The night Gerda had found her sprawled across the floor had been nearly a week and a half ago, but she hadn't noticed anything strange since then-
She hadn't mentioned to anyone about the pain she had felt or the voice she'd heard, both calm and steadfast and eerily familiar- she hadn't mentioned the nightmares or the daydreams of which she could remember nothing, because they had stopped as quickly as they'd came and even at eight, Elsa knew that these were all serious problems.
Telling her parents would be a very, very bad idea- they had enough on their plate with her powers and if she added the events of the past month to it, she'd very likely never see Anna again.

Besides, if she tried hard enough Elsa could convince herself that she had made the entire thing up; you see, children and adults are much the same- they can persuade themselves of anything.
And Elsa was currently persuading herself to pretend that nothing strange had happened at all.

The mirror sat in the desk drawer, and waited.

xXx

Before Anna had been born, Elsa had been a fairly serious child, and once separated she returned to a more quiet lifestyle.
Her days were starting to take on a routine, which, while occasionally causing her some boredom, proved to be at the least productive and at the best, content:
She would wake each morning and have breakfast with either Gerda or her mother; Anna was almost never awake enough to join, even before the accident.
Afterwards, she would go to her lessons, usually set in the library- Anna was still too young to be in the same classes as her, and as such would the two would miss each other, only passing in the halls.
Mondays and Wednesdays were history and science, Tuesdays and Thursdays were math, grammar and French and Fridays were diplomacy and law, as well as culture, which was now taught in books as opposed to venturing into town. Sundays were church, with Anna seated beside her mother and Elsa, her father.
After her lessons, she would get some work done, either what had been assigned to her or, if no extra tasks had been given, getting a head start on the next chapter. Her mother would then come in for lunch and embroidery, which Elsa was torn between being grateful for and guilty of, knowing how busy of a woman the queen was.

The rest of the day varied only slightly from the mornings- she would read or practice her stitches or do some more classwork and then sit at dinner with her family, the only time she and Anna could interact without having it be cut short.

On this night, Anna was practically vibrating, "Elsa, Elsa! I found the HUGEST CAT EVER! He was SO BIG!"
"How big was he, Anna?" Elsa could feel warmth settle in her chest, replacing the apathy from before, "Was he bigger than a horse?"
"No! Not that big!"
"Bigger than Kai?"
"Elsa!" Anna tried to look stern but ended up giggling instead, "He's a cat not a person!"
"Bigger than me!?" Elsa couldn't keep the grin off her face, but Anna answered her seriously with,
"Almost!"
"How big, then?"
"He was…was…" Anna held her arms out, around two feet in length, "Like this big!"
"That is really big! Did you pet him?"
"Yeah he was really soft and so fuzzy!"
"Did you name him?"
"No…he ran away before I could… but maybe next time we can see him together!"
Elsa smiled and nodded, "Maybe, if I can get all my work done in time, right mom?"
The queen hesitated, but nodded, "If you two have supervision, then yes, that sounds fine."
The king gave his wife a look, but said nothing. Elsa had been very good- perhaps it had been a simple accident, after all.

xXx

Elsa had worked harder the next day than she had any day previously- she flew through her book on Julius Caesar, and wrote the two pages her tutor had asked of her, then started her geography work, listing their strongest allies and trade partners by location and then, as an afterthought, added their capitals and leaders, as well.

Her mother came by for lunch again, and they embroidered while they spoke- the harvest had been good that fall, and trade was doing well- which meant that prices in luxury goods, including sugar and cotton, were down. Her father had ordered a large shipment of both for the castle, as well as chocolate, which made Elsa smile.
She handed her mother what she had made, a flower stitched onto a white handkerchief, and asked her to leave it on Anna's pillow in the morning, as a surprise.
She smiled and folded it neatly, sticking it in her front pocket before packing the supplies up and placing them on the cart, "She misses you, you know."
"I know," She looked down, biting her lip, "I'm trying really hard to be good."
"I know, honey. You're doing just fine- it's supposed to snow later- maybe, if you can finish all your classwork, you two can play outside together?"
Elsa brightened visibly, eyes wide, "Really?"
"If Gerda or myself is with you, I don't see it being an issue. But please remember, you can't use your powers."
"I remember, Mama, and thank you!"
"Of course, my dear, of course."
And with that, she left Elsa alone to her studies.

xXx

All she had left was math.
She did problem after problem, page after page of division and multiplication, but finally she was finished. It had taken her nearly forty minutes, but she had finally done it- and with daylight to spare.
She stood and stretched, arms locked behind her head and smiled- her mother had been right, it was starting to snow.
She bolted to the window, eyes wide- the flakes were wet and heavy, not ideal for packing but she could fix that easily and then her and Anna-
She gasped when she realized she had frozen the sill over, frost trailing up the glass and across the wood.
She shrank back into herself, fear clutching at her heart,
No. They would never do anything together ever again, would they?
Not like this.

And before dinner, her father brought her into his study and gave her a pair of white gloves, all smiles, telling her how this would help her control it, but she knew-
"He's afraid."
And whether it was the voice or her own thoughts didn't really matter, because it was true. Her father was afraid of her. Of what she could do.
"Conceal, don't feel..."
"...Don't let it show."
The silent words unspoken but palpable between them,
'or you'll never be able to see Anna again.'

xXx

As warm and lighthearted as the meal had been the day before, that's how stiff and practiced it was today.

Anna paid it no mind however, ignoring her sister's one word answers and pushing on with her story, "I wish you had been there, Elsa! It was so pretty! Not good for snowmen, though, but really cold and it stuck to everything! Even the little bench behind the stables! Did you know about that one!?"
Elsa shook her head and Anna continued, "it's under the giant tree! Gerda says when it's spring it turns green and white and there are birds that live in it! Isn't that great?"

The gloves were soft, but they lacked the friction of her hands and her silverware kept slipping against them- they dulled her sense of touch and made everything seem far away and suddenly she was claustrophobic and her fingers were shaking so hard she had to put down her fork before she dropped it,
"Do you wanna see it with me? Maybe tomorrow?" Anna looked to her parents hopefully, but neither responded and Elsa felt something sour pool in her stomach- she stood, abruptly, and asked for permission to leave the table while already halfway to the door.

By the time she made it to her room, she was running, so fast that when she got to her restroom she had to skid to a stop so she didn't run into the door; she tried to turn the knob but her hands found no purchase with the gloves and it took her a moment to get it opened- when she finally did, she crashed against it so hard that it bounced against the wall and had nearly shut itself by the time she collapsed.
She was in a heap before her toilet and before she really comprehended what was happening, was expelling the contents of her stomach and then dry heaved a few more times for good measure, until curling up, finally spent; pale and trembling against the tub.

"They're all afraid of you."
"No they're not!"
"They are! And they have reason to be! You're dangerous!"
"I'm not! I'm not…!"
"You already hurt her once."
And Elsa whimpered and made herself even smaller, ice forming between her palm and the gloves, but spreading no further.
The gloves…
"I need them."
"Yes."
"Who are you?"
"A friend."
"Will you stay with me?"
"Forever and ever."


Thank you all for taking the time to read this- the story will start to pick up quickly after the next chapter or two; remember, this is just the beginning.
All the current favorites, follows and reviews have been thrilling- thank you again for the support.
-Dana