Staring into the water, only some kind of depressive thoughts came to me, which I tried to push away as much as I could. The waves rhythmically crashed against the shore, the sun brightly reflecting off the azure water…
'This is a tourist's dream… just add a hotel here,' I drawled, looking into the distance. Cocktails, a buffet, sunbathing tourists… and other perks of civilization.
We are limited only by our own thinking, and I understand that perfectly well. Even more than that, I feel it. I am free to travel to all kinds of worlds, but… I cling to at least some stability and to my feelings for the two sisters. Not feelings in the sense of love, but rather… affection.
If I went to a psychologist, they would probably diagnose me with something like PTSD or something similar. Because of what I went through, I just can't move forward properly anymore, but…
Do I even need that?
The answer came quickly: yes, I have to move forward, one way or another.
'There you are, Vic! The envoy managed to negotiate peace!' the redhead shouted, beaming with a smile.
'I never doubted it,' I smirked.
This is a Disney world… I'd be surprised if they hadn't managed to come to an agreement.
'It's so beautiful here!' she spun around on the sand and almost lost her balance, nearly falling if I hadn't caught her. 'We don't have such beautiful beaches! Let's go swimming!'
'You're… oh.' Anna boldly started taking off her dress, revealing something like a nightgown underneath, or at least that's what it reminded me of. And the view was… pleasant to the eye, no point denying that.
The girl was obviously shy, even if she didn't want to show it. She kept glancing around to make sure no one was watching. And she looked at me with a slightly embarrassed smile… and I couldn't help but catch her mood.
So I quickly took off my clothes, remaining only in my underwear, which basically looked like swim trunks if you didn't look too closely, and stepped into the water while holding Anna's hand. I think people here aren't used to this kind of leisure, so they don't swim often, but for us, not being from here, it's quite appealing.
'The water is warm!' she squealed in surprise, splashing me by hitting the surface of the water. 'Ha-ha!'
And yeah… the water really was warm. Not exactly like 'warm milk', but close. And it took a week by sea to get here from Arendelle… does climate really work like that? Maybe there's a different current here, coming from warmer regions…
'Ah-ha, it's nice here… you know, I'm really glad I met you,' the girl suddenly admitted, biting her lip as she swam closer and hugged me. I could clearly feel her curves, and while she wasn't exactly curvy overall, her chest definitely wasn't small.
'You know, I'm glad things turned out this way too,' I allowed myself a smile.
'Elsa said that my forwardness might confuse you and that you'd get scared…' she finally started talking about what she wanted to say. 'I don't know if that's true, but… it's true that my feelings develop quickly. Even with Hans, I thought it was love, but it turned out to be just strong sympathy caused by my loneliness… I don't want to force you to… well, love me.'
'Elsa put you up to this conversation, didn't she?' I smirked. 'I don't really know what to say. Where I come from… people don't fall in love in days or even weeks, I told you that already. It's… a long process. But I definitely like you.' I tried to explain awkwardly, still holding this fragile girl, which in my case was absolutely true.
'Then let's just keep spending time together and find out!' Anna declared decisively, standing on her tiptoes and quickly kissing me on the lips. It was fast and innocent… appealing.
Between us, this was what we used to call the honeymoon phase. And it's after that when partners often realize they don't actually fit each other. Because of frequent disagreements, conflicts, or simply understanding each other's character better. Or just everyday life. One wants the other to take out the trash, the other doesn't, thinking the one with more free time should do it… and it goes on from there.
And it's good if you learn about important traits in the first weeks or months of a relationship, but what if you've been married for years? Then comes the kind of dilemma that can destroy a marriage.
'When you're near me, my heart feels warm, and I just want to touch you. Olaf says that warm hugs are the best way to understand whether it's love or not…' the princess said quietly.
I didn't answer, just pulled her a little closer.
We spent another half an hour in the water, and then returned to the palace, where we met with the envoy and Elsa. I opened a portal to Arendelle, and we all went back together, not forgetting to thank the merchant and ask when he would set sail again. I can teleport to that ship at any time, so it's not a problem. Even though those seven days at sea were… a new experience, I'd still prefer traveling via portals. It's faster and more convenient, and convenience means a lot to me.
Back in Arendelle, the queen immediately had work to do, as preparations began for an official visit to the island kingdom. Diplomacy is diplomacy even in Disney, which means it's not that simple. Even our sudden visit to another kingdom, from a political point of view… looks strange and improper, as if we're seeking peace out of weakness.
Anna began helping her sister and getting more involved in state affairs. After all, she's a princess, and although the servants had taught her before, it was only surface-level…
maybe that's why her innocence still shows in every word and movement. And I once again had a lot of free time, which I should probably use for something useful… I could play more games to gather resources or search through downloaded wikis, guides, games, and movies for something interesting, but I wanted… movement.
'Why not…'
I fired at the wall, watching the portal open. On the other side… a forest? It was still the same world, since that's what I intended when holding the portal gun.
I had already spoken to the sisters and told them I'd be back… when I'd be back, yeah. I'm a free person, not a citizen of Arendelle, but… I do like it there. A good small kingdom with minimal court intrigue or corruption. Actually, none at all.
And where else could I get this close to royalty without fear of being executed for a wrong look… though honestly, I'd even be curious to meet some arrogant king who sees everyone else as peasants. I probably wouldn't be able to stop myself from laughing… just some regular guy sitting there ordering others to kneel because he was born into power.
'Well then, let's see…' I stepped onto the hoverboard and flew through the portal. 'Hm, even the air feels different here…' I had barely finished speaking when I had to dodge a bolt, my instincts kicking in just in time.
'The witch's servant!' a man in armor shouted, and judging by the crossbow in his hands, he was the one who fired.
Ahead, where the portal faced, was a forest. Earlier, I hadn't really paid attention… but it was enormous. The trees were twice as large as normal, and they had thorns growing from them.
Or not.
It was more like the trees were protected by a wall of dense roots with spikes sticking out. The structure reached about fifteen meters high. Still, there were visible gaps where someone could slip through if they were careful.
And right in front of the forest stood a group of armored men, hastily drawing their weapons. Fear flickered in their eyes, but even more than that… greed.
There were fourteen of them, three on horseback. A small group. And judging by the lack of houses nearby, they weren't at home, meaning they were on some kind of mission. Maybe a patrol, maybe something else. I don't know much about medieval life, never really studied it… and this isn't even my world, so things could be different.
'For his head, the king will promote us!' one of them shouted.
'I'm not some witch's servant, I'm just passing through…' I tried to reason with them, but they had clearly mistaken me for someone else.
'Yeah, right, we believe you, you damn sorcerer,' one of the swordsmen spat. 'Kill the bastard!'
Yeah… they weren't acting very Disney-like.
'For the king!''Death to the magical creature!''Damn resident of the Enchanted Forest!'
Definitely not Disney canon at all…"