"I'm telling you, he was a jerk to me!"
The royal sisters were walking down the bedchambers hallway together, Elsa with her arms folded, Anna waving hers about.
"Well, you can be a little overly sensitive, Anna," said Elsa.
"He told me to shut my mouth!"
"You were talking about something personal to him. He might have been legitimately offended."
Anna rolled her eyes. "Elsa, you're doing the thing again."
Elsa raised an eyebrow. "What thing?"
"The thing where you pretend Daniel's Jesus!" Anna pointed an accusing finger at her. "Can't you just admit he needs to learn some manners? Why do you have to agree with everything he says or does?"
"I don't 'agree with everything he says or does,'" scoffed Elsa. "I just find it easy to sympathize with his viewpoint, that's all."
"Ugh, fine, whatever." Anna spun herself around. "You can keep making goo-goo eyes at him if you want, but I've had about as much Daniel today as I can stomach."
Elsa sighed as she returned to Daniel's bedroom alone. Anna didn't understand.
By now, there was a maid seated in the corner, keeping an eye of Daniel's condition. He'd been resting as usual, but he sat up at Elsa's arrival.
"You shouldn't stay trapped in your bedroom forever," said Elsa. "When do you think you'll feel up to walking?"
Daniel gave her a smile, and for once it wasn't a wry, smug one. "Should be sooner than I thought. I've hardly made a drop of ice since I put on these." He held up a hand.
Elsa stared. Her chest clenched like it'd been punched. Daniel's smooth, snowy skin was covered by a pale blue glove.
"Pretty fashionable, huh?" said Daniel, his usual smugness returning. "They're supposed to be for girls – some of your old spares, actually – but I guess I have tiny hands because they fit fine. I had a close call with a maid, and then I remembered what you'd said, so I told her to get them for me. I know you thought the gloves were only a placebo, but my magic is so much weaker than yours, I think the fabric alone is enough to-"
"No!" cut in Elsa, her voice trembling. "I told you, gloves are a bad idea."
"Maybe for you." Daniel leaned back with his hands behind his head. "I couldn't send Arendelle into eternal winter if I tried. Besides, what would it matter if I kept them on forever, never made ice again in my life?"
"But- But your ice is a part of you!" said Elsa. "Don't you... don't you get that joy from creating with it?"
"Yeah, well, that's the thing about gloves." Daniel made a show of slowly taking one off, wiggling his bare fingers, and then slowly putting it back on.
"You'll never learn control that way," said Elsa. "You're only teaching yourself to hide your feelings."
"So what?" snorted Daniel, pulling the covers over himself. "Maybe that's been my problem all along – I let myself feel too much. Hurts a whole lot less when I shut it out."
Elsa's stomach was tightening again, the same way it had when she'd watched Brandr tear a hole through her Ice Palace. "No. You won't wear gloves. You're not allowed to."
Daniel scowled at her. "I wasn't aware you were making my decisions for me."
"Take them off."
"Make me."
She took him a bit literally. The next thing she knew, Elsa was pinning Daniel's arms, and some dim, reptilian part of her brain noted that, despite being pretty weedy herself, she was much stronger than him, which only egged Elsa on. At first his cries were the typical, aggressive, "Get off me!" but they gradually morphed into the more frantic, horrified, "Get off me!" followed by heavy breathing.
But Elsa didn't notice until she'd finished tearing the gloves off his hands and inundating them with enough ice to render them unwearable forever.
"Queen Elsa!"
Elsa was brought back into reality by the shocked cries of the maid. Elsa was... looming over a cowering Daniel. His eyes were wide, and his chest was heaving rapidly.
Elsa stared at the scraps of ice-covered fabric in her hands. Had she done that? But... but Elsa had never put her hands on another person before. She'd never even roughhoused with Anna when they were kids!
"Daniel," she said, extending a trembling hand, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"Don't touch me!"
"You- You don't understand!" said Elsa, heart thumping in her chest. "If you wear the gloves, you're only hurting your-"
"Forgive me for not wanting to accidentally kill people!" Now Daniel was tearful and furious all at once. "I'm sorry I can't make myself be as blissfully happy as you. Not all of us were born in a castle with two parents and a sister who love us."
Elsa took some deep breaths, then turned to the maid, who immediately made an effort to look like she hadn't been staring. "Don't bring him any more gloves," she ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Elsa ignored the indignant huff Daniel made and marched herself out the room.
"You were wrong. I don't agree with him on everything."
Elsa found Anna sprawled across Elsa's bed, a snowbird in her lap.
"Yeah, I know." Anna gestured to the bird. "This guy told me the whole thing."
"I don't know what came over me," said Elsa, seating herself on the edge of the mattress.
"I do," said Anna. "Elsa, listen, I know you're happy there's another person like you in the world, but just because he has the same kind of magic as you doesn't make Daniel your clone."
"But 'conceal, don't feel' isn't the answer for anybody." Elsa hung her head. "I'm doing something wrong. I can't even make him understand that love thaws."
Anna placed the snowbird on the carpet in order to put her hands on Elsa's shoulders. "Remember when I tried to hook you up with Fritz because I assumed since having a boyfriend made me happy, it'd make you happy, too?"
Elsa nodded.
"This is the same thing," said Anna. "People are different."
"You're right." Elsa let a tiny smile cross her lips. "I just hope Fritz isn't too heartbroken about that..."
Y'know, Fritz had been worried he'd take Elsa's rejection badly, but all in all he was holding together pretty well. Fritz finished off his fourth tub of mint ice cream, discarding the spoon and empty container carelessly on the floor, then curled up under the covers and hugged Idina the bear as tightly as he could.
He'd planned on spending the rest of his life like this, so even when he heard the knocking at his door, he couldn't find the willpower to answer it until a voice called out, "Fritz?" Like a bee flying to sugar, Fritz threw the door open.
"I wasn't crying- I mean, hello, Queen Elsa!"
"Hello, Fritz."
The two of them stared at each other in silence.
Elsa looked over Fritz's shoulder. "What's that?"
Fritz blanched, then slowly turned around. Oh no. He'd left Idina on top of the covers!
"Nothing!" said Fritz. "It's just a... thing." He dashed across the room and crammed the stuffed bear beneath the quilt at lightning speed. "Don't worry about it. In fact, don't even think about it again. Ever."
"Was..." It was hard to say if Elsa looked amused or unsettled. "Was that bear supposed to look like-?"
"What bear?" said Fritz, darting his head around. "I don't see any bears around here!"
Amused won out. "Alright, whatever you say. Any other effigies of me I ought to know about?"
"It's not my fault!" squeaked Fritz. "They were selling them at the store! You wouldn't believe how much merchandise you've inspired."
"Isn't it meant for little girls, though?"
"I- I had some money left over after buying all that beer and exercise equipment and- and sports!"
Elsa smirked at him. "Whatever you say, Fritz."
Fritz's face was solid red. "So, uh, why'd you come in here, anyways?"
"I wanted to introduce you to Daniel."
"Who?"
"You'll see." Elsa took his hand. "You're not going to believe this..."
Now that Fritz had confessed his feelings and been turned down, he was done obsessing over Elsa for good. No point fixating over something that was never going to happen, right? Fritz was amazed with himself as Elsa led him down the bedchambers hall. He didn't feel infatuated with her at all! He wasn't even fawning over her gorgeous blue eyes or the dainty little waddle of her snowflake-studded braid or her smooth, creamy skin or her perfectly manicured fingernails or the hypnotic way her hips bounced as she walked or the way her ice-dress hugged her body so tightly or-
"Daniel is... well, you'll see when we get there," said Elsa. "But before you meet him, keep in mind that Daniel's had a... troubled past. He's in need of friends, so I'm hoping you hit it off."
"Huh- Wha- Yes, I was listening!" said Fritz. "Be nice to Daniel. Got it." That wouldn't be too hard. Fritz was, by nature, an extremely kindhearted-
The door swung open, and so did Fritz's mouth. There was a boy lying in bed. A gorgeous, pretty boy with sparkly eyes and pale skin, puffs of frost dancing on his fingertips. He shot Elsa a lustful, seductive gaze as she entered the room.
"Daniel, this is Fritz," Elsa told him, matching the pretty boy's gaze with a look of longing and desire.
It was taking everything Fritz had to stop his fists from quaking. "W-Who is this guy?"
"He has ice-magic just like mine." Elsa gave Fritz a cheerful pat on the shoulder. "Isn't that great?"
"Yes." Fritz's eyes were fixed on Daniel's messy-but-not-in-an-unattractive-way hair. "I'm so happy for you."
"Oh, and Daniel?" Elsa sat herself at the foot of his bed. "I'm sorry about before. It wasn't right of me to grab you like that."
What the heck? screamed Fritz's brain. What the actual heck?
"I understand," said Daniel. "You were just carried away."
Oh, ohhhhh, now Fritz understood. When Elsa had said "I'm just not interested in having a relationship with anybody," what she'd really meant was, "I'm just not interested in having a relationship with you, specifically, Fritz Herman Gudmund, because you suck at everything."
"I only want what's best for you, Daniel. I need you to trust me, alright?"
"Alright."
Elsa leaned in to give him a hug. A tight hug! She never hugged Fritz that tightly. And the little snot hugged back, too! He even snuggled his head up against Elsa's neck, locking the two of them together like puzzle pieces. Also, Fritz called him a little snot, but truthfully, Fritz was still only seventeen, whereas Daniel looked right around the exact same age as Elsa.
After an agonizing few seconds, the hug ended, and Elsa made for the door. "I have something to take care of, but Fritz can keep you company. I have a feeling you two will good friends." The door closed behind her.
Now Fritz was left alone with Daniel. Fritz cleared his throat and fidgeted with his cuff links. He thought about making light conversation, but it didn't happen.
Gee, it's a good thing you're completely over Queen Elsa, or else you might feel jealous or something, said the self-loathing center of Fritz's brain.
Shut up! he told it. I'm obviously just seeing things that aren't there! It's Samson all over again. Elsa would never really-
"Here you go, Daniel!" Elsa scurried back into the bedroom, hauling a large comforter. "Your blanket looked completely frozen over, and the maid was busy, so I brought you a new one."
"Thank you." Daniel flashed her a charming smile and moved the old sheet off to allow her to spread the new one over himself. "I'm touched."
"Oh, it's nothing." Elsa made a nervous laugh and fiddled with her braid. "Are you comfortable now? Is your pillow fine? What about those pajamas we gave you? Do they fit?"
"Everything's fine, Elsa."
"Alright. Let me know if you need anything else. I'm glad to help!" Elsa scurried back out the door.
At this point, I think you have better chances with Charlotte, said Fritz's brain.
Come on, she's just happy to meet another person with ice-powers! Fritz told it. It runs far deeper than some shallow "romance." She's been isolated all her life, so of course she'd going to be eager to have a companion who understands her. That doesn't necessarily mean either of them like each other-
"Have you ever seen someone so in love?" said Daniel.
Fritz nearly choked to death on nothing but air. "Elsa treats everybody like that! She's just a nice, considerate woman."
"Do you believe in destiny, Fritz?" Daniel conjured up what appeared to be an ice-rose and held it to his nose, sniffing it as if it smelled like anything but cold air. "Our sorcery connects us. It's a bond no one else in the world shares. She can't love anyone else the way she loves me."
Fritz's heart sank. Elsa hadn't told Fritz she didn't love anyone romantically. What if... What if she was capable of romance, and she just hadn't met her soul mate until now? Oh no. Oh no. That was exactly what was going on. Elsa's life was a fairy tale, Daniel was her true love, and Fritz was just the stupid guy who hung around in the background providing comic relief! No wonder Elsa didn't love Fritz. He was on the same level of importance as Olaf!
"And just between us guys, if there have to be only two cryomancers left in the world..." Daniel added smugly, "...I'm glad one of them looks like that."
"Yeah, she is, uh, kind of attractive, now that you mention it..."
"I saw how you looked at her," laughed Daniel. "It's understandable, but I feel pretty bad for you, actually. I mean, she's a head taller than you."
"Well, uh, we actually have a really close relationship." All the blood in Fritz's body was rushing into his cheeks. "And we're both mature enough to look past-"
"Who couldn't see her that way?" Daniel let out a sigh. "I know I'd sure like to slip off her dress and-" Daniel proceeded to give Fritz a detailed account of exactly what he'd like to do with Elsa.
Fritz had been raised by his momma, whose moral standards would've made the Puritans call her a prude. To Fritz's knowledge, there were only three ways to romance the person of your fancy: Hugs, kisses, and the mysterious, veiled thing that people often whispered of. He did, however, catch the general gist of what Daniel was saying.
"That's horrible!" snapped Fritz. "You make it sound like you're only pretending to like Elsa to get into her pants!"
Daniel scowled. "Well, aren't you acting high-and-mighty? I'm not pretending anything. I'm just not denying a major factor of my feelings towards her. How many people have you met who have romantic interest in someone but don't want to screw them, exactly? Besides yourself, clearly."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Of course, both boys were so distracted by the gallons of testosterone pumping through the air that they failed to notice the half-open dresser drawer with the snowy head and icy beak poking out of it.
"Your Majesty." The snowbird fluttered into the bedroom, calm as could be. "Fritz and Daniel engaged in an altercation. Now Fritz seems to be on the floor, screaming and crying."
The sisters sprang to their feet and dashed out the door.
"Okay, okay!" Elsa said as they ran down the hall. "I'm glad we invaded his privacy now!"
They burst into Daniel's room to find Fritz sprawled across the carpet and Daniel above the covers, leaned against the headboard.
"It was an accident!" Daniel immediately yelped, tears streaming down his face. "I told you I should wear gloves!"
"Fritz!" But Elsa ignored him, running to Fritz's side.
"I'm- I'm fine," said Fritz faintly. He sat up on the floor and hugged himself. "Just a little ch-ch-ch-chilly..."
Elsa's eyes widened. Forming in Fritz's brown hair were unmistakable patches of white.
