Elsa awoke in the quiet of morning. Of course, every time of day was pretty quiet in her isolated room. She could listen to the bustling of the few castle servants working at various times throughout the day, but they were mostly far away in the kitchens in the morning.
She used to leave her room for meals and to occasionally sit with her parents in a parlor, but since their deaths she had barely stepped outside of her four familiar walls. Servants brought her meals three times a day on trays. Anna also visited daily now. She didn't knock anymore. She simply sat outside the room and talked. Elsa never spoke in reply, but Anna's visits were her favorite part of the day. The nearness of even a sister she didn't dare to face was comforting.
The morning light streaming into her window showed Elsa that she had slept later than usual. Her breakfast would be here any minute! She hopped out of bed and padded across the room in her bare feet to peek in the mirror. Patches of her carpet were uncomfortably crunchy because of the number of times they had been frozen and thawed out again, but Elsa was used to it.
Her mirror showed that her hair was its usual morning mess, so Elsa picked up her brush and set to work taming it into a braid. She had just managed to get the worst of the knots out of her hair when there was a knock at her door. Elsa set down the brush and went to open the door. A maid stood outside with a tray of food.
"Good morning, Your Highness," the maid greeted her warmly as she took the tray. "Is there anything else that I can do for you this morning?"
"Thank you, Gerta," Elsa replied with a small smile. "I could use some fresh wash water after I eat."
"Of course, Miss," Gerta said with a bob of a curtsy. "I will bring it up shortly. Enjoy your breakfast, Your Highness."
Elsa thanked the girl and disappeared back into the safety of her room to eat alone.