"Kristoff."
Anna's voice carried over the throne room, past the guards, past the people waiting to have a meeting with the king and queen, past the wet-nurse holding their five-month old wailing son. IN all the craziness of court, Anna's voice was so simple and forceful that Kristoff looked up to see her.
She was holding a stack of papers in her fingers, and holding them so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. He went from lazily signing things to apt attention, abandoning his station to come to the throne where she sat.
It had been nearly six months since Elsa had vanished without a trace. After two months, Anna and Kristoff had become Queen Anna and King Kristoff, although it didn't sit well with everyone. They were not trained to be leaders, some said, and many had problems with Kristoff's background. Some even suggested that her cousin, Rapunzel take over this land as well as her own, since she was fit for a royal than Anna was. Rapunzel was appalled at the idea of stealing Arendelle from underneath her cousin's nose and promptly refused.
With no other alternative, they became king and queen. Most would admit they hadn't totally failed yet. But the yearn for Elsa back was still palpable. Anna, also believing that there had been more than most thought to her sister's disappearance, had finally sought out help in the last place she'd promised to go to- the trolls.
Kristoff had been dubious. He loved his family, but even they, he claimed, didn't have the power to find a missing person, especially if that missing person did not want to be found. But Pabbie had seemed oddly confident about it, and this had just excited Anna. Kristoff had had a very stern talking with his grandfather, making Anna excited for something that wouldn't happen! It was cruel to get her hopes up. Still, Pabbie was adamant he would hear or find them. There was something behind his trustful gaze, something Kristoff didn't altogether understand.
Since then, Anna had been making their trustworthy servant- Gerda- travel out each month to get a progress report. She was perhaps one of the only people that didn't think Anna was crazy for claiming to know trolls, but gladly went there. Today, clearly, she'd come back with something.
Their son, Dante, began to wail from the arms of the maid. Anna hardly looked over, quite unusual for her as she had become a protective mama bear from the very start, and this told Kristoff that something was either very wrong or very right. Yet from her tone, he couldn't have been able to decide.
When he approached, Anna looked up with tears glistening in her eyes.
"Bad news?" He guessed.
"I…I don't know." She admitted hoarsely, "Look at this." Anna said, handing him a yellow paper, which usually meant old age. Yet he nearly dropped the paper in shock, for the face of his daughter stared back up at him.
He was sure everyone could hear him audibly swallowing back his tears. "My god, Anna. Who drew this?" He demanded in a hushed tone, as not to draw attention to them, for the still had a full day in the main throne room. Being so new, people looked for any sign of weakness, even leaving for personal matters. Kristoff hated court more and more, but he was positive he would do everything in his power to become a good and worthy king.
"That's the thing. Elsa did, sort of." Anna said, running her fingers through her hair, and yanking at the end, "Look at all of these." She breathed. She handed Kristoff about eight more papers. All drawings, impeccable. Another one of Ophelia, but this time she had…a tiny dragon resting on her shoulder. Ophelia with a man he didn't know, but he seemed to have an air of leadership, even trough the page. Elsa, with her hair down (a very rare sight in deed) holding hands with the man previous to Ophelia. Two more dragons, one black and wide-eyed, and one slender and pale. They kept coming, all so real, but so…unbelievable.
"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.
One day, I really do hope Ophelia gets back. As for me…I'm not sure what will happen. Luckily I have an amazing sister and brother-in-law that I know will run Arendelle fairly and wonderfully. Hiccup, my husband (You're allowed to laugh at his name) has no one else. And what kind of person would I be to take my children away from a life they have always known? I'm not sure what will happen with me. I really don't know. I wish I could be more certain, but I'm not.
Not a day goes by that I don't want my sister back; to share my marriage with, to laugh with about being pregnant. Not a day goes by that I don't wonder if you delivered your child aright- is it a boy? A girl? Is it wonderful? Does it look like mom, or dad? I wish it was as simple as you being able to write back, but this is the only way I can see to communicate, this horrible one-way passage. Yet, it's the best we have.
I love you with all my heart and soul. Perhaps something that will bring you a little peace is that when you look into the night sky, know that the stars you see are the exact same stars I see here- some things are constant. The stars and our love for each other are two examples.
I had my husband draw pictures of Ophelia, himself, me, and our dragons (and I wish we still had them, they are the most delightful of companions, much like Kristoff is with Sven. Mine is named Mercedes, and she lost her ability to breathe fire, making her a perfect match for my ice and me. Although, according to Hiccup there was two dragons that did breathe ice! Incredible! Although one has died, and the other has vanished. Perhaps I was sent here to figure out where my powers came from.)
I have no way of knowing if this will work, but perhaps I will continue to do this in the future, so that every year without Ophelia is not without a light to lead her home.
I could say that I love you both a thousand times over and it would never be enough,
Your former queen,
Elsa.
When he finished, he looked up to see Anna watching him intently. She stood, walking over to him as casually as she could muster.
"Do you believe it?" She asked. It wasn't a shocked, happy, rhetorical question, but an honest to god inquiry. Kristoff let out a long breath, staring at the words on the page as if they were a different language, and he was waiting for a hidden 'gotcha' to pop out.
"I don't know." He said, rubbing his head "Is there a way we could be sure? What does your library have on Vikings?" He asked. Anna winced, shrugging.
"I didn't spent a whole ton of time reading," She admitted, "I wouldn't know. And it's vast. I would take a long time to find books on them. Maybe they wouldn't even talk about this Hiccup character." She said, biting her lip. Kristoff gave a long look at the paper.
He beckoned a man who had worked for Anna's father, and had been in the castle for a very long time.
"I have a task for you. We wish to know more about Vikings, Anna believes it would help her with some cultural aspects that we would like to bring back. Can you find any book in the library that we have on them?" He asked.
"Of course, sir!" The man said, bowing his head, "It's wonderful to see you two taking an interest in our history!" He said, "Anything else?"
"We believe we may have a lead on where Queen Elsa is. Anna and I must go immediately to see it through." Kristoff declared in a spur of the moment judgment.
"Both of you?" The man asked, furrowing his eyebrows, "Wouldn't it be best to send some guards? Or only one of you?"
"It's a very personal letter we received." Anna cut in, understanding where Kristoff was suggesting they go, "Best if we, the people addressed, go. Besides, I must go because she is my sister. And Kristoff is, erm, familiar with the territory. This is why we are the best options."
The man still seemed unsure, but he did not argue. Instead he dipped his head once again.
"If you insist." He murmured, "I will alert the carriages and tell the court of your leaving. How long will you be gone?"
"Oh, shouldn't be more than two or three hours." Kristoff assured. Within the hour, the pair were lacing up their winter gear, and loading into the carriage. They had Gerda come with them, and the usual driver that brought them out there.
"News of your sister?" She asked. Anna sighed, looking out the window.
"Something like that."
Kristoff watched her expressions in the carriage all the way to the Troll site. It switched between a look of half relief, to confusion, to anger…this was just his sister-in-law (and admittedly his daughter) and his emotions were bouncing all around his head, so he couldn't even imagine how Anna was feeling. He gnawed on his lip incessantly, unsure on how this whole thing was being processed in her head. She hadn't blown up yet, gotten loud, which was quite unlike her.
Ah of course, he spoke to soon. As soon as the carriage entered onto the soft grass- untouched by snow- and stopped, Anna threw the door open without an announcement and thundered into the green.
"Is this true?" She yelled, waving the papers, "Pabbie, get out here and tell me this is a cruel joke. A sick lie!" She screamed, and all at once her legs wiggled and fell out from under her. Kristoff was jumping out of the carriage with Gerda just as he saw his family roll up to Anna, who was collapsed and sobbing on the ground.
"Pabbie." He said, nodding at the grandfather troll, who stood at the front, "You gotta…we've…this is…" Kristoff was at a loss for words. Anna looked up, her whole body quaking.
"This is lies." She said, shoving the paper- the letter- to him, "Please, tell me it's a lie." She begged.
Pabbie sighed, and motioned for the other trolls to leave. "I wish it were. I have been waiting a thousand years to give you that." He admitted with a scowl.
Anna took a sharp intake of breath, and sort of just fell completely onto the grass, shaking her head. "Pabbie, if you were around then, you gotta know…about Ophelia." Kristoff said gently.
"If I did, I couldn't tell you." Pabbie said, "That is for time to reveal, not me."
"So, you do know?" Kristoff surmised.
"But I cannot tell you." Pabbie said, "And for that I am deeply sorry."
"Can't?" Anna repeated, lifting her head, "Or won't?" She demanded.
"Both." Pabbie said, "I wish I could be of more help, I understand this is a delicate reveal and-,"
"Delicate?" Anna repeated, her voice growing in shock and dismay, "Delicate? My baby is with fitly ugly Vikings years away from me! By this time, she'd be long dead. And you call this a 'delicate' reveal?" She said, standing, shouting.
"Anna…" Pabbie murmured, and Kristoff realized in that moment, that Pabbie wanted to tell them everything he knew about the future and the past in every bone of his body, yet, he was bound by the laws of nature and the well being of time and space to keep quiet. It was a secret he carried alone. Not even the trees could know.
"Anna, we've established it's real. What more can we do?" He asked, trying to calm his wife and stop her from kicking a troll, or something.
"I want Ophelia back." Anna mewed, grabbing his shoulders, "I find out she's alive, but not. I…I…just want to see her again. And Elsa." She said painfully, "I want to know everything will be okay." She added, looking at Pabbie.
He stayed stony silent, looking down. He saw Anna's eyes fill with tears again, and he leaned down and gently wiped them away.
"We know she is with someone who loves her, right?" he pressed, "We know she is being cared for." He continued, "And this is a thousand years in the future, Anna, perhaps we can do more than she can?" He said.
Anna sniffled, wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeve, "Like what?" She questioned, "What can we possibly do?"
"Putting up signs is a good place to start. If Elsa is right- and these people who turned up from Omphaloses are everywhere, someone is bound to recognize the name and tell us what they can. We will search for her, even if it takes lifetime." He promised.
Anna nodded. "Okay," She said in a small voice. She turned to get back into the carriage, but turned back and gathered the papers. Pabbie had almost retreated back into rock form, but she stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder, "Pabbie, I'm sorry. I understand why you can't tell us. So I want to thank you, for this," She said, lifting the papers, "This is, undoubtedly, one of the better things I could have hoped for. Ophelia and Elsa and well, and even happy, wherever they are."
"Aye," Pabbie agreed, "At this time, I could not remember Queen Elsa being a brighter person than before. And her child was strong too."
"Do you know what it was?" Anna asked, "Her child?" Pabbie gave a child-like grin, and beckoned Anna down to his level. He whispered an answer in her ear, and Anna began to grin.
"Thank you, Pabbie. For everything." She said, laughing to herself. She wished she could have been, or be there, when Elsa had her first kid. She'd have her hands full, that was for sure. Ophelia in herself was already a mess, though she loved her dearly.
Much calmer, Anna got back into the carriage, watching out the window as they left the meadow. For a strange reason, Anna had the feeling this was not the only stack of letters he had waiting for them.
They put signs, posters, up all over their kingdom. 'LOOKING FOR OMPHALOS TO 950 AD. IF YOU KNOW OF ONE, OR KNOW HOW TO FIND ONE, COME TO THE PALACE AT ARENDELLE. MONEY PRIZE."
They figured that eventually, someone would show up. Rapunzel, after visiting and seeing one, offered to put them up in Cornoa as well. Anna was at first under the impression she would not believe them, but Rapunzel mussed her hair and gave her a smile.
"Hey, I used to have magical hair that glowed when I sang. This? Real as anything else." She assured.
She also understood two months later when her and Eugene were crowned King and Queen that only Kristoff attended, because it was a long journey there, and Anna didn't want to miss anyone who might have news.
When Kristoff returned, he knew there was much letter to attend to. He'd been gone nearly two weeks, and it took two people at a normal pace to sort through the letters that arrived at the palace. He and Anna had made a game of it, otherwise they would have kneeled over from boredom. About half the letters were not worth the time, a quarter something actually important, and the final quarter to hilarious not to read to someone else.
He came back and sat in the letter reading room, with piles of letters stacked all around him. Maids bustled in and out, bringing Anna food or caring for Dante. He greeted her with a kiss, assured her that the ceremony didn't beat theirs anyway and it was better to stay, and took a giant stack of letters.
Kristoff wasn't quite sure how Elsa had done this alone so many years.
A couple hours into the laborious task, Anna let out a small 'oh'. Kristoff looked up.
"Letter about the Omphalos?" He asked. Anna shook her head.
"No, a notice from the Southern Isles." She said, using a letter-opener to tear past the seal, "And to think I almost forgot about them. It feels like forever." She commented lightly, casually referring to the time a Prince from said country nearly killed her and her sister. Kristoff had to wonder if this was a time his wife was using extraordinary skills of anger management not to rip the letter to shreds.
"Well, what's it about? They've already paid their sorries long ago." Kristoff said, thinking of the many apology gifts sent their way and multiple people groveling to Elsa not to freeze the whole royal family for Han's childish actions.
Anna scanned the letter quick, and he saw her face flash between a smile and a frown. "Huh." She said, "After six years, Prince Hans was executed for his crimes. Been-,"
She had been right in the middle of making a statement when a loud crash exploded behind them. Kristoff and Anna turned to see a maid standing, a priceless family vase sitting in shards on the floor, and her shaking so bad that someone would imagine it to be minus degrees in the room.
"I'm sorry your majesties. I was cleaning and it just slipped and-," She began to hastily apologize, leaning down with difficulty, her fingers still trembling as she tried to retrieve the larger pieces.
"Accidents happen suppose," Kristoff gave a long and tired sigh, and turned to address the maid personally- as he knew all the work in the castle- but found himself looking at an unfamiliar face. She looked most likely to be late twenties or early thirties, and her face was beautiful enough to attract the likes of many people; regardless of whatever statue she'd been in previously. A light dotting of freckles against deep blue eyes and ginger hair pulled back, slightly dark than Han's shade, now that he was think of the man.
"Oh!" Anna said, smacking her forehead, "I forgot to tell you. Elizabeth- the really old maid, you remember her, right? Yeah, when you were gone, she fell and broke her hip. Immediately resigned, don't blame her. But we were short a maid and we had a banquet for some visiting diplomats, and since I figured we'd need a new maid eventually, I would just hold interviews myself. This is our new maid, Lykke."
"Anna." Kristoff gave a frustrated sigh, "We always hold our interviews together, dear." He said, wincing.
"I'm perfectly capable as queen, am I not?"
Kristoff decided to answer carefully. "Of course you are. I just think it's healthy to get a second opinion on someone." Truthfully, Anna was still woefully over-trusting and naive when it came to a lot- that he found adorable- but when hiring people like new help, Kristoff found himself in a superior position. He could look at a person, talk with them, and could decipher if they were a common criminal trying to get in to steal some precious jewels, a killer, or a government extremist, and therefore he liked to be there to personally decide.
"Name?" He asked, and the girl looked over to Anna nervously.
"You don't have to-,"
"Name?" Kristoff repeated, glancing her up and down. Usually, he felt himself to be a good judge from a first glance, but today, with her (and perhaps it was because she was already in her maid's uniform) he couldn't get a read on her.
"Lykke." The girl murmured softly, "Lykke Erikson."
"Where are you from?"
"I hail from a tiny village west of here. It's so small, I doubt you would know the name if I told it to you." She said, giving a small smile. Kristoff did not return the expression.
"Try me." He said, raising an eyebrow. The girl's eyes flashed for a moment, and Anna burst in.
"Kristoff!" She said, angrily spinning him around, "Would you stop interrogating the poor girl? Can't you trust my judgment?" She asked with a sharp tone to her voice. He realized he'd gone to far (although there was still something fishy about her) so he sighed.
"Of course. I apologize," He said, nodding to her, "You're right, dear. I trust you." Anna relaxed.
"Thank you." She said. Lykke scurried away to find something to clean up the mess, and Kristoff watched her go. Well, if she was hiding anything, he was going to find them.
Yet, two months later, there was still nothing. He'd asked everyone he trusted about the opinions of the new maid, but everyone commented that she had lovely disposition, took orders well, and was a quick learner. Also, there were no changes from one story to the next about her pervious whereabouts, meaning that either she was very good at keeping her facts straight or she wasn't lying at all.
Other things took Kristoff's attention, and after awhile, he forgot all about thinking Lykke of anything suspicious. She was, he hated to admit grudgingly, one of the best maids he'd encountered here.
It was also in those two months later, just when they were beginning to think Elsa was pulling their leg and they were advertising just a silly-made up thing, they finally got somewhere. When they heard there was a trio of people here to see them about their flyer, they were instantly unsure. It wasn't the first time someone had stopped in. About half were just people looking for money, with no real idea what the word even meant, spewing just made-up things in hopes of getting something right. The other half were people whose knowledge of it was purely theoretical, and although it assured Anna and Kristoff that it might be real, they had no proof and certainly no way to open or find one.
This is why Anna couldn't help but already feel deflated as she motioned for them to join them in the tea room, as it was just after noon and her daily snack. She didn't think she would bother calling Kristoff just yet, there wasn't any use pulling him away from his meeting if this was as disappointing as the rest.
It was two adults and one child that entered the sitting room. The men looked around the same age- perhaps thirty. One was clean-shaven, wearing expensive pressed clothing. His golden hair was perfectly slicked back, and he had the sort of deep blue eyes that probably made many women swoon. The other man seemed a little more…apart.
He had shaggy brown hair that was wildly untamed, almost down to his shoulders, his clothes were miss-matched, and his brown eyes darted around- whether he was taking everything in or simply paranoid, Anna couldn't tell.
The child, a young thing about the age of a toddler with beautiful chocolate skin, held the hand of the more presentable one.
Anna stood and curtsied. "Hello, my name is Queen Anna of Arendelle. Pleasure to meet you. You are here about the…flyer?" She said, trying to keep her voice steady, but she couldn't help a tingle of anticipation shiver up into her words.
"Yes! Quite the thing to be announcing everywhere, good thing you didn't explain what it is, or people would be having panic attacks!" The messier one said lightly, waving a finger. Anna forced a small smile.
"Come now, it's a great find we saw it at all!" The other one said sharply, and his companion shrugged, "Allow me to introduce us, I am Aldrich Sinclair, and this is my partner Cyril Pierce." He said. Anna noticed the briefcases in their fingers at this point, and smiled, wondering what their trade was.
"And who's this beauty?" Anna asked, coming to crouch at the level of the little girl, who gave a shy smile.
"This is our daughter, Osanna." It took a couple seconds for the sparks to fire in her brain, and Anna looked up.
"Oh partners. As in…" She put two of her fingers together, "Of course. I thought it was- nevermind. I mean your daughter is beautiful." Anna felt ultimately stupid. Although she felt as though she'd mostly outgrown her moments of rambling and awkward comments, she still sometimes stumbled and said something she regretted. These were those moments, "I mean, I have to say, I don't have anything against people who are- that are- you…" She really wanted someone in this moment to come and tape her mouth shut, for she felt herself digging her hole deeper as she went.
"It's fine." Cyril said, "Gay. You can say it. We are more forward than most."
"That's true!" Anna said without thinking, and then sighed, pressing her hand to her forehead, "I'm sorry. Again. Sorry."
"We get it often." Aldrich said a little stiffly, and Anna pursed her lips.
"Can we sit?" She asked, trying to get off topic, "You came about the flyer."
"Yeah," Cyril said, sitting down, legs splayed completely casually, while Aldrich sat with his firmly pressed together. Anna had to marvel at their differences, wondering how such people attracted each other, "We are actually business partners too, and it's a double introduction." He said.
"Oh." Anna said, tilting her head.
"Are there bugs in here?" Aldrich asked suddenly.
"Bugs?" Anna repeated, "It's the middle of winter. Much to late for-,"
"No, listening devices." Aldrich said, rubbing his head. Anna gave him a weird look, "Cyril, check the room." Anna wondered what she was getting herself into- such the privacy, secrecy, and 'listening devices?' He poked around a couple things, and Anna restrained herself from flinching at each thing he shuffled around. After what seemed like forever, he came back.
"Clear."
"Right, good." Aldrich seemed much more relaxed at the news, "Anna, did you or someone you know come through an Omphalos?" He questioned.
"My sister." Anna answered right away, feeling better about these people than she had with anyone else, "She didn't 'come', and she went. Her and my daughter…they vanished about ten months ago." She took a moment to compose herself, she always got chocked up in moments like these, "I got this from her four months ago, though." She said, taking the folded paper from a bag she kept with her. She'd read the letter so many times she almost had it memorized.
As soon as she handed it to the pair of men, they both grasped it early, reading it through. When they finished, Aldrich looked at her. She could tell he knew something beneath his calculated gaze, but he simply asked- "Do you know if there's any truth to this?"
"Yes. We have these…trolls. Sounds crazy, I know, but so is that. Anyway, one is over a thousand years old and kept it for me. And we searched through books on Vikings here, and only one talked about them. Nothing more than a couple sentences- saying how Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III revolutionized a small island chain of Viking settlements, with the help of his wife, Elsa. I guess, we just never thought about it, reading it. Who would? But it's too coincidental. I mean, it's not a lot of proof but…supposedly he domesticated dragons, but the book didn't say anything about that." She said, scoffing a bit.
"Well, of course it wouldn't!" Cyril snapped, "They existed, I know they did!" He said, raising a finger in the air.
Anna gave a quiet cough. "I'm sorry, but you haven't really told me how you know about these or what your partnership is- the non…sexual one." She said, feeling the tips of her ears blush. Cyril and Aldrich gave each other a glance, and nodded.
"You seem genuine, but our things are very 'hush-hush'. We are part of an English organization that tracks Omphaloses and the people that go through them." Anna sat up straight.
"Wait, so you knew about my sister and daughter leaving through one?" She asked, eyes narrowing.
"Erm…" Aldrich rubbed the back of his neck, "Our practice isn't perfect. Gotta have the technology in all times to track people, so therefore it's easier to track people coming rather than going…" He said, to which Anna looked at him with a blank stare.
"What he means is that we really can only start tracking people that arrive about five-hundred years back. That's as far as we've cast our machines and found people to monitor them. And besides, even if we had the stuff back in Viking times, things often get…lost in translation, at least the farther back we go. Easier to communicate within these couple centuries."
"Ah." Anna said, "Well, this is better news than anything else, I suppose." She said, "So you could possibly track, Oh I don't know, when one opens up here?" She asked.
"That we can do. We don't always know where it goes, but we have about a 75% accuracy of finding portals when they open, and watching them to see who pops out, or falls in. Our business is very expansive, you see. We deal with making up deaths for those that vanished, as they usually will never return, and those that we can watch to make sure they don't muck up anything. Wouldn't want the Romans getting the know-how to create cell-phones before it's time, eh?"
"What's a cell-phone?" Anna asked, frowning.
"Cyril." Aldrich sighed, and turned to her, "2000 AD term." He said, patting her arm, "Nothing for you to worry about in your life-time."
"But if you don't want people messing up things, wouldn't you try to retrieve them from wherever they land?" Anna questioned.
"Its delicate." Aldrich began to say.
"It's kind of a guessing game." Cyril said over him, shrugging, "there are certain things that were meant to happen. Like…" He paused, thinking, "George Washington was a Omphalos victim. But, he was meant to be the first president of the United States. Could they have done without him, maybe? But we don't want a world where we have to debate that. It's more, sensitive things, like telling the future or predicting things that gets people in trouble. We have to monitor that too. If we're back in the Dark Ages and we hear that someone has a magic glass bulb that emits light, we have to stop it."
"Can you create an Omphalos?" Anna questioned.
Cyril and Aldrich shared a good laugh.
"Heavens no!" Aldrich said, "As far as we've had people vanish into the future- quite far- that is something that no one can accomplish. I suppose it alludes to the idea of some greater power out there for sure." He said, shrugging. Anna nodded.
"So…what now?" She asked.
"We were hoping that perhaps you would be as kind to let us set up a station here, in the castle. We try to reach out to as many leaders as possible- good to let them know what happens and, well, you have money. In exchange for this, we will do everything in our power to help you find a portal to around the time when your loved ones disappear, and even send an extraction team to bring them back."
"Yes, of course!" Anna stood in glee, "This is amazing! I must get my husband. You two get comfortable; we'll give you a whole wing if we have to! This will be resolved in no time!"
But Anna unfortunately was completely underestimating the sporadic nature of these portals. It was another seven months before anything worthwhile to their case popped up. Cyril and Aldrich became a part of the castle. They were a curious pair; Aldrich so formal and English, while Cyril was everything he wasn't. They found out during their time that Aldrich was requited because he was a portal jumper, although not a very impressive one. He'd fallen into a portal that only jumped two years into the past. Imagine his surprise when he woke up and went back to his house to see himself and a very confused 'wife' (she'd been a cover for him, best friend since birth) looking back at what looked like a clone! Cyril had been the one who had to clean up that mess, apparently. He had assured Anna and Kristoff that although most portals were years and years apart, he'd heard of a few that only covered a difference of a couple days. Those people were the most confused when they fell through those.
Kristoff greatly enjoyed their company, and their three-year-old adopted daughter was the sweetest thing Anna had seen. It didn't remind her of Ophelia, much, for Ophelia had always been much louder and more fire-ignited than Osanna.
In those seven months, it seemed as if an Omphalos popped up each month and a half. But that was even a rough estimate, and considering that the company's accuracy was only 3/4th, a portal could have appeared exactly to when they wanted to go and they wouldn't have known. What was even more unpredictable was the length these portals stayed open anyhow.
Aldrich and Cyril in the castle covered most of Europe, everything within a couple day's reach from them, although there was some overlap. Once, they got a call about a portal that connected New Orleans from the year 1980 and their own year, but apparently it was only open for two hours, so no one fell through.
There was also one that stayed open for three weeks that they supervised. It was located- quite unfortunately over a rather well-used water pathway. Cyril had giggled, and turned to Anna who accompanied him to see it (she couldn't see anything) and said 'Bermuda Triangle!' Anna didn't get it. She had watched in utter horror, though, as a ship had vanished right before her eyes! In those three weeks, approximately five ships disappeared, with over a thousand people. That was, by far as she was told, the worst and messiest clean up that they'd ever done. They had been fortunate enough to pop into the portal and see where it went on a rope- that was dangerous because a portal could close at any time. Aldrich came back unharmed, though.
"Egypt, 2570 BC. I have to admit that the locals did not seem to be taking the suddenly appearing ships well. I managed to convince an officer to our cause, he'll try to settle people and all."
"That's unfortunate." Cyril said, eating a cupcake from the castle, "Well, they always need more slaves to build pyramids." He decided with a shrug.
But in that time, they did not find one leading to Vikings. Anna didn't ask about it much; it only hurt her head.
Seven months after they'd set up their station, down at the tavern in the city, a piece of paper was taken from a board set up, revealing a long forgotten flyer for a peculiar word. A woman who had just been about to leave, seeing the word, and the year, tore the page off and startled the bartended by pounding on the wood so loud.
"Where's the castle this talks about." She demanded. The man jumped, a bit of his beer sloshing over the top.
"The castle at the top here, can't miss it." He said, but scratched his beard, "That's old, though, forgot to take that down. Not relevant much anymore." HE warned.
"It's relevant to me!" The woman said through gritted teeth, and the bartended raised his hands in a surrender fashion.
"Just warning, ya. Don't need to get so offended." He muttered and the woman snarled in his direction, and grabbed her things and left, slamming the door behind her.
"Wonder who has her underskirts in a twist?" A patron asked, scratching his head.
"She seemed real feral." Another said, "Don't think she'd be the kind to wear skirts. Did you see, it looked like skins she was wearing? Armor and skull designs too."
"Maybe she's an assassin." Someone giggled, "They'll be coming for you Kurt, if the queen or king is killed." He joked.
"Sod off!" The bartender said, "She looked like a bitch, yeah, but I doubt she'd be capable of much."
"I dunno. She looks like she's seen a lot…" The first guy said, but then the conversation was dropped.
The mystery woman stormed up to the castle, and fought her way through the guards, yelling and holding an axe. As soon as she said the word 'Omphalos' (and no one had ever been officially told to not let people in who had information about it anymore) they reluctantly let her in, but ran to get the king and Queen.
The woman found herself in a room with a lot of strange machines buzzing about, and picture frames set up all along the perimeter of the room. She wasn't too focused on any of it, until one in particular caught her eye. She grabbed the frame, staring at the paper and the unmistakable skill of the artist, and especially the portrait it was.
"It can't be…" She murmured, shaking her head. She knew the year was pretty coincidental, but what were the chances of this? Without a moment to loose, she smashed the picture frame on the ground extracting the paper, letting it run over her fingers. It was-,
"What are you doing?" An appalled female voice demanded from behind her. The woman turned to see the queen running in, staring at the broken glass and paper in her hands, "Give that back!" She demanded.
"No. You're going to tell me why you have a picture of my fiancée drawn by him sitting in this room?" She demanded harshly. The queen looked stunned for a moment.
"Your…fiancée?" She echoed, "I think you're quite mistaken," She said with a laugh that irritated the woman, "That is Hiccup, and that's my sister's husband." The words floated into one ear and out the other.
"What?" She said, stumbling back, "You're clearly wrong, lady. This guy is Hiccup, and I'm marrying him." She said. The queen looked her up and down.
"Aren't you a little…old…for him?" She asked, not in a mean way directly, but it still made the woman's blood boil.
"So I've probably aged more than he has, big whoop. He's waiting for me, like he said he always would, like I'm waiting to see him. But I would really like to know what gave you this crazy idea that this guy- Hiccup- would be married, especially to your so called 'sister'."
It was at this moment that Kristoff came into the room, Cyril and Aldrich at his heels. He looked at the scene. His wife standing in a defensive posture, hands clenched, staring at a woman who was holding one of their precious drawings, the frame smashed at her feet. The woman looked very dirty and gruff- probably thirty-maybe forty if he had to guess. She might have once had blonde hair, but now it was mixed with maybe mud, maybe just simply age. It was braided, like Elsa used to. She had furs and spikes, clothing that didn't much look like it was from any place here, apart from a totally undomesticated place no one knew about, meaning that she probably wasn't from around here.
"What is this? Who are you?" He demanded, marching up to her, and snatching the paper back. It tore in half, and Anna gave a shriek. He turned to yell at her, but found the woman up in his face, with an axe pointed at his chest. Immediately, Aldrich and Cyril both pulled out swords (their favorite, even with more modern weapons) and pointed it at her. She glanced around, seeing that she was outnumbered and lowered her weapon. She clenched the half of the paper tight, and took back the other half form his fists, stuffing it into a pocket of her own.
"My name is Astrid Hofferson, and you all have a lot of explaining to do." Kristoff raised his eyebrows.
"I think the same could be said for you."