Disclaimer: The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix.

Notes from the Mad Doctor: Greetings readers! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Updates to this story are going to be less frequent due to a few things. One of them being the fact that I've been working on a story I hope to have completed in time for this year's SoKai Week! Hopefully, I will succeed and provide you with something enjoyable. But for right now, let's get back to Kairi in Arendelle. Enjoy!

Chapter 18: A Rift Between Sisters

Arendelle

"You can wait here with the boys for now, Kairi. I'll be back soon with Elsa after I tell her about you and why you're here," said Anna as she led Kairi into a small sitting room in the castle followed by Pluto, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf.

"Okay, Anna," said Kairi.

"Hopefully she's finally done with him. Honestly, tomorrow can't come soon enough," said Anna bitterly as she exited the room.

Kairi made her way over to a nearby couch and sat down. Pluto leapt on the left side of her and laid his head in her lap as she stroked him gently. Olaf plopped himself on Kairi's right and smiled at her.

Kristoff sat down in a chair across from them and let out a deep sigh. "Tomorrow can't come soon enough for me either. I'm just glad this will all be over soon," he said as Sven sat down on the floor beside him.

"Me too," Kristoff said in his Sven voice.

"Kristoff? If you don't mind me asking, who is this Duke of Weselton you've all been talking about?" asked Kairi.

"I can answer that question, Kairi. He's a duke and he comes from a place called Weselton. It's not too hard to understand, is it?" asked Olaf causing Kairi to smile a little.

"I think she needs a little more information than that, Olaf," said Kristoff as Sven nodded in agreement. "Well, Kairi, he's a dignitary from what used to be Arendelle's closest partner in trade,"

"Used to be? You mean, they're not anymore?" asked Kairi.

"No. And the reason why is during the time when Elsa accidentally started an eternal winter, he ordered his bodyguards to kill her in an attempt to end it."

Kairi gasped. "That's horrible!"

"Yes. So, when Elsa brought back summer, she had the Duke and his men returned to their homeland and cut off the trade agreement between Arendelle and Weselton."

Kairi looked confused. "But if he tried to have her killed, then why has he been allowed to return here?"

"Apparently, he wants to apologize for what he did, and he believed the only way to show that he meant it was to do it in person," said Kristoff.

"And do you all believe he's sincere?"

"Elsa seems to think so. But Anna believes he's still up to no good. Me? Well, I don't think he'd try anything especially now that Elsa's got her powers under control. But I think this whole apology thing is just him trying to get the trade agreement reinstated. All I'm really hoping is that once he's gone, things will get back to normal between Anna and Elsa," said Kristoff.

"What do you mean? Have they been fighting?" asked Kairi.

"Not exactly. I mean, they haven't stopped speaking to each other. But due to their disagreement on the Duke's visit, things have been pretty frosty between the two of them. Everyone in the castle can all see it," said Kristoff.

"I still don't understand it. They're not just sisters but best friends too. Why would things get bad between them like this?" asked Olaf.

"I can answer that for you, Olaf and the sad fact is, sisters and best friends don't always agree on everything. And that can sometimes lead to things being strained between them for some time," said Kairi. 'I certainly know what that's like.'

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Olaf. If I know Anna and Elsa, they'll patch things up in time. They've been through too much to let something like this split them up again," said Kristoff.

Olaf smiled. "You're right! Once the Weasel goes home, they'll go right back to being best friends again," said the snowman as Sven nodded.

"I'm sorry that I came at such a bad time. Maybe it's too much to ask all of you for your help in finding Sora now," said Kairi.

"Don't say that, Kairi. You couldn't have known how things were when you arrived. And if there's one thing that may ease the tension around here after all this, it'll be helping you find your friend," said Kristoff.

Elsewhere in the castle, Anna approached the door to the audience chamber. Pressing her ear to the door, she listened to what was going on within.

"Thank you again, Your Majesty, for allowing me to come to your kingdom as well as accepting my apology. I only wish I could apologize to your sister personally," said a male voice.

"My sister has made it clear she does not wish to see you presently so I will accept your apology to both of us on her behalf. And I thank you, Duke, for abiding by our conditions as well as not bringing up the subject of trade between our homelands because my decision still stands," stated a female voice.

In spite of herself, Anna smiled. 'That's telling him, Elsa. If that was what he was after all along, then way to beat him to the punch.'

"I assure you, Your Majesty, the thought of that never even crossed my mind. All I wish is for relations to improve between our homelands and hopefully, someday you can both fully forgive my atrocious behavior," said the voice of the Duke.

'No chance of that!' thought Anna.

"We shall see. But for the time being, shall we consider our business concluded?" asked Elsa's voice.

"Of course, Your Majesty. I shall depart for Weselton tomorrow morning. Once again, thank you for everything," said the Duke as the sound of his footsteps approached the door causing Anna to move away and flatten herself against the wall.

The door opened and out strolled, with an air of quiet dignity, a short man dressed in a fancy uniform. He wore glasses perched on his pointed nose and he had a gray-haired moustache and matching hair although Anna knew his hair to be a toupee.

Neither he nor the Arendelle guard who was escorting him took notice of Anna. They just continued to walk away until they turned a corner and were out of her sight. She stared in the direction they had gone with disgust as she recalled the moment where the subject of his return had first come up and caused the current rift to form between her and her sister.

Arendelle, A Few Months Earlier

Seated behind her desk in the royal study, the Queen of Arendelle looked over a certain letter for nearly the fiftieth time. Suddenly, a familiar knock on the door was heard.

"Come in!" she called.

The door opened up and in stepped her sister. She wore a look of bewilderment to Elsa's confusion.

"What is it?" inquired Elsa.

"Sorry. It still feels a little strange to actually be let in," said Anna with a little chuckle.

Elsa chuckled herself. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, it's just as strange for me actually doing the letting in."

Anna laughed and then said, "Anyway, Gerda said you needed to talk to me about something so what is it?"

"Well, Anna, we just received a letter from the Duke of Weselton," said Elsa indicating the letter in question in her hand.

Anna groaned in frustration. "What does he want? Is he begging you to reinstate trade between Arendelle and Weselton which I hope the answer is no?"

"It's actually not about that at all, Anna. Why don't read it yourself and see? It's actually addressed to you as well," asked Elsa holding out the letter.

With a look of confusion, Anna walked over to her sister and took the letter from her. She then began to read it over.

To Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle,

I do not know if this letter will be read by either of you on account that I have no right to expect such a thing. But if you are reading this, then I thank you in advance for I have something that needs to be said.

I wish to offer my sincerest apologies for my conduct during my last visit to your kingdom. Having had much time to reflect, I am deeply ashamed of the way I spoke and acted when things took an unusual turn at the coronation.

Please understand that the shocking revelation of the queen's abilities as well as the possibility of perishing overcame me with fear. And because of that, I acted in a very inexcusable manner and for that, I am truly sorry.

I know my words in this letter will not be enough to convey my regrets. Therefore, if you will allow me to, I wish to travel to your kingdom and offer a more formal apology in person. Only then can I believe my conscience will be truly clear.

Once again, I apologize, and I do hope you will consider my request. I do not wish for there to be any hard feelings between us or our homelands.

Yours sincerely,

The Duke of Weselton

Anna reread the letter making sure she didn't miss a single word. Finally, she lowered the letter and burst out laughing.

"He has got to be kidding. He must really be desperate for that trade agreement if he's pretending to beg for forgiveness now. Good thing we're too smart to fall for it, right Elsa?" asked Anna looking to her sister who, much to her surprise, wasn't instantly agreeing with her.

"Elsa?"

"Anna, please don't overreact to this. But after reading the letter several times, I have been considering granting the Duke's request."

Anna let out a gasp of horror. "You can't be serious, Elsa!"

"Anna, please calm down," said Elsa rising from her chair and approaching her now seething sister.

"The Duke isn't one of my favorite people either. But part of ruling a kingdom is maintaining civil relations with our neighbors even those we aren't particularly fond of. And judging from his letter, it seems that he is sincere in wanting to apologize for his actions and I think it would be unwise to just ignore that," said the queen of Arendelle.

"So, send him a letter telling him his apology is accepted and there's no need for him to come in person. Then that'll be the end of it," said Anna.

"Anna, it's not that simple."

"I don't want him coming within a hundred miles of us after what he tried to do."

"No one can defend what he did. But unlike… you-know-who, he didn't come to the coronation to cause trouble right from the start. When my powers were revealed and I plunged the land into a dangerous winter, he got scared. And having spent a large part of my life afraid of what my powers could do uncontrolled, I can't really blame him for it," said Elsa.

"He called you a monster, Elsa! He tried to have you killed!"

"Anna, for the longest time, I myself believed that I was a monster. Hearing it from him was no different. And you can't deny that my powers are capable of great harm when uncontrolled. You should know that better than anyone. Even if the Duke hadn't tried to kill me to stop the winter, someone else with better intentions might've done the same," said Elsa.

Anna folded her arms and considered her sister's words. She could understand why some people like the Duke of Weselton would be scared of Elsa's powers and make bad choices because of that fear. She had, after all, witnessed the destruction caused by Elsa's uncontrolled powers and had a close call with death because of it. Still, despite Elsa's logic, she still felt that allowing the Duke to return to Arendelle was a mistake.

Elsa took her sister's hands into her own. "I know you just want to protect me from him, Anna, and I appreciate that. But trust me. I'm not going to allow back into Arendelle unless he's willing to follow certain conditions."

Anna let out a sigh of resignation. "Okay. If you think this is necessary to maintain good relations, then I guess we don't have a choice. But I want to help set the conditions, one being that I don't to have to interact with him anymore than necessary and another being that he is not to bother Kristoff, Sven, Olaf or anyone else while he's here among other things."

"You'll have your say in that, Anna, as long as you remember to be reasonable. But before we start on that, maybe you should calm down a little," said Elsa.

Anna huffed. "Fine. I guess I'll go tell the boys what's going to happen and to prepare themselves for a visit from Weasel Town. I'll see you later," she said frostily as she exited the study.

Elsa sighed as she went back to her desk. Before beginning to look over more paperwork, she glanced at a picture on the wall of Anna and herself with their deceased parents, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna.

'Mama, Papa, I knew when I became queen, there would have to be some tough decisions especially ones that Anna and I wouldn't completely agree on. I can only hope I'm doing what's best for us and for Arendelle.'

Arendelle, Present Time

'He'd better behave himself for this night or so help me, he's going to have to answer to me,' thought Anna before taking a deep breath to calm herself. 'All right, Anna. I know things haven't been good between you and Elsa lately. But right now, you need to put that aside if you want to help Kairi.'

Anna immediately entered through the opened doors and into the audience chamber. Sitting on a throne directly in front of her was her sister. Elsa had her eyes closed and looked like she was relieved that the meeting was over.

A feeling of sympathy for her sister came over Anna. 'I guess the meeting wasn't easy on her. Then again, being in the same room with someone who tried to have you killed wouldn't be easy on anyone.'

A few moments passed before Elsa opened her eyes and beheld her sister standing in front of her. "Oh, Anna!" she exclaimed.

"Hi, Elsa. So, is that it? Are we finally done with him?" asked Anna.

"Yes. For now, at least. There may come a time when we have to deal with him again in the future. But it is all in the name of diplomacy," said Elsa.

"I know. Even if we may not ever be friends, we have to keep things civil between us as you've told me repeatedly. Personally, I hope the next time we see him won't happen for a good long while. But anyway, Elsa, our next order of business has come up," said Anna.

Elsa snapped to attention with a confused look. "Next order of business? What are you talking about?"

"We have an unexpected guest. And right now, she needs our help," said Anna

Elsa's confusion increased. But she paid close attention as Anna related what had happened while she was meeting with the Duke.

Meanwhile, back in the sitting room, Kairi was getting to know her new friends a little better. Currently, Kristoff was telling stories of his life before he lived in the palace.

"So, these trolls took you in and made you a part of their family?" asked Kairi.

"Yep. They may be a little overbearing and embarrassing at times. But I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. The day they took Sven and me in was one of the best days of my life. And looking back on that day right now, it seems even better," said the ice harvester.

"Why is that?" asked Kairi.

Kristoff blushed for a second before blurting out in his Sven voice, "It was the day he first saw Anna!"

"Sven!" exclaimed Kristoff pretending as if the reindeer had exposed something he didn't want to be heard. The reindeer just made a laughing sound.

"Aww!" exclaimed Kairi.

"It's true. That was the first day I saw Anna. Who would've thought that years later, she, a princess and me, an ice harvester, would be a couple?" asked Kristoff.

"I bet the trolls always knew. They are love experts, after all!" exclaimed Olaf.

Kairi giggled. "I guess we have something in common, Kristoff. After I lost my old home, I was taken in by a pretty loving couple who have been nothing but the most wonderful parents I could ask for."

A twinge of sadness came over her. 'I can only hope they'll forgive me for just running away again.'

Pluto sensed Kairi's sadness and nuzzled further into her lap. Kairi smiled and stroked his head.

"That same day was also when I met Sora. He was the one who found me, and I will never forget how he smiled and held out his hand for me to take," said Kairi as a little blush appeared on her cheeks.

Olaf giggled. "Sounds like he's a pretty special friend to you."

"Yes. Yes, he is," said Kairi almost dreamingly.

Suddenly, the door opened and in strolled Anna and Elsa. Kairi immediately leapt to her feet as Elsa approached her. The Princess of Heart bowed before the queen.

Elsa smiled. "You must be Kairi. As queen of Arendelle, I welcome you to our kingdom and our castle."

Kairi rose up and returned Elsa's smile with one of her own. "Thank you, Your Majesty. This is my dog, Pluto," she said indicating her companion next to her who barked happily at the queen.

Elsa chuckled. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you. But it's not necessary to be so formal, Kairi. You may just call me Elsa."

"I did say you could call her by name, Kairi," reminded Anna.

"Did you forget that already?" asked Olaf.

"No, I didn't. It's just that my father always taught me to be formal until you got permission to be casual. I just needed to hear it from Elsa herself first," said Kairi.

"Your father should be proud that he raised such a polite young lady. Now, Kairi, Anna tells me that there is a very important reason you've come to Arendelle," said Elsa.

Before Kairi could say anything, Olaf chimed in, "Yes, Elsa! Sora's missing and we've got to help Kairi find him!"

"What Olaf said, Elsa. I hope that there's something in your kingdom that can possibly lead me to him. If you could help me find some sort of clue to where he is, I'll be forever grateful," said Kairi.

Elsa placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "If there is, we'll help you find it. You have my word that we'll spare no effort. But we can start our search tomorrow. Right now, it's late and Anna's told me you're in need of a good meal and a good rest. So, would you and your dog care to join us for dinner?"

"We'd love to. But you really don't mind having a dog dining with you?" asked Kairi.

"We already have a reindeer usually joining us for meals nowadays so a dog isn't a too unusual addition," said Anna gesturing to Sven who gave a big smile.

Kairi laughed before she realized something. "Will the other guest be joining us?"

"No," said Anna and Elsa simultaneously although Elsa used a calm tone while Anna's tone sounded as if she had just heard Kairi say something rude.

Elsa gave her sister a small glare of annoyance before turning back to Kairi and saying, "As one of the conditions of his visit here, the Duke is not allowed to dine with us. He must take his meals in his room."

"Trust me, Kairi. You'll be better off if you never have to meet him. In fact, we'd all be better off if we'd never saw him again!" exclaimed Anna as she turned around and left the room.

"Anna!" exclaimed Elsa as she turned to watch her sister stomp off. She let out a deep sigh.

Kristoff rose from his chair and walked over to Elsa. "Don't worry, Elsa. I'm sure she'll be okay once the Duke leaves."

"I hope you're right, Kristoff. I hate that it's been like this for these past weeks," said Elsa.

"We'd better go calm her down. We'll see you later in the dining hall. Olaf, Sven, let's go," said Kristoff as he left with the snowman and reindeer following him.

Elsa turned back to Kairi. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Oh no. I'm sorry I said the wrong thing. It's just after what Kristoff told me about the Duke of Weselton, I'm not too sure that I want to meet him myself."

"I've had Gerda make up a room for you in a different part of the castle from where he is and since he is leaving tomorrow, I doubt you'll cross paths with him. But in the meantime, let me show you to the dining hall," said Elsa as she turned around and left with Kairi and Pluto walking alongside her.

As they travelled through the halls, Kairi mused on the things she had learned. 'I'd better watch myself around here while this Duke's here. After what he tried to do when he found out about Elsa's powers, I'd hate to see how he'd react if he saw a Keyblade Wielder in action. He sounds like the kind of person who would command the Heartless or worse, become one.'

Kairi then regarded the queen and saw the sad look on her face. 'It's so awful that his presence here is making things hard between Anna and Elsa. Seems I'm not the only Princess of Heart having trouble with loved ones.'

Between the search for Sora, the rift between Anna and Elsa and the presence of this Duke, Kairi never imagined a visit to another world would be filled with so much drama. She could only hope that things would improve soon enough.

Notes from the Mad Doctor: It's hard writing Anna and Elsa like this since most of the time, everything's good between them. But I imagine that like most sisters, they would be times when they would have some disagreements (Frozen II being a major example). There actually have been some official comics and stories in which the sisters encounter the Duke of Weselton again and though he isn't as antagonistic to them as he was in the movie, they really aren't friends. So, readers, are you with Anna or Elsa on the subject of the Duke? I'd like to hear what you think. I give my thanks to everyone who read this chapter and special thanks to technovorex and AnimeMaster24 for their reviews. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!