"Ready?" she called to her subjects from the Palace's courtyard. The crowd whooped excitedly as the strength of late summer beat down upon their brow. Their queen smiled and sent flurries of soft snow and comforting ice around the imaginations of man, woman, and child alike. The fountains were sculpted into majestic works- nearly as abstract as their mysterious ruler- and the cobblestone was quickly blanketed in thick, clean ice. The excuse for this celebration became irrelevant and the fun was just beginning.

Anna smiled as she enjoyed the chorus of approval; the men bellowing, the women giggling, and the children in fits of such great laughter that they could hardly breathe. It reminded her of the dances she and Elsa had with Olaf, and the times they took turns sledding down shallow hills. It hadn't been until after Elsa's coronation a few years ago that she had been told that those memories had been altered. She understood, thankful for the healing the trolls had given her, but felt betrayed by their validity. They were always her comfort growing up. Those memories were her evidence that she and her sister would always have each other. How could her own thoughts be a lie? But they are, and the loss of their viability melted a small part of the affection she once had for her sister away. It was the only proof she had that Elsa was capable of being relatable and fun. These small festivals were slowly building the idea of her sister back up, though. In both Anna's eyes and in the eyes of the citizens of Arendelle, who were widely denied the right to witness the sisters' upbringing.

Anna's shoulder grew heavy under the weight of her husband's hand, "You don't have to work tonight, do you?" she inquired innocently, adjusting her features to appear vulnerable and playful as a child's.

Kristoff gave a scoff, "No, but I have to wake up at the crack a dawn tomorrow to get these orders filled." He smiled as he spoke, it's what she loved about him, "This job is killing me!"

"Aw, stressed?" She was setting this conversation up for her own benefit and they both knew it.

He went along, "Yeah, a little."

With anticipation she scrunched up her face. After their talk had ended in her favor, Anna approached a guard, "Sir, would you tell the Queen that Kristoff and I are retiring for the night? And that should she need me, she could find me in the study soon after dawn?"

He saluted them and turned to embrace the chaos of the crowd; it was going to take him a while to make his way up to the front of the yard to find the Queen. A few necessary incidents of pushing and unforgiving happenings of shovings were met before finally reaching Her Majesty.

"Good evening, Brynford. Are you enjoying the festivities?" Elsa greeted one of the more familiar guards.

He bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Elsa let out a small chuckle, "At ease. How many times do I have to tell you that it's ok for you to be more relaxed than that? I consider you a friend, I don't want you to feel obligated to treat me as if you're not."

"Well, Your Majesty," he sighed, "I suppose I'll just have to hear it once more." They laughed.

"Oh! Do you know where my sister has run off to? I wanted to tell her that I've met with the ambassador from Lander's Fjord and we intend to open trading with them by the end of next season. And I thought perhaps we could all have dinner to celebrate Kristoff's birthday."

Brynford knew that the Queen was in a merry mood, she hadn't spoken so many words to him at once in years. He was almost guilty to have to deliver the princess' message, "The Princess, my Lady, has retired for the night. She wanted to let you know that she'd be available sometime after dawn in her study."

Expertly concealing her disappointment, Elsa shrugged off her plans and found herself dreading the night of solitude. "I see. No matter, I'll let her know in the morning."

"If I may," Brynford began, "since I am on your personal guard detail tonight, would it be too rash to offer that Your Majesty trust me and my men enough to spend leisure time on the boats? A relaxing ride usually puts Your Majesty at ease."

Elsa smiled, "How do you know that I like the boats?"

"Observation, my Lady," he countered.

"Very well."