Elsa could feel a tear of her own trickling down her face as she watched Nora cry. Great; just what she needed. She had no idea what to do about a crying girl. The most obvious thing to do would be to wrap her arms around her and tell her it would be okay, but after what had happened with the food at the breakfast table, she didn't want to risk touching anyone. And to tell her it would be okay – what was 'it'? She didn't even know why the girl was so upset.

After a little while, Nora looked up at Elsa again. She seemed to have relaxed a little bit, but still looked cautious. "Your magic..." She sighed.

"My powers?" asked Elsa.

"Your powers... are not bad?"

"No," said Elsa. "It's not the powers that make a bad person, it's the person. I only use my powers for good."

Nora seemed to think this over.

"Are you still afraid?" asked Elsa.

"I am not afraid," said Nora. "Not anymore."

Elsa sensed that there was a deeper meaning behind what she was saying. "I can make a snowball for you," she said. "Do you want to see?"

"Yes," said Nora, her eyes widening.

Elsa waved her fingers around each other, creating a medium-sized snowball between her hands. "Here," she said, placing it in Nora's hands.

Nora gasped and almost dropped the snowball. "It's... cold," she said.

"It's real snow," said Elsa. Hadn't Nora seen winter before? "Do you have winter in Faelentown?" she asked.

"Yes," said Nora, rubbing her hands around the snowball. At this rate, it was going to melt soon and drip all over her. Elsa considered taking it back, but this was the first time she had seen Nora really express an interest in something.

"Did you like to play in the snow when you were growing up?" asked Elsa.

"The snow was outside," said Nora. "I was inside. The snow didn't come inside."

Elsa thought back to her childhood for a moment, and realized that Nora's story sounded very familiar. "I didn't go outside either," she said softly. "But that was because I was worried about losing control of my-" Suddenly, she noticed that the snowball she had handed to Nora was now throwing rainbows around the room. It had become a ball of ice, not clear but faceted like a jewel. Things started to click into place. "Nora, do you have... ice powers?"

Nora dropped the ice and it shattered all over the floor.

"It's okay," said Elsa. "They're not evil. And the people here know that. No one's going to hurt you."

There was another pause, and Nora looked up at the ice chandelier above the table. Elsa noticed a faint scar on her jaw. "My father said that I was born wrong," she said, "and that it was my fault, and that I almost killed my mother."

"Oh, no, Nora," said Elsa. "This isn't something you can control. Did your father... hurt you?" She wondered if this was being too invasive.

"It always hurts," said Nora. "But I learned to block off the ice. Then I got to go outside and see my sisters. I learned from them."

"Did your sisters teach you outdoors?"

"No. I did not go outdoors. I watched them. And I practiced my words on my own."

"Do you know how to read?"

"What is that?"

"It's okay, I can teach you. But what happened to make you leave your home?"

"My oldest sisters took over when my parents died, and they made me leave. I think they were afraid I would try to steal the throne. But they also thought I did not have words or thought."

"That's... wait. The throne?"

"I guess now I am twelfth in line for the throne. But I do not want it. It is not a happy place."

Elsa stared in wonder at this girl, who knew so much and had so many thoughts for someone who hadn't been taught anything at all, except that there was something wrong with her and it was her fault. How could she have done it? Was she telling the truth?

"Elsa," Nora carefully said the queen's name for the first time, "you will not tell... of me?"

"If you don't want me to, then no," said Elsa, wondering if she would regret that promise. She considered adding something about how she didn't know yet if she could trust Nora, but it didn't sound like the girl had anyone else to trust her, and she had trusted Elsa this far, telling her things... if they were true, that is.

Elsa looked around the room, at the thawing food on the table. The servants were clearly waiting for them to leave before beginning to clean, to give them some privacy. She also noticed that Nora was still wearing what she'd had on the day before. "Would you like some new clothes?" she asked. "We can wash what you have on right now, as well." She wondered if Nora had ever had any other clothes. They were pretty ratty and a little small on her.

"Thank... thank you," she said, clearly not expecting this generosity. However, it didn't take long for her to grasp the new concept. "And I was wondering... could I bathe?"

"Of course!" said Elsa, surprised. Had she not been allowed to bathe at her old home. "Take as much time as you need, and then you can ask the servants to find me later if you wish, and I can show you around the castle."

Nora smiled slowly. Elsa stood up and offered a hand to help Nora up before remembering that it could be risky. Nora also hesitated before carefully taking Elsa's hand. Elsa held her breath for a moment, but nothing happened.

"Your hand is warm," said Nora. Well, that was a first.

"So is yours," said Elsa, and she led her out to find her some clothes.