Bree, like many other small human towns, was gritty, dark and somewhat dismal. The whole outside area was a blur of browns and flares of orange- possibly a somewhat hearty, pleasant sight, if not for the factors that negated its positive aspects. Disheveled individuals, unappealing smells, and dismal weather were not kind to the senses.

The Prancing Pony was, at least, a little more tolerable than the muddy scenery outside. It was crowded, granted, but one needed that if they did not want to stick out. Raucous laughter could mask the most secretive of conversations, and thick throes of drunken braggarts could hide royalty and cutthroats alike.

When Thorin Oakenshield looked up from his meal and spied two unsavoury individuals eyeing him, it had appeared as if the climate of the building was not working his favour. Fortunately for him, an elderly man clad in grey sat before him before the tension could erupt.

"Mind if we join you?" The wizard asked, as he reached out to drag a chair from the neighbouring table to his left. Another person was with the wizard, clad in a dark blue cloak and dress that covered all but her face and hair. As she sat, the dwarf-king saw the too-pale, slight face of a young woman. She shyly nodded to the wizard and took the chair that he offered. As a waitress passed, the wizard made his order. "We'll have the same, with soup."

"Now, I should introduce myself," The elderly man said politely and cheerfully, as if he hadn't just stopped a potential assassination attempt. "I am Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey."

"I know who you are," The dwarf replied, and cast a glance to the visibly uncomfortable young woman. Her posture and manner stuck out in the bawdy crowd, and she was wringing her blue-gloved hands together. Whoever she was, she was not used to their current environment.

"Ah, forgive me. This is Elsa, who hails from one of the small ice-harvesting kingdoms of men near Forochel. She is a colleague of mine."

"Good evening," The nervous lady said. She smiled slightly in greeting but was obviously not in any way at ease in the situation. Still, she seemed harmless enough. Thorin dismissed the thought of her as a threat and gave her a nod.

"Well now, this is a fine chance," Gandalf said happily. "What brings Thorin Oakenshield to Bree?"

The ensuing conversation was whispered in hushed, urgent tones, as the two spoke of armies, mountains and war. Elsa sat silently as she took in the information. She had jumped when the serving-girl had arrived with their order, and cast furtive glances side to side, nervously eyeing the grubby, unsavoury individuals staring at them, until at one point, they left, seemingly set off by the mention of the 'King's Jewel'.

"What if I were to help you reclaim it?" Gandalf said conspiratorially.

"How? The Arkenstone lies half a world away, buried under the feet of a fire breathing dragon," The Dwarf King said, though visibly intrigued.

"Yes it does," The wizard agreed. "We will need two people with very distinct skills at our sides, one of which we already have in this very building."

Thorin's gaze narrowed. "I'm listening."

"The one we have not recruited as of yet," Gandalf continued. "Is a burglar. I have, however, a lead, which means that I may have to make a quick trip to Hobbiton, in The Shire. The lodgings of our potential burglar would be a good meeting point for any company you assemble for this quest. It is a peaceful place, and less favourable individuals would not expect us to gather at such a location."

"And the other?"

"Well," Gandalf said, smiling. "The dragon we'll face is a beast of flames. If something goes wrong while we attempt to take the Arkenstone, well, that would cause much difficulty, even with a wizard by your side. A little more assistance would not go awry."

The wizard turned to Elsa. "My lady?"

She took a breath, nodded uncertainly, and then slipped off the glove she wore. Her hand was as white as her face, and delicate. It was the hand of a noblewoman, one that obviously had never encountered manual labour. Gandalf pushed the bowl of soup to the centre of the table and gestured to it. Thorin looked at the wizard as if he had gone mad.

"To help combat the fire-drake, we will have a person with a unique talent," Gandalf continued, ignoring Thorin's stare. He gave Elsa a meaningful look. The woman hesitantly placed her fingers on the rim of the bowl, so that only her pale index and pointing finger touched the surface of the liquid.

Thorin raised an eyebrow, but his sceptical expression vanished when the soup before him made an odd crinkling sound. Flakes of ice grew and encased it until every drop was frozen solid. Crusts of frost clung to the outside of the bowl. His eyes widened, and he looked up at Gandalf's smiling face. With her demonstration finished, Elsa withdrew her hand from the bowl immediately, and quickly slipped on her glove.

Gandalf tapped the frozen soup with one finger, eliciting a solid click when his nail hit ice. "We will have a very gifted ice sorceress."

Here's the obligatory useless disclaimer where I say I own nothing.

This is a reupload of an old ao3 fanfic that I published in 2014 under the same name. I will be updating here from now on. More chapters will be uploaded as I edit them.

Some important details that I will add:

–This is a fusion fic. Arendelle is a small human kingdom that exists in Forochel.

–Elsa had her coronation at age 18, not 21. Anna is 16 in this. Kristoff is 17, Hans is 18. The age decrease is because I originally wrote Elsa acting much younger, and I think perhaps the kingdom would view an 18-year-old as 'of age'. I adjusted the rest of the Frozen cast because ew, age gaps. Not my thing.

–Shipping won't be a thing, either. As Elsa is young by our world's standards, there will be no shipping her with the much older main cast. The focus is on her growth and the friendships that grow on the road. (There may be a small ElsaxOC anecdote attached to the end if I decide to go with the original ending I wrote as a kid.)

–There will be more world building appearing in the story, but less in your face. Originally there were 2-3 whole chapters of boring exposition explaining how Arendelle works and it just doesn't fit. I'll add it later or put it in a separate prologue.