Elsa opened her eyes onto a familiar sight – the palace's largest ballroom, covered in ice from floor to ceiling. This was where everything began; her distance from her sister, her problems controlling her powers, her battle with fear. But now, even though all those things were over, the sight of the place they started from still haunted her.

"Not this dream again."

She sighed and listened to her words echo against the castle walls. Every night for weeks she'd been visiting this place in her sleep. It was always this same room, with the same etchings of ice scrawled across the walls, and the same cold darkness filling the air. And the same things always happened, too.

She looked to her left, where, on cue, a figure stepped out of the darkness. It was her sister, Anna – but she wasn't smiling like she usually did. She stared at Elsa with emotionless eyes. The queen bit her lip and reached out to the girl, hoping that maybe this time the dream would be different than before… but no. When she touched her, she turned to ice.

Elsa stepped back from her sister, into another person – this time, her sister's lover, Kristoff – and sure enough, as soon as her back bumped against his chest, the man froze completely. Elsa whirled around in surprise and stared at what she'd done.

"I'm… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…" The woman stuttered out. For some reason, she felt that if she apologized, something would change - but there was no one left to hear her words.

Feeling the guilt and terror set in, she ran from the two and into the ballroom. However, the second she closed her eyes, she felt another body hit her – her steward, a man who had practically raised her. When she stepped back from him, she fell into his wife, her maid. She pushed herself away and ran to the door, but before she could even touch it, it flew open, and through it came dozens of people. Her loving citizens; women, children, fathers and elders, dignitaries and servants, all of them dropping like flies as they reached out to touch their Queen.

"No… No, stop it! Stop it, what are you doing?! Stop it!" Elsa screamed, running from them and back into the hall. She passed the frozen statues of her sister and Kristoff and ran up the stairs, going further and further into the palace until she arrived at her bedroom, where she threw herself against the door and pushed back against it to stop anyone from coming in. But even though she was pushing, there was nothing pushing back. No one was chasing her.

"Well, what're you going to do now, Snow Queen?" A low voice whispered. The room grew darker and darker, the ice around her slowly turning black.

"The ones that get close to you, you hurt. And the ones that want to, you run from. So which is better? Doom the people you love to keep them near you, or let them live and die alone yourself?"

"No… No, this isn't real! I won't hurt anyone! I've learned to control my powers – this isn't real! It's not real!" She buried her head in her hands and covered her ears, curling into a ball, but there was no way to escape from the voice.

"Learned to control them? Oh, your Majesty. Whether or not they're controlled, they're there. There's nobody like you in all of Arendelle… nobody like you in the entire world. You're all alone. And keeping people close to you so desperately, despite you being so different? That's what will doom them. Not your powers."

Ice started crawling up her legs, and she felt her body burn as frostbite took hold. The voice grew stronger and stronger as she continued to freeze, until there was nothing but ice and the sound of the man.

"All alone, Snow Queen. All alone."

Elsa gasped and pushed herself out of bed. Her platinum hair flew around her in a haze as she shot up, settling into a messy heap on her head. She was breathing hard and staring into her room, eyes wide, one hand clutching her chest. Then, once she saw that the room was clear – not a speck of black ice to be found – she calmed down, letting her hand drop back against the sheets.

"Every single time… I know the dream's coming, but I'm still surprised. Stupid." She brought her hand back up to run it through her hair, pushing it away from her face, and then slowly got out of bed. Morning sunlight shone through her window happily, and she smiled as it hit her skin. Another beautiful summer day in Arendelle… There wouldn't be many more of these left this year, so she had to treasure them while she could.

It had been a month since she had returned to Arendelle and taken her place as Queen, and the summer season was quickly drawing to a close. She could feel the air getting cooler already, and though she hadn't seen it yet, she was sure that any day now the green trees that surrounded their kingdom would be speckled with orange and red. Autumn was a beautiful season, so she was looking forward to it – even though she knew her little sister would be moping around and mourning the loss of summer.

"Oh well. She'll just have to deal with it – after all, there's always next year." The woman said to herself as she walked to her mirror. She took one look, lifted her hands into the air, and whoosh – covered her dress with frost and snow. The ice felt good against her skin, and helped wake her up a little bit more, too. The dream still worried her, of course, but she put it away. She had things to do. And just like Anna couldn't spend forever whining about no more summer fun, she couldn't spend forever fearing a nightmare she didn't even understand.

Satisfied, the Queen walked out of her door and down the stairs, heading for the dining room to get some breakfast before she had to start the day. I wonder what Louis made today… She thought, staring ahead blankly as she felt her stomach rumble.

Little did she know, Anna was watching her from around the corner - preparing for a sneak attack bear hug the likes of which Elsa had never seen. Seeing that her sister's head was in the clouds, she grinned mischievously and, with a panther-like pounce, glomped the girl from behind.

"Good morning, Elsa!"

"EEK!"

Elsa shrieked as she felt the girl touch her, a flashback from her dream flitting through her mind. She stepped forward to run away and ended up tripping over her dress, tumbling to the floor, and taking her little sister with her.

"Oof!"

"ACK! Geez, Elsa!"

As Elsa fell forward, Anna fell right on top of her, rolling away just in time to make it so she didn't crush her elder sister against the floor. However, in her attempt to do so, she'd twisted herself so awkwardly that she was now curled like a pretzel at the base of Elsa's feet. As the Queen pushed herself back up and turned to see what happened, she saw her pretzel sister and groaned.

"Anna… Don't surprise me like that!"

Anna puffed out her lip in a pout and rubbed a sore spot on her leg. "Well, excuse me, Queen Grumpy. Didn't know you were allergic to hugs."

At this, Elsa couldn't help but laugh, and reached out a hand to help her sister up. "I'm not allergic to them… let's just say I'm averse to them. Particularly before eight o' clock in the morning."

Anna took the girl's hand and sprung up beside her, dusting off her dress once she was planted firmly on her own two feet. "But it's never too early for hugs!" She said with a grin.

Elsa giggled again. "Maybe for you, it's not."

The two began to walk to breakfast, exchanging small talk along the way. Before, even this tiny bit of conversation with her sister would have made Elsa nervous - but now that some time had passed, and she'd gotten more used to talking to the other girl again, she was doing just fine. More than fine, actually; she loved talking to her sister. She'd always regretted the distance she'd made between them, and getting to have such fun with her now only served to remind her of how wrong she'd been.

Once they reached the dining room, they found that they'd made it just in time for the beginning of breakfast, and decided to sit across from one another as they ate. It was remarkable how the two never ran out of things to talk about – there wasn't a single gap in conversation. Well, unless you count the breaks that Anna took to breathe or chew. And once breakfast was over, they continued to speak, even as Elsa got up to check her schedule for the day with her steward.

She wouldn't need him, though – as soon as they were in the hall, Anna's grin grew wide, and she looked to the other girl in newfound excitement. "Hey, I just remembered! Today's Open Court Day!"

Elsa paused for a second, her smile becomingly awkwardly crooked. Then, she eased herself into a smaller, more regal smile, and looked at Anna out of the corner of her eye. "For it being your favorite day of the week, you sure forget when it is pretty easily."

Anna kicked at her sister's skirt childishly. "You forgot too, didn't you?"

The girl smirked. "More like I shut it out of my mind."

"Oh come on. It's not that bad! You'll get used to it eventually."

The Queen stood still for a moment. Then, she sighed. "I hope so, Anna. I really do."

Anna's eyebrows pinched up in worry, and she frowned for her sister. Then, she smiled again. "You will! For sure."

Open Court Day was a weekly event that was another one of the Arendelle royalty's obligations toward their people – once a week, the royal court would be open to anyone who wanted to speak to the ruler in command. Of course, the gates were always open for people to visit the palace - Elsa had stayed true to her word when she told Anna that they'd never be closing them again - but the Princess and Queen were always so busy that even with the castle's numerous visitors, there was no time for them to actually talk with their subjects. Unless, of course, they came to talk on Open Court Day. It was set aside especially for the people to communicate with their government. They could say anything they wanted, from requesting that the crown lend them assistance on building a new farm to just idly chatting about the weather. It had been an Arendelle tradition for years, even before the "eternal winter" fiasco, though they'd been held outside of the palace in order to keep Elsa hidden away. The former King and Queen had taken to holding them in a popular tavern in town, and then when they passed away, the Duke of Arendelle held them in the same place. But now, she was in command. So they were held at her palace. And it was her royal obligation to spend the day listening to her subjects, and receiving them with grace.

Anna was always excited when Open Court Day came around because she got to see so many people all at once, and because she got to hear so many different stories from around the kingdom. Elsa, however, found it more terrifying than exciting.

It wasn't that she didn't like talking to her subjects – on the contrary, she was happy to see that they actually even wanted to talk to her. But though the idea that her subjects had come just to see her made her happy, it was also what made Open Court Day so nerve wracking. All these people walked up to her, some to ask for help, some for conversation, all of them wanting something from her and expecting her to be able to give it. She did want to give it to them. She wanted to be what they expected of her so much! But she couldn't help but think that she wasn't. She wasn't as interesting as they thought she was, or as beautiful or as powerful, and she left every Open Court Day feeling disappointed.

And lonely.

Because, for as many people that came to see her in that courtyard, not a single one of them was like her.

She knew that it didn't matter if she had powers and no one else did – Anna never stopped telling her that she loved her no matter what, and that their subjects did too, and that she had family and loved ones all around her. But what that voice had said weighed heavy on her mind.

"There's nobody like you in all of Arendelle… nobody like you in the entire world."

"All alone, Snow Queen. All alone."

And that's all she could think about as she sank into her throne and began to receive visitors – the beginning of yet another Open Court Day.

In the chair beside her, Elsa could hear Anna yawn. It was ten hours later, and the sun was starting to set.

Elsa looked to her sister with a small, smug smile. "I thought you loved Open Court Day."

"Hm? Oh yea, I do. Of course I do." She stretched out her aching legs. "But at this rate, it'll be Open Court Night, too."

Throughout the course of the day, Anna and Elsa together had received over two hundred visitors from across the land. Many were from the farther reaches of Arendelle, and had made a trip into the capitol especially for the purpose of speaking to the Queen – they were usually the ones who had important requests for the crown about assisting with their land, or sometimes even assisting their entire town. Then there were the locals, who just stopped by to chat. They treated the weekly Open Court like a sort of holiday, and were proud at their chance to regularly talk with their Queen. And then there were the children - the curious, innocent gawkers eager to get a glimpse of the woman who could cover an entire kingdom in snow and ice with just a wave of her hand. These were the guests that Anna loved the most, and Elsa feared the most. Anna loved them because… well, kids. Elsa feared them because, while it's one thing to disappoint an adult, disappointing a child was a million times worse.

The line was almost completely gone – all that was left of the week's Open Court Day visitors were three men and a small girl. Once they saw it was their turn, the three men immediately ran to Anna's chair and began to chat her up. Elsa couldn't help but laugh, imagining what Kristoff would do if he were there - but then, the sight of the fourth and final visitor caught her eye.

As said before, Elsa was actually a little afraid of the children that would visit, so seeing the little girl, complete with big doe eyes and mousey brown pigtails, made her gulp. But, for the sakes of her kingdom and sating this child's curiosity, she still put on her most gentle smile and got down off her throne, crouching to meet the girl at eye level.

"Hello little one. What's your name?"

The girl was staring at her in awe, but through her amazement still managed to get out her words. "My name is Heidi. My papa and I just moved here, from Corona."

"Well, welcome to Arendelle, Heidi! Corona is a lovely kingdom, but we're happy to have you here." With a tiny smile, she held out her hand to shake. "My name is Elsa."

Heidi's eyes widened as she looked down at the woman's hand. "I won't freeze if I touch you?"

Elsa stopped, drawing her hand back. Her mind went blank.

"What… What did you say?"

Seeing her reaction, Heidi's nervousness grew, and she looked to her feet. "B…Because… They call you the Snow Queen… I thought that…" She choked up, afraid, and let out a small whine.

Elsa snapped back at the sound, realizing what she'd done. You idiot. She didn't mean anything by it. How could she possibly know about your dream? You're going to make the kid cry!

The Queen's eyes became tender as she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Heidi. Please don't be upset. Let me explain."

Heidi looked back up and sniffed as Elsa took a step back. Then the woman drew her hand out from her side, held it in the air, and snapped. As she did, a shot of snow escaped from her hand, and a large, crystal snowflake materialized and hovered above her palm. Heidi's eyes got even wider (if that was possible), and her jaw dropped in surprise. Elsa gave a crooked grin.

"They do call me the Snow Queen, but I can't freeze people. I can do this, though."

"Wow! So pretty!"

The woman chuckled. "I'm glad you think so."

Elsa lowered her arm and placed the snowflake into the girl's hands, giving it a small flurry so that it could float for Heidi like it had for her. Heidi grinned, mesmerized, and in her mind, Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. Dodged a bullet with that one.

"So you're just like Jack Frost, then?"

Elsa looked down and blinked. "Hm?"

Heidi glanced away from her snowflake for a moment to look at her queen. "You're just like Jack Frost."

Elsa's smile grew wry. I guess she has an imaginary friend. "Who is Jack Frost?"

At the question, Heidi turned her attention to the Queen fully, and her face began to glow with happiness and excitement. "Jack Frost is the Snow Prince!"

Elsa's eyebrows raised, and she gave a small laugh. "The Snow Prince, huh?"

Heidi nodded. "Yeah! He helps bring winter and plays with the kids and paints pretty frost pictures all over the glass! And with his crook he rides winter winds and he can make ice come out of his hands!"

Elsa's eyes shined as she listened to Heidi talk. "He sounds very nice."

"He is!"

"Well, why is he the Snow Prince and not the Snow King?"

Heidi rolled her eyes, as if the answer were obvious. "Well, he's only seventeen. You can't be king at seventeen." Suddenly remembering something, she gasped, and then looked up to Elsa with deadly seriousness. "Oh, but you can't tell him I call him the Snow Prince. He doesn't like it."

This kid is actually pretty cute, huh? Elsa thought with a laugh. It made her happy that Heidi had made an imaginary friend with ice powers; one of Elsa's biggest worries was that she was still feared, and knowing that ice was something magical to this girl set her at ease more than you could imagine - especially after she almost scared her off earlier. She put her hand on her heart and bowed her head with a grin. "If I see him, I won't say a word."

"Good. Thank you, Elsa!" The lass gave another toothy smile, then shook her monarch's hand and began to skip away.

"Ah, wait!" The woman called. She was a little bit surprised at the sudden departure. "Didn't you have something you wanted to ask?"

Heidi stopped and turned her head. "No! I just wanted to see what you were like, so I could tell Jack. He doesn't usually go places where there's no snow, but when I told him I was moving he said he'd stop by to see me. And then when I heard that the Queen of Arendelle was called the Snow Queen… I'm sure he'll be interested to meet you!"

One of Elsa's eyebrows raised in confusion. "Meet me?"

"Yup! When I tell him about this, I'm sure he'll come and see you, too!"

Then she bolted, skipping down the street and holding tight to her snowflake with a brilliant smile on her face. Elsa straightened up and looked at her in bewilderment, putting her hands on her hips. Yea, she is a cute kid… but a pretty strange one, too. I wonder if she realizes nobody else can see her imaginary friend yet. She looked up at the setting sun in the distance. Well, it's none of my business.

Still, though… Snow Prince?

"Elsa! Looks like we're done for the day." Anna called, jogging up and giving her sibling a tap on the shoulder. Behind her, Elsa could see her three gentlemen callers walking off in a slump, shoulders all hunched and dragging their feet. She could guess why they were so depressed – most likely, Anna had just spent the last five minutes gushing to them about how wonderful she thought Kristoff was. The thought made Elsa laugh.

"Alright, let's head inside, then. I'm beat."

As the two made their way back into the palace, Anna noticed Heidi running off in the distance. "That was your last visitor?"

"Yep. Her name was Heidi. She and her father just moved here from Corona."

"And what did she want?"

Elsa's eyes looked into the distance wistfully, a ghost of a smile on her face. "She wanted to see what I was like, so she could tell her imaginary friend."

Anna grinned. "Really? How cute!"

"Yea, I thought so too."

"So?" The redhead continued curiously as they reached the castle doors. "Who was this imaginary friend?"

Elsa reached out and grabbed the door's handle – but, just before she went inside, turned around. She was just in time to see Heidi's back, and the shimmer of the snowflake, disappear around the corner.

"She called him 'Jack Frost'."

That night, Heidi lay awake in bed. Around her were crates and satchels of her unpacked things, and the bright, crystal snowflake she'd received from Queen Elsa shining brightly on her nightstand. She held the top of her blanket in both hands and looked to the window eagerly. Then, what she was waiting for finally appeared – a flower of frost unfurling on her windowpane.

Heidi grinned and ran to the wall, throwing the window up. The curtains fluttered, and then, in a flash of cold, a boy landed crouched on her window sill.

"Jack! You really came! I have so much to tell you!"

His white hair shined in the moonlight as he flicked it to the side, away from his sharp, blue eyes. A tiny grin broke out against his face.

"Oh, really? About what?"

"About the house, and papa's new job, and the town, and, and… oh! And Elsa!"

He stepped into the room, placing one bare foot against the floor, ice decorating the wood as soon as his skin touched the ground. As he entered, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye – the glowing snowflake.

"Elsa?"