Elsa awoke in the blackness before dawn broke, sore in places she didn't even know existed.

Today was the beginning of the third week of her training, some of the most grueling weeks of the young queen's life. Each morning Elsa had to force herself from the comfort of her bed before first light so that she could fit in all her duties before she met Aaron in the armory for their daily sessions. At first it had been torturous to rise so early, but with each day it grew a little more bearable than the last, and finally Elsa was starting to reap the rewards of her labor.

Elsa's body had become her top priority. Her days began with stretches; every limb, every muscle, every appendage was given attention. Her morning routine was a series of unnatural poses in front of the fireplace of her chambers as she pushed her flexibility to its limits. On this morning, she reached down with her feet together and her legs straight and surprised herself by placing both palms on the floor with ease. Would you look at that, she thought. I'm actually limber again.

Elsa had always been athletically inclined, despite what some might think of their pale, thin queen. When she was younger she had been quite the horseback-rider and ice-skater, though her talents went largely unnoticed for years as she practiced in solitude. There was a time when she would sneak out in the middle of the night to skate around the frozen pond near the town square, drawing figure-eights and performing leaping spins in the moonlight.

After the Great Thaw, she and Anna had skated together quite often, but Elsa would always hold back her skill because of her little sister's competitive nature. Anna always seemed to take others being better than her as some kind of challenge and Elsa was never one to show her little sister up. In secret, she could have skated circles around anyone at court.

Although the queen had never even been close to this in-shape. Her muscles were beginning to look toned, especially her core and her legs, and it took twice as long for her to run out of breathe. Aaron's training after the first day had focused on endurance and stamina. "An exhausted fighter is a dead fighter," he had told her.

Elsa had agreed, though her body did not for the first few days. It had taken quite a few hot baths and shoulder massages from Anna for her body to stop aching with every step, but eventually the pain had gone away and she found that she actually felt better after sessions, almost revitalized by the thought that she was making progress.

Aaron never mentioned anything about the massive blast Elsa had unleashed at their first session. The day afterward, Elsa had arrived to the sparring room to see the debris completely cleaned up and the hole in the wall covered by stacks of boxes and barrels. "Now we're getting somewhere," she remembered Aaron saying. Elsa didn't quite understand what his plan was, but she trusted it was working. Her magic, much like her body, was growing stronger.

Usually it took some planning and thought to make her magic act exactly the way she wanted, but lately it felt so natural it almost happened automatically. Elsa noticed herself using magic for every little task, dressing herself and opening doors with gusts of cold wind. There were little things she could do now that she had never even thought of before, such as pulling objects to her hand with a magic gale, and every once in a while, Elsa would accidentally leave behind a trail of ice throughout the hallways, much to the dismay of the servants who had slipped and fallen on more than one occasion.

What little time Elsa spent with Aaron outside of the training room felt strangely normal and comforting, but during their sessions he treated her as his master had treated him when he was a boy. Aaron had been trained by a swordsman from Xhanu that came to Astor with Agatha, and the customs of the East were ingrained in his teaching style. He was strict and commanding, and sometimes overly harsh, Elsa had to admit, but she knew that was exactly what she needed.

On their second week together, Aaron and Elsa began to spar one-on-one. He was almost certainly holding back against her, but even so Elsa found herself on her backside with the wind thrust from her lungs more than she would have liked. Stubbornness, pride, and admittedly the notion of wiping Aaron's smug grin off of his face kept her going, and it was beginning to pay off. She could fend him off for quite a while longer than she used to be able to, though the result was always the same – with Elsa staring at the ceiling, panting like a dog, with Aaron smiling down at her with a hand outstretched. "That was better. On your feet and we'll try it again." And so they did.

Despite the small progress, Elsa was no great fighter yet. As she watched Captian Holdt in the training yard showing a relatively new soldier how to properly hold his shield, intrusive thoughts came to her about how little time she had. Agatha had taken years to become a competent fighter and she was no less than a prodigy. What could Elsa hope to accomplish in a few short months? Was she any better than this soldier in front of her now, fumbling with his armor, in way above his head? Aaron assured her that the Astor invasion was stunted for quite a while, but no matter how long they took, she would never become a master by the time of her inevitable encounter with Alexander.

I must do what I can, she thought, pushing away all doubts. Any training is better than none at all.

Today, Aaron wanted to meet earlier than normal. When he passed Elsa in front of the barracks on his way to speak with Lorne Blackwater, he mentioned something about an idea that had struck him the night before, something "revolutionary." Elsa didn't bother to ask what it was, knowing he would disclose it eventually, and she was somewhat distracted. Despite the breakthrough, he looked stressed out and Elsa couldn't help but wonder if that was her fault.

The queen had not yet mentioned the missing pages from A History of Royal Magic that Anna had found and she often wondered if Aaron noticed they were gone from his room. His silence implied his ignorance, but Elsa could not be sure. It had never felt like the right time to bring it up and each session Elsa was more focused on learning than she was on Aaron's endless secrets. Plus, she had to admit she was nervous to face his wroth when he discovered the invasion of privacy.

Ugh, this is silly, she thought as she descended the spiraling steps of the castle two-by-two. I'm the queen for god's sake. I shouldn't be afraid of him. Today is the day I ask.

Elsa arrived before her teacher to the sparring room, which she found to be a bit unusual. Her hair was braided and she was dressed in a tight-fitting black suit that she had Gerda make for her. It was built plainly for comfort and not fashion, though it gave Elsa a certain air of confidence when she wore it to sessions, feeling as though she looked more like a warrior and less like a queen. She took the opportunity to loosen up and she set up a dummy to wallop while she waited.

With planted feet, she delivered a few solid shots to the dummy with proper form, trying to remember everything Aaron would say about technique. It felt like she did it correctly, but somehow she knew Aaron would disagree.

With a sigh of frustration, she lowered her fists and studied the dummy for a moment. It looked pitiful to her, its padded frame worn and faded from heavy use. It was hopeless to think that this was what she was practicing on before facing a man who could kill her with the flick of his hand.

I have that power as well, she thought. It could all be over in an instant. Just one wrong move is all it would take.

Putting it that way, it seemed hopeless. As she thought about how much was out of her control here, a deep frustration grew inside her. The bubbling annoyance became rage in a sudden outburst and without thinking, Elsa held out her hand and blasted the dummy with an icy gale, crumbling it to frozen shards.

It was just then that Aaron entered the room to the sight of the queen standing before her kill. "I see we're off to a good start today," he said with only the slightest pause. Usually he would have delivered that line with humor in his voice but Elsa noticed it was replaced with something like irritation.

"I'm…sorry, I just…" Elsa stammered. She had gone from terrifying and strong to awkward and clumsy in a moment. Attempting to play the moment down, she ended up shrugging and saying, "It looked at me funny."

The sun was shining in from the sparring room's high window, giving the place a different vibe than what Elsa was used to, as their sessions were normally at night. Dust particles floated in and out of the light and made Aaron's thick dark hair look lighter, almost brown.

"There's really no need to apologize," he said nonchalantly as he came over and began shuffling the shards of ice across the floor with his feet. "Everything here is your property, after all. If I could do the things you do, I'd have brought this castle to a pile of icy rubble by now. Sometimes I think the world is lucky I wasn't the Highborn in my family."

For some reason, that comment made Elsa think. When she looked at him, she often thought of his sister and mother and how much he resembled them. Alma was a Highborn, making her children the product of magic, and somehow it had affected them. Their mental connection could only have come as a side-effect of Veles' magic. Though not Highborn themselves, Aaron and Sophie were no average humans, that much was certain.

Aaron and Sophie both were so impressively athletic that it almost seemed impossible. She recalled the duel she witnessed in the courtyard when the twins first stayed in Arendelle. They were lightning fast, acting and reacting almost before her eyes could process what was happening. Looking back, it was almost certain that the two held back against anyone they fought against, save for each other. They were unnaturally intuitive, as well, almost as if they could see a few seconds into the future.

Aaron had displayed his abilities by accident on more than one occasion, preemptively catching things before they even began to fall and guessing perfectly when somebody was coming around a corner. It was hard to explain, but Aaron just knew things. It was like he could predict what people would do before they decided to do it themselves.

As the former prince began to talk about what he wanted to go over today, Elsa cut him off, a strange impulse taking over her vocal chords. "What is Sophie up to?" she asked, and Aaron eyed her curiously.

"I haven't had a vision in several days, but it seems she is hard at work getting the Astor army back on track. As for Alexander…" he paused, gathering thoughts. Elsa could practically see some memory racing by in his eyes. "He's been going about his ways. The sooner this is over, the better."

The way he said that gave Elsa chills. The poor guy shoulders so many burdens alone. I wish he would let me in. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course not."

"Where do your visions come from? Why do you suppose you have this power that other twins don't?" asked Elsa. It was bait, a way to entice Aaron into a conversation about his parents, but he didn't bite as expected. Aaron was noticeably taken off guard by the question, and he stopped what he was doing and sat on a barrel as if he knew this conversation would not be a short one.

"We have spoken about this before, Elsa. I don't really know. Perhaps it is Veles' magic, some sort of… 'spill-over' from Alexander to us. Does it really matter, though?"

"I've been thinking about that," Elsa said, putting a finger to her mouth and furrowing her brow. "It seems strange that the magic, if linked to a family tree, would manifest in Alexander and his niece and nephew, but not his brother."

Aaron folded his arms. "I suppose that is a bit odd. My father has never displayed any kind of magical ability as far as I can tell. But what can I say? Magic works in mysterious ways, Elsa. We both know that. Some things can't be explained."

Enough of this, thought Elsa. It's time I accept that he won't open up about anything unless directly confronted. I'm just going to say it. She sighed and stepped towards him. "There's something I've been meaning to say, but before I do, I want you to know that it wasn't my intention to bring it up this way."

Aaron raised one eyebrow, but when he said nothing, Elsa went on. "I know your mother was a Highborn, Aaron."

The man stared, words visibly catching in his throat. "You…what?"

"Anna found the missing pages from Agatha's book in your room about Alma. She was just like me. I don't know why you never told me. And before you say it, I know, it was wrong to invade your privacy, but…you know Anna, she didn't like that you were keeping secrets again and…"

"Secrets?" Aaron suddenly stood, the anger plain on his face. "I didn't realize my personal belongings, my keepsakes, my LIFE was a secret. She took it from my room? Why? Because you thought I was keeping something from you?" The outburst left Elsa speechless and she could do nothing but stare.

"Am I that untrustworthy?" he went on. "There are many things in this world I can forgive, Elsa, but when it comes to my mother and my privacy, you're crossing a line."

Even though she had anticipated this, Elsa was surprised by his reaction to the point of not being able to defend herself. Aaron was seething, pacing back and forth.

Elsa managed to stammer out, "I'm sorry, Aaron, it's not like we –"

"STOP! Just stop," Aaron halted, pointing an accusing finger right at Elsa's face. "I don't need to hear your justifications." He shook his head in disgust. "I can't believe you people. Every one of you. To think about all I've done for Arendelle and its people at this point is almost laughable. I saved your life three years ago when my sister wanted to kill you on the rooftop. I kept your secret and saved your kingdom from ruin. I warned you and then abandoned my people trying to keep the peace, protecting you. I came to your aid in your trial when your people were stupidly willing to throw you away like the cowards they are. And worst of all, I betrayed my own family. I turned my back on them. For the sake of Arendelle. For the sake of YOU." The final word rattled off the stone walls, sharp and abrupt.

Elsa felt tiny in that moment, and goosebumps covered her body. She averted her eyes, but Aaron was not done.

"And now here I am. Teaching you. Protecting you. Trying to help…and I'm treated with scorn and suspicion by everyone here. I was willing to look past it because I figured at the very least, you and Anna believed in me and trusted me, and that's all I cared about. But I guess that's not even true. Well I'm done. I'm done trying to impress, I'm done doing these things for your sake when you don't even appreciate them. I mean nothing to you! You all are just using me and I've been stupid enough to give you my support for nothing. Well you can face Alexander on your own if that's the way it is. I'll just get out of your way." A calm darkness settled on Aaron's face as he said the last words and he turned away.

Elsa was on the verge of tears and could hardly breathe. Hearing Aaron say all that he had done for her out loud made her emotions stir in a way she had felt only once before. She was reminded of when she first met him all those years ago, when his hair was combed and his face was clean-shaven and smiling. How stupid had she been for pushing him away all this time.

The feelings she had back then had never really gone away, they had just been pushed to the side, something she had practiced and told herself to do for years. Now it was finally coming back. This was the consequences of conceal, don't feel.

Now Aaron was walking away and he was almost at the door. She had to stop him, she had to say something, but for a moment she wasn't sure the words even existed.

"You're wrong!" she finally shouted, and Aaron whirled angrily before the door, looking down at Elsa ten feet away where the floor sloped to the training space.

"About what? Please, enlighten me, Your Majesty, please tell me what I've done t–"

"I love you."

The words lingered as if there were an echo in the room, pounding into their eardrums. Elsa felt as if someone else had spoken them, the idea foreign even to her. Am I just now realizing this myself? she thought.

Aaron stared, his expression morphing from anger to surprise. The words were already out there and Elsa knew there was no going back. A confidence surged through her as she took a step towards the man.

"I always have. You don't mean nothing to me. You could not be more wrong about that, Aaron. Everything you have done for me…everything means more to me than you could ever know. I haven't shown it because I was afraid to…and didn't think I should."

Aaron blinked, his previous anger melting off of his face, but he still said nothing. Elsa could tell there was distrust in his eyes and she knew he didn't believe her. And why should he? As far as he's concerned I'm just trying to get him to stick around. I do need him after all. But not in the way he thinks.

"I know, it seems impossible. I tried not to love you, but that's not how these things work. No apology could make up for how all of this has happened. But I'm truly, truly sorry…" Elsa's eyes grew wet, but her expression remained strong as she kept her gaze locked with Aaron's, blue colliding with green, and the room seemed to turn into an ocean around them.

Aaron's silence continued. It was as if they were the only two people in the universe, as if the entire cosmos were being defined in that moment. As the silence stretched, Elsa began to panic. He isn't saying anything. Why…?

Finally, Aaron looked up at nothing and took a deep breath. "You don't know what you're saying, Elsa." And then he was gone.

Elsa stood there staring at the door for a long time after it closed. Her body grew numb and her mind was blank as if what had just happened had erased everything else. As the realization hit that she may have just doomed everyone, it was like the ocean collapsed in on her and swept her away, swallowing her into an endless oblivion where not even her magic was enough to save her.