a/n: Sorry if this one is a little long, and late, but I said for a few people I would make it longer so here it is!


"Elsa?"

Anna had been waiting for her all morning. The princess's head hurt a little, but she felt swelling on her lip had decreased, and the lump on her head was also not as sever. She had slept perfectly and Kristoff had been right there to make sure she was fine. Now it was Anna's turn to worry about Elsa.

knock knock knock-knock knock

"Elsa?" Anna looked around for something to bash the door in with, but seeing nothing tried the door again. Just as she was putting her hand on the handle, Elsa swung the door open, pulling Anna in. And because Anna's balance was so amazing she tripped over Elsa's foot and landed with a thud on the ground.

She rolled over and said with a grunt "greetings sister of mine."

"Sorry," said Elsa chuckling and pulling Anna up.

"Hey don't you know what time it is?" Anna asked.

"Not really. Why?"

"Oh I don't know," said Anna sarcastically "maybe because YOU HAVE A DATE WITH FREIDRICH IN HALF AN HOUR!"

It took a second for Elsa to compute this information. Oh no. The DATE! How could I have slept in this late! Hey that rhymed. This is no time for rhyming!

"Quick! Help me find what to wear" Elsa said to Anna.

"You go wash! There is still makeup on your face! I'll get Gerda!" said Anna frantically.

Elsa ran to her bathroom and washed every bit of anything off her face. A few minutes later with the help of Gerda she was in a nice hot bath. It felt good to just soak for a minute. Normally hot baths were too much, but today Elsa was in a hurry.

She wrapped a towel around herself, her skin pink from the heat. Gerda helped her into a simple dark red dress. A bit of a plot twist for the Snow Queen. After quickly throwing her hair into a bun, Elsa launched herself down the stairs to the dining hall like she used to when she was little.

There he was sitting at the small round breakfast table, attempting to look relaxed, but she could see his boot bouncing off the floor under the white table cloth. His simple blue jacket and black pants looked spick and span... minus the wet spot on his leg. He had tried to cover it with a napkin, but his hand had been quivering so much with the glass of water he had been holding spilled everywhere. The prince stood as Elsa entered and was helped into her chair.

"Good morning Elsa." said Friedrich with only a small shake in his voice.

"Good morning," the Queen replied pleasantly. It was cute the way he was nervous.

Kaye quickly came by with menus for lunch. "Actually Kaye, might I have a breakfast menu? I only just woke." said Elsa.

"Of course ma'am," he replied curtly, "and for you your highness?"

"Yes, yes I'd like some breakfast too I think." he said. Kaye left to fetch the menus and Elsa could feel the table jumping from the prince's boot.

"If you don't stop that before we eat I'll have to freeze your foot." Elsa teased.

"I'm very sorry," Friedrich laughed nervously, "I am not myself."

"I'm only teasing," Elsa chuckled, but he still made an effort to be still. He just had so much he wanted to say, and little time to say it.

Kaye came back with the menus, and Elsa ordered first, "I'll have waffles and eggs, with strawberries and chocolate syrup, oh and hot chocolate."

"Hot chocolate ma'am? Your drinks are usually chilled." said Kaye in confusion.

"This is a time of change isn't it?" she responded pleasantly.

"Of course Your Majesty. Would your highness like the same?" asked the butler.

"Um. Well definitely eggs, but pancakes and sausage please. Oh, and the hot chocolate," he said with a wink, now finally settling into himself.

Kaye took the menus and left for the kitchen. They sat for a moment and looked around nervously. The hall was a long room, which led into the other side of the library, and had tall windows on the back wall to allow the midday sun to seep into the room, which reflected off the yellow paint. Not a very traditional room, but none the less loved.

"Why do you usually take your drinks cold?" asked Friedrich eventually.

"Oh, well hot ones have a strange side effect for me." Elsa said trying not to blush.

"What is it?" Friedrich asked, obviously intrigued.

"You'll see I promise," she laughed, "but it is strange."

"Well I'm sure its not the most strange thing I've seen here." said Friedrich, trying to keep the mood light.

"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.

"I just mean… Well your powers in general. They are a bit different. Not bad, just… just different."

"Some peoples see different as bad." said Elsa, unwillingly turning her thoughts somewhere less happy than before. She realized that she had said out loud what she had been thinking. Elsa kicked herself inwardly for being so foolish. But she actually did that a lot around Prince Friedrich. He just… got her to loosen up. Anna did the same thing, but this was a different kind of special.

"Someone thought your powers were bad?" The surprise in his voice was obvious and her eyes widened with wonder. He thinks my powers are good?

"A lot of people did, or do I suppose. My-" she stopped herself. Don't talk about him. He didn't understand.

"Your...? Elsa," he took her hand from under the table and held it for a moment, "I just want to help you." His eyes penetrated hers.

Normally she might have been excited he was holding her hand, but this was not the time. Elsa was waging a battle within herself whether or not to speak.

You haven't even talked to Anna about this.

But I will soon

Why haven't you already?

I wasn't ready!

But you are now, because of him?

YES!

The former princess took a deep breath and began. "When I was young, I harmed Anna. I struck her with my powers and she was hurt. I couldn't do anything, I didn't know what to do. After Anna was healed, my parents sent most of the staff away, and I was separated from Anna, from everyone, to keep them safe. The goal was to control the magic. I was to conceal it, because, well the logic was, if I could conceal it that meant I could control it. My parents didn't know any better, they just tried what they could. I don't think they saw it as a gift." Elsa finished looking down.

Friedrich processed the information. He saw the thought process, but there had to be a better solution. "Why not let you try and control it your own way" he offered.

"That had been tried. My great-grandfather's brother had powers too. He was allowed to experiment and find his own limits. But one day he stuck himself, and he didn't tell anyone, because he was afraid. By the time everyone found out… no one could do anything. Thats why I was taught to conceal," she could feel her eyes stinging and her face flushing. "and Anna had to grow up alone. But it wasn't my parents' fault! It was mine! I never learned! I never-"

"Elsa. It wasn't anyone's fault."

The Snow Queen, usually so formal, so withdrawn and composed, was crying right there in the dining room. She recovered as quickly as she could, for poor Friedrich's sake.

"Look at me," she laughed, wiping away a few tears, "talking about my traumatizing childhood when there is food to be eaten." She waved over the footmen, and their breakfast was served. "Priorities: food comes first."

The food was delicious and comforting. Friedrich waited and watch the Queen to eat so that he could really see how she took her bites. Normally he was a very enthusiastic eater, but he wanted to be sure that he didn't offend her with such large bites

Elsa ate delicately, not wanting to scar Friedrich for life with her avid eating abilities. She loved food, not only because it ended the grumbling in her stomach, but also because of all the flavors and variety that was available in her kingdom. Food was truly the window to the soul, not the eyes. At least in her opinion.

"This is excellent sausage, as good as in the West." exclaimed Friedrich as clearly as he could between bites

"I'll tell the cook you enjoyed it," Elsa smiled. She was grateful the food had made her forget about sad things for a while.

"So what do hot drinks do?" asked Friedrich playfully.

"Ready?" she asked. He nodded and Elsa took a sip of the warm drink. She could feel the heat sliding down her throat and then the heat rising up again. She coughed a little, but out it came. Steam came pouring out of her mouth, and because heat rises, a little out of her nose.

Friedrich looked delighted, "Thats incredible!" he exclaimed as he came around the table to get a better look.

"I look like a dragon don't I?" she joked.

"Thats not bad at all, I hope you know. A very attractive dragon." laughed Friedrich.

Soon Elsa and Friedrich were both giggling and laughing at the sight of steam seeping out of the corners of Elsa's mouth. Elsa forgot about what had made her sad a few minutes ago. She just laughed.

"It does get a little troublesome after a while," Elsa chuckled as she and Friedrich took another bite.

"Are you going to breath fire next?" teased Friedrich.

Elsa drank some more hot chocolate, letting the steam build in her mouth, and then took in a huge breath through her nose and blew it into Friedrich's face. Only after this did she think about how her breath might smell. Elsa began to be furious with herself, and was just able to stop a blizzard erupting. But then the prince began to laugh and then so did she.

"Well if that is the most odd thing I'll see here, than I must say that I am not worried in the slightest." chuckled Friedrich.

"Well thank you, but maybe you will see something else that is a bit more out of the ordinary," Elsa said with a smile looking up as she took another sip.

"Like what?" the prince asked curiously.

Elsa looked down and played with the food on her plate, "Oh I don't know, another talking snowman, carrot-devouring reindeer, an indoor-ice rink. Would any of those be the least weird?"

"At this point? Of course not." Friedrich said with a smile. He started to remember why he had asked Elsa to lunch in the first place. And then his leg wanted to twitch again. "Elsa, do you remember why I asked you to come to lunch with me?" he asked nervously.

She bit the inside of her lip, "I remember you wanted to say something."

"I do. I wanted to say that I am immensely glad I came. Mia tried to convince me, and I wouldn't give in, but after a few weeks I did. I knew that you, and as far as we knew Anna, were...available." He looked up nervously to see the Queen's expression. Calm and curious, but as he looked up she looked down. "I was afraid that Alexander or someone would try and push one of us together, which is why I didn't want to come in the first place. But not because I didn't think I'd like you!" he added seeing the look on Elsa's face "I just wanted to choose for myself."

Elsa looked up for the first time the whole conversation, out of surprise because she had felt the same way. Then she saw that he was looking at her full in the eyes.

"But then I met you and I found out that Anna was spoken for, and when we met on the dock I was so-"

"Your Majesty!"

Elsa almost threw the table over.

"Your Majesty, I must speak with you!" said Sir Filip Lindström. He was Elsa's advisor, and between her parent's death and her coronation, the steward of the thrown. He was short and robust, and had a thick, black mustache. Normally he acted as a sort of surrogate uncle, but right now, Elsa wanted to freeze his mouth for spoiling her moment.

After seeing Elsa and Friedrich, Lindström stopped and looked awkward.

"Can I help you Sir Filip?" asked Elsa in a calm, icy tone.

"Well I… Should I come back later?" he asked in his reedy voice.

"You're here now, so you might as well stay." she said in her still frozen volume. It had the same effect it had on Friedrich when they were arguing. Sir Filip couldn't move for fear.

"Its the Duke of Wesselton. He wishes to speak with you." said the advisor.

"Very well, I'll be down directly. Tell him just to wait for me to finish my meal."

"Of course ma'am. Would you like me to attend the meeting as well?" he asked trying to sound larger than he was.

"No thank you Sir Filip, I am quite capable." said the Queen without hardly blinking.

"Very well Queen Elsa." he said with a bow, and swiftly left the room.

"I am so sorry Friedrich." said Elsa with all sincerity. "It seems every time we try and talk there is an interruption."

"I completely understand." said Friedrich, "However if this Duke causes any more problems, I'll have to have words with him." he added attempting to lighten the mood.

"Thank you Prince Friedrich. I do have to go though, so I will just eat this quickly," she said eating her waffle as fast as humanly possible. She had lost her pleasant demeanor, and now not even Friedrich's pleasant conversation could console her.

Feeling unsure, the poor man just sat and ate quietly. Elsa said thank you and left with sharp steps. By the time she reached the dungeon, she was ready to strangle the Duke because now twice she had a moment with Friedrich ruined by him.

She reached the gate down to the cells and was met by none other than King Alexander.

Elsa knew that it was no use hiding her anger from him, he was a ruler and knew how to spot another's fury. "What are you doing here Alex?"

"Well, you did want me to help in some way didn't you? This is how." he said curtly.

Without further ado, Elsa had the guards at the gate unlock them and stepped down the cold, damp steps into the unknown blackness.