire face was void of any emotion at all.
It made me uncomfortable but I pushed on, "I had plans of making her my Queen once upon a time actually. Only something happened a year ago and we broke up." I scratched the back of my neck and avoided Renata's emotionless gaze. "Later, when you and your parents arrived, I had to let Iduna know I was engaged to you, even if she hated me by this point. Needless to say it didn't exactly go well. Remember when your father got really angry a month ago?" I chanced a glance at the Princess, but still her face was blank as she listened. "Well I wasn't really lying to you. Iduna and I had an argument and your father blew it well out of proportion. Him and I - we both threatened the Alliance in the name of the wedding; I wanted to call it off because I just couldn't condemn you to a loveless marriage, but your father wanted it to go ahead. In the end, Iduna fled Arendelle to save the Alliance between our Kingdoms. I was not happy with this arrangement, but there was nothing I could do to go after her and bring her back. So I became willing to go ahead with our wedding, despite my own feelings, in order to maintain the peace." I paused again, unsure of how to phrase my words, but ploughing ahead seemed the right move, "It wasn't until you said something about what it means to love a person that I came back to reality. I realised what it meant for me to love Iduna and I had to go after her, try and reason with her, and get her to come back here - with me ..." I rubbed my face with my hand guiltily, "I am so sorry Renata."
For a torturous few minutes after I'd finished, Renata didn't speak.
"You know Agnarr," was what she eventually said, "there was a time when I would have jumped at the chance of marrying you. But I knew you never had the same feelings for me. You weren't exactly subtle in displaying your affection for Iduna." she gave a small chuckle as I felt my cheeks flush. "So I decided to try my luck at moving on. However, I suppose it is as hard as fairytales say. You were always so nice to me you see, treating me like a real human being and not some prissy Princess who was good for nothing except marriage and heirs." she looked down all of a sudden then, her eyes ablaze with sadness and anger, "You know it was hurtful when father became obsessed with the wedding, forcing me to believe it was not some rumour as I initially thought it must be. I don't want to be some disposable Queen who was used by her father for his and her husband's benefit, and that's what I was becoming! But at the same time, I think my forgotten, buried feelings for you were re-awoken, and I thought that maybe you'd come to see me as more than just a friend. So while I was annoyed with my father, I couldn't help but - well, like the idea of marrying you." she took a deep breath then and looked up at me.
I stared back at her, unsure of whether to feel guilty or grateful. Had I been aware of Renata's old feelings for me? I didn't know exactly, but on some subconscious level I suppose I'd always known. And she had been genuinely willing to marry me, just as I'd always worried. But at the same time she knew I didn't love her, she had tried to move on once ...
She took another deep breath and spoke again, distracting me from my thoughts, "You didn't send that proposal letter, did you?"
I shook my head sadly, "No. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologise. It's not your fault you feel the way you feel. I got over you once, and I think what I'm feeling now is just artificial. I can get over you again."
"You deserve more than I can give you, Princess." I said with a grin.
She grinned honestly back at me, and for the first time since I'd entered the room, I felt a little at ease.
"And I am fond of you by the way." I added quickly, "But you're just a dear friend. Not my lover."
"I know." Renata's voice was tender and sweet, "Look Agnarr, as a fake marriage present, I'll reason with my father. When he gets himself in a fit like he did last month, it's impossible for him to see anything logically. But if I talk to him when he's calm, he'll see that the Alliance needn't be broken simply because you didn't marry his daughter. You'd have to marry a lot of Princesses if that was the case!" she laughed and I couldn't help but see this funny side too.
"Heh. Thank you so much Renata. You don't know how much this will mean to Iduna and I."
The Princess shrugged sideways in her breezy, cocky little way, "Don't mention it. I'm brilliant, I know."
I had to laugh again and she grinned.
"And thank you for being so understanding. I was half-expecting you to throw something at me!" I admitted, recalling a similar moment from a tragic romance I'd been forced to read once.
"Of course not!" she said, slightly mortified I'd have thought so lowly of her, "You deserve happiness too you know."
I smiled at her one last time before turning to leave the room, but Renata suddenly stopped me.
"Oh, and one more thing Agnarr!" she called.
I turned and watched as she tossed something small through the air. I caught it in my palm and saw it was my mother's engagement ring.
"Go get her!"
Beaming excitedly, I left the room and took off down the corridor in search of Iduna.
I found her in one of the living rooms sitting on the sofa, her back against the arm of the chair, her legs resting on the plump cushions, and a book in her slender hands.
She looked up as I entered, "How'd it go with Renata?"
Breathlessly, I sat down on the patch of sofa she hadn't already occupied, though she pulled her legs up anyway. "It went surprisingly well actually."
Iduna's face mirrored my own relief.
"She was extremely understanding, and told me I deserve happiness too. She's going to talk to her father and sort everything out. The Alliance shouldn't be threatened anymore."
Iduna nodded, a smile slowly stretching across her lips, "Oh that's really wonderful news Agnarr."
I gave a nod, "Yeah, it is." then I looked down at my hand, the one holding the ring. I remembered the day my mother had given it to me like it was yesterday, and while I was happy I had memories of her, and this ring as a token of love for both her and now Iduna, it still hurt that she was gone and would never get to meet the bearer of it.
A small hand appeared on my own and I looked up to see Iduna had curled her legs around and skooched closer to me.
"What is it?" she asked gently.
I took a deep breath and leant back in the chair, "The day my mother died was a sad day for all of us. I was very young and I barely understood what was truly going on. But when my father came out of the room and told us she was gone, I just knew that I'd never see her again."
Iduna didn't need to say anything for me to know she understood my pain and grief. She curled up beside me and simply lay her head on my shoulder, squeezing my hand tightly.
"I still remember when I went in to see her." I continued, placing my free arm around Iduna, "I was scared and unsure. The woman lying in the bed was so sick, pale and weak. She didn't look like my mother. But she took my hand in her own and told me that she wasn't afraid. She told me she loved me and so long as I loved her, she would remain with me forever." I glanced at Iduna, who had tilted her eyes up to watch me through thick lashes.
"I'm so sorry Agnarr." she whispered softly.
I shook my head, "I made my peace with her death a long time ago." then I looked back at the hand still concealing the ring, "She gave me something after she told me that. She asked me to hold my palm out and she shakily placed something in the centre. It was her engagement ring. She told me it was a Family heirloom. It had once belonged to my Grandmother before she gave it to my father, who proposed to my mother with it. This has been going on for generations. And when she bequeathed it to me, she told me to keep it and give it to the love of my life when I wished to marry her."
Iduna sat up and stared at me.
"So, without further ado. Iduna," I lifted myself from the sofa and knelt on one knee before the girl, opening my palm and revealing the ring to the true love of my life, "will you do me the highest honour of accepting this ring, and in doing so, become my beautiful, intelligent, rightfully stubborn Queen?"
She let out a snort of laughter.
"It's only the rest of your life, luv!"
Laughing even more, she swung her legs down from the sofa. "I'm surprised you felt the need to ask." she said, before crying, "Of course I will!"
Elation flooding through me to the extent where I couldn't wipe the huge smile off my face, I excitedly offered the ring to Iduna and she lifted her hand for me to slide it on her finger.
"A perfect fit." I said, before jumping up, wrapping my arms around her waist, and lifting her - quite literally - off her feet. I spun around with her as she wrapped her arms around my neck and nestled her head against my shoulder contentedly.
A light rapping sounded at the door then, and it was pushed aside to reveal Frederic and Arianna. They looked tentative for a moment, but upon seeing our happy scene, beamed too, knowing that everything was alright now.
Iduna perked her head up when she sensed their arrival in the room, and grinned as she held up her hand.
Arianna gasped and rushed forwards to take her friend's hand and admire the ring there.
Then she punched my shoulder, "So you finally did it!" she was ecstatic, "And is this - is this mother's engagement ring?"
I nodded at my sister before smiling lovingly back at Iduna, "It was always destined to be my true love's."
"I'm so happy for you both!" Frederic was grinning so broadly as he walked forwards and put his arm around Arianna's shoulder, that it looked like his face would crack at any second, "Now can I call this a Happily Ever After?"
THE END