Authors note: I am glad that your all loving the story and apologize for the long delay in posting the chapter, hopefully this extra long chapter will make it up to all of you.

For now I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please leave a review when done, opinions are most welcomed.

Sunlight entered through the room annoucing that a new day had arrived. Groaning a little Ross rubbed his eyes as he slowly got up, looking he saw Fenrir wake up too, he got up and yawned, stretching as he did.

Rubbing his eyes Ross felt that they were all puffy, which was obvious as he had cried himself to sleep.

Suddenly there was another knock at the door, getting up he opened the door to find it was Gretel.

"Your highness, your mother has asked for you to see her in the office" he heard her say,

"Okay, will be there" said Ross softly before turning to Fenrir and saying "Wonder what she will say", with that he got dressed and left with Fenrir.

Passing the hallways he made his way to the office. Arriving he found his mother there, waiting for him. Before he said anything she just walked over and looked at him.

There was silence as she seemed to want to say something but could not before saying "Get ready, today is the festival",

"Oh..." said Ross before he was sent away, as he walked away he stopped, looked back before leaving when he noticed his mother went back to work.

"That was strange" said Ross to Fenrir who shared the same confusion he had as they went to give a final check to the festivals preparations.

There were times that Thomas felt underappreciated. It was always Rosenrød this and Rosenrød that. Never him. In his eyes, Ross was nothing more than an annoying bumpkin that shadowed him like a lost puppy.

He snorted in disgust. What made his cousin so special anyway? The boy had no regal bearing whatsoever, and yet people flocked to him, pampering him, showering him with presents and praise - all of which should have been rightfully his.

And why shouldn't it be? Compared to Ross, Thomas one of the handsomest princes of the era, and all agreed that no one could ever hold a candle to his beauty. In addition, he was more sophisticated, more mature, a prodigy who excelled in both academia and athletics, and he was far more popular among the kingdom's young maidens than Ross would ever be. Yet, despite all his accomplishments, the spotlight was always on that bumbling redhead and it irked him to no end.

Like now. He was so angry as he remembered what happened yesterday.

Despite the fact that he was careful to fool everybody with his words, his mother was not fooled, she knew what he was trying to accomplish and gave him an earful, telling him how Ross is family, how he should not put Ross down, how he is family and that one should protect family, such and such.

The last she said made him furious. "Sometimes I wish you were more like Ross" she said, his own mother preferred his bumpkin cousin over him!

Growling he breathed as a voice inside his head, the voice which is his friend said "Be patience, you will get what you deserve soon".

Once he was sufficiently cool down enough Thomas left the room and went to the kitchen where he made a pot of tea and set some chocolate in a neat pile, once done brewing he took out a mysterious white mist like liquid, opening the dainty bottle he poured a drop before stopping as if thinking then dumped the entire bottle into the tea inside the tea pot before turning and leaving with the tray of tea and chocolate he had prepared for his aunt.

Soft, vibrant colors and patterns, such things Elsa liked as she admired the dress she was to wear for dinner. Such frivolities were not always necessary but seeing that she was to join a festival with all the royals of Europe she knew she had to be seen with her best.

Smoothing down the wrinkles of her dress Elsa ran her hand through her hair when she saw Fenrir walk over.

Reaching she stroked the wolves head and fur, moving so he was laying down Fenrir enjoyed the strokes she gave him.

Getting to his neck she sighted as she moved the collar he wore, it was a silk ribbon of purple and green with a large silver medallion with the arendellian crocus on it.

Elsa had it made as both she and Ross feared that if Fenrir had nothing to separate him from other creatures he would be shot to death.

Which was happening more often since now wolf cubs were now looked as sadly everybody wanted to emulate the royals... even if they have no idea that wolves were not pets and that Fenrir was different.

So many cubs were left orphaned before laws came to effect to stop it. Luckily Fenrir was more than good enough to foster the wolf cubs till they were old enough and knowledgeable enough to take care of themselves.

Even though their wild Elsa had noticed the wolves Fenrir raised were much more docile and less likely to attack or anything.

When done she got up and said "Your good Fenrir", he whined as she went over to the tea tray Thomas had prepared for her.

Fenrir whined louder and nipped at her dress, tugging.

"Fenrir enough" scolded Elsa as she ate some chocolate and downed the cup of tea which she served herself. Fenrir grew louder in his protest, trying to stop her but she drank another cup before Fenrir restored to knocking the table down.

"Fenrir! Bad wolf!" yelled Elsa, Fenrir whined in protest but before Elsa could say anything else she heard a commotion outside.

Night had fallen and the festival was set to happen, so Ross got himself ready in his more formal clothes to attend.

Once groomed and dressed he left the room and walked down the hall only to notice something.

When he passed the hall where the glass case with his fathers gloves. Thomas had opened the case and was taking the gloves.

Yes he was angry at his father, he had said he hated his father, but the truth was that he did not hated his father or was mad at him. He was just frustrated with the situation that he had been born into.

Now that he was calm and looking back he did regretted saying that he hated his father as he was sure his father did not want this for him.

Seeing Thomas touching the gloves Ross was less than pleased as he walked over to Thomas and asked "What are you doing?", Thomas seemed a bit startled but turned to face Ross, gloves in hand and said "Oh Ross, I did not see you there",

"Thomas, please put the gloves back" said Ross as calmly as possible as he did not want to cause a scene,

"This?" said Thomas as he held the gloves then patting them before saying "You know these gloves are too nice not to be used and they would look good on me, don't you agree" as he proceeded to try and put on the gloves only to wince. Tugging and pulling he tried to put on the gloves but was unable to as the gloves has suddenly shrunk so they would not fit on Thomas.

"Fit you stupid garment" growled as Thomas tried to force the gloves on but was unable to.

Extending his hand Ross ignore what was said before saying "Give it back?",

"Why? Surely such magnificent gloves would be soiled on you" said Thomas giving up on putting them on and holding them away from Ross,

"Their my fathers" said Ross firmly,

"Their too good even for him, he was a dusty servant after all" said Thomas.

Upon hearing that Ross felt fury enter his system, how dare his cousin say that?! His father is not a dusty servant! He never was! He was an admiral! Before that he was a count who then rose the rank of Coronas nonles to become a grand duke then later on consort king to his mother!

Ross could forgive a lot of things, but mess with his family and he would not hold back.

Before Ross could unleash his anger and give his cousin a taste of it Thomas threw the gloves at him. Ross reacted and caught them, looking over them he was relieved to find that the gloves were okay.

Turning his anger unto Thomas Ross was ready to teach his cousin a lesson or two but was stopped when he heard "Whats wrong?", turning both Ross and Thomas saw it was Elsa and Fenrir.

Fenrir walked over and place himself between Thomas and Ross as if to separate them and put a boundary between the two in case they decided to fight one another.

Ross fearing his mother would scold him as he was often told that his fathers gloves were never to be touched, but relaxed when he saw that she did not look mad. If anything she looked calm, but the look on her face... he could not place it.

Saying nothing Elsa reached and took the gloves from Ross hands, she looked over the gloves before reaching and taking his left hand. Before Ross could explain and complain about Thomas Elsa gently slipped one of the gloves into Ross hand. It slipped on, fitting perfectly, as if it was tailored to fit him.

Ross looked puzzled and even shocked as he stared at his now gloved covered hand then turned to his mother.

The look on her face changed... and it scared him.

"Mother" said Ross a bit frightened.

Elsa said nothing, a small smile spread across her face, silently she reached and stroked his face before leaving just as mysteriously as she appeared.

Leaving Ross and Thomas baffled... albietly for different reasons while Fenrir looked on in worry.

In the Arendellian capital of Christiana, the Midsummer's Festival was now in full swing. Booths and stall stocked with a large assortment of foodstuff and other goods lined the city square, and alcohol flowed freely. Locals and visitors alike ate and drank to their hearts' content, whilst others skipped and dance to the music provided by the Royal Arendelle Orchestra.

It was also one of the few times that Arendelle Castle opened its gates; and for the next few nights, it was to remain so. It had even become a cosmopolitan affair as shown by the nobles and aristocrats who had gathered from all across Europe to attend the celebration and show their goodwill.

When Ross first proposed to lead the planning committee for that year's celebrations, Elsa had her doubts. However after seeing the preparations he had done, she had to admit that he had certainly outdone himself.

As always, the highlight of the festival was the ceremonial bonfire, held right in the center of the city square. Spectators whooped and whistled as Prince Thomas led the bonfire dance with his partner Victoria, the Princess Royale of Great Britain. Their movements were impeccable, graceful, and precise as they leapt and twirled to the tune of an Arendellian summer round. When the two royals finished their dance, they were showered with flower garlands tossed by the adoring audience.

Without a doubt, they made for a handsome couple. Princess Victoria –or Vicky as she was more commonly known– was a great beauty, much like her mother and namesake before her; and Thomas had grown up to be considered as "the comeliest man in all of Europe". Of course, much to the consternation of the young bachelors, Vicky was already engaged to Crown Prince Frederick, the German Kaiser's son. Likewise, to the dismay of the eligible maidens, Thomas seemed to be rather uninterested in settling down.

Just as they were making their way back to the dignitaries' box, Thomas spotted Ross walking amongst the throng. His lips twisted into a faint yet mean-spirited smirk. A situation like this definitely was the perfect opportunity to humiliate his cousin. Ross might have been able to play the gracious host, but as far as Thomas knew, the younger prince clearly lacked the finesse to outclass him in the art of dance.

"Your turn, Cousin!" he called, waving Ross over.

The auburn-haired prince did a double take. That certainly got his attention. "Wait, what? What do you mean 'my turn'?"

"As the host, you were supposed to lead the dance, but seeing that it was I who did, now that's just poor etiquette, don't you think?" Thomas clicked his tongue in disapproval. "And here I thought you wanted to put your best foot forward."

"Thomas! That's not very nice!" Vicky chided.

"Come now, a little bit of tough love never hurt anybody," Thomas told her, "Besides, our Ross is man now, he can take it. Right, Cousin?"

Ross felt his cheeks heat up at Thomas's words. Though the older prince maintained a jovial tone as he spoke, there was something patronizing and condescending about his words. However, he wasn't going to take the bait and put his dignity at risk. "You know I don't–"

"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" Snehvide cut in, point her finger right in Thomas' face. "Today's the day you'll eat your words, Big Brother!" She took Ross by the wrist and led him to the center of the courtyard. "C'mon Ross, let's show ol' Tommyboy what you're really made of!"

All this time, Ross could feel his chest growing tight. "Snehvide, I don't think I can. Everyone's watching us."

"Stuff and nonsense!" she told him, "I didn't practice with you just to see you clam up. Just trust me on this, I'm with you all the way."

As Ross took his position alongside Snehvide, he could not help but remember the disastrous chain of events that transpired at that fateful ball ten years ago. The memory of him humiliating himself and the Bulgarian princess was still fresh in his mind. Worse still, it had also been the last time that he and Thomas were on good terms.

Still had to try. For his sake, he had to move forward and show everyone once and for all how much he had improved.

Snehvide put her hand in Ross' gloved one. "Are you ready?"

He nodded in response, and the orchestra began to play.

However, unbeknownst to Ross and Snehvide, Thomas had snuck over behind the bandmaster and bribed him to lead the band to play something more melancholy.

Snehvide's heart nearly stopped upon hearing the unfamiliar tune. All this time she and Ross had been practicing to the merry, vivacious steps of the summer rounds, and neither of them were particularly well-versed in slow dancing. She cast an alarmed look towards Ross, but much to her surprise, he did not seem to be the least bit worried.

He gently took her hand and using his emotions to guide him and Snehvide, Ross managed to match their steps to the tune. their figures meshed well with the flickering flames in an alluring interplay of light and shadow. The spectators by the sidelines were completely awestruck. Though Ross and Snehvide's moves were not as elegant as that of Thomas and Vicky's, everyone agreed that their dance was just as impressive.

However, what really caught the audience's attention was how they poured their emotions into their dance. Without even uttering a single word, they were able to voice their thoughts, hopes, and desires. Each step, each sway spoke of their joy, their sorrow, their frustration, their triumph.

Just then in the middle of the dance, something very peculiar began to take place. Ross's powers had always been tied to his emotions, and as he and Snehvide immersed themselves into the music, the gas lamps that kept the courtyards lit suddenly snuffed out, leaving the bonfire as the sole source of light. Then much to the shock of the spectators, little tongues of flames rose up from the bonfire and into the night sky surrounding the two cousins like forest of candles.

However, that was just the beginning. As the music swelled, the flames began to sway and bend, burning brighter and brighter as if it was following the dancers' movements, and when the music finally reached its crescendo, the bonfire flared up, shrouding Ross and Snehvide in a fiery curtain.

The audience gasped and shrieked, recoiling in fear. "Snehvide!" Kristoff cried, worried for his little girl. He was about to jump into the fire, jacket and all when a saw a flash of blue. He turned to see Elsa conjuring up a mass of snow to put out the flames, but before either of them could move further, the fire died down and Ross and Snehvide emerged unharmed.

And with one final spin, they finished their dance and the wisps gently wafted back into the bonfire like autumn leaves falling from a tree.

For a moment, all was still, as the audience stared in shock at the beauty they had just witnessed. Then there was a clap, followed by another, and yet another, and it did not take long before everyone to erupt in thunderous applause.

"Ross, that was amazing!" Snehvide gushed, still giddy from the intensity of their performance.

"It was?"

"Yes!" she replied with a vigorous nod. "I never knew you could dance like that. The crowd loves you."

He cracked a nervous grin. "To be honest, even I didn't know I could. I really was just–"

But before Ross could say anything else, he was mobbed by a gaggle of young ladies, all whom were eagerly thrusting flower garlands into his face.

"Oh my stars, it's Prince Rosenrød!"

"Dance with me, Your Highness!"

"No, me!"

He turned to Snehvide with a pleading look on his face. "Help," he mouthed, only to have her push him further into their midst.

"Trust me," she grinned as they dragged him away. "You'll thank me later for this. Knock 'em dead, Casanova!"

Despite himself, Ross couldn't help but grin back. For once, he had proven himself to be capable, and the sea of happy faces around him was proof of that. Best of all, when he passed by his mother, he could see her looking at him of a sense of pride.

'Mission accomplished.'

The next night:

Loud fireworks and colors lit the night sky as carriages from all walks of life made their way to Arendelle castle.

Truly it was a remarkable scene as food and wine was served, people in costumes danced and cheered. Never in a long time had there been such happiness, it was as if the scene had come to live straight out of a fairytale.

Standing before the mirror Ross finished getting ready. Turning around he looked at Snevhide who was dressed as a valkery and asked "What do you think?".

Ross was dressed in fur and viking gear, he had chosen to wear a loki costume.

After some silence Snevhide grin and said "Looking good cousin" then frowned "Think your mother would approve?",

"I hope so, I really wanted a change in costume" said Ross, back then he always wore what his mother told him, usually it was always knights or costumes based on heroes of different periods, except that one time she let him wear a costume based on a wolf. So he hoped this was good.

There was a knock on his door,

"Yes?" asked Ross, opening the door Caleb looked as if saying something then frowned upon seeing what Ross was wearing.

"Ross" he began,

"Yes?" asked Ross, notiving the look, frowning Caleb asked "Is that your costume?",

"Yes, I am dressed as Loki" said Ross rather eager,

"Yes I see that but..." he paused and said "Maybe you can get dressed as something else".

"Why?" asked Ross mentally sighting as he knew what was coming.

"Loki is not befitting and surely... you would be happier dressed as something else" said Caleb,

"Like what? A knight? Some dead prince? Some hero that you all want me to be?" Ross could not help but bite out.

At that Caleb flinched and then composed himself and said "Change, I will not allow you to go out dressed like some murderer"

Angry yet bottling it up Ross walked out of the room without saying a word.

"Jerk" muttered Snehvide as she also went to leave,

"Don't call your cousin that!" scolded Caleb, to which she turned, glared at him angrily before saying "I was not talking about Ross" then left.

At that Calebs eyes widen as he realized Snehvide was calling him a jerk. He opened his mouth to scold her but she had already left leaving him alone, feeling less than happy about her words.

Ballroom:

Standing outside Ross waited with his arms crossed. He had not changed out of his costume as he for once decided to rebel against his uncles wishes.

When announced he walked in, his anger helped disguise any nervousness he felt as he walked over to his mother with poise and confidence.

Sitting on the throne was his mother, she was dressed as Freya, sitting at her feet was Fenrir, whom he was always glad to see.

Once Ross was standing next to her the ball commenced after Elsa gave a wave of her hand.

The rest of the ball was a big bore to Ross but he did not let it show as he helped entertain guest or danced.

Though dancing was what he mostly did as it seems that a long line of people, eligible princesses as he noted, had wanted to dance.

Every now and then there was small talk, but nothing new or exiting as Ross could easily predict what was going to be said.

"Oh your the princess of this, yes lovely night, no I have not seen you before" it was what Ross would say.

It was just so fake, rehearsed, nothing meaningful or deep.

"Loki, so fitting, isn't that right?" Ross heard as he turned to face Thomas who spoke loudly while looking at the nobles and royals who gathered in the dance floor.

Some snickered due to all the alcohol consumed and others like Arthur, Leopold, Edward, Elios, Lunette and such looked rather tense.

"I still cannot believe we used to be friends with him" Arthur quietly whispered to Edward no discreetly nodded in agreement.

Knowing everybody was listening Thomas continued "Loki was also the god of fire right? God of destruction or at least who brought destruction... wonder what does that say about you Ross considering you have fire power",

"Fire is more than just destruction Prince Thomas" said Ross somehow able to hold back the hiss threatening to come out. He was not about to give Thomas the satisfaction of seeing his plan be ruined.

"Is that so? Hard to believe that as every single fire being is evil" continued Thomas as he walked over in poise "There is Lucifer, Loki, the fire giant of Rangarock, the list goes on, tell me one being of fire who has not represented evil and destruction".

To this Ross was barely able to hold back a laughter, in fact he almost could not believe that Thomas set himself up that way. It was just too perfect to be true.

"Maybe the stars are aligning for me tonight" though Ross as he gave a mysterious smile which made made raise their eyes in questioning.

Saying nothing Ross walked over to the center of the room and stood there. Though he did not say or speak people stared in anticipation as they knew something was about to happen.

Remaining quiet Elsa and Fenrir leaned over, both wanting a closer look to what they knew was going to happen... what was it they did not know... but something was going to happen...

Turning around Ross began to spin over and over as he did fire began to scorch the bottom of his clothes. He continued to spin allowing the flames to scorch and burn the loki costume he was wearing till it was nothing but ashes to reveal the outfit it was hiding something.

As the flames consumed the outfit Ross let it burn as the flames embraced him with his warmth. He ran his hand through his hair and face before he stopped, facing the shocked crowd.

He stood before them wearing the most beautiful outfit anybody had ever seen. It was gold and red, the designs mimicking flames decorating the pants and coat of his suit, his face was now had a mask painted on which covered his face to his nose that gave him a bird like appearance. He extended his hands to his side and so did the cape like a bird spreading its wings wide and ready to fly and like wings the cape was design to look exactly like bird wings, it even was made out of feathers which were red and gold.

After a while people began to whisper and talk in awe, all amazed at both what they had just witnessed and at the same time guessing what he was supposed to be, but non knew what.

"What are you supposed to be? Some kind of chicken?" said Thomas before laughing in an effort to hide the anger and jealousy he was feeling, for the first time the spotlight was truly on Ross and instead of messing up Ross shone under it.

His laughing only to stop when he realized nobody was laughing at his joke. In fact everybody was too engrossed with Ross as some nobles whispered "I never realized how handsome he was", "I know, I am seeing but I cannot believe it, how could I have not noticed?" whispered a noble lady, this one was the matchmaker and a famous one at that as almost all the nobility and royalty in Europe were given matches thanks to her.

"Come on Ross, your a chicken right? Or a peacock? If you are a peacock then I say its a poor choice since they are such vain creatures" continued Thomas as he hoped somebody would chime in and take his side, but nobody did.

Finally Ross spoke and the answer shut Thomas up for good "The phoenix" he said.

This caused some gasps, especially from Elsa who was taken back to the time of the ball, how could she forget that final night?

With that word the people whispered and nodded, for it was true, the Phoenix was a being of fire which was good, in fact it was the most sought out creature in the world, much like how one searches for salvation in the arms of the Lord.

If Ross wanted to make a strong statement, he succeeded. Even though he spoke little words his choice of outfit conveyed the message for him in more ways than one...

It was truly clever in his part.

With a smile he bowed and returned to his mothers side to oversee the rest of the party and join in on the dances out of politeness and following the rules of being a good host.

After a while Ross grew tired but soon tiredness was replaced with a sense of dread. At first he could not pin point where it was coming from, but after a while he began to notice his mother.

She sat on the throne in silence, her eyes practically glaring holes at him. Her face, never had Ross seen her with such a look, it unnerved him and got worse as he noticed that as the night went by she just kept growing colder and colder the more she saw him dance and interact with guests, specifically when he interacted with female guests.

At first Ross tried to ignore it, but he found himself unable to as his mind kept thinking over and over about the look on her face. He had never seen it before, but the closest he could get was that look you would give to somebody if they were trying to take something which was yours.

But that was nonsense! No mother would ever look her own child like that... right?

The party was halted as it was time to cut the cake. Ross stood by the side as his uncle gave a grand speech about how he is a man and such and how he was destined for greatness.

"Yes sure, I am a man now yet you all don't stop treating me as if I was a child or a glass doll" though Ross sadly before he blew the candles out and cut the cake.

It was chocolate, he hid his disappointment as he had wanted vanilla with almond but said nothing about it as he continued to hide behind that happy facade he had learned to master.

Once the cake was distributed and eaten the party continued for a good while before it ended well past midnight.

Dragging his feet to his room Ross sighted as he was tired of dealing with people for today. Making his way to his room he stopped when he heard light giggles.

At first he though it was Snehvide trying to play a trick on him, so he followed the laughter into a room and came upon a shocking sight.

Wrapped in an embrace he saw Thomas was busy. In his arms he had the royal princess Victoria or Vicky for short, the two were busy kissing as they held one another, her dress was partially unmade exposing her corset while her skirt was hicked up a bit, Thomas himself was disheveled, his coat was thrown to the side and his shirt was unmade partially exposing his chest.

"Thomas!" Ross could not help but shout in shock at what he was seeing. His eyes saw it but he could not believe his cousin had done something so irresponsible and taboo!

Everybody knew that Princess Vicky was bethrode. If anybody found out about this this would spell disaster and war for the house of Solberg.

True Queen Victoria and Albert were indedt to him, but he doubted that all the talking in the world would save them from the scandal and outrage that would follow if anybody found out.

"Ross!" the two yelled as they seperated, Vicky quickly fixed her dress while Thomas composed himself and said "Oh... Ross, don't worry, she is just a friend".

Glaring Ross could not believe what Thomas though he was that stupid and naive so he growled "Looks more than just a friend to me", seeing this Thomas backtracked and said "You would not mind not telling about this",

"I don't know, let me think about it" hissed Ross as he had had enough of Thomas,

"Don't be stupid Ross! Think of the shame you would bring if you told" said Thomas,

"Shame I would bring?! I am not the one who was busy kissing somebody who is going to be married!" Snapped Ross in anger,

"I would not if I was you, I could always say it was you who did and it will be my word against yours" said Thomas slyly "After all... everybody will believe me over you".

Ross glared as the two left, when gone he turned and ran into his room where Fenrir was waiting for him.

Slamming the door closed Ross ran his hand through his hair as he tried to come to terms about what he saw and what he could do.

On one hand he should tell, but on the other he knew Thomas was telling the truth and the consequences scared Ross more than he ever dared to admit.

"How am I going to solve this?" Though Ross as he took shoes off, he looked towards Fenrir looked worried and whined softly.

Forcing another smile Ross walked over and patted the wolf before saying "Oh Fenrir, your the only one that truly cares about me it seems"

Before burying his head on the wolfs fur as he hugged the beast as he though over and over on what to do. Fenrir licked the side of Ross head before laying down on the ground, when he did Ross curled up on the side and fell asleep as he clutched unto the wolves fur for comfort.

To be continued...