For Queen Anna, today couldn't come any faster!

Earlier this week, she had just gotten a letter from the headmistress of the orphanage, Miss Bonita, for a special visit because the children wanted to see the new queen. She thus made arrangements to visit the children in the orphanage. To the headmistress of the orphanage, Miss Bonita, it was a simple visit to see the children, and maybe have them ask about herself and her sister, Elsa.


Right now, she was walking along the streets with her best friend, Olaf. Olaf, like her, is also ecstatic upon visiting the children. He enjoys visiting the children, and they enjoy playing with a living, breathing snowman as well.

"I can't wait to play with the children again!" Olaf exclaimed in excitement. Anna looked at him and nodded. Then, Olaf raised a brow as a quick question came into his mind.

"Wait a second; where's Kristoff?" he asked. Anna gave a warm smile as she explained.

"Kristoff couldn't make it because he has to help harvest more ice." she said. Olaf looked confused for a moment before he raised both brows and widened his eyes in realization.

"Ooh, ooh! Are you planning on adopting a child?!" he asked with his big, goofy smile. Anna froze for a moment, before turning down.

"Uh...I don't think so, Olaf. My wedding for Kristoff is only a few months away. I don't know if I'm planning for a daughter OR a son." she explained, frowning a bit. Olaf raised a brow.

"What's wrong with having a sun?" he asked, pointing to the sun above with a grin. Anna followed his gaze and looked at him, confused for a moment before giggling. Even though Olaf has matured, Olaf always brings a smile out of her, teasing her every now and them.

"Not THAT sun, Olaf. I'm talking about having a boy." she corrected. Olaf chuckled teasingly and then raised a brow again.

"Oh…well then, what's wrong with a boy?" he asked again. Anna shook her head.

"Nothing. I don't think I'm ready for a son." Anna admitted, scratching the back of her head (while being mindful of the hair bun she did before leaving). Olaf titled his head.

"Why; you think he'll become like Hans?" he asked. Anna slightly flinched at the mention of Hans. She wanted to deny this, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt dread run across her body. Given the fact that she is a queen, she has to deal with various tasks, such as trade deals, preparing for multiple activities for Arendelle, and other duties a Queen must do. That PLUS plans for a wedding with Kristoff and having to care for Olaf without Elsa, would leave her pretty busy. With all that, if she were to have a boy, then…

"Phew…let's just wait and see." Anna said as they walked forward. Noticing her tense body, Olaf smiled and approached her, hugging her legs.

"Aw, don't worry, Anna. I know you can do this. If you can survive climbing a mountain, enduring a frozen heart, narrowly escaping your ex-boyfriend's sword, and having to make peace with the elements in the Enchanted Forest, I'm sure you'll care for a child." he comforted, looking at Anna with a smile. Anna smiled at Olaf's assurance and hugged him back.

"Thanks, Olaf. I feel a little better now." she replied softly. The two of them remained hugging each other for a while before eventually pulled back.

"Okay…I think I'm good now. Let's get going." she declared before they continued walking towards the orphanage.


At last, they have arrived at the orphanage. Around this time, various kids are already outside, playing with one another. Olaf got excited and was the first one to rush through the gates.

"Hey, everyone!" he said cheerfully. The other kids turned to him, and the younger ones squealed in excitement and rushed over to him, hugging him.

"Aww. You guys miss us already?" asked Olaf with a chuckle, and the younger kids immediately took him away to play their games. Anna saw this and couldn't help but smile at seeing such a beautiful sight.

"Oh, your majesty! You're here!" a voice called out. Anna turned her head in the direction of the voice and gave a big smile.

"Hello, there! Are you the uh, head of this place?" she asked as Miss Bonita walked out of the building and approached her. Miss Bonita then bowed down to her, as it was an appropriate way to address royalty.

"That's me! So glad to know that you've accepted my invitation." she complimented. Anna nodded.

"It was nothing. I don't have much 'queenie duties' for today, so I've got the day for myself!" she beamed. After that, many of the children, who have heard the conversation from earlier, approached Queen Anna and practically dragged her away to play. Miss Bonita tried to get them in order, but they were too ecstatic. Upon realizing that they won't do anything too rash, she decided just to let them be.

As she stared at the children playing with Anna and Olaf, Miss Bonita frowned a bit, a small feeling of worry in her mind.

She told Carolus that she would be here and that he can come out and play, as long as he conceals his powers out of fear of being retaliated against. However, she can't find Carolus anywhere outside.

"He's probably inside." she thought to himself with a sigh. So, she turned around and walked back inside to find him.

Once she arrived at Carolus's room, she turned towards the bed, and…there he was, rubbing his eyes. He still kept a frown on his face.

"Carolus?" she asked. Carolus stopped and moved his hands away to look at her.

"Oh, hi, Miss Bonita." he greeted. Miss Bonita approached him and sat down next to him.

"Queen Anna's here. You should be outside with her and the others." she said with a smile. Carolus sat up and approached her.

"I…I don't know if I can. I'm…still a bit too scared to go and meet her." he explained, looking at his gloved hands. Miss Bonita nodded.

"I know, sweet pea. But remember what I said; keep these on, and you'll be fine." she assured softly. Carolus frowned, but he knew that Miss Bonita isn't going to let this go. So, in defeat, he hopped out of bed and looked at her.

"Can you come with me?" he asked. Miss Bonita nodded as she grasped his shoulders.

"Come on. Let's meet her. Things are going to be alright." she cooed softly, just before she gently guided him out of the room.


Meanwhile, back outside, many of the kids played with the two guests. The children with Olaf, as usual, would place some of their decorations (which consist of pebbles, leaves, and occasional crystals) on Olaf's body, which he didn't mind. The children with Anna are playing with their dolls, and occasionally having tickle fights.

Anna enjoyed being in the company of these children. They were sweet and yet polite. However, for some reason…neither of them particularly stood out from the rest. Neither of them have a particular spark that makes her want to adopt just yet.

Then, Miss Bonita's voice came up from behind her.

"I believe someone else wants to join you." she said. Once she heard this, the children turned to the direction, and gasped, pulling away in fright. Anna turned to them, confused as to why they acted like that. However, she then turned to Miss Bonita and saw a peculiar boy looking at her.

He has short, bright red hair with red eyes, and is wearing leather gloves on his hands. Anna looked at him and gave a warm smile.

"Hi there, little one. Who are you?" she asked warmly. Carolus stared and analyzed her for a while, hands clasped together tightly.

She didn't seem to be threatening for now. Looking into her eyes, he didn't feel any hostility, resentment, anger…almost no negative emotions. It was just nothing but pure kindness and warmth. With a gulp, plus with Miss Bonita gently squeezing his shoulders, Carolus opened his mouth to speak.

"M-My name is Carolus. I-It's nice to meet you, y-your highness."

Anna, though a bit taken aback by the silence beforehand, kept her smile.

"Hi, Carolus. It's nice to meet you, too. I like your hair." she said, hand reaching out to gently caress it. Carolus, however, stepped back in fear. Anna looked at him in concern. Miss Bonita shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Queen Anna. He's just very scared." she explained, gently caressing his hair. Anna frowned.

"Why? I won't hurt him." she explained before looking at Carolus.

"He's a monster!" one of the children from behind Anna called out. Anna turned to the kids, who were huddled up behind her. Another child, an eight-year-old boy, spoke up as well.

"Be careful, your highness. He'll burn you!"

Another child, a ten-year-old girl, added in.

"He destroyed my toy!"

"He's scary!"

Before long, most of the children were practically shouting about the things he has done. Carolus stepped back further into Miss Bonita. Anna and Miss Bonita looked at each other, and then at Carolus.

"It was…they were all accidents…" he whimpered out. Seeing this made Anna's heart drop. She knew that this couldn't keep going. Thankfully for her, Miss Bonita knew what she was thinking, and quickly stepped in.

"Kids! What is the matter with you?! Carolus said he was sorry for what he did. And you still treat him like he's a disease! This is not how I taught you kids to behave." she scolded. Most of the other kids flinched at her tone, but one of the kids stood firm.

"But isn't that true?! Isn't that exactly why he's here in the first place? His old place burned down! He needs to know that he is not welcome here, and you are NOT helping!" he shouted, pointing rudely at Carolus.

That stung Carolus in the heart, and he bit his lip. Without thinking, he dashed away from Miss Bonita and back inside. Anna and Miss Bonita stared at where Carolus went and turned towards the kids with heated glares. The other kids cowered in fear, clutching onto one another. Anna then stood up and stared down at him.

"I must say, I am VERY disgusted with your behavior. I'm not sure what you guys mean by 'burning things down', but even if he IS different, that is NO excuse to treat other kids like that!" she scolded.

The kids flinched and looked down with guilt. Anna took in a breath, and sighed, before turning to Miss Bonita, who flinched at her gaze.

"Has it always been like this?" she asked. Miss Bonita rubbed the back of her head and gulped.

"Um…y-yes, but I've been trying to fix this issue." she stammered. Anna crossed her arms and raised a brow.

"Doesn't seem to be working." she muttered before looking at the direction Carolus went. With a sigh, she began to walk towards the door.

"Where is his room? I'm going to talk to him." she instructed. Miss Bonita frantically followed after her.

"I-It's at the second floor, first door to the right. Your majesty, I'm imploring you to consider your decision for doing this." she said. Anna stopped for a moment and stared at her.

"I know what I'm doing. That boy…he's not a monster in my eyes." she said, before stomping away. Miss Bonita sighed to herself and looked at the ground, clasping her hands in concern. From behind, she heard one of the kids call out,

"Should we call for a funeral arrangement?"


Back inside his room, Carolus was covering his face with his gloved hands, crying to himself.

It hurt to hear those from the kids. It further alienated him from everyone else. But the worst part; he thinks that they're not wrong. His lack of control over his powers is why he never had any friends in the first place, in his mind.

At this point, Carolus heard footsteps approaching the room, and the door opened slightly. He was expecting it to be Miss Bonita, but a familiar voice calling to him made him freeze on the spot.

"Carolus?"

He turned around and wiped his eyes, seeing a concerned Anna.

"Y-Your highness. I…I'm," he stammered, but Anna approached him and reached her arms out. He flinched, thinking she was gonna hit him…but he felt her fingers running against his cheek, wiping away the tears.

"Please, Carolus. Just call me Anna for now." she cooed softly. Carolus stared at her, noticing a warm, loving smile on her face. She then sat down next to him and gave a smile.

"I'm so sorry about what happened earlier." he said as he sat next to her. Anna shook her head.

"Carolus, it's not your fault. Those kids were very rude. And I will see to it that they get punished for it." she replied sternly. Carolus, in a state of panic, shook his head.

"Please don't! It's my fault! I should've never burnt their stuff. I-It was just an accident!" he shouted pleadingly. Anna was stunned by this. The boy then covered his mouth and then crawled back.

"I…I'm sorry, y-your majesty. I…I didn't mean to shout like that. Please, don't cut my head off. Please…" he whimpered, tears streaming slowly. Anna bit her lower lip, seeing the boy like this. Without thinking, she approached and pulled Carolus into a hug.

"Shh…shh. It's okay, Carolus. I'm not mad at you, honey." she cooed softly. Carolus whimpered in her hold, not returning the hug, but not rejecting her embrace either. He just sat there, allowing Anna to hold him.

After a while, Anna pulled her head back, and Carolus looked at her. Anna then moved her eyes down at his hands and noticed that there are gloves.

"Carolus, why do you have gloves on?" she asked. Carolus looked at them and raised them to show her.

"Y-Your Highness," he began.

"Just Anna is alright." she corrected. Carolus nodded with a gulp.

"Sorry. Anna, do you remember when the other kids and I said 'burning their toys', and when that boy said, 'his old place burned down'?" he asked. Anna nodded.

"Yeah…wait a second." she began, looking at his hands, and Carolus starts to take off his left glove. He then flexed his hand, the palm facing upwards, and to Anna's shock, an ember materialized from his hand.

Anna's jaw dropped in shock. Carolus looked at her, and he had to hold in a small giggle at seeing the exaggerated look on her face. However, he dissipated the flame and placed the gloves back on.

"That's why. I have to keep wearing these gloves because Miss Bonita says that unlike with ice…fire is dangerous." he explained. Anna, after recovering from the shock, raised a brow in confusion.

"What did she mean by that?" she asked. Carolus looked at his hands again.

"She tells me that with ice, we can rebuild. But with fire, that's it. We won't get second chances." he continued sadly.

After hearing this, Anna…had to hold in a laugh that almost came out. Of course, who could blame her: anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of ice and fire would find Miss Bonita's claims LAUGHABLY untrue, and especially bias.

Carolus raised a brow, wondering why she was laughing.

"Are you making fun of me?" he asked. Anna, while giggling, shook her head and waved her finger.

"No. Not at all. I'm laughing at what Miss Bonita said; it's just so ridiculous!" she explained. Carolus tilted his head in confusion.

"B-But Miss Bonita is right, isn't she? Fire is dangerous." he said innocently. Anna nodded.

"Yes, that's right. But I'm talking about ice being 'not so dangerous'. She clearly hasn't been in MY shoes." she replied with a smile, pulling him closer. Carolus perked himself in interest.

"Really?" he asked. Anna nodded.

"That's right. Back when Elsa was Queen, her Eternal Winter nearly had everyone freeze to death. Also, she froze my heart, and I almost died." she explained.

Upon hearing this, Carolus's eyes widened in fear and gasped. He had been afraid of Elsa prior due to his previous fear of her. Anna noticed, and immediately tried to calm him down.

"Oh, but she didn't mean that! It was accidental; she had no control over her powers at the time. She would NEVER hurt me on purpose!" she cooed softly, giving a warm smile. Carolus didn't believe her.

"S-So, she did hurt you! That means she'll go for me next!" he whimpered as he grabbed his head. Anna shook her head and held his shoulders.

"Carolus, please! Calm down!" she instructed, shaking him. Carolus stopped for a moment and stared at her. Anna and Carolus stared into each other's eyes, the two of them panting, not saying anything for a while. Anna then moved her hands up to his cheeks.

"She didn't mean to hurt me. She loves me more than anything. She's not a monster…With that said; Elsa will never hurt you, either. If anything, she would love to meet you. Okay?" she asked. Carolus gulped before nodding.

"O-Okay, Anna." he said. Anna nodded before gently rubbing his back.

"That's good. Now back to the main point: ice is just as dangerous as fire. I don't know what Miss Bonita was thinking, but…this," she said, gesturing to the gloves before shaking her head. "is NOT how you should control your powers." she finished.

"T-Then how can I do it? How can I control them without my gloves?" he asked. Anna grew a smile as she cupped his hands.

"Have you practicing in secret?" he asked. Carolus nodded.

"Yeah…like with Elsa; I've been trying to make a friend of my own with my fire powers, but…it's a bit tough. I am honestly surprised they haven't gone crazy like last time." he said. Anna understood.

"Okay…how were you feeling whenever you were trying to make your friend?" she asked, caressing his back. Carolus pondered, trying to recall the last few times he tried.

"I was feeling happy. I was very excited that I would finally have a friend of my own. I, always thought that I would love it, and care for it, and play with it." he explained. Anna smiled and nodded again.

"That's how you do it. You already have the basics on how to control it!" she cheered, gently poking him in the nose, making Carolus smile. Anna then asked, "Then why are you still wearing these gloves?"

Carolus frowned, and then clasped his hands in shame. Anna sighed through her nose as she knew what he was thinking, but didn't want to say.

"Miss Bonita?" she asked. Carolus nodded.

"She always reminds me of my old home…the one they said I burned down." he explained, rubbing his shoulders. Anna gritted her teeth in sadness, now understanding his fears.

"Oh…so, that's what they mean." she confirmed. Carolus nodded.

"Yeah. I…I don't like talking about that, though…" he whimpered, biting his lip as more tears began streaming down. Anna immediately pulled him into a hug, running her fingers on his warm, red hair. As she comforted him, she looked down at him, and began to think of what to do;

She knew she was not ready to be a parent. She thought she was too young and inexperienced. But, now that she knew that there is a little boy, who has been in the same situation as Elsa once was, hiding his powers because a witch of a lady and the other kids emotionally abuse him into putting these cursed gloves on, never giving him a chance at all...she wasn't sure on what to do!

In a way, it reminded her of what Hans told her about his upbringing with his older brothers.

"Twelve older brothers. Three of them pretended that I was invisible, literally, for two years."

"It's what brothers do."

Anna silently bit her lower lip in pity; even though Hans is a despicable man, it's not hard to sympathize with him for his past. And the same is now happening to Carolus.

Anna closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose, making her decision.

She gently tapped Carolus's back, making him look up at her.

"Sweetie, do you…want to stay with me?" she asked.

Carolus's brows rose as he pulled his head back.

"W-What?" he asked. Anna nodded.

"I want to adopt you. You cannot stay in this place anymore. I want to help you grow into a better person." she said. Carolus tilted his head.

"D-Does that mean," he asked, but Anna nodded again as she placed her hand on his cheek.

"Of course; I'll help you with your powers." she confirmed as a warm smile grew on her face. Carolus's heart fluttered at her suggestion, but he then tilted his head.

"But you don't have any powers; Elsa does. And she's at the Enchanted Forest. Are you sure you can do this?" he asked innocently. Anna nodded.

"Of course. If I can climb a mountain without proper gear, survive a frozen heart, survive against my ex-boyfriend – yuck! –, survive the wrath of the elements, bring peace between the people of Northuldra and Arendelle, AND be queen for this long without ripping off my hair, then I'm PRETTY sure I can raise a sweet, little boy with special powers." she said, inching her head closer to him with a cheeky smirk with each hazard she survived, and then tickling him with her nose. Carolus giggled at her gesture, and then looked at her with a smile. Anna then lifted him and placed him on her knees.

"So, what do you say?" she asked. Carolus pondered for a moment. She was very nice to him, and she said she would help him with his powers. That is very different from anyone else in this orphanage, and it is something he appreciated very much.

With a decision in his mind, he looked at Anna and opened his mouth to say…

"No."

Upon hearing this, Anna did a take-back, staring at him with shock.

"W-What?! Why? I've offered you a chance, and you denied me! Noooo!" she cried out, hands reaching up in disappointment. Carolus looked at her and had to hold in a laugh. But he tried to keep a straight face.

"Be…Because you're too…*snickers* you're too cheery! A-And you…" he began, but his giggles prevented him from speaking. Anna turned to him and noticed that he was smiling. Sighing in embarrassment, she looked at him with crossed arms and pout.

"You were joking, weren't you?" she asked. Carolus smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Anna. O-Of course I'd love to stay with you. I just wanted to have fun." he explained. Anna sighed in relief, placing her hand on her chest where her heart was, and exasperatedly fell on the bed, groaning.

"You gave me a heart attack, Carolus! I thought I was going to DIE!" she said. Carolus giggled, but then his smile grew upon seeing Anna giving him a devious smirk.

"That's worth a tickle punishment! Come here!" she growled as she lurched forward and grabbed him, pulling him close to her before she began tickling his sides. Suffice to say, Carolus had never laughed so hard in his life, nor did he have such a fun time in his life!

From this moment on, a new life has begun for Carolus, and it's going to a hectic journey to build the little boy's spirit back up!


AN: Hey, everyone, superkoola here!

Here's another chapter of Frozen: Ashes. I sure hope I didn't make Anna TOO out of character. I'm not as familiar with Frozen as I am with the likes of Big Hero 6, Godzilla, or Jurassic Park/World (the franchises that are MY life) as much as I love the two movies.

Aside from that, someone is praying that this isn't like the first Frozen movie. Believe me…that's what I'm trying to do!

That's all I have to say: hope you enjoy it, please be respectful if you didn't, and stick around for more!

Update: I've made altercations with parts of the story: thanks to a certain PurpleBat1, I'm now being able to learn better about how the story ought to go. Later on, I had Anna doubt herself being a parent which in this particular chapter, she looked excited to be one. With PurpleBat1's suggestion, it actually made more sense for the story...at least in my eyes!