Elsa had rather enjoyed lunch, despite the uncomfortable matters that had been discussed. In the afternoon, she found herself wondering over the short amount of time Gerold had left to his stay. She wanted to make sure he was comfortable and enjoying his time at the castle. After all, it was important Arendelle left a good impression on him so he could give a good report to King Einar.

But she didn't know much about him, and she wasn't sure what kind of activities he might enjoy. She thought of sending an attendant to inquire, but that seemed so impersonal after all the times he had come directly to her, which she rather liked.

She was just considering when would be the best time for her to break away from her duties to go to him, when he once again came to her.

"Prince Gerold," she said, bowing her head.

"Your Majesty," he replied, bowing deeply at the waist. "I've been thinking," he said once he'd straightened.

She nodded, encouraging him to continue, and hoping silently to herself that he was about to suggest what she thought he was.

"I only have a short amount of time left here in Arendelle," he told her. "And I think, although business is primarily concluded and we seem to have an amenable impression of each other –"

She nodded in agreement as he paused.

"It would be prudent," he continued. "For the future relationship between our kingdoms if we spent some more time together – just to get to know one another better and form a possible friendship in addition to an agreeable business relationship."

His speech wasn't as confident as usual, and Elsa thought he had nearly fumbled over a few words. But she smiled at him and said, "I have been thinking the same thing. I don't believe a successful long-term business relationship can be formed without a friendship at the base of it."

His body seemed to relax. "How would you feel about spending the morning with me, and most likely some of the afternoon as well? I hear Arendelle has some breath taking waterfalls, and it's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to see one."

Elsa hesitated at first. It had been a long time since she'd been out of the castle, the last time being when she'd frozen all of Arendelle. Since then, she'd rarely left the castle walls. It wasn't that she didn't like the outdoors, but after so many years in isolation she'd simply grown accustomed to the castle. It was familiar to her and comfortable despite the pain of locking herself away for so many years. The castle was what she knew.

But she pushed back the mental barrier and agreed to the invitation. And, the next morning, after having cleared her schedule, she stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom trying to decide what would be best to wear for the outing.

Many items were simply too fragile to be worn outside for such a trip. She did own some travel clothes, but they were still very regal. She wanted something functional that wasn't so royal but was also flattering, and it was hard to find anything that came close.

Just as she was getting frustrated, there came a knock at her door. Elsa threw the dress she'd been considering on her bed and stepped to the door where she found her sister on the other side.

"Good morning," Ana greeted. Her eyes trailed from her sister's face to the clothing scattered about the room, and she smiled slyly. "Oh, picking out something for your date?"

"It's not a date," said Elsa sincerely. "Don't be ridiculous. And good morning," she added, stepping back and allowing her sister to come inside. She closed the door, then stepped to the mirror and examined and eventually discarded another dress.

"Do you want some help choosing something to impress the prince?" asked Ana, swinging her legs merrily from where she sat on the edge of the bed. She had a goofy expression on her face, like she knew fairly well what this was all about, even if Elsa wouldn't admit it.

And she certainly wouldn't. "That is enough," Elsa told her, holding up another dress to examine in the mirror. "Didn't you come here for something?"

Ana waited for Elsa to make her decision (another discard) before saying, "When were you going to tell me about being the deciding factor with Hans?"

"Oh, Ana!" said Elsa, feeling horrible as she let the dress she was holding fall to the floor. She had completely forgotten, and she felt terrible. "I am so sorry! Of course, I was going to tell you! I just–"

"Got preoccupied," Ana finished with a smile, letting her sister know there were no hard feelings.

But Elsa could tell she was troubled. "Who told you?" she asked, sitting on the bed next to her.

"Gerold," Ana explained, looking down. "He came by in the evening to get to know me. I think he was trying to judge if I'd be fair in evaluating Hans."

"You don't have to, you know," said Elsa, taking her sister's hand. "It was just an idea I had. You don't–"

"It was a good idea," Ana said, looking up at her. "A really good one."

"That doesn't mean you have to–"

"Yes, it does," Ana told her, nodding her head repeatedly. "If I'm the best to know… then, I'm the best to know."

"Are you sure?" asked Elsa, concerned.

"I'm sure," said Ana, appearing stronger, more confident.

Elsa was strongly reminded of the moment when Ana had punched Hans off the boat and into the water before he'd been jailed and sent back to his brothers. Elsa let out a breath of laughter and hugged her sister. "I had planned on telling you first."

"I know," Ana told her. She pulled back from their embrace and hopped off the bed. "Now, I'm going to help you choose something for your date."

"It's not a date," Elsa repeated, flabbergasted at her sister's insistence.

Ana ignored her sister and stepped to the closest, which was nearly empty, and reached toward the very back. She pulled out a dress with a pink undershirt coverd by a white frock. "I think you should wear this."

Elsa wrinkled her nose. She had pushed that dress to the back of her closet for a reason. "It's more you than me," she told her sister. She had no idea why the seamstress had insisted it would be beautiful on her.

"It will look great," Ana pressed. "Much better than the usual ridged stuff you wear. Try it on." She pushed the dress at Elsa.

"What's wrong with what I usually wear?" asked Elsa after catching the dress.

"Nothing," Ana told her, helping her sister to undress. "It's just your outfits are to impress as Queen. This is different. This time, you're trying to impress as you."

Elsa laughed as she worked to pull the dress on. "So wearing a dress that isn't me will help me to impress as me?"

"This dress is you," Ana told her. "Just a side you're not used to showing."

Elsa finally got the dress on, and she turned to look at herself in the mirror. She wrinkled her nose again. She just looked so strange.

"One sec!" said Ana, reaching up to remove Elsa's crown. She sat the hair piece on the bed, and pulled Elsa's hair down so it hung in a single braid over her shoulder.

"Ana…" said Elsa softly. She was very strongly reminded of the look she'd worn when she had run off to the mountains and made the ice palace. When she'd gotten back to Arendelle and had taken up the throne again, she'd put the look away, resuming the image she'd been trained and believed a queen should have.

"You don't have to hide who you are all the time," Ana told her. "There are times to be the Queen, yes. But there are times to be yourself too. And this one of them."

Elsa sighed, but she was smiling. A large part of her wanted to protest. Pink was not her usual color, and she still felt the frock was better suited to her sister. But she did think the shape was flattering, and there was something about stepping outside her comfort zone and not denying herself that made her feel confident. She'd forgotten how great a feeling it was.

She shimmied slightly in the dress, watching how the fabric flowed, and there was something flirty yet still elegant about it when she stood straight that she liked.

"All right," she said mock begrudgingly. "I'll wear it."

Ana gave a soft squeal and hugged her sister with enthusiasm. "Now go," she said, releasing her and pushing her toward the door. "You can't be late for your date!"

"It's not a date!"

Elsa was early, so she stopped at the kitchens to pick up the basket that held their lunch for the trip. Then she waited in the foyer for Gerold to join her.

She didn't notice him at first. He'd entered quietly and then paused at the sight of her. Eventually she felt his eyes gazing at her, and she turned to face him.

"What is it?" she asked when he still didn't move.

"You just–" He took a step forward and started moving toward her. "I didn't recognize you right away." He took her free hand and kissed it. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she smiled. He didn't look much different than his usual self. He had changed to a lighter form of trousers. His shirt was white and undecorated, but rolled at the sleeves. He'd dressed for function, rather than flattery.

"Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm.

"Of course," she said, and took it.

The path to this particular waterfall started behind the castle. It involved some steep climbs, taking them up hill and then around the back of the kingdom. The trip usually took some time, but they were confident they would return before dark.

Gerold possessed a true adventurer's spirit. The more difficult the terrain, the more excited he became, determined to conquer. Elsa again found she couldn't begrudge his enthusiasm, and she followed him on, determined to tackle whatever he could.

Gerold had been right when he'd said he'd look younger today than he had yesterday. Elsa was completely taken in by his continuously triumphant expression. His face and skin were radiant. He seemed completely boyish now, full of charm and energy. The only evidence to the contrary was his greying hair, which appeared the same as it had the day he'd arrived, although the argument could be made that the red strands seemed stronger in color.

"Do you normally enjoy this kind of pastime?" Elsa asked him when she found she could not stop looking at him.

"Before I fell ill," he told her. "I was outside all the time. It was difficult to pull me back into the castle." He paused, catching his breath from the uphill trek. "But I was just a boy," he told her. "If I were completely well, I doubt I'd be out here all the time. But, yes, I do enjoy it."

She caught up with him, and they continued the climb.

"What about you?" he asked, taking the basket from her to carry it for a while. "Is this enjoyable for you?"

She smiled and nodded. "It is." It was very freeing to not have to worry about her duties and just focus on their journey. "But I rarely go outside the castle." A Queen couldn't run off every day. She had responsibilities that had to be attended to. "I'm needed there."

Gerold nodded. "It's always been my belief," he said. "That you can't devote your whole life to your duties. You'll drive yourself insane. You have to set aside some time to be free from it all."

Elsa smiled at him. "That does sound nice," she admitted. But what was nice in theory didn't always work in practice.

"And," Gerold continued, noticing her hesitance. "Sometimes it's your duty to let your duties go."

She laughed. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"Sure, it does!" he insisted, swinging himself around a young tree as they reached the edge of a wooded area. "If you spend all your time buried in your responsibilities to the point that it drains you … well, then you can't perform your responsibilities properly, can you? At that point, it's your duty to take some time off."

"I never thought of it that way," said Elsa, and she truly hadn't.

Gerold shrugged. "It's just a theory. As my brothers continuously tell me, I've been skirting my responsibilities for years, so what do I know?"

"Well, that's not fair," Elsa insisted. "You've been ill."

Gerold shrugged again, but that charming smile never left his face.

At length, the path they were following leveled out and became fully shaded by trees. Autumn had only just begun, but some trees had started losing their leaves early. Gerold gathered a pile from the ground and threw them playfully at Elsa.

"Hey!" she said, but she was laughing.

Gerold took off at a run, and Elsa chased after him, gathering her own pile of leaves. She made sure she hit him at least once before their game eventually came to an end and they walked arm and arm down the path.

"Tell me about your bothers," she said.

Gerold took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "There's a lot of us," he warned.

Elsa smiled. "We have time."

Gerold thought for a moment. "Well, King Einar, the eldest, you know."

Elsa nodded.

"Beneath him is Alvar," Gerold continued. "Who's pretty much Einar's right-hand man. The two of them are pretty close. Then there's the notorious twins!" he laughed. "They're real trouble makers, those two. Then there's Bernhard, who works as ambassador to various kingdoms – he would have been here instead of me if I hadn't gotten well. Then Henrik, who's probably my best friend in the whole world. Staffan, who is kind of the awkward middle child. Myself, I'm the ninth. Then Klas, who set out to be an ambassador like Bernhard, went up north on his first assignment, fell in love, married, and never traveled again." He laughed again. "Then, the second set of twins, Peder and Christer, who work among the people of our kingdom and send back information to Einar. And then Frans, who is our second youngest, and then Hans."

"Are all of you close?" asked Elsa.

"Some of us more or less than others," Gerold told her. "With thirteen brothers… it can be hard for everyone to get along with everyone else.

Elsa thought about that. She could hardly imagine having twelve siblings. She and Ana were close, but there had been a time when they hadn't been. She supposed it made sense thirteen brothers wouldn't be cordial with each other all the time.

"Tell me about your sister," said Gerold when Elsa remained silent.

"Well, you've met her," said Elsa, suddenly remembering the conversation she and her sister had had that morning.

"Yes," he said. "But I want to hear your thoughts."

"I don't think it was good of you to tell her about Hans before I had a chance to." Elsa told him.

Gerold stopped in his tracks. "I do apologize," he said sincerely. "I assumed you had already told her. And when I realized that was not the case, it was too late. I never would have said anything–"

"It's all right," Elsa said, cutting him off. She'd really only wanted to hear him apologize for it. "She and I talked."

Gerold hesitated. "And everything is all right?"

Elsa gave a nod. "Everything is fine."

They resumed their walk in silence for a few paces, and then Elsa remembered Gerold had wanted her to talk about her sister.

"Ana is…" She struggled to think of a good word for her sister. "Summery," she decided. "We're very different, and yet we're sisters and we're bonded through that." She thought for a moment. "When it was discovered my powers could be dangerous, we were separated for a long time. It's good to be able to know my sister again." She had a sudden thought. "Does your illness make it hard for you know your brothers?"

"Of course," said Gerold nodding. "I see them seldom, and when I do I'm often too tired to carry on much conversation."

"And yet you're here," said Elsa wondrously, "getting to know me."

Gerold sighed. "That was a highly debated decision… Elsa, do you believe in fate?"

She thought about it. "I'm not sure."

"Me either," he admitted. "But I don't believe in coincidences. Events that appear random very seldom are, from my perspective. So when it came to send an ambassador to your kingdom and my temporary remedy appeared at the same time… I could not justify staying at home." He was silent for a moment, and Elsa didn't know what to say. "Maybe it was a foolish choice," he continued. And then he smiled at her. "But I certainly don't regret being here… and getting to know you."

She smiled at him and found the words came out easily. "I have enjoyed getting to know you as well."

His smile grew, but he didn't say anything, just laid his hand over the one she had on his arm. They walked in silence, taking enjoyment in the simple fact of each other's company.

At last, they reached the waterfall. It was a beautiful sight. The water flowed over five tiers from the top of the cliff face, zig-zagging from left to right among the rocks. They took some time to admire the view, and then, along the base of the falls and away from the spray, they sat down and opened the basket.

Their lunch consisted of dried herring, cubes of cheese, boiled eggs, crispbread, and sweet buns filled with almond cream. They needed the protein and the sugar after the long trek up the mountain and for the long - but easier - trek they were about to take back down. They ate in silence for a time, reenergizing.

"Do you have waterfalls in the Isles?" Elsa asked eventually, breaking the silence.

Gerold nodded. "We do. None so majestic. And… well, forgive me, but the company of a beautiful queen is definitely an improvement from that of my brothers."

Elsa laughed and turned her attention to the waterfall. "You know," she said slowly after a few moments. "I don't normally like princes."

"No?" asked Gerold.

Elsa shook her head. "They're always riding in, saving the day, trying to woo the girl." Elsa shrugged. "I'm not looking to be swept off my feet." She turned to him and smiled. She surprised herself with her forwardness. "But I am really glad for getting to know you."

"I as well," he said.

She liked his smile and his eyes. She liked the carefree look of his face. She couldn't think of anything she didn't like about him, in truth. And up here, by the waterfall, away from the castle in the company of a man, her hair and clothes free from their usual propriety... she felt different than her usual self. She felt free to do and to think things she normally wouldn't have done. And perhaps that's how what she would later find to be unexplainable happened.

She didn't remember either of them moving closer, but at some point his hand was on her face and he was whispering, "You are an extraordinary woman, Elsa." And before she had the sense to tell him what she thought of him, she felt her lips on his, kissing him before she knew she'd even made the decision. She didn't even know who had kissed who first. But in that moment, it didn't matter. All that mattered was the gentle press of their lips as they slowly sought each other.

She didn't push away, not immediately. She was fully aware of what she was doing, but the implications hadn't quite hit yet. She had a grasp on his shirt collar, the other hand along his jaw, coaxing him nearer as she explored his lips. His hands were on her shoulders, gently sliding along them. The roar of the waterfall behind them drowned out all thought in her head. It wasn't until their kisses deepened, and he slid an arm around her back, pulling her closer, that something inside of her clicked.

She pulled back, still in his arms, but no longer engaged in the activity.

"What is it?" he asked her.

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind, and removed herself from his arms.

"Elsa," he said.

She stood, turning from him. There were so many emotions running through her that she couldn't begin to quantify them, least of all understand them.

"Elsa," said Gerold again, getting to his feet and stepping toward her.

"Don't!" she warned, extending a hand behind her. A waist-high wall of icy spikes that Elsa hadn't intended shot up between the two of them.

She turned slowly to face his look of confusion, and took a breath. "I'm sorry," she said. "This was a bad idea."

"Elsa, please," Gerold tried, as she walked away from him.

She turned her head. She didn't want to leave him there without an explanation. But her emotions were unstable. He wasn't safe with her feeling that way, and she didn't think she could come up with an explain even if she wanted to. She just needed time alone. "Don't walk with me. Wait ten minutes, then follow. If you have to yell for me to hear you, then you are far enough away."

Leaving him utterly bewildered, she started down the trail. She didn't look back the whole way home.