I'd like to celebrate the fact that Frozen won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, the first of the Disney Animated Canon films to have done so, as well as breaking more than $700 million in the box office. Without even reaching China yet. Seriously, that is quite the feat.

Again, I cannot thank you guys enough for taking your time to read this story.

As usual, all rights to Frozen belong to Disney, along with many, many other things. I'm looking at you, you freaking giant entertainment empire!

Chapter 3

An Open Door

"Tea, Your Majesty. Courtesy of your sister." The plump man bowed to the Queen without spilling a single drop from the cup he held.

"Thank you, Kai."

Elsa was at ease around one of her most loyal staff. He had served his masters as far back as she could remember, working as both butler and messenger for the Royal Family. Kai was so integral in running the Palace service efficiently for years, he became one of the few men trusted enough to continue providing support, as well as stability, during Elsa's thirteen years of isolation.

Elsa took the ornate, steaming cup and saucer from Kai, and sipped gently. She felt the tea's heavenly aroma fully occupying her sense of smell, as vibrantly fragrant as the exotic palace flowers, and the tea's warmth spreading throughout her entire body, a delicious, tingly sensation. It began in her core, and laced its way to the tips of her fingers and toes.

In her pleasure, all the Snow Queen could say to the servant was, "Kai, this tea is amazing..."

In truth, she wished to express her full bliss to him with more than a simple, but an issue tugged at the back of her mind with the persistence of a pest. Elsa's gaze wandered around the Grand Hall as she finished the rest from her cup, and her dark eyebrows, contrasting against her nigh-white hair, furrowed. Neither Anna nor Olaf were anywhere to be seen, and she was expected to be in town for a meal in ten minutes. "Where are those two? I thought they would be here waiting for me."

"Ah yes, the princess and Your Majesty's snowman. They had... urgent matters at hand, and will be unable to attend the Royal Visit with you."

"What!?" Elsa couldn't believe what Kai had announced. She began to feel an itch crawl up her back, powerful and irritating. That is not even mentioning her hands. She dug her nails into them, and realized that there were no gloves to cover her dangerous skin. Her breath shortened, and lightheadedness threatened to topple her over. The air dropped a few degrees in temperature.

Kai, thanks to years of servitude under the most turbulent family in living memory, maintained his composure in front of the now-frenzied Queen. Nevertheless, he understood Elsa's reaction, and planned ahead. He dug around his pockets, and procured a crumpled piece of paper for her to see. "I have a note written by them before they left."

The note was hardly larger than a playing card, and was covered hastily written scribbles. Kai peered at it, and cleared his throat, loud enough to capture Elsa's attention. With the most deadpan expression he could deliver, he read, "'Gone fishing.'"

A frantic Elsa stared at him with befuddled eyes. "H-huh?"

"Ah. Wrong part, didn't realize it was crossed out..."

Elsa was at a loss for words.

"'Super-special da-' No, this one too... 'Kristoff and I-' ...How risqué. Here it is." He cleared his throat once more. "'Queen Elsa, Olaf and I will not be able to attend the Royal Visit with you today, because I have some really, really serious... stuff. Yeah, that's right, stuff that I gotta do with Kristoff. Me and Olaf and Kristoff and Sven. Together. Immediately. I will not be able to see you, find you, contact you, talk to you, or possibly rescue you from the masses until I am done with this urgent-" He squinted his eyes. "-thing. Things. Signed by Princess Anna of Arrendelle.'"

Kai folded the note neatly, and promptly slipped the piece of paper back inside his pockets. "She always did write as she thinks." he sighed. "I can't say that her handwriting has done much to improve my eyesight. Also, you would have thought she could spell her own kingdom's name without two 'r's' by now..."

Elsa was not paying much attention. Instead, she was pacing back and forth, running her hands over her hair in frustration, causing errant strands of platinum to fly free. Curse you, Anna! Running off with Kristoff when I needed you the most! You're certainly going to have fun and easy without me, whatever you are doing, while I am forced to deal with this nightmare of a situation... Stupid Anna... Elsa's train of thought came to an abrupt halt, and she choked. She was being angry. Jealous. Oh no, Anna! What was I thinking!? I owe Kristoff so much for helping my sister! For protecting her because I couldn't...

For being there because I wasn't.

Elsa, being who she was, could not sweat. Instead, she left dancing snowflakes in her wake. She suddenly came to a stop inside the hall, holding herself, isolated from the rest of the world. She felt very much like her Coronation was coming once more, full of loneliness and dreadful anticipation. Not even Olaf or Sven was here to save her. "How selfish can I be? What am I going to do?" she muttered to herself, rubbing her hands.

Where could my gloves be?

She was no longer an adult, but a young, terrified little girl again. Elsa could imagine all of the eyes that will be staring at her, harsh and piercing. There will be no one to help her ignore them. "W-What happens if this all goes horribly wrong?" she stammered to herself. "What if I plunge the kingdom into eternal winter again? I'll be a danger to Arendelle! My people will hate me e-even more! They'll chase me out! How ca-

"Elsa."

The Queen's head whipped around to face Kai. The squat, balding man had been standing in the same spot since her loss of control. His voice came out, strong and authoritative. "It is unbecoming of a queen to be afraid of her own people." His stern face broke into an expression full of sympathy for her. "Especially for someone with as much capability for boldness as you." Kai lifted the Queen's hands, ignoring her shocked gasp, and placed them lightly within his own. Elsa could feel the heat from his callused palms. "I have the utmost confidence that you will succeed and cherish this day, and that I speak for many of us." His brown eyes locked onto Elsa's bright blue, making sure she heard every word he said. He proceeded to gently brush her shoulders. "You're getting snow everywhere."

Elsa's eyes widened in surprise. She looked around, realizing that not only were there piles of snow littering the Grand Hall, tracing her nerve-induced pathways, but the floor was covered in a thick coat of ice.

"Oh no! I'm very, very sorry for troubling you, Kai..."

"Not at all. I am happy to serve under the Queen, Your Majesty." He bowed, long and low. "I understand the difficulty posed for you, but listen; You have nothing to fear. Now go on and have fun."

Elsa could not help but feel touched by his sentiment. "Thank you." She considered her next words before speaking them aloud. "If Anna and the others return before me, tell them that I will be home soon." The sentence tasted strange in her mouth. Kai's raised eyebrows further confirmed the strangeness of such a statement, considering it was Elsa, the introverted shut-in extraordinaire, who said it.

The Snow Queen walked to the tall, dark and imposing castle doors leading into the courtyard. She paused directly in front of them. Less than three weeks before, she had bolted out in the night, desperate to run as far away from her kingdom as possible. Now, she's attempting to do the exact opposite. She prevented herself just as she began admiring the grain of the wood used to make the doors, and glanced besides her. Kai was looking back with concerned eyes, waiting patiently for the Queen's next move. Giving in to the inevitable, Elsa closed her eyes, breathed twice through her nose, inhaling and exhaling.

There is nothing to fear.

Half a minute passed, and Elsa open her eyes, ready. She pushed the doors open. Summer sunlight shot through the opening, a thousand times brighter than any candle or lantern within the palace, briefly paining her eyes. She could smell the fresh air, full of scents that mixed together until they were unidentifiable. The summer breeze brushed past her face, and lifted her cape gently. Trees made of ice and the castle's rooftops glittered and sparkled like fire, remnants of the celebration not so long ago. She could hear the fountains gurgling with water, seagulls chirping with cacophony, and the sound of ship bells coming from the around the fjord. Even in all of this din, she could hear the chatter, hoots, and calls from Arendelle's marketplace. In the palace gates beyond, left opened due to the Open Door Policy, she could see the stone bridge leading into town. Embracing the shining sun's light and warmth, she walked down the courtyard, admiring the different sensations.

"Queen Elsa!"

The Queen turned around. Kai was calling from the castle doors. "That was a wonderful thing you did with the courtyard almost three weeks ago! I hope you can hold another event like that soon!"

Elsa's face flushed at his compliment, and experienced heat different from the sun. As she waved to the portly man, it suddenly occurred to her that, until the disastrous Coronation, Kai, Gerda, and the other servants were the closest people she had to friends. They cooked and cared for her without question, and did much to alleviate some of her years of loneliness. Kai himself was always the one to remove furniture and carpets inevitably damaged by ice, taking advantage of his build to require as little assistance, and consequently as little questions, as possible. The day her parents... left for that wedding, Kai took extra time replacing the largest, most difficult to replace effects just so he couldn't leave Elsa alone in her mourning.

She thought of their assistance and hard work over the years, their care and concern, and a wave of love and gratitude for them washed over her.

From behind one of the sparkling fountains, two pairs of eyes peeked out, one blue, the other brown. They followed Elsa out of the castle gates, where a couple of Royal Guards saluted to her, and disappeared once she was out of sight.

Kai closed he doors and smiled to himself. Mission accomplished. Queen Elsa forgot to defrost the hall before she left, but at least he performed his duty in assisting both the ruler and the Princess. He had no idea what Anna could be up to, but it is most likely harmless, considering her deep love for Queen Elsa.

These two... Looks like I still have many years of duty ahead of me. He chuckled, not bothered at all by this thought. Your parents would be so proud. Kai tugged at his sleeves, ready for what will surely be a hard day's labor at scraping the frost away before anyone could carelessly slip and break a skull. It was to his great surprise when he turned around, and discovered that the ice vanished.

4 hours ago...

"Grunt" "Snork"

"Hey, hey, what's up with you, buddy?"

Sven gave another impatient snort. Get up, lazybones.

Kristoff had always understood whatever Sven tries to get across, even doing voice-overs for his best friend when he was feeling particularly empathetic. Groggy as he was from just waking up, however, he was in no mood to shift the required mental gears.

He heard the familiar whinnies of neighboring horses. He opened his eyes, and remembered he wasn't homeless; he was taken in by the royal sisters weeks ago. His clothes, which originally had been freshened and clean for the first time in months, was littered with musty hay.

"Uh, why am I in the stables?"

A reindeer gave him a deadpan look.

"Right, I was taking a break from yesterday's adventure. And then I fell asleep on this... yeesh, this stuff is filthy." He stood up, sending strands of hay everywhere. His eyes adjusted to the morning sun, which shined cheerily in spite of Kristoff's dour mood. "I swear, that girl will shorten my lifespan by a few years with all of the running around and the hustling..."

"But you still love Anna, no? And that is all that matters, yes?"

Kristoff sighed. "As usual, you are correct."

"Then, what's your issue?"

He scratched at his head, sending more pieces of hay falling down. "It's not like I can't catch up with her, of course I can! It's just that Anna occasionally forgets that not everyone is like her. I just have a slight-" Kristoff paused. He looked cautiously at the reindeer, who looked back at him in slight confusion. "Sven..." Kristoff said, suspicious. "I wasn't voicing you. You didn't suddenly develop the capability to perform human speech, did you?"

The reindeer tilted his head. Who, me?

"Ahem."

Kristoff looked down, around, behind, and found something standing at the corner of the royal stables. Anyone else would have thought someone placed a lumpy, moss-covered, misshapen statue as a bizarre practical joke. But Kristoff, raised by them for much of his childhood, immediately recognized what it was.

"Helge! It's good to see you again!" Kristoff laughed, and bent over and gave the troll a hug, no easy feat given the vast height differences. The small creature did the same, albeit a little stiffly. The troll's necklace, made of blue glowing crystals and a single yellow one, jangled. "You must have been really pushing yourself, staying mobile in the morning! How's Bulda?"

"Please, this is nothing to me. And Bulda's in great shape. She had been rolling plans around for the next time you visit us with your girlfriend."

Kristof's cheeks turned pink. "Oh, that? Well, we're still tak-"

"-Kristoff." Helge interrupted. His face hardened into concern for the young man. "I'm worried for you."

"Wait, what?"

"If that's truly what you feel, if you two really do love each other, then you and Anna should have agreed to sleep the same bedroom earlier, instead of having you stay in this pitiful straw bed."

Kristoff sputtered.

"Now now," Helge continued, his chest rising as he began to inhale. As per troll tradition, he was going to burst into some melodic, long-winded tirade about love. as only love experts should be expected to do.

In a bout of luck that reaffirmed Kristoff of the existence of an higher, loving power, Olaf's head tumbled into the stables, a miniature snow flurry chasing it. The head came to a stop, face-down, right in front of the two. It peeked at both of them, and squealed an exclamation of delight. "Oh look, Kristoff's family is here!"

"Kristoff's family?" A voice replied. "But I don't remember Kristoff ever mentioning his relatives, or anything about-" A young woman, carrying a large sack in one hand, and leading a headless snowman by the wooden arm in the other, walked into the stables. Her twin plaits ran down her shoulders, and she was so freckled, it gave her a permanent faux blush. The lady spotted Helge. "...siblings."

Kristoff just drank in her presence, a goofy smile spreading unconsciously across his face. Any grievances he had about Anna faded away, replaced by warm love and affection. She smiled back at him, opening the sack to reveal carrots, and bent over to pick up Olaf's head. Upon having its head restored to its original position, the snowman turned away to spit hay from its mouth.

Anna knelt down on one knee to greet the troll. "Hey there little guy, what's your name?"

"It is an honor to be in your presence, Princess Anna." Helge gave a bow. "My name is Helge, and I hail from the Valley of the Living Rock. For the last five years, I have been under Grand Pabbie's tutelage to become the next shaman."

Olaf lifted his head in amazement. "Wow, that's incredibly long! Like, a hundred times longer than my age!" Kristoff chuckled, knowing that Olaf has no idea what he was talking about. "How much time will it take for you to become shaman? Helga's a weird name for a male, by the way. Maybe it's different for trolls?..."

The troll, evidently not catching onto the last comment, gave a crooked smile. "It will take about an age." He shook his head. "But enough about me, I have not come here for a simple family reunion. Grand Pabbie sent me." Kristoff looked at the troll in surprise. Helge regarded Anna seriously. "Anna, Is Elsa with you?"

"Uh. No! She's still asleep."

"How is she doing?"

"I think she is doing great! She has a busy schedule, but she always finish early to make time for us! She's always so quiet, but I've never seen her happier. Then again, I haven't ever seen her much until recently."

"What about her powers? How are they progressing?"

"Oh, she would occasionally freeze a rug or two. I think it's mostly because she thinks too hard, and it's not like she shoots ice by accident. Besides, we always fix it quickly in the end!"

The troll sounded cautious. "'We.'"

"Yes..." Anna drew the answer out, confused. "'We.' I'm always there to help Elsa out of her funk! It's the least I can do for my sister."

"How often are these... 'funks?'"

"Pfft, I don't know, it's not like I'm counting." Anna sounded a little defensive, perhaps for both herself and her big sister.

Olaf raised his hand high. "Oh, oh! I counted, Helga. Maybe its once or twice a day, or something..."

Helge, still not hearing the misnomer, pursed his lips. "She can mange her releases," he muttered, "but not the freq-" He noticed everyone staring, perplexed. "Listen, I do not want to stir panic this early, but you all will need Elsa's powers very, very soon. You, Kristoff, Sven, the townsfolk, the surrounding kingdoms and countries-"

"Wait, what?"

"Pabbie and I have a plan to help, though! There are three days until it comes. I'll explain it tonight, but for now, we make haste." The troll's feet started to lose what little color it had. He tried to move them, shifting his weight, but they remained fixed to the wooden floor. The desaturation crawled up to his knees, and he sighed in exasperation. "My record was up to noon..." Anna and Olaf gasped in shock, worried for the little troll. Kristoff merely shared a look of with Sven. Both were accustomed to troll behavior and habits. Besides, he trusted his adoptive family, including Helge. "What can we do to help?"

"You and Kristoff should be fine, but apparently Elsa still have much progress on managing herself- DON'T interrupt, please." he added to a suddenly very affront Anna. She pouted and crossed her arms. Kristoff could just see the steam rising from her strawberry-blonde hair. "She had probably learned and gained enough from Anna as it is. It's about time she puts it to use." He strained to faced them directly, wincing. "I assume the Royal Visit is today?"

Anna had her mouth shut tightly, which was a first. Kristoff was the one who responded. "Uh... yes."

"She's gonna bond with her people?"

"Well, obviously. Isn't that what Royal Visits are for?"

"Give her as much time to get up as possible, so she won't think too much before the event."

"Okay..."

And don't attend it with her-"

Anna, forgetting she was supposed to be silent, exploded incredulously. "WHAT!?"

"Just follow her, make sure she is safe..."

"I'm going to miss my sister's first Royal Visit!?" In her rage, she was being very un-Anna-like. Helge was not doing much to ease her temper, only shifting and curling into a ball. "Over my dead body you... y-you... you troll!" she shrieked, pointing a finger. The said troll didn't budge.

"It's no use, Anna. He's held out long enough in the sunlight as it is." Kristoff couldn't help but smirk as he walked over to settle her down. He fished a carrot out of the bag. "Helge really outdid himself this time. I remembered like it was only yesterday when he gave up after only 4 minutes into the morning light. Oh man, the fire crystals he lost in that bet..." He offered the carrot to Sven, who happily took a big crunch, and offered the rest to Anna. Anna grimaced slightly at the reindeer drool glistening in the sun, and shook her head.

"Do we really have to listen to this guy? 'Don't attend it with her'?" She sounded insecure, and shot a dirty look at the round stone, which, despite its lack of anything that can be related to expressions, she could have sworn appeared smug.

"Yeah," said Olaf, mirroring Anna as best he could. At least, he gets points for trying, anyway. "We can't just leave Elsa alone, she's so nice! She needs us." He waddled over to pet Sven on the muzzle. "Must we do what Helga said?"

"Technically, no." Kristoff took a bite of the carrot. "But I trust in Helge's and Pabbie's judgment. We do take up much of Elsa's focus, after all." He paused to mull over his words. "Speaking as a bit of a loner myself, I don't think Elsa would have wanted to be with anyone else when we are around. Maybe your sister can make friends besides us for a change."

"Friends. right..."

Olaf giggled. "Elsa can make more new friends? Anna!" Eyes wide, he tugged at the hem of her dress. "Let's try listening to Helga."

Kristoff rolled his eyes at the happy-go-lucky snowman, and returned his attention to Anna. "I know you have your doubts about what Helge has in mind, and I can understand any that still remains. But Grand Pabbie wouldn't send a troll beyond the Valley, not even one like Helge, without it being really, really serious. Do you believe in your sister?"

Anna sniffed. "Of course I do!"

"Then this Royal Visit should go over without a hassle. Let's take a seat back. If it gets too heavy for Elsa, we pop in, rescue her, no harm done, and we get Helge to spill the beans."

Anna frowned, and thought long and hard before reluctantly agreeing. "Okay..."

Olaf could hardly maintain his excitement. "Fantastic! Let's get real sneaky, and spy on Elsa as she connects with some strangers! Still a weird name for a boy troll, by the way, Helga..."

Anna shook her head at Olaf. "I don't think you should come with us. The whole kingdom knows you, and you'll attract too much attention."

Olaf look deflated, but picked himself up almost immediately. "Then, I'll go find the servants! I'll get them to agree to the plan!"

"That's brilliant, Olaf!"

"Thanks Anna! Wish me luck!" Olaf ran off with vigor and speed, spreading snow everywhere, ready to search for one of the head servants.

Kristoff clasped his hands together. "Great. Sven, keep an eye on Helge."

The reindeer pulled his head out of the sack of carrots.

"Hide him with you, make sure no one tries to remove him."

The reindeer grunted in reply, sounding bored. Anna rubbed his fur assuredly. She was learning from Kristoff on how to interpret Reindeer. "Aw, don't be upset, Sven! We'll get you something special in town while we watch over Elsa."

"Anna. Focus." Kristoff rubbed his forehead tiredly, already predicting the day's events. "Let me list off what we are going to do: For reasons we could hardly understand but follow out of blind trust, we are going to have your sister late for her own Royal Visit. Next, we abandon her at the door. Then, we stalk Elsa, the Queen of Ice and Snow, for an entire day, watch as she twists in the wind, making sure nobody starts panicking, and hoping with all our might that she won't find us and freeze us to a wall for days for not letting her in on this half-baked idea! We are definitely bound to survive in one piece."

Anna raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Wow... What happened to your support for the trolls? You really think this is going to work?"

"No."

Note: If you guys are confused by Helge's little Medusa Moment, here's an explanation: In the Frozen continuity, Trolls are unable to move when the sun is up. They turn back into stone until the night starts rolling again. It's not stated in the movie, but the guidebook said so, and both troll meetings in the film occurred at night. It's a wonder Kristoff is not nocturnal. The fact that Helge was able to stay awake and alert into the morning is supposed to be an unusual feat.

Again, please, please review. Or at least favorite and follow. Each one gives my heart a little lurch of joy, and the rest of my body follows.

See you soon, fans of Frozen.