Chapter 2

In all his years Aaron had seen and experienced many wonderful things, be they drinking from a roaring waterfall fed from a thawing glacier or watching the sun break the horizon from a mountain's lofty peak, and he was always keen to appreciate all the gifts that life had to offer. That being said, he knew there was nothing in this life or the next that could ever compare to the sensations he felt when he kissed Elsa.

Maybe it was the feeling of her lithe figure wrapped in his arms and pressed up against him. Or perhaps it was the way her cool lips interlocked with his in a perfect union of fire and ice. Or it could just be the rush his heart felt at her slightest touch, beating faster and faster the longer their embrace lasted. Whichever it was, though, there was no denying which was his favorite. How the world fell away until it was just he and her in a lover's union as the undying flame that flowed through him weaved and writhed, threatening to rage out of all control, stoked on by the woman that he loved.

Like all good things, though, eventually it had to come to an end. Their lips parted with a minor reluctance but rather than letting her go he instead drew her deeper into the embrace until her hands were against his chest and his forehead rested upon hers. They stayed there for what felt like an eternity, the sweet scent of her hair drifting through him and their breathing gradually synchronizing with all the rest of the world forgotten, until after what was probably minutes but felt like years she moved to pull away. Still he held her close, refusing to release her entirely. Given the secretive nature of their relationship it'd been nearly a week since he'd last gotten to hold her so he was determined to savor it for as long as possible until it too would end.

Now that there was some space between them she was able to look at him and Aaron contented himself with getting lost within the endless blue of her eyes. His warm smile grew, thrilling at her cold touch, as her fingers lightly caressed his cheek before brushing through his chestnut hair. As she did so he found that he just couldn't remain silent any longer and quietly crooned, "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that."

Elsa's own smile was soft and delicate as her eyes followed her questing fingers slip through his hair before meeting his gaze. "Me too," she replied in a silky tone, giving his lips another small peck. Despite that, though, her smile faded and she drew back another step in a manner that had become all too familiar in recent weeks as she gave him a sad look. "But you really shouldn't have come here today."

"Why not?" Aaron asked in a chipper tone, refusing to let her new demeanor ruin his mood. "I just wanted to show you how much I've been missing you."

"And I've missed you too, love, believe me." Elsa retreated another step so that they were now only holding hands. "Even so, I thought we agreed no more visits to my room. Someone might grow suspicious."

A nagging frustration was beginning to seep into the corners of his mind but Aaron refused to acknowledge it. Not this time. He wasn't going to let her angst ruin yet another secret rendezvous. Such opportunities had become so rare these days, to the point that each one was precious. So, doing his best to suppress his anxieties, he forced a smile and soldiered on. "It's one time. Besides, I'm here on official business so no one will suspect a thing."

"Both Lord Kai and Shmi saw that you came here and I know both have seen you come here often enough to question if it really is for 'official business'."

Come on, Elsa. I know you're afraid but just give me something. "So two more people might know. I'm sure they'd love to join Anna and Kristoff in the Elsa Aaron fan club," he said jokingly, doing his best to lighten the mood.

Elsa wasn't in a joking mood, however, as she released his hands and wrapped her arms around herself, giving him a serious look. "Aaron. You know I'm not ready for everyone to know about us."

With that he gave a sigh. He knew that look meant he wouldn't be making any headway today. But Aaron was far too frustrated to simply give up without an honest try. "I know you're not. But it's just one stolen moment."

His words only seemed to make her more agitated as she gestured angrily towards the door. "What if someone accidentally walked in on us? Do you really want our relationship to be revealed like that? I need you to take this more seriously, Aaron."

They both knew she regretted those words as soon as they left her mouth but that didn't mean that they stung any less. Now it was Aaron's turn to withdraw inwards, his smile vanishing as he folded his arms. "'Seriously'? When it comes to our relationship I have never been anything but serious."

"No no, that's not what I meant," Elsa said emphatically, waving her hand as though she wished she could wave her words away before resting it on his arm. Remorse filled her eyes as she quietly added, "I wasn't saying that you didn't take our relationship seriously."

Despite her efforts, though, he continued to stare down at her impassively. "Then what were you saying?"

For a moment it looked like she was going to try to appeal to his empathy before giving up on that, letting her hand drop and growing serious again."That hiding our relationship isn't a game. If someone were to find out everything could change. Are you prepared to accept the consequences of that?"

"Such as?"

"Such as are you finally ready to become king?"

And there it was. Elsa's reply whenever she wanted him to quit arguing with her. Even though he knew she was bound to bring it up sooner or later they both knew he still didn't have an answer for her. "No. I mean, maybe? I…" Aaron began to reply before falling quiet again.

When he'd first discovered that Elsa was a queen it had been more than a little intimidating. He'd thought he was falling in love with a normal woman, ice powers notwithstanding, so the reveal that she was royalty had come as a nasty shock. No, not just royalty. The sovereign leader of an entire nation. But that shock didn't hurt nearly as much as the realization that in order to even think about one day marrying her he would have to be crowned king of Arendelle.

The mere notion of being responsible for so many was more than enough to keep him up at night and that was just during times of peace and prosperity. What if another nation invaded or a plague were to roll through? He realized that his role would be mostly symbolic beyond his current duties and that Elsa would still be making the bulk of major decisions but even so the monumental responsibility that came with the crown was terrifying. Why, if he wasn't hopelessly in love with Elsa he would probably just go back to the mountains where he belonged.

But the problem was he was hopelessly in love with Elsa. Why else had he left behind everything he knew to move to a place he'd never even been to? Why else had he done his best to fit into a society dominated by aristocratic people that he had nothing in common with? Because it was worth it to make her happy and to have even a shadow of a chance of being with her. Even if that meant that he could never express his love for her outside of secret trysts.

With all that in mind, though, the strain of their hidden romance was slowly eating away at him. He couldn't even make too much eye contact in public, much less anything else. Seeing other couples thriving openly certainly didn't help, to say nothing of the fact that his two best friends were about to get married for all to see. He was happy for them but it also served to show a sharp contrast between what he had and everything he wanted.

In fact it wasn't that long after Kristoff had proposed to Anna that Aaron had realized that he couldn't do this forever. Not with all the dreams that were going unfulfilled or the constant strain it put on both of them. Even if it meant becoming king, something would have to change soon or their relationship could be placed in jeopardy.

So, with all of that in mind, Aaron squared his shoulders and solemnly looked Elsa in the eye, slowly saying, "If that's what it takes, then yes. Make me a king."

"Really?" Surprise washed over her face only to be quickly replaced by suspicion. "Do you really want that or are you just saying it because you think that's what I want to hear?"

"I'm saying it because we both know that's what it will take for us to be together. And I would be willing to do anything for us to be together."

A faint smile crossed her lips as he spoke before she shook her head, sighing. "That is very sweet, Aaron, and I know that you mean it. But I also know how much you resent the idea of being king and I don't want you doing something for us that you might regret later. So please don't say something like that unless you absolutely mean it with no remorse."

At first he opened his mouth to reiterate his commitment but found that he just couldn't do it. She was right, after all. He wasn't ready to be king, no matter how much he wished he was. The very notion of it scared him more than anything despite his love for her. But he hadn't come here today to argue about becoming royalty. No more excuses. Just be honest. With that Aaron took a deep breath, feeling himself fill with an aching exhaustion. "I'm just… tired. Tired of the stolen moments and hidden glances."

"I'm tired too, Aaron, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to jeopardize our entire relationship." Her eyes grew distant as she hugged herself again. "Just imagine what everyone would think if they found out about us now."

What?! Just like that his anger flared again, his brow descending into a glower. Everyone else? Who cares about everyone else, what about us? "I don't care what they'll think," he growled, resenting the rest of the world for coming between them.

Despite his resurging frustration, though, he instantly knew by the way that anger flashed through Elsa's eyes that it was nothing compared to what she was feeling. Spinning with a huff, Elsa stormed away until she reached the window, the slightest hints of frost cracking out from her hands as she gripped the sill. "See? That's exactly what I'm talking about," she sighed as she glared out at the fjord beyond, refusing to look at him. "You don't care what everyone would think because you have the luxury of not caring. I don't have that luxury."

"I… what?" That last comment had caught Aaron off guard, causing his retort to die in his throat. He'd expected her to say something about maintaining appearances, not to comment on his supposed luxuries, and he found that he had no response to that. All he could do was wait for her to explain.

The seconds dragged into minutes as the silence between them became deafening. Elsa said nothing, the only hint of what she was thinking being the growing strip of ice slowly emanating from her hands. He'd only seen her powers get the best of her emotions a few times in recent months so he kept quiet, waiting to hear what had her so upset. Even so, his patience was beginning to drain when Elsa finally stirred.

When she turned to face him, though, the anger had gone. In its place was a terrible pain as she gestured towards herself emphatically. "I'm the queen, Aaron. The queen. Don't you get that? I've been watched for every moment of my entire adult life. My every action scrutinized, my every decision questioned. If being queen means I have to sacrifice my personal life then so be it. I was born for this, I can handle it. But forgive me if I'm not so eager to invite the entire world into my most intimate relationship." As she spoke her pain gradually slipped away to reveal an aching loneliness. "Say whatever you want but for once I'd just like to keep this one special piece of my life all to myself for as long as possible."

With that she turned back to the window but not before Aaron saw the tears beginning to well in the corners of her eyes. She didn't even sniffle, suffering in silence, as he stood there completely dumbfounded. Elsa was normally such a private person, even around him, that seeing her raw emotions on display had left him shocked. But that wasn't nearly as awful as the pain he was feeling now because of his own ignorance. It was so easy to get wrapped up in his own suffering from the last few months that he was ashamed to admit that he'd neglected her suffering as well as failing to realize it was coming from a different source.

There wasn't a single point in his life that he'd felt compelled to wonder about what others were thinking about him with the exception of his powers but that was simply because he didn't want to draw too much attention to his quiet mountain home. Even here in Arendelle he didn't much care about the opinions of strangers. Yes, he did his best to fit in and perform his role appropriately but that was out of a desire to not embarrass Elsa for appointing him there and to even impress her with his ability to fit into her life. But she wasn't him.

Elsa had been born in a castle as royalty. As such she hadn't been given the benefit of anonymity like he had, instead having to stand tall for all the world to see. While he'd been traipsing around the wilderness she'd been front and center as the kingdom's path to the future. Of course he would never be able to fully comprehend the enormous pressure she felt every day but that didn't mean he had to be selfish. He couldn't fully understand her pain but the reality was he didn't have to.

Heaving a heavy sigh, his shoulders drooping in defeat as he began to slowly walk towards her. She still didn't look as he spoke. "I'm sorry, alright?," Aaron conceded, pouring sincerity into every word. "Obviously I have no idea what it's like to rule a nation. How could I possibly understand the burden you have to carry every day? And I'm sorry for how selfish I've been. We entered this relationship together and we'll only be able to move it forward together. But only when both of us are ready for that. So I'll be patient. I can last as long as you need Elsa, because I love you. And I know you're worth it no matter how much it hurts."

As he spoke he eventually drew level with her so that he could see her face again and while there weren't any tears trickling down her cheeks he could tell by the redness of her eyes that there was still a battle raging inside her. He wanted so badly to reach out for her but knew that would be the wrong move, contenting himself with keeping his distance. Still, in spite of everything he'd just said he'd promised himself to tell the whole truth today so when he resumed speaking it was hesitant.

"Just… I'm not invincible, Elsa. I can't go on like this forever without some sort of change."

Her voice was tight as she gazed sadly down at the frost she'd formed. "What do you want from me, Aaron?"

Drawing in a deep breath and steeling his resolve, he took a cautious step towards her. "I'm not asking to reveal us tomorrow or even a year from now. I'm not even asking to ever reveal us. I'm just asking for you to give me hope, Elsa. That's all. Lie to me if you have to."

His words seemed to break through her depression as she cast him a curious glance. "Hope for what?"

Standing beside her, Aaron gave a sad smile as he gently reached out and took one of her hands. "Hope that one day I'll get to walk down the street hand in hand with you for all to see. That one day I'll get to take one knee and you'll say yes."

All at once her sadness seemed to return as she dropped her gaze and whispered, "Of course I'd say yes."

Before she could pull away, though, he caught her other hand and pulled her into a soft embrace. Elsa resisted his touch for a moment before conceding to the hug, allowing her cheek to rest against his chest. As she did so he continued in a soft plea. "I know you would. I'm just saying. I will give you everything I possess, just give me hope."

They stood there together for a while, with her considering his words as he stroked her hair, until at last she drew a steadying breath. Lifting her head and looking into his eyes, Elsa did her best to smile. "I know it's not reasonable, everything I'm putting you through. Especially after you've already sacrificed so much for us. I'm just not quite ready to share you with everyone else," she whispered, blinking away her tears and nodding. "But soon. I promise. After Anna's wedding, when all the guests have gone home and things have returned to normal. If the moment feels right, then we'll talk."

That was all it took to give the fire within his heart a slight rumble, lifting his spirits in an instant.

It hadn't been all he was hoping for but it was enough. A hint that one day he'd one day be able to hold her in the sun again like he dreamed.

So, nodding with approval, he flashed her one of his warm smiles and joked, "And if things never go back to normal?"

"Then I guess we'll just have to do it that much sooner," Elsa retorted, this time with a smile of her own.

With the wave of the argument behind them they indulged in another kiss, this one not as long as the first but just as satisfying. The best part of arguing was always the making up afterward as he held her close, just savoring the privilege that was just getting to hold her. As he did so she gave a satisfied sigh of her own before looking up at him again. This time Aaron couldn't resist cupping her cheek in his hand and humming, "I love you, Elsa."

Leaning into his touch, she closed her eyes for a moment before gently replying, "I love you too."

"What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?"

"What did you do? You were you."

The stillness of their embrace reminded him of the early days of their relationship. Alone high atop the North Mountain far away from everyone else so that it could be just the two of them. What he hadn't realized at the time was how much he was taking their isolation for granted. Had he known then he might never have let her leave.

Reflecting on those exciting first few days, he felt himself smiling again. "These are the moments I miss most of all. When it was just the two of us."

"Yeah," she agreed, allowing her head to return to his chest with a satisfied sigh.

"Do you ever think about just leaving it all behind and going back to the North Mountain?" He knew she would never agree to such a thing but it couldn't hurt to fantasize.

Especially when she nodded in agreement. "More than you'd believe." As she spoke, though, it seemed as though a thought occurred to her. "Speaking of, I wonder if Olaf's made it there yet or not."

Smirking at the thought of the little snowman working his way through the world, Aaron shrugged. "He must have. He left nearly a month ago."

"You know how easily he gets sidetracked."

"True. At least he's virtually indestructible so we don't have to worry about him." With a nod, he added, "I'm sure he and Marshmallow are hanging out right now as we speak."

With that they both fell silent again. Moments like this had been so rare in their lives of late that there was no sense in wasting them by filling the air with talking. Instead it was so much more satisfying in enjoying the presence of the woman in his arms. The woman who inspired him every day and for whom he'd changed his entire life. Because he loved her more than anything.

Before too long, though, their silence was interrupted by a now familiar distraction. The first time he'd heard it the hum had been little more than a wisp at the edge of his subconscious but now it sounded strongly, demanding to be noticed. And, as usual, as soon as his mind was able to focus on it it vanished back into the silence it had come from.

Aaron had been hearing it for months and yet he still had no idea what to make of it. Where did it come from? Who or what was causing it? Why did it disappear as soon as he tried to make any sense of it? So many questions with so few answers. However, it was abundantly clear by the way that she withdrew from him that Elsa had heard it as well and from the look on her face it wasn't remotely welcome.

"I heard it too," he offered as she started pacing around the room, looking into every corner.

"I just wish that, whatever it was, that it would go away," she replied testily as she briefly looked under the bed before turning to the window.

"Me too, but I doubt it will. Actually I've been thinking about it a lot and I think it's a call."

"A call?" That caught her attention as she turned to look at him.

Nodding, he continued. "Someone somewhere is trying to reach us. Why else would we be the only ones to hear it? Sure if only one of us then maybe it could be our powers. But both of us? What else could it be?"

Elsa seemed to consider his theory before giving a scowl and stalking over to her bedside table and sinking into the chair beside it. "I don't know and I'm not sure I want to know."

"Why?"

"Because all it will bring is change," she replied as she glared at her reflection, her hands beginning to weave her pastel hair into its typical braid. "Is that really something that we need in our lives right now?"

Aaron regarded her solemnly for a moment before conceding with a shrug and leaning against the table beside her. "Maybe not. But I don't think it's going to leave us alone anytime soon."

The quiet resumed as she neglected to answer, focusing on her hair and leaving Aaron alone to ponder his thoughts. Her constant hostility towards the subject whenever he brought it up in the past continued to vex him but he wasn't about to start another argument. While it was a mystery it was one he was eager to solve. What he couldn't understand was Elsa's inherent aggression with regards to the anomaly. While he was at least curious as to the sound's origins she clearly wanted nothing to do with it. Almost as though she was deathly afraid of whatever might come with it.

He was so lost in thought that he almost didn't notice when a soft knock sounded from the door. Panic flashed through him but before he could step away from Elsa it opened and a friendly face framed by bright red locks poked around the edge. "Is it safe?" she asked innocently even though her eyes glinted mischievously.

Elsa hadn't even glanced up at the knock, continuing to focus on her reflection. She clearly wasn't in the mood for games after their conversation as she just said, "Yes, Anna, it's safe."

"Oh. Well that's a relief," Anna replied brightly, ignoring her sister's somber mood as she bounced into the room. " Wouldn't want to walk in on you two like that again."

"Enough, Anna," Elsa groaned, giving her an irritated look through the mirror.

"Uh oh. Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed," chidded Anna with a good natured smile. No matter her older sister's attitude she always managed to remain positive as she waved him a small hello. "Hi, Aaron."

"Morning, Anna. Nervous at all?" he asked, glancing at Elsa to make sure she was okay to see that she'd gone back to her morning routine before relaxing against the table once more.

"Nervous?" Anna gave him a quizzical look as she plopped down on the bed beside them. "Why would I be nervous?"

"I don't know, maybe it's because you're getting married tomorrow?"

Rather than answering right away, she leaned back with a dreamy look in her eye. "I really am, aren't I?" She then laughed lightly before shaking her head. "No, I'm not nervous. How could I be? I'm marrying the man of my dreams."

"Well that's a relief. What about your husband-to-be?"

"I'm doing okay."

Looking up at the voice Aaron saw that his best friend had also come through the door. Unlike his bride-to-be Kristoff looked like he was on the verge of becoming a nervous wreck, wringing his hands and looking at them all fretfully.

His anxious fussing made him look so, well, cute that Aaron felt himself give a smirk. "Only okay? I thought you couldn't wait to marry Anna," he teased.

Kristoff gave him a cross look. "Of course I can't wait to marry Anna. It's just this whole… marriage business."

"Still nervous about that whole prince thing?"

"Maybe."

"Oh you," Anna cut in, giving them both a mocking glance before rising to wrap her arms around her fiance. "He was up all last night worrying. Are all men such babies about marriage?"

That got Aaron to laugh out loud, nodding. "Pretty much, yeah." His smile faded, however, as he remembered the conversation he'd just had. "Not that I would know, of course."

Rather than acknowledging his moodiness, though, Anna waved the comment away. "Oh please. Soon it'll be your turn and we'll be cheering for you and Elsa up there."

Kristfoff may not have noticed but he was sure that Anna had when Elsa stiffened slightly at the statement. It was a subtle movement, barely perceivable, but they both knew her well enough to know that she was waiting for them to change the subject so Aaron simply shrugged and said, "Yeah. Soon."

Anna didn't respond at first, giving her sister a sage look before slipping back into her enthusiastic demeanor as quickly as she'd slipped out. "I can't wait to see all the new faces that will be here soon," she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "It's always so exciting to have a party if it means you get to meet someone new."

"How many will there be again?" Kristoff asked quietly, looking a little nauseous.

"Well the chapel can easily fit a hundred or so, and then there's when we'll present ourselves to the people. There could easily be numbers in the thousands for that."

"I certainly hope not. Just imagine trying to police a crowd that big," Aaron groaned, trying to change the subject for Kristoff's sake before he became sick.

That got him an exasperated look from Anna as she rolled her eyes. "Typical Aaron, always worrying about his job first and everything else second."

"First of all, being so thorough with my job is to your benefit, you know. Someone has to protect you from all the crazies of the world. Secondly, I resent the notion that I could care about anything more than Elsa... or the two of you. Obviously."

"Good save."

"Thank you."

"You know I didn't really mean that."

"I know."

"Ahem."

Anna and Aaron looked up from their banter to see that Elsa was watching them quizzically. "If you two are quite finished I need to get dressed. Meaning that the boys have to get out."

"Oh. Of course," Kristoff replied, looking embarrassed and making for the door.

But before he could go Anna caught him by the sleeve, regarding Elsa sternly. "What's your problem this morning?"

Elsa clearly didn't expect such a blunt retort, especially from Anna of all people, causing her to blink in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"You've been in a bad mood since we got here, Elsa," Anna scolded before smiling again. "Brighten up. I'm getting married tomorrow, aren't you excited for me?"

For a moment it looked like Elsa was going to argue with her before laughing lightly and shaking her head. "Of course I'm excited. It's not every day your little sister gets married." She then gave a pained expression. "I'm sorry. I'm being difficult, aren't I?"

"Of course not," Aaron replied quickly as Anna nodded and Kristoff looked elsewhere.

After smiling at their conflicting answers Elsa gave a sigh and repeated herself. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be. I've just been so stressed lately and not getting enough sleep isn't helping."

"Maybe you'd sleep better if you weren't sleeping alone," Anna teased while glancing at Aaron before wisely growing serious again as Elsa stared daggers at her. "But why are you so stressed?"

That seemed to be a loaded question as her face grew worried and Aaron caught the hint of a glance towards him before her gaze settled on the ice still clinging to the far window sill. She dispersed it with a twitch of her finger before Anna could notice, though, and just shrugged. "So many people are coming here for the wedding, I'm just nervous that things are going to change in the coming days. How do we know all those changes will be for the better?"

Anna's smile instantly returned as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug, looking up at Aaron and Kristoff. "I think you worry too much. So long as the four of us are together how much could things really change?"