Queen Elsa of Arendelle sat in the royal staffroom, bored. The downside of presiding over a kingdom of such peace and prosperity was that its problems seemed petty in comparison to the internal conflict she had felt during her formative years and to the strife that had occurred in the days following her coronation; she was glad that it was now behind her, true, but there were only so many celebrations one could throw, and so most of her duties now consisted of regulating taxes and appropriating funding. Which was why she was presently talking to the royal treasurer.

"Our reserves are holding steady," the treasurer said. "Expenditures match revenue, with a slight increase over the last four quarters; and the current tax rates are considered to be acceptable by the population at large."

"And trade?"

"Trade is decent, though some of the merchants are still upset about the Weselton embargo."

"Well, we have no reason to continue doing business with such an unscrupulous kingdom. Until they make drastic reforms, the embargo stays."

"Of course." The treasurer stood up, bowed, and left.

Elsa turned to her attendant, Kai. "Was that the final meeting I had today?"

"It was."

Elsa smiled and leaned back. "Wonderful."

"Yes," Kai said, producing a stack of mail. "We can now move on to correspondence from foreign dignitaries."

Elsa groaned. Being an unbetrothed member of royalty added another annoyance upon the politics. She knew the gist of each letter in the stack before Kai even read any.

"A marriage proposal from the Earl of Twinsummer."

"Pass."

"A proposal from Prince Johann III of the Meadowed Isle."

"Pass."

"A proposal from Duchess Rhonda of Lumania…"

Elsa perked up. "Wait, what?"

"…writing on behalf of her son, Ronald."

"Oh." Elsa slumped back into her seat. "Can't any of these nobles at least propose in person?"

"And would that make you more likely to accept?"

"Well, no, but the gesture would be appreciated." She sighed. "I am simply uninterested in entering into such a union, particularly with any man whose motive to do so is so clearly in forming an alliance with Arendelle rather than taking me as a bride. If they wish to do that, they should do it with a diplomatic talk, not a wedding."

"Well, there's also the issue of an heir to consider," Kai said.

"As I've said before, I am not concerned with that. My sister shall marry Kristoff, and their child shall become heir to the throne."

"They haven't even become engaged yet."

"So? A lengthy courtship period is healthy for a relationship. And it's not as if I'm approaching old age before then."

The door opened slightly, and the Princess of Arendelle poked her head through. "I'm not interrupting anything important, am I?" Anna asked.

"Not at all," Elsa said.

"Great!" Anna fully came in and sat down next to her sister.

A somewhat annoyed Kai rose, bundling up the mail to take with him. "I'll leave you two alone, then."

"What's his problem?" Anna asked after he had left the room.

"Nothing," said Elsa. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Oh, not much. It's just…" She sighed and slumped down in her seat. "I just miss Kristoff."

Kristoff, in his role as Royal Ice Master and Deliverer, was frequently away from the kingdom, overseeing the transport of the large blocks of ice which were the newest source of revenue for Arendelle, touting its quality and assuring they were created by the hand of the famed Snow Queen herself. This latest trip saw him depart two weeks prior and he hadn't returned yet.

"I'm sure he and Sven will be back soon," Elsa said.

"They were supposed to be back yesterday," Anna complained, flopping down onto a chair. "I waited at the dock to meet them when the ship arrived, only for the captain to say that they got off at the previous port!"

"They decided to take the land route," Elsa said.

"I know! But why?"

"I don't know. But I do know that Kristoff cares deeply about you," the Queen said. "If he makes a decision that keeps himself away for you for a few days more, he must have had a good reason to do so."

"I guess," Anna said. "But it's frustrating anyway."

"My Queen," Gerda said, entering the room. "There is a foreign visitor seeking an audience with you."

"Oh? Thank you," Elsa said. She turned to her sister. "This may be important. Do you mind…?"

"No, go ahead," Anna said, pouting. "It's fine. Whatever."

Elsa smirked as she got up to leave. "Such an attitude is not befitting for a princess."

Anna tried to grumble, but found herself laughing instead.

Elsa arrived in the front chamber, where the visitor stood waiting. She was a woman, about the same age as the young queen, dressed in a dignified, but not overly extravagant, outfit suitable for such occasions. Her dark skin marked her origin as far south of Arendelle, likely from the desert regions; her brown, frizzled hair was tamed in a series of tight braided rows on top of her head.

"Your Majesty," she said with a bow. "My name is Fatina. I come to you as a representative of the sultanate of Naribad, asking for your assistance in—"

"This is about the tariff, isn't it?" Elsa interrupted. "You may tell the Sultan that I cannot remove them unless Naribad removes the ones it has placed on Arendelle first. We must protect our merchants, after all."

"What?" said Fatina. "No, you misunderstand. I am not here to discuss any of Arendelle's policies. I was sent here to seek an audience with you, specifically."

"Me?" Elsa said in surprise. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "This isn't a marriage proposal, is it?"

"Nothing like that," said Fatina. "No, the Sultan has sent me to ask for your advice. You see, word of your magic powers has spread far and wide."

"My control over ice and snow, you mean?"

"Indeed," Fatina said. "Of course, we were unable to tell what was truth from what was mere rumor. There had been stories, for instance, that you could command large storms of frightening strength, or that you were able to confer life upon your creations—"

"Hey, Elsa," said Olaf, wandering in. "Have you seen my nose?"

The Queen gave a wry smile as her guest blanched at the presence of this golem. "No, Olaf, I have not," she said. "Do you know where you might have left it?"

"I don't even remember taking it off!" Olaf said, paying no attention to the visitor or her disbelieving reaction. "I mean, why would I? I'm quite attached to it. Literally. Except not now, obviously."

"Well," Elsa said, "if you can't find it, you can always just get a new one from the kitchen."

"Yeah, but I liked this one," Olaf said, turning around and shuffling off slowly. "I hope a rabbit didn't eat it."

Fatina stared as the snowman departed. "Well," she said, "it seems that the rumors were more accurate than I imagined."

"So they are. But I take it you didn't come here simply for confirmation?"

"No; as I said, the Sultan sent me to ask for your advice. You see, in Naribad, there is a young boy who has similar powers."

"He can also summon ice and snow?"

"No; his power is based in fire, a much more destructive element."

"I don't know about that; I know first-hand that the cold can be quite harmful depending on the circumstances."

"Either way, the fate of this boy is of great concern to our country. He's an orphan; both his parents died before his powers became apparent. He was placed in the care of the royal orphanage, but once his condition was discovered, they did not know how to take care of him. The palace searched far and wide for a cure, an answer, but found nothing until we heard of you."

"What's his name?"

"Sami. He's ten. Do you think you can help?"

"I don't know," the Queen said. "Despite having powers myself, I wouldn't consider myself an expert in such things."

"Oh…" Fatina's eyes saddened and she turned away.

"However," Elsa continued, "I know of a group who may be able to help instead."