Chapter 26

Out in the rest of the castle and the night everyone else was undoubtedly sleeping, but that was the last thing Aaron felt like doing. Instead he stood with rapt attention as Elsa tepidly described her encounter with Helena earlier that day. Earlier he'd been extremely nervous about her, only now he didn't have time for that. All he did was listen grimly as she talked about how overwhelming the sudden surge had been. About how close to the edge she'd come.

As he'd hoped, however, Helena appeared to have helped her. To at the very least have talked her back from that abyss with some perspective and consolitory remarks. That said, she wouldn't go into detail about what Helena said, instead just giving him a quick glance before vaguely brushing it aside. Not that it really mattered. He was just glad that she was okay and that his sister had been able to help.

"What else did she say?" Aaron asked as he leaned against Elsa's bedside table. Ordinarily she undoubtedly would have protested to him being in her bedroom at that hour yet she seemed too frazzled by the events of the day to care.

Besides, neither of them were in the mood for anything as she paced and muttered, "Not much. She just asked me to trust her."

"Oh. And you answered…?"

"I said I would try." Elsa's eyes remained fixed on the floor as she meandered, her voice focused on something else so she didn't notice when he inadvertently smiled.

"Thank you." It was all he could think to say. In spite of how dire things could have been it was still gratifying to know that she'd listened to him about Helena.

Elsa hardly reacted, though, just giving a shake of her head while replying, "I didn't say it for you." All the while she continued meandering back and forth.

"I know. But thank you all the same."

She barely heard him as she picked through her thoughts, uttering what was really bothering her. "And… and she claims to know things."

"What things?" Aaron asked, his smile quickly fading as he recalled that day in the vale and the unsettling implications that came with it. He didn't have to guess at what Elsa was referring to but he still wanted to hear what she was told.

"Things she says you could never dream of."

"That's because she does. I don't know how, but she did show me things that I never knew were possible. Things that shouldn't be possible."

"Like what?"

"Like lightning."

Throughout their entire conversation Elsa had been so distracted that she'd hardly glanced at him, yet that finally brought her to a halt as she gave him a shocked look. "Lightning? You can do that?"

Her nervous tone suggested she was more anxious about this than he realized but he was distracted by his own inner turmoil as his eyes fell to his hands. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," he mumbled, his mind fixated on that day. The grace and control Helena had, the sheer power she'd demonstrated… he still hadn't come to terms with it. And lightning was the least surprising thing she'd demonstrated. "But even that… even that's nothing compared to what else she can do."

"Like what?"

Aaron now had her undivided attention and curiosity, except he didn't know where to even begin. How to describe what he'd seen. To put into words how it'd felt. Of course, there was a simpler way than telling her. He could just show her as he began to disrobe.

"What are you doing?"

Elsa's deadpan reaction made it clear this wasn't what she was expecting, nor was it what she was looking for at the moment, but Aaron ignored that as he undid his shirt. "I don't know how to tell you so I'm just going to show you."

As expected, any annoyance she was exhibiting instantly vanished when he pulled his shirt back to reveal his shoulder. Rather, to reveal the horrible scar that ought to have been there yet was inexplicably missing. Her only response was utter disbelief as she eventually took a hesitant step forward, then another as she closed the distance between them. All the while her gaze remained rooted onto where the wound had been. For months after it'd happened she'd fretted over it, dismayed when it just wouldn't heal properly as she sent the court physician after him again and again. Eventually, though, she'd also had to accept that it was just part of him now and that she would have to get used to it. Until his sister came, it would seem.

Seeing was believing and yet Elsa only seemed to become more astonished when she reached out to touch it, finding nothing but healthy skin beneath her cool fingers. Like him, she continued to probe and study his shoulder as she finally managed to breathe, "Helena did this?"

Any other time and her fixation probably would have amused Aaron but all he could do was share her confusion as he looked down at it. To say that Helean's abilities left him utterly bewildered was an understatement, only there was more to it than that. There were also all the questions that he couldn't even begin to answer.

"I have no idea how she did that but that's not even the most disturbing part. How does she know any of this? I've been carrying these flames inside me my entire life and I never could have guessed I was capable of any of that."

Rousing from her examination, Elsa let her palm rest against his chest for a moment longer before pulling back, her eyes growing thoughtful again. "I may know how."

"She told you?" he asked, refastening his clothes, as he watched her attentively.

"Helena said that she had help. From someone. What if they did more than just help her?"

"She mentioned something like that to me as well."

"She did?" Glancing back up at Aaron, she gave him an inquisitive look. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was a little distracted by the meadow materializing before my very eyes."

"What?"

"Just another of her many talents."

His responses were clearly just raising more questions than they were answering but Elsa didn't dwell on them. Instead something else was distracting her as she turned her attention out the window. "Do you think it's possible? That there's someone… else out there?"

Aaron found the notion mildly unsettling but she sounded almost hopeful as he gave a shrug, replying, "Before I met you I never would have guessed that there was anyone else even remotely like me in the world. And now that Helena's here and she's… I suppose it must be possible."

"Then…" She was about to say something only to catch herself, quickly falling silent.

When Elsa didn't continue he gave her a small nudge. "Then what?"

If anything she seemed nervous yet when she looked back at him her expression was fixed in a gentle yearning. "Do you think there's someone out there like me?"

"I don't know," was Aaron's initial response, although he immediately regretted it when her face fell into a tired frown. So he hastily added, "I mean, maybe? Why?"

"Because…" Once again she was having a hard time expressing herself as she cast about before looking down at her clenched hands. "Because what if there is? What if I could finally meet someone who truly understands…?"

Aaron knew she wasn't talking about him. He also knew how isolated she could feel sometimes. That didn't mean the comment didn't sting a little as he inadvertently muttered, "I don't understand?"

He didn't mean to say it outloud and reflexively shied away from whatever her response was going to be, only it wasn't what he was expecting. Instead she was actually smiling when she looked up at him, her eyes grateful if a little sad. "You understand better than anyone I've ever met," she said warmly while reaching out to place a hand on his chest.

Just like that he found himself smiling again. Things were so stressful all around him, from her to his sister to everything else, that at times it started to feel overwhelming. But then there would be small gestures like that and that was all it took to remind him how much he cared about her. That no matter what, no matter how tired he got, it was always worth it just to make her smile.

That smile didn't last, though, as her gaze drifted outside once more and her touch fell away, her lips growing grim as she quietly continued, "But even you don't know what it's like to hold something like this inside yourself. You don't know what it's like to be me."

At the very least Aaron knew that was true. He might also have been talented and he had his own burdens to bear, but he wasn't royalty. He didn't have the expectations of a kingdom weighing down on him while this seemingly insurmountable force fought to break free from within. And unlike her, he had his sister. Unlike her, he wasn't the only one touched by fire.

"Say there was someone like you. What then? What would happen if you met them?"

Shaking her head, Elsa merely shrugged as she stared at the moon. "I don't know. It's just that… I've felt so alone my entire life, it would just be nice to meet someone else who knows."

Years of isolation dragged at her words, betraying streaks of anxiety and loneliness flashing through her. But most of all she just sounded tired. No, not just tired. Exhausted from all the responsibilities that had been thrust upon her, from her crown or otherwise. She hadn't asked for any of those duties, she was simply born with them. Even so, she still could have neglected them and just looked out for herself, which only made him admire her more when she carried on for the sake of everyone else. And in those moments what she really needed was someone to help support her. He couldn't carry those burdens for her, but he still should have been helping her rather than making things worse.

"Elsa."

…"Mm?"

"About earlier."

"What about… oh."

They both knew what he was talking about as he felt a wave of embarrassment rise up within him. He wasn't about to let his shame prevent him from saying what he needed to say. "It's okay. I just… I just wanted to tell you that everything is okay. You don't have to have to tell me what was bothering you if you don't want to. I don't need to know every detail about your life."

…"Oh."

Aaron hardly even noticed her lack of a response as he continued. "I just… I just want to protect you. To help you. Because I care about you, and I know how hard things can be for you. But it wasn't fair of me to pressure you like that, so I'm sorry."

She was hardly looking at him as she quietly replied, "That's okay, Aaron."

Still not comprehending how distant she was acting, he said, "I just hope you know how much I care and love you."

"I know."

It was only two words and perhaps not the words he was hoping to hear but as she said then she finally looked back at him, and he saw the tears welling in her eyes. Hints of all the torment she must have been dealing with every single day. Upon seeing that Aaron didn't know what else to say. So he didn't. He just reached out to draw her into a hug.

Elsa didn't resist but she wasn't completely relaxed either. Like something was still upsetting her. He didn't pry, though. If she wanted to talk to him about it then she would. Aaron just had to trust her in the meantime.

Besides, he did have something to be excited about. "So are we doing this?" he asked quietly as they held one another. "Are we letting Helena help you?"

"I guess so." At least she was trying to sound optimistic.

"Good. You don't know how happy that makes me. I just hope you can come to appreciate her like I do."

"I suppose that's up to her. Although I'll admit I'm a little nervous. She seems like she can be kind of demanding."

"Don't worry. She knows how tentative you can be so I'm sure she'll be understanding."