Chapter 12

A relative calm hung over the castle as Aaron rushed down the hall. The morning's early light spilled in through the windows he passed, illuminating a joviale if somewhat tired city. To his knowledge the party had continued well into the night, even raging up to the crack of dawn before the last of the attendees had finally wandered off to find their beds. Now the corridors were quiet, with hardly a soul to be seen other than the various staff setting about tidying things up. All were quick to make way at his hurried passing.

Not that he'd stayed much longer. After the… outburst he'd lingered long enough to avoid raising suspicion before bidding Kresta goodnight and slipping out before anyone could notice. He'd then made his way quietly to Elsa's chambers, ensuring that no one else was around before entering only to find it empty. Aaron wanted to see if his beloved needed any comforting or support after what happened but, try as he might, he was unable to find any sign of her. Part of him felt guilty for allowing himself to be distracted, another part worried as he tried to pass the night. So when word arrived that her majesty wanted to speak with him in one of the great hall's side chambers he'd lept out of bed.

He didn't even pause to ponder why she wanted to meet him there of all places, instead just making his way as quickly as possible. Eventually coming to the door, he barely hesitated long enough to knock before stepping inside, saying, "My queen. You summoned me?"

The room beyond was a smaller meeting chamber, with an elongated table sitting at the center and a solitary window high overhead allowing the sun's light in. Otherwise the room was fairly drab, other than a few banners decorating the walls. Aaron hardly even noticed the room, though, instead focusing on the room's sole occupant.

Looking up as he entered, Elsa gave him a polite nod as she stood at the head of the table. "I did. Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Of course." With that he rushed around the table, his concern bleeding through as he said, "I wanted to speak with you last night, just to make sure you were alright, but I wasn't sure where-"

Elsa brought him up short with her curt tone, however, as she interrupted him. "Lord Aaron. Before you continue you should know that there's someone here who wants to meet you."

"Meet me? Who?"

"Me."

The other voice was so unexpected that it nearly caused Aaron to jump as his head snapped around to see that they weren't alone. In his rush to get here he hadn't even thought to look for anyone else but now he saw the room's other occupant.

She was standing off to one side, leaning in the alcove towards the only other entrance, completely motionless but she stood upright when he saw her. Noticeably younger than either of them, she was garbed in a black shell of hardened leather unlike any he'd ever seen, with what appeared to be twin daggers sheathed in the small of her back. In spite of her age, her stance made it clear she was intimately familiar with how to wield them and yet it was with a mild hesitance as she stepped out into the sun's light. Years of conditioning had been etched into her young face in the form of mild weathering and a stern composure but that didn't stop her from pausing, her hands wringing into fists as she stared at him.

In those amber eyes a storm of emotions raged as she steeled her resolve and willed herself to walk forward. As she approached, though, Aaron saw what appeared to be a lion's head stamped into her chest plate. A lion he'd seen adorning the flags flying over some of the ships in the harbor. Ah. Of course. Must be one of Cyrus's lackeys, he thought coolly as he waited for her to approach. Whatever the foreign king wanted with him, although that didn't explain why she was acting so oddly. Still, Elsa saw fit to call him to this audience so there must have been a good reason.

As she drew closer, that storm vanished as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When they reopened her turmoil had left, although a delicate hope lingered as she clasped her hands together, quietly asking, "Is it really you, Aaron?"

The fact that she neglected any sense of formality only added to Aaron's confusion as he cast a perplexed glance at Elsa. When all he got from her was a consoling smile he returned his attention to the woman, giving a sympathetic if somewhat blunt shrug. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The way her eyes dropped made it clear that wasn't the answer she was hoping for. "Once, maybe. But we haven't seen each other for a very long time."

"Uh, you'll have to forgive me. Normally I'm good with faces but I don't recognize yours. Are you sure we've met?" He said it with a smile in an effort to be polite but it only made her more upset as she squeezed her eyes shut in a silent grimace. Looking to Elsa once more for help, Aaron asked, "Am I missing something?"

She continued to give him what appeared to be the most comforting look she could muster as she replied, "She came all the way from Ildonen to see you, Lord Aaron."

Me? That only added to his growing befuddlement as his eyes snapped back to the woman. "Why would you do a thing like that?"

Sighing, she refused to look at him as she gave a small shrug of her own. "I guess because part of me thought you'd at least recognize me. I realize it's been years since we last saw each other but still."

By then he was beginning to feel some anxiety of his own, a gnawing doubt digging into his stomach as he peered closer. Elsa clearly knew who she was but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Admittedly there was something familiar about her eyes, like a nagging reminder of a memory from long ago. His own voice was quiet as he slowly asked, "Who are you?"

That coaxed a genuine reaction from her, just not the one he expected. Her expression morphed from one of trepidation to one of annoyance as she gave him an irritated look, her voice losing its gentle tone in favor of an exasperated edge. "Really? You still don't recognize your own sister?"

The room seemed to echo with her words as silence fell, his heart taking a harsh lurch. All Aaron could do was stand there as realization crashed over him like a wave, blasting away his confusion and leaving behind nothing but cold, harsh shock. He'd always hoped to see her again, but for her to be there, standing before him... He couldn't even muster so much as a single thought as he stared at her completely slack-jawed, unable to move or talk.

For her part she seemed to be amused by his stupor, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smirk as she waited for him to respond.

After what felt like an eternity he was finally able to shovel together what was left of his mind long enough to choke out a single word.

"...Helena?"

Her smirk spread into a smile as she gave a nod. "It's good to see you again, Aaron."

Her confirmation did nothing to abade his shock, though. If anything it only added to it as he continued to stare. Helena? Is that really you? How are you…? Those questions and more swirled around his head as a memory began to emerge in stark clarity.

The moon glowering down through the smoke as it billowed into the night sky. The crackling roar of the flames as they consumed their home. The tears running down her face and the charred edges of her skirt. The doll hanging limply from her hand as she watched her whole world burn before her. And the darkness that was swirling all around them.

He hadn't seen his sister once since that fateful night over a decade ago but there wasn't a day that went by where he didn't feel a pang of guilt. An aching remorse for what he'd done. But even worse was the need. The need to see her again, to know she was alright. To beg forgiveness for what he did.

But as she stood there before him Aaron had a second realization. Even though she was the one person he wanted to see more than anyone there was no way that he was ready for this.

As such all he could muster was a staggered, "I… I don't… how is this possible?"

She watched him process all of this with a hint of amusement yet also apprehension as she replied, "I've missed you too."

"I just don't… I mean, I have missed you but I never thought I'd actually see you again. How are you here?"

"That's kind of a long story." Helena gestured at the table between them. "Do you mind if we sit?"

"No, not at all."

It was only when Elsa spoke up that he remembered that she was there as well. He'd been so ensnared by shock that Aaron had completely forgotten that she was also in the room so he nearly gave another jump as she spoke while turning towards the door. "Well, I should give you two some privacy. I can see that you have a lot of catching up to do."

"Would you stay?"

The words slipped from Aaron before he could even think to stop them. Obviously he knew it was the wrong thing to say in front of anyone except Anna or Kristoff but the thought of being alone with his sister after so long, after she'd just been sprung on him out of nowhere… At the very least he was able to quickly add, "I mean, if you're able to. My queen."

Rather than looking annoyed or disappointed by his gaffe, though, Elsa merely gave him a gentle smile and drifted towards the chair next to her. "If that's what you would like," she replied quietly before turning to Helena. "Assuming that's alright with you, Lady Helena."

Her acceptance gave him some relief but it wasn't enough to smother his trepidation at the look of surprise on his sister's face. She didn't reply right away, her eyes casting a suspicious glance at him before returning to Elsa as she nodded graciously. "Of course, your majesty. You are the queen, after all. You can come and go as you please."

"That doesn't mean that I wish to impose."

"Not at all. If my brother trusts you then that's good enough for me. So please, join us."

"Very well. Shall we?" With that Elsa took her seat as Helena sat to her left before they both looked up at him expectantly.

Aaron found himself hesitating briefly before joining them, sitting across from his sister. He'd wanted to speak with her for so long but he never imagined it would be anything like this. And certainly not with the love of his life sitting between them. A love that Helena didn't and couldn't know anything about.

Helena didn't wait for him to speak, though, obviously understanding at least some of the turmoil coursing through him as she said, "You clearly have a lot of questions."

That was all it took for his own storm to come pouring out of him. "I don't even know where to begin. How have you been? You look great, by the way. Where did you come from? How did you find me? Honestly I could go on and on."

Helena patiently waited for him to finish, studying him closely while answering. "Well, as to that first one I've been good. And thank you, you don't look so bad yourself. As for the other questions, those are a little more complicated."

"I've got time."

"Even so, there's just so much to tell."

By that point some of Aaron's anxiety had settled into excitement so that he hardly even registered her reluctance. "Then let's start simple. Where have you been all these years?"

That got a scoff as Helena shook her head. "That may not be as simple as you think."

"Why? Have you been moving around a lot?"

"I used to, but I have been living more or less in the same place for the last few years."

"And where's that?"

"Ildonen."

"Ildonen?" In spite of the symbol clearly emblazoned across her Aaron still hadn't expected that. He'd always just imagined that she'd stayed in their home village or at the very least somewhere in the far north. He never would have guessed that she'd immigrated over the sea at some point. "But you're from Arendelle."

"Arendelle hasn't been my home for a long time," Helena replied, maintaining her smirk. Only now there was almost a faint disdain lurking behind it as she glanced at the castle around them. "Honestly, this is the first time I've set foot here in years."

Aaron couldn't accept that, though. She'd loved their home, hadn't she? She couldn't have left. "But why? You-"

"Hold up," Helena interrupted, cutting him off before he could continue. "I answered your questions, now it's my turn. You're not the only one looking for answers, you know."

Realizing he was threatening to run away with the conversation, he did his best to reign in his insatiable curiosity, if only temporarily. "That's fair, I suppose. What do you want to know?"

"I guess I'll go with the most obvious one," she said, but not before her eyes flicked to Elsa for the briefest of moments, who seemed content to let them talk. "How are you here?"

"What do you mean, here?"

"Here, in this castle. With… well, you," Helena replied, gesturing towards Elsa. "How does a poor boy from a fishing village go from that to serving a queen?"

"Oh." It was an obvious question to ask and yet in his frantic shock he hasn't even considered an answer and found himself floundering. There were a number of things he wanted to say but they were also the wrong thing to say. "Well, uh, that's kind of a long story. Um…"

Aaron wasn't sure whether to be relieved or nervous when Elsa spoke up before he could ramble further. "Actually, I can answer that if you like."

Nodding, Helena turned in her seat to face Elsa. "By all means. I suppose you would know since you hired him."

"I assume you know what we can do?"

Helena made no effort to hide her derision. "Are you kidding? The whole world knows who you are." As she spoke, though, her voice slowly faded before she glanced at Aaron. "How do you think I was able to find you again?"

"Then you also know the answer to your question," Elsa replied, gently steering the conversation back. "Your brother was able to help me in a time of need so I offered him a position amongst my staff."

After a contemplative pause realization lit Helena's face. "You're talking about the Summer Frost."

"Precisely." Elsa then softly added, "I was sorry to hear that it reached all the way to Ildonen."

"It was a shock for us, I'll admit, but it wasn't anything our king couldn't handle."

Elsa clearly wanted to ask more about the Frost's impact but Aaron found that he couldn't let that one pass, speaking up. "Wait. Your king?"

Contrary to his confusion, Helena nodded nonchalantly. "Of course. As a citizen of Ildonen I owe my fealty to King Cyrus."

"Well, that raises the question again of how you came to live in Ildonen."

Hesitating, Helena let her eyes sink to the table. Her fingers tapped lightly across its surface as she mulled over her response, before replying, "After a… let's call it a tumultuous childhood I decided Arendelle was no longer the place for me and so I left, seeking my fortunes elsewhere. Eventually I ended up settling in Ildonen."

Given how hesitant she was to answer it must have been a prickly subject and Aaron probably should have just let it drop but there were some things he just had to know. There was no way he could stop his mounting sense of guilt from asking, "How were things? After we parted?"

"It was fine. I…"

With that she fell silent, her hands grinding into fists and her gaze boring into the woodwork as she adamantly refused to look at him. For a while she said nothing, until Aaron heard her draw in a shuddering breath and felt regret. Clearly he wasn't the only one who remembered that night and perhaps he should have taken more care before just prodding old wounds.

Unsure of what to do, he hesitantly raised a hand towards her. "Are you alright?"

Before he could touch her hand, however, she withdrew it, finally speaking again in a choked voice.

"I'm sorry. I thought this would be easier but seeing you again after all this time…"

With that she managed to look at him again, only her eyes weren't filled with sorrow. Instead the storm had relit within her as she grappled with the emotions straining to break free. Rage. Remorse. Even loathing. All of them washed over her as she stared at him, her brows knitted into a grimace and her lips trembling, before her eyes fell again and she managed to mutter, "It's a lot to take in."

"No no, I completely understand," Aaron stammered quickly, even as he sank into a sullen acceptance. As thrilled as he was to see her, part of him had always been reluctant to find her again. After all, he'd never forgiven himself so why should she? "That's exactly how I feel. To go from thinking you'd lost someone for forever to just finding them again… as you said, it's a lot."

For a while nobody spoke, with Aaron sitting in a grim hush while Helena gradually composed herself. Eventually her fingers uncurled and she let out a long sigh, although she refused to address him when she looked up. Instead, Helena forced a smile as she said to Elsa, "Apologies, your majesty. I'm not normally so emotional."

For her part, Elsa refused to accept her shame, replying, "That's quite alright, Helena. Today's a big day for both of you. If you need a moment we completely understand."

That just made Aaron all the more grateful that she was there. Considering all the raw emotions threatening to envelope him and his sister, just having someone else there to help steady things was invaluable as Helena shook her head. "No, that's alright. There's just some things I'm not quite ready to talk about." Finally she managed to look at him again as she added, "If you don't mind."

"Sure." Even as he agreed, however, Aaron knew there was something he had to say. There was enough pain in her eyes for the both of them but after years of dragging all of this disgraceful shame around he just needed to know that she knew. "I am sorry, though. For what I did."

As the words left his mouth, though, all he could do was slide further into his seething regret. No apology could ever undo what he did, no matter how badly he wished he could. That being said, it did manage to at the very least pause the hurricane within Helena as she regarded him closely, her lips pursed in a frown. "What do you mean?"

Try as he might, Aaron just couldn't hold her gaze as his eyes sank. "Our father."

"Oh." He didn't need to be looking at her to feel the disappointment that began to radiate off of her, her voice flat and strained as she said, "Apology accepted."

Another silence fell, only this one was so much worse than before as Aaron tried to get a handle on his guilt while she undoubtedly fumed at how insufficient his apology was. Ultimately, words were never going to give Helena her father or her home back. But he still had to try.

Once again Elsa demonstrated how lucky he was to have her as she eventually spoke up. Having accepted the frustration around her, she still managed to cleave through the stillness by asking, "Are both of you alright?" When they both managed to nod while looking elsewhere, she proceeded to take charge. "If you don't mind, Helena, I actually have a question for you."

Clearing her throat, Helena shook herself. "Of course, your majesty. Ask anything."

She'd tried to smile again only to have that smile fade as Elsa queried, "You said the whole world knows about Lord Aaron and I but the Summer Frost was well over a year ago. Why are you coming here only now?"

Not just slipping through Aaron's funk but rather crashing through, his head snapped up. That's true, he thought as they both waited for his sister to answer. Given her knowledge on recent events she'd obviously known that he was here and yet had made no effort to contact him. Why?

Apprehensive under the newfound scrutiny, Helena shifted away from them as she scrambled with her words. "Ah. Well, you see, I…" When they just wouldn't come, she stopped with a frustrated huff.

"Sorry," she growled, glaring at nothing in particular. "This is not going how I hoped it would."

Not about to be dissuaded, Elsa replied, "That's quite alright. Take your time."

Seconds ticked by as Helena mulled over her words. When she finally spoke, her anger had tempered into a softer if still somewhat cold ruminance as she slowly muttered, "The moment I heard I knew. When the stories came of the Snow Queen, of this supposed sorceress. Of the man by her side who could... As soon as I heard that I knew that I'd finally found you again."

"But that doesn't answer why you waited so long," Aaron replied, trying to mask his own frustration at her reluctance.

That got him a glare as she snapped back, "What did you expect me to do? I hadn't heard a single rumor, much less seen you in over a decade and then suddenly you reappear out of the blue? I didn't know what to think. I wasn't even sure if I could face you again after so long, or if I even wanted to. I'm not even sure if I can now." After a pause, she blew out her aggravation in a slow exhale. "But after some time, once I'd had a chance to come to terms with things, I realized I had to see you again. And so, when the invitation to your sister's wedding arrived and King Cyrus opted to go, I realized I had my opportunity."

"I guess that's understandable," Aaron mumbled, although her answer only left him more confused. "But what does King Cyrus have to do with anything?"

"Simple. I'm… I suppose you could say I'm his grace's personal attendant."

"You're what?"

His confusion managed to lure her smirk back out as Helena replied, "You're not the only one who's climbed high enough to brush elbows with royalty."

"But how? You're not even from Ildonen and yet you somehow serve the king directly?"

"Well, how did you come to serve Queen Elsa?"

..."Through a set of unusual circumstances and extraordinary skills."

"What a coincidence, that's exactly what happened to me."

With that Aaron hesitated again, his brow wrinkling as he scrutinized her. His sister's story was beginning to make less and less sense as she told it. It was one thing for her to live in a different country but quite another to believe that she'd somehow managed to position herself alongside a king. How on earth could she have managed such a thing? All the while Helena continued to stare back at him, her lips spreading in a smug smile.

"What skills?"

Elsa's question managed to dislodge Helena from her boastful perch as she glanced over at her, asking, "Sorry?"

Elsa, meanwhile, was also watching her closely as she responded, "Lord Aaron said that he came into my service through his unique set of skills and you said that's what happened to you. I'm just curious as to what your skills are."

"Oh, of course." She was about to say more before thinking better of it, instead turning back to Aaron, although her eyes lingered on the table once more. "You know, I never forgot what you could do. I never forgot the things you showed me or the secrets you hid. But you're not the only one carrying secrets."

...what? Her words washed over him, only feeding his doubts and perplexity as they seeped into him. There was no way she could mean what he thought she meant. It wasn't possible...

Meanwhile, Helena ignored him as she rose from her seat, retreating backwards from the table until she stood alone. Her eyes were wide with an eager trepidation as she looked at Elsa and said, "You wanted to know what I can do, Queen Elsa? Then see for yourself. This is what I can do."

With that she closed her eyes and Aaron's entire world changed once more.

He felt Elsa jump beside him when the first flames burst from Helena's hands, cackling loudly as they spilled up her forearms. A rippling cascade of scarlet and copper, they were identical to the ones he wielded every day and yet all he could do was stare as another blaze flowed through her hair. This one enveloped every strand as it grew, spreading until she was crowned by a blazing pyre rising above her. Only after the flames had reached their full extent did she open her eyes but their familiar amber warmth had gone.

In their place were twin pools of molten light as Helena gazed down at them, her expression a confident grin. "Well? What do you think?" she asked, her voice triumphant as she spread her burning hands wide.

The question barely registered in Aaron as he sat there, completely dumbfounded. Elsa was probably looking over at him with just as much surprise as he was feeling but all he could do was stare up at his sister. For the second time in his life he'd found someone who was unique like him, only this time it was different. Not only was she his sister, she could also… he wasn't the only one who could…

The roiling tide rising within him kept him locked in his stupor as other questions rose with it. How was this possible? What did she know? Could there be others? More importantly, though, was how. How had he not known…?

"Aaron?"

Elsa's voice snapped him from his reprieve to see that both women were watching him closely. Helena's grin had faded back into a harsh impatience while Elsa just looked concerned as it occurred to him that he had to say something. So, doing his best to shuffle his failing mind together once more, Aaron found he only had one thing to say.

"I… I'm not the only one?"

The words hung in the air for a moment before Helena dropped her hands, her flames vanishing as quickly as they'd come as she regarded him coolly. Her eyes returned to their amber luster, her expression stern as she simply said, "You never were."