A small note: Sorry this update took so long! (and also I'm not entirely happy with this chapter) I hit writer's block for a while and got distracted first by making some fan art and then by another story I started writing. But I do have some more ideas for where this story is going. :)

Elsa wasn't sure if she was shocked, afraid, or possibly relieved. She was wandering around the castle trying to make sense of her thoughts when she came across Anna, who was apparently painting a mural on the wall.

"Hello," said Anna without turning around.

"That's really pretty, Anna" said Elsa, leaning against the doorway.

"Thank you. A friend of mine showed me some techniques to try. One of the princesses who came to your coronation."

Elsa watched Anna paint for a while, then Anna asked, "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"I was just wondering, how do you know if something is true love?"

"If it breaks a curse, for sure," said Anna.

Elsa created a small snowflake in her hands. Were her powers a curse?

"But you had true love," she said, looking up at Anna, "and that was for me. But it's not the same as what's between you and Kristoff, is it?"

Anna's paintbrush faltered. "Well I mean, Kristoff and I are dating. We're not going to do the true love at first sight thing and get married. He doesn't even know if he wants to be married, ever. He likes being able to wander and doesn't know if he's ready to come home." She sighed.

"If you had true love, do you think he would want to marry you?"

"Maybe," said Anna. "But just because you have true love doesn't mean that marriage will work, or so Kristoff says. He says that loving someone whenever you see them is different from loving someone when you live with them all the time."

"I can see that," said Elsa, although she was thinking about how she wanted Nora to stay there and never leave her again. She wondered how long that feeling would last.

"So like, maybe with Erik you could hang out for a while to see if you get along before thinking too much about love. But I could totally see it working out."

Elsa stared at Anna's back long enough for Anna to stop painting and turn around to see if Elsa was still there.

"I mean, that is why you're discussing love, isn't it?" asked Anna. "Who else could it be?"

"I..." Elsa was suddenly cautious. "Wait, when did you get all expert-y on love? Is it a thing that happens when you start dating?" Elsa realized that it hadn't been too long since Anna had been willing to marry someone right after meeting them. And here she was asking her younger sister for advice.

Anna blushed and turned back to her painting. "Well I mean, after Hans I started thinking about these things more. And Kristoff and I talk about it some times."

She was so grown-up, now. Elsa pondered her words. Talking to people about intangible feelings and aspects of a relationship – would that strengthen a bond or destroy it? It was worth considering.

"Wait, you changed the subject," Anna realized suddenly, then she shrugged. "Whatever, I guess it's your business. But I did want to ask – did you talk to Nora about possibilities of moving out?"

"I did," said Elsa. "I don't think she wants to move out."

"Oh," said Anna. "Do you want me to talk to her?"

There was a pause. "I don't want her to move out," said Elsa. She felt lost, as if she were standing on the edge of a void, ready to tip over at any moment and fall forever.

"Oh. Okay then. I mean, you are the queen." Anna looked over her shoulder at Elsa. "Are you alright?"

Elsa sorted through the complexities of her mind, trying to string together words. "Why do we define love so strictly?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" said Anna.

"Say I said I loved Erik and Nora. We would say that I cared for Erik, and I cared about Nora."

"I suppose," said Anna, clearly struggling to follow. "But I got the impression you weren't particularly interested in Erik...?"

"But what if I said," Elsa's gaze locked on to Anna's, "that it was the other way around? What would you say to that?"

Anna stared blankly, as if thinking, and Elsa imagined that she was trying to go back to the previous statement and solve it like a puzzle. Elsa couldn't stand there and wait for Anna's reaction, so she turned and walked, then half-ran back to Nora's room. She didn't have the presence of mind to knock before entering, but Nora was waiting for her.

"Are you alright?" asked Nora.

"I think..." said Elsa, "I think I love you. But I've never felt like this before, not about my parents, or my sister, or... And I don't know. I don't know anything." She shook her head, sinking down to the floor.

Nora slid off the bed to sit beside her, to hold her.

"Conceal, don't feel," whispered Elsa, staring at nothing.

"You don't need to hide from me," whispered Nora. "And I love you too."