Several meetings followed, only one of which Nicholas had attended. When it was over the two Kingdoms had a new trade agreement.
"I'm proud of you Elsa, and I think your parents would be proud. Their Kingdom is in good hands."
For Elsa it felt wonderful to hear those affirming words. But the tone bothered her. He sounded like he was saying his farewell.
"Nicholas, why such a tone of finality?"
"We have to return home," he said as his sister joined him. "I came to help you get reliable control of your powers, and you have. Arendelle is in very good hands."
In his voice she could hear pride, and, was that regret she heard. Maybe he didn't want to leave Arendelle... Maybe he didn't want to leave her.
Well she didn't like it either. She responded. "Prince Nicholas, I'm not so sure. Sometimes I still wonder if I've really gained full control," She added. "And both Anna and Kristoff need to learn how to help, to rule in my place if anything were to happen to me."
A smile came to Nicholas' face as he nodded in agreement but interjected. "Well can't you teach them?"
'Playing games again.' Elsa thought, she loved it. "No you seem to have a knack for teaching, and I think Anna would do better with your royal managerial approach."
Just then Princess Gwendolyn chimed in. "She has a point brother. Stay here. It's good diplomacy. I'll go on home and prepare for Prince Benjamin's visit to Glowerhaven."
Nicholas looked down at his little sister. "I didn't know we were going to receive a visit from Weselton."
"Oh," she said. "I arranged the visit. After all they are right on our boarder."
"So they are," Nicholas said. "Goodbye little sister. I'll see you soon."
"Goodbye big brother," she said as they hugged. She then left to board the ship back home.
They watched her leave then Elsa turned to the remaining visitor. "Nicholas, walk with me please. I'd like to talk to you in private."
"Oops, what did I do?"
"Ha, ha. Nothing, silly," she said as they walked on
.
"Okay well at least I didn't do anything silly, good."
She lightly slapped his arm as she laughed. "You never stop trying to make me laugh."
He looked back at her. "I love the sound, and I can't get enough of that pretty smile."
"You shameless flirt," she said.
They reached a quiet part of the courtyard and Elsa sat, and Nicholas took his place beside her.
"Nicholas, I'll come straight to the point. I like having you here. I like you. And I don't mean the way I like Kristoff. You... you just make me feel good." She paused. "I guess I'm not doing a great job of coming straight to the point."
Nicholas smiled. "Elsa, are you trying to say, I love you?"
She sat frozen for a moment...metaphorically of course. "I...Yes Nicholas. I think I'm in love with you." Now to lay it all on the line,she thought. "How do you feel?"
He smiled again, leaned over putting his arms around her, and gently kissed her. The Queen of ice and snow melted.
When they separated he said. "I love you to Elsa. You're the most amazing woman I've ever met. You have a beauty that goes so much deeper than this soft, smooth, lovely skin," he said as he stroked her cheek. "It's a beauty that's part of your soul, and I love you."
Is this how Kristoff makes Anna feel?She wondered. If so then no wonder why she wants to spend so much time with him. Again they embraced and kissed, this one held longer than the last. They finally pulled back to smile lovingly at each other.
"I guess Anna has a right to say 'I told you so'"
"Ha, I guess so...OH, that reminds me. You need to help me."
"With what?"
"Planning Anna's birthday party. We need to find Kristoff and then talk about this."
They got up and walked hand in hand, in search of the ice harvester.
They found Kristoff in the barn with Sven. He noticed the change in their demeanor toward each other.
"Hi Kristoff?" Elsa said. "Remember I told you I wanted to talk about Anna's birthday?"
"Yeah, I remember," he said. "So what did you have in mind?"
"Well, of course we need a cake. I've already made arrangements with a baker about that," she added. "I also got the portrait back."
To that Kristoff interjected. "Are you sure that's going to work?" He glanced at Elsa and Nicholas joined hands. "Seems like maybe not everyone is in it."
Elsa's heart sank. The portrait of her, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven had been painted before she and Nicholas had really started growing close. He wasn't in it.
Then he defused her worry. "It's okay. Anna knows this isn't a tintype, and she knows when she sat for it." He gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be in the next one."
Elsa stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Nicholas, you're amazing."
He put an arm around her and said, "I also have an idea about presentation. Maybe something a little more creative than a pile of gifts."
"What did you have in mind?" she asked.
"An idea I got from my parents actually. That was an anniversary, but it still works. We're going to need some yarn...a lot of it."
Kristoff was in charge of the cake and decorations while Nicholas laid the yarn trail of gifts for Anna. These were all from Elsa. Gifts from everyone else would be given after they cut the cake.
He hid a bracelet in the helmet of an old suit of armor. "My apologies Sir Knight," he said to the long ago warrior who wore this; maybe about the time his ancestor was throwing the sword at the dragon form of the witch Maleficent.
He put the portrait on the wall in the great hall; the string leading up to it.
In a hallway cabinet he put a put a clock that Elsa had commissioned from a local clock maker, depicting the main clock in Arendelle.
'This is kind of fun.'He thought to himself. He was getting as invested as Elsa in this birthday game.
He continued as Elsa had asked. He tested the board they would take down from the palace tower, riding it down in his full armor. If it could handle that weight it should be able to support both of the girls.
The next morning Kristoff, Nicholas and Olaf, along with his new friend Rose met Elsa in the courtyard as they frantically, but quietly, went about setting up Anna's party. It was almost funny to see how nervous Elsa was. He's never seen her so jumpy, so anxious. He tried to calm her but met with only limited success.
Finally it was time. Elsa left to wake Anna, trepidatiously leaving Kristoff in charge of the courtyard.
"She thinks you're an idiot," Kristoff said on behalf of his reindeer.
"Well clearly she's wrong," he answered, nearly proving 'Sven's' point but hitting the table the cake was on.
"No Kristoff, she doesn't think you're an idiot. She just stressed out about today." Nicholas said as he walked away.
"Where are you going?" The ice harvester asked.
"Me, oh, I'm going to make a sandwich."
"Thinking about your stomach now?" Kristoff asked. "That's not going to sit well with Elsa."
Nicholas turned to his friend. "It was her idea," he added. "She said Anna likes salami with Swiss and light on the mustard."
With that he went to make the sandwich that Anna would find on their way down the scaffold.
Nicholas smiled as he watched the sisters running around finding all of Anna's gifts. He did notice however that Elsa didn't look well. Overworked from the party. He guessed.
He walked into the courtyard to find Kristoff blocking dozens of little snowmen who seemed intent on getting to Anna's cake. Rose walked up to him. He asked her, "What are these?"
"Um, we don't know but it seems like they happen when Queen Elsa sneezes. Has anything like this ever happened to you?"
"Not as far as I know. This one's new to me."
As he said that Anna and Elsa stepped into the courtyard. Elsa did not look well at all, but both looked amazed at what they saw.
Anna walked forward in amazement as Nicholas moved next to Elsa putting a hand on her shoulder "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she said...just as she sneezed again and several more of the little snowmen appeared, one very interested in Elsa.
"I love ya baby!" Kristoff called out to his girlfriend as he slid down the mountain of little snowmen. Instantly looking a little sheepish. "Well I do."
Elsa and Nicholas just looked at each other and smiled. Elsa then walked toward her sister, looking like she was about to fall over.
"Okay, to bed with you." Anna said taking her sisters arm.
But Elsa insisted that first she had to blow the 'birthday bugle horn'.
She did, and sent a sizable snowball flying in the air.
"Wouldn't want to be where ever that lands," Nicholas said as he watched the snowball fly out of sight.
"Okay Elsa, you blew the horn now you need some rest," Anna said.
Elsa was about to object when she was swept off her unsteady feet by Nicholas. "Enough arguing, I'm taking you to bed."
Elsa, her arms already around Nicholas's neck, looked up at him. "Why Prince Nicholas, how bold. But I don't know if I'm ready for that." Of course she couldn't hide her smile.
That got a laugh from Anna as she walked along side of them.
A little red in the face, Nicholas said. "Now you very well know that's not what I meant." He recovered from his embarrassment though and added. "Not yet anyway."
They got to Elsa's room. Anna held the door as Nicholas brought Elsa in.
Nicholas put Elsa down in her bed and took her shoes off. Anna then put the covers over her and tucked them around her ailing sister.
Nicholas leaned over, and gave Elsa a kiss. "I'll leave you in the very capable hands of the Princess. I'll be right outside if you need me though."
As he closed the door he heard Anna reassuring Elsa. "Best birthday present ever."
