Disclaimer: Frozen and all recognizable characters are owned by Disney. (Though I'm pretty sure you all knew that, already. ^_^ )

Summary: Rather than talking to paintings, after Elsa shut her out, Anna took to playing with her invisible friend, Mara. Only, as she grew up, Mara didn't go away.

The newly crowned Queen Elsa had to admit, the evening wasn't going quite as badly as she'd feared it would. Admittedly, that was hardly a challenge, given the various nightmare scenarios she'd thought up over the past few years. Still, all in all, she was fairly pleased with how the night was progressing.

Even if she was starting to feel overwhelmed from being around so many people at once, after so long isolating herself.

Anna was nowhere to be found. After the "dance" with the Duke of Weselton that Elsa had pushed her into - and she knew she'd be paying for that later - Elsa had last seen her dancing with an attractive-looking man she hadn't recognized, though she was fairly certain, based on the glimpses she caught of his clothing, that he was from the Southern Isles. At least she'd been enjoying herself, from what Elsa had seen.

She deserved it. After devoting so much of her time and energy to helping Elsa hold herself together, it was past time she focused on her own wants and needs.

Which wasn't to say Elsa didn't think someone should be chaperoning the two of them.

Someone beyond a violently protective wraith, anyway.

"Your Majesty," someone behind her spoke up.

Here we go again, she thought as she turned. She'd let this go on for a bit longer, she decided,. then she was going to call it a night and close the gates. "Bishop Peder," she said in greeting. Peder Tandberg had been the Arendelle's bishop for longer than she'd been alive, which would have afforded him a certain level of respect even if she hadn't known that her father had liked and trusted him, as well. If that trust had extended to bringing him into the circle of those who knew about her secret... That, she didn't know. She could ask, she supposed. But carefully, just in case he didn't know.

If he didn't... Well, she'd all but talked herself out of her plan to discuss Mara with him as it was. That would just decide things for certain.

"Your father would be proud of you, Queen Elsa," he told her warmly.

"Thank you. I would certainly like to think so," she replied seriously.

"I'm quite certain of it," he insisted. "I know that you've faced... unique challenges, growing up."

Which certainly seemed to indicate he knew about her magic. If he did, and had no problem with it... Well, that would help explain why her father had liked the man. "I think, perhaps, that would be a matter best discussed in private?" she suggested carefully.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Relocating to her study did, if nothing else, get her away from the party and all its guests, which certainly helped her state of mind. And she needed every bit of calm she could get for this conversation. Talking about this with those she knew well - Kai, Gerda, even Anna - was hard enough. This was the first real conversation she'd ever had with the Bishop. "What did my father... tell you, about me?" she asked carefully.

"He did, as you've likely guessed, discuss your abilities with me," he confirmed.

No, steady, be calm, she told herself. If he's known all this time, he's clearly not about to condemn you. She thought about Anna, focusing on the warmth of the love she had for her little sister.

There wasn't so much as a stray snowflake.

Allowing herself, just for once, to feel a bit of pride in her accomplishments, she asked, "And you're okay with this?"

"Were it up to me, I would not have placed such a large burden upon you at such a young age. But then, He does work in mysterious ways."

She blinked. In all her imagined scenarios of how the Church might react to her magic, the idea that they'd consider it Heaven-sent had never once occurred to her. Given what she'd done... She couldn't bring herself to accept it. Still, if the Bishop believed that, then she supposed she'd have a fairly powerful ally, if or when she finally revealed the truth about herself to her people. "I shall defer to you about such matters," she said diplomatically.

"I regret that I was not able to better assist you in dealing with that burden, Your Majesty. After your parents' funeral... I should have tried harder to see you, despite your servants insisting it wasn't necessary."

"I wouldn't have opened the door for you," she admitted. "Even Anna..." She chuckled. The loss, that day... It still was not in any way enjoyable to think about, but with everything that had come since, she couldn't quite help it. "She made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that, after the day she'd had, if I didn't open the door, she would break it down." And knowing her sister, she really would have, too. She wasn't sure she deserved Anna's love... which was actually a step up from being convinced that she didn't, now that she thought about it.

The Bishop smiled. "That certainly sounds like something she would do, from what your father told me of her."

That was probably the best opportunity she was going to get to smoothly segue into a conversation about Anna's invisible friend. She knew that. She knew she should take it, that she needed an outside perspective. Bishop Peder was as calm and accepting a choice as she could hope for.

She just... couldn't do it. Mara might well be lying to Anna - she could have been doing so all along - but Elsa just couldn't bring herself to cause Anna that kind of pain, even if it would be for her own good. She didn't think that spoke very highly of her as a Queen or a sister, but there it was.

Instead, she asked, "Is there anything I should be aware of, regarding the people? You would have a better idea what they might need that I might be able to provide."

So they sat down to discuss the state of affairs in Arendelle, and Elsa did her best to set thoughts of Mara aside, while enjoying the break from the party, focusing on the Bishop's words.

Something told her that the reprieve would be a short one.

It was the laughter that first made him realize there was a problem.

It wasn't that laughter, in and of itself, was something he found unusual during a party. Far from it. But he had been discreetly exploring the palace, and the section he was currently in should have been empty.

A quick glance around the corner showed him a maid talking to another guest. Not the one he'd been looking for, but the few details he'd had time to take in suggested a servant, or staff member. He needed to get closer.

Silently, he slipped into the nearest room. It wound up being a bedroom, indicating he was in the living quarters. Or near them, anyway, as it was devoid of any sign of inhabitation. A guest room, then? Either way, that meant no one around to need to make excuses to. He headed for the far window, opening it as quietly as possible and looking out. As he'd hoped, there was a ledge running along the wall. (Gust rooms, evidently, did not get balconies.) He climbed out onto the ledge, grateful that this side of the palace was facing the ocean, so it was unlikely he would be spotted as he crept slowly along. As he'd hoped, the window closest to where he estimated the maid and unidentified guest were was also unlocked, and he carefully eased inside, shutting the window and creeping toward the door. He knelt down in front of it, peering through the keyhole.

As expected, he was right across from where the giggling maid was standing. He couldn't quite see the other man from where he was, but he supposed you couldn't have everything. If nothing else, he could hear them perfectly, now. Their conversation seemed perfectly normal, at first, just a man flirting with a pretty maid. Yet, his instincts told him something was very wrong.

He was quickly proved right when the man placed a hand on the maid's face, and she abruptly stopped laughing, or speaking. Or blinking, for that matter, simply staring straight ahead. "No, my dear, you're going to answer a few questions for me, understand?" the man - or whatever this being actually was - asked.

"Yes," the maid replied, monotone.

"Good. Now, what can you tell me about your new Queen?"

"She was born on-"

"No, stop." A brief flash or irritation. "I mean currently. Is there anything... unusual... about her?"

"I don't know. There are rumors. We're not supposed to ask why she never used to come out of her room. No one talks about it."

"What rumors?"

"Some people think she has magical powers."

Their unknown listener raised an eyebrow. That was interesting, and something to look into later. If she'd been locking herself away, though, chances were she had nothing to do with the forces of evil, and his orders (thankfully) did not include eliminating potential threats.

"Who'd know details about that?"

"Kai or Gerda, perhaps. Princess Anna, for certain."

"Well, how fortunate for us that young Hans is set on seducing her, then," he remarked, and the listener grimaced. He'd thought the creature's outfit looked familiar - it had originated in the Southern Isles, along with intended target, Prince Hans. The young prince's flirtations with the forces of darkness had come to The Order's attention some time ago, but clearly things had progressed further than anyone had thought, faster than he would have guessed.

The prince, it seemed, was not quite as patient as he liked to pretend he was.

He was so distracted by that revelation, he almost missed what was said next. "Is there anything worth noting about Princess Anna that might help in her seduction?"

"After she got Queen Elsa to come out of her chambers more frequently, she spends most of her free time with or near her. I don't think she has any other friends, though from what I've heard, when she was a child, she used to play with another girl named Mara."

The man whipped around abruptly, stalking closer to the hapless maid - and finally coming into view of the keyhole, allowing the Listener to see his golden eyes. A minor demon, then. Luckily, its shapeshifting was confined to a single human appearance, or it would be even more of a headache than it already was due to the mental abilities it had. Not outright control, thank goodness, but it could plant ideas that got people to do what it wanted, anyway, and, as evidenced by the poor maid, place its victims into trances. "Mara?" it asked sharply. "When was this?"

"When she was a child. No one's spoken of her in years."

"Then this Elsa is the one." The remark was obviously not addressed to anyone. The demon tapped her on the forehead, and she staggered back, looking confused. "I think I've taken up enough of your time," it said smoothly. "I'm sure you have duties to attend to elsewhere." It pivoted on its heel and walked off, leaving the shaken and bewildered maid behind.

On the other side of the door, the listener sat back, mind racing. He wasn't sure what was going on in Arendelle just yet, but it was clearly worse than his superiors had imagined. He had a sneaking suspicion that it probably required more than one agent to handle, but even if he sent off a request for backup that second, it would probably be too late before the dispatch reached the closest other field agent (Lucas, down in Denmark, if he recalled correctly), let alone before any help could arrive.

Well... He was going to have to improvise, then. It might well mean another chastisement from his superiors, who did not approve of when he did such things, but better that than any innocent lives lost.

The maid had moved off by this point, so he was free to exit into the hall and head back toward the party. He was sure he'd seen the Bishop from the coronation there at one point. With luck, he still was, or at least someone there would be able to point him in the right direction.

Hopefully, he wouldn't have to rely on luck.

She didn't want to admit it, but Anna was starting to get freaked out.

She hadn't been able to find Elsa, but she had run into Henrik Lunde, the Trade Minister. Deciding it was best to warn as many people about Hans as she could, she'd blurted out the whole story (minus anything Mara-related). She'd expected horror, she'd expected shock, she'd even expected disbelief.

She had not expected outright dismissal. "Don't be ridiculous, Princess. Prince Hans is a man of sterling character. We're lucky to have him here."

Nothing else she said made a dent, so she'd moved on, confused and hurt by the whole thing. When she saw Anders Holstein, the Prime Minister, she tried again. And was dismissed again.

With the exact same words.

The exact same thing happened with Harald Nordberg (whose first name she finally remembered), Minister of Finances. And the Minister of Agriculture. And the Minister of Labor. And the Captain of the Guard.

Exactly the same response.

Every.

Single.

Word.

It took all of her etiquette and composure lessons to keep from giving into panic. "What are we gonna do?" she whispered desperately as she walked along the edge of the ballroom as casually as she could manage.

If we can kill the demon, its hold on its victims will be released.

"Assuming it doesn't direct them to kill us first?!" And assuming they even could do that. Not that she even wanted to think about killing anything, really.

I doubt it'll have been able to override their loyalty to the royal family, especially the Queen. If Elsa orders them to stand down, they will.

"Unless it got to her, too," she breathed, giving voice to her greatest fear.

No. It requires physical contact to influence people, which she would avoid. I'm fairly certain her magic would render her immune to anything especially overt, in any event.

She was? Why? Because... Because they'd originally sent a wraith?

I wasn't given any explanations, only orders. But... I couldn't get in. I tried - I wanted to understand her - but her magic kept me out.

Well, that was... good? Whatever, she'd worry about it later. Right now, though, between Hans, his demon buddy, and all the compromised government officials, there were too many things going on at once to keep track of, even with Mara's help. What she needed was some help of her own, someone Hans wouldn't suspect, and the demon wouldn't have gotten to.

"Ah, Princess! Come for another round, have you?"

Well... Desperate times called for desperate measures? If nothing else, the Duke of Weasel Town had already established he was curious about Arendelle and what went on in it, so him asking more questions shouldn't raise too much suspicion.

I'd rather anyone else be helping us, too. But, you know, if you're going to ask him for help, you might want to at least get the name of his Duchy correct.

Oh. Well... There was that, she supposed. "Your Grace," she said, summoning up every last shred of diplomacy she had left in her just then. "Actually, I was wondering if you could help me. It involves Prince Hans, and a rather... unsavory associate of his."

"Oh?"

"Yes." So, once again, she explained. This time, though, her audience took her seriously.

A little too seriously.

"I knew there was something unnatural about that boy," he muttered darkly. "Consorting with demons? Engaging in sorcery?"

"Well, the first one, anyway." She didn't like that he evidently included all magic in the same evil category. "I mean, I know there's good magic out there. My aunt in Corona would have died during her pregnancy, otherwise. To say nothing of my cousin."

He seemed mildly chastised. "Ah... Yes, I suppose that's true. Still, though, something needs to be done about Hans!"

Now that was a subject she could get behind. "Right. I need to find Elsa, and let her know about all of this. I need you to keep an eye on Hans, but don't let him know that you're onto him."

Only you could manage to channel his bigotry against the supernatural for the side of good.

She didn't think he was that bad, really. Just ignorant. Besides, he was a diplomat, right? Surely he would fool Hans into thinking he was safe to ignore.

"Not to worry, my dear, my acting abilities are second only to my skills on the dance floor!"

Oh, yeah. This is going to end well.

Anna... wished she could disagree.

There was a knock at the door to her study.

Elsa frowned. One of the servants would have announced themselves by now, and any guard that had something important enough to tell her wouldn't just be standing out there. One of the guests, perhaps? They shouldn't have been allowed to leave the ballroom unescorted, certainly not far enough to get to her study, but she supposed it was always possible one of them had snuck past the guards' watchful eyes. Was this sort of thing what it had been like for her father, when the gates had been open?

If so, she couldn't say she regretted their being closed, now.

"Yes?" she called warily. She and the Bishop had been in the middle of discussing setting up a charitable fund for ice miners injured in the course of their (admittedly dangerous) work, and she wanted to get back to it.

The door opened, revealing...

She had no idea.

He was tall, and probably only a few years older than she was, if that. His complexion suggested he was from Spain or Portugal. His hair was carefully trimmed and styled. His eyes were dark...

Her cheeks tinged just the faintest shade of red. And far too easy to fall into.

She... supposed he was attractive... if one went in for that type.

His formalwear also wasn't out of place, despite being nothing special, as far as suits went. "I apologize for intruding, Your Majesty," he said, bowing deeply. "I was hoping to be able to speak to the Bishop about a matter of some urgency."

Bishop Peder rose to his feet, Elsa following suit out of a mix of courtesy and wariness of the visitor. "What is the nature of the situation, my son?"

He hesitated, then nodded. "I suppose I may as well tell you now. Queen Elsa has a right to know, as well, since it involves her sister."

Elsa's stomach began to tie itself in knots.

"My name is Carlos Araya, and I'm a member of the Order of Saint George. I need your help."