The morning was unusually cold, and the citizens of Arendelle wrapped themselves in heavy coats or blankets as they made their way around the town. Fires were lit in heavy metal cans and were spread out along the marketplace and merchants huddled over them, hoping to warm their hands until the next shopper came. Horses pulled wagons about, the aroma of coffee and freshly baked pastries emanated from several storefronts, plus the bustle of bodies everywhere were more than enough to entice the senses.

Anna maneuvered through the crisscrossing alleyways of the town, hugging the satchel to her body, careful not to let its precious contents spill out. The cobblestone ground was slippery, and covered with straw, dirt, and the occasional lump of horse manure. She carefully chose her path amongst the crowd of people. As she turned down a particular alley a familiar voice stopped her.

"Hey, Anna."

The redhead turned her head. "Oh, Kristoff." Anna made it a rule not to involve herself personally with her clients, but this mountain man was an exception. He was kind to her and treated her well, unlike some of the men that she serviced, and even appeared to genuinely like her—perhaps, it bit too much.

Kristoff shrugged, and slung the reins over his shoulder. "Is that anyway to greet an old friend."

Anna huffed, and realized her tone was a bit brusque. "I didn't mean it sound that way, okay? What do you want?"

"Well I was hoping for a little thanks." The mountain man patted his reindeer's side. "Ole Sven here needs some carrots."

"What are you talking about?"

"I was the one who sent that soldier to you last night. I trust he paid rather well?"

Anna blanched, and her eyes went wide, and she, for some reason, could not find her voice for several seconds.

Kristoff bent his head down to her. "Anna, did you hear me? I said I—" He did not get a chance to finish as the redhead punched him in the stomach, and he landed on his butt. "What in the world was that for?"

"How could you do that to me…" But Anna paused in her anger, realizing that Kristoff could not have known about the Queen. "Oh, Kristoff—I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me."

The mountain man rose to his feet and dusted the dirt off his trousers. "God, Anna, what's the matter?" He pulled a carrot from his bag and gave it to his reindeer. "You can talk to me, you know."

The redhead sat on his sleigh and rested her head on her hands. "I had—well, really—I don't know."

Anna cringed, once again being frustrated by her inability to express herself meaningfully. She thought herself somewhat crippled by her life experiences, of the decisions that shaped her life. Poverty forced her out of school and into the streets at an early age; she had seen her younger brother die of hunger because their father wasted his money on drink, had witnessed her mother labor to support everyone until she took ill and died. All these things helped to mold her into the young woman she was today, for good or ill.

Maybe this was why Kristoff took an interest in her; he was burdened by some of the same demons that she was. But his approach to life was to run from them rather than take them on, and he was prone to melancholy because of it. He understood her, and she had to admit that she loved him for it.

She was damaged, and so was he, but in different ways. Their friendship was borne out of tragedy; they loved each out of desperation.

Kristoff frowned, feeling as frustrated as Anna. "Okay, that doesn't help."

"My night was—interesting, that's all I can say." She glanced at the man and played with the hem of her skirt. "I wish I could talk about it, but I can't."

Kristoff sighed and pulled his hat over his head. "Alright, Anna." He gently helped her to her feet and then sat down, pulling Sven's reins. "You always know where to find me, don't ya, feisty pants." With those words he was gone.

Anna watched as he maneuvered his small sleigh through the alley until he was gone, and was completely dejected, wanting nothing more than to be able to unburden her heart. Anna continued to walk, but her earlier enthusiasm was gone. She did not know how she was going to handle the reality of the previous night. Of all things in the world she ever thought of herself doing—bedding the Queen of Arendelle—was just something…

Anna stopped walking and sat on a low brick wall. She pulled an apple from the bag she was holding and munched on it loudly. What was she going to do? How could she even possibly go on to business as usual with the memory of the Queen hovering just above her—her body shaking with want and desire. Its what you do for a living. It made her sick on the inside, the thought of returning to the brothel tonight and resuming her—job. She wanted to cry, to break down completely and renounce her choices. But there were no other options for her at this point; at least not for tonight. She would keep her word, and not tell a soul. She was not about to break a promise to a Queen.

Elsa usually did not sleep past the rising of the sun, but on this day it was different, and she did not wake up until well after noon. Her Ladies in Waiting had not dared to wake her, fearing that she might be ill, and the other servants merely followed their example, and discarded the Queen's usual breakfast and prepared for the midday meal.

The Queen rolled over and opened her eyes, and an unfamiliar feeling stole over her—her body felt surprisingly—relaxed. She blinked and then sat up and stretched her arms over her head. Her room looked different as she usually woke when it was dimly lit by the rising sun or completely dark when she went to bed. She had forgotten how colorful her bedding was, or how intricate the painted snowflakes were on the walls.

Elsa blushed and closed her eyes, and then wondered if this was something all people experienced after a night of such incredible—what was it? What did exactly happen, beyond the obvious? She felt giddy, much like an adolescent schoolboy at first love or kiss, and for the briefest moment, all the burdens of monarchy dissipated into the wind. But when she opened her eyes reality slammed into her and she was Queen of Arendelle—right and proper.

Elsa looked at her hands and blushed again at the previous night's events, and her memory settled on the picture of a certain auburn haired young woman with the incredible teal eyes. Her thoughts did not turn to her usual morning schedule and instead she remembered how soft Anna's lips had been or how wonderful it felt when the young woman had wrapped her thighs around her waist. Elsa shuddered at that last memory, and she felt…her breath caught in her throat because she could not remember the last time that she felt anything other than boredom or despair.

The first emotion would leave her pacing in her bedroom or the library at night, and the second would cause her to wander the halls, when everyone was asleep—in between the castle guards' shift change—and dream of a life different than the one she now had. But Elsa had no delusions. Her lonely upbringing had left her bereft of heart when it came to simple human relationships. It left her brittle, what some would call 'cold.' But she knew that if someone really, truly knew her…

Elsa swung her legs over the side of the bed and let out a ragged breath; she needed to stop thinking of this or it would drive her crazy. There was just too much to do—too many meetings to attend to—and these thoughts were not going to help her run the Kingdom.

She stepped into her huge closet and immediately saw the officer's uniform, hung neatly just where she had left it. Just seeing it brought the memories to the forefront of her mind and she just could not…not what? Accept that the events of last night did happen, or that they would never happen again? Elsa sank to floor and leaned against the wall, almost too overtaken to make it through another day. Could any of these future days ever be enough for her anymore? Now that she had tasted but a moment of what heaven on earth must be?

Elsa glanced up at the uniform and remembered her previous night's promise to search for her, for that young woman who had changed everything. Perhaps she could do it, venture forth into the night—the future—and find the end to a lifetime of loneliness. What did Shakespeare call the future? The undiscovered country… She vowed to search for that country.

Elsa decided not to call for her Ladies in Waiting, and dressed for another day, and then went to see about lunch.

Her office was warm and cozy, and far from the drafty halls of the rest of the castle, being on the western side, and facing the setting sun. Although it was far from sunset, Elsa was weary. She settled into her rather over-stuffed desk chair and wrapped her hands around a steaming mug of hot chocolate, content to just stare out of the window for only a few moments. As she sipped her drink another plan formed, and she set about to make a few notes on it when there was a rather loud knocking on her door.

"Come." She continued to scribble as her door creaked open, and her head butler peaked his head in.

"Your Majesty."

Elsa looked up. "Please come in, Kai. I am grateful for your alacrity."

"How may I serve you, my Queen?" He bowed deeply at the waist in front of her desk., not knowing the reason for his Queen's sudden desire to see him.

"I just wanted to thank you for your… discretion last night after our conversation. I trust everything went well—on your end, of course."

"Her Majesty is well and fit, I see. Yes, all went fine, My Lady."

Elsa nodded and averted her eyes. "And the decree? How was it taken? Any complaints?"

If Kai had been with anyone else at that moment he would have laughed, or at least offered a good chuckle. But he was in Her Majesty's presence, and he accustomed himself accordingly. "There were a few grumbles, Your Majesty, but nothing happened that would warrant any further participation on your part."

"I see." The Queen stifled a laugh and regarded the older man. "Is that merely a polite way of telling me to mind my own business?" She grinned.

His brow raised, Kai observed the Queen. Was that barely disguised mirth, was Elsa being… playful? Kai laughed along with His Queen. "Not at all, Your Majesty. Only, that it is of no major concern to Your Highness, as you have the most competent of Councilors that do your bidding."

"Well, I certainly hope so, Kai." Elsa picked up her pen, and felt confident that she had not been observed the previous night. She wiggled her fingers at him. "You are free to leave."

"Your Majesty." Kai spared the Queen a glance before he exited the office, and wondered at the change. Not that he was complaining—not by any means.

"Excuse me?"

Gerda didn't look up from the list she was going over and absentmindedly waved her hand. "Yes, what is it?"

"You are Her Majesty's private Secretary?" The Lady in Waiting fiddled with the laces on her blouse and looked very uncomfortable.

The older woman finally put the paper down and looked at the young Lady. "Ah, you are Her Majesty's newest? I'm sorry, but my mind is lazy… you're name, please?"

Gerda's rather small office definitely showed her personality. Her desk was made from the finest cedar and took up most of the wall that was opposite the door. A stone hearth was to her right, and a rather large bookcase stood in opposition to the fireplace. The rocking chair near the fireplace had a very intricate quilt hung over its back.

"Helga, Madame Secretary," she stuttered. The young brunette appeared to be nervous.

Gerda smiled at the young woman. "Madame Secretary? Oh, please… I'm not that formal, am I?" She chuckled to herself. "Come now, young lady, what's on your mind?"

"Well, my fellow Ladies and I were cleaning Her Majesty's large closet and we found… ah, hmmm… we found a uniform."

The older woman waited for something more, but it never came. "A uniform? Well Her Majesty does have a lot of clothes. Perhaps what you saw—"

"No, Madame. We found an officer's uniform in Queen Elsa's closet. We are sending Her Majesty's clothes out for cleaning and we were wondering—what do we do with it?"

Gerda sat back, her eyes partially wide, with an inscrutable look on her face. A man's uniform…in Her Majesty's closet? Her mind went over the various meanings behind such a thing, and what it all could mean. She knew, as well as everyone who was close to Elsa that she wasn't dating. In fact, there wasn't anything to even tie anyone else to the Queen. She had no close friends. Gerda wasn't even entirely sure that Her Majesty had any friends, at all. A man's uniform in Elsa's closet? Did the Queen—have a secret lover that no one knew about?

The older woman huffed, and was for a moment, a bit indignant. Was Queen Elsa hiding something from her? Gerda prided herself on being the closet thing Her Majesty had as a friend, and believed that she was her closet confidant. "Are you sure, Helga, that you saw a military uniform? I need you to be absolutely sure."

"Yes, Madame."

Gerda drummed her fingers on her desk before finally speaking. "Just leave it alone. If Her Majesty feels like having it then who are we to question it, right? Pay it no mind, my dear."

The young Lady in Waiting blew out a breath and then smiled. "Thank you, Madame. You have eased my mind. Good day."

The older woman frowned and sat back again. She felt slighted, and wondered if she had done something to insult her Queen to make her silent. Whatever it was, she was determined to ascertain the truth.

Anna laughed and brought the tankard to her lips, taking a good long drink of the dark ale before wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve. It felt good to be out with some of her friends. She was still smarting from her experience the night before, and had decided she just wanted to be rid of the memory. How could she have sent the Queen of Arendelle away so easily, when all she wanted to do was to ease her troubled heart and mind? Anna was conflicted, so she did the only thing she knew to drive away her troubles, she started drinking after lunchtime.

Anders smiled and wrapped his large fingers around his stein of beer. "You're in a rare mood today, Anna."

Anna took another drink, and responded, "Am I? Hadn't really noticed. But then again, you know me."

"You do seem a bit different," Marthe said. "So, what is it? Did you fall for one of your clients again?"

"No… hey, what do you mean by again?"

Marthe merely shook her head. "You're always telling me that this guy or that guy is the one. But they never return, do they?"

Anna scrutinized her friend, taken aback. "Why are you being nasty?"

"Don't mind her, Anna, her beau broke it off—again." Anders downed another swallow, and then he smirked at Marthe. "Didn't he?"

"I'm so tempted to tell you to fuc—"

"Give it a rest, Marthe, will you." Kristoff came over to the small group of friends. "Hey, Anna."

Anna watched the young man for any sign that he may still be upset with her for the blow, and didn't see any sign of it. "Kristoff—are we okay?"

He sat by the fireplace and warmed his hands. "Never better, feisty pants. And, Marthe, why are you always the last to know about Espen. He doesn't love you, we all know this. So get over it, will you."

"What do you want, Kristoff? Do you want me to be as unhappy as you?" Marthe struck back.

"Who ever said I wasn't happy?" Kristoff stood up. "Who wants another beer?"

Anna groaned and turned away from her friends. It was always the same with them. The same old arguments and complaints, as if they never wanted to grow or change or even better their lives. Marthe was a clear example, as she kept going back to a man who didn't love her, and only used her for sex. Anders was no better, always wanting to make everyone who was around him was a miserable as he was; and then there was long suffering Kristoff, who always saw that everyone was ended up happy—everyone except himself. She loved her friends, to be sure, but sometimes she wished for something more. But most of the time she could not imagine what the "more" would look like, let alone see that it happened.

Her thoughts turned again to the previous night, and she wondered for the umpteenth time what type of person the Queen of Arendelle was really was. The Queen—Elsa—seemed to be introspective and wise on one hand, and completely fragile and insecure on the other. She was a paradox, a mystery. Anna smiled at her memories and then her eyes widened. Was she… No, it couldn't be possible, could it? Elsa's performance in bed had been so unsure, inexperienced that Anna could only conclude that it must have been her first time.

She, Anna, was the Queen's first experience? Anna blushed profusely and quickly took another long sip of her ale, not quite understanding the Queen at all. But, she had to admit to herself, she wanted to understand; she wanted to know everything she could about the woman because… because…

"Anna?"

The redhead jumped at the intrusion and spared Kristoff a glance as he sat down next to her. "So, Kristoff, how's the ice business?"

"You can cut the small talk, Anna. I know when something is bothering you, remember? So what is it?"

"I still can't talk about it?"

The mountain man put his mug on the table. "Yes, you keep saying that. But something is just eating your guts out, I can see it. So spill it."

"Kristoff…"

"No, you're torn by something. Does this have to do with that soldier? Because if he did something you didn't like or want tell me about it; I'll fix it."

"This isn't about the—soldier, Kristoff. It's about me, my life—about what I want and if I'm happy." There is was, she released her heart's worries to perhaps the only person she trusted.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Kristoff looked about him at the other people in the tavern. "Look at us. Two reasonably smart and healthy people—what are we doing in a bar, in the middle of the day? There must be more to life than this, don't you think?"

"There must be, or how else am I ever supposed to get through the day?" She picked up her satchel, which contained all her worldly possessions, and bent down to kiss Kristoff on the cheek. "Thanks for listening, my friend."

"Its what I'm here for, Anna. I love you, do you know that?"

"Yes, Kristoff, I know." She left the tavern without saying goodbye to her other friends.

Elsa sat in her conference room with her advisors on the first floor of the castle and was decidedly distracted. They were discussing a current reconstruction proposal for Arendelle's cathedral for the greater part of the afternoon, but Elsa's mind was not on the proceedings, and she found herself staring out of the large clearstory window to the garden's beyond, and the descending sun.

Hålogaland, a noble to one of Arendelle's vassal states, cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Your Majesty, but did you hear what I just proposed?"

Elsa turned her head towards the man, and replied, "Of course, my Lord."

"Would Your Highness prefer to discuss this matter at another time?" Trøndelag, a Knight, glanced at the other nobles after he spoke, and looked for others who would support him.

The Queen poured herself a large glass of water. "We are here now, are we not?"

"But you don't appear to be listening to us, Elsa." Harald Halfdansson looked up from his ledger to stare pointedly at the Queen.

"I beg your pardon?" Elsa stood and made her way over to the chieftain, who was the most powerful of her nobles. "Is that any way to address your Sovereign?"

Harald's jaw tightened as they stared at each other, but he finally acquiesced. "Will you pardon your lowly servant, Your Majesty."

Elsa wanted to mentally slap herself for such a poor lack of judgment, and turned from the man before he could see the look on her face. "Consider yourself pardoned, my Lord, but see that it never happens again. Now, where were we?"

Trøndelag ordered a page to take his sketches to the Queen. "Our main proposal is for Arendelle's cathedral, Your Grace. It has been almost fifty years since the last repairs were completed. We just need your blessing—and the royal seal, of course—to begin the process, Your Majesty."

The Queen returned to her seat and looked at the plans set out before her. She appeared to only be seeing them for the first time since the meeting started, and pretended to have a great interest in them. After a few long moments, she finally looked up and addressed her Lords.

"This seems like quite a lot of reading for me; which can best be done while I am alone n my library." She gathered the plans and stood. "If you will excuse me, my Lords."

Elsa quickly entered into her room and threw the documents on her bed as she was determined to make another sojourn into the city and find the young woman, Anna. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she failed to notice her private secretary standing at her closet door.

"Your Majesty?"

The Queen whirled around and stopped all movement. The two woman stared at each other for a moment before Elsa spoke. "Gerda! What are you doing here?" Her eyes fell on the clothes that the older woman was holding.

Gerda looked at the expression on the Queen's face and then finally spoke. "As your personal secretary it is my responsibility to make sure that everything is all right. Is there something I need to know, Your Majesty?"

Elsa eyed the uniform, then her shoulders fell in defeat. "No, Gerda, its not what you think."

"That's the thing, my Queen, I don't know what to think."

The Queen walked over to her secretary and took the uniform from her and hung it up back in the closet. "I'm not having an affair, Gerda. So, no, I'm not creating a royal scandal. The uniform is—mine, for an upcoming costume ball."

Gerda frowned, then asked, "A costume ball? There's not one on your social schedule."

"No, not yet. It was just an idea I was toying with. We haven't hosted a costume ball during my reign, and I know how very much my mother used to love them." She hated lying to this woman, who had first served her mother.

"Ah, I see, Your Majesty. Oh, yes, your mother loved them dearly." Gerda curtsied to the Queen before making her way to the door. "Is there anything else, Your Majesty?"

"No, Gerda, everything is fine. You may go." When her secretary was gone Elsa fell into a nearby chair and hung her head. She berated herself for lying. It flew in the face of everything that she believed in ethically. But there was something that she wanted, even more than her principles, and that was to find herself—and Anna.

Elsa, once again dressed as one of Arendelle's finest, found herself at the threshold to the brothel, and just as she was about to open the door someone flew past her. Someone wearing the color green with red hair.

"Anna?"

Anna whirled at the sound of her name and found herself face to face with a certain Arendelle officer. "You…its you…" She grabbed Elsa's hand and pulled her away from the brothel and into the street beyond.

"Where are you taking us?" The Queen didn't bother to look up, as she did not want to be recognized under the hood.

But the auburn-haired young woman remained silent until she had taken them to a nearby low building, about a dozen yards down the alley. She opened the door to what looked like a parlor of some sort. There were several low chairs scattered about a fireplace but no one was around. After she locked the door, Anna led them through another door that revealed what was obviously a bedroom. There was a large bed in the room and opposite that bed was another fireplace.

Anna let go of Elsa's hand and quickly lit a fire to warm the room. She slowly rose to her feet and turned to face the Queen. And Anna, who was never caught without something to say, found herself mute and numb before the Queen. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Elsa removed her hood and cloak and let it fall to the floor, then she took a tentative step towards the other woman, not quite believing her luck, or fate, or whatever divine forces that saw that Anna would come back into her life after only a short absence.

"I…I'm glad I found you," Elsa croaked. She berated herself for the hoarseness in her voice.

Anna smiled. "I practically ran you down, Your Majesty."

Elsa stepped closer. "Please, Anna, call me Elsa."

Their eyes met and a million questions seemed to pass between them in those unspoken moments. Both were slightly afraid and cautious, not knowing with precise certainty what the other really wanted. Yet, there was also a mixture of joy and delight, as well. Elsa wanted to reassure the young woman that she was there for more than just a physical relationship, and Anna didn't want to appear to be too eager to invite the other woman into her bed once more. But after a short while, the silence began to fell uncomfortable.

Elsa broke the silence. "How…how have you been, Anna?"

"Well, you know me, I'm always..."

"I think that's a point I'd like to address. I don't know you, Anna. But I'm—willing to get to know you."

Anna nodded, yet turned away. "Why do you want to know me, Elsa? What can I possibly give to someone like you? I practically grew up on the streets, I have no social graces, and I'm a prostitute."

Elsa could feel her heart rend. "You could be so much more than that." She closed the distance between them, but dared not touch. "I like you, Anna."

Anna closed her eyes and her hands balled into fists. "But what happens on the day you decide you don't want me in your life? What, then? I'm uncouth and…I don't understand what it is you want?"

Elsa, spurred on by her own desire, clasped Anna's hand and drew it to her lips. She carefully planted small kisses on each knuckle to emphasize her wishes. "For starters, I want you like this." She drew Anna to her and bent her head down slowly.

The kiss was tentative at first, both wanting it, yet both plagued by doubts of the other. Elsa clutched at Anna's hips and backed her up against a wall, all the while planting small and delicate kisses along her cheeks and the line of her jaw. Anna moaned and circled her arms around Elsa's back, clutching at the material of the officer's uniform and pulling them even closer together.

Anna pulled at the jacket and easily pushed it off Elsa's shoulders; she threw it to the floor and then began to undo the Queen's belt, all the while moaning into Elsa's mouth.

Elsa didn't mind. Both figured there would be time, much later, for questions and answers. But right now, there was only need, felt by both woman.

Elsa frantically tried to unbutton Anna's blouse, and became frustrated when it began to take so long to undo it. At that same moment, Anna had managed to remove the belt and pushed down the Queen's trousers to the floor. They broke apart only for the time it could take for Anna to pull her blouse over her head and unclasp her skirt.

And when Elsa's body tumbled on Anna's, the world fell away.