This scene takes place just before "Do You Want to Build a Snowman."

The King and Kai

The sun was beginning to rise over the mountains east of Arendelle when the royal family arrived back at the castle on their horses. The king rode with eight-year-old Princess Elsa, while the queen cradled the sleeping five-year-old Princess Anna in her arms. They had given little explanation for their hasty departure in the middle of the night, leaving the palace servants anxious and worried. Virtually their entire staff was waiting for them when they rode into the courtyard. The king could see their confused expressions, and wished there was something he could say to reassure them. Unfortunately, he feared revealing the truth would do more harm than maintaining his secrecy.

As they brought their horses to a stop, the few servants who had duties to perform approached, while the rest stood uncertainly. The king swung down from his horse and then lifted Elsa off the saddle to the ground. The queen handed Anna down to her trusted maid Gerda, before dismounting from her horse. Stable hands led the horses away to their stalls.

"Come along, Elsa," the queen said softly, reaching for her older daughter's hand.

Elsa hesitated and looked up at her father. "I'm sorry, Papa," she said sadly, almost in tears.

The king knelt down to look Elsa in the eye. "It will be okay," he said. "Now, go on."

As the king stood watching his family disappear into the castle, his steward, Kai, approached.

"Is everything all right, your majesty?" Kai asked.

The king let out a heavy sigh. "Walk with me, Kai," he replied, starting toward the castle.

Kai could tell the king was troubled, and he didn't speak again until they were inside the castle and out of earshot of the servants that had gathered in the courtyard.

"There was an accident," the king began. "Anna was hurt, but she will be fine. However, we are going to have to make some changes."

"What sort of changes, your majesty?" Kai asked.

"First of all, Elsa is going to need her own room. The girls need their rest right now, especially Anna, but after they wake up, all of Elsa's things need to be moved into one of the other bedrooms."

"Are you sure that's necessary, sire?" Kai asked, surprised at the order. "The girls are quite fond of one another."

"Yes, I know," the king replied, "and it breaks my heart to separate them, but, I'm afraid it is absolutely necessary, at least for now."

Kai was silent for a moment, considering what the king had said.

"Forgive me for asking, your majesty," Kai began, choosing his words carefully, "but does all this have anything to do with Princess Elsa's magic powers."

The king stopped suddenly and faced Kai. "You know?"

"The ballroom was filled with snow and ice, your majesty, and it wasn't the first time I've noticed something like this. I've had my suspicions for some time, but I assumed you had your reasons for never mentioning it."

The king motioned for Kai to follow him and led him up the stairs and into the library, closing the doors behind them. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Elsa was born with powers to create ice and snow, and those powers have gotten stronger. I know Elsa's been using her powers in the castle to entertain Anna, and I've told her she needs to be more careful. Tonight, the girls snuck down to the ballroom to play, and Elsa accidently struck Anna with her powers." The king noticed the ancient book and map lying where he had left them and picked them up. "That's why we had to rush off so suddenly. The trolls in the Valley of the Living Rock were able to heal Anna, but only by removing all her memories of Elsa's magic."

"So, Anna doesn't know about her sister's powers" Kai asked.

"Not anymore," the king replied, returning the book to its place on the shelf. "And it must stay that way. I don't believe the trolls would have taken such a drastic step if it wasn't necessary to save her. I worry that learning about Elsa's powers again might be harmful to Anna. I will not risk Anna's life."

"What about Elsa, your majesty?"

"Elsa feels terrible about hurting Anna, and she understands why we have to separate them. She knows she must learn to control her powers, and in time she will. I will do everything in my power to help her. But until then, it is in everyone's best interest to limit her contact with others, including Anna. Elsa would never intentionally hurt anyone, especially Anna, but if she can accidentally hurt Anna, she could accidentally hurt anyone. And this brings me to my next order. Until further notice, the castle gates are to remain closed, with no one allowed inside without royal approval."

"That will be quite a shock to the people, sire," Kai said. "What will we tell them?"

"I honestly don't know yet," the king replied. "We can't tell them the truth. Someday Elsa will be queen. I don't want the people to fear her."

"Do you intend for Elsa to keep her powers a secret forever?"

"I would like to think that once she has learned control, she could reveal the truth if she wanted to, but I don't know what that would do to Anna. Elsa would never want to do anything that might hurt her sister."

"What should I tell the palace staff, your majesty?"

"Ah, yes, the staff," the king sighed. "Obviously, with the palace gates closed, we won't need as large a staff. Reducing the staff to a minimum will reduce the risks to everyone. Does anyone else know about Elsa's powers?"

"Gerda may suspect, sire. She has spent more time with Elsa than anyone. I don't know about anyone else."

"Find out if anyone else knows, but do so discreetly. I want you to figure out who is essential, and if anyone else knows about Elsa's powers, it will be easier to keep them from spreading rumors if they are still working in the castle. As for the rest, help them to find new jobs outside the castle, and continue to pay them until they do. This is not their fault, and I don't want them to suffer."

"Of course, your majesty."

"One last thing, Kai."

"Yes, sire."

"I want to make it clear that all this is only temporary. Once Elsa has learned to control her powers, we can reopen the gates and rehire the staff, and the girls can be together again."

Kai nodded to the king, and turned toward the door. He knew he had a long day ahead of him as he stepped into the corridor, shutting the door behind him.

The king sat down in a chair, finally alone with his thoughts for a moment. The light from the rising sun was starting to stream through the bay window, illuminating the portrait of his coronation. He looked up at the portrait and remembered how nervous and unsure of himself he was that day. He had been a young king, and wasn't sure he was ready for the responsibility of ruling a kingdom. He couldn't have imagined that his greatest challenge would be not as a king, but as a father. He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing, but he had to do something. If he turned out to be wrong, he hoped his daughters would understand someday. He reminded himself that the situation was only temporary, and hoped that he was at least right about that.