Later the night of Christmas Eve, instead of going into his quarters when they got back to the castle, Kristoff asked Anna if they could talk after Elsa retired to sleep.

Once in Anna's room, she sat on her bed and he remained standing, his hands in his pockets.

"What's up?" she asked, curious as to what had him looking so uncomfortable.

"Have you… noticed something about your sister lately?"

"Like what?"

"Like…" he paused, unsure of how to broach the subject. Again, this was not his area of expertise. Feelings in general weren't, but he felt he owed something to Elsa after she had been so open with him, and he wasn't going to be able to figure out how to help her alone. "Do you think she might be in love with someone?"

"I don't think so. Katherine seems to think she might find Christian to her liking, but he's getting married soon. Did you notice something between them too?" she said, recalling the incident with outside of the library a few days earlier.

Kristoff did a double take at that. "What? Katherine told you that?"

She furrowed her brows when she saw the surprised expression on his face. It wasn't that hard to believe. "Yeah. Why?"

He shrugged. "Because I was thinking more… about… her."

Anna's confusion only grew. "Wait, what?"

Kristoff noticed how completely lost she seemed and started to wonder if this was a good idea, but he was too far into it, so he carried on anyway. "Have you not seen the way Elsa and Katherine look at each other? How they act while they're together?"

Now her eyebrows raised as she tried to make sense of what he was saying, putting the pieces together.

"I mean, she does seem to enjoy the prince's company, but…" he trailed off. He could be reading things wrong. However, he didn't think that was the case.

"Oh," Anna said softly. "But why would Katherine tell me that about Christian?" she wondered aloud, everything tumbling together in her mind. Though, now that he mentioned it, even if Katherine had tried to sound unaffected, she hadn't seemed completely thrilled with the idea.

"I can only tell you that Elsa was asking me about love earlier today. And I don't think she was talking about any prince."

The cogwheels in Anna's head were now spinning rapidly, thinking about all the interactions she had witnessed between them in a new light. Something dawned on her.

"Wait, but Katherine still thinks that there's something between Elsa and Christian. We need to do something!" she declared, rising to her feet.

Kristoff's eyes widened, seeing his girlfriend's excitement grow at an alarming pace. "Now, I'm not sure that's such a good idea. We think that's what might be going on, but we're not sure."

"It's so obvious, though! That must be what's going on."

"Should I remind you, you were oblivious just five minutes ago?"

She threw him a pointed look. "No, you should not. But it makes too much sense for it not to be the case."

"Maybe. But we're not certain. This is theirs to work through and figure out. I just wanted to let you know what was happening with Elsa so you can keep an eye on her, not so you can try to set them up."

Kristoff's warning fell on deaf ears. Anna was already crafting a plan to help them out. A plan that would be put into execution the very next day.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The way Elsa's eyes lit up when Katherine was in the room, or even when she was just mentioned, was unmistakable. And the soldier seemed just as smitten. The idea also warmed Anna's heart. Elsa deserved someone who could make her as happy as Kristoff made her. And she was almost certain that the devout soldier could be that person for her sister.

So, Anna was sure there was a misunderstanding there, and she was going to fix it.


After sharing a hearty breakfast made up of some leftovers from the previous day, Anna proposed they should spend Christmas Day at Elsa's Ice Palace.

That was how the sisters, Kristoff, Olaf, and Katherine found themselves sometime later riding a sleigh Sven was pulling on the way to the North Mountain. The soldier was also with them even if she was supposed to be off duty because both Magnus and Anna had been very insistent that she should accompany them.

Katherine couldn't believe the sights they passed through to get to the mythical palace. It was an exhilarating and sometimes vertigo-inducing view. And she was told that it had been even worse before Elsa had made the trek easier by adding some pathways here and there.

As the towering palace glowing in ethereal soft purple and blue hues finally came into full view, her breath was taken away by the craftsmanship, the attention to detail, the grandeur of it.

Kristoff still got emotional every time he saw it.

They finally arrived at the bottom of the stairs and Katherine quickly helped Elsa get out of the sleigh.

When the girls saw that neither Anna nor Kristoff were getting off, and that Anna took Olaf's hand to stop him from doing so too, Elsa was confused. "Weren't we coming here?"

"This is your stop," Anna said with a big smile. "Kristoff and I are going to take Olaf on a ride around here for a couple of hours. I trust you two will be able to entertain yourselves."

Katherine's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline. This was not how she thought this day would go.

As for Elsa, her mouth dropped, at a loss for words. Were they doing what she thought they were doing?

She glanced at Kristoff, who winked at her.

Were they?

As it turned out, they were. Anna had managed to convince Kristoff that giving them some time alone, away from prying eyes, was something they not only would appreciate, but probably needed.

"But wasn't this—"

Anna cut Elsa off, her features soft and caring. "This is your Christmas gift. Enjoy it." She took one of the picnic baskets she had prepared and handed it to Katherine.

"See you in a few hours," Kristoff announced as he had Sven pull them away.

"Bye!" Olaf exclaimed with a wave as they disappeared from view.

Katherine and Elsa watched them go in stunned silence, and when they got out of sight, the women turned to each other.

"Well…" Elsa started. "Guess we have the place to ourselves?"

"It would appear so," Katherine chuckled before turning back toward the palace. "Wow. This is really an impressive build. And you did this all by yourself?"

Elsa shrugged, timid, all of the sudden. "Yeah."

Before Katherine could praise her further, a rumble coming from inside the palace startled the soldier. She instinctively placed herself in front of Elsa and had her hand reaching for her sword.

Elsa laughed softly. "That won't do you much good."

The snow giant's impressive figure appeared as the doors opened. Katherine's mouth went agape for a moment as he thumped and huffed his way towards them after jumping over the ravine, bypassing the delicate-looking ice staircase that led into the palace. "Is this one of yours too?" She managed to ask, still standing protectively in front of the queen.

"Yes. Marshmallow. He's harmless unless he feels threatened."

At that, Katherine threw a quick glance at Elsa with a half-smile. "Reminds me of someone I know." She turned back and she noticed a glint on top of Marshmallow's head as he passed them before leaving into the mountain range. "Is he wearing a tiara?"

"Long story," Elsa chuckled. "Come on."

They walked side by side up the stairs to the entrance. As Katherine gazed at the snowflake motif that decorated the double doors, she felt as in a dream. The cool, but surprisingly not too cold atmosphere, combined with the soothing effect of the blue and purple tones the ice had taken on that day was unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

Elsa opened the door and threw a sideways glance at Katherine. A self-satisfied grin appeared on her face when she realized Katherine seemed completely enchanted.

The soldier stepped into the vast frozen vestibule and absentmindedly placed the picnic basket by the door, her gaze trying to take in everything around her. She realized the same snowflake design she found on the door was the heart of the palace's design. The space was mostly empty except for a sweeping staircase that ran across its width and a frozen fountain that stood in the middle of the room. Looking upward, she found a jewel-shaped piece of ice suspended from the center of the canopy ceiling.

As Elsa watched Katherine turn around on herself to take everything in, she chuckled. "You haven't seen the half of it."

Katherine snapped out of her trance and smiled, motioning to the stairs. "After you, then."

Elsa took Katherine through the extensive network of stairs that connected every corner of the palace toward the topmost floor.

Elsa's features were shadowed for an instant as they stepped into the space. This room held some hard memories. She looked at the ceiling from where the chandelier that had almost killed her during the palace's siege by Hans had hung. It was also where she had frozen Anna's heart.

But when she noticed the childlike wonder in Katherine's eyes, the weight in her heart lifted at the possibility of new and better memories being made here.

"Come, I'll show you the best part," she walked to the set of doors that led to the balcony.

When she thought she couldn't be impressed any further, Katherine's jaw dropped once again when she took in the view of the mountain range.

As they both leaned on the ice railing, quietly taking in the stunning scenery, Katherine looked at Elsa. "Seriously, Your Majesty, I don't know what to say. It's all so… beautiful."

She gave a small smile. "You can call me Elsa."

Katherine chewed on her lower lip in consideration. They had no problem breaking protocol. They had since almost the day they met. But this was some of the very little professional distance left between them. She had tried it only once before, and it hadn't ended particularly well for her. "I—"

"At least while we're here?"

Katherine observed the queen's small smile and big eyes that weren't overtly pleading but were lit with so much hope that she couldn't find it in her to deny her anything. "As you wish… Elsa."

Elsa's grin widened as she turned to look at the view in front of them, nodding in approval.

"So," after a moment of comfortable silence, Katherine turned around to study the palace further, now leaning backward on the railing. "How long did it take you to build this?"

"Not long. Who would've thought thirteen years' worth of repressed magic coming out all at once could give way to something so complex and magnificent? Granted, in the process, I also froze the entire kingdom in the middle of summer," Elsa shrugged, trying to be playful, but a certain heaviness settled over her as she remembered that night.

Katherine watched Elsa attentively as she walked forward, and with a few twirls of her hand, created an ice bench in the middle of the balcony.

Elsa gazed upward at the palace. "I thought I would be happy here. That the only way I could be myself was by being alone." She sat down, now looking at Katherine. "I was so sure that was the answer, that when Anna came looking for me to try to help, I created Marshmallow to keep her away. To keep everyone away."

Katherine nodded slowly, making her way to sit beside her. "So you locked yourself away once again."

"I was certain I was going to hurt others. And that they would hurt me."

The soldier thought about it for a moment and realization dawned on her. "And you made Marshmallow to protect yourself."

"In a way, yeah," Elsa shrugged, noticing Katherine was deep in thought.

"Why didn't you create something like that when we were ambushed?"

Baffled, Elsa thought about it. In a flash, she realized what had been different that day.

"I think back then, it was me against the world. I didn't even want to let Anna in. I was content in my kingdom of isolation. Or I thought I was. During the ambush… I wasn't alone anymore. I had someone I trusted. Someone I could count on." She locked eyes with Katherine, who, deeply touched, lowered her gaze to the ground, feeling heat stain her cheeks.

They sat in silence for a while, appreciating taking in the spectacle of nature before them.

"Hungry?" Elsa asked after a while.

"Yeah. I'll go get the food."

By the time Katherine was back, Elsa had turned the ice bench into a table and two chairs.

As they started eating away at their sandwiches, Elsa couldn't stop stealing glances at the soldier. Finally, she spoke her mind. "You know… I've missed this. I've missed you."

Katherine was perplexed. She had always been there. "What do you mean?"

"I know a thing or two about shutting people out. What had you avoiding me all of the sudden? Did I do something?"

Shutting her out? She could never. "I..." Katherine found something to stare at on the ground. Apprehension tightened her chest. She would answer honestly. She just hoped it wouldn't cost her too much.

The soldier stared into Elsa's curious eyes again. "I hate that Christian is a good man and that he seems to make you happy. And I hate myself for hating him for that."

Elsa's features softened, feeling her heart flutter. Was she jealous?

Katherine winced and lowered her eyes again, visibly ashamed. "Sorry. I know I'm overstepping."

"Katherine," Elsa started softly, slightly leaning over the table. "Christian is a good guy. But he's going back to the Northern Isles to get married to his fiancée soon."

Katherine peered upward at Elsa sheepishly.

"He's a good friend, but I'm not interested in him in that way."

Katherine nodded in understanding. "It's… uh, it's none of my business, anyway." But I'm glad, she finished in her head. She found the pressure on her chest was slightly relieved. However, now she felt as if a horde of angry butterflies had taken over her stomach.

She had said too much. Way too much.

Right… Elsa shrugged before her lips stretched into a smile. The relief that had washed over Katherine's face had been clear, and it made Elsa almost vibrate with excitement.

As Katherine still nibbled on her sandwich, hoping her stomach wouldn't reject it in its uproar, Elsa got an idea.

"I want to show you something."

Katherine watched in wonder as Elsa stood up and had her hands working on creating what she supposed was one of her usual ice masterpieces.

A human-sized sculpture emerged from a cloud of sparkling flurries. It wore the Arendelle army uniform and stood at attention. As she noticed the short hair under the standard issue hat, and the features that sported a friendly smile, Katherine realized with a start that she was looking at the ice version of herself.

Elsa looked on with a timid smile as Katherine, clearly awestruck, approached the sculpture and studied it carefully.

The soldier was fascinated. She rounded the figure and was dumbfounded by its beauty. She considered herself attractive, but this was on another level. "That's me," she said, amazed. "You made some improvements."

"I didn't," Elsa shook her head. "That's all you."

She was glad Katherine could see herself the way she saw her. Though it was unfortunate she couldn't reproduce the blush of her skin, the fire of her hair, the enigmatic darkness of her eyes or the soft rosiness of her lips on the ice. It would be even more breathtaking. Exactly as she was.

Suddenly, the mysterious sparkling snow shower was falling upon them.

It had been a while.

"Maybe we should go back inside," Elsa said, half-joking.

Katherine huffed out a laugh, her eyes trained on the clear sky. "Somehow, I don't think this is natural."

Elsa rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, sorry. Still haven't figured out how this one works."

"What do you mean?" Katherine wondered.

Elsa went to sit back at the table, followed by her shadow.

"I have come to understand most of the manifestations of my powers, but I still haven't figured this one out."

"What have you come to understand?"

"Hm," Elsa cocked her head to the side in reflection. "For example, I know that when my powers appear involuntarily, they depend on my mood."

"Oh. Is each manifestation related to a specific emotion?"

"Sort of. From what I gather, in general, ice means fear, snow means confusion and a snowstorm means a mix of the two. But I'm much better at controlling them now that I'm aware of how they work and what can set them off."

"And you have no idea of how you're feeling when this one tends to appear?"

Elsa sat back and thought about it, trying find a pattern. It wasn't systematically present when she was happy or nervous. The only trend she could think of was that it seemed to always be related to Katherine, be it her presence or the mere idea of her. But it had never happened in the presence of anyone else until now. The queen shook her head, feeling herself going into shaky ground she still wasn't sure she was quite ready to fall into.

Deep down, she knew exactly what it meant. By now, she should know better than to think that by denying her feelings they would go away, leaving her safe and in control. She did know better than that. But old habits die hard.

"I'm not sure," she shrugged it off, preferring to change the subject. "And, you know, I may have the magic powers, but I've found that magic, the real kind of magic, comes from love. Anna's the one who helped me bring back summer. Her belief in me gave me the power to conquer my fear. And boy did it need to be strong magic to do that. But, um… she's not the only one with a magic heart, you know."

As much as Elsa was scared of the feelings she felt for the woman sitting across from her, she couldn't waste the chance to let her know just how important she was for her.

Elsa stared at Katherine with so much affection the soldier couldn't even try to deny she was talking about her. She felt her face heat up as she smiled and lowered her gaze.

She really needed her to stop looking at her like that. At this rate, she was sure it wouldn't be long before her face became permanently blushed in embarrassment.

Words failed Katherine. And before she could even try to come up with something to say that was half as touching, she heard movement coming from below. Immediately on high alert, she jumped to her feet and approached the ice railing, from where she could see what was going on at the foot of the fortress.

"Princess Anna and Kristoff are back."

Elsa felt her heart drop to her stomach as she watched Katherine walk back to the table and start placing everything back in the basket. Was it already over?

She looked out toward the mountains and realized that the sun was already starting to set, tinging the sky in pink and orange tones, even if it was still early afternoon. She suddenly noticed that the colder tones of the palace had turned into a scarlet glow over the course of their stay.

As Katherine finished her task, she noticed the other woman seemed frozen in place. "Elsa? You okay?"

The soldier's voice broke her out from her reverie. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go."


Anna watched Elsa and Katherine emerge from the palace and descend the stairs. Both had a new agitation to them, a careful elation lighting up their features. She also noticed how the two women held their hands clasped behind their backs stiffly, as if they were actively fighting an urge. To hold each other's hands? She wondered if they were aware of the fact that they were both doing it.

And they weren't. Each of them was so taken by the turmoil in their own heads that they didn't realize that they were exactly on the same page.

Why didn't I try something?

It would have been the perfect moment.

Will I get the chance again?

As they approached their ride, Olaf bounced up and down in the back of the sleigh.

"Elsa! Kat! You have no idea what we found!"

"What did you guys find?" Elsa asked as Katherine helped her onto the sleigh. The women's eyes met for an instant, but they looked away quickly, suddenly shy.

"Come here, little guy," Katherine said as she took Olaf so she could sit where he had been, before she put him on her lap.

As he and Anna went over their discovery of the mysterious cave that they had found in one of the nearby mountains, Elsa and Katherine's minds wandered elsewhere.

They were both overly conscious of the space they tried to leave between each other to avoid touching. They both wanted it so badly that they were scared to death that the other woman didn't. So, they were both stuck, lonely and cold on opposite sides of their seat. And it was not the kind of cold Elsa liked.

Ironically, with everything — or mostly everything — cleared up, the breach between them had never been narrower.

It was a physical representation of how at arm's length they were trying to keep their feelings for each other. And how utterly miserable that made them.

By the time they reached Arendelle, silence had fallen upon the group. A silence in which the thoughts of the two women seating in the back of the sleigh ran so rampant, they were deafening.

As the vehicle finally came to a stop in front of the castle steps, Katherine was quick to disembark, taking Olaf with her, before she could help Elsa once again, offering a strong hand. This time, they were able to hold each other's gazes more steadily, but the eye contact was still brief.

Kristoff, still holding Sven's reins, looked over his shoulder at the interaction. When he felt Anna's movement to get out of the sleigh, he put his hand on her arm to stop her. "Wanna go help me take Sven to the stables? And why don't you help us out too, Olaf?"

Olaf climbed back into the sleigh. "How much help can a man need to take care of a reindeer?" he asked to no one in particular.

Anna watched as Elsa and Katherine entered the castle in silence. She was dying to go talk to her sister, and it was clear in her eyes when she turned to face her boyfriend. "But—"

"I know you're curious but give her some time. Let her come to you."

She visibly deflated, but he was right. "Fine," she sighed as he directed Sven to the stables behind the castle.


As they crossed the Entrance Hall and approached the stairs, Elsa stopped and turned to face Katherine with a small, cautious smile.

"I had a great day today. Thank you for sharing it with me."

"I did too." Katherine couldn't but grin as well. "It's my pleasure. Always."

Elsa stared at her a moment, at a loss for words. She so wanted to believe that it was beyond what her job implied. But, back in the real world, out of the magic of her ice palace, a part of her still needed to think it wasn't. A part of herself that craved guarding, protection, control, the kind of things that kept a heart safe but also cold, frozen shut.

She was good at pushing people away, but not at… this. How was she supposed to go about what she wanted now?

Katherine, sensing an awkwardness settle between them, went back to her own comfort zone. "I… I should probably go find my dad."

Elsa felt her chest tighten, knowing that, again, she was missing a golden opportunity. So much for encasing her feelings in ice. That was visibly a lost cause. She swallowed hard and shook her head. "Yeah. See you later?"

"Later," Katherine said before walking away.

Elsa let out an exasperated breath at herself when she was left alone. Why was this so hard? Everything had been so easy, so utterly delightful chatting the day away tucked far away between the mountains. She wanted for that to be her new normal, part of her daily life.

But for that to happen, she had to make a move.

What exactly was she waiting for?


As soon as she knew Elsa couldn't see her anymore, Katherine quickened her pace, desperate to get to her room, away from prying eyes so she could process all that had happened in the last few hours.

There was a chaotic giddiness settling in her, making her want to scream into her pillow until all the tumultuous feelings wreaking havoc in her head and in her heart were released or at the very least muffled out.

As she finally got to her room, she closed the door behind herself and leaned on it, her head spinning.

Well, so that was the whole Christian situation sorted, she guessed. What did that mean? And why did the queen think it was necessary to clarify? She didn't owe her anything.

Could it be that she also... No. The mere consideration of the thought was too dangerous. But her train of thought insisted. What other reason could there be for, well, pretty much everything they had lived during the past few months?

So far, she hadn't really allowed herself to go too deep into what Elsa herself felt, especially after her birthday ball, but the evidence piling up made it difficult to keep denying it.

Katherine had fallen in love. Hard. And it was getting more and more difficult to imagine that Elsa didn't feel the same way too.

The idea had her heart swelling in her chest, a smile inevitably stretching her lips. She would have enough time later to try to avoid thinking about it, but for now, she let herself believe it. If only a little.

She could only hope not to be shut down as painfully as she had been just a few days ago again.

Maybe she should let Elsa make the first move. She was already risking way too much just by feeling what she was feeling.

But would it ever come?


AN: Oh those two... So close!

Thank you for reading and for your support! And kudos to magicfetus for catching the Haunting of Bly Manor reference in the previous chapter. Loved that line so much, I thought it fit perfectly as some good fatherly advice. You get a star for that one ;) and dozens of others for all your reviews. They mean a lot so thank you for taking the time!