The key to a good welcome home is an excellent party.

I'm sorry it's been such a while since the last update! Almost all my essay deadlines are behind me for this year now though, so here's to a summer of fanfic. This is a pretty hefty chapter, so enjoy.

There is a reason I'm introducing very drunk Kristoff at this point - so if that is your cup of tea, watch this space.

The next day, Anna barely left her sister's side. She had no desire to be away from her any longer, and besides, it was probably time she tried to pick up a little diplomacy from her sister. She couldn't help but feel the whole Southern Isles debacle could have gone a lot better if only she'd known what to do.

She also had half and idea that she could help Elsa out with some of the workload – her sister had explained last night that a lot of things had been put on hold whilst they tried to figure out what had happened to the crown princess.

Through meetings and paperwork, Anna sat rapt, frowning with concentration, asking her sister the most intelligent questions she could think of, and more than once having stern words with Olaf.

By the end of the afternoon, Elsa seemed… impressed.

"You've done great today, Anna. And I mean that in the least patronising way possible."

"Thanks! It's about time I help out around here, right?"

The last thing on Elsa's list was Annelise.

"Would you like to come to that too?"

"I would. I promise not to interrupt too much."

So when Annelise knocked on Elsa's office door at exactly four o'clock, Anna restrained herself to a simple wave and a smile.

Annelise curtsied impeccably.

"Come in. Please have a seat."

Annelise crossed the office and perched in the chair across from Elsa, looking more than a little nervous. Despite Anna's reassurances on the boat, the general word about the Snow Queen of Arendelle had been… fairly terrifying.

"I understand from Anna that you worked as one of the Queen's maids, in the Southern Isles."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Would you like to continue in a similar capacity here, or is there another position that would suit you better?"

Annelise hesitated. "Any position would be welcome, your majesty. I am grateful to be here."

Anna rolled her eyes.

"We're grateful to you Annelise. Honestly. What have you always wanted to do? I bet we can sort something out."

Annelise fiddled a little. "I have only ever worked in service, your majesties. It's all I know." She bit her lip, and stopped.

Anna, however, felt there was more she wanted to say. She stuck her elbows on Elsa's desk and sat forward, expectantly waiting.

When Annelise did not continue, Anna raised an eyebrow.

"My – father was a clockmaker, your majesties. There were always things around the house, watches and cuckoos and – but he died, when I was younger, and I had to find a job. He hadn't finished teaching me, so the shop had to close, you see."

Anna gasped. She could see it all – a childhood, thus buried by the death of a loved one, a secret passion, repressed by the necessity of life –

"I have always wanted to learn about clocks, or – carry on my father's work – but of course – that's just a dream, I understand it's not realistic, or…"

Anna reigned in her romanticising and turned to Elsa, hopeful. "We could talk to Herr Frode couldn't we? He's a cheerful guy. And old. And son-less. I bet he'd love to train up someone new."

Annelise hardly dared breath as Elsa considered.

"I don't see why not. Of course, you are welcome to stay here for as long as you need, Annelise, but if you would like to work for Frode, I don't see why not. The job market in the city is by no means saturated."

Annelise could hardly speak.

Anna looked at her and beamed.

Being a princess is weird, isn't it?

The ease with which they could… make things happen.

Anna thought back to her charity work, and the orphanage.

She had a duty to help people more powerless than her. She wished she could do so for everybody.

"That would be… incredible, your majesty."

Elsa smiled.

The party that night was, predictably, a huge affair.

The gates were open, and in the huge castle courtyard there was music and laughter and dancing, the townsfolk having turned out in huge numbers to celebrate Anna's return. They filled the courtyard and spilled out along the Great Road, drinks in hands and best clothes on. Olaf waddled about, entertaining children that had tagged along by juggling his own head, sharing his personal flurry and playing hide and seek.

Inside the castle, there were landholders and nobles, merchants and captains. It was a little more restrained inside, and though there was still laughter, and dancing, and music, Anna found herself longing for greater abandon, and weaved back and forth between the two worlds looking for joy and sophistication in equal measures.

It was ok for her to wander out to the courtyard, of course – but she couldn't help but feel a little sad when the raucous laughter and fearless dancing hesitated, giving way to curtsies and bows.

Elsa drifted stately around the hall, half an eye on her sister: Kristoff had decided not to come, and every so often, Anna would remember this and mope.

If I wasn't a princess, Anna thought, taking a long drink of her umpteenth glass of wine, what would I do? Annelise just… knew. What do I want?

Elsa, meanwhile (with initial tentiveness but after a few drinks greater confidence) decorated the tables with little ice sculptures. Not too showy, not too much. Kind of an Easter egg hunt, she thought. Anna was always going on about how she should be more confident with her magic.

She couldn't help but grin when she saw people remarking on them with delight. It made her feel kind of warm inside.

Warmth… still a strange sensation.

She took her leave of the Merchant Guildmaster – allowing him to kiss her hand with only the slightest hint of resignation – when she spotted she sister, who had just reappeared in the hall to snag a drink off a passing waiter.

"Hi."

"Elsa!" Anna threw an arm around her sister in an extremely haphazard way. "I was just looking for you!"

"What a coincidence," Elsa squeezed her sister briefly before disentangling herself "I was looking for you too."

"Elsa," Anna spoke very emphatically. "I missed you. Thank you so, so so so much for letting me go to Corona – it was amazing, but I missed you! I know I didn't see you for, God, I mean, years – but I've got so used to seeing you, and being with you, and Olaf! That little snowy face – "

"Ok, ok," Elsa grinned, but cast a brief look around to check no-one was listening in too much. "Anna, you've had quite a lot to drink – and even though I think you're great when you're drunk, I don't know how everyone else will feel."

"Pffft," Anna flapped a hand. "I'm Anna, Princess of Arendelle!"

Elsa giggled in a very un-regal way.

"You are."

"Heir to the throne! No longer a spare!"

"You've never been a spare."

"So, dammit," Anna took a healthy gulp of wine. "I will drink at my own welcome-home party if I want to!"

Elsa shook her head.

"You're right. Try not to break anything though, ok? Or you'll have Kai to answer to."

She turned quite sombre at this.

"You're right. Arms, Anna."

"Arms?"

"Arms."

At that moment, one of the Dukes of once of the provinces appeared with a drink and an in-depth conversation for Elsa.

Before heading back into the party, Elsa shot her sister a meaningful look.

Anna blew her a kiss.

Elsa rolled her eyes, but grinned, and walked back into the hall with the Duke.

"Princess Anna?"

The self-proclaimed no-longer-a-spare spun around.

"Annelise!"

In a flurry of green velvet and excited chatter, Anna embraced her.

"Hi! Are you enjoying the party? Do you need a drink? And jeez, call me Anna – "

Annelise grinned. "Are you all right?"

"Right as rain," she breezed. "How are you? Are you settling in ok?"

Annelise nodded. "I am. Everyone has been so kind to me. And Arendelle is beautiful."

"Isn't it great? I mean, chilly, but great. When summer comes back round it's not too bad. Oh!" Anna spun around again, scanning the hall for a waiter. She saw one and waved enthusiastically until he changed course and veered over to her. "Here you go," she took a glass off his tray and passed it to Annelise. "Thank you, Finn." She touched his cheek in a cheerful, tipsy way. "You're the best."

The waiter thanked her, laughing a little, and Anna faced Annelise again.

"Elsa's just had a word," she said, conspiratorially. "She says I shouldn't get so drunk at my own homecoming party. But I think that's exactly what I should do – but I'm not allowed to break anything."

Annelise was a little nervous – but Anna had already been so kind to her. She was familiar with her servants. She decided to take a risk, and raise an eyebrow. "Are you prone to that, my lady?"

Anna burst out laughing. "Well, let's put it this way. Does a bear shi – "

Annelise put a hand to her mouth – partly because she couldn't believe a royal using such language (the queen had never done so in the Southern Isles) and partly to muffle an unexpectedly rambunctious laugh.

Her laughter was infectious, and Anna joined in, practically cackling.

"Now, come on. I want to dance!"

And with that, Anna seized her hand and the two girls headed into the courtyard.

Through a slight haze, Anna was completely delighted to discover that her and Annelise got on very well. Sure, they'd spoken on the boat, but Annelise had been so nervous, and shaken – understandably – but now under the unbridled moon, in the crisp, clear cold, it was easy. They talked, and gossiped, and joked, and danced. Annelise spoke at greater length about her father and Anna drunk it in, her mind full of images of her own parents.

She had half a mind to go get Elsa, drag her into their fun – but she knew that would still be hard for her sister. It was still hard for Elsa to, well, let go. When it wasn't just the two of them – or sometimes the two of them and Kristoff, and of course, Olaf – she had so much restraint, so much worry.

But Anna was beginning to accept that. Things weren't like a fairy tale, and life wasn't perfect overnight. Elsa had changed so much in the past few months – become so much happier – and Anna would be patient. And help her.

Annelise paused for a moment to say hello to some of the servants – her roommates, her friends, Anna supposed – with promises that she'd catch up with Anna soon.

The princess tried not to be too disappointed. Maybe it was time to go back inside now – find another drink, see if she could coax just a little debauchary out of her sister –

"There she is!"

Anna was brought back to earth by a very cheery voice.

Unusually cheery, given its owner.

She turned with a grin. "You made it!"

Kristoff had broken off from a small group, mainly burly men (Anna wondered briefly if they were ice harvesters) and stood before her, a drink in his hand and a huge grin on his face.

"I made it. I was at the guildhall, and I got dragged here. I didn't know it would be a whole thing, Anna –" he waved a hand very generally at the courtyard. "I thought it was just going to be, you know, ballgowns."

"Me too!" Anna reached towards him, and lifted his drink-free hand up, so their linked fingers and touching palms were between them at chest level. She leant forward, letting him support her weight with the hand. "I mean, it is – inside – but isn't out here great? Listen to all the music!"

He did, and grinned even wider as she kind of bopped along to it.

"Is that how you've been dancing inside?"

She gave him a dirty look, but couldn't hold it, and fell back into laughter.

"I can't believe you're here! Why didn't you come find me?"

"I only got here a little while ago! And I figured you'd be inside, so maybe I'd see you after, or…"

Anna had noticed, through her haze, that Kristoff was talking far more expressively than normal, in much longer sentences, and being far louder than he generally was.

What she didn't notice was the fascinated looks the group of men he'd left were shooting at them, nor the slightly voyeuristic interest of others nearby.

"Kristoff," again, she tried to be serious, but couldn't. He was here! And she'd made such friends with Annelise! And she'd spent so much time with Elsa! "Are you drunk?"

Kristoff flapped his hand – a gesture she was almost certain he'd picked up from her. "Are you?"

She grinned, and using their still-entwined hands, span along his arm to be up against his chest. "Very. I haven't been banished from the hall, exactly, but I have definitely had more to drink than anybody else in there."

Inhibitions severely inhibited, Kristoff stuck his face down, into her neck and hair and against her cheek, and covered them with a showering of half-kiss-half-nibble-all-growls that made her squeal and giggle.

"Right. Well I'm pretty drunk too, so I think we're in for a great welcome-home-party."

They danced, and laughed, and Anna insisted on being introduced to all the people he knew there – definitely ice harvesters, it turned out, with a few porters and inventory boys from the guild – before they went in search of Annelise, who Kristoff bear-hugged –

"Do me too! Pick me up!"

He did, so Anna went spinning around, Annelise laughing and trying to steady her dizziness –

Then they danced again, and almost cried with laughter, and at some point Anna lost a shoe, so then they had to go on a hunt –

At no point had they been covert, exactly, about their relationship – their first kiss had been right on the waterfront in bright daylight, on market day, for crying out loud – but for those folk who hadn't seen them together, a lot of it had been hearsay. But now, here it was: the crown princess and an ice harvester. As clear as day.

There was division. For some, it was another thing to love about her. Her generous heart, knowing no bounds.

But for others – certainly for the nobles within the castle who saw through windows, or went out for a breath of fresh air – it was downright scandalous. Unheard of. What would her parents have made of it?

It shouldn't be allowed.

But Anna's thoughts couldn't have been further from this. Her thoughts were the aurora.

Later (earlier? It was well past midnight) most of the guests from both the courtyard and the hall had dispersed.

Elsa hadn't seen Anna for a fair few hours.

She's fine, Elsa. Honestly. Let her enjoy her own party, for goodness sake…

She decided to go in search of her. For – not because she was worried, but because – because – because it was probably time she got to bed.

A quick talk with a few waiting staff confirmed that they'd last seen her heading outside.

Elsa descended the steps in to the courtyard. There were spillages and crumbs and general detritus littering the cobbles. Elsa carefully picked her way over it, keeping her eyes up as much as possible to look for her wayward sister.

The last dregs of party-goers almost fell over themselves in their attempts to bow and curtsey – sure, the princess was about, but the Queen was different – they had not anticipated seeing her out here – and Elsa smiled politely at them, enquiring after her sister.

After a couple of minutes, she found her.

Well, she heard her first.

"Yeees! Faster!"

Absolutely bemused, Elsa looked in the direction of her sister's voice. It was coming from – well, it was coming from the direction of the stables. And whilst her tone was – it didn't sound inappropriate, but – her phrasing left a lot to be desired –

Then suddenly Kristoff came staggering round the corner, Anna hoisted up in a piggy-back.

"Hahaaaa! Amazing! Can you get me all the way to the castle like this? Ohh, all the way to bed!"

Elsa's sister had her feet stuck out straight in front, her arms hooked around Kristoff's neck and her head thrown back, laughing.

It was very sweet. But it was also almost three in the morning, and not at all a regal thing to be doing.

But then Anna saw her, and her arm stuck straight out, pointing at Elsa.

"Kristoff! Gooo!"

As he plodded dutifully over, it crossed Kristoff's mind that Elsa might not be too happy with him piggy-backing Anna all about the courtyard. But his mind was also still very fuzzy, so he didn't pay too much attention.

"Good evening." Elsa folded her arms, looking half-exasperated and half-amused. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"But Elsa, the sky's awake!"

"Hmm. Be as that may, you should get some sleep. What are you doing, incidentally?"

"I lost my shoe!" She pointed to a stocking-ed foot. "And I didn't want to get gunk on my foot!"

Kristoff nodded very seriously.

"So you're telling me… this is a chivalric situation, you're in?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

"What do you have to say about this, Kristoff?"

Kristoff liked Elsa. He thought they'd been getting closer, over the past few months. He actually sort of felt that Elsa approved, in a way.

So he had to not blow it, now.

He cleared his throat.

"I'm really good at piggy-backs."

"You are! Now come on! Let's find my shoe!"

"Hold on, hold on," Elsa was trying very hard to stay in sensible-big-sister mode. "I think might be a lost cause. Let's see if it turns up tomorrow and get you to bed."

"Ok!" She seemed just as happy with this option, and pointed Kristoff towards the castle. "Goooo!"

As they walked over to the castle and up the steps, Anna kept chunnering on, though increasingly her speech was punctuated by yawns.

Kristoff nudged her. "You ok there, sleepyhead?"

"It's so much – warmer, in here –" another yawn – "and you're so comfy. I hereby name you Official Arendelle Ice Master and Anna Deliverer…"

They both snorted, and Kristoff was taken by a veritable fit of giggles.

Elsa sighed.

Anna's conversation became increasingly disjointed, and by the time they made it to the top of the first flight of stairs, she was out.

She snored softly, and Kristoff turned to Elsa to make a joke, but then became very forcefully self-conscious of his inebriation.

He pulled what he hoped was a sober face.

"I think she's asleep."

"Yes, I think she is too." The corner of Elsa's mouth twitched.

They trudged along the corridor quietly. Kristoff tried very hard to walk as steadily as possible.

"Did you have a good night, Kristoff?"

He nodded, and hitched Anna up a little higher. "I did. Did you?"

"I did. I enjoy parties more than I thought I would."

"Me too! I mean," he was very aware that that was extremely enthusiastic. "Yeah, me too."

Calm down.

"Anna thought you weren't coming."

"Well, I wasn't, but then… I did."

"I can see."

"I thought it was going to be a – a uh, fancy party."

"Did you have enough of them in Corona?"

"I did! I mean," again, with the enthusiasm… but it was so nice that Elsa just kind of got it. "Yes, there were a lot."

Elsa laughed for the first time since she'd found them staggering about the courtyard, and Kristoff felt very pleased. He'd have to tell Anna.

"Anna said you did great, though. Thank you for going with her, Kristoff."

"Thank you for asking me to go. And letting me go."

Elsa smiled: drunk Kristoff was quite endearing.

"Are things all right between the two of you now?"

Sure, she'd had Anna's side of things, but it would be good to hear it from him. She had to look after Anna, after all and… and she was genuinely quite curious. She had absolutely no interest in pursuing any romantic entanglements of her own, but did enjoy the drama of Anna's.

Kristoff nodded happily. "Yeah. Yeah they are."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"She's – " the words stuck in his throat. He wanted to explain to Elsa how much he cared about her sister. How she made him feel… he'd spent his life wandering, not even realising that he was searching, not realising that something was missing, not realising that just miles from where he slept there slept another, who breathed in time and couldn't sleep under the aurora, that all this time this woman that – that lifted his heart and made each step meaningful was so close, that really, they'd already met –

She made him feel seen, that was it. She saw him.

"She's –"

He'd never been a man of words.

Elsa saw the cogs of his mind whirring, and his mouth opening and closing silently.

She understood.

"I know."

Kristoff sighed with relief.

They reached Anna's room. Elsa opened the door and held it open to allow Kristoff to gently put his charge down on the bed. That done, he stretched, and ambled over to the large chair by the window to sit down for a second.

"She is heavier than she looks."

Elsa noticed that Anna had dribbled a little on his shoulder, making a little wet patch on his shirt. She looked down at her sleeping sister fondly, and poured a glass of water from the jug on the dresser, placing it on the bedside table: no doubt it would be needed in the morning.

It would probably be best to try and get Anna out of at least some of her clothes. Perhaps she could wake her up a little, and persuade her sleepy form to help remove her outer dress and corset.

She turned to ask Kristoff if he'd like to stay in the guest room tonight, to save him stumbling to the guildhall on the other side of town, and to ask him to leave so she could try and extract her sister from her clothes – but was greeted with another ridiculous sight.

He'd fallen asleep in the chair. It must have been pretty much instantaneous –his head tipped back, his mouth hung open and his breath was slow and deep. No doubt he'd be snoring soon too.

Well, she couldn't exactly help him get changed too.

Elsa looked up at the dark ceiling and prayed for patience.

She could wake a servant and ask them to help her manoeuvre the two snoring drunks.

She could.

But it was almost three in the morning, and quite frankly, she felt much more like heading to bed herself and just leaving them to it.

Blowing out the candles and shutting the curtains, that's exactly what she did.