A/N: Thank you again Drangonal01 for the edits. ^^

Chapter 5

Later that night, I actually joined them for dinner. The dining hall was large and set out very neatly. But I noticed something weird.

I can only see two maids.

I thought there would be five or six, normally.

Maybe it's because Elsa's powers are getting stronger. They don't want more people to get involved so they reduced their staff. And who knows, it might only be a matter of time before they kick me out too.

One maid offered me a seat. The King was at the head of the table of course, The Queen sat to my left near the King, Elsa to my right and then Anna. The other maid poured some juice in our glasses. Wine for the King and Queen.

On my plate, there was a chicken thigh, salad with dressing and a green gooey stuff and I didn't have any idea of what it was. A sauce? Maybe.

It struck me that the food was rather plain as a meal for a royal family. I would normally expect them to have a buffet style for each meal, with different kinds of food lined up at the top of the dining table. Either way, it will do, anything to fill my rumbling stomach.

I acted as formally as I could, whilst eating at any rate. Straight back, behave, small bites, no elbows on the table and proper chewing. The others were doing the same thing. It was quiet and awkward. Only the small noises of glassware and utensils clinking could be heard in the dining hall.

I just sat there waiting for somebody to break the ice.

"Dran, do you like the food they served today?" Thank God, Elsa asked.

"Umm… yeah. It was great" I replied. Well yeah, it's good, but not as good as my mom's cooking back at home.

After that, the whole dining hall fell silent again. The pressure was building up and it's making me nervous.

Just when I'm about to take a bite, the King placed his glass of wine down and made a *ting* sound "Dran, is it? My young lad?" He asked.

"A-Ah yes sir, thank you for having me for dinner"

"You're a merchant, right? I heard from my Queen. What do you sell, in particular?"

The King stared at me, clearly waiting for an answer that he would like.

"Umm... Ice?" That 'word' just flew out of my mouth. I knew I answered wrong when the Queen and Elsa gasped.

"N-no! I mean Yes! But...Umm... I-it looks like we'll have enough supply for this year so... I'm currently on vacation...Ahaha" I added with a big, nervous smile on my face.

"Where are your parents?" the Queen asked.

"I'm on my own" Of course I'd say that. But the whole lying thing is making me sick. I hate lying, seriously. But I've got no other choice.

"Ohh… My apologies, I didn't know." the Queen said regretfully

"No, it's alright your highness. Thank you for worrying"

"Are you lonely without them?" Elsa asked, clearly not reading the whole situation.

"Elsa, don't…" The Queen tried to warn her, but I just simply held my hand up, saying it's ok.

"Yeah, I feel lonely sometimes. But I've got friends to cheer me up and before I know it, I just see myself smiling"

By friends, I mean these guys: Elsa, the King and Queen, and Anna. Kristoff and Sven, I'll meet them soon enough. Hans? Not really, I hate that guy. And of course Olaf, but he's not here at the moment. The characters of my favorite movie are right in front of me, of course I'll treat them as my friends, and I can't help but to smile all time.

"I have an idea! Why don't you stay here with us tonight?" Anna suddenly joined the conversation, with green paste covering her mouth.

"Anna, what did I told you about proper table etiquette?" the Queen scolded Anna. "But she's right. Is it okay, Dran? I mean you're on vacation right? If you want, you can stay with us for a while. Anna and Elsa would love to have some more company." the Queen added.

Of course! There's no way I'd say no to that. Is what I wanted to shout at that moment, I restrained myself.

"Of course, your Highness. If you're fine with it, then I'll humbly accept the offer" just as always, I acted normally, trying to hide my excitement.

The King didn't say a word, he looked skeptical at first. A stranger will be sleeping in his castle; of course he'd be suspicious. But the Queen whispered into his ears then his expression changed.

"Alright, you can stay young lad. But I have rules in this castle; we'll discuss them tomorrow. You must be tired, I'll let you rest for the night" The King waved his hand and a maid walked to his side "Take him to his chamber" He ordered.

The maid just bowed then approached me "This way, please." she said as she escort me out of the dining hall.

Halfway from the dining table to the exit, from the corner of my eye I saw Elsa stand up from her seat, but it seems that the King stopped her "Elsa, I want to have a word with you" he said.

"Follow me please" The maid said as we reached the exit. Before leaving the dining hall completely, I looked back again and caught a glimpse of Elsa looking right at me with a saddened expression.

"Here we are" The maid said as she opened the door of a room.

It's a different room from earlier but the interior design was the same. The only difference is the scenery you can see from the window. The room from earlier had a view of a part of the town of Arendelle. In here, I can see the docks dotted with ships.

"Thank you, um… goodnight?" I said. The maid looked at me with a surprised expression then smiled.

"Goodnight…" She said before leaving.

As soon as she left, I walked towards my queen-sized bed. The room is big so it took me about 5 seconds to get there. As expected, my body just sank when I threw myself on the mattress. It felt like I was swimming in cotton. It didn't end there, I jumped up and down on top of it like in a trampoline, and it was super fun for a kiddo like me. I guess my physical appearance wasn't the only thing that changed but also my behavior.

I'd forgotten that I still had a back injury from the accident earlier, but I didn't mind it. After many tumbling and jumps, I felt tired then collapsed. Drowsiness started to set in. I turned my head towards where the window was. Surrounded by twinkling stars, the moon shined both brightly and beautiful in the night sky, like it was smiling at me.

I yawned before closing my eyes. But before I fully drifted off, I heard something creak.

I shot up to find where the sound came from. I could see a sliver of light passing through the tiniest crack between the door and the wall; it would appear that someone was outside.

"Who's there?" I asked while I scrubbed my eyes.

"Dran?" a tiny voice said.

I'm sleepy so I have no idea who's voice it is. But from the dark part of the room where the moon's light can't reach; a little girl's figure emerged. It was Elsa in her nightgown. Her blue eyes and white hair reflected the moon's light. I thought I was dreaming but confirmed I wasn't with a quick pinch of my arm.

"Uhh… ahh! Princess Elsa!" I said as I stood up from bed "W-why are you here?"

"Nothing, I just want to talk" She said as she sat the edge of my bed.

"Talk about what?" I took a seat too, at least maintaining a 3 feet distance from her.

"I don't know, about everything?" She said.

"What do you mean?" I said. I mean seriously, can't you be more specific?

"You see… this was the first time I've ever met someone close to my age. I mean, Anna's an exception because she's my sister. It's first time I've met a complete stranger" She explained.

Too bad I'm a lot older than you if I were in my original form.

"Really? So… umm…why is it your first time? I mean, you're the princess. You should meet a lot of people, including those who're close to your age" I replied.

Anna was reluctant to speak at first. But she sighed, then took a deep breath, like she was about to say something really mind-blowing.

"Papa told me not to tell anyone, to keep it a secret… but…" She said as she placed her hand on top of the other "Actually, I have this…" She hesitated as she pulled her left glove. The base of her left palm is now showing.

I already knew what she's going to do, and I stopped her "Don't, Princess Elsa"

She just stared at me with a surprised expression.

"I-I mean, if your father doesn't want you to tell anybody then you have to obey him. By everybody, that includes me" I said.

Princess Elsa showed a pained expression for split second but replaced it with a smile "You're right. Sorry about that" she apologized as she shoved the gloves back on.

She stood up then bowed. "Sorry for disturbing you, I'll meet you tomorrow. Goodnight" She said then turned around as she prepared to leave.

Did I just upset her? I mean, I did the right thing. I need to do something quick!

"Umm… ah, Princess!" I called. She slowed down then titled her head slightly, not showing her face.

"Sweet dreams…" I said. Her slow pace of walking came to full stop then faced me. She had a face like she just had a Déjà vu or something.

"Is something wrong, Princess?" I asked, not knowing what's going on.

"Umm…uhh… nothing" She said as she came to her senses. She quickly turned around then left.

I fell back in the bed again then sighed. I never thought Elsa would come.

Maybe she's just lonely, and just wanted to talk with somebody. But Anna is there to keep her company. Isn't her little sister enough? I thought.

In the movie, she survived being alone. She kept herself locked away from the outside world, including Anna. But that didn't happen because I'd prevented the accident so they won't be separated. But now, it seems that it's not enough for Elsa and it looks like she's starting to yearn for other people's affection too, not just Anna's or her parents'.

With these thoughts in my mind, I slowly drifted off to sleep, never knowing that something big was about to happen.

End of chapter 5 ^^ Thanks for reading!