So here is another chapter really fast, I doubt if the next one will be quite as quick, but I will work on it! Thanks so much for the kind reviews and please keep up telling me what you think!

Please note, I have changed the rating to K+, I promise this is only for some extremely mild violence!

Chapter Four: Coffee & Ice

I have dinner in the company of Haydn. Just the two of us does not make for much conversation. He is shy and even eats his food nervously, I am thoughtful and pay him almost no heed. We are about half way through dinner when the door flies open and above the table all I see is a little flurry in the doorway.

'Am I late?' inquires the cherry voice of Olaf.

'Yes rather,' I say,' where were you?'

'Outside,' says Olaf,' I was digging in the snow, trying to find a flower, all I got was a handful of sand in my face.'

He comes over to the table and plants himself in the chair beside Haydn,' hullo,' he says brightly.' You are the villain's brother aren't you?'

Haydn looks uncomfortable,' I'm Hans' brother,' he replies.

'That's who I meant,' agrees Olaf, nodding his head and smiling.

'That's rather rude don't you think?' says Haydn bluntly.

Olaf considers,' I don't think Hans was too nice either,' he volunteers.

'Olaf that is really enough,' I say, looking up from my plate.

My voice must sound angry because Olaf looks confused and not a little hurt at my tone.

'Well you weren't being polite,' I say,' we don't need to talk about... about... anyway, how was your journey here Haydn?'

'Good, uneventful,' he says.

'And when do you leave?'

'I'm not sure, were you and Hans still... conversing?'

I pause for a moment,' no,' I say eventually,' he can go whenever you please.'

'Then I guess we have little reason to delay,' says Haydn. He pauses, then continues,' I will look into the matter tomorrow, I'll make sure you are not long troubled with us Queen Elsa.'

'It's no trouble,' I say,' please, take your time if you need too.'

Olaf smiles at him, munching on a piece of lettuce,' we could play all kinds of games,' he says,' I love games.'

Haydn smiles awkwardly, it's so clear that he doesn't know what to make of the walking, talking snowman.

'Don't you like games?' asks Olaf, clearly thinking this can be the only reason for his silence.

Haydn swallows his piece of meat and gives a very feeble grin.

Olaf gasps,' don't you know any games?' he asks, jumping to the next conclusion that makes any sense in his mind.

'No... I... I do,' says Haydn, trying to pull himself together,' it's just... um... I've never met someone quite like you.'

Olaf stares blankly at him,' you mean someone who wants to play games?' he asks slowly.

'Er, not quite, it's just... you are a snowman for goodness sake!' he blurts out.

Olaf nods and pats his arm in a friendly way,' you'll get used to it,' he says.

I'm not sure from the expression on Haydn's face if he considers this a good thing. He gives another feeble smile and, turning to me, asks if he may politely excuse himself from table.

I nod,' of course,' I say,' tired from your journey?'

'Yes, rather. It's been an up and down week.'

'I understand, goodnight Haydn.'

'Goodnight Queen Elsa.'

Haydn departs and Olaf shakes his head at the door as it shuts behind him,' he is very strange,' he says. For a moment he pauses, blinking, then bounces off his chair,' just remembered,' he says,' I like strange. May I be politely excused Queen Elsa?' in a tone very like Haydn's.

I laugh,' certainly,' I say.

He runs to the door and whizzes out, calling Haydn's name. I turn my gaze toward my solitary dinner plate. Suddenly I am no longer hungry. I was brought up never to leave unfinished food on my plate, but tonight I break the rule and rising leave the room, telling the servant at the door that I am done with my dinner.

Then I head up to bed.

The first news I hear the next morning does little to cheer me up. It's from one of the maids and she informs me that Haydn has picked up a cold and that Olaf claims to have contracted what he is calling a 'sand cold'.

Taking it that he has got it into his head that the cold came through the face full of sand I go to see him. This guess turns out to be correct and he won't hear of being told that you don't get such a thing as a sand cold.

'I am a snowman,' he informs me, sitting up from his sick bed,' it is impossible that I have caught a wet cold.'

There is no use arguing the matter, so I leave him to his ideas and tell him to rest and get well soon. Then I go and inquire after Prince Haydn. I'm told he is not seriously ill, but staying in bed as he feels poorly.

I head upstairs and set to work on some papers. I spend most the day on this and only at around five do I move downstairs again, glancing out the windows at the winter sky. It's beautiful and growing dark. I reach the main hall and glance round. For a moment I think it is empty, then I see one of the guards passing through carrying in his hands a dinner tray.

I see that he is headed toward the dungeon steps and, on an impulse, hurry after him and ask,' is that for Prince...' I swallow,' Prince Hans?'

'Yes Your Majesty,' he says,' is there some problem?'

'No, not at all,' I say,' give me the tray, I'll take it down.'

He looks uneasy,' it's no trouble to me,' he says.

'I know, please hand it over.'

He nods, passes it to me and, with a bow, leaves the way he came. I turn down the steps toward the dungeons. It grows colder the further down I go, I'm not bothered by it, but I hope Hans was given enough blankets.

It's not long before I reach the door to his cell.

'Please open the door,' I say to the warden.

He does as asked and I, nodding to him, step in, while he closes the door behind me.

Hans has been sitting in the corner, on the small, flat bed. He looks up hearing the door open and starts to his feet on seeing me.

'Queen Elsa,' he says,' I didn't expect you.'

'I'm just bringing dinner,' I say stepping forward. There is table near the door and I place the tray on it.' Is this enough?' I ask.

He glances at it, there are two slices of bread with cheese, a mug of hot coffee and an apple.

'Perfect,' he says.' Thank you, why did you bring it?'

'There wasn't much to do upstairs,' I say,' do you mind so much?'

'No!' he says hurriedly,' no, not at all,' he pauses, then says,' did you really come for my company?'

I look across at him and turn with a sigh,' I don't know what I am doing here,' I say,' enjoy your dinner.'

'Please!' he bursts out,' stay for ten minutes! Actually, I'm lonely too.'

I pause, then turn,' okay,' I say.

He hurries over to his bed and taking up a pillow places it on one of the two hard backed stools that stand by the table.' For you,' he says, indicating it to me.

'Thank you,' I sit down and he takes the other chair, across from me,' have you had dinner Queen Elsa?' he asks.

'I'm not hungry,' I say.

He glances round and then leaning over takes up the water glass that is on his table. It's empty and picking up the mug of coffee he pours half of the liquid into the glass. He then holds out the mug to me.

'It's cold down here,' he says.

'The cold doesn't really bother me,' I say, but he continues to hold out the mug with such an earnest look on his face that I can't say no, so take it with a brief word of thanks. I blow at the steaming mug and take a sip,' it's nice,' I say,' I don't take sugar either.'

'I used to,' he says,' but one day one of my brothers exchanged it for salt. After that it became a common joke, so I took to doing without.'

'Anna put chili in my soup the other day,' I say,' I was drinking milk for hours after.'

For a moment he is silent, then he says,' she hasn't changed then?'

I blow on the coffee and keep my answer short,' not much,' then, deciding to change the subject,' do you know Haydn has a cold?'

'Yes, the guard told me and I assumed that was partly why you were down here.'

'Me?'

'Well with your sister gone...'

'Use her name.'

'With Princess... Anna gone I thought this place might be a bit empty and that Haydn might be company for you.'

'Actually Olaf is good company, only he is sick too.'

'I didn't know that was possible.'

'Neither did he and he is still in some kind of peculiar denial.'

'How does he manage that if he feels unwell?' asks Hans.

'He says it is a sand cold, I think he hopes they are more rare.'

Hans smiles and takes one slice of bread off his plate, placing it instead on the tray. He then hands the plate with the second slice to me.' Do have something to eat Queen Elsa,' he says.

I pause, reluctant,' you don't have to keep up this act of being nice,' I say.

He looks down,' I understand why you see it as an act,' he says,' and I don't blame you, but it isn't.'

'How am I supposed to just believe that?' I ask.

'If only you would give me an opportunity to show you...' he begins, but I cut him off, suddenly feeling angry again.

'I'm not giving you any chances,' I say,' you may find it easy to forget what you did to Anna, but let me tell you this!' I rise to my feet and look haughtily down at him,' I never will!'

'Queen Elsa,' he gets to his feet too,' I don't ask you to forget, I only ask you to forgive!'

'Only!' I repeat,' only! You ask for a great deal with no right! I can't separate forgiving and forgetting and I'm not even slightly inclined to give you either!'

I swing to the door,' I'll make sure you are sent more coffee,' I say.

'Queen Elsa...' he starts again, but still I cut him off.

'Just don't,' I say, holding up a hand and walking briskly to the door. There I stop, I can't go like this. It isn't right, it isn't fair.' I'm sorry,' I say, not looking round,' you were being nice, thank you for sharing your coffee, good evening... Hans.'

I knock on the door and the warden opens it. Before I go out I glance round at Hans. He looks sad and is still holding the plate with the bread and cheese extended to me.

'Please,' he looks at me,' say you will forgive me Queen Elsa, please, I beg of you?'

I turn away, my throat contracts. 'I can't,' I say,' it's too much and it's too close to me.'

I pass out and walk away up the stairs feeling like I am becoming the ice queen again. I need Anna, only true love can thaw the frozen heart and only she can thaw me. I know that in honest truth to myself I don't want any one else to be able to. I'm scared of caring for anyone after the pain between Anna and I. We are perfect now, but we went through so much to get there.

But it was worth it, it was worth every painful moment to have what we do now! Still I can't face it again.

The silence in the main hall weighs on me when I enter it and I close my eyes tight, trying to shut out the imagine of Hans' sad eyes.

I begin to pace up and down the room. What does he want? Is he really sorry? Or just pulling off another act? He's good at those kind of games. I clench my hands and then shoot a blast of ice at the wall. It's sharp and jaggedly cut, like a reflection of my mood, frustration.

Two days pass before Haydn emerges from his room, wrapped in a blanket to keep off the cold. It's clear that either he is very independent (which I doubt) or he is scared of me, for despite the fact that he is still recovering he heads for the harbor at once to arrange sailing home.

He comes back with gloom on his face and informs me that he may be trespassing on Arendelle's hospitality for as long as two weeks.

'There are too many blocks of ice in the sea nearby at the moment,' he explains,' the harbor master says it won't be safe to sail.'

I try to look welcoming, and succeed by thinking about him and not Hans,' that's no problem,' I say.' My sister will be home in two or three days, I'm sure she'll be glad to see you.'

'Oh dear,' says Haydn,' won't that be a problem with Hans here?'

'No, it won't. Actually, I'd like him to see her.'

Haydn looks like he wants to ask why, but perhaps he knows that I probably only want Hans to feel the pain of old regrets and he (Haydn) doesn't like vindictiveness. Neither do I, but I want Hans to feel as I do, that forgiving him is impossible! I need a companion somewhere in the emotion to help justify me. I don't have a hope with Anna, and Kristoff will follow her lead. Hans is a poor choice, but I'll have to make do. It's an ease to the guilt I feel for the refused forgiveness, because I know that forgiveness should never be refused.

Dinner that evening is quite fun. Olaf and Haydn both join me and we have a pretty good time telling stories. Afterward Olaf wants to skate so we head down to the hall. I tap my foot on the ground and a ice spreads across it, glittering the ground with it's crystal beauty.

Haydn gazes in disbelief and then leans down and touches the ground,' it's really ice,' he gasps,' it's real!'

'Come on,' I say to him,' can you skate?'

He nods,' I often did with my brothers,' he says.

'Which one?' I ask.

'All of them, we used to go together. I'll get my skates.'

He is off like a shot and I glide onto the ice, in white boots made crystals. Olaf lumbers on after me and goes spinning.

I lean forward and feel air blow my face as I rush on at a great pace. When I draw up to a halt I see Haydn, who has returned, gazing at me in disbelief,' wow!' he says,' you can skate!'

'Thanks,' I say,' come on.'

He scrambles on his skates and slides onto the ice.

'I'm going to trip you!' cries Olaf, and rushes at him furiously.

Poor Haydn panics and tries so hard to skate away that he trips himself and Olaf collides with him. I'm laughing at the pair of them when I hear the sound of a sleigh, right outside the door.

I skate over and opening it look out. The sleigh has arrived at the door and I hardly have a chance to recognize it before I see Anna tearing up the steps, tears running down her cheeks.

'Anna!' I exclaim, catching her in my arms at the door,' Anna, what's wrong?'

She is sobbing too hard to answer so I hold her tight and look over her shoulder at Kristoff, who is coming up, looking distressed and very worried.

'What has happened?' I ask again.

'It's the trolls,' says Kristoff,' Elsa, my family! All but one of them, something's horribly wrong, they have all gone missing!'

More to come!

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