Sit up straight. Smile. Look her in the eye when she's talking to you. One hand in your lap. Don't eat too fast. Make conversation...

Kristoff was overwhelmed by all the information Eugene had given him before dinner. While he concentrated on using his napkin correctly, he found himself slouching. When the Queen asked him a question, he had the strong urge to look away from her piercing gaze. It was all too much to be thrown into, and if it was for anything less than Anna he would have run from it already.

"So Kristoff," began the Queen. He automatically tensed at her voice, though he tried with all his might not to show it. "Anna tells me you were raised by the trolls."

"Yes, Your Majesty." His voice came out small as he looked into the Queen's questioning eyes, and he saw Anna steal an amused look at him from across the table. He cleared his throat and tried again. "They're my family, and Sven and I are very close to them."

"Do you think you could take me to see them sometime? I would like to speak to them."

Kristoff grew rigid. Him, taking the Queen to see his family? Oh, no. "Sure. Whenever you want. Maybe you can even ride Sven." He wished that he could disappear. Why did he keep bringing up his reindeer? Maybe it was because he wished his best buddy was here... "Rapunzel seemed to enjoy it a lot," he added quickly, casting a shy smile in the direction of the Princess of Corona. In a moment of panic he opened his mouth to correct his usage of her name so casually.

"Though I can't say it was easy," interrupted Rapunzel with a laugh, smiling back at him with a knowing look. "It's different than riding a horse, and Sven likes to go fast."

A playful smirk, however small it was, emerged on the Queen's face. "Sounds like a fun challenge."

Anna then whispered something to Elsa, who giggled in response, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. Kristoff couldn't help but watch the exchange with wonder. It was like the Queen was a completely different person with her sister. But, if anyone could break through a heart of ice, it was Anna. She was always so warm and full of light...

He shook his head and turned his attention back on his food as he caught himself staring at her. Something nudged his foot, and he looked sideways to see Eugene, who he had almost forgotten was there because of his unusual silence.

"You're doing fine," the Prince of Corona muttered. "Just relax."

The rest of the dinner passed much in the same fashion, though Kristoff was never at ease. When it was all over he blew out a huge sigh, as if he had been holding his breath the whole time. Everyone rose to depart and his eyes searched for Anna. He needed to tell her good night before he went back to the village.

"Kristoff." A light hand touched his shoulder and his breath caught as he registered the Queen's voice. He spun around quickly, perhaps too quickly, probably doing a terrible job of hiding his feeling of terror. What had he done wrong? He had tried so hard...

However, as he examined the Queen of Arendelle's face, he found no anger or irritation. In fact, there was an inviting warmth there, similar to Anna in a way, though it was deeper down and not so obvious. Still, he couldn't manage to shake off the feeling of dread that was creeping throughout him.

"A word?" she asked quietly as Anna departed last of all. She gave him an encouraging smile which lifted his spirits for only a moment.

Kristoff focused on not stammering. "Of course."

The Queen turned to the butler standing against the wall and nodded at him. "You may be dismissed." The butler bowed and scurried out of the room, a few other servants following and leaving them completely alone.

Was it just him, or did the room grow a few degrees colder? He fought against the shiver running down his spine as the Queen turned back toward him, her gaze a little colder than it had been a moment earlier.

There was a beat of uneasy silence before the Queen spoke. "First of all, I'm sorry that you're intimidated by me. I know it's my fault." Her expression fell to one of sorrow and hurt, and in that moment Kristoff no longer saw the Queen of Arendelle, but a scared little girl hiding in her room, just like Anna told him she had done. It made her only a tad less frightening. And, true though her statement was, it wasn't proper for him to let her blame herself, he knew.

"Your Highness-"

"Call me Elsa. Please."

He nodded, unsure how else to respond.

"You love Anna." It was a statement, not a question, which was a mite comforting.

"I do," he breathed, swallowing in an attempt to make his mouth less dry. "I do."

"It's not that I don't believe you, but it's my job to protect her. If anything were to happen to her..." She shook her head as the room seemed to get even colder. When her eyes locked onto his again, they were softer. "I know that I don't deserve your trust, Kristoff. I'm the one who hurt Anna and all of Arendelle. But maybe...we can learn to trust each other?" She held her hand out to him with a small smile, though it took a moment of staring before Kristoff encompassed it with his own. He forced himself not to cringe at her icy skin, but found a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be so bad.

"Thank you, Your-" He cut himself short as she raised her eyebrows. "Elsa," he corrected. "I won't disappoint you, I promise. I love Anna more than anything." He wished that he could just keep his mouth shut. Confessing his undying love for the Queen's sister to the Queen herself probably wasn't the best way to go. With a suppressed sigh, he withdrew from the handshake, folding his hands in front of him.

On the other hand, perhaps being sincere with Elsa was the right thing to do, for her grin grew just a little wider. "She loves you too, Kristoff. She can never stop talking about you."

Kristoff's heart swelled and he instinctively leaned forward, a full grin on his face. "Really?" He cleared his throat and composed himself. "Thanks for telling me that." An uncomfortable silence followed, in which Kristoff looked down as he felt heat rush to his cheeks. He could still feel Elsa's gaze trained on him, though what she was looking for he didn't know.

"You can go now," she said softly. "We'll be talking again soon."

It didn't sound like a threat, or a warning, just a fact. He looked up and nodded. Remembering his manners, he bowed and headed toward the door. He felt so stupid leaving like that. Without hardly thinking at all, he stopped and spun around to see Elsa watching him.

"Elsa?"

She raised her eyebrows in question. "Yes?"

He bit his lip. Was this the right thing to say? "I think you're going to be a great Queen."

She smiled again. "Thank you, Kristoff. That...means a lot to me."

He smiled back and walked out the door, exhaling all the air out of his body with one huff. Well, he wasn't frozen and hadn't been forbidden to be near Anna, so those were both plusses. In fact, that meeting hadn't gone half as bad as he had thought it would. Over time, he might even come to love Elsa like the sister he hoped she would be to him. One day...