Author's Note: Thank you to all those who have read and reviewed thus far! When I started this story a little over a month ago, I could never have imagined how many people would find my story worth reading! This chapter contains some ElsaxRayce fluff, a warning to those of you who are still on the fence about our dear Captain courting the Queen. Please feel free to reach out to me, we're halfway through the arc I have planned and if you guys like the little corner of 'Frozen' universe I've managed to carve out, then I may continue on with further stories. Happy Reading!

Elsa awoke to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with an array of other delicious smelling foods. She cracked one eye open to find Rayce sitting at her desk, sipping from a brass mug and scribbling furiously in a moleskin notebook. Brows drawn together in concentration, he had yet to notice his charge stirring.

His hair was hanging loose, damp on the ends from a recent bath, and he wore a simple black shirt and trousers. What amused Elsa most was the captain's stockinged feet. Upon closer inspection, Elsa noticed his tall boots, meticulously shined, leaning against the desk on the floor. Had he stayed with her all night? It certainly seemed that way. The queen felt her heart warm at the thought of this handsome, complicated creature watching over her. Rayce turned to refill his cup when he finally noticed his charge was awake and watching him. He set his cup down and came to kneel before the bunk.

"Well, hello there." He greeted her with a warm whisper. Rayce wrapped her hand in his before asking, "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Wishing to be whole again but better, I think…" she responded, running an internal assessment. Her bones no longer felt like they were hollow and filled with molten fire, so she counted that as progress. "How long have I been out?"

"Since yesterday afternoon, roughly eighteen hours, or so?" he told her trying to calculate as he spoke.

"I'm sure you must be tired of watching me sleep," she joked half-heartedly.

"Never. You must have needed it," he told her with a genuine smile that made the queen blush immediately. "Are you hungry?"

"Famished!"

Rayce helped her sit upright then brought a small tray on wheels over. When he removed the silver plate cover, Elsa fought the desire to leap upon the food presented. There was sausage, ham, potatoes, pancakes and a wide selection of fruit. Being the queen's personal vessel meant The Adgar boasted a full galley, one her cooks put to great use.

"I can't eat all of this!" she exclaimed even as Rayce pulled two empty plates from beneath the cart.

"That's good, since I was hoping to eat as well," he joked as he filled a plate with a reasonable helping of each item. Setting it before her, he unwrapped silverware from a napkin placing it on either side of her plate before draping the napkin across her lap. Having the captain lavish her with so much attention kept the queen blushing. "Coffee?"

"Please. You know me too well…"

Rayce smiled happily at the praise. He poured her a steaming cup before settling down with his plate. The two ate in a comfortable silence as they had many times before, each occasionally stealing glances at the other. It was Elsa who finally broke the silence.

"So, Captain, how is it you got stuck babysitting the ailing Queen? I expected Anna to be tangled around me when I awoke! Where is my sister?"

"With the Baron," Rayce began, color rushing to his cheeks. "They have been indisposed since late yesterday afternoon."

It took Elsa a moment to realize what he meant by 'indisposed' but when she did, her cheeks colored as well.

"Oh. Oh, I see…" she coughed a little in her embarrassment. "They surely missed one another while Anna was abducted."

"Yes, I would say so. It is one of the reasons I slept here last night…the cabin walls are quite thin…" Rayce explained with a chuckle as Elsa began to giggle as well.

"You poor, poor man! Now you know why I gave them an entire wing to themselves. I hate to admit it but the two were driving me quite mad!" Elsa dissolved into giggles again and Rayce joined her with hearty chuckles of his own.

"As long as you have a sense of humor about it…"

"I must," she replied growing slightly more somber. "Otherwise one can be consumed wishing for things they cannot have."

Rayce cast her a sympathetic look, knowing exactly what she was referring to. "I suppose so. But enough about the Princess and the Baron," he announced trying to lighten the mood. "My chief concern is whether or not Her Majesty has been properly fed and caffeinated?"

"I believe I have been both, Captain," Elsa replied with a small smile her mood unable to stay somber in the young man's presence.

"Ah, then my duties have been performed!"

"Indeed!" Tilting her head to side she asked. "What were you working on when I awoke? You seemed quite engrossed."

"I was simply sketching, Majesty. I find it relaxes me." Elsa couldn't hide her surprise.

"I would not have pegged you for an artist." Rayce clutched his chest, his face twisted in mock hurt.

"Why, Majesty, you wound me! Is it my rugged good looks or general lack of delicacy that excludes me from an artistic realm?" The queen found herself thoroughly amused by his display.

"Both, I believe," she responded than promptly felt embarrassed by what she had just suggested.

"Ah, so the lady finds me good looking? Such a compliment has sufficiently greased my ego." He made a grand show of picking up the notebook and presenting it to her on bended knee much as a knight would a sword. "Milady?"

Elsa took the book delicately and began leafing through it, fingers trailing lightly over the intricate works before her. Rayce had seriously downplayed his talent. The lines before Elsa were beautifully crafted, capturing every detail and nuance of the subjects. There were pictures of birds of all types including Horus, the fjord on an early morn, even one of Glacier, every hair in his magnificent mane immortalized.

"Rayce," she whispered breathlessly. "These are absolutely beautiful. You truly have a gift."

The young captain seemed embarrassed by the queen's awed praise. "Thank you, Majesty. I have always wished to capture beauty wherever I may find it. There are times when inspiration just strikes." Elsa nodded in agreement.

"I understand that all too well. Thus far 'inspiration' has blessed me with two living snowmen and a castle on the side of a mountain!"

" Thankfully my inspirations are more easily contained."

Elsa continued to flip through the book in quiet appreciation until she came to several pages that were folded over on themselves. She raised an eyebrow at Rayce, silently asking permission but he seemed to hesitate.

"Those pages are more," he searched for the right word, "private sketches."

"I see. I meant no disrespect, Captain." Elsa moved to return the book when he stopped her, seeming to come to some internal decision.

"It's alright, Majesty."

He nodded towards the book and waited for her to open the first folded page. Elsa gasped as the sketch came into view. It was… her. A simple sketch of her profile as if Rayce had been sitting beside her when it was drawn. The next page was of she and Anna ice-skating with Olaf in the castle courtyard. She continued to flip the pages back, each one capturing in vivid detail different scenes from her daily life.

"I … I don't understand…" she managed to stammer meeting his eyes over the top of the book. He smiled at her softly.

"I think you do, Majesty. I draw you because I have found no one, man nor woman, who inspires me as much as you do."

He gently took the book and set it aside, moving once more to kneel before her. Elsa suddenly felt trapped by emotion, much as she had early that week in the forest. Rayce was laying his soul at her feet but she had no idea what to do with it. Part of her wished to indulge her fantasy, to throw caution to the wind and accept what the captain was offering her. But the more logical, albeit emotionally stunted part of her, shrank away in fear convinced that the captain would eventually hurt her and this was simply not worth the risk. She jumped, banging her head against the wall when he reached out to grab her hand.

"Majesty!" Rayce quickly rose to check her head for injuries before returning his gaze to hers. " Perhaps you should be more careful; I think you have had more than enough injuries for one week," he told her with a small smile.

" Rayce… what is this?"

"This," he returned to a kneeling position so she could see the sincerity behind his words. "This is your captain of the guard, foolishly ignoring his commission to declare that he is madly, truly and deeply in love with his queen."

"Rayce, I can't… we can't… I-I'm dangerous!"

"There is no one on this vessel that believes that to be true, so why do you? You have convinced not one, but TWO people to leave their nations of birth and pledge their lives in service to you. Do you believe this is something Katerine or I take lightly?"

Elsa swallowed hard, unable to find a reasonable argument so she just settled on a blanket excuse she had been telling herself for years. " A life like that, with love and a family… that is something I am not meant to have."

" Stop," he commanded her with anger tinting the edge of his words. " Stop making excuses. If you can stand in this cabin and tell me that you feel nothing for me then I will resign my commission and return to Egypt on the next rising tide."

When he received no response, the captain rose angrily and began gathering his belongings. He was halfway to the door when she ground him to a halt, needing both hands to wrap around his massive bicep.

"Rayce, stop!" He paused and turned to face her, eyes still blazing.

"Why?" he demanded. "Speak now, Majesty, or leave me be."

For years down the road neither combatant would be able to say who moved first but somehow the pair found themselves tangled in one another's arms, mouths clashing together in a passionate fight for dominance. The kiss went on for some time, each memorizing the taste and feel of the other until finally the need for air became insistent. Lips parted and Elsa found herself leaning heavily against the captain's chest, gasping for air and wondering why the hell she had waited so long to do that?

"I… um… that was…I've never done that before…" she whispered into the fabric of his shirt. A deep chuckle rumbled beneath her as Rayce tilted her chin up to look at him.

"Well, that was a good first try but perhaps with more practice…" he leaned down to flick his tongue possessively over her lips before claiming her mouth once more.

This kiss was slower, the intensity building over the next few minutes as the two explored one another; hands roaming over frustratingly clothed bodies. One of Rayce's large hands moved to the small of her back, lifting the hem of her shirt so he could lay his warm palm against cool, smooth skin. Elsa stiffened at the contact and he immediately moved his hand to her hip, breaking the kiss.

"I'm sorry…" she began but stopped when he placed a gentle finger against her lips.

"No, never apologize for how you feel. We will take this as slow as you wish." He placed both hands on her face and waited for her to look at him. " I have waited my entire life to find you and I would happily give the rest of it to simply remain in your presence."

Elsa felt a now familiar warmth bloom within her and she leaned forward to connect their lips once more. When she pulled back again, Rayce was relieved to find the queen smiling up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I think you may have missed your calling, Captain," he arched an eyebrow at her before she continued. "I believe you could have been quite the poet." He scoffed and began to laugh lightly.

"I doubt that. It is only you that draws words from my very soul. I could never waste them on someone else."

"See? You did it again." She giggled as she laid her head on his broad chest, enjoying the quiet intimacy of the moment.

"So I did." He agreed setting his chin atop her head, savoring the moment as well. His gamble had paid off and the captain thought he would burst with joy.

Two days after their return to Arendelle Rayce was notified, by a somewhat frantic Anna, that the still recovering queen had disappeared. Her word choice seemed a bit melodramatic as Anna was want to be. Elsa hadn't really disappeared; she was simply no longer in bed where they'd left her. The captain was notably less worried as he had an idea Elsa was beside herself at the thought of more coddling.

The first day of their return, Katerine, now Elsa's personal physician, had informed the young queen that she was to stay in bed for at least another week to recover. When Rayce had stopped by later that day to check on her, he could see Elsa was at her wits end, utterly irritated by her round the clock care. It came as no surprise then that Her Majesty had made a break for it. Rayce suspected she hadn't gone far but Anna had other ideas.

"She's gone, Rayce! What if she went up the North Mountain and fell off her horse and hit her head and now she's just lying there helpless?!"

Rayce did his best to follow Anna's rambling statement, highly doubting that Elsa had managed to sneak from the castle, saddle Glacier and end up in a snowdrift on the side of a mountain in the hour or so since they had brought her dinner.

"I'm sure Her Majesty is fine, Princess. The castle is quite large and she of all people knows plenty of ways to slip away unseen. I will locate her. Please try not to worry."

Kristoff managed to wrestle the distraught princess back to their quarters while Rayce set out to hunt down the queen. He started with her study, the library and even the gallery. It wasn't until he passed a large bay window that it hit him.

Snow had begun to lightly fall over the gardens and the moonlight reflecting off the fresh powder was breathtaking. Grabbing his cloak, he headed through the balcony doors off Elsa's study and out into the night. It didn't take long to find the young woman. Rayce had found her here many times before, sitting on a stone bench by the pond, deep in thought. He stood still for a moment simply marveling at her beauty.

Elsa sat feet tucked under her staring off into the night sky. She had the hood up on her dark cloak in order to keep her bandage dry but her signature braid and small wisps of white blond hair peeked out around her face. The moonlight struck her in such a way that Rayce swore she was glowing. Oh how he loved this woman.

The young queen didn't startle when she heard footsteps crunching through the snow towards her. If anything, she flinched inwardly at being discovered so quickly. Clenching her fists in anticipation, she waited anxiously for the start of another argument with Anna about her recovery. It came as pleasant surprise when a very masculine voice addressed her.

"Majesty?" Elsa glanced over her shoulder with a tired smile.

"I see my sister noticed my absence…"

"That she did. With quite a display of theatrics, I might add."

"Then it seems my liberation is at an end." Elsa moved to disentangle herself from her cloak when Rayce motioned for her to stop.

"It need not be. I promised your sister I would find you. Returning you to your room was never part of the bargain." He smiled warmly at her before gesturing towards the bench. "May I join you, Majesty?"

"Elsa." She corrected him.

"I'm sorry…" He began but she held up a hand to stop him.

"Rayce you saved my life in that forest, protected me from TWO princes and a King of the Southern Isles and then gave me my first kiss aboard The Adgar. If this," she gestured between them, " is to work, you mustn't address me by my title. At least not when it's just us."

The captain was sufficiently flustered but quickly found his voice. " May I join you… Elsa?" A large smile broke across her face and it was as if the sun had emerged on a rainy day.

"I would like that."

Rayce sat on the bench next to her, observing with awe the flakes that fluttered down on the pair. They sat in a companionable silence until the captain reached out and pulled the queen's hand into his. Her small fingers instantly wrapped around his, much to his pleasure.

Not long after, the queen shifted to lay her head comfortably on his shoulder, eyes never leaving the snow covered gardens. Taking another chance Rayce brought her hand to his lips, brushing a soft kiss across her knuckles. The movement elicited a small giggle.

"Your beard tickles," she told him lightly. The captain felt a smile spread on his face as he responded with a chuckle.

"I suppose I wouldn't know."

"Well, now you know." She told him happily, her hand reaching up to lightly stroke his beard as she gazed up at him before her face became serious. "Rayce, what you told me the other day… what we did… I don't know if I can give you what you want."

Elsa sat up straight, not releasing his hand but still putting distance between them. Rayce stared at her calmly; having expected the sheltered royal would be terrified by the prospect of what was growing between them. He waited for her to continue, as he also knew from watching the siblings interact that Elsa often took time to organize her thoughts before speaking.

"I don't know how to do this! I don't know anything about love, or romance. I'm broken and inexperienced and I would hate myself if I kept you from someone who could give you what you truly want."

The young queen was becoming visibly upset and the snowfall instantly tripled in volume but Rayce paid it no mind choosing to focus only on Elsa and his words to her.

"That would be impossible." He told her simply then hastened to explain. "It would be impossible for you to keep me from what I truly want because what I truly want is you."

"But…"

"Stop." He commanded her much like he had days before on The Adgar, placing a finger against her lips. "You say you know nothing of love yet I have watched you over these two years and you give your all to your sister, your family, to Arendelle with no thought for yourself. That is a selfless love neither man nor woman can teach."

Elsa stared at him in awe; amazed anyone could see her as anything more than a cursed monarch, struggling for normalcy. "You pay me too high an honor Rayce…"

"No. I pay you not one high enough. For thirteen years, you denied yourself to ensure the safety of those you loved. I know that what I am asking of you seems unattainable but I have always believed that love finds a way. Or as the princess would say 'love will thaw.' "

He paused, wrapping her other hand inside his, letting his words sink into her heart. When tears began to fall from her blue eyes, he simply smiled and brushed them away.

" I will not ask more of you than you can give but I will not give up on this. On us. I have loved you since the moment we stood shoulder-to-shoulder on a battlefield and I intend to do so forever. Will you let me do that? Will you give me a chance to show you how to love?"

Elsa nodded with a teary gaze before leaning in tentatively to brush her lips against his, the kiss growing rapidly more intense. Eventually, the two parted and she couldn't suppress a giggle when his beard brushed her cheek.

"It still tickles," she whispered.

" I believe you'll get used to it." He murmured against her lips, stealing a quick peck. Elsa nodded before curling against his side once more, her head again resting on his shoulder. Rayce tilted his head to sit atop hers and simply enjoyed the closeness of the moment. The snowfall returned to its normal quantity and he could feel Elsa sagging further into his side until he was certain she had fallen asleep.