Elsa surveyed the scene in front of her, watching as music drifted through the air, skirts twirled, and glasses clinked all around her. It was eerily similar to her first coronation, and yet…she felt as though the air was somehow lighter.

Perhaps it was the lack of gloves this time around. Now, she didn't have to worry about the thin layer of ice that formed when she hoisted her glass into the air for a toast. Elsa actually felt happy this time around, despite the fact that she was currently watching Anna tell a very snowy Kristoff off for arriving late.

"…stupid ice…can't…" the queen was able to hear only snippets of the conversation over the party. Kristoff looked to be attempting at an explanation, wide eyes pleading with a look similar to that of a wounded animal.

Elsa smiled to herself, taking a moment to inhale the rich scent of chocolate wafting through the air. Maybe that would cheer her sister up.

After standing there listening to his pleas, arms crossed, for about a minute, Anna seemed to concede and marched away from him, going back to her place next to the queen. Kristoff followed sheepishly.

"See any princes you like yet?" the redhead asked, nudging her sister mischievously.

"Anna…" the queen rolled her eyes.

"What?" Anna whined, "Just trying to get someone to enjoy the party…" She seemed decidedly less enthusiastic about the celebration than she had earlier that evening.

"Go and dance," Elsa murmured sideways, trying to look professional. The younger sister had always been the one who enjoyed parties, and the queen knew that underneath the frown she now wore, Anna was itching to get on the dance floor.

"You go dance," Anna retorted, "It's your party." Kristoff was pretending he couldn't hear them, obviously trying his best to look regal.

Elsa sighed, turning to raise an eyebrow at her sister, "Alright, since it's my party, I'll do what I like." With a smirk, she turned on her heel and marched towards one of the dessert tables, and Anna and Kristoff watched her go. The queen seemed not to notice the way the crowd parted for her, how people's eyes lit up with intrigue as she passed, some even having the nerve to point.

Suddenly, it struck Anna that her sister probably did notice. Feeling a wave of protectiveness wash over her, the redhead hopped off the platform they had been standing on, losing her balance only the slightest as she landed, and set off following the queen.

"Princess Anna…"

"My lady…"

"I heard her sister is a witch…"

Anna discarded most of the statements that flew past her, and simply threw a few bright smiles in the direction of the people who had spoken to her. Except for the last one. If she found out who'd said that, there'd be Hell to pay.

Finally, after pushing through one last wave of guests, the princess caught up to her sister, who seemed to have found her way out of the crowd not long before her. Elsa's eyes were roving over a large selection of delicatessens, as though deciding which would serve as a soldier in her army.

Anna stifled a giggle before tiptoeing up behind her unsuspecting sister and leaning in as closely as she could towards her ear.

"Boo!"

Elsa didn't even flinch, and turned around with a raised eyebrow, while Anna masked her disappointment. Someday she was going to get that to work.

"You're going to have to try a little bit harder if you want that to work," the queen teased.

"Oh, whatever," the younger sister rolled her eyes, "It's the effort that counts."

"Whatever you say, little sister."

"Hey!" Anna protested, "If I'm 'little', how come I could eat a whole plate of those truffles?"

Elsa laughed, still remembering the look on the chef's face. Now the kitchen staff made extra for the sisters, so there was enough for everyone else.

"I ate two plates of them, last night," the queen said slyly.

"I'll eat this whole table right now, I'm so hungry," Anna responded, proceeding to grab a handful of chocolate. Just as she shoved it in her face, however, a voice sounded from behind them.

"Anna!"

The sisters turned to see a short brunette in a purple silk dress waving at them eagerly from a few paces away. She was practically jumping up and down in excitement, seeming not to notice that Anna's cheeks were still stuffed with food.

"Rapunzel!" Elsa greeted, waving kindly and starting to walk towards her. The brunette closed the distance between them in no time, hair bouncing up and down as she skipped across the wooden floors.

"I missed you!" Rapunzel took the queen's hands in hers, behaving slightly more formally than with Anna, who she proceeded to envelop in a bear hug that the redhead was sure would break her in half.

"It has been too long, Princess Rapunzel," Elsa said warmly as the two ended their hug. Anna and Rapunzel had become very fast friends at the first coronation, before the queen's powers had been revealed. Elsa, however, hadn't had much of a chance to talk to the princess of Corona before, and they knew little of one another.

"How's Eugene? And Pascal?" Anna asked Rapunzel eagerly, still hopping with excitement.

"They're great! Pascal didn't come with us this time, though. The winter was kinda hard on him before…" the princess's voice trailed off awkwardly.

"Don't worry!" Elsa said quickly, "There won't be any…mishaps this time. See?" she held up a hand for Rapunzel to see, "No gloves."

The brunette's eyes lit up as she watched snowflakes start to hover in the queen's palm, coupled by an icy glow. Elsa quickly closed her hand again, before anyone could notice, but the light didn't fade from Rapunzel's eyes.

"Elsa—I mean, Queen Elsa! That's amazing! I knew you could do it, but to see it in person…"

"…doesn't compare," the queen finished for her, "I know. And please, call me Elsa. You and I have far too much in common to not be on friendlier terms."

"Okay!" Rapunzel jumped, "Should we go and get some chocolate? I've been wanting some all night."

"I was just about to say that," Anna agreed, "Maybe you can help me find Elsa a prince while we're there."

Before Elsa had a chance to groan at her sister, the redhead had taken her and Rapunzel's hands and led them back towards the table of desserts. It was hard to imagine of deciding on just one thing to eat—the table was stacked almost to eye level with puddings, chocolates spanning in color from white to almost black, and candies of every color under the sun.

Decisions, decisions…

Just as Elsa's fingers finally closed around a small cake with lavender frosting, her eyes lifted to the crowd. For a moment, all seemed well. It could have been a scene from one of the royal paintings, except…

There was a man emerging from one of the doors leading into the ballroom. He was tall, dark haired, and pale, and he wore clothing of luxurious, dark velvet. It had trimmings of green, with small bits of gold here and there. For a brief, terrifying moment, Elsa thought he looked straight at her. However, it passed, and with lithe movements he closed the door behind him carefully and silently before slinking into the crowd. He was a shadow amongst the pastels and smiling faces occupying most of the room, a ghost unseen by any of them, save the queen.

Suddenly, Elsa didn't feel much like eating. That door didn't lead outdoors. That went to the palace hallways; the hallways that were closed to the visitors.

The queen's mind raced for some sort of explanation for this, but could find none. She'd never seen the man before in her life. He definitely wasn't a servant, with how he was dressed. Her mind immediately conjured up an image of a smirking Hans, bringing his sword down in an arc to kill her…

"Hey! Earth to Elsa!"

The queen spun to face her sister, who, she now realized, must have been waving her arms to get her attention this entire time. Elsa noticed her mistake too late, and when she frantically brought her eyes back to their original target, it felt like she couldn't breathe.

He was gone.

Everything seemed to slow down for a moment. The queen raked her gaze across the room once, twice, three times but still could not find the prince in green. If he was even a prince at all. He was probably a crook, a bandit; come to kidnap her and rape her sister…

"Elsa!"

This time, Anna's voice caused the queen's brow to furrow and a scowl to twist her mouth downwards. She turned perhaps a bit too quickly to answer.

"What?" Elsa snapped, temper flaring. Rapunzel jumped slightly, looking afraid, but Anna only blinked in response before smirking.

"What are you staring at so much?" the redhead asked smugly, only irritating Elsa further and increasing her worry.

"There was a man there, in green. He-"

"Uh huh, go on," Anna interrupted, still looking amused.

"Will you listen? I think he snuck in! He came through that door," the queen pointed at the entrance in question, voice dropping to a whisper, "We need to tell the guards. Tell them the party's off. This could be dangerous-"

"Was he hot?"

Elsa stared at her sister a moment, unable to comprehend what would constitute an appropriate response. How could she not see how important this was?

"What does it matter what he looked like? All that matters is that we get the guests out of here before-"

"How will we catch him if we don't know what he looks like?" Anna asked, deciding to humor her sister. It was evident to her that Elsa was overreacting.

"He was tall. I think black hair, fair skinned. He wore green-"

"Oh!" Rapunzel exclaimed, and two pairs of eyes moved their gaze to her. She glanced at them both, embarrassed to have interrupted the queen, before Elsa motioned for her to continue. "...Eugene and I met a man that looked like that when we were walking to the castle. He liked your ice sculptures. We...showed him the way to the castle…" the princess trailed off, green eyes filling with worry as she watched the queen's reaction.

"Did he come in with you?" Elsa demanded, and Rapunzel shook her head. "What about a name? Did he give you his name?"

"He said he was Prince Loki of Asgard," she answered with conviction, "He said he came from very far away. He didn't know how to shake hands…"

Elsa frowned. That was very strange, indeed. She turned to Anna.

"Was there a Prince Loki on the guest list?"

"I don't think so, but listen, Elsa," the redhead soothed, "I'm sure this is being blown way out of proportion. He's probably just a weird foreign guy who doesn't understand the concept of a front door."

"Or an invitation to a royal ball?" the queen pointed out, starting to panic, "He knew he wasn't on the guest list! That's why he snuck in! I've never heard of Asgard, nor have I heard of a Prince Loki, and I doubt anyone we know has! This is dangerous, Anna, and we need to notify the palace guards, or-"

"Are you perchance looking for me?" a smooth, icy voice effectively froze Elsa's tirade. Recognition and, the queen was pleased to see, slight apprehension shone in Rapunzel's eyes. The same could not be said for her sister, who, from the look on her face, thought something entirely different of the stranger. Elsa spun on her heel, back straightened and gaze steely, to face the crook.

He was, to her dismay, taller than she'd anticipated, towering a good few inches above her, even with her crown on. His skin was remarkably pale, almost to the point of translucence, and his hair was slicked back in a strange fashion that she wasn't familiar with. Simplistic, yet elegant clothing of black velvet with green and gold trimmings covered his form. They were similar to what the other guests wore, and yet somehow the queen knew they were obviously of foreign design.

What really caused her to tilt her chin an extra half inch, however, was not his strange manner of dress or choice of hairstyle. It was the way he carried himself.

Now, Elsa had never been one for arrogant men. Anna was the one who typically got (or used to get) drawn in by that sort of game. The queen had never had her sister's patience. She had spent so many years of her life wasting away, isolated from humanity, that she couldn't imagine throwing her time away on people who clearly didn't deserve (or want) it. If someone wanted to have any sort of relations with Elsa, they needed to give her exactly what she gave them. No more, no less. It was a fair bargain, she believed, and one that most people like Hans, or the man standing in front of her, usually turned down in a heartbeat.

His green eyes glimmered with mischief and arrogance as he smirked down at her. Perhaps he wasn't intending to smirk, but his posture clearly said otherwise. Elsa could barely stop herself from actually sneering at him.

"And who might you be?" she demanded regally.

"Begging your pardon, my queen," he said softly, turning his gaze into one obviously meant to be seductive, and bowing his head not nearly low enough, "I merely overheard my name. I am Prince Loki, of Asgard. I met your friend, Princess Rapunzel, earlier this night."

Elsa didn't turn around to see the princess of Corona's reaction. Instead, she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, she told me of your little meeting," the queen said coldly, "And she also told me that you don't understand our custom of shaking hands."

Loki seemed to remain unfazed, and Elsa noticed with puzzlement that he seemed to have a very slight shimmer surrounding him. Was she imagining that?

"I am truly sorry if I have offended you, your majesty," he offered another poor excuse for a bow, "I come from a far away land, and I-"

"Yes, Asgard. I know," she interrupted him rudely, and noted a slight twitch of his brow with satisfaction, "Tell me, Prince Loki, where is your kingdom of Asgard?"

His gaze darkened ever so slightly, "Across the skies, my queen," he tilted his head, studying her, and took a step closer, "Over oceans unimaginably deep. You cannot imagine the strife I endured to arrive here this day." She noticed, now that Loki stood nearer to her, that he smelled strongly of pine.

Elsa stared him down defiantly, "My heart aches for your trials, Prince," she said coolly, "Though I've never been one for poetry."

"How about music?" he persisted smoothly.

"I hate music," she lied, readying herself to call the guards.

Loki cocked his head to the side, "Pity, your grace. Will I not be dancing with your highness tonight, then?" He didn't look as though he thought it a pity at all. The way he was looking at her reminded Elsa of a wolf. Perhaps it was just the predatory subtext.

"Why would I dance with someone whom I didn't invite to begin with?"

"Invite? Why do I need an invitation? Where I come from, all who want to bask in a royal's glory are-"

"Alright, enough!" Anna marched over from her place behind her sister to form a semicircle with the two, "Cut him some slack, Elsa! I mean, the more the merrier, right?" The redhead turned to positively beam at Loki, who pretended not to notice. Rapunzel had started chatting with a dark skinned princess in a spring green dress, slowly inching away from the argument and back towards the desert table.

Elsa clenched and unclenched her jaw, knowing the exact reason for her sister's friendliness, "Anna, I am not looking for suitors right now. And shouldn't you be with Kristoff?"

She waved this idea away casually, "He can manage himself for a night. I think you and Prince Loki should dance together. He's come all this way… might as well give him what he came for."

The queen was having difficulty hiding her outrage as she answered, turning to the prince, "I don't dance. I am truly sorry for the disappointment. My sister would be more than happy to do you the favor, however."

For whatever reason, the prince of Asgard seemed just as enthusiastic about this idea as the last one. Elsa wasn't sure why this upset her, but it did. Anna stuck her tongue out at her sister as she put a hand on Loki's offered arm. It was just then that Rapunzel gasped so loudly that a few people around them turned to stare before going back to their mingling.

The queen followed the princess of Corona's wide eyed gaze to a sizeable pool of scarlet on the floor.

"Oh my God!" Anna suddenly exclaimed. Elsa looked to her sister with alarm only to find the redhead examining her own hand, palm coated in blood. The very same hand that had, a moment ago, been resting on Prince Loki's arm.

Looking absolutely horrified, Anna grabbed Loki's wrist, pulling him closer to her so she could find his apparent wound. There was, Elsa noticed, nothing there. Her sister, realizing the same, quickly twisted his arm so she could see the underside, eliciting a sharp hiss of pain from the prince.

Still nothing there. Was he hurt somewhere else? How did Anna's hands get so covered in blood…?

Looking more panicked by the moment, the redhead turned his arm back over, only to this time find a deep, jagged wound, still dripping blood.

Why hadn't they noticed that before? And why, the queen wondered, did Loki look so...irritated?

"Prince Loki, you're hurt!" Anna exclaimed, still staring at his injury, "Why didn't you say something?"

"I did not want," he answered smoothly, "to spoil the queen's evening." The prince met Elsa's eyes, again with the same hungry look. She had to fight the urge to slap him.

"Never fear, my evening is not spoiled," the queen said dryly, "Where did you get that from?"

He took a few steps away from Anna, back towards Elsa, "...Your lands are...perilous, my queen," he murmured. Just as she opened her mouth to retort, her sister interjected.

"Well, we'd hate for you to leave thinking of us as dangerous," the redhead said cheerfully, "Why don't you stay with us a few nights? You can't really go on your long journey back without...ow!"

Anna looked accusingly at Elsa, who returned her foot to its original position.

"Will you excuse us, for a moment?" the queen asked sweetly. Without waiting for an answer, she tugged her sister a few feet away, leaving Loki alone in the crowd.

"Are you insane?" the queen hissed, "He's crazy! We can't let him stay with us!"

"Elsa, you've got to learn to let things go. I mean, he's pretty badly hurt. It's dangerous out there. We've got wolves, and it's so cold this time of year…"

"Good," Elsa interrupted darkly.

"What has he even done, Elsa?"

"He's another Hans, and you know it! I don't want to go through that again!"

"Ok, alright," Anna put her hands up, "Please explain to me how he is similar to Hans."

"He's...he's got that...that...I don't know!" the queen exclaimed, "I just have a really bad feeling. We don't need to go through another plot. Have you forgotten that he snuck in?"

"He's just a foreign guy on the quiet side. What could go wrong?"

"He could try to kill us! He-"

"Then use your powers and freeze him in a block of ice," the redhead said matter of factly.

"It's not that easy!"

"Elsa, listen," Anna said gently, "I'm sure it will be fine. He'll stay a few days, get better, then leave. Easy peasy."

"You just like him because he's hot," Elsa moaned.

"Hey, I'm taken," the younger sister jerked her head in Kristoff's direction, "So I'm doing you a favor here."

"I'm queen, so what I say goes. And I say he goes."

"Please, Elsa. I feel bad for the guy. Show a little mercy. If you don't, he'll go back and tell everyone in… Asgard how unwelcoming we were."

"Or he gets eaten by wolves."

"Okay, but where was the last place he was going?"

The queen had no answer for that, and regretfully made her way back to where the prince in green was standing.

"We of course welcome you to stay with us as long as you need, Prince Loki," Elsa announced, "What is ours is yours. Anna," she looked pointedly at her sister, "will show you to your chambers. We will have a nurse there to help you with your arm as soon as possible."

"You are very generous, my queen. I accept your offer with the utmost...gratitude," his eyes glinted at her as he spoke, making Elsa more sickened than she had been looking at a pool of his blood.

Suddenly, she wished she hadn't just sent her sister to be alone with him.

br /

Loki allowed himself to be towed away by the redheaded girl, cradling his arm. Part of him cursed himself for not thinking through his illusion, but he supposed it had worked out in the end. After all, Midgardian women did tend to have more...maternal tendencies than Asgardian women did.

Although, it seemed that 'Queen Elsa' did not harbor any of those feelings at all. He smirked at her as she threw one last glare in his direction. He already realized that, to secure himself shelter for a long enough time, he would have to get one of them, her or her sister, to notice him romantically. The redhead was definitely an easier target, but…

Part of him liked a challenge enough to take an interest in her. She would certainly be more interesting than the chattering bird next to him, and seemed far more intelligent, to say the very least. He'd always liked stubborn women better, anyway.

Plus, given that she was Midgardian, he doubted that she would be too bothersome. They'd be having the wedding in a week. Then he could bide his time until he figured out a way back to Asgard…or developed another plan. He couldn't say the idea of returning was exactly appealing.

"-and so I'm sure you won't have to worry about bugs in your soup," the redhead finished as they stopped walking. Loki gave her a questioning look, and she laughed awkwardly. "I, uh, guess it wasn't a great story to tell a guest. You're probably feeling overwhelmed enough as it is."

The god resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "It is… a lot to take in…"

"Oh! That reminds me! Before we get your arm all patched up, I should let you know a few of our customs. Just so there's no more 'hand shaking' type confusion!"

Love of the Allfather…

"That would be most… helpful," he couldn't even will himself to force a smile. The pain in his arm was excruciating, and he was actually starting to feel almost woozy from blood loss.

"Ok, well first, we shake hands when we first meet someone," she explained, "You do it like this," Loki reluctantly allowed her to take his uninjured hand in hers and move it up and down, grinning the entire time. "Also, when we want to show we care about someone, we hug them," she opened her arms, and a bright red flag went up in Loki's mind. He was familiar with this custom.

The redhead must have noticed his discomfort, because she froze about halfway through the action and let her arms fall back to her sides. Clearing her throat to cover the silence that followed, she continued.

"Also, when one person likes another one a lot, they kiss them. That's when you press your lips together and-"

"We…have that in Asgard," Loki interrupted her, wanting nothing more than to end the conversation.

"Oh, okay!" somehow, miraculously, she seemed undeterred, "Well, you should know that also, when someone is in love, or wants to be romantic, they get the other person flowers. Or chocolate sometimes, or-"

The god dimly wondered if they still had witch hunts in this remote little village. Probably.

"—and I got Kristoff a sled one time, which he really liked. So I guess it's just a matter of figuring out what they really love-"

"Miss Anna," Loki interjected again, irritated, "Are you, by any chance, hinting at something?"

"Hinting?" she asked incredulously, "I've got Kristoff, you dog!" with surprising strength, she hit him on the arm, seeming to forget his injury. He stifled a groan.

"Oh, sorry," she put a hand to her mouth, then on his shoulder, "We're here, anyway. Feel better!" Positively beaming, she opened the door for him, and, after he entered, closed it behind him.

The floors were of a dark, textured wood, presumably from the needled trees in the surrounding forests. A large, canopied bed piled high with blankets and pillows was the main piece of furniture in the room, and underneath it was an intricately designed carpet. There was also a mirror, a vanity, a dresser, and a large, unlit fireplace, opposite the bed. Most of the decorations were of blues and purples, with the occasional splash of green or yellow. It was cozy, he supposed, though extremely primitive. It looked as though all they had were gas lamps to light the place. They hadn't even reached the point of electricity yet…

Loki wandered over to the large window dominating most of the wall he faced. It seemed as though that would prove to be a much better light source than anything else they could provide. He studied the snow flurrying past, and felt a slight pang of homesickness, followed by one of anger. He did not miss Asgard. He did not.

A knock at the door pulled Loki out of his thoughts, and he turned around as he called, "Enter!"

A portly woman entered, carrying with her a basket of what he assumed were medical supplies. She was a brunette with rosy cheeks and warm eyes, and was likely a servant, given her code of dress.

"If you'll just have a seat, sire, I'll have you patched up so you can sleep," she nodded towards the bed and he complied, suddenly apprehensive of what she planned to do to him.

"I can do it myself if-" he started to protest.

"Nonsense. You'll only hurt yourself further. I see how these things happen."

He threw her a questioning look, watching her pull a jar full of a mysterious brew out of the basket out of the corner of his eye, "Does the princess have a tendency of doing that?"

"Anna?" she looked at him incredulously, "Well, it's not my place to say. But as the queen's handmaiden, I can say Elsa is probably just as bad as her sister, if not worse."

Loki raised an eyebrow, intrigued, "And why has the queen sent her personal handmaiden to tend to the injured prince?"

She took his injured arm in her hand and rolled the sleeve up, exposing the entire wound, and released him a moment to unscrew the jar. It didn't smell pleasant.

"What is that?" Loki wrinkled his nose, eyeing it suspiciously.

"Special recipe, passed down through royal families for generations. It heals quicker than any brew the villagers have ever been able to cook up!"

"What's the secret?" he asked, doubting the primitive medicine still.

"Nothing to worry about, sire. Now hold still."

Loki winced as she spread the brew over his arm, but he supposed it did provide a pleasant cooling sensation. He suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him, and wondered if there was a sedative mixed into it. In a matter of minutes, she was wrapping his arm with bandages, and tying the end off in a tight knot.

"Would you like your fireplace lit, Prince Loki?" she offered, gathering up her things in the basket again.

"Ah…" the god eyed the fireplace, considering whether or not he could risk going without it lit. If he lit it, he would be far too hot for most of the night, and he was so tired…but if he didn't light it, they could think him strange, and possibly his chances of staying longer would be damaged.

But, he needed sleep. And so, he sent the woman off with a quick, "No, thank you." Just before she reached the door, however, a thought occurred to him.

"Miss?" he called after her.

"Yes, sire?"

"If…Queen Elsa is still awake, can you relay a message to her?"

"Of course, what is it?"

A corner of his mouth twitched upwards into a smirk, "Goodnight, and sweet dreams."