Once the tickling punishment was over, Carolus and Anna walked out of that room to inform Miss Bonita of her decision.

At the office, Anna was signing the adoption papers, with Carolus standing nearby in excitement.

"So…this is your final decision your highness?" Miss Bonita suggested. Anna nodded with a…rather stern look.

"Of course, Miss Bonita. This boy needs a family. One that would allow him to open up." she answered. Miss Bonita sighed and looked at Carolus. Carolus cowered a bit at her gaze and looked at the floor. Miss Bonita looked at Anna, with a not as intimidating stern look.

"I hope you know what you're doing, your majesty. If you're not careful with him, things will end badly for everyone here." she warned. Anna, carelessly, gave a smile.

"Oh, don't worry, Miss Bonita. I can assure you; I know exactly what I'm doing. The question is: do you?" she asked teasingly as she puts down the ink, having just finished signing up the papers. Anna then took Carolus's hand, before walking out of the room, leaving a stung Miss Bonita behind….

Once they got outside, Anna was greeted by a chuckling Olaf and several kids. Once they saw Anna holding Carolus's hands, Olaf gawked and approached them.

"Hi, Anna! You having second thoughts?" he asked with his big smile. Anna smiled.

"Yep. Carolus, I want you to meet my friend, Olaf. Olaf, this is Carolus." she greeted. Carolus looked at Anna, and then at Olaf. Olaf, innocently, smiled.

"Hi, I'm Olaf. And I like warm hugs!" he said as he extended his arms out to hug him. Carolus, while hesitant, eventually returned the hug. Olaf felt the boy's warmth, and he widened his eyes.

"Wow, you ARE warm." he complimented. Carolus smiled and blushed a bit.

"Thank you." he replied. Anna smiled warmly, but her eyes turned to see the children stepping away in fear. Anna frowned at this, but she knew that he didn't have to worry about their fear of him for very long.


Eventually, the three of them walked along the streets of the village. Carolus noticed several visitors staring at them. Many of them looked at him with smiles, happy to know that the child is lucky enough to be adopted by the new queen. Carolus was flustered by the looks, and quickly approached Anna's side in an attempt to hide his face. Anna giggled at him.

"What's wrong, Carolus? The people here are nice." she cooed softly. Carolus nodded.

"I believe you, but…it's all so strange. Seeing the people look at me, especially those with nice smiles. They…they don't know what I'm capable of." he pointed out. Anna nodded in understanding.

"I know, Carolus. But don't worry, we'll help you practice with your powers." she replied, gently rubbing his shoulders. Carolus smiled at her words, but he tried to remain hidden from the other citizens anyways. Olaf raised a brow.

"Powers? *gasp* You mean like what Elsa has?!" he asked Anna, excitedly. Anna hushed him to keep him quiet, but she nodded.

"Olaf, Shh! I don't want the public to know about this, yet. But, yes. He has powers too. Fire powers, to be exact." she explained. This made Olaf chuckle with excitement.

"Wow, that means Elsa's no longer alone! Someone else that has powers exists!" he cheered as he hugged Carolus, who was blushing. Anna laughed as she grasped Olaf and gently pulled him back.

"Olaf, relax. Besides, I'm not sure he's ready to meet her just yet." she explained. Olaf's smile faltered upon hearing this. Anna shook her head. "Don't worry. I've told him there's nothing to be worried about. We'll talk more once we get back home." she explained before they continued walking.

Carolus looked at Olaf and then at Anna. As they walked, he thought about Elsa, and about what Anna said about her back at the orphanage,

Elsa will never hurt you, either. If anything, she would love to meet you.

"Would she?" he whispered to himself.


Before long, they have arrived at the castle gates. Carolus looked up as the guards stationed outside opened the gates for their queen. As they walked inside, Carolus stared at the monolithic building towering over them. Honestly, he felt intimidated by the sheer size. And to think that it is inhabited by his new mother.

"Mother?" Carolus thought before he looked at Anna. He shook his head, shaking that thought out of his mind. He liked her, but…it felt weird to just call this lady she met 'mom'. Thankfully, he didn't have to refer to her as 'your highness', which does put him at ease.

Speaking of whom, Anna looked at him with a big smile.

"Welcome to your new home, Carolus." she declared, gently squeezing his shoulders. Carolus smiled at her gesture.

"It looks nice, Anna...and a bit big." he said with a smile. Anna chuckled with a smile.

"Thank you, Carolus. And don't worry; I'm sure you'll love it here." she stated, gently ruffling his hair. Carolus giggled at the gesture. Then, she took his hands. "Come on, we'll show you around!" she said as her smile brightened, taking Carolus and practically yanking him inside.

Later on, once they got settled in, Anna and Carolus were having lunch at the main hall. Olaf had left to do…who knows what.

As the two of them ate their lunch, which consists of a simple set of supper, Carolus looked at Anna.

"So…are you married, Anna, if I can still call you Anna?" he asked. Anna smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, you can just call me Anna. Anyways, not yet! The man that I love dearly, named Kristoff, he's my fiancé! Sadly, he left earlier today to harvest some ice in the mountains, so he won't be seeing you until…maybe later tonight." she explained with a big smile. Carolus understood, and then asked,

"Do you two have any friends outside of anyone in this castle? Any pets?"

Anna nodded.

"Of course; there's the people of Arendelle and Northuldra, and the servants of the castle. You've already met Olaf. As for pets, there's Kristoff's reindeer named Sven!" she listed, counting her fingers as she listed all of her friends. Carolus understood and nodded.

"Okay. That's a lot of friends." he said in admiration. Anna chuckled and nodded back.

"That's right, little fella!" she said, winking at him. Carolus smiled back and then stared at the supper. He then looked at his gloves and the fire powers that are sealed within these gloves. Then, he stared at Anna.

"Anna, this may seem like an obvious question, but…how do you know that these gloves aren't gonna help me?" he asked. Anna frowned slightly and sighed through her nose as she tries to think of a good answer.

"Well, for one: my sister did just that. Kept herself hidden for nearly twenty years, her feelings of fear festering as she hides her powers. When they were revealed accidentally…well, The Eternal Winter happened." she said with a solemn nod. Carolus's heart grew heavy, remembering very well his time in his old home during the Great Winter…

"However, with help from yours truly," she continued with a small hint of a boast as she patted herself on the chest. "Elsa learned a secret to help get rid of her fear. And that secret is something you figured out already. Do you remember what it is?" she asked, leaning in closer to him. Carolus pondered for a moment before he remembered what Anna told him earlier,

"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."

"That's how you do it. You already have the basics on how to control it!"

"Is it…happiness?" he asked, hopefully. Anna nodded.

"Exactly. And you do know what goes well with happiness?" she asked again, beaming with a smile. Carolus pondered for a moment again, a feeling of doubt still presents in his mind.

"Uh...love?" he asked gently. Anna smiled with a nod.

"Exactly! It's love, genius!" she said as she leaned forward and ruffled his hair. Carolus grew a soft smile before looking at his gloves, then pondered about Elsa.

"Wow, I guess Anna really DOES love Elsa. But…when Anna said that she would love to meet me, is that…true?" he thought to himself.

"Anna?" he asked. Anna looked at him again. Carolus gave a rather serious look.

"Are you serious when you said Elsa would love to meet me?" he asked. Anna looked at him with a stunned look, before she nodded.

"Of course. You wanna know something, Carolus?" she asked. Carolus tilted his head. "One time, when I wrote a letter to her, I asked whether or not she would be happy to have someone else that has powers like her, because…well, there could be others like out there, such as yourself. She wrote back, and I quote:

"Well, I don't think that's possible, but if there is someone like me…(dramatic pause for effect, teehee!) I would be happy. As much as I love being the fifth element, having someone else just like me…then maybe I would feel less lonely…"

I am NOT making that up, Carolus. IF she…no, WHEN she finds out, she'd be dying to come back and meet you." Anna explained with a warm smile.

Carolus took her words in and bit his lower lip. Even though he is still afraid of her, hearing Anna's sincere voice about her kind of made that fear sizzle down…though it's very little. Baby steps, of course. Anna noticed this and giggled.

"Don't worry. You don't have to meet her right away if you don't want to. I know you know better about her now, but for now, I just want to make you comfortable." she said. Carolus smiled.

"Thank you, Anna." he said softly. Anna grinned and winked at him.

"You're welcome. You're family here." she cooed softly, gently pinching his left cheek, making Carolus grow a small, yet slightly bigger smile. At this point, one of the castle's servants approached them with a small plate of chocolate and cookies.

"Dessert for the both of you." he said, before bowing and departing.

"Thank you." the two replied, before staring at the dessert. Anna took in a deep sniff and sighed in ecstasy.

"Hmm, chocolate." she said as she licked her lips. She then looked at Carolus. "Looks good, doesn't it?" she asked. Carolus tilted his head and shrugged.

"I…don't like chocolate." he replied. Anna gasped and placed her hand on her chest.

"WHAT?! You've got to be joking, Carolus! You've made funny jokes the last time, s-so, t-two time's the charm, right?" she asked in a pleading tone. Carolus shook his head, his face showing no signs of breaking into a grin.

"No. Chocolate makes my tummy hurt. The one time I ate it, I stayed in bed for three weeks." he said as he raised three fingers. Anna looked at him and gritted her teeth as she made a hissing sound.

"Ouch…okay, so you're serious…Okay, then more for me!" she said as she took the chocolate and began to gobble it up. Carolus, as he took a slow bite out of his cookie, stared at Anna, eating the chocolate like a gluttonous fat man at a McDonald's eating several dozen cheeseburgers. In a way, even though it's weird, it is also rather humorous to see a grown-up queen behaving like a child. He ended up eating so he can hide another smile.


After dinner, nothing eventful has happened, and before long, the evening has arrived at Arendelle.

In one of the hallways, Anna and Carolus arrived at one of the bedrooms; the very bedroom that Anna sleeps in. The bedroom was huge, with two beds lying adjacent to one another. There is also a window that also acts as a doorway to the balcony outside.

Carolus looked on in awe.

"This is a big bedroom. I-Is there where I'll be sleeping from here now on?" he asked, turning to her. Anna nodded.

"Yep. Well, at least until you get your own room prepared." she said as Carolus crawled over to the nearest bed.

"Is this mine?" he asked. Anna nodded. Carolus pressed against the mattress and snuggled up in it. "Wow, it's very comfortable." he said before he rolled onto his back. Anna giggled and approached him.

"Glad you like it, little fella." she replied as she lied down beside him on the other end of the bed. Anna and Carolus then stared at one another.

"You enjoying your stay here, Carolus?" asked Anna. Carolus shrugged.

"Yeah. It's…big, and a lot emptier than I thought it would be, honestly. But I like it. Certainly better than the bed at the orphanage!" he replied. After the two lay there silently, Carolus raised his hands and looked at his gloves. He remembered what Anna said about Elsa, and while he wanted to believe him, all those years of abuse and doubt gripped his mind. Anna noticed and she reached her right hand up to touch them.

"Don't worry, Carolus. I promise I WILL make this burden go away." Carolus looked at her.

"Burden?" he asked, not knowing what it meant.

"It is a heavy feeling. Trust me, it's not pleasant." she said. Carolus hummed as he slightly tightened his hold on Anna's hand.

"I hope you can keep that promise." he replied. Anna nodded before she grew a devious smirk.

"Oh, it's just the start, boy. Aaaaasuming my royal duties don't get in the way, you and I are gonna do a lot of things together as a mother and son would." she began as she rolled over to her stomach. Carolus looked at her and grew a soft smile as Anna looked at him with a devious grin.

"You and I are not only gonna fix up your powers but most importantly…" Anna said as she slowly crawled towards him with a devious smirk. Carolus giggled again as he crawled back.

"WE are gonna have LOTS. And LOTS. OF FUN!" Anna declared loudly as she pounced on him again and began to tickle him again. Carolus squealed and laughed again as he struggled to get away from her grasp. But Anna, as usual, was persistent with her tickles.

It felt like an eternity, though it was actually two minutes before Anna relented and removed herself from him, giving him time to breathe. Carolus had tears in his eyes, but they were not of sadness. This time, they were of joy and happiness. Anna smiled at herself while gently wiping away the tears; in just one day, he managed to make the boy comfortable and believe in himself more.

With that in mind, she got up and moved the cover aside. She then picked him up and guided him to the bed.

"Alright, now it's time for us to go to bed." she said as she sets him down. Carolus, still in a small giggly fit, nodded. Then, as she sets the cover-up, Carolus yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you gonna be with me while I sleep?" he asked. Anna nodded.

"Of course, this is my bedroom after all." she explained, gesturing to the other bed. Carolus made an 'oh' face and smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, right…" he muttered. Anna then ruffled his hair.

"It's okay. We're all tired. Now," she began, before the door to the room opened, and in stepped one of the castle's servants named Gerda.

"Your majesty, Kristoff has returned." she announced. Anna sighed in relief while Carolus raised a brow.

"Oh, finally! I was getting worried. Oh, I hope that man has a reason for being so late." she growled.

"He's late?" he asked. Anna nodded.

"He's usually never gone for THIS long. Phew…I'll be back, sweetie. Try and get some shut-eye." she cooed softly, before kissing him in the forehead. Carolus nodded.

"Good night, I guess…please be back." he said and then pleaded. Anna nodded with a smile and gently poked his belly.

"I'll be back, don't worry." she assured before she got up and walked towards the door. Carolus then called out,

"And please don't kill him."

Anna looked back at him and smirked.

"I won't, baby!" she called out as Gerda closed the door. Once she did, however, Anna turned to Gerda with an angry look. "I'm gonna kill him." she growled to Gerda. Gerda just cleared her throat and, not wanting to get on her bad side, nodded.

"Of course. H-He's right this way." she gestured ahead, and Anna stomped forward.

Back inside the room, Carolus stared at the doorway, before lying back down on the floor, snuggling up against the mattress.

"Wow…I didn't think that being adopted by a fun, understanding Queen would be…well, possible at all!" he said to himself as he spreads his arms out across the bed, smile still on his face. Then, as he flexed his fingers, he frowned and pulled them up to see the gloves.

"Well…I hope Anna will help me with this. And maybe…maybe Elsa can as well." he said to himself, before shivering at the mention of her name. However, Carolus shook his head. "Come on, Carolus. If what Anna said about Elsa is true…then maybe she won't be so bad." he said as his voice quivered, clasping his hands together gently. With a sigh, he shook his head and snuggled up to the bed. "I'm going to sleep." he muttered finally as he closed his eyes and pulled the blanket over him.


Meanwhile, Anna and Gerda arrived at the front door, and in the doorway, stood a rather flustered Kristoff. Anna stomped towards him, and Kristoff clenched his teeth in preparation for his fiancé's wrath.

"Oh boy. Alright Anna, before you blow your brains out," he began, lifting his hands up in a gesture before he felt Anna hugging him tightly.

"Where were you, I was worried sick!" she scolded as she held him tightly. Kristoff, after a while of processing what just happened, just smiled back and hugged him back.

"Sorry, it was…quite hectic on the way back." Kristoff explained. Anna, pulling back, glared at him as she raised a brow.

"How so? Where you usually go, it's pretty hectic." She explained. Kristoff nodded.

"Yeah but, I mean really hectic. You see on the way back, the reindeer, including Sven, are spooked by something." he began as they walked inside, Gerda remaining behind to close the door.

"We tried getting them to go through the usual path we used to get back to Arendelle, but they wouldn't go through." he explained. Anna raised a brow.

"Were there any wolves?" she asked. Kristoff nodded, before shrugging.

"Sort of. Some of the boys, including myself, went ahead to try and see what went wrong. Then, we've discovered a wolf carcass on the ground. And that's not the strangest part," he began as he retold his encounter.

*Flashback*

Kristoff and three other men approached the werewolf carcass, checking to see if it was still alive. Once they got to it…what they found was disturbing.

"The carcass looked like it was clawed through the chest and stomach. It didn't look like a claw from a bear or any other animal." Present Kristoff recounted as the men leaned their urns closer to the carcass. "But thestrangest part, was that it was burnt! The wolf was literally cooked, and half eaten!" Present Kristoff as they gasped at the burnt carcass.

*Flashback ends*

Anna raised a brow in intrigue.

"A burnt wolf carcass?" he asked. Kristoff nodded.

"Whatever it was, Sven and the other reindeer wouldn't go down the usual path, so we had to take a LONGER route." he finished. Anna then nodded in understanding, pondering how there was a burnt wolf in the mountains. She bit at her lower lip, hoping that there wasn't ANOTHER fire-wielder with more hostile intentions.

She then heard Kristoff ask, "What about you? How did the visit to the orphanage go?"

Anna then cleared her throat and looked at him.

"Oh, it's…interesting. Actually, I have an interesting little boy that I've adopted as a result." she explained. Kristoff raised both his brows and then smirked.

"I knew we'd get a son! Hmph!" he replied as he fist-pumped in victory. Anna chuckled at him, before continuing with,

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, his name is Carolus, and you're not gonna believe this, but he's almost exactly like Elsa: he has powers too!" she said with a growing smile. That was when Kristoff froze in place, eyes widened in shock.

"Another element? And he's here?!" he asked in shock. Anna nodded.

"Yep. Although instead of ice, it's fire." she clarified. Kristoff's eyes widened even more and his jaw dropped.

"Woah…wait a sec, does he have control over it?" he asked, growing a bit paranoid. Anna nodded, rather hesitantly.

"Well, sort of." she replied.

"What do you mean, 'sort of'? Does he have control or not?" asked Kristoff, now a bit fearful. Anna gritted her teeth and hushed him.

"Kristoff, relax! He has gloves on!" she assured. Kristoff raised a brow and asked her what she meant. Anna sighed, and she began telling him about Carolus's tragic past, and how everyone at the orphanage not only feared him but the headmistress emotionally abused him into keeping his powers hidden by reminding him over and over again of his old hometown, which he burned down by mistake. Kristoff listened and felt sympathy for the boy.

"Ouch…" he muttered. Anna nodded in agreement.

"That's why I'm pleading with you, Kristoff. PLEASE don't let him know you're afraid and be supportive of him instead. As much as I would love to be by his side, I am…a bit worried that my duties would get in the way. He needs a father, Kristoff…just as much as he needs a mother." she pleaded, holding his hands with hers.

Kristoff, after seeing his fiancé's pleading look, just gave a soft smile and nodded.

"Of course, Anna. Anything for you and your new son." Kristoff assured as he leaned in and kissed her in the lips. Anna giggled.

"OUR new son, Kristoff." she corrected, kissing him back. Kristoff chuckled and nodded.

"Right, sorry." he corrected. Anna chuckled and the two kissed again, before pulling back. Kristoff then had asked, "Should Elsa know about this?" he asked. Anna nodded.

"Yes, but…Carolus is afraid of her." she answered. Kristoff nodded in understanding.

"Understandable. I mean, Elsa is ice, and he is fire, so I can kind of see why. Where is he, anyways?" he replied. Anna shrugged and nodded.

"Maybe. Kind of makes sense, actually. Anyways, he's in my room, sleeping, as I should be as well. I'll write her a letter tomorrow." she said as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. Kristoff chuckled and swiped Anna off her feet.

"Need a liftoff?" he asked. Anna nodded.

"Oh, yes. Please, I don't think my legs can *snore*" Anna said as she suddenly fell asleep, the energy from today having left her. Kristoff chuckled and shook his head as he walked towards her room.

Tomorrow is another day for the royal family and little Carolus…


AN: Hey everyone, superkoola here!

Here's another chapter of Frozen 3: Ashes. A bit slow, but I guess it is a necessary slow to show Carolus first settling into the castle. And the next chapter or so, will be just that. And don't worry; Elsa will be here! After all, having learned of someone else that is almost exactly just like you…well, I bet it must be exciting.

Anyways, that's all I have to say. Hope you enjoyed this, please be respectful if you think differently, and stick around for more!