Chapter 21 – On Foreign Shores

"The blow to his head worries me more than the flogging," Donner said, "though either could be the reason he's unconscious right now." The physician laid his hand on Bern's brow and sighed. "That's a powerfully high fever he's running."

They were in Lingarth castle, in a suite of rooms finer than anything in Arendelle Castle. When Elsa had bothered to notice her surroundings at all, she saw only that everything in Lingarth seemed to be bigger, busier, and more ornate than anything in Arendelle. Captain Evan had seen them into port. Captain Evan's surgeon had spread salve on Bern's back, then swathed him in bandages. The honor guard that the port admiral had hastily assembled as soon as he was convinced of Elsa's identity had fashioned a stretcher and taken Bern to the castle. Elsa met Crown Prince Victor and his wife, Princess Stella, but was too distracted by her concern for Bern to do much more than say who she was and ask for help. They'd sent the castle physician to follow up on what the naval surgeon had already done.

"Has he been conscious at all since the injury?" Donner asked.

Elsa had not been able to get her breath properly since Donner had said the words, "skull fracture," but she stopped choking on her fear long enough to say, "He's woken up a few times, but never all the way, and then he falls asleep again."

"He was struck yesterday evening? I'd like to see him awake by now, but there's nothing to do but wait, your Majesty," Donner said. He was a thin man with wispy gray hair framing a bald pate, past middle years, with a sharp nose and spectacles that he removed and put away now that the examination was over.

"What could be wrong?" Elsa asked, needing something more solid to worry about than what her own imagination had already suggested.

"Getting hit on the head can cause any number of problems: memory loss, confusion, blindness, difficulty speaking, palsy or paralysis."

Elsa looked at him in horror.

"Some of the worst symptoms may resolve with time," Donner offered.

Bern's father had never recovered; he'd died with those problems after suffering a stroke. Elsa took Bern's hand and stared at him with wide blue eyes.

"There, there. Physicians always have to tell you the worst. Let's not borrow trouble; no need to fret until he wakes up and we see for ourselves," Princess Stella said. "Thank you, Donner, please check back first thing tomorrow. Sarah, bring her Majesty and her husband a dinner tray, beef broth and wine for him. Ask Talma what else we should feed an invalid, and send her up. Talma is our most skilled nurse, your Majesty; she'll take good care of him. Sarah, clean clothes and a bath here as well."

Elsa ended up sniffling on Princess Stella's shoulder; she was a comfortable motherly woman in her late thirties with four children. Her husband, Crown Prince Victor, shifted his weight awkwardly at the presence of tears and suggested that he go speak to the port admiral about the captured ships sailing into port. Elsa had doubled the number of ships that needed mooring in their harbor.

Victor left, but Donner paused at the door. "I recommend complete rest for Queen Elsa as well. The strain of their ordeal may lead to nervous exhaustion."

Elsa was more than ready to believe that. She kept hold of Bern's hand; that kept the ice and snow from appearing, but there was nothing she could do about the tremors and tears.

"Would you like your own room?" Stella asked.

"No, I have to stay with him," Elsa replied.

There was a murmur of voices in the hallway, and they overheard Donner saying, "If it's a brief conversation; Queen Elsa is at the end of her strength," and then the door opened again, admitting a man as old as Donner, but more robust in build with red hair graying at the temples. Elsa thought he looked familiar, but his name was lost to her in the confusion of the past few days.

"Your Majesty, I met you briefly at your coronation. Lord Nolan of Lingarth, at your service," he said with a bow. "I had not heard of your marriage."

Gustav's friend, and now she placed him. He'd been in the ballroom when she'd frozen all Arendelle the day she was crowned; he'd also been the one who escorted Prince Hans out of Arendelle and informed them of his death.

"It was a private ceremony," Elsa said.

Lord Nolan's eyes went to the bed, and then his eyebrows went up. "Lord Councilor Bern is your husband?"

Elsa nodded.

"Your Majesty, may I write to Gustav and tell him that the two of you are here safely? I understand the circumstances were such that he may be very concerned."

"Only one of us is here safely, Lord Nolan," Elsa said, and then she started to cry in earnest.

"Write the letter, Nolan, and don't bother her further tonight," Stella told him.

"My apologies," Nolan said, and he bowed himself back out of the room.

The servants returned with trays of food. Talma was a middle-aged woman with a no-nonsense air and brown hair pulled back into a severe bun. Despite the fact that Elsa was a queen, Talma had no qualms about ordering Elsa to eat. Elsa would rather help get some nourishment into Bern, but Talma brooked no interference.

"He drank from a waterskin earlier today. He woke up enough to hold it himself and drink," Elsa said, trying to elbow Talma out of the way.

Talma quit trying to spoon beef broth into his mouth and poured a glass of wine.

"The waterskin had a drinking spout. He can't manage a goblet when he's lying down on his stomach," Elsa objected, wishing Talma would go away and let her nurse Bern herself.

"Those are only on ships; we don't have them at the castle," Talma said.

Elsa felt some vindication when the wine spilled.

Talma cleaned up the mess, then put her hand on Bern's brow, with a frown that made Elsa's heart skip a beat. "That's a dangerously high fever. I'll send for ice."

"I can help!" Elsa insisted. She took a towel from the tray and froze it, shouldering Talma out of the way to put it on his head. Then she thought that everything around him should be cooler, so she waved her hand and started a gentle snowfall just above him. "Would it help if I chilled the wine too?" Elsa looked around to get Talma's opinion, but Talma and Princess Stella had backed up to the doorway, and did not look inclined to come any closer.

"Magic, I have magic," Elsa said, and held out a hand that produced a few shimmers of snow. "That's all. I thought you'd heard of me."

Their expressions didn't change and Elsa gave up. They would have to be afraid of her if they wanted. She looked around for another way to help Bern and saw the pitcher of water on a dressing table, next to the basin that was used for washing up. She filled the goblet with water and brought it back to Bern. "Bern, I've brought you some water."

He responded to her voice, waking up enough to help hold the goblet, his eyes flickering open. "More."

Elsa poured more. Bern drank the entire pitcher of water before falling back to the bed with a sigh and going back to sleep. It seemed to her that his breathing was stronger – he didn't pause between the inhale and exhale anymore.

Elsa put a hand to his forehead and wished she could tell if he was feverish; he felt as warm as he always did to her. She turned to ask Talma to check, but they'd both fled the room. No matter; she wasn't in the mood to answer questions tonight. They'd brought her food, water to wash in, and a clean nightgown. Elsa ate, washed, changed into a nightgown and crawled into the bed next to Bern and took his hand, making ten thousand resolutions about how well she would treat him if only he would wake up and come back to her.

~###~

Elsa woke up when Bern coughed. "Bern? Are you awake?"

His eyes opened just a crack in the dim moonlight. "Elsa?"

"Yes! Yes, it's me! Oh, dearest, are you all right?"

"Waking up to you," he exhaled with a long sigh, "has always been my favorite dream."

"It isn't a dream, Bern! I'm really here. We're married now – don't you remember? Bern?"

But he had already faded out again.

Elsa barely closed her eyes the rest of the night, preferring instead to watch him sleep. He didn't stir when she traced the lines of his cheekbones and chin and memorized his features with her fingers and eyes. "You'll come back to me, won't you Bern? I didn't get a chance to love you as much as I should have."

~###~

The next morning, Talma brought them a tray of food, but hastily excused herself. Princess Stella didn't come at all. Elsa wished it was Anna and Kristoff who were here instead. Anna could charm everyone, and Kristoff would impress them. Instead, it was just her, and she'd scared everyone even though she hadn't lost control of her powers at all. That was the part that stung – they were afraid of her even though she was doing the best she could, and she'd done an excellent job, even if she did say so herself. But there were no congratulations from anyone in Lingarth for stopping the battle, or for the fact that summer still beat hot on the windowpanes. It didn't matter how well she controlled her powers, they were still going to avoid her and wish she was gone. Elsa indulged in self-pity for a few minutes, but then Bern woke up and she set all that aside to persuade Bern to eat and drink as much as he could.

"Elsa, where are we?"

"Lingarth, Bern."

He swallowed some peach juice, looked around with a vacant stare, and then asked, "This isn't Arendelle Castle, is it?"

"No, Bern, we're in Lingarth. This is Lingarth Castle."

"I've been to Lingarth before," he said.

Elsa poured him more peach juice.

"Elsa, this isn't Arendelle, is it?"

Elsa's heart sank. "No, Bern, we're in Lingarth."

She helped him lie down again, and he fell back to sleep.

They had much the same conversation the next time he woke up, his words slurring and slow. At least he could eat.

About mid-day, Elsa helped herself into a borrowed dress, which didn't even require a corset because it was too loose around the middle anyway. A servant appeared for the laundry, and did nothing but bob a fearful curtsy in Elsa's direction when Elsa asked for the physician, but then he did appear within a few minutes.

"He can't remember what I tell him," Elsa said.

Donner was running fingers around the base of Bern's skull, and had taken the bandages off his back to let the lash wounds dry out and scab over. "Does he know who you are?"

"Yes, but I don't think he remembers that we're married."

Donner nodded. "It may come back. He knows who you are, and who he is; go slowly and try not to upset him with questions or by seeming too worried. The swelling is less this morning. How much has he eaten?" Elsa told him and Donner seemed pleased to hear it.

When Donner left, Elsa carefully cooled the air around her hand and put her hand on his forehead. He did seem more comfortable that way, or at least that's what she told herself as she spent the rest of the day sitting next to him with her hand on his brow, talking to him without expecting any response. Elsa had never taken care of anyone else before; even Anna was more likely to take care of her than vice versa. Elsa didn't know what else to do besides sit and worry, so she did that the best she could, which meant she cried a lot.

The next morning, Talma brought another breakfast tray, and left again immediately.

"Bern, look, they've brought gruel and hot milk for breakfast," Elsa said.

"Is that supposed to make me want to get up?" His voice cracked and he spoke slowly, but she could understand him.

Elsa laughed with relief, then cried, then laughed some more.

"Elsa, why does my head hurt so much? And my back is so stiff."

"Try not to wonder about things like that, dearest, just eat something."

Elsa helped prop him up, and Bern did a slow and sloppy job of eating. He kept giving her curious looks, and she wished she'd taken more time combing her hair. She undoubtedly looked a fright.

"Your wedding veil had snowflakes on it," he said at last, staring at her like he was looking through her.

"Yes! Yes, it had snowflakes," Elsa said. She put her hand in his and his fingers searched out her wedding ring.

"Was the tiara made out of ice?"

Elsa nodded, keeping the tears back so as not to worry him.

"What did happen to your crown, Elsa? None of us ever dared ask."

"I threw it into that crevasse next to my palace on the North Mountain – I wasn't planning to ever go back to Arendelle, and I never wanted to be queen again."

"Do you sometimes wish I'd left you there?"

"Not anymore, dearest, not anymore. I'm so glad you never gave up on me; promise you never will."

"Promise I never will," Bern repeated slowly, and his words started to slur.

Elsa took the spoon and bowl away from him and guided him back down to the pillow. If he remembered the wedding, perhaps he would soon remember how she'd snubbed him on the only day of their honeymoon, and she didn't want him to remember that, or anything that happened after Prince Dominic captured them. Memories could be a burden, and she hoped he never would remember why his head and back hurt.

"Bern, if only you'd loved someone else," Elsa murmured, her hand cooling his brow again as he slept. He should be safely at home, in a tidy house with a comfortable wife who presented him no difficulties and was able to smooth out his life rather than complicate it as she invariably managed to do. She'd told him to go find someone else on several occasions, and it was as if she'd never spoken, and now she'd gotten him into this.

This was one of her deepest fears – she hurt the people she loved, or they got hurt because they loved her, either way it was all her fault. Bern wouldn't be injured if he'd shrugged and left when Prince Dominic arrived. Instead, he'd insisted on loving her and she'd been desperate enough to let him. This is how it had turned out – with Bern barely able to feed himself, words slurred and memory uncertain, injuries still dragging him into unconsciousness.

Her instincts were telling her to put him away somewhere safe and stay far from him, where the poisonous miasma that contaminated her life couldn't get to him again. She wanted him safe and happy, and she didn't believe he'd ever be safe if he stayed with her. But the happiness was another question.

Elsa's empathy flashed briefly through her heart with a reminder of what she already knew. Bern's deepest fear was rejection, not pain. What Prince Dominic had done was not the worst thing Bern could endure, from his point of view. The worst thing would be Elsa's rejection. Elsa could hurt Bern more than Prince Dominic ever could, just by trying to protect him and send him away. Somehow, for some reason, he wanted to be part of her life no matter what it cost him, and she knew he would willingly pay the price he was paying now, and count it well spent.

"I'm too much bother and effort," Elsa protested to her thoughts. "He deserves someone better, someone easier."

She cleaned up the breakfast tray where Bern had spilled, and dabbed a cool wet cloth over the mess of his back, cleaning up a few bloody streaks where the scabs had broken open again from the effort of sitting up. Then she sat and wished there was more she could do for him. Her heart ached to know that he would have to deal with much of this on his own and she wished she could share his burden better. If it would help him to simply sit next to him and be here whenever he woke up, then that's what she would do.

So that's what she was doing, sitting next to him, with a cool hand on his head, thinking of how much she loved him and hoping to hear his voice again, when she realized this was how Bern felt about her. She wasn't secretly wishing she could leave him and find someone who wasn't injured; she wanted him, and if these problems and difficulties became permanent, then all she wanted was to support him by whatever she could do. If he refused her help and insisted on doing everything himself, it would break her heart. The kindest thing he could do for her would be to accept her love and support and not insist she would be better off with someone else who didn't need so much help.

"Oh!" and she let the tears fall, "now I understand!"

~###~

"Are you sure you'll be all right with only the physician here, Bern?"

"Yes, queen of mine, I'll be fine."

It was four days later, and Bern had felt well enough to get up and even walk a few steps before getting dizzy, then grew curious about why they were left so completely alone. Elsa said that they'd seen some of her magic. "They haven't done more than pop in and out of the room since then, Bern."

Bern had suggested she pay them a visit, and Elsa could see the wisdom of it. It wouldn't do for their hosts to worry that she was going to freeze their land the way she'd once frozen Arendelle, and since she'd caused the worry, it was up to her to give the first reassurance. She did wish Bern could have come with her, though. She wouldn't have been as nervous about her powers if he was by her side. But there was nothing for it – he could barely stay on his feet long enough to get to the adjoining washroom.

"Do I look all right?" Elsa was in another borrowed gown, a green one that would have suited Anna better, with her hair washed, combed and braided.

"Better than all right."

When Donner arrived to check Bern's progress, he agreed to stay with Bern while Elsa left, and unsuccessfully tried to conceal his nervousness about Elsa leaving the room without warning anyone.

Elsa kissed him. Bern still seemed surprised every time she did that, and she didn't know if it was because he didn't remember their one day of honeymoon, or because he did.

Elsa wandered through corridors and down staircases, passing more servants than she'd ever seen around Arendelle Castle, and eventually found her way outside, opening a door into a closed courtyard that afforded no view of either harbor or city, but that was full of children, dirt, grass, balls and a few sticks that looked as if they might belong to a game. Within a very few minutes, Elsa had made a lifelong friend out of Princess Rose, a girl of twelve with the thin and awkward look of someone who has lately grown too fast, by making her a tiara out of ice; and won the devotion of Prince Stewart, Princess Sonia and another lively youngster who said his father was an earl, by creating a snow hill, complete with stairs to the summit and a supply of ice blocks for sliding.

Rose insisted she was too old to play in the snow castle Elsa made for several young ladyships who shrieked with delight and immediately took their dolls to their new home, but she did condescend to go inside and then come tell Elsa that she should add some furniture, which Elsa did. No adults appeared until Elsa was in an argument with Prince Stewart because she refused to double the height of the snow hill, even though he was nine years old and quite capable of sliding down something much bigger than a hill only suitable for children who did not yet know their alphabet. He rather reminded her of Kristoff.

"It's quite safe, Mother. She won't even make the hill big enough to suit Stewart," Rose comforted her mother, Princess Stella. "And did you know she's already a queen even though she's only twenty-one, only because her grandfather already died? Do you think grandfather will die before you are fifty-one? Because it must be a fine thing to be queen when you're still young enough to be so beautiful and have dollhouses made of snow."

"I hope I didn't overstep by playing with the children," Elsa said.

"Not at all," Stella replied, although judging by her expression, she wanted to say something else entirely.

A tall, blonde man came into the courtyard behind her, and called to the youngster who was sliding down the snow hill, so Elsa assumed he must be the earl. His son instead insisted his papa should come try the hill, and only left off sliding after the summons was repeated a second time in a sharper voice.

"Is Papa going to come see our snow? He would like it very much, Queen Elsa, I am sure, because he says you are the reason the Southern Isles have agreed to surrender," Rose said.

"They have?" Elsa said, startled, and wondered why they had not told her something so important.

"And Bayle is all full of himself that Papa is letting him attend the surrender conference and I'm not allowed, even though I'm very much as good at lessons as he is, only because I'm a girl. It must be wonderful to live in a kingdom without brothers, so the girls get to do the exciting things too," Rose managed to say while her mother tried to shush her.

"Bayle is in the line of succession," Stella said, by way of scolding her daughter.

"Oh yes, even worse, older brothers!" Rose said with a roll of her eyes, and then she caught at her tiara which was beginning to melt and slip along her hair.

By this time, Lord Nolan and Crown Prince Victor had also joined them in the courtyard, examining the snow hill and castle with cautious interest, and Elsa remembered the last time Lord Nolan had seen her powers, he'd seen her freeze all of Arendelle.

"Do you see how it is already beginning to melt?" Elsa pointed out, rubbing her foot along the edge of the snow slide where it had already become slushy. "It will be mostly gone by tomorrow, and you also see that there is no effect on the weather and the snow is not spreading. My magic will not harm Lingarth – you need have no concerns on that point. If you like, I can take it away right now." Elsa waved her hand and the snow slide disappeared in a cloud of blue sparkles, causing howls of disappointment from the little boys.

"Perhaps you could put it back," Princess Stella suggested.

Elsa poured the snow out of her hands as slowly as she could, letting Prince Victor, Princess Stella, Lord Nolan and the earl watch as she blew the hill into being, and then carved an icy staircase and banister, finishing up with a new pile of ice blocks.

"It's still not steep enough," Prince Stewart sulked.

~###~

"Did she leave any ice?" Bern asked the physician.

"I can send a servant to fetch some from the cold room," Donner replied.

Bern didn't stop him, even though he suspected that ordinary ice wouldn't do him any good.

When the bowl of ice arrived, Donner wrapped ice into a cloth and set it on Bern's forehead, with a comment about Bern's fever that Bern didn't bother to correct. He could tell the ice was cold, but it didn't offer the relief he needed. The fire in him was growing, becoming uneasy. Elsa hadn't gotten this far away from him since she'd lit an internal fire when she'd healed his sunburn. That was where his memories ended; several days were missing between braiding Elsa's hair on a sandy beach and then waking up in Lingarth Castle, with Elsa refusing to tell him any details about those missing days. He knew only that they'd been captured by Dominic and then escaped.

"Do you think she'll come back soon?" Bern asked.

"I hope so," the physician answered.

The heat in him felt more like a conscious force than an ordinary temperature change. There was a sense of yearning in it, both a need and a worry that craved Elsa's cool shadow. Bern stuffed down his misgivings. He couldn't tell Elsa about the strange connection she'd set off after she said her magic couldn't hurt him. She didn't want him to need her as much as he needed her; that much was obvious, and he couldn't add another demand. He could contain this on his own.

"Maybe another fire would help," Bern said, setting aside the ice. He got to his feet and fumbled for the cane they'd given him.

"I beg your pardon? Please lie down again, your Highness," Donner said.

Bern made it to the fireplace. When he reached for the matches, he knocked over the ash rake and tongs. The clatter startled him and he dropped the matches.

"Your Highness, let me call a servant for that," Donner insisted, ignoring the tools and trying to pull Bern back to his feet.

Bern put his hand down on the hearthstone, found a match, struck it and set it to the wood while Donner politely tried to stop him. "I need the fire," was all he said.

While the uneasiness about Elsa's absence didn't disappear, the fire distracted him and provided an unexpected feeling of companionship – odd to think a fire could be lonely and want company. Bern leaned his head against the edge of the fireplace and closed his eyes. The orange flicker against his eyelids felt restful.

"Your Highness, please," Donner said, still trying to pull him away from the fire. "A fever this high will impair your judgment. Please come back to bed."

"I don't have a fever," Bern said, and stayed where he was.

~###~

The children were enthralled with Elsa's magic; the adults clearly were not. After several more demonstrations of how well she could control her magic failed to reassure the adults in the courtyard, Elsa excused herself to go check on Bern. She left Princess Stella and the earl, who had never been introduced, to watch the children play in the summer snow while Prince Victor and Lord Nolan accompanied her back to her suite. Lord Nolan promptly made her homesick for Arendelle by talking about Gustav.

"No, I haven't had a reply yet to the letter I sent him," Nolan replied when she asked about it. "Even with a fair wind, the letter likely only arrived today."

Elsa nodded, and thought of another pressing issue. "Princess Rose said that the Southern Isles are surrendering, and a parley is to be held. I have an interest in those talks."

Lord Nolan looked at Crown Prince Victor, who hesitated, and then issued her a reluctant invitation to attend the conference.

"Thank you, I will. I have lately heard that the Southern Isles has warlike intentions towards Arendelle – some misunderstanding about Prince Hans' death, if my information is accurate." And then Elsa wondered if it was accurate – Prince Dominic was her source. "And I should like the opportunity to see their intentions for myself."

"They may be less inclined to warlike threats after seeing the short work you made of their navy," Prince Victor said.

"Then they may reassure me of that in person. Lord Nolan, you were with Prince Hans on his last voyage – do you have any idea why he died?" Elsa had her private suspicions, but they were too fanciful to share.

"None, and the ship's surgeon could only say that there were no injuries that would have caused his death. I know some say he was poisoned, but he had food and drink from the same source as the ship's officers and myself, and none of us were any more ill than is customary on a sea voyage," Nolan said.

"Did you talk to his brothers when you delivered his body to them? Were they upset by his death?"

"Yes, your Majesty," Nolan said, and then paused, lips pressed together and eyes darting around.

"Please be candid," Elsa said.

"May I ask you to be candid as well?" Victor interrupted. He was well into his fourth decade, and lacked laugh lines around his mouth and eyes. His forehead seemed to be used to a worried crease and the look he turned on Elsa was devoid of friendliness.

Elsa was taken aback at his tone, but then agreed.

With a glance, Victor signaled Nolan to answer her question.

"I saw only seven of his twelve brothers, and they had varying reactions to his death. Prince Hector and Prince Henry were rather disgusted with the reports of what he'd done. Prince Obadiah was the most full of genuine grief. Prince Anton and Prince Frank were more concerned about your magic than their brother's death. Prince Nels wanted to be sure the forms were correctly followed – he was the most upset at the decision he be buried in unhallowed ground. Prince Gerald refused to believe Prince Hans had tried to kill anyone. The king was on hand only briefly due to his advanced age and feebleness. I saw only disappointment from him, but then again, he is frequently disappointed with his sons," Nolan summarized.

Elsa nodded. A mixed bag of reactions would be more difficult to navigate than a united front, but it also presented some chance for change and compromise.

"Has Nolan been candid enough to satisfy you?" Victor asked.

"Yes," Elsa replied.

"Then you will be candid enough to satisfy me, your Majesty. I saw firsthand the destruction you wrought on those ships, which lent more credence to Nolan's report of the freeze you set off in Arendelle at your coronation. Up until then, I beg your pardon, Nolan, but I thought you'd broken character by exaggerating. Now I find my children playing in magical snow in the height of summer, and you wandering the castle without warning or escort. My wife tells me that you set off a snowstorm in your room shortly after arriving. I've heard from your Foreign Relations Councilor that you have control of these strange powers, but no one can say how that is accomplished. What guarantee do I have from you that Lingarth will not end in the same sort of freeze that has caused Arendelle so much difficulty?" Victor said, righteous indignation lending force to his voice and lowering his brows into something very close to a glare.

Elsa kept walking and kept her chin up. She had to, so as not to draw attention to the crackle of ice around her feet. "I regret that a traditional guarantee is not possible. My magic is bound to me and my emotions, which makes it difficult to explain the method of control. It has to do with love."

"Love?" Victor said, in the same tone he might have used to say, "fish entrails?"

They had almost reached Elsa's suite, so by the time Nolan looked down with a sharp gasp, drawing Victor's attention to the ice on the floor, Elsa was able to run to the door, calling back over her shoulder, "I'll show you!" She pushed open the door: "Bern, I need you! Please come to the door!"

Before Victor could have an apoplexy about the frozen corridor, the physician had lent Bern his shoulder and he'd walked to the door where Elsa took his hand and then waved at the ice in the corridor, which sparkled away.

"I can control the ice and snow quite well on my own now, but it's much faster when I have the help of someone who loves me, such as my husband or sister," Elsa explained. "You saw the snow in the courtyard was under my control, and is subject to the weather and will melt shortly."

Victor examined the corridor.

"Lord Nolan, it's a pleasure to see you again," Bern said, after blinking and staring at the scene in the hallway.

"Ah, yes, it's 'your Highness now,' is it?" Nolan said. "I understand congratulations are in order."

"Yes, and thank you for your hospitality."

At Bern's glance, Nolan introduced him to Crown Prince Victor, who still seemed more concerned with the corridor than with meeting Arendelle's newly wedded Prince Consort. Elsa was not impressed.

"Your Majesty, I will add an addendum to your invitation to attend the surrender conference with the Southern Isles. You may come as long as he does," Victor said with a nod towards Bern.

"He's ill!" Elsa protested, just as Bern said, "Yes, I'll be there."

"Very good," Victor said, meeting Bern's eyes for the first time. "I wish you a speedy recovery; we have a ship standing by to take you home as soon as you are well enough to travel. I beg to be excused; there is much to be done."

Victor and Nolan made their farewells, and Donner left as soon as he'd seen Bern settled into a chair. Bern kept hold of Elsa's hand and tried to hold her until she pulled away from him, too upset to want to be comforted right now. The fireplace drew her; she went to hold her hands to the flames. All the fires worked now, but she felt like she was cheating to feel warmth when she'd just left a trail of ice in the corridor.

"Elsa?"

"I'm fine!" she snapped.

"Really? I couldn't tell."

Elsa left the fire and opened the door. There was a guard there who offered to send a message or run whatever errand needed to be run so she would not need to leave her husband. Elsa thanked him and closed the door. Ice crackled across the floor and snowflakes appeared in the air. She pressed her lips together, folded her arms, and refused to cry.

"I didn't lose control at all until he started going on about how dangerous I was and demanding I guarantee I wouldn't lose control," Elsa burst out, pacing in footprints of ice. "And now there's a guard at the door so I don't sneak out again and freeze their crops or play with their children!"

She stopped and put her hands over her face. Within a moment, she felt Bern's arms go around her, as warm as the fire. The ice and snow in the room disappeared. She put her arms around him, careful of his back and held him tightly. "I did my best and it didn't do any good."

"You did the right thing to try, Elsa. Their reaction isn't your fault."

Bern started to sway and Elsa pushed aside her own worries. "You're dizzy; you shouldn't be standing so much. Come lie down again. I'll send for some food. Has the feverfew or skullcap tea helped the most? How is your head feeling? Why were you out of bed without slippers on? You could catch a chill. Is that why you lit the fire? Here, take this pillow instead; you've crushed that one flat. Does it help when I rub your neck? I told you to lie down."

Elsa fussed over Bern until she forgot about being upset at Prince Victor. She sent for food and helped him eat. She thought she was getting very proficient at nursing, even with just a few days of practice. When she set the tray aside and tried to tuck him back in, he caught her hand and pressed it to his face.

"You feel cool."

"Does it help?"

"Very much," Bern said.

"Lie down, then." Elsa slipped under the blankets next to him and kept her hand on his cheek until he fell asleep.

Hi readers. I've had some offline schedule changes that have cut my writing time down a lot. I'm going to only update once a week (on Tuesdays) through June. I hope to be back to twice-a-week updates by July, sooner if I can manage it.

Just FYI, as outlined/drafted, this story is about 30 chapters.