The sound of dripping water had prompted Elsa to open her eyes slowly. There was an irregular pounding in her head, something that she'd never felt before, almost as if she had just returned from an out of body experience. She shook her achy head from side to side while she waited for her vision to return to normal.

When the images of her blurry surroundings finally cleared, she found herself in a cold, damp, stone room, almost like a basement or dungeon. She tried to sit up and look around, but her wrists and ankles were chained to the slightly angled table she was laying on. She jerked her arms around in a feeble attempt at breaking the chains, but she barely had any feeling in them. In fact, she couldn't really feel anything at all. When she realized she wasn't going anywhere, she hysterically looked around the best she could, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Ah, she's awake," Kristoff said, emerging from a shadow in the corner of the room.

"Kristoff?" Elsa muttered, sleepiness and confusion evident in her voice. "What's happening?"

He smirked and sauntered over to her, hands held behind his back and chest puffed out. "It's all falling into place, my dear. That's what's happening."

For a moment, Elsa wasn't even sure if it was really Kristoff she was talking to. His hair was slicked to the side, and his eyes appeared smaller. His jaw was sharp, and his face perfectly clean shaven. He was dressed rather nicely, but his figure looked as if it was made of steel. He sounded so much different. So refined and intelligent. He wasn't the charmingly goofy guy that everyone was used to. He sounded almost… evil.

"Falling into place? What do you mean?" she said weakly.

He chuckled. "Let's just say," he said with an exaggerated sigh, "that soon, everything will be the way it always should have been." He put his fingertips under her chin and propped her head up a little. "And just in case everything goes according to plan, and you don't survive the procedure, I'd like to thank you in advance."

"Wait, what?" Elsa exclaimed, forgetting about the chains and trying again to sit up. But she winced and let out a yelp, a sharp pain in her side now forcing her to keep still. She did however manage to look down at her excruciatingly sore side, and found that there was a huge gash just above her right hip. She gasped, and winced in pain again.

"The sedative is wearing off. I'm going to be a nice guy, and advise that you stay still."

"Sedative?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Yes, sedative. It's this stuff that basically knocks you out so you can't feel anything," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Kristoff, what's going on?"

"Remember that time when that guy Hans tried to do you and your sister in and take your throne? That's nothing. Just wait until you see what I have planned."

Elsa tensed at the mention of her sister. "Where is Anna?" she asked, noticeably worried.

Kristoff turned around so his back was facing her. "I don't think you want to know."

"Where is she?" she asked again, rather harshly this time. She tried to conjure up a snowstorm to intimidate him, but nothing happened.

"Oh, relax," he said nonchalantly, turning back around. "She's with that servant girl of yours."

"Callan?" Elsa said. Kristoff shrugged and nodded. "Where are they?"

Kristoff scrunched his face up. "Okay, if you really want to see them." He whistled, and a few seconds later a reindeer came in, hauling behind him a platform with two small poles stuck into it. Anna and Callan were chained to each pole, both shivering, looking exhausted and hurt, and sporting hair as white as Elsa's. Anna had a gash matching Elsa's in her right side. Callan had a gash too, but hers was accompanied by many more small cuts and bruises, most of them on her arms and face. One of her eyes was swollen shut, and she had a big cut on her forehead. Even her clothes were tattered and torn.

"Kristoff, what did you do to them?" Elsa exclaimed.

"I did what I had to," he said meanly. He started walking over to the platform. "These two were merely a test, anyway. An experiment, if you will."

"A test? For what?"

"Look at you, asking all the hard questions," he said sarcastically, with a grin. "If you must know, a test to see if your magic could be transferred."

"What?" Elsa gasped.

Kristoff continued his walk to the platform and stood beside Anna. "You've got ice in your veins, Elsa. Literally. Which is why it was so easy to send the stuff over to Anna, seeing as how you're sisters." Kristoff condescendingly patted her head, which she had down. "Can't quite say the same for poor what's-her-name."

"Anna! Callan!" Elsa called, if anything to make sure they were responsive. Callan raised her head ever so slightly, and her expression was one of despair. Anna looked over at her older sister cautiously.

"Elsa," she said faintly. "Your hair."

"My hair? What about it?" She flipped her hair a few times until her braid fell in front of her shoulder. "Oh my goodness!" she gasped when she saw that only the tips of her hair were her normal platinum blonde. The rest, as far as she could see, was dark brown.

"You were so powerful," Kristoff started, strolling back over to Elsa. "You had enough power to hand out to those two, and you still have just a tiny bit left for yourself," he said, picking up the white tip of her braid and twirling it around.

"I… I don't understand," she stammered, in pure shock.

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "I'm going to have to spell this all out for you, aren't I?" He said. "Oh well. I think I owe it to you, anyway." He took a deep breath. "I'm taking your magic," he said flatly.

"What? Impossible! My powers can't be taken away! Believe me, I've tried."

"Oh, not so!" he laughed, holding up a finger. "Observe, exhibits A and B." He motioned to Anna and Callan. Elsa scoffed. "Don't believe me?" Kristoff said. "Go on, show her," he said to Anna.

"No," she replied.

Kristoff furrowed his brow. "What was that?" he said, placing his hands behind his back and walking over to the platform.

"I said no."

"And I said, show her." Anna said nothing, instead just sitting there as if she were a child in time-out. "Show her!" Kristoff shouted, and he backhanded her across the face.

"Anna!" Elsa yelled. "Kristoff, stop it!" She squirmed around furiously, trying again to break out of the chains.

Anna whimpered, and Kristoff raised his hand to slap her again. But before he could, she stomped her foot, and a frigid gust of wind swept through the room, and knocked Kristoff down.

He stood up slowly, chuckling and brushing off his clothes. He smoothed his hair back into place and walked over to Callan's half of the platform. "Feisty, isn't she? But you'll have to take my word for it about this one," he said, gripping Callan's arm. "The transfer worked, but barely. She has the power, but she's too weak to display it." He scoffed and threw her arm down. "Not like it'll matter soon, anyway."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Elsa asked nervously.

Kristoff laughed. "Excuse me," he apologized. "But your ignorance is hilarious. Look at how weak the initial transfer made all of you. Do you really think you'll survive a second?"

Elsa's face went paler than usual. Kristoff smirked.

"You've figured it out, then," he said. "Now that I know for sure that your magic can be moved around, all that's left to be done is to take it from where it is, and give it all to me. Sure, I'll have to rough myself up a little bit, but it'll be worth it." He walked over to Elsa, who was now breathing heavily and scrunching up defensively like a wild animal in a cage. "And as much as I'd love to spare at least you, and live a little Happily Ever After together," he said, placing his hand under her chin and bringing his face close to hers. "I need all of the juice I can get. You understand, right?" Elsa blew a raspberry in his face. He blinked a few times and backed away slowly. "Good," he said.

"How could you do this, Kristoff?" Elsa asked.

"What do you mean 'how could I do this'? How could I not?" he said, stretching his arms out, all of a sudden full of life. "Ice is my life, everyone knows that! Now imagine me, just some kid who grew up with nothing to his name except for a pile of rocks, the King of Ice! And I'm going to do whatever the hell I want."

He strode over to a table that Elsa hadn't previously noticed. He picked up an empty syringe, strode over to Callan, and jammed it into the gouge in her side. Anna and Elsa winced, and both kept their eyes closed, Callan screaming and wailing as Elsa's powers were being siphoned from her, her life also draining.

When the commotion stopped, Elsa opened her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. "No…" she said softy. She looked up, and saw Callan hanging there limply, her hair, and the rest of her, all the same shade of lifeless gray, and Kristoff holding the syringe up confidently.

"Watch this," he said. He stuck the needle into his arm, and pressed the shiny, blue, magical contents into his own blood. He winced and grunted a little, but seemed otherwise unaffected. His hair turned one shade lighter. "One down, two to go," he exhaled, his now chilly breath making itself evident. "And that's how it's done. I'm sure there are other ways I could've taken your magic," he winked. "But I'm not a barbarian," he added, flicking the needle.

"Don't do this," Elsa pleaded.

"Was that your attempt at stopping me? How cute," Kristoff said, cocking his head. "I have to say though, it would be a bit much for you to watch your precious little sister meet her fate. So I'm going to be a really nice guy, and do you in first."

Anna's head shot up. "No!"

Kristoff grinned slyly and ambled back over to Elsa's table. He held the syringe up and waggled his eyebrows.

"Elsa!" Anna yelled. "Elsa! Kristoff, don't!"

Elsa was, at this point, hyperventilating, and jerking around violently in one final attempt at breaking free.

"Save it, sweetie," Kristoff said, slightly annoyed. "It's no use. Just hold still." Elsa tried her hardest to call out to Anna one last time, but she couldn't speak. Kristoff drew his arm back, winding up for the dig. He used his free hand to pin Elsa's arm to the table, making her gash an easier target. He drove his arm down, and plunged the needle into her side.

Elsa gasped and snapped to an upright position. She was in a cold sweat, heavy breaths wracking her lungs. She frantically observed the setting. It was a bright, sunny morning, and she was in Anna's room. It was only a dream. She checked to make sure her hair was still her signature snowy blonde, and patted her sides to make sure she was in one piece. It was just a dream. Thank God it was just a dream. She looked down at Anna, who was laying in the bed beside her, just starting to stir awake.

She rolled over and stretched, accidentally shoving her hand into Elsa's face. "Oop, sorry," she said, the words slightly slurred. When Elsa didn't answer, she cracked one eye open to make sure it was in fact still Elsa who had been laying beside her. The first thing she noticed was Elsa's frightened, yet blank expression, as if she was in a trance. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"What? Yeah," she answered, snapping out of it. "I'm okay," she continued, subtly patting her sides again, just making sure. "Are you?" she asked Anna, in a worried tone.

"Um, yes, I'm fine," Anna said, slightly confused about how Elsa was acting.

Elsa sensed her sister's uncertainty, and calmed down. "I mean, how's your stomach feeling? All better?"

"Yes, actually! Sorry I had to bother you with it, but thanks for taking care of me last night."

"Of course, Anna. It was no bother," Elsa said, twisting awkwardly and reaching over to hug her sister. She wrapped her arms around Anna's waist, verifying that the gash in her side was also only imaginary.

"Woah, uh, hey. Good morning to you, too. Uh, Elsa? Are you sure you're okay?" Anna asked.

"Yes," Elsa answered, pulling away. "I just had a bad dream, that's all."

"Oh, goodness. I'm sorry," Anna said, turning to face her sister. Elsa chuckled and waved off the apology. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Elsa shrugged. "Kristoff was evil," she said, cracking a small smile at the thought of the real, polar opposite of evil Kristoff. "He took my powers, and killed you, Callan and I."

"Evil Kristoff took your powers?" Anna said. "Wow, what a crazy dream."

"It was scary," said Elsa. "I was beyond relieved when I woke up and saw that we were both alive and well."

"I bet," Anna said, placing a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Speaking of Kristoff, do you think you'll talk to him today?" Anna continued after a few seconds.

"I don't know," Elsa sighed, bringing a hand up to her forehead. "I know I should, considering that we ended on a rather bad note yesterday, but I guess… maybe I'm still not sure. I just… I don't know."

"You're not sure? Of what, whether or not you love him? You told me you did. If this is about the dream you just had, Elsa that was just-"

"It's not about the dream, Anna. It just doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel… appropriate, I guess."

"How is it that you're more worried about it being appropriate now as opposed to when you two were sneaking around?" Anna laughed.

Elsa paused, and ran her fingers through her hair, which constantly looked perfect anyway, Anna noted with a twinge of jealously. "That's a good question."

"Maybe if you see him later and talk to him a bit you'll feel better."

"As if I'd know what to say to him," Elsa scoffed.

"Tell him that you loooove him!" Anna said, drawing out the word, and nudging her shoulder against Elsa's.

"Stop that," Elsa laughed. "There's no way I'm just going to blurt it out like that, if I even tell him at all. That'd be too forward. I think we all know that I'm not very forward."

"What do you mean 'if I even tell him at all'? Why wouldn't you tell him? You've told me, that was the hard part. Telling him should be a piece of cake."

"I don't want to tell him if I don't mean it, that's all. I know I told you that I love him, and I've been telling myself that too. But let's face it. I've spent most of my life locked in my room with a bunch of icicles. Who's to say I even know what love is?"

"Elsa, if you feel so strongly for someone that it causes you to say that you love them, then you probably love them," Anna said matter-of-factly.

"But what if my definition of love is different than his? What if him telling me he loves me means a certain amount to him, but me returning the feelings means a different amount to me?" Elsa said nervously.

"That's a risk that all of us have to take. I've learned that the hard way."

Elsa was silent. She had more on her mind, but she didn't really want to further bother Anna with her problems involving the guy who she thought was still her boyfriend just a few days earlier.

"And if it turns out that way," she continued anyway, "what if he moves on? What if he runs off and has some secret affair with…" She paused, thinking. "With Callan. What if he runs off and has some secret affair with Callan this time?"

"Oh, he wouldn't do that," Anna said.

"He's done it before!" Elsa said, throwing her hand up and motioning back and forth between the two of them.

Anna grimaced. Elsa had a point there. "Well, Callan wouldn't do that. She knows better. Plus, she's our friend."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Elsa said, running her fingers through her hair yet again.

"Okay, okay, we get it. Your hair is flawless. Stop showing off," Anna scowled.

"Jealous, aren't we, little sister?" Elsa giggled. She snapped her fingers, and a brisk wind almost magically tamed Anna's unruly mane with ease, leaving it in her signature braids. "There. Now it'll take you one less hour to get ready."

Anna stuck her tongue out. "Oh yeah? Well now that my hair's done-"

"You're welcome, by the way," Elsa interrupted.

"Yes, Elsa. Thank you," Anna rolled her eyes. "Anyway, now that my hair's done, I bet I can change faster and beat you downstairs."

"I bet you can't!" Elsa said playfully, hopping off of the bed and darting out of Anna's room, down the hall, and back into her own room.

"Stupid Elsa, always thinks she's so much better at everything than me, just because she's older. And the Queen. And magical," Anna mumbled to herself, but she was smiling. "Gotta love her," she said, struggling to slip into a dress as fast as possible. "Shoes, shoes, shoes…" she chanted, trying to find two matching ones out of the hugely disorganized pile of shoes in a corner of her closet. "Drat. Uh, these two will have to do."

She hopped out of her room on one foot, clumsily attempting to put on her other shoe. She looked down the hall and saw Elsa speed-walking towards the stairs. "Oh no you don't!" she said, starting to jog now that both shoes were firmly on her feet.

At the sight of Anna jogging, Elsa started too, and soon the girls were in a full on race to the dining room. Callan, who was already down there bright and early as usual, heard the commotion and nearly dropped the tray of drinks she was carrying. She looked over at the staircase and saw the girls rushing down, elbowing and bumping into each other. Just then, Anna pushed Elsa into the wall.

"Oof," she muttered. Thinking quickly, she flicked her wrist and froze Anna's feet to the stairs, much like she had done the day before, in a much different situation. Anna was forced to stop her forward momentum dead in her tracks.

"Woah!" she yelled, waving her arms frantically, trying to keep her balance. "Not cool, Elsa! I could have fallen!"

"I would have caught you," Elsa said with a wink as she passed Anna, reaching the bottom of the stairs first.

"Not fair!" Anna shouted. Elsa stood at the bottom of the stairs with her back to Anna, and couldn't help but let a few giggles escape, even though her sister was furious.

"Hey, hey you two! Stop it!" Callan shouted, running over to help Anna out of her icy bind. "What's going on?"

"We were racing to see who could be ready and downstairs faster, and Elsa cheated!" Anna complained, sounding a lot like her five year old self.

"Oh, and like you didn't cheat by pushing me into the wall?" Elsa said, turning around, but still holding her victorious spot in the dining room.

Anna blushed, and stomped down the rest of the stairs. She was glaring at Elsa rather fiercely, until she noticed something, then immediately lightened up. "Your crown! You forgot your crown!" she gasped. "That means you're not completely dressed! I win!" She jumped up and down a few times.

"What?" Elsa said, patting her head. This time it was her turn to blush. "Uh, I left it in my room because I'm taking today off. I'm not doing anything Queenly today, so I left it off."

"Liar! I win!" Anna beamed. "I win!"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'll give you this one."

"Wait, what?" Callan asked, totally lost. "You mean, you two aren't-"

"No, I'm not at her throat anymore, if that's what you were wondering," Anna explained. "I forgave her. We made up," she added with a smile, wrapping an arm around Elsa's waist. Elsa rested her elbow on Anna's head. "Oh, come on. I'm not that much shorter than you!"

"Oh, well, that's good," Callan said. She meant it, but her leftover confusion masked her genuine relief that the girls were no longer fighting. "Well, um, are we all ready for breakfast?"

"Yes, that'd be good Callan, thank you," Elsa said. "Oh, and just something light for Anna. She wasn't feeling well last night, so she needs to take it easy," she added in a slight whisper. Callan nodded and retreated into the kitchen.

"So have you given any more though into talking to Kristoff?" Anna asked, taking her seat at the table.

"You mean in the five minutes since we last talked about it? No."

"Alright, Queen Sassy Pants, I was just wondering."

Elsa chuckled at the new nickname Anna had given her. "Sorry," she said. "I'm just nervous. Is that weird?"

"Of course it's not weird," Anna said. Callan came out of the kitchen and set a plate of eggs in front of Elsa, and a plate of crackers in front of Anna. "Crackers? That's all?" she said, jealously eyeing Elsa's breakfast.

Callan blushed. "Well, uh, I suppose I could find you something else that would be easy on your stomach."

Anna thought for a moment. "Actually, this is perfect. You guys are right, I should take it easy. One thing's for sure, I don't want to see another chocolate for a very long time."

"Hi, one bag of chocolate please."

"Can do. What kind of chocolate for you, sir?" Birgiton asked from behind the glass display case.

"The Queen's Choice," Kristoff answered with a smile, placing the bouquet of ice roses on the counter temporarily. He searched in his pockets for some coins.

"Coming right up," said Birgiton. "This all must be for someone pretty special," he added, placing the bag of chocolate on the counter.

"Sure is!" Kristoff put some coins down and picked the bag up, cradling it securely in the crook of his left arm. "Thank you, my good man!" he said cheerfully, grabbing the flowers and marching out the door.

He found himself at the the palace in no time, all of a sudden nervous, and timidly approached the gates. He exhaled a breath he had been holding almost all day. "Okay, Kristoff, be cool. All you have to do is hand these to Sigvard, tell him to give them to Elsa, then leave. No problem." He sighed, and took a few steps towards the gates so the sentry could see him.

"Good afternoon, Kristoff! Come on in," the sentry said, leaving his post to open the doors for Kristoff.

"Thanks, but I just need to drop these off real quick."

"No problem. Go ahead."

Kristoff walked through the huge, beautifully decorated yard, and eventually made it to the main door. He took a deep breath, and knocked hesitantly. It took a few minutes for Sigvard to answer the door.

"Oh, hello there, Kristoff. Come on in," Sigvard said, stepping to the side and motioning for Kristoff to enter.

"Thank you, but I actually just came to drop these off. Could you please give these-"

"Oh, these must be for Anna! How beautiful!"

"Uh, they're for, um, Elsa, actually."

"Elsa? Oh, pardon me…" Sigvard said, clearly thrown off.

"No, it's fine. But if you could give these to her for me, that'd be-"

"Nonsense, my boy! She would love to receive these from you. Come in, and I'll fetch her for you."

"Sigvard, no, I really just-" he protested, but it was no use. Sigvard had ushered him in, and left him standing in the foyer while he searched for Elsa. Kristoff sighed.

Elsa, Anna and Callan had been sitting in the dining room all day, talking about anything and everything. Anna retold the story of how she rode her bike down the stairs as a child. Elsa explained how she made her ice castle, and told Anna and Callan that she would take them up to the North Mountain sometime soon. Callan even opened up a little more about her family.

"Dagvin has looked up to Aldrik ever since. Even now that they're much older, Dagvin practically mirrors him," she finished her story.

"That's too sweet!" Anna commented, looking at Elsa to see if she agreed. Elsa nodded.

"Your brothers sound nice. Why don't you invite them to dinner here some night? Your father, too."

Callan's eyes lit up. "You mean it?"

"Of course," Elsa smiled.

"Your Majesty," Sigvard addressed her, once he had found her. "You have a visitor."

Elsa looked at Anna, and both girls furrowed their brows. "Oh, uh, thank you, Sigvard. Ladies, excuse me," Elsa said, leaving her seat and following Sigvard back to the foyer.

"Kristoff!" she said, taken by surprise. Her heart seemed to skip about ten beats. She cracked a small smile when she noticed the flowers he was holding.

"I'll leave you two to talk, then," Sigvard said, bowing and taking his leave.

"Uh, hi," Kristoff said, not making even the slightest movement.

"Hi," Elsa replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, just came to, um, drop these off. For you, I mean. They're, uh, for you. They're yours. From me," he stammered.

"Oh, why thank you," Elsa said, walking over to him.

"I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. It was wrong of me to set you off like that. I don't know what in the world compelled me to say what I said… I really shouldn't have. At least… not yesterday. Not in that moment."

"Yeah, it was kind of a bad time," Elsa said, placing a hand on her neck. "But, I still shouldn't have reacted like that. And for that, I'm sorry. I had a lot on my plate, and I may have overreacted."

"No, no, you're fine. Uh, it's fine. You didn't overreact at all. You just didn't exactly react in a way I was prepared for, that's all. Don't apologize," he said. "It was a conversation for another day. I don't know why I had to even bring it up."

"It's okay, Kristoff," Elsa smiled softly, "It's better to say what's on your heart than to keep it bottled up."

"I guess you're right," he said, smiling in return.

"Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head comfortably on his shoulder. She took time to appreciate that his build was soft, yet strong, and he was nice and warm. Nothing like the Kristoff from her dream. "And what kind of chocolates might those be?"

"The Queen's Choice."

Elsa chuckled, then pulled away slightly. One arm still around Kristoff's waist, she brought her other hand up to his face and ran it down his cheek. He was a little scruffy, and his jaw was nowhere close to being the razor blade that the other Kristoff's appeared to be.

"Kristoff, I love you."

Sorry the update took so long, everybody. I got wrapped up in a couple other projects I've been working on. Again, my apologies, and as always, thanks for reading!