A/N: I hope everyone one enjoyed the story and don't forget to tip an EMT on the way out.
A peaceful smile lingered on Elsa's face as she pushed open the door to her room. Aside from the "wine incident" the evening had been an unexpectedly enjoyable experience. No one in the dinner party commented on or asked her about her magic afterward, for which she was grateful. She knew her magic was nothing to be ashamed of, and three months had passed since she had inadvertently exposed it, but thirteen years of hiding her powers was not a simple thing to shake. She was still unsure how people would react, meeting and seeing her in person, and it always seemed easier to avoid the topic where possible.
She had just begun to pull the ties on her corset when there was a knock at the door. A familiar pattern of raps that widened her smile. "Come in," she called.
Her sister poked her head into the room. "Hey." She entered and closed the door behind her. "Sorry about the wine thing."
Elsa raised an eyebrow. "I did say a small sip."
Anna wrinkled her nose, moving behind her, and started wordlessly lacing her corset. "I don't know how you drink the stuff. It tasted like leather and vinegar."
Elsa chuckled, then released a deep sigh as the corset came off. "That's better." There was nothing quite like the relief of being able to breathe properly again. "Whoever invented corsets should be drawn and quartered. Queen's orders."
Anna chucked softly, standing to the side, fiddling with the sleeves of her nightgown. Elsa took a moment to appreciate that somehow her sister had already changed her clothes and couldn't help but feel impressed over how quickly she managed to do so. Practice, she thought, recalling how often Anna overslept.
Elsa watched as her sister seemed unsure about something. She pulled the pins from her hair, letting it fall down around her shoulders, waiting to see if Anna would come out and say what was bothering her.
When Anna continued to fidget, Elsa took pity on the girl. "Anna," she said, laying her own nightgown across the bed. "What's wrong?"
Anna rolled her lips between her teeth. "You're not upset, are you?" she asked in an uncharacteristically small voice.
Caught off-guard by the question, Elsa cocked her head. "About the wine? No, of course—"
"No." Anna shook her head. "I mean about, you know."
Elsa sat on the edge of the mattress, staring curiously at her sister. "I'm afraid I don't."
"About me . . . having been here before."
"Oh." Elsa pressed her lips together. She wasn't sure how she felt about that bit of information. She wasn't upset; at least, not with her parents, and certainly not with Anna. It wouldn't be fair to them. Just because she isolated and confined herself to her room didn't mean that Anna had to be. Part of her was happy to know that Anna hadn't been as alone as she had thought, and that her sister had a friend, even if it was for a brief amount of time.
If she was being really honest with herself, Elsa knew exactly what was bothering her. Despite their physical separation in the castle, she had always done her best to keep tabs on what was going on in her little sister's life, gathering information from wherever, whoever she could. Often, Gerda and Kai were Elsa's informants for what mischief Anna was causing throughout the castle, and her mother and father for everything else.
Learning now that for one week each year Anna had come up to Valle without Elsa knowing about it cut deeply. There had been so many closed doors standing between them, but for the first time, she truly felt shut out of a part of her sister's life. The fierceness of hurt she was feeling surprised her, but knew she had no place to say anything to her sister about it, because this was only a fraction of the hurt Anna must have felt for the past thirteen years. Her sister had carried this pain for most of her life, and Elsa wasn't about to burden her with more.
She gestured for Anna to take a seat next to her on the bed. "No, Anna, I'm not upset. I'm glad you had someone."
Anna sank onto the mattress and bumped Elsa's shoulder with her own. "Oh, good. I wasn't sure. You're hard to read sometimes . . . most of the time . . . all the time, really."
Elsa laughed. "I'll try to work on it." She leaned back on the bed. "So, tell me about your visits to Valle. How did they start?"
"Oh, it's a long story." Anna waved a hand. "Right before my tenth birthday, Papa and I got into a huge fight. I yelled at him, said some nasty stuff, and he yelled back. Then he sent me to my room without dessert."
Elsa sat up. "Yelled? I don't think I've ever even heard Father raise his voice."
"He didn't really, unless we were talking about yo—" Anna threw her hands over her mouth, but it was too late.
"Me?" Elsa turned toward her sister. "You and Father were arguing about. . . me?"
Anna averted her gaze and that was more than enough of an answer for Elsa. She looked down at her hands with a sigh. Her powers were more a curse than anything, causing the people around her problems and pain. She curled her fingers in and made a fist, wishing—not for the first time and certainly not the last—that she had not been born with this magic. Or at least, that she knew why she had been. Without raising her eyes, she sighed. "How often did you and Papa argue about me?"
Anna chewed the inside of her cheek before answering. "It wasn't often. The older I got, the more I learned to just . . . accept how things were."
Elsa nodded, unsure what else there was to say on the matter. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "So, how did you end up in Valle?"
"I got so angry at Papa, I refused to speak to him for three days, and that of course made him irritated with me. He had some business to attend to here, so Mama suggested he take me with him and not come back for a week. I think she was tired of us."
Elsa cracked a smile; their mother was a force to be reckoned with when pushed, and she knew a "suggestion" from the woman was more an order.
"Anyway, once we got up here, I was so excited to find that there were kids my age to play with." Anna visibly relaxed as she chattered on about the Baron's children. "Danel is the youngest of them all, so he's the one I was closest with. The others are all a few years older so, you know, they didn't play with us as much, but Danel and I used to get into all sorts of trouble. I think Papa saw an opportunity for me to cause problems for someone other than the castle staff, and visiting Valle just became a tradition. Sometimes, bribery," she said with a chuckle.
Anna practically jumped off the bed and spun around, grinning widely at Elsa. "Soooo. . ."
Elsa raised her eyebrows. "So?"
Anna put her hands behind her back and rocked on the balls of her feet. "Sooo. . ." she prompted again.
Elsa folded her arms over her chest. "Anna."
Her sister gaped like Elsa was missing something obvious. "The festival?"
Elsa cocked her head. "What about it?"
"Danel said he and his sisters are going down tomorrow morning, and he wanted to know if we wanted to go along." Anna clasped her hands in front of her chest like a pleading child. "Can we go, Elsa? Please, oh please, say yes."
Elsa couldn't help but chuckle. Her sister's undying enthusiasm could be infectious. "Of course, you can go."
"Yes!" Anna pumped a fist in the air, then froze. "Wait, what?" She frowned and dropped her hand to her side. "You're coming too, right?"
"Anna—"
"If you say you're working—"
"You know I have to. I have a meeting with Lord Oskar in the morning. It's the reason we're here in Valle."
Anna huffed. "All you do is work." She knelt in front of Elsa and grabbed her hands. "You need to relax. At least once in every great while. The kingdom won't fall apart because you spent a day having fun."
Elsa bit her lip. She knew Anna was right on multiple fronts and had a hard time saying no to her sister. She hated to disappoint Anna, but there were responsibilities to her people that had to come first. "Fine," she said slowly.
Anna jumped with a squeal. "Really?"
"I still have to meet with the Baron, but I will join you at the festival after lunch. Okay?"
Anna pressed her lips into a line and scrunched up her face, considering her sister's terms. "Fine," she relented, then jabbed a finger at Elsa. "But I'm holding you to it. After lunch—you, me, and a whole festival."
Elsa folded her hands in front of her, her mind churning with thoughts as she walked through the estate's garden. She had spent the first half of the morning with the Baron reviewing the profits, fees, and taxes collected and paid for the last four year's harvest. She collected the information, taking diligent notes. They then discussed the cost and logistics of transporting the agreed-upon food stuffs to Arendelle.
The meeting hadn't taken nearly as long as she expected. She had sent a letter before her arrival that laid out everything she needed, but she was still pleasantly surprised that the Baron was so well-prepared and organized, making it a simple matter to locate what she was looking for.
After they finished the Baron once more expressed his surprise and admiration that she would travel all the way to Valle to oversee the transport, and her attention to detail in making sure they were compensated fairly for the harvest. Oskar had pointed out that as Queen, technically the crops in Valle already belonged to the crown, and there was therefore no trade required for the crop. It was the reason he was so surprised at the trouble she was going through. She dismissed his words with a patient smile and a wave of her hand. She wasn't about to hurt one town to save another. It was important that she set things right. Or at least, as right as she could.
It was easy to see why her father had liked the Baron so much. He was easy to work with, and had a loud, infectious laugh. Despite that, the meeting left Elsa with a heavy heart, knowing Arendelle's current problems—both regarding food and diplomacy—were of her own making. She'd panicked, lost control of her magic, and brought harm to those she had sworn to protect.
Elsa passed from the gardens to the estate's stables, and sought out her horse, Garnet. He had been one of two horses that pulled the carriage; the staff stabled him along with the guard's horses that had made the journey from Arendelle.
As a child, she'd loved to ride, but when the gates closed the opportunity to do so was lost to her. She'd continued to take riding lessons afterward, but her father had confined them to the castle courtyard, taking place in the early morning hours. Nothing could compare to the rides she used to take through open countryside.
The stables were impressive, and it didn't take long to locate the silver and black fjord pony. Elsa relaxed instantly, reaching over the stall and scratching between the horse's eyes. She wished she'd had the foresight to bring some treats with her. She grinned as the horse nickered and bumped his head against her hand.
She chewed her lip, fingers twisted loosely in Garnet's mane. A few hours remained before she was suppose to meet Anna at the festival. She had planned on getting some work done, but knew she was far too distracted to be productive.
She looked down at her clothes; she wore a white shirt and light blue knee-length tunic, white tights, and black calf-high boots. She didn't mind the long, more formal dresses she wore back home, but preferred the lighter tunics and leggings which were far less restrictive. However, such wear was not proper for a lady of her pedigree, or so she had been repeatedly told by her tutors and governess from the moment she was old enough to understand. She had hated the idea, and the word pedigree; she thought it made her sound more like a prize winning mare than a human. Though, depending on who you asked . . .
The only time she'd gotten away with dressing more comfortably was during her family's yearly trip to the Sommerhus. But those had stopped after the accident, one more casualty to her magic.
When packing for this trip she had used the excuse that the lighter weight tunics and leggings fit into smaller suitcase and meant there would be less luggage for the brief trip. Gerda had given her a disapproving look but refrained from commenting as the young queen would be far from the judgmental eyes of court. Elsa couldn't help but sometimes feel frustrated at the lack of control she had over her own life; even Anna was permitted to choose her own outfit each day.
But today, in this moment, there was no one around to lecture her on what was and was not proper for Arendelle's queen and after a moment of debate Elsa decided she needed to clear her head and a quick ride through Valle's countryside would be perfect.
She looked about, but didn't see the stable-master, or even a stable hand. It was no matter; just because she was Queen didn't mean she couldn't saddle her own horse. Elsa gathered what she needed from the supply of her guard's equipment; her personal gear remained in Arendelle, as horseback riding hadn't been in the plans.
With a bit of free time and a beautiful cloudless day, she had to admit that Anna was right: the kingdom wouldn't come crashing down around them just because Elsa took a few hours to herself.
As she affixed the bridle and saddle to Garnet, her mind drifted to the morning's meeting, and the reason it was even necessary. Her chest tightened and her breath hitched. She continued to feel shame and guilt for the way she had panicked and buried Arendelle under twenty feet of snow, not to mention freezing the fjord as far as the eye could see. She felt guilty for what she had done, but also terrified that she could do it.
Before her coronation, any magical outbursts had been contained to her quarters. Her powers had grown as she did, but she had never really experimented with how strong they were, had never attempted to test her limits. When she declared her parents lost at sea and made the decision to stop looking for them, she had lost control and turned her room into a frozen wasteland. It had been so bad that Kai and Gerda moved her to a guest room to recover and allow the room to thaw. It had taken almost a full week, but even in such a burst of grief and despair, not a single snowflake had made it outside her room.
It wasn't until she stood in her own castle's dungeon, hands shackled and chained to the floor, that she realized the extent of what she'd done. The sight of a frozen Arendelle had terrified her, which in turn made things worse, causing the storm to rage harder. The knowledge of what she had left behind when she fled Arendelle, the sheer power of it, shook her. Locking down Arendelle, building her ice palace, creating life. The possibilities of what she could do was as terrifying as it was intoxicating.
Elsa froze in place, the thought taking her by surprise. She frowned as she pulled on the strap securing the saddle and led Garnet out of the stall. She wasn't sure what to do with that thought, but didn't have to decide as a blunt force slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. Unhappy with the sudden jerk on his reins, Garnet snorted and threw his head back, stomping his feet. Elsa reacted quickly, covering her face with her arms as she rolled out of the way of stomping hooves. She hit the stable wall and found herself trapped, in very real danger of being trampled.
"Whoa," said a voice, attempting to soothe the panicking beast. "Whoa." The horse was tugged away. "I am so sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here."
Elsa rolled onto her back and glared up at the owner of the voice; a young man with dark hair, dressed far too nicely to belong to the staff. He tied Garnet's reins to a bar and offered his hand. "Here, let me help you up."
Elsa pulled away, tucking her hands close to her chest. She had thankfully held back any startled explosion of ice, but could feel the magic gathering and pressing against her palms. She didn't want to risk freezing the man, even if he did almost get her trampled. She shifted, pulling herself to her feet without touching him. She turned away and took a deep breath, working to calm the ice burning uncomfortably along her fingertips.
When she was sure she had it under control, she brushed the dirt from her clothes; then pointedly ignored him as she moved to Garnet, soothing the horse with a soft word and a gentle pet down his long nose.
The man dragged a hand through his short hair, looking both uncomfortable and apologetic. "Are you okay?"
Satisfied she had calmed her horse, Elsa turned to the man. "I think I'll live, perhaps with a bruise or two."
"Sorry about that." He grinned sheepishly. "It seems to be the theme for the day."
She raised her eyebrows. "You mean I'm not the first person you tried to run over?"
"Unfortunately, no. I accidentally ran into Princess Anna early this morning . . . literally. I hadn't even known she was here."
Elsa couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped. "Knowing her, I'm sure it was entirely her fault."
The man returned the laugh. "As she is the princess, I feel that I should neither confirm nor deny that insinuation."
"Probably for the best."
He rubbed the back of his neck, then his eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm giving a horrible first impression . . . aside from the near trampling. I'm Alarik, the eldest son of Baron Oskar."
Elsa tilted her head. "I thought the Baron only had one son, Danel?"
He chuckled, "Yeah, I can understand the confusion. You aren't the first one to think so. I'm hardly around, much to my father's displeasure. I'm usually on duty with the royal Navy."
"You're a soldier?" Elsa asked, a blush creeping across her cheeks. She really should have known all the Baron's children by name, especially if one of them served in the military.
Alarik nodded. "My father sent a letter asking me to return home because we were hosting special guests."
Elsa wrinkled her nose. "Did the letter not say who?"
Alarik rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm sure it did but the letter missing half a page, and when the postmaster muttered something about a reindeer and talking snowman, I thought it best not to ask."
Elsa felt a blush crawl across her cheeks and pressed her fingertips against her forehead. She would have to remember to talk to Olaf about his adventures in town and not disturbing the people who were working. Again.
"I meant to arrive yesterday," Alarik continued, "but as a soldier it's difficult to get leave at a specific time, especially with recent events."
"Recent events?" Elsa's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Alarik folded his arms over his chest. "Well, because of what happened at the Queen's coronation. The Admiral increased all sea patrols south of the city."
"Did he?" Elsa wasn't aware of that. It was the Admiral's job to run the Navy as he deemed necessary, but she didn't like being left out of the loop on major changes to operations, especially when they resulted from her actions. She would have to speak with him when she returned.
She paused; one hand nestled on Garnet's nose, something Alarik said struck her as odd. "Did you say the queen's coronation?"
"I did, why?"
Elsa pressed her lips into a tight line, realizing that Alarik had no idea who she was. She was used to being recognized, but found it was quite refreshing for once to not be. She shook her head with a small smile. "No reason."
He returned the smile, then turned his attention to the horse. "Going out for a ride I assume?"
"I am." She ran a hand down Garnet's neck before untying the reins and leading him out into the courtyard. "For the first time in months, I find myself with a few free hours and plan on taking advantage while I can."
"Well, my father is busy at the moment and it seems I have a few hours myself. Perhaps I can accompany you and make up for almost getting you trampled?"
Elsa had slipped her foot into the stirrup and grabbed a hold of the saddle. She lifted herself up and swung her leg over the horse, then settled herself into the saddle. "If you think you can keep up." She gripped the reins and grinned.
Anna paused just inside the drawing room and turned to the window, glaring as rain fell in heavy sheets. The day had started so well, clear skies and a gentle, warm breeze despite the late autumn season; she'd been enjoying the festival with her childhood friend, Danel, excited to see and experience everything the festival offered; the only celebration she could remember attending was the one Elsa allowed her to plan two months earlier. She'd had a blast of it, but it had been far more work to plan and prepare than she had expected. It was nice to enjoy the festival without worrying about things going wrong behind the scenes.
The best part of the day, however, was yet to come. She was excited that she had convinced her sister to take the afternoon off and join her. The only thing that could make the day better was Kristoff being there with them.
Her excitement was short-lived though, as the sky opened up an hour before lunch, letting loose an unexpected downpour. By the time she and Danel made it back to the manor, it soaked them through. The servants had intercepted them in the foyer and immediately shuffled her off to a hot bath and a change of clothing. Suitably dry and warm, she walked about the large house in search of her sister. Elsa wasn't in any of the expected places—her own room, the extensive study, or the drawing room. Anna put her hands on her hips and huffed; the manor was a quarter the size of the castle, and there were only so many places a queen could hide. A small nagging voice in the back of her head worried that something could be wrong. It wasn't like her sister to vanish without someone knowing where she went.
She supposed she could seek out Lord Oskar, or even enlist Danel's help, once he finished making himself "pretty," which, as usual, was taking an impressively long time.
She walked into the grand foyer and spotted the manor's butler. "Oh!" she called, waving her arm.
He turned to her, bowing his head. "Yes, Your Highness, may I help you?"
"Have you seen my sister? I mean the queen," Anna added. She was never really clear on when she was expected to use Elsa's title; it always seemed strange to her.
The butler pondered the question. "I last saw Her Majesty was some hours ago, heading toward the gardens. However, I think it's fair to say she is not in the garden at this time."
Anna looked toward the large windows at the front of the foyer where the sky outside was dark with fat, grey clouds, the nagging worry starting to grow steadily. "Maybe Lord Oskar knows. Do you know where I could find him?"
The butler gestured to the nearest doorway. "Down the hallway, to the left of the conservatory. If you like, I—"
Anna didn't wait to hear the rest of his offer, instead bounding down the hallway. She slid the last few feet as she reached the door and knocked.
"Come in," came the muffled invitation.
She poked her head into the room and found the Baron seated behind a desk, writing something in a large ledger. He looked up as she entered. "Your Highness," he greeted her warmly, setting his pen aside and standing. He frowned. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no. Well, not really. Maybe." Anna stepped further into the room and nervously folded her hands behind her, rocking on the balls of her feet. "I can't find Elsa, and I was hoping you'd know where she might be."
Oskar raised an eyebrow. "I haven't seen Her Majesty since we concluded our meeting this morning. Perhaps—"
He never finished, as the front door in the foyer shut with a bang that echoed along the hall, followed by two sets of loud laughter. Anna cocked her head, realizing half of the laughter was coming from her sister. A smile creeped across her face at hearing it, though it's presence surprised her. Not that Elsa didn't laugh, but it wasn't as common as she'd like, and was normally quiet and refined, not the boisterous sound Anna was hearing now.
She followed the sound of the laughter down the hall, hurrying around the corner and coming to an abrupt stop when she saw her sister. Liberal amounts of mud covered her from head to toe, dripping puddles on the polished hardwood floor. Standing next to her was the Baron's oldest son Alarik, who seemed to have fared marginally better.
"Where have you been?" Anna demanded, her worry over her sister overshadowing her relief that she was okay. "Is that a stick in your hair?" With a frown, she stepped forward and tugged a twig free from Elsa's sopping hair. Eyes wide, she held the twig aloft for her sister to see.
"Huh." With an uncharacteristic grin, Elsa ran her hand over her hair and pulled out another stick.
Suddenly, Anna understood the exasperation she caused Elsa every time she did something irresponsible. "What were you doing?" she asked, throwing her arms wide. "And, where were you? It's been raining for hours!"
"Your Highness." Alarik stepped forward, bowing his head. "It's entirely my fault. I got the trails mixed up, and we ended up a bit lost—"
"A bit?" Elsa interrupted, folding her arms over her chest with a squelch of wet fabric.
Alarik ignored her. "Then the path back got washed out." he told Anna.
Elsa nodded. "A large branch fell from a tree and startled Garnet."
"She was thrown from her horse." Alarik added. Before Anna could express concern, he turned to her sister with a wide grin. "You're not having much luck today."
Elsa turned a playful glare on him. "And whose fault is that?"
"I said I was sorry. Like sixty times, in fact."
"It was twice."
"It was definitely more." Alarik turned back to Anna, who was just struggling to keep up. "She might have a concussion. I wouldn't listen to her."
Head spinning, Anna held up her hands, finally silencing them both. "A concussion?"
"I'm fine," Elsa insisted.
"Luckily her head was harder than the rock she tried to break with it, but regardless of what she says, we should have our physician look at it." Alarik pointed to the back of Elsa's wet head. "She's got a nice gash here."
Elsa swatted him away, and he chuckled as he stepped back, hands help up in surrender.
"I'm fine," Elsa repeated firmly. "It's barely a scratch."
Standing just behind her and safely out of her line of sight, Alarik shook his head at Anna, using his fingers to indicate a sizeable wound.
Anna gaped, at a complete loss of what to even say at this turn of events. She put a hand to her forehead, happy to see her sister looking more relaxed than she'd seen Elsa in a very long time, but was also very concerned that she might be seriously injured. At the very least, she was soaked and covered in mud, and the cold might not bother her, but that didn't mean she couldn't get sick. "We should have their physician look you over," she finally agreed. "Just to be sure."
Elsa rolled her eyes. "For what I really hope is the last time," she said, in what Anna liked to call her 'queen voice.' "I am fine. Bruised, wet, and in desperate need of a bath. But fine."
Alarik stepped forward, his face somber. "In all seriousness, Your Highness, I apologize for keeping your attendant out in the rain."
Anna's eyes went wide as she realized he was speaking to her. "My what?"
"Her what?"
From a few steps behind her, the Baron's voice boomed like a clap of thunder. With a look of surprise and disbelief on his face, he closed the distance between him and his son so they stood only an arms-length apart.
Elsa stepped forward, somehow looking both amused and contrite. "It's not his fault." She paused a moment, considering. "Not entirely, anyway. He made an assumption, and I didn't correct it."
Alarik looked between Anna and Elsa, then to his father's angry, red face. "Why do I feel that I'm missing something very important?"
Anna stood straighter, gesturing to her sister. "Alarik, may I introduce my sister, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle."
