A/N: Thank you to White Belt Writer for pointing out my spelling mistake! Ugh, my stupid auto-correct. Mr. Boar, yeah I know. What I meant by 'thirteen years of isolation' since Elsa was eight when the accident happened, and Anna was five. If you mean something else, please tell me?

Again. No Kristoff and Anna. Sigh. Please don't be mad! I know some of you were interested in what had happened with the two of them, but I swear, all will be answered in the next chapter! I might have to rethink the whole 'own chapter' thing, though, by the looks of it, since I have difference plans for this new subplot I'm going to introduce in this chapter. So hang tight, please, guys!

Disclaimer: Frozen belongs to Disney, and yes, if I had enough money, I'd buy the rights to it.

Chapter 10: It's All Arranged

Olaf couldn't help but wander around town with Yvonne today. It was Christmas Eve, the day he had been waiting for since he heard about it! He was overwhelmed with glee and beaming since he was more than sure that his plan for seeing Santa would work. This time, he and Yvonne would set out freshly baked cookies and perfectly warm milk, so the big guy couldn't resist himself. Yvonne told him that their bait had worked days ago, and that Santa had his letter. Hopefully Olaf would get the train he wanted, and maybe Yvonne would get to see her parents, just like he had requested. The real problem was staying awake long enough to catch him in the act.

Yvonne wanted to buy gifts for everyone on her Christmas list, and even though Olaf didn't know what the purpose was of keeping a list, he wanted to tag along to capture the holiday view of the kingdom. Wreaths were pinned on doors, ribbons were streaming from windows, snowmen were built outside homes, (but of course these didn't talk like he did). Music was coming from an unknown source, the stringing of lutes and harps, playing of the piano. People were humming, some singing Christmas carols that he'd never know, and bells were being rung on every corner. Evergreen trees were seen from windows, decked out with colorful tinsel, beautiful ornaments, cranberries, popcorn on strings, and either a star or angel on top.

"All I have to do now is buy a present for Uncle Henrik," Yvonne said. Olaf looked at her to see her scratching her dark green cap, which was also covering her ears. It matched her cape, and her dress had a long-sleeved top and a lavender skirt. Her hair was in a single braid, reaching down to her waist. "But I think all he wants for Christmas is to make Queen Elsa happy," she mused, laughing.

"Huh?" Olaf asked, not having the slightest clue to what she was hinting at.

"My uncle likes Queen Elsa . . . He like-likes her."

"Like-likes?" Olaf repeated. "What does that mean?"

"He wants to be in a relationship with her. He goes on and on, talking about how sweet and pretty and elegant she is, and he makes little sketches of her in his sketchbook based from memory. He's captivated with her; he's just scared she'll reject him." Yvonne stepped over an icy puddle, looking straight forward.

"Whoa," the snowman breathed. "Cool!"

"I know right? Ooh, I should get him a bottle of egg nog. He loves egg nog around this time of year. I can ask Emil to get it for him, since I'd never be able to buy it myself. I mean, if I were a liquor store owner, why would I let a sixteen-year-old buy an alcoholic drink? Yeah." She stopped abruptly, making Olaf halt with her. "We should head back to the castle, make sure everything's in place, and then take a nap, so we can stay up tonight."

"Good idea. We don't want Santa to sneak underneath our noses," Olaf said, his voice sounding determined. "Race you to the castle!" He started running, or at least he thought he was, but Yvonne zoomed past him, leaving him in the snow . . . literally.

.:.^*^.:.

Elsa stood up straight, trying to keep herself from dozing off at the Council meeting. It was just a handful of old-timers with graying hair and muffled voices who wanted to keep Arendelle to stay the same. They often engaged in conflict with each other over it. Two or three younger individuals suggested that Arendelle tried to advance its ways and replace silly ones like the kingdom curfew, which was ten o' clock. Elsa half-heartedly agreed with the law, since she didn't want children being out in the dark. Today's topic was the trade between the Northern Isles and Arendelle, so she questioned why Henrik wasn't present.

"They shouldn't go all the way around from the east harbor, down to the Southern Isles, and then come up into our harbor! There's a shorter route: start shipping from the south harbor, then spend the three-day trip coming from there to here," an elderly man—Finn, his name was—pointed out, standing in front of an outdated map of the European continent, which had a close-up view of Norway.

"I was told that I was summoned for something important, not to appear disrespectful," Elsa spoke up. "I think the matter of trade routes isn't urgent. Besides, it should be up to the king if he wants to change his kingdom's shipping lanes."

"Speaking of the king, Your Majesty," Johanne, a middle-aged maiden, said. "We wanted to discuss things with you in private. Shut the doors, please," she pleaded. The two guards that maintained positions by the doors shut them, and then stepped in front of them, sitting up tall. "How is it going, between the two of you?"

People leaned in, awaiting Elsa's answer. She searched around for a single person who wasn't staring at her. Wasn't it rude to stare? More importantly, wasn't it rude to stare at the queen above all people? She squeezed her hands together, unsure of how to respond.

"Fine, if I may," she said. "King Henrik and I have shared a vast amount of time together, becoming familiar with each other's lives and kingdoms . . ." She knew her tone sounded sovereign enough to make it sound like nothing romantic took place between the two of them.

"Is that why both of you were seen with your lips stuck to each other's?" a younger lad asked obnoxiously. Leif, she thought his name was. He was new to the Council.

"What he meant to phrase was . . ." Johanne stalled, her eyes going up in thought. "Are the two of you . . . affectionate?"

Elsa nearly choked at the proposition, both of them. She was hesitant before she answered. "It's—it's hard to explain. Well, no. We're good friends, and we're very friendly, but what happened was that, he kissed me . . . and . . ." She stopped, knowing that her stutters were being overlooked and her facial expressions were what they were focusing on.

"It's fine. It was a part of the bargain, anyway," Lief said offhandedly, leaning back in his chair. The other members shot him sharp looks. He looked like he could care less.

Elsa, however, felt disturbed by his words, and the Council's looks. "What bargain?"

"My queen, you must understand that King Henrik has nothing to do with this," Finn said calmly, coming over to her, fear showing on her face. His face touched her shoulder. She looked down at the table, seeing that there was gathering ice and frost skidding across the smooth and fine wood. She tried to ease her nerves, but it wasn't working. It just kept spreading. Members stood up slowly, watching the table freeze. She looked up at Finn for answers.

"Explain," she said, her voice struggling to stay tranquil.

"The king, said by his advisors, has been showing an inability to communicate with his women suitors, and shows disinterest. So when news about Arendelle's newly crowned queen creating an eternal winter spread to the Northern Isles through their ambassador, who was in attendance at your coronation, he hatched a plan along with the Northern Isles' Royal Court, seeing that the king was interested in you. They decided, deliberately, that they would invite him and his niece to Arendelle in order for him to become acquainted, if not infatuated with you, and in one to two years' time, tie the Northern Isles and Arendelle closer through the marriage of the two monarchs."

Elsa was stunned. Now she knew that Henrik's romantic motives were of innocence, and he really did like her. He was just a poor pawn in his court's games, who wanted too much of him. She felt sorry for him—for his loss, his adjustment, and for this, which was going on behind his back.

"Might I ask what would happen if we don't get married in two years' time?" Elsa asked, trying to comprehend what they were talking about clearly.

"Since the Northern Isles' court thinks that their king is still an immature ruler who doesn't care for his kingdom, they will vote whether or not to remove him from the throne, and then crown the next living heir—Princess Yvonne of the Northern Isles," Johanne explained. "Probably before the kingdom's rebels get him first. They've always disapproved of him and his brother's rule. And the effect for you, my queen, won't be as drastic. Arendelle's court will organize a line of suitors for you, since some of them aren't fairly fond of the idea of a queen regnant."

Elsa's power eventually reached the rest of the table, and left an expanding trail of ice going towards the door. Her emotions were thrown all over the place, not knowing what to think of this new situation. Yes, she had some feelings for Henrik, but was she really ready to take on this new suggestion? Would she have to lie to him? If she did, what kind of love would that be?

Kisses! ~TwistedTelepath