A/N: Alas, I still own neither Tangled nor Frozen. Onwards and upwards!

Chapter 2: It's Time to See What I Can Do

It took seemingly forever to finish all her "princess lessons" before she could escape to her first sword practice. Absolutely hours of how to sit, speak, eat, stand, smile, wave, and so on. The academic lessons weren't as bad. Elsa found she actually liked astronomy and literature. The ladylike arts were challenging, though. Apparently, harp strings were more delicate than one would think. After the soon-to-be-infamous "Music Room Debacle," she slipped out through the chaos to the training ground.

She stood at the fence, watching the men swing blades at each other and at straw dummies. The younger ones were holding wooden practice swords. She watched the man who looked like he was in charge, probably the captain. He had a large and impressive moustache and a decorated helmet.

She had expected sword fighting to be wild slashing and hacking, but watching him spar with a newer recruit, it looked almost like a well-choreographed dance. There was complex-looking footwork and careful arcs and jabs of the blade. The captain easily pinned the younger man to the ground, sword at his throat. He then sheathed it and extended his hand to the downed soldier and helped him to his feet. The man walked off his defeat and went to rest in the corner of the training field. The captain turned and spotted her at the fence.

"You must be the foreign princess," he greeted. "Well, Your Highness. I hope you don't expect me to go any easier on you than my boys just because you're royal, tiny, and a girl."

"No, sir," she replied. "When can we get started?"

"Now. Get in here," he called, motioning with his hand.

Elsa scrambled under the fence and skidded to a halt in front of the tall man. He looked down at her with interest.

"Eager. That's good. Eager means it'll take you a little time before you quit. Maybe I can teach you something useful before you go."

"I won't quit," Elsa protested, head held high.

"No? Not when you've callouses on your pretty hands? Not when you get knocked down on your proper behind in the dirt by a stick of wood? Not when you're exhausted, sweaty, bleeding, or aching all over? You won't quit then?"

"No. I won't give up," she insisted, unbothered by the man's seeming lack of respect. She hadn't earned it yet.

"Alright, Your Highness. We'll start with your stance. Hold this," he said, handing her a wooden sword nearly as big as she was. She struggled to hold it up. "Now move your feet wider apart. Wider! Next time don't come in a skirt. Now bend your knees. Keep your center of gravity lower to the ground to keep your balance. Keep your elbows tight. Don't splay them out like a chicken's wings. Use both hands on the handle if you must, but keep your dominant hand on top. Don't look at your feet, look at me. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet. I said don't look down! Back straight! Now hold that position and breathe, in through the nose, out through the mouth," he barked the orders at her one after another.

She struggled to hold the heavy sword in position and remember all the directions. It was hard with the heat and the weight of all the soldiers' stares. Her muscles started trembling and drops of sweat rolled down her face and arms. She shifted her weight.

"Don't move, I said!" the captain reprimanded.

She stood like that for what felt like ages, but was probably only fifteen minutes. She fell down twice and got back up. When he told her she could relax, she fell again, sprawling on her back in the dirt. He loomed over her panting form, frowning.

"I am reluctantly impressed, Your Highness" he admitted. "I didn't think you'd make it this far."

"But I fell down. Twice. I'm not very good," she protested.

"Of course not," he snorted, "You've never held a sword in your life, not even a pretend one. You don't know a thing about it. Being good at something isn't a gift dropped in your lap. It takes hard work and practice. If you're willing to do that, then you will be good at this, someday."

He hauled her to her feet. She swayed for a moment, but managed to steady herself. The captain placed a smaller wooden sword in her hands.

"You ready for round two?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a challenge in his voice.

"Born ready," Elsa panted, grinning.

They worked on form and control until dark. She never even got to swing her sword at a dummy because the captain said she wasn't ready. She sighed in the bath she'd asked to be drawn for her before bed. It might be a very long time before she could ride Maximus. She was struck by a sudden inspiration. That didn't mean she couldn't visit him, however. It was after dark, though. A time when she was supposed to stay inside. She'd have to be sneaky.

She dressed in one of her lighter-weight gowns in a darker color from home. She would blend in with the shadows better that way. She wore a hood to cover her pale hair. She snuck down to the stables and searched each stall until she spotted a familiar white coat. She slipped inside and called a soft hello. Maximus stepped up to her, chuffing gently. He sniffed her all over, tickling her face with his breath when he investigated her hair. She giggled.

His search stopped over her pocket. He nudged it with his nose, looking at her with pleading brown puppy-dog eyes. It took her a moment to realize what he wanted. She drew the apple from her skirts and held it out to him, palm up. She'd tucked it in her pocket at dinner, thinking to save it for later. Visiting the stables at night seemed to be a suitable definition of later, so she'd brought it with her.

"Is this what you want?" she whispered.

He answered by snapping up the apple and gulping it down in two bites. Elsa giggled again.

"You like apples? They're my favorite, too. I promise to bring you some more next time I see you. I don't have any more today," she apologized, stroking his nose and forelock.

She rubbed him all over, stroking his back and neck. He whinnied quietly, pressing up against her. He wasn't that much bigger than Elsa. He was young, like her, training in his own way, too. Her first friend in a new place, and it was a horse. She laughed silently at herself.

"My name's Elsa. You and I are going to be fast friends, aren't we?" she asked. The horse snorted in agreement. "Maximus. Can I call you Max for short?"

He nodded his head. She kept petting him and murmuring at him. Not much later, he stepped back with a yawn and laid down, settling into the hay.

"I guess it's your bedtime, huh? I ought to be getting back, too," Elsa whispered, slipping out of the stall and back up to her room.

Or that was the plan anyway. She was stopped in the hall on the way to her room by a frantic Queen Arianna.

"Elsa! Thank God you're safe. What happened? Where have you been?" she cried, reaching to embrace Elsa. At her subtle cringe, the queen stopped short, anxiety doubling.

"I- I was just at the stables. I wanted to see Maximus... I wasn't gone that long, was I?" she stammered.

"No," the queen sighed, wringing her hands. "It's just- ever since my daughter was stolen, I've been terrified that whoever took her will come back. I was so worried that you'd been kidnapped just like her. Given much more time, I'm sure I would have whipped the entire castle into a frenzy searching for you. I need you to promise me you'll never sneak off in the middle of the night without telling me again. Promise me!" she begged, eyes wild.

"I promise, Aunt Arianna. I won't sneak out again. I'm sorry I scared you," Elsa murmured guiltily.

She should have thought about her missing cousin before she pulled such a stunt. Of course her aunt would be protective of her, terrified when she disappeared from her room without a word. She got sent away for hurting her own family. The last thing she'd wanted was to do it again. It seemed she couldn't stop accidentally scaring her family to death. Princess Elsa of Arendelle, more like the princess of disaster.

"I'm sorry," she sighed again.

"It's alright, my dear girl. Just don't do it again. Gerda will show you back to bed."

In the morning, she had Gerda show her how to style her hair in a way that kept it out of her face without putting it in a severe bun. A French braid solved her problems and looked pretty as well. Breakfast was a bit tense thanks to last night, but she survived, slipping some extra apples into her skirt for Max.

Lessons today were about etiquette, mathematics, and embroidery. She did decently well at the first two, but her stitched flowers looked like balls of tangled yarn and her fabric sample was spotted with blood from all the times she jabbed herself with the needle. It seemed that the feminine arts were not for her.

At the training field, practice was just as brutal as it had been the day before. She was hammered until sundown again. In moments of frustration, it was difficult to keep the ice inside.

"You need to keep the point of your sword up and keep your eyes on the enemy while you're moving!" the captain barked.

"I'm trying!" she snapped back.

"Try harder!" he returned.

And so on. The one benefit of being so thoroughly exhausted was that she was too tired to dream.

A fortnight passed with the days passing in a similar manner and she got her first letter from Anna, gushing about how amazing sword practice must be and how she was still working on their guards to let her try it. She asked so many questions about what Corona was like and said over and over how much she missed her. Elsa tried and tried to start her reply, but she couldn't think of anything that didn't sound like complaining. She didn't want Anna to feel worse about their separation. She had to put down her quill anyway because it was time for sword training again. She reminded herself and her rough, aching hands that it was worth it to be Max's rider.

The captain had decided after all this time to let her swing at the dummy. At last! Elsa finally started to feel like she was making progress. She took her stance across from the dummy, but was distracted by a crowd of whispering well-dressed children at the fence. Not many people stopped to watch the guard train for long. What were they doing here? Her ears caught the words "soldier princess" followed by snickering. So they were here to gawk at her, then. Fantastic. That wasn't at all disruptive.

"Focus, Highness!" the captain hollered.

Her attention snapped back to the dummy in front of her. She corrected her stance and began attacking the straw man. Fine. They wanted a show? She would give them a show. But she kept making mistakes and the captain kept yelling at her, barking out corrections. Deep down, she knew he was just trying to teach her, help her, but she got angrier and angrier at his constant criticisms in front of the mocking nobles' children. She owed the woman in the story she'd given to Flynn Rider an apology. Swinging a wooden stick at something was much harder than it looked, especially under pressure. The cackles of the children were ringing in her ears and her skin started to cool rapidly.

Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Don't feel.

"Are you trying to stab this man or tickle him, Highness? Is that the best you've got? Put your weight into the swing. Not just the arms, the whole torso!" the captain called.

Elsa felt her rage harden and condense. She focused it into the edge of the wooden blade, feeling ice creep up the handle. With a bloodcurdling screech of pure anger, she swung the practice sword at the dummy so hard that she sliced its head off, sending it flying into the knot of nobles' children. The girls squealed and scuttled back like spiders. Shoulders heaving with her ragged breath, Elsa turned and fixed the brats with an icy glare, adjusting her grip on the sword. The young onlookers scattered in terror from her fierce gaze.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about! Good work, Highness! You might be ready to spar tomorrow," the captain praised.

"With real swords?" she ventured.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Highness. I think that's enough for today, so you've got the afternoon off. Use it wisely because I won't be this generous very often," he teased. "Dismissed."

Elsa didn't need to be told twice. She ran to her room to change out of her sweaty practice clothes, a simple tunic and trousers, and into her favorite blue dress. She just needed to get permission from her aunt and she could visit the city. Her aunt was somewhere in the castle that Elsa couldn't find her quickly, so she went to her uncle's study to ask him instead.

"Uncle Frederic?" she called, stepping into the king's study.

He looked up from a chessboard where he was apparently playing himself.

"Ah, Elsa, my dear. What brings you here? I thought you had sword practice about now," he greeted.

"Captain Renard let me leave early because I decapitated a dummy today. He says I might get to spar for the first time tomorrow. I came to ask if I could go into town since I have the afternoon off," Elsa explained.

"I don't see why not. Just take at least two guards with you, alright? You need to stay safe," he consented.

"Yes, Uncle Frederic. Um, by the way, why are you playing by yourself?" she wondered.

"It keeps me sharp. I get to practice attacking and defending and anticipating all of an opponent's possible moves. It's good for strategy. Maybe someday you can play with me so I'll have a flesh and blood opponent, eh?" he suggested warmly.

"I think I'd like that. You'll have to sneak me out of poise lessons, first, though," she replied with a smile.

He chuckled and wished her well on her afternoon of freedom. The first place Elsa went was the dance circle, but she stood on the side for a long time, too shy to join in. Suddenly, something dropped onto her head, causing her to emit a startled squeak. She removed the object and examined it. It was a flower crown, in blue and yellow and white. It was lovely, but where had it come from?

"Need a partner, Princess?" a voice asked from behind her.

She spun around, spotting the boy from her first day there, grinning and offering her a hand.

"Flynn," she said with a smile. "Was that you who put this on my head?"

"A crown for a princess. Seemed fitting," he shrugged.

"Where did this come from?" she asked, placing it back in her head.

"I may have borrowed it," he drawled, affecting an innocent expression.

"You stole it?" Elsa gasped, appalled.

"No, I said borrowed. If it bothers you so much, we can return it before you go back to the castle," he told her.

"Alright. It stays, for now, since it was a sweet gesture, but we're returning it later. And no more stealing, promise?" she asked, trying to sound like a future queen.

He grinned at her and bowed gallantly. "As you wish, Princess. So, how about that dance?" he reminded, extending a hand to her.

She found herself reaching for his hand before she remembered herself and pulled back. It wasn't safe for him.

"I- I couldn't," she stammered. Seeing his face fall, she hurried to correct herself. "Oh, no! It's not you. It's just-" she struggled to think of an excuse with some truth in it. "Well, I only know how to waltz, and I'm not very good at that, even. I'd just step on your toes."

His brilliant grin returned, and she found she couldn't resist that ridiculous confident smirk he was making. "Well, if that's the only problem, then no need to worry. If you never try something for the first time, you'll never learn. And my toes can take it."

Despite every reason she shouldn't- the warm climate meant no gloves- she accepted his hand and let him lead her into the circle just as the next reel was beginning. His palm was warm and calloused, but the sensation of holding another person's hand for the first time in forever was still surprisingly pleasant. She moved hesitantly at first, afraid of losing her grip on the magic, but as he spun and guided her like an expert, she let herself relax and whirl around to the beat. When the music picked up speed, she did indeed step on his toes, but he laughed it off, saying she was too tiny to do much damage. He was almost a full head taller than her. How had she not noticed that the first time they met? Unlike the captain, his instructions and corrections were gentle and encouraging. She was disappointed when the song ended.

Seeing her pout, he laughed. "You know we could just go around again, right? I've got time."

They danced together twice more, then collapsed on a low wall, laughing. The guards watched from a small distance, out of earshot, but positioned so Elsa was in their line of sight at all times.

"I don't think I've ever had that much fun," Elsa gasped.

"Being a princess must not be as great as people think it is, then," he teased.

"No! That's not it. I'm grateful for everything I have, the opportunities," Elsa protested. "I just- there's a lot expected of me is all. Not much time for fun. This is the first real break I've had in two weeks."

"No, I get it. Being royal doesn't mean you don't have any problems. You just have different problems than the rest of us," he dismissed amicably. "So what's kept you so busy? I don't know much about the inner workings of castles."

"Mostly lessons. There's a lot of boring stuff like posture and knowing which spoon to use for soup. The worst is all of the 'ladylike arts.' I'm terrible at all of them. I can't sew or play music or anything like that. But there interesting ones, too. Languages and history and science. Oh, and I'm training with the guard. I took the head off a dummy today," Elsa announced proudly.

"Ouch. Were they able to put the poor guy's melon back on, Warrior Princess? I mean, if he was a dummy, he wasn't really using it much, but I'm sure he'd still miss it," Flynn joked.

"No, a straw dummy, Flynn," the princess laughed. "And I'm no warrior. Today is the first time I've managed to do anything right, and I only managed it today because I wanted those smug children of the nobility to shut up and stop laughing at me," she confessed.

"Who would laugh at the princess?" Flynn asked.

"Meanies. But I'm not their princess, not really. I'm just a stand in from another country," Elsa sighed.

"Hey, that doesn't mean they can make fun of you. And don't worry about the swords. I think it's cool you're even trying. Give it time. You'll strike fear into the hearts of your enemies yet, Princess" he assured her.

"Thank you, Flynn. I'm sorry. I've been complaining to you when you probably don't want to hear it or have somewhere else to be," she apologized.

"I don't mind. That's what friends are for," he shrugged.

"Friends? Are we friends?" Elsa asked, trying to hide her excitement.

"I thought so. I mean you gave me a book, danced with me, and shared personal information. I just sort of assumed..."

"No! I mean, yes! I'm just happy to have my first friend besides a horse," Elsa admitted.

"A horse?"

"Maximus. He's the reason I'm training to wield a sword. His rider is going to have to know how to use one since he's going to ride with the guard. It's hard work, but I like feeling like I'm accomplishing something. I sneak him apples when I visit the stables," Elsa said.

"Well, I'm proud to be your first human friend. I'm glad I ran into you today," he said with a smile.

"Me, too," Elsa echoed. "Flynn-"

"Princess Elsa! It's getting dark. The king requested that we escort you back to the castle by sundown," one of her guards interrupted.

"I suppose I'd better go," she lamented. "I'll see you soon?"

"You can count on it, Princess. Hey, what's Arendellian for goodbye?" he asked.

"Why?"

"I thought you might be missing Arendelle, and maybe hearing your first language from time to time might make here feel more like home," Flynn suggested.

Elsa smiled at the thoughtful gesture. "Farvel," she answered. "That's how you say goodbye in Arendellian."

"Then, farvel, my lady," he said with a gallant bow.

"Farvel, my thief," Elsa replied with a shy curtsey.

On the long walk back up the winding streets, Elsa couldn't help but think she now had a couple good things to write Anna about, not the least of which being a sweet orphaned boy who was doing his best to make her feel less lonely and homesick.

She realized only when she had put it on her nightstand that she had forgotten to return the flower crown.

A/N: So, Arendellian is straight-up Norwegian from either Google translate or Wikipedia. Coronan is probably closer to German, but for our purposes is understood as English. Fair warning: there will be unbelievable amounts of Felsa fluff. There are just too many golden opportunities to not take advantage of them. That's all for now, readers.