A/N Thanks again to Wolf heart 22 for this suggestion.

"Elsa, Anna, can I speak to you for a moment?" Honeymaren asked sometime later, having found the sisters in Anna's study, going over some document.

"Of course, Maren, what do you need?" Anna asked as she and Elsa glanced up from the paper.

"I actually have a question that's been nagging at me for quite some time," Honeymaren admitted as she sat down in the chair in front of the desk. "It's actually been since you discovered who your mother was and I heard your backstory."

"Okay…" Elsa spoke up, glancing at her sister somewhat nervously. "What's your question?"

Honeymaren hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Why was your mother so scared of magic?"

Elsa and Anna were taken aback, and stared at each other as they tried to think of a response. "I didn't know she was," Anna finally replied.

"I'm not entirely sure she was scared of magic in of itself," Elsa mused thoughtfully, "but some of what I did definitely frightened her a little." Before Anna could protest, the snow queen added, more to her sister than to Honeymaren, "I could see it in her eyes."

"What I mean is," Honeymaren explained, "Iduna was from the Forest, so she grew up around magic. Why did she allow your father to hide you away, knowing what she did about magic? Doesn't that mean she was afraid of it? Even still, that doesn't make sense, since, like I said, she grew up around it."

Anna shook her head and held up her hands in surrender. "I have no idea. This is all Elsa's territory, 'cause I know zip about magic." She looked pointedly at Elsa. "Sis, you take over this question. I have a trade document to finish puzzling over." She immediately turned her attention to the ink-filled paper on her desk.

Elsa chuckled a little, then turned back to Honeymaren. "To be honest, I've wondered about that very thing ever since I found out she was Northuldra, and I've had over a decade to think about it. There's something I've come to realize in the last several years though. Yes, my mother grew up around Bruni, Nokk, Gale, and the earth giants, but she only grew up around them, not with them. They weren't part of her family. Also, you have to admit their abilities are very different than mine."

Honeymaren nodded. "Yes, that's true. I see your point there."

"Exactly. And also, none of them are human, quite obviously." Elsa paused for a moment, reflecting on memories. "I think she was more nervous about that fact that she had no idea what to do with a daughter gifted with ice magic. In fact, from what I can remember, she was the one, other than Anna, who was the most enthralled with the beauty of what I could do. Sure, my father liked my gifts, and never overlooked me because of them, but there was always a tiny bit of apprehension, most likely borne from his father's views on the subject of magic, and because Runeard was supposedly killed at the hands of the Northuldra, who were wrongly suspected of using magic."

"You know," Anna piped up, "it's sad that he never got to know what an evil man Grandfather was. Father's opinions on several things probably would have been different had he known."

Elsa nodded and continued explaining her theory to Honeymaren. "Mother had never seen a human being with magic before, much less her own daughter. She had no idea what to do, and that probably is what scared her. I don't think I ever saw her more scared during my isolation years, than when she saw me losing control, freezing my room, and growing icicles all over the floors and walls. I've since learned, thanks in part to Anna, that she wasn't scared of me, but rather she was scared for me. She was scared because she didn't know how to help me, because even though she grew up around magic, she didn't have an extensive knowledge of it. Can you honestly tell me that you or anyone else in the Northuldra know a lot about magic?"

Honeymaren thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, we don't."

"That's exactly my point. Growing up around immortal, magical beings who help you with everyday tasks is completely different than having magic yourself, or even knowing someone else who has some, such as a daughter with ice powers in a kingdom whose former leader hated magic. And also, you have to remember that my mother left the Enchanted Forest when she was twelve. After that, she lived in Arendelle, and it most likely influenced her a little. On top of trying to figure out why I had magic and trying to help me get ahold of it, my mother also had to deal with hiding it from the public, because she knew how dangerous it might be if the wrong person found out."

"And unfortunately," Anna added, "the wrong person did find out. Weaseltown."

"Weselton," Elsa corrected gently with a giggle. "And you have to remember that he was-and still is-a paranoid, crazy old man who gets scared of anything that he thinks might do harm to his person. The fact that I nearly impaled him with icicles in the ballroom, accidently shot ice at him in the courtyard, and then created a summer snowstorm immediately afterward certainly didn't help toward a good impression."

"Good point," Anna agreed.

"Anyway, about why Mother let Father shut us all away," Elsa continued. "Even if she did know enough about magic to be able to help me, using this knowledge would lead to questions about how she learned of it, which would lead to the exposure of who she was. And considering how everyone began blaming the Northuldra for pretty much everything after the Forest incident-even stupid things like shingles falling off roofs or a leaky water bucket-what do you think they would have done to her had her secret been discovered? And what do you think they would have done to my father for marrying her?"

"That most likely would not have been good; especially so soon after the battle," Honeymaren reasoned.

"You're right; it wouldn't have been," Elsa agreed, nodding her head. "Everything my mother did was to protect herself and her family, and she was understandably scared when that protection seemed beyond her reach. When she couldn't help her eldest daughter at the time I needed her most because my magic was far beyond her understanding. Does that all make sense?"

Honeymaren nodded. "Yes, it does."

"I've always wondered, though," Anna chimed in, pointing her pen at her sister, "why Father and Mother didn't take you back to the trolls for more help when your magic got out of control."

Elsa shrugged and gave a sheepish smile. "Uh, well, why it's true that the trip wasn't suggested until four years later, it was kind of…my fault that we didn't go. See, for the first four years, the gloves and all seemed to help, which is why I was out of my room a bit more than in later years, even though I didn't play with you. I mainly hung out in the library, as you probably know. Because of the supposed success, the trolls weren't brought up, and Father thought he'd solved the problem. But then, once I turned twelve, and my magic started going haywire as I entered my teen years, Father quickly saw that we needed another option. He did actually suggest the trolls-several times, in fact-but I always begged him not to take me back there, and I came up with all sorts of excuses to avoid the trip."

Anna was suppressing laughter behind her hand, and Elsa glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry," the queen apologized, clearing her throat, "but the thought of you making up excuses to get out of something you don't want to do sounds so much like me that I can't help laughing."

Elsa rolled her eyes in response. "In truth, I was a bit traumatized from the first visit, and the thought of going back terrified me. There's a reason I still get slightly nervous when I see Grand Pabbie. Anyway, I was so adamant about not going that Father eventually gave up around the time I was fifteen. That was when he and Mother probably started intensely searching for a way to help me control my magic, and if it came to it, rid me of it. And before you protest, Anna, that last part was mainly due to my wishing that my magic would go away. In fact, I begged them to find a way to remove it. Eventually, Mother must have gotten fed up with the lack of success in their search, and decided that telling Father about Ahtohallan and where she was from was the better option."

At that moment, the library shot burst open and Elson flew into the room. He paused in front of the desk and took a moment to catch his breath. "Elson! What's the matter?" Anna asked worriedly, taking in her son's frenzied state as she stood up.

"Huh?" Elson asked, glancing up at his mother and aunt. "Oh, nothing's wrong," he assured them, "but I do need the both of you for practice."

"Ah, okay," Elsa responded, nodding in understanding as she walked over to her nephew. "What are we going to do this time?"

"A scene at the coronation party," Elson explained. "Uncle Ryder gets to do his bit as the Duke of Weselton."

Honeymaren smirked. "Oh, I am so coming along to see this. If we're lucky, maybe he won't make a fool of himself."

"Weselton himself acts like a fool most of the time," Anna pointed out. "There won't be much difference."

Elsa laughed and nodded. "I agree with you there, sis. Anyway, let's get to practicing. After all, we're on a time limit, right Elson?"

Elson nodded firmly. "Exactly. And you'd better believe I've got everyone on a tight schedule. Now come on, to the ballroom!"