Author's note

I don't own Frozen

Chapter 3

Anna didn't understand what was happening. Her last memory of her parents had been one of brief hugs and well wishes as the couple left the castle to sail to one of Arendelle's trade partners. Now Kai, one of the few servants the King had allowed to stay in the castle, was telling her that her parents never made it to their destination and that their ship had sank due to an unforeseen storm. In shock, Anna had nearly fainted and was now crying uncontrollably. Gerda, who she had often thought of as a stick in the mud because she was always reminding Anna of the ways a proper princess should act, was now holding her comfortingly and allowing her to cry loudly all over her dress.

Anna hardly knew how to process this information and was barely listening to Kai. All she knew was that Gerda was holding her instead of her mother and that Kai was whispering comforting words in place of her father. They should have been back by now, and the three of them should be eating dinner together now. Anna should be asking them about their trip and asking about the coming party.

It seemed silly now that just before this Anna had been fretting over her older sister's coming birthday. It had been all Anna had been thinking about these last few weeks. Elsa would have been presented to the people as the next in line to the throne and there would have been a dinner. Anna would have been able to see her sister and now… Anna couldn't even bear it. Thinking of the party had Anna wondering about her sister.

"Elsa?" Anna asked, unable to say more than that.

"Princess Elsa has not yet been informed." Kai responded quietly.

"I- I should go with you!" Anna said, trying to stand up.

"No, Princess." He shook his head. "It would be best if I informed her alone."

"No! Elsa will be upset!" Anna said, her voice rising until she was nearly screaming. "I mean, who wouldn't be? Her birthday is next week! She shouldn't be alone!"

"I know, dear." Gerda soothed, holding onto the struggling princess.

"No! You don't know!" Anna screamed, finally breaking away from the older woman's grasp.

She tried to run to the door but Kai grabbed her and held her. Under any other circumstance he would never have tried to physically restrain any member of the royal family, but the princess was grieving and it would not be safe for her to be near her sister when she was told the news of their parents passing. After several minutes, Anna stopped struggling and simply sagged against him. Kai shifted the princess back to Gerda before backing away towards the door.

"I'm sorry, Princess Anna, but I must go inform your sister." Kai told her sadly, leaving her to Gerda.

Kai walked quickly to the eldest princess's room. Over the years, the King and Queen handled any direct contact with Princess Elsa themselves and had not allowed any of the servants to tend to the Princess unless it was to rid her room of frost or remove wet and soggy pieces of furniture. As much as the King wanted to hide it, the servants knew of the princess's ice powers.

Kai paused outside of the door, afraid to knock. It wasn't that he was afraid of the princess or her powers; in fact, among the 15 servants in the castle, only Gerda and Kai were unafraid of Princess Elsa. Perhaps it was because they had been serving the royal family since before the girls were born and so they were very fond of both the princesses. They both recalled how the girls would play in the snow together and, when one day Princess Anna's hair had a white streak and she suddenly didn't remember about her sister's powers, everyone knew that the King had found a way to suppress her memories. What they had learned later, however, was how much the King despised magic. Servants would walk past Elsa's room and hear the King criticizing the young girl and telling her how bad her powers were and that they needed to be suppressed.

No, Kai was most afraid to tell his princess that the only people she had contact with for the last 10 years were dead and that she and her sister were now alone in the world. Raising his hand, Kai knocked 3 times and waited for an answer.

"I'm busy, Anna." He heard from behind the door.

"It's Kai, your majesty." He replied.

Elsa startled at the unexpected voice. The servants never came to her room. Only her mother and father ever knocked on her door besides Anna. She supposed it was because her parents were still away that they came to her now but, for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why.

"Yes?" Elsa asked, her voice reflecting her nervousness.

"Highness, I must speak with you. It is most urgent." He told her. Elsa went to the door and opened it slightly.

"Yes?" She repeated.

"I must come in to speak with you." Kai stated.

Elsa was about to refuse when she saw the look on Kai's face. Whatever he had to tell her was serious. He mind flashed to Anna and Elsa worried that something may have happened.

"Anna?" She asked nervously.

Kai was briefly surprised; both sisters were so concerned with the other's wellbeing despite the many years that had passed between them. The longer he hesitated, the more fearful he could see her becoming.

"No, Highness. It is regarding something else." He told her.

Elsa released the breath she had been holding. She supposed that it couldn't be that bad as long as her sister was safe. Elsa stepped aside and opened the door wide enough for him to pass. Luckily, she had only been reading so there was currently no evidence of her power to frighten her visitor.

"Your majesty, there is no easy was to say this." He started.

Elsa was growing more nervous by the second and the temperature in the room was noticeably dropping as a result. Kai kept referring to her titles and it was something she was not used to. Especially with the possibility of losing them on the horizon. None of the servants ever spoke to her directly; they were all afraid of her.

"Conceal it. Don't feel it." Elsa mumbled under her breath, trying to maintain her control and instead replied out loud. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry to inform you that your parent's ship was destroyed in a late season storm." Kai spoke slowly. He watched as his words sunk in and the Princess's eyes widened. "They were not recovered from the wreckage. I'm sorry, your majesty."

He watched as the princess seemed to shrink in on herself. She grasped her sides as if trying to hold herself together. Kai felt the temperature in the air drop even more than when he had first enter the room and there was now a light snow falling.

Elsa was struggling to keep a lid on her emotions as she sensed the snow start to fall in her room. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Her mantra repeated in her brain over and over. There were things she needed to know but she was currently having trouble forming a coherent thought as the news sunk in.

"Have you- have you told-?" Elsa couldn't finish.

"Yes, we told your sister." Kai nodded.

"And?"

"She was understandably distraught." He recounted.

"What happens now?" Elsa whispered.

"There will be a memorial service rather than a funeral since they were never recovered." He explained. "Then the advisors will see to the kingdom until you come of age on your 21st birthday and you become the next Queen."

Elsa's head snapped up at his last statement.

"But I can't!" She told him. Her heart was beating faster and the wind was beginning to pick up.

"It won't be right away." He tried to sooth her.

"But Anna was going to…" Elsa started. Her father hadn't wanted Elsa to inherit the throne.

"It is your birthright, your majesty, not your sister's" He told her, wondering why she would even question that.

The way Kai responded let Elsa know that her father hadn't taken the necessary steps to replace her before they left. Now she was destined once more to take the throne and considerable calm that she had experienced in these last few days disappeared. Elsa could feel her powers fighting to escape her.

Conceal, don't feel. But these emotions were too strong to contain.

"You should go." Elsa forced out. She knew any minute now she was going to lose it.

"Majesty, we are here for you." Kai reached out to touch the girl's shoulder but Elsa jumped back out of his reach.

"No! Please go! Before-" She broke off.

Kai sighed. He could see the girl's control slipping; the floor around the princess was freezing and the windows were now gathering frost.

"I understand. It will be alright." He turned and left her, shutting the door behind him.

Elsa heard the door shut and the precarious control she had on her power slipped. She collapsed to the floor and wailed, the tears freely flowing. The floor froze over completely and the walls sprouted icicles that spiked out dangerously. The windows cracked by the force of her ice and shattered. The door groaned as the frost seeped into the wood and caused it to warp and expand, tearing slightly from the hinges.

Kai had run back down the hall when he heard Elsa scream. He was shocked to see the door slightly crooked but he still threw his weight behind his shoulder and forced it open. Inside, it was virtually covered in ice and snow and he noticed that the windows were broken.

The princess was in the middle of the room and she was surrounded by scorch marks; it was almost as if the ice had burst forth from her like an explosion, staining the ground and walls. Kai had suspected there to be a blizzard brewing but instead it was as if the snow hung in midair, suspended by her grief. He rushed to her side and gripped her shoulders. She struggled at first but finally allowed him to lead her to the nearest seat.

"I'm sorry." She said reflexively. The King would always demand an apology whenever her powers broke away from her.

"No need to be sorry." Kai responded. "Let's go to another room for the night."

Elsa let Kai lead her to a fresh room and she laid down immediately in bed. Her guide began talking once more.

"I'll have your room cleaned up and fitted with a new door and windows before noon tomorrow. Someone will be up shortly with some food. Please try and eat." He said softly before leaving her alone to her thoughts.

Elsa ate little that night and slept less. She was still numb, but her outburst had provided her a couple of things. The first was some relief; the outburst of magic had left her powers feeling comfortable within her skin rather than the bursting dam it usually felt like. Second was Kai; he hadn't blamed her for all the damage that her room had suffered or the extra work that it would cause him. It was the first time in forever that no one expected an apology for her emotions, her powers.

The next morning, Elsa was able to retreat back to her room which had been quickly and impeccably restored. She was about to close the door when she realized that for the first time in ten years, the door was accented with colored paint. Closer inspection showed it to be decorated with snowflakes on both sides of the door.

"What in the world-?" She said under her breath.

"We figured that you could use a little something different to look at this time." Gerda said as she deposited a food try on the table.

"Thank you." Elsa said quietly, her eyes welling up with tears. Gerda gave her a warm smile and left her alone.

When she had shared a room with Anna, their door had been beautifully painted in bright colors and flowers. But when she moved out, her father had not seen the need to accent the door, let alone with snowflakes, the very representation of her powers. This small gesture, it seemed, was Kai's and Gerda's way of letting Elsa know that she was not alone.

Later that afternoon, Kai returned to give Elsa the details regarding her parent's memorial service. He had sent out letters to every foreign nation whose name had appeared on a list that the King's advisors had provided. The letter announced the passing of the King and Queen, as well as the announcement of Elsa's future to the throne and asked that the mourning be private and reserved to the royal family and the kingdom; this was not the time for anyone to come visit.

"The service will begin at 5 past midday tomorrow afternoon. Your mourning dress is here and we should prepare to leave 2 hours prior to that. You and Princess Anna will travel through the village and everyone will follow your carriage to the memorial site." He explained. "The priest will conduct the service and then you shall return home."

Elsa nodded and Kai left, satisfied that he had relied all of the details. While the oldest princess was silent through her grief, the youngest was needy. She seemed to follow the servants into each room as they prepared for the service and asked detailed questions regarding the preparations. The staff wondered if she was simply afraid to be alone.

The day of the service, Anna was dressed and waiting in the main hall for her sister to join her. After about 20 minutes one of the other servants came down the stairs and motioned for the procession to proceed.

"She's not coming, is she?" Anna asked.

"No, your highness." They replied somberly.

"Of course not. I'm going, so why would she bother to come?" Anna said bitterly.

No one replied, not wanting to argue with the princess as many simply assumed that it was circumstances of the day that was making her irritable. As Anna stepped into the carriage she stole a look to the window of Elsa's bedroom. Anna was surprised to see Elsa staring out the window and the two locked eyes for the first time in 10 years.

I'm sorry, Anna.

Elsa hoped that her face conveyed her regret at forcing Anna to handle this alone but she simply couldn't face it. Elsa had dressed in the black dress and cape that Gerda had provided for her but when the time came to go downstairs she found that her nervousness flared and she couldn't stop her powers from making it snow. Knowing that it would be bad for the people to discover her secret, Elsa had refused to leave her room when they had come to collect her. She had been gazing out the window, wanting to get a glimpse of her sister when Anna turned and stared at her. Elsa could see the hurt in her eyes as she broke their connection and stepped into the waiting carriage.