AN: Just a quick note to say that I posted chapter 9 while the site was having some trouble, so make sure you check that one out if you haven't before you read this one. Enjoy! :)

A short while after Elsa had entered her study, Katherine noticed Anna making her way toward her. She was intrigued by Anna's fast pace and hardened expression. For a moment, she actually wondered if she should stop her.

"Princess Anna, is something wrong?" Katherine asked instead as the young woman approached the doors. She did look threatening.

"I need to talk to my sister," is all Anna said, opening one of the double doors with more force that seemed necessary.

Katherine decided she should probably keep an ear out to make sure the queen wasn't in any actual danger. She was glad when Anna left the door ajar behind herself.

Elsa jerked her head up when she heard someone irrupt into her study, startled by the suddenness of it. She was used to people at least knocking before opening the door. But this time, Anna hadn't bothered. And Elsa's brows knit when she saw her sister basically storm inside.

"What is this I'm hearing about an attack on your carriage yesterday?" she asked, standing in front of Elsa's desk.

Elsa flinched before sinking back into her chair. She should have guessed this would happen. She set her quill down and threw an apologetic look at her sister. "I didn't want to worry you."

"You didn't want to worry me?!" Anna spat, incredulous. "It worries me more that you didn't tell me about it yourself. If something happens to you, will I always have to learn about it from others?"

Now Elsa stood too, her gaze full of regret. "No, of course not, Anna. It's just that—"

"It's just that nothing. I'm tired, Elsa, of always being left out. Of always being in the dark. I might be younger and less experienced, but I have a right to know what's happening to you and the kingdom too."

Elsa carefully studied her sister's face. The mix of anger and anguish she found there made her heart ache. She knew she had screwed up. "You're right. I'm sorry," Elsa agreed, lowering her eyes.

That broke Anna. She was not as angry as she was terrified for her sister. "Dammit, Elsa. When are you going to start trusting me? You know how scary it is to think that I could've lost you? That I could still lose you because some crazy king has an army ready to kill you?"

Elsa met her sister's eyes, which were welling with tears, so she rounded her desk to take her into her arms. "It's okay. I'm here. It's going to be okay," she whispered, trying to soothe her.

This feeling she knew. Elsa was sorely familiar with the idea of losing her sister forever, with how unbearable that pain could be. And all she could do was show her she was still there.

After a few seconds, Elsa broke away and looked intently into Anna's reddened eyes, their hands entwined. "Listen to me. I will not let anyone hurt me, just as I will not let anyone threaten you or the kingdom, alright?"

Sniffling, Anna couldn't do more than nod.

Elsa nodded too and returned behind her desk to fish out a handkerchief from one of the drawers. She handed it to Anna and took her other hand, guiding her to the cushioned bench seat that was placed just below the large window that overlooked the Bridge of Arches, that led from the Arendelle Plaza to the castle gates. They sat sideways, facing each other.

As Anna tried to calm down, Elsa looked out into the bustling plaza. All those people depended on her, and sometimes she still had a hard time believing it. It weighed heavy on her heart.

She looked at her sister again and found that the weight only got heavier. "I do trust you, you know," Elsa tried to assure Anna.

"No, you don't," Anna said quietly. "If you did you would talk to me, you would believe I can handle it."

Elsa felt Anna's words like a lead weight that dropped into her stomach. She had only wanted to protect her. The last thing she wanted was for Anna to believe that she didn't trust her. "I'm really sorry. I was going to tell you. I just hadn't found a way to do it."

Sharing was difficult for Elsa, especially with her sister. She was getting better at it, but it wasn't a switch that could be turned on and off. It was a constant struggle. Every single time, Elsa had to make the conscious effort to not give into what over a decade of practice had taught her to do.

Anna sighed, looking down at her hands, toying with the handkerchief. "I know."

"I'll try to do better. I promise. I'm just glad we all made it out safely," Elsa said, not thinking only of herself but also of the soldiers that had accompanied her.

"How did it happen?" Anna lifted her gaze, curious.

Elsa quickly went over the details of the ambush, thinking it best not to leave anything out.

"But I have to say, being able to freeze them in seconds did come in handy," Elsa's eyes brightened as she thought of that moment when she and Katherine had realized they had taken them all out. "But I couldn't have done it without Katherine by my side."

The soldier listened to the heated argument and felt herself relax when she heard Anna break down. She tried to block the conversation out then, since the threat level had considerably decreased. She was trained for that. But her curiosity got the better of her.

Katherine was fascinated by the sibling dynamic. She was an only child. Yes, there was an inevitable sense of brotherhood that came with being part of an army, but being the only woman, it wasn't always easy to feel like she fit in. At first, she had found herself being looked down upon. Most of the other recruits had been certain she didn't have what it took — that her father was the only reason she was there.

But she did have what it took. She couldn't be just as good as the guys. She had to be ten times better than them to be taken seriously, to prove to them that she could hold her own.

As she listened to the sisters consoling and reassuring each other, Katherine felt a familiar sense of longing. And all those nights alone in her cot at the military headquarters came rushing back. They had been difficult at the beginning, but she had quickly learned that if she tired herself enough during training, exhaustion would knock her out before she felt it. Later, she had found it helpful to remember her mission. That was when her sense of duty became her driving force, which was how she quickly became one of the best recruits of her class.

That was also how, a few months into training, she had gained the trust and respect of most of her fellow recruits. She felt they had each other's backs.

So, despite everything, she did have friends in the army. Friends she now considered family. Friends that had witnessed her nightmares and still believed in her strength.

But it was a relatively new experience in her life. And it wasn't quite like what she saw between Elsa and Anna.

Realizing the sisters were making their way out of the study, Katherine stood up straighter, slipping on her hard, neutral expression.

She was standing to the side of the double doors, looking straight ahead into the corridor. Her eyes widened, startled, when the princess blindsided her, taking her into a sideways hug.

"Thank you for protecting my sister."

Katherine glanced at Elsa, who was trying to stifle a chuckle at seeing the soldier be on the receiving end of one of Anna's love attacks.

"It's my job. But she didn't need me for that. She defended herself without a problem."

"Oh, no need to be humble," Anna said, now breaking away from the soldier. "Thank you for being there to bring her back home safely."

Katherine decided to take it, otherwise the princess would probably just go on about it to try to convince her of how great the feat was. "It's an honor," she bowed her head at Anna but couldn't help sharing a look with Elsa. It would always be an honor to guard her.

The soft smile on Elsa's lips turned mischievous as she had an idea. Maybe Anna could see her in action.

Elsa whispered something in Anna's ear, which had the younger sister squealing with delight.

"Let's go!" Anna said, taking her sister by the hand, dragging her behind herself as she rushed down the corridor.

Katherine followed close behind, confused.

They rushed out of the castle. As they got to the courtyard, Elsa let go of her sister's hand and ran ahead of her. Anna stopped in her tracks and bent down to gather some snow.

Katherine, having stopped with Anna, watched what she was doing, and she realized the princess was making a snowball, presumably to throw at her sister, who was running towards the gates.

It was just a game. Katherine understood that. Nobody was in any actual danger. But in the heat of the moment, her protective nature had a shot of adrenaline pumping through her, sending her coherent thought process out the window.

Instinctively, she leapt toward her. "Elsa!" she shouted as she ran to her. But it was too late. The snowball had left Anna's hand. Katherine realized that the only way to keep the projectile from hitting the queen was to… tackle her to the ground.

When Katherine would have had time to reflect on this further, she would roll her eyes at herself at the absurdity of the thought. But for now, only one idea occupied her mind: protect Elsa.

The next instant, Katherine was the one receiving the snowball hit as she crashed into Elsa. Both women tumbled to the ground, but Katherine had the foresight, when she realized the fall was inevitable, to twist them around so she would be the one taking the brunt of the landing, as Elsa stumbled on top of her.

Even if she was grateful for the few inches of fresh snow that somewhat cushioned the impact, Katherine still grunted as the air was knocked out of her.

Elsa had been so surprised by the last few seconds that she panted, lying on top of the soldier. As her brain tried to grasp what had just happened, she let the warmth of the body below her ground her as she stared into Katherine's eyes.

Katherine's chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath, and her cheeks reddened, but it wasn't from the effort or the cold. "Sorry," she said. "I got a little carried away."

Elsa had imagined Katherine would react in some sort of protective manner, but that wasn't quite how she thought they'd end up.

She chuckled, having regained her senses. "It's okay."

She should get up, Elsa knew that. But she was busy studying Katherine's adorably rosy cheeks and wild hair sprinkled with snow. Fire laced with ice. Elsa wondered what Olaf would have to say about that.

Katherine, in turn, occupied herself by moving her gaze from Elsa's eyes to her lips. They were slightly parted as she caught her breath. Katherine couldn't help to run her tongue over her own lips, wondering what Elsa's would taste like.

Wait, what?

"Oh!" Anna exclaimed, surprised by the soldier's reaction, rushing towards them.

It had all happened in a matter of seconds, but they had almost seemed like a lifetime. When they realized Anna was approaching them, Elsa finally rolled off the soldier, offering her a hand.

"Thanks," Katherine took it to steady herself as she rose to her feet. She caught herself missing the feeling of Elsa's weight on her body.

What was happening?

"Are you okay?"

Katherine dusted the snow off her uniform and turned to look at Anna. "We're fine. Just an overenthusiastic guard who takes her job a bit too seriously," she shrugged but then turned apologetic. "Sorry again, Your Majesty."

"No need to be," Elsa shook her head reassuringly.

"You were right, though," Anna chimed in. "She does seem like a force to be reckoned with."

"Heads up!" Katherine said, noticing Kristoff was running towards them through the open gates, readying himself to throw a snowball. He was followed by Olaf and Sven.

In a flash, Elsa had conjured up her own snowball in a magical flurry and sent it flying his way before he had a chance to throw his own. It hit his arm, that he had lifted to protect his face.

"That's not fair!" he whined.

"A snowball fight?!" Olaf squealed with delight. "I've always wanted to be in one, they sound so much fun! Unlike an ice ball fight," he mused. "That just sounds dangerous."

"Okay," Anna said. "We can have one. But no magic. And let's try not to tackle people to the ground," Anna winked at Katherine, who blushed again.

"I'll try."