04. It's All Downhill From Here

"Best magical big sister ever!" whooped Anna. She immediately got on, followed by Kristoff and then Elsa. The trolls opted to stick with the ice escalator. "Meet you at the bottom, Grand Pabbie."

With a little forward scoot, the humans were off. Anna shrieked with delight at every bend and bank; Kristoff let out a loud "Wooo!" at a stretch where the steepness increased. Elsa merely grinned, and concentrated on the safety of the two people ahead of her. As they entered the final turn, Elsa created a massive drift of fluffy snow to catch them when they shot out of the end of the half-cylinder.

Anna and Kristoff lay there in the snow, laughing and gasping.

"That looked like a lot of fun," said Olaf.

"Oh, it was! Elsa, you totally need to make one of those for the Harvest Festival," said Kristoff, finally getting up.

"Yes, yes, please!" implored Anna. "Everybody would love it. Especially with those moving ice-stairs to get to the top. People would pay money to do that!"

"I'll think about it," Elsa said with a chuckle. "We'd have to find the right spot for it." And with a brief wave of her hand, the slide, stairs, and snow pile vanished.

"Very impressive," Grand Pabbie quietly said.

Elsa arched one eyebrow and curtsied to him again, then turned to the little snowman.

"Here, Olaf," said Elsa as she held out the bag. "Look what I got you."

Olaf promptly emptied the contents on to the ground. "Whoa, these look like black glass," he said as he surveyed the rocks Elsa had brought for him.

"That's obsidian. It forms when lava cools very quickly. That's fresh from the magma pool," Elsa informed him. Everybody stared at the vitreous stones. Sven tried to lick them, but was shooed off by Olaf.

"And these are all covered with crystals. They're so colorful!" Olaf held them up closer to the lantern light to get a better view.

"Those are from the inner wall of the volcano. It was coated with mineral deposits. You can switch out your coal buttons for these on special occasions, if you want," Elsa suggested.

"Like party clothes?" asked Olaf.

"Yes. Or any time you want more color in your wardrobe, little guy." Elsa knew how much Olaf loved different hues.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" babbled Olaf, hugging the bag of rocks close. Everyone smiled at the snowman's joy.

They hiked back to where they left the sled, close to the entrance to the trolls' amphitheater. Kristoff lifted the picnic basket out, laughing as Sven wagged his short tail in hopes of a treat. "Yes, we brought lots of carrots for you, buddy," he assured his life-long friend.

He and the reindeer hurried into his childhood home, ready to greet his off-kilter extended family. Olaf, Feldspar, Gneiss, Gabbro, and Mica followed close behind. The night was still young, and there would be time for the trolls' usual comical escapades.

Elsa hung back, stalling by the sled. Anna looked at her expectantly, and Grand Pabbie motioned welcomingly with an open hand. Elsa smiled, but made no move toward the threshold.

"Well, I think I'll bid you a good night. If there's anything else I can ever do to be of service, Grand Pabbie, please do not hesitate to ask," Elsa said with warm sincerity.

"I thought we were going to stay the night," Anna said, the disappointment clear in her voice.

"You and Kristoff and Olaf and Sven can certainly stay, but since I held up better than we expected, I can return to the castle and get an earlier start in the morning than I had planned for."

"But how are you going to get back if we stay? We'll need Sven and the sled ourselves to travel back tomorrow."

"I'll call for Sleipnir."

"Ugh." Sleipnir was Elsa's latest unintentional creation. He was a snow-horse as fast and handsome as he was haughty and willful with everyone except Elsa. If Olaf was born of Elsa's big sister instinct, and Marshmallow was from her desire to be left alone, and the Snowgies were spawned by her mischievous and playful side, then Sleipnir definitely represented her arrogant and imperious streak. Only Elsa could ride him or lead him - and he could teleport to her instantly when she summoned him, from apparently any distance away. Fortunately, he seemed to be able to teleport only to Elsa's location. It was very weird.

"He's not that bad."

"To you," Anna retorted. "You should eat something. The kitchen staff prepared a nice picnic dinner for us."

"I ate before we left."

"They packed us chocolate cake for dessert..."

"I'm still not hungry right now."

"I'm telling Kai and Gerda!"

"What are they going to do? Send me to bed without any supper?" Elsa said with mock trepidation.

"We'll think of something, just you wait," Anna answered. "Elsa, please stay for at least a while. The trolls have been waiting to meet you."

"The trolls have already met me."

"That was fourteen years or so ago!" Anna was not about to let her sister wiggle out of this.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Elsa said quietly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Anna snapped. "Elsa, they are Kristoff's family and you should meet them!"

"And I would very much like to talk with you, Your Majesty," Grand Pabbie reminded.

Elsa wrapped her arms around her abdomen and fought against her apprehension. "Sir, this place doesn't hold pleasant memories for me," she tried to explain.

"Then perhaps we should try to change that," he said gently.

"Just how exactly do you propose to 'change memories'?" Elsa asked warily.

Anna was surprised at her sister's overt distrust of the troll elder. While she had been initially dismayed to find out that her memories had been altered to remove instances of Elsa using her powers, she eventually accepted that it was a justifiable precaution to ensure that all of the magic was expelled from her head.

"By sharing new experiences filled with friendship, support, and mirth with you." He knew he needed to be very patient with the young Queen.

"Please, Elsa? This will be good for you. And I know how happy it will make Kristoff to feel that you're not avoiding his family," Anna pressed.

Elsa closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to dissipate her tension. It worked somewhat, but she could still imagine far too many ways for this visit to end badly. "Love will thaw," she prodded herself. "All right. If I can muddle through meeting with the council, the tourists, the researchers and philosophers, and the undiplomatic diplomats, I suppose this shouldn't be a problem."

"That's the spirit!" Anna laughed and strolled forward into the amphitheater. Elsa followed slowly with Grand Pabbie shepherding her from behind. Obviously, the distrust was somewhat mutual.