Elsa couldn't help but notice the frost building up beneath her feet as it glimmered and shone under the light of the moon. Her heels clicked on the stone pavement as she her distance from the castle drew farther and farther. The frost grew more and more until it was no longer just frost but a thin layer of snow, fresh and white and crunching softly as she tread upon it. Under normal circumstances she would fight to suppress the cold, but at the moment she chose to ignore it.
It was late, much later than when the last party guests had finally said their goodbye's, and Elsa desperately needed to let go of her inhibitions and free herself from her anxieties. She had remained collected and together the entire night—and by extension also the entire time since that fateful day when she finally had ended the storm—and she was having none of it any longer. Tonight would be different.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and—for once—allowed her magic to flow freely from her fingertips.
She could feel the relief wash over her as all the pent-up energy that had been building inside her was released. Snowflakes swirled all around her conjured out of practically nothing and straight into the air. Structures, patterns, crystals of ice—whatever she could set her mind to—were willed into being simply with a flick of her wrist. They glistened like crystal by the faint light of the stars and the moon. With a sweep of her hand, the ground was covered in thick snow. She allowed her movements to be as free as her thoughts, just letting the flow of her emotions taking her wherever her powers would lead her.
Elsa undid the bun in her hair and allowed it to fall loosely upon her shoulders. She could see her breath starting to form in clouds in front of her as the chill in the air began to grow, but she paid no mind to it. The snow queen was without a care in the world, and any problem that arose, she could always fix later. Right now, she reveled in her solitude, and this time she spent as she stood right outside the castle in the freezing cold was hers and hers alone.
A voice broke her reverie.
"Someone looks like they're having fun."
"Hans!" she cried. Elsa quickly turned around to see him standing behind her. Her heart was pounding. She had been so caught up in the moment, she hadn't even heard him approach, which was surprising considering that she was pretty familiar to the sound of footsteps crunching in the snow.
He smiled apologetically. "Forgive me, am I bothering you?"
She shook her head weakly, still rather flustered, her cheeks flushed with a pink tinge. She silently prayed that it was too dark outside to tell. "No, I... I just didn't expect anybody else to be out here." The boy certainly had a way of sneaking up on her. They ran into each other much too often for it to be simple coincidence.
He toyed with the fabric of his gloves. "Neither did I. But, funny story, I couldn't sleep, so naturally I decided to go outside for a walk through the courtyard. So there I was, minding my own business when I happened to notice a figured with snow white hair rushing from the castle doors. My curiosity got the better of me, I just had to see what you were up to."
"Really?"
"No, I was just hoping I'd get to play around in the snow."
She rolled her eyes. "Are you going to make a habit out of sneaking up on me when I least expect it?" asked Elsa, a twinge of annoyance coming through in her tone even if she was merely jesting with him. "If you keep this up I'm just gonna tell you right now that I'm not responsible for whatever happens to you." It was a fair warning. Probably not the best idea in the world to startle a snow queen.
"Technically, the first time you ran into me."
Alright, she'd give him that one. "Fair enough." Elsa sighed. "By the way, since you were wondering why I'm out here in the first place, I... just needed to unwind a little bit. Tonight's been a long night."
It had all been good fun, but she wouldn't want to do it every night. Something about spending a long period of time with lots of people just drained her of all her energy.
"Oh I'd imagine so, judging by the way you were snoring on my shoulder earlier," he said, referring to their dance on the balcony. Tell me," he pried, "am I really that boring?" He had this twinkle in his eye that was simultaneously infuriating and endearing.
"I was not snoring," she said, aghast. She straightened her posture, trying her best to retain a sense of dignity. Even so, she knew it was true.
Hans smirked. "If you say so."
Elsa was surprised by his audacity. "Are you sure you want to challenge me on that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I am honor-bound to speak only the truth to you, no matter how painful that truth may be, your majesty," he replied, but his tone was mocking.
"Keep talking, Westerguard, and you just might find out personally just exactly what I'm capable of," she quipped. Her eye's flashes dangerously, and the chill in the air grew stronger. She could tell that she was getting a little carried away, but she didn't care; she was having too much fun.
"As beautiful and ungodly terrifying as you realizing your full potential would be, I'd prefer you not realize it on me." Hans gave her a somewhat defeated smile. "I don't mean to instigate anything, honest."
She didn't know why, but she was actually a little disappointed. Like she had almost expected him to continue with their little game.
He took a step back from her. "Besides, I'm just gonna get you all riled up again, and you said you wanted to unwind. Just ignore me. I'll be all but invisible. Just go ahead and go back to doing your little frozen thing."
Confused and disappointed, Elsa turned away from him again. She really did try to continue, to get back into the mind set she had been in before, but she couldn't focus anymore. Not with him standing there. That sense of freedom she had felt just a few moments ago was no longer there.
She turned back to him, scowling. "Well, come on then," she said irritably, motioning for him to come nearer.
"Hm?"
"You said you wanted to play around in the snow," she said, as though it should be completely obvious.
"W-well, yes. But that was a joke, I didn't expect you to take it seriously."
"Well you've officially ruined my 'me' time, so the least you can do is make it up to me by helping me build a snowman."
He gave an amused smile, bowing slightly to her. "As you wish, Your Majesty."
She crossed her arms, still trying to feign annoyance with him, but despite herself she cracked a grin.
A/n: This one was pretty short, sorry. I was going to add more at the end but changed my mind & am going to probably save what I had written for a later chapter. Please read & review!
