1Part One: Nedleggelse [Closure]
1.
He still calls to her.
She hears him advise,
Don't be
She wonders if it's
Alright to listen:
The monster
He turned out to be
The real monster, yet
You are.
2.
He always feels cold.
Even sweating, he's cool.
Her ice.
If only he had gone
After her, been more
Brave, kind,
Maybe she wouldn't
Be haunting his heart
And nights.
3.
She turns them all down.
She has good reasons, but
He is
The real one, not that
Anyone can ever
Know it.
She'd deny knowing
Herself, if she could
Dream less.
4.
He isn't freezing.
It's a shame, too. It
Would be
A reason that he
Could return to her
Presence.
But things have a way
Of resolving, since
She writes.
5.
She has him, in chains,
And no one can know.
Not Anna.
Not even her council
Was told. They'd think
Her silly.
A queen needs to have
Strength, decisiveness,
Closure.
Part Two: Skriker [Screaming]
6.
For once, he does not
Know what his goal is.
No plan,
No way out out this
Cell, so why not just
Let go?
It's been so long, his
Screams start weakly, but
She's glad.
7.
She wanted to know him.
He'd been mystery:
A prince
Who would leave Anna
To die, but rescued
The witch,
Who only lied when it
Was truly needed,
Who failed.
8.
He shows her, without
Meaning to, what she
Wanted to
Know: he is rage, fire,
Self-destruction in the
Face of
That long line of faces
That all prove he is
Worthless.
9.
She sees herself in
That pain, and she sees
Anna too.
What she could have been
If their parents, too,
Had shut
Her out like Elsa had.
She hugs her tighter.
"Just 'cause."
10.
He wonders why she
Listens intently
To him.
She, frozen power
Itself, beloved
By all,
Even him, and yet she
Nods with deep, wet eyes
At him.
Part Three: Går videre [Moving on]
11.
She hasn't changed his
Sentence, or let him
Go free.
His trial was held: life
In jail, no time off.
So says
The court of his home.
They must think she likes
Torture.
12.
He finds some peace there,
In those bursts of talk
With her.
He can't reflect her,
For she gleams too bright.
And why?
Why bother to lie?
When she grasps truth, so
Eager?
13.
Finally, she tells
Them all he is here.
It hurts.
It takes days to show
Them why she did it,
But months
To regain their trust.
And still she would push
For him.
14.
It wasn't love, they knew,
That made her bring the
Priest down.
It was a mercy that
The council came to
Value.
A grace Anna
Had to admire in
The end.
15.
She let in suitors
As if it was a
"Sorry."
Letters and gifts came,
Rides and balls wore on,
Yet each
And every day, she came
Down to the same cell
To talk.
Part Four: Vokse [Grow]
16.
He knew it was now
Just a matter of time
Before
The talks would end. She
Would tire of him, use
Him up,
Move on to the grand
Public life she was
Born for.
17.
But it was Anna
Who decided when
The end
Had to come. Into
Bright sun they pushed
Him, and
Onto a ship, where chains
Were replaced with a
Bucket.
18.
It was weeks before
He knew what and why
Things had
Changed. When he was
Given a uniform,
They tossed
A letter on top, from
Her Majesty, Queen
Elsa.
19.
Tears and frost still stain
The page. Life in jail's
Too much.
Anna begged her
To make him leave, and
She thought
It best to let him
Go where he could prove
Himself.
20.
So it begins. He works
Day and night and day.
No favors.
Extra duties, no friends, and
Some whispers of war,
But still
He reads the letter in
His head, and clings to
His goal.
21.
It's vague, at first, but
Soon he knows it's out
Of reach.
So he pretends it's
Something smaller, and
Simpler.
Her respect, her sister's
Forgiveness, is all
He asks.
Part Five: Seier [Victory]
22.
War comes, as always, with
Hot blood and distant
Screaming.
Old muscle memory
Blends with new will, and
He flies
Through the air on ropes,
Sword whistling through
Her foes.
23.
What was a slow climb
Becomes a race to
The top,
Not for the view but
From necessity.
Too many
Officers gone, and no
Good reason to stop
His rise.
24.
She reads the letters
From those officers
Still left,
With glowing face and
Frosting hands, and prays,
After
All is said and done,
Something will change their
Places up.
25.
The fight comes home, and
There is nothing said
Aloud.
None deny his part in
The victory, even
Anna.
The pardon bestowed
Is unanimous,
And cheered.
26.
The victory ball is
Loud, crowded, and full
Of nerves.
In three years, they each
Have come so far, yet
He waits.
His brother leers across
The room, with hands on
Her waist.
Part Six: Alene [Alone]
27.
Unknowingly, they
Each go to the priest,
And beg,
How do I find my
Way out of this place
And to
The thing I want most?
He advises retreats
To both.
28.
When admiral and
Queen see each other,
They blanch.
They blush, as rocks grow
Wild and loud around
Their feet.
They run, then walk, to
Colder heights, where she
Can work.
29.
He asks a cell, for
Old times' sake, and she
Crafts one.
They sit and talk and
Smile and shake their heads
A lot.
Each hopes the other feels
What they do, will break
The ice.
30.
Surprisingly, it's
He who starts to say,
"My queen,
Please tell me that you
Can let me stay in
Your light.
A place beside you, in
Humble service, is
All I—"
31.
She nods, and hides her
Disappointment. Not
For his
Humility, but
What she expected,
Faintly,
In her heart. She tells
Him of his brother and
The ring.
32.
It's hours later
When it all comes out.
She said
No, and can't explain
To anyone why she
Did so.
She's grasping his hand
So tightly, it gives
Him hope.
33.
With gentle hands,
A soft, deep voice, he
Asks her,
"If I had asked you
That question, my queen,
Would you—"
She turns, all short breaths
And wide eyes and slow,
Red smile.
Part Seven: Hjem [Home]
34.
There is no more fear.
There is no more chill.
Love, warm,
Fills the air of the
Church and castle that
Spring day.
When Anna brings him
Off his knees and smiles,
He's home.
(A/N: A lai is a French poetry form with nine lines. Its structure is aabaabaab, with 5 syllables in each 'a' line and 2 syllables in each 'b' line. Once I started, I couldn't stop. May write a longer, prose version of this someday.)