Chp 5:

The castle was oddly calming. Zoran, despite his tendency to wake up at the slightest noise felt that he would have slept through a thunderstorm. However thunder was the least of his worries.

BANG! BANG! BANG! The sudden noise caused Zoran to spring awake and fall from the rafters.

THUD! CRASH! Zoran hit a bookshelf on the way down and landed on his face. "Ugh…" Zoran groaned before letting out an annoyed shout.

"Whoever's out there, you better start running before I catch you." As he said that the door opened. "Hi. I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs." Zoran looked up and saw a small snowman standing in the doorway.

Zoran just stared at it. The snowman shifted uncomfortably under his stare. "Yeah. I'm definitely crazy." He said. "Olaf! Elsa said not to disturb Zoran." Anna spoke as she appeared beside Olaf. She let out a small gasp when she saw that Zoran was on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked concerned. "Never been better." Zoran groaned as he cracked his neck from side to side. When he got to his feet he looked at Olaf, then Anna, then back to Olaf. "You see the snowman too right?" Anna nodded.

"You're alive?" Zoran said looking at Olaf. "Olaf glanced down at himself then said. "People say I'm alive but I'm not sure." "Neither am I." Zoran said then turned to Anna. "Are you sure I'm not hallucinating?" Anna nodded.

"Elsa made him. Two months ago." Zoran looked amazed though it was hard to tell with his hood. He bet down to get a better look at Olaf. "Incredible." He murmured.

Anna stood watching him. "I've been meaning to ask, what happened at the coronation? All I heard was that your sister lost control and froze everything for three days. Then she came back and unfroze everything."

Anna sighed, "There is more to it than that. Elsa was kept locked in her room her whole life. Our parents were afraid that if she couldn't control her powers people would try to hurt her. So they hid her away and hoped she could learn how to control it."

"How did they get her to control it?" Zoran asked. "They told her to bottle up all her emotions. Conceal it don't feel it, is what they told her." Anna answered repeating what Elsa had told to her a few weeks ago. "Then Mom and Dad… there was a ship… and a storm." Anna's face turned sad.

"I understand." Zoran said. He didn't want to bring up a topic like that. Anna wiped her eyes. "If it makes you feel any better I lost my parents as well."

"Oh Zoran that's terrible. I'm sorry" Anna said sadly. "Anyway the coronation…"Zoran said attempting to move her focus away from his past. "Mmm… Oh. Yes well at the coronation I met a prince named Hans." Anna's eyes grew dark and hateful. Nothing at all like the bubbly cheerful redhead he though her to be. He guessed the reason for her hatred easily.

"You were interested in him and he broke your heart?" he asked. "Well yeah accept we wanted to get engaged." Zoran gave her a strange look. Anna attempted to defend herself.

"I was kept from people as well as Elsa and I thought that true love is something like what happens in fairy tales. Anyway Elsa said no and I pushed her and she got angry and kinda froze the floor. Then she ran up to the mountains." "And built an ice castle." Zoran interrupted.

"Yeah then I went up and she accidentally froze my heart." Then quickly said. "She fixed me though. The whole adventure was the best thing that happened to me. I met Kristoff in the mountains, Elsa made Olaf and I got my sister back. I also got to punch Hans."

Zoran looked shocked. "You punched someone?" The cute, bubbly redhead in front of him actually punched someone. "He broke my heart, tried to take over the kingdom and kill my sister."

"Yikes" Zoran said. Anna was unable to keep her curiosity at bay any longer and she asked him. "Okay it's my turn to as you. What can you do exactly?" Zoran smirked.

"I'm a little disappointed it took you a full day to ask me that. Well I can create dark flames, they aren't hot but they wear away at things." Anna looked confused. "They cause things to rot and weaken and eventually destroy it completely." Anna still looked confused. Zoran sighed and slowly took off the glove on his right hand and lifted it so Anna could see his palm.

Anna gasped. Zoran's hand was a sick ash white. "That's what it does." "Is that why you cover your face?" Anna asked nervously. "No." He said bluntly putting his glove back on. Anna realised that his face must be touchy subject and didn't continue.

"I can also create a very thick inky black liquid that is actually a good insulator of heat, I can send out blasts of dark energy and I can use shadows to move." Anna perked up. "Can you show me?" Zoran smirked and vanished into the shadow of the wall. His red eyes shone through the darkness.

Anna followed the eyes as they moved to the roof. Then Zoran made it so only his feet where part of the shadows so he hung upside down from the roof. Anna clapped. Zoran smiled.

"Anna did you…Ah!" Elsa sudden appearance and gasp of shock caused Zoran to lose his concentration and fall from the roof. "Smooth." His mother whispered in his head. "What is it with you people and making me fall from high places." He groaned ignoring his mom.

Elsa had clasped her hands over her mouth. "Oh. I am so sorry…" "It's alright I shouldn't have been showing off like that anyway." Zoran said rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh… Elsa, good morning I'd love to talk but I think I hear Kristoff…" Anna said as she raised her hand to her ear as if she heard someone. "So I better go…" She finished, she then added quickly as she ran past the pair. "Have fun." Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

Zoran spoke hoping to ease the tension. "Your sister seems nice." Elsa smiled. "She is. She helped me through a very difficult time. I owe her almost everything." Zoran nodded. "She told me about the incident two months ago." Elsa kept a straight face.

"She does love to talk." Zoran felt like he was about to reopen a wound but was too #!*% curious to help himself. "She mentioned you had trouble controlling your powers." Elsa's expression showed deep shame.

"It was difficult for me to control my powers. I needed to be emotionless or else my powers would go out of control." Zoran listened intently. He then asked. "What made them so afraid of you that they would lock you in a room of years?" When she answered her voice was so quiet that Zoran could barely hear her. "I accidentally froze Anna's head. My parents took us to a group of mountain trolls, Kristoff's adopted family. The trolls said that if I didn't control my powers people would become afraid and would try to hurt me."

"So they kept you in your room so you could learn how to control them." Zoran finished. Elsa nodded. "How did you get control of them?" Elsa smiled. "Anna. Anna showed me that I could control my powers using love." Zoran smiled.

"You are far more powerful than I am and I see why. I never used love to control my powers. I just released my powers when I felt too much power building within me. It took a couple of years to get it right but now I do it instinctively and I don't think I could stop even if I tried. As a result I never have enough power in me to do something as impressive as you could. You are amazing."

Elsa blushed crimson. Zoran looked at her in confusion. Then slowly realisation dawned on him and his cheeks slowly went red as well. "I mean in your command of your powers not… ah… you as person. No. I don't me you're not amazing because you are, it's just… Ahh…"

Elsa smiled at his stuttering. He was not at all what she expected. Yesterday he seemed so sure of himself, now he was stumbling over his words. "I'm going to stop talking now before this gets any more awkward." Zoran said his face still red with embarrassment "I don't think that's possible."

Elsa said. They both laughed. When Elsa recovered she spoke again. "I spoke with Captain Jones and he wants your opinion on the upcoming ball next week." Zoran #!*% his head in confusion. "Um… Elsa I'm not good at planning balls." Elsa shook her hear.

"No. I need you to look over the plans and guard patrols with Captain Jones and advise him if there is anything you would do to improve the security." Zoran nodded. "Okay, that makes allot more sense, but why a ball now?" Elsa sighed. "The King of the southern isles is coming over to Arendell next week to apologise for his brothers behaviour during the coronation."

"It still isn't the best idea considering what has happened."

"I know, but the Southern Isles is a valuable ally in both trade and defence. I can't let one man's actions destroy the alliance my parents have been building for years." "Fair enough. Which way do I go?" "Follow me." Elsa said as she began walking down the hall.

After a few minutes of silence Zoran asked. "Do you know anything about how you got your powers?" Elsa shook her head. "No. Do you?" Zoran shook his head as well. "I'm in the dark as well. No pun intended." Elsa shook her head and giggled to herself.

"What?" Zoran asked. "It's just, I always dreamed that I would meet some with powers like me and I would get all the answers. It's funny that now I finally did meet you but I still feel just as lost as before." Zoran smiled. "Well your majesty, the feeling is mutual."

Elsa couldn't wrap her head around Zoran's complete change in character. Yesterday he was so confident, menacing and professional. Now he was funny, self-conscious and friendly. Elsa much preferred him like this. He was much more approachable.

Elsa led him to the guard barracks. When she opened the door all the soldiers present bowed. "Your majesty." Jones greeted. Elsa nodded. "Captain." Jones then looked past his queen. "I see you have brought him." Elsa nodded.

"He knows more about these people than any of us do and his opinion would be valuable as you said yourself." Jones nodded. "That I did." He then extended his hand to Zoran who took it with one of his gloved hands.

"It is good to meet you Zoran. I am Jones of Arendell captain of the queen's guards." Zoran nodded. "Pleasure." Jones led Zoran and Elsa to the table in the centre of the room. There were several large maps of the castle.

Each one mapped out a different floor. "I need to get back to the throne room." Elsa said to them. "I will return when I find the time to review your progress." She then turned to the rest of the guards in the room. "Zoran is to be treated with the same respect you would give me." The guards bowed and said. "Yes your majesty." Feeling satisfied Elsa turned and left.

Author's notes:

The next chapter as well as this chapter will just be setting up the next plot development and is going to mainly be dialogue between characters with a little exposition. Then things start to get interesting and exciting. Anyway if anyone has an idea for a filler chapter they want to see send me the idea and I'll see what I can do. If someone does send me an idea that I like it will be the chapter after the next. If not I'm just going to keep continuing with the story. Once again thanks to to Kosalutem for the review. As usual if anyone has an opinion of the story, good or bad, let me know. Just don't be too mean about it.

Until next time.

Ninja-Cat Sif