"Oh, sorry," Anna mumbled, dropping her hand and slowing her pace to a more normal walk. The other girl said nothing, but she could feel her looking at her as they continued on.

To distract herself from those eyes on her, the princess narrated as they walked, pointing out various features and things of interest within the castle. The occasional servants and guards they passed each gave her a polite curtsey or bow as they went by – and shot Elsa openly curious or distrusting looks.

Elsa walked along beside her with quiet grace, offering up only the occasional "hmm" of polite interest in answer to one of Anna's comments, as well as a few softly spoken questions about the castle and its normal routines. Her eyes, however, were restless, revealing a level of interest that the rest of her concealed. She seemed to ignore the pointed looks the other servants gave her as they passed; however, Anna couldn't help but notice the wary slant in her eyes whenever a pair of guards strolled by, and the small line of tension that formed between her eyebrows that didn't go away until they were out of sight once more.

They must remind her of when she was taken, Anna sympathized.

She tried to put herself in the other girl's shoes, imagining for a moment what it would be like to have to walk through the Ice Queen's frozen palace in Northuldra and see her soldiers looming at every corner. She shivered at the thought, glad to be warm and safe here in her own country. She didn't blame Elsa for her wariness towards her father's guardsmen. Who knew what kinds of terrible stories were told about them in her homeland? With time, she hoped she would learn that she had nothing to fear from the guards here… Not as long as Anna was around to watch over her and protect her.

They took one of the winding tower stairs to the second floor of the East Wing, then down its' main hall until they reached her apartments at the far end. She let them both inside, closing the doors behind them to ensure some privacy, and then spent a few minutes showing her new companion around her chambers. Her sitting room with its tall bay windows and small dining area first, then her cluttered but comfortable little office study, and finally her spacious bedroom with its attached bathing chamber.

Elsa politely ignored the pile of dirty clothing on the bed, as well as the bundle of half-mended socks and underclothes that sat unfinished in one chair with Anna's sewing kit. Seeing the room with fresh eyes, Anna knew that the other girl must be thinking that her new royal mistress was a bit of a slob.

"Sorry about the mess. I swear it's not normally like this!" she lied, grabbing the clothes off of the bed and heaping them in the woven laundry basket by the door, then scooping up her sewing and shoving the armful unceremoniously into one already overstuffed dresser drawer. Elsa merely smiled her unreadable smile, watching the princess fret back and forth across the room.

It wasn't her fault really… She tried to be tidy, as she hated to burden the castle's already overworked and understaffed servants, but messes always just seemed to materialize out of thin air. At least she always kept the sitting room nice and clean, as it was the most public room and the only place most visitors were likely see.

"Oh! And you must see the bath. It's enormous! We have pipes that bring hot water throughout the castle, even in winter, so you'll never have to bathe cold here."

Without a thought, Anna pulled Elsa into the bathroom, this time linking their arms together loosely rather than grabbing her hand.

The bathing chamber really was her favorite thing about her new rooms. White and pink tile comprised the walls, and the smaller white tiles of the floor gave way to a large central mosaic of dancing fish, swans and mermaids. One wall had a marble washbasin, bench and mirror, above which was a long, peaked window of stained glass that ran the length of the ceiling and turned the daylight outside into a rainbow of colors across the room. On the wall opposite were shelves of matching marble, currently filled with folded towels and various other soaps and toiletries Anna preferred. A delicate silk screen just past the vanity blocked the corner of the room where the garderobe toilet was built into the castle's outer wall – no smelly chamber pot here to offend the nose of the Princess of Arendelle. For more light during night hours, there were plentiful candles set on silver sconces all around the chamber and on several walls, though they were currently unlit.

Dominating the room, of course, was the bath itself. The oversized, claw footed behemoth of a tub sat in a slight depression in the floor at the center of the room, its brass pipes and polished silver finishings gleaming.

"That's got to be the largest tub I have ever seen," Elsa declared, a note of wonder in her voice.

"I know," Anna giggled, shaking her head. "I don't dare fill it even halfway when I use it… All that wasted water! They must have had to install the tub before they finished the walls. It would have been impossible to get it in here otherwise. My grandfather added this wing to the castle almost thirty years ago. I've heard it was supposed to be for visiting royalty and other important guests, but… well… We don't really have visitors these days. Lucky for me, I guess!"

"Lucky you," Elsa echoed, shaking her head.

After a beat, she glanced sideways at Anna, who was still hanging on to her with their linked arms. A teasing, wicked smile stole itself across her face next as she spoke, causing Anna's heart to give a curious little flutter.

"Just how many people did your grandfather expect to use that thing at one time, anyways?" she asked, those damn distracting eyes of her's twinkling beneath her raised eyebrows. "I'd always heard that Arendellians were rather straight-laced in their intimate affairs. Prudish, even, in comparison to my own homeland… But I must say, this tub of yours suggests otherwise. It's positively hedonistic, Anna."

Anna knew she was being teased, but she couldn't help the nervous laugh and the blush that overtook her face at the implications of the other girl's words.

"Gosh! Oh goodness, it wasn't for anything like that, I'm sure!" she managed, unlinking their arms so that she could nervously tuck a few strands of escaping hair behind the pink tips of her ears and put a little distance between them.

She had always heard that the old king had been staunchly conservative, both as a man and a ruler. Surely he hadn't imagined anything as… as sordid as Elsa suggested, when he had commissioned these rooms and that tub all those years ago.

In answer to her denials, Elsa merely laughed in a low, raspy chuckle that Anna immediately wanted to hear more of. The laughter was brief and the other girl looked a bit surprised at herself, though she continued to smile as she followed the now thoroughly flustered princess out of the bathroom and back to the main rooms once more.

She probably hasn't had many reasons to laugh in the past ten days, Anna realized.

The thought made her sad. Even if she was a slave now, surely Anna could find a way to help Elsa be happy here. She wanted to keep the other girl smiling and laughing, even if it was at her own expense. None of the other servants would have dared imply something so scandalous about the previous king to his granddaughter, as she had just done. Strangely, she found she was more than happy to be teased. It must mean that Elsa already felt comfortable and safe with her, or else she wouldn't have dared.

Anna liked that. She liked that quite a lot.

"Arendellians are not… are not prudes, you know," Anna grumbled. She wasn't sure what drove her but she felt the need to defend her countrymen from her accusations. "I mean, it's not like other royal palaces are having… having wild orgies in their bathtubs… or… or things!"

This earned her another laugh, and this time Anna joined her, now having successfully scandalized herself with her own words.

"Hmmm, are you sure about that?" Elsa asked, the teasing note entering her voice again. "I mean, how could you really know? Perhaps when you're older you might visit some other castles in other realms and find out for yourself?"

Anna groaned at that, shaking her head emphatically.

"Yuck! Uggh, no… Let's stop talking about this, please?" she begged. "It's too embarrassing to think about. I've only just met you! How did we even get on this topic?"

Elsa gave an unconcerned shrug, though Anna could see that a slight hint of pink now warmed her cheeks as well. The other girl wasn't quite as unaffected as she let on.

"To be fair, I am not the one who said anything about orgies, Princess… But yes, perhaps a change of topic is in order," she demurred smoothly.

She could at least have the decency to look a bit more ashamed, Anna thought. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever felt this unbalanced and excited and embarrassed all at once.

"But you hinted! You very much hinted at orgies, Elsa, and you know it! And dammit, you just made me say it again, and now I'm blushing even more, and…!" Anna cut herself off with a growl of frustration, scrubbing her burning cheeks with both her hands, "...and I told you to just call me Anna!"

Elsa was laughing again, an even more carefree laugh that instantly soothed some of Anna's mortification at the strange turn their conversation had taken.

"I'm sorry Anna, forgive me. I shouldn't tease you so." She shrugged again, watching the princess stomp around the room, unable to meet the blond girl's eyes. "You know, that horrible steward of yours… Kai, was it? He gave me all sorts of rules to follow. What I should or shouldn't say, and what kinds of topics were acceptable for a slave to discuss with her mistress."

Anna stopped her pacing, looking back at her. She couldn't think of what to say to that, so she simply said, "Oh?"

"Mmm, yes. He was very concerned about my savage Northuldran ways rubbing off on you, I think. Didn't want me talking to you about my homeland in particular, or the war. Didn't want me talking to you much at all, in fact."

"But you've already told me some things about your home…" Anna trailed off, anxious now for different reasons. She was rather enjoying their conversations, she realized. She had hardly known Elsa an hour, and yet she already found her to be one of the most unusual, most stimulating and exciting individuals she had ever met. Anna wanted more, and suddenly she was worried that the other girl might stop, since Kai had all but ordered her to keep quiet.

"I think that's silly, is all. Why should he get to tell us what we can or can't talk about? I want to know more about you, and about your life, Elsa. You… you're not going to listen to him, are you?"

And she is mine, after all. There is even a signed document that declares it so. Why should Kai get a say in this, if she is truly mine?

She didn't dare say any of that bit out loud, merely thought it, confused by the swell of possessiveness she already felt towards the young woman before her.

To her relief, Elsa smiled and shook her head. There was a hint of naughty amusement in her reply, like that of a misbehaving child who was eager to get the best of her minders.

"No, I think not. As it turns out, Anna, I'm afraid that your new slave is a rather disobedient one. I hope that doesn't upset you."

"Oh! Oh no," Anna reassured her, glad that her new companion wasn't going to follow that particular commandment from the castle steward after all. "It's okay! I mean, I have so many questions about Northuldra, and about so many other things, and… I guess it would be a shame if you felt like you couldn't tell me. It's none of Kai's business, anyways. You're with me now, Elsa. I hope you know that you can always say whatever you like, with me."

Her slave didn't seem to know what to say to this pronouncement, though she smiled cautiously and watched Anna with those cool, unreadable eyes. She had that look on her face again – the one that seemed to say that she couldn't quite decide what to make of the young princess. That look spoke of so many things, and Anna was reminded of the vast gulf that existed between them, with her the lonely princess and her the reluctant slave.

Anna wondered briefly if she shouldn't be a bit more concerned by Elsa's admission of willful disobedience. She was supposed to be her mistress, after all, and she was ultimately responsible for her slave's actions. She suspected her father would not be pleased by how she was failing to properly "train" her thus far. Though Anna might fervently wish for her to be her friend, rather than her slave, even she could see how that might lead to problems down the road, especially if Elsa were to come to be seen as disobedient by others in the royal household.

She shied away from going any further down that line of thought, at least for now. Plenty of time to worry about how she was going to manage this blossoming friendship with her new slave in the future. For now, Anna was just happy the two of them were getting along so well in their first hour together. She would worry about the other complexities of their relationship later.

"Anyways, I promised you lunch, didn't I? I'll ring for a footman and have something brought up. You must be starving!" Anna said, and after she had pulled the wall cord that would summon a servant, the two settled in at the table to wait.

In short order a knock sounded at the door, and Anna rose to speak with the man who had come. In less than ten minutes, the servant had returned, this time pushing a tray that was heavy with covered silver dishes, a glass pitcher of fruit juice, and a kettle of hot tea. He wheeled it into the room and set the table with quick efficiency, then left the mostly empty tray by the door for later. Once he was finished, he stood stiffly, addressing the princess.

"Is there anything more you require, Your Highness?" he asked, politely formal. His eyes, however, darted to the pale blond girl in the poor servant's dress who was sitting at the table with the royal heiress, his lip curling.

"That's all Roger, thank you!" the princess replied cheerfully, dismissing him with a jaunty wave.

He bowed very low, lower than was normal even, and left the room… but not before shooting one last glare at Elsa as he closed the doors behind him.

"Don't be shy. Go ahead and dig in," Anna encouraged her unusual companion, oblivious to the looks the other servant had been giving her. "I'm starving! Oh, and they brought canned peaches today. I can't wait for more fresh fruit to arrive this summer. These peaches are a real treat though, Elsa. Make sure to try some!"

As Anna filled her plate and happily talked, Elsa moved to do the same, quietly thinking over the reaction of the footman. It surely spelled eventual trouble for her, but she was too hungry at present to brood over it. She began eating and soon found her worries receding as she sampled one delicious dish after another, filling the yawning chasm of her empty stomach.

Peaches in syrup. A whole half of a roasted chicken still hot from the oven and seeping with warm juices. A crunchy, creamy salad of sliced radishes, onion, and other early spring greens. Fluffy eggs scrambled with fat bits of pork. A full plate sliced bread, both toasted and plain, and a tin of smooth, creamy butter. A hot tureen was filled with a rich soup that appeared to be mostly vegetables and beans in a dark, savory broth, with a few pieces of beef thrown in for added flavor. Little muffin cakes that were drizzled in honey and crushed walnuts, and an entire small platter of deserts... In short, it was enough delicious food to feed four people, and for several minutes it was quiet but for the scrape of silverware against plates as the two young women sated their appetites.

Elsa was just reaching for the teapot to pour herself a glass of hot tea when Anna broke the comfortable silence once more, setting her silverware down on her now empty plate with a note of finality.

"The Ice Queen," she declared, staring across the table at her new slave with sudden intensity.

Elsa's hand froze, the teapot motionless above her cup, just shy of pouring. She looked back at the princess warily, a flash of surprised vulnerability in her eyes as though the other girl's sudden words had caught her off guard.

"I've been dying to know more about her for ages," Anna continued eagerly, failing to notice the slight chill that had taken over the previously warm room. "I've never met another Northuldran who I could actually ask about her before! Have you ever seen her? I mean, she's so mysterious… Oh, you have to tell me if you have, Elsa! Please? I won't tell another soul, I promise."

Elsa set the teapot down carefully, her drink un-poured.

"I'm not sure what I can really tell you," she said, honestly.

"Well, anything, I suppose! No one seems to know anything about her except for crazy rumors and tall tales. Have you ever actually seen her?"

Her slave seemed to consider her answer carefully, those cool eyes never leaving the princess.

"I guess you could say I have seen her, yes," she admitted.

"Wow, really?!" Anna exclaimed, amazed by this revelation. "What is she like?"

"Oh I don't know," Elsa said, seeming almost annoyed by the question. "What does everyone here in Arendelle think she is like?"

"Ehh," Anna hummed, waving a hand dismissively. "No one really knows, I guess. It's all hearsay. Most people think she is an ancient, ugly old witch from the mountains who tricked her way into the castle so she could kill the old royal family and take the throne for herself. Other people say she is a beautiful woman of royal blood, but possessed with the spirit of an evil ice demon from the frozen waste of the northern pole, with teeth that are fangs of ice and eyes that glow like stars, and tendrils of living frost for hair!"

The princess paused in her fantastical account to grab a chocolate truffle from a tray of similar deserts, shoving it into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed it with obvious relish, then continued.

"I've even heard a rumor that she's actually a little girl, a common orphan, but when she speaks it's with the voice of the fearsome Ice Dragon who guards the high mountain passes, and she only appears in the castle when the snow falls. You know," she added with a laugh, rolling her eyes a bit at the fanciful stories, "just crazy stuff like that. I want to know what she's really like! I'm not sure even my father or his advisors know that for certain."

She had asked her father once about the Ice Queen, but he had grown strangely dark and short tempered, and had stormed angrily from the room as though the devil's own hounds were after him. It had been so unlike her father, who had always before encouraged her questions and natural curiosity about the world, that she had never gathered up the courage to ask him again.

Elsa was muttering to herself, a scowl darkening her beautiful countenance with obvious displeasure.

"An ugly old hag? Ice for teeth?! What a load of…" she was saying, her words trailing off into a growl, her jaw clenching. She muttered something more in the old northern tongue, but Anna's grasp of Norstla was tenuous at best, and she couldn't make out any meaning behind the words. The anger behind them was clear enough, though.

Anna winced, hoping she hadn't greatly offended her new friend.

"Sorry, it's just what I've heard!" she hastened to add. "Here, have a chocolate," she said, offering up the tray of sweets with a placating gesture.

Chocolates always helped her when she was upset. The other girl took one and chewed on it forcefully, but after she had swallowed the delicious morsel she seemed a bit mollified, her scowl softening. The chocolates in castle Arendelle really were some of the best in the world, Anna knew, sure to melt just about anyone's heart and lift the darkest of moods.

Watching her carefully, Anna waited until she felt it was safe to press her a little more. She was curious, so help her! And honestly, when might she ever again get the chance to talk to someone who had actually seen the dreaded Ice Queen of the north?

"So, what is she like?" she asked again, smiling as winsome and charming a smile as she could manage.

The other girl sighed, shifting a bit restlessly in her seat. This was the most unsettled and out of sorts Anna had ever seen her so far. The beautiful slave was always so calm and controlled; it was kind of nice to see her at a loss for words for once.

"It's hard for me to say," Elsa finally admitted, still frowning slightly. "In many ways, she is simply a young woman, no different from you or I… Most of what you southerners say about her isn't true, though I suppose there might be a grain of truth in every rumor."

"Really?" Anna breathed, not hiding her fascination. "But her powers! Her control over the elements of ice and snow… Surely those are real?"

"Well… yes," her slave agreed, though she seemed uncomfortable doing so.

"That's incredible," the princess assured her, her imagination set alight by the other girl's confirmation. "She is normal otherwise, though? Just a normal woman, but to have all that power at her fingertips!... I can't imagine!"

Anna tried to picture it. Tried to imagine living with the power of a winter gale at her command. She wondered how many stories about the Ice Queen's abilities were true, and how many were exaggerated by so many retellings. Even if just a tenth of them were true, she must be terrifyingly powerful. Rather than scaring her, thinking about it only filled the princess with a sense of wonder, as well as intense longing… To be truly feared and respected as the Ice Queen was must be exhilarating. Empowering! Of course, Anna wouldn't know. She was just a simple, awkward, lonely princess. The people of Arendelle respected her name and title, of course, but she didn't fool herself into thinking that they respected her as a person. As Anna. Why would they? She was nothing noteworthy.

"Oh! I wish I could meet her," Anna said, a forlorn note in her voice at the impossibility. "She must be the most interesting, most magnificent woman in all the kingdoms."

This finally banished the frown fully from Elsa's face, and she smiled at Anna once more, the faintest of blushes warming her cheeks. The temperature of the room, which had begun to be the slightest bit chill, eased back to a more normal warmth, which Anna again failed to notice.

"Be careful what you wish for, Princess," Elsa said. "I don't think the Ice Queen would be so kind to you as you have been to me, were our situations reversed and you her captive in the ice palace."

Anna laughed at that, raising a finger in admonishment.

"I thought I told you to…"

"…call you Anna. Yes, I know," Elsa finished for her, shaking her head in mild exasperation. She reached across the table for the carafe with a lean, pale arm, pouring herself a tall glass of fruit juice before setting it back.

"Don't you want tea anymore?" Anna asked, surprised.

"No," Elsa answered with a note of regret in her voice, "It's gone cold, I'm afraid."

She was right. Anna pressed a hand to the side of the pot and gasped at the chill she felt there. She'd never received a cold pot of tea before. Why, they must have accidently sent one up that had been left out overnight, rather than the freshly brewed pot they had intended. Still, such a mistake was very unlike them. Elsa must think their kitchen staff very disorganized indeed.

"Strange! That's a shame. I guess we won't be having tea with our lunch after all."

It really was a pity. The tea was quite excellent. The kingdom paid handsomely to have it imported all the way from the Southern Isles, as their varieties were far better than anything that could be grown in Arendelle. Anna shook her head before reaching for the carafe instead, leaving the frigid tea where it was.

"Well, I suppose a glass of cold juice on a warm spring day is just as good. To new friends and many more happy meals together. Cheers!"

Anna clinked her glass against Elsa's and gave her a beaming, hopeful smile.

Her new slave simply hummed in wordless agreement, raising her glass to her lips.