Thanks for all the reviews and your love, guys! Really it means a lot to me!

Credits: Thanks go to hybrid-rain as always for being an inspirational canyon, promoting this like mad, and helping me with this chapter and sporadic-tiger for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker.

Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen and its characters, plots, etc and I do not make or intend to make any profit from this.

Elsa grumbled for the fifth or sixth time since waking up forty minutes ago. "I can't believe you let me sleep in so late," she moaned as she brushed out the knots of her hair. She glanced at her sister's reflection from the mirror. Anna, dressed in lovely shades of green, grinned as best she could with the piece of bread in her mouth.

"You just looked so precious and so peaceful," Anna mumbled through her breakfast. She yanked the occupying piece out and continued, "Besides, I did wake you up before your big important council meeting. Give me some credit, snowflake."

She grumbled again, this time mumbling about irritating little sisters and their inappropriate sunny dispositions, causing her sister's smile to widen.

"As the sovereign queen of Arendelle," Anna said in an accent highly reminiscent of their governess. "It is your job to keep your kingdom peaceful, prosperous, and overall happy. And as your princess, little sister, and loving girlfriend, it is my job to keep you healthy and happy enough so you can do your job." Her voice reverted back to normal. "Do you even remember what time you went to bed last night?"

Elsa screwed her eyes upward as she tried to think. "Ehh…one?" she guessed. "No…two, two-thirty," she quickly corrected.

Anna blinked at her and said, "Wow, Elsa…you must have been really out of it. Try three-fifteen."

She shrugged. When she was up that late, which did happen on occasion, the hours tended to blend together to her. "Whatever," she said dismissively, giving her brush one last good tug. She turned her head this way and that to examine her handiwork. "That was just a one-time thing."

"It better be, Elsa," she scolded. "Or the next time, I'm just going to let you sleep until the afternoon."

Elsa gasped and said, "You wouldn't…" Her sister could cross the line between playful banter to genuine threats with unsettling ease. She looked at her apprehensively as she placed her hands behind her head to arrange her hair.

Anna smiled in a way that revealed nothing about her intentions and got off their bed. "Here let me," she offered. Elsa relaxed her hands. She could at least trust her with her hair, especially since Anna probably loved much more than she did. "How do you want it? French braid gracefully over your shoulder?"

She shook her head. "No, the bun like Mum's, please," she requested.

Her sister gave a greatly exaggerated sigh. 'You know I like it in a braid more," she moaned as she nevertheless went to do her sister's bidding. "Hey! Maybe you can try something new this time."

"Anna, I don't think now is a good time to start experimenting with my hair. Although I always wanted to try twin braids again…"

Anna whipped her head wildly from side to side, her own plaits swinging with it. "Nuh-uh," she said. "That's my thing. I thought we decided that."

"Yeah, we decided that when I was six, Anna."

"Still counts!" she chirped.

Elsa rolled her eyes in the overly affectionate yet mildly annoyed fashion that only older siblings could as she patiently waited for her sister to finish her work. She felt her cheeks warm slightly when Anna carefully smoothed out the bangs over her head. When she was done, Elsa examined it in the mirror although there was really no need. Her sister's work was beautiful as always. She then waved her hand over it to conjure a few snowflakes to decorate her hair. She stood up to make one last inspection of herself.

"Okay," she said, satisfied with how she looked in the dark blue gown she had selected. "Ready?"

There was no reply.

"Ready, Anna?" she repeated, turning to find her sister gazing at her with dreamy eyes. In fact Elsa was almost certain she heard her sigh wistfully.

"Little snoowwwbuggg," she drawled, resisting the urge to wave her hand in front of her face. That was enough to draw the princess into reality.

"Uh, yeah, what?" she said in rapid succession.

"Ready?" Elsa asked patiently.

"Yes, yes!" replied Anna excitedly. "Let's go!"

When they walked out of the door, or rather Elsa regally walked out of the door with Anna bouncing around her sister, the four guards assigned to them bowed and then followed them from a discreet distance. Elsa asked, "I still don't understand why you decided to come to the council meeting."

Anna replied, "I've never been to one before and I just want to see what it's like."

"You have, remember?" Elsa said as they continued to walk.

"Like a normal one," she insisted.

"We're probably just going to discuss that silly rumour again."

"Well…it's not like I have anything else better to do."

"Fencing?"

"Lord Halvert's busy teaching someone else."

"By yourself?"

"I was kicked out of their training yard until I buy a new Freddie."

Elsa had no idea who or what "Freddie" was and had a feeling she didn't want to find out what happened to him. "Lessons?"

"You know I don't have any until September."

"Olaf?"

"Trying to learn how to fly from the castle towers."

"Kristoff? Oh no…wait…" Elsa said, realising her mistake far too late. She covered her mouth with her hands. However Anna didn't seem to notice.

"What?" she said. "Oh, no, Elsa, you're…" She finally turned towards her sister to see her shaking her head. Anna's eyes widened in confusion and her lips seemed to say something along the lines of "What's going on?"

Elsa tilted her head towards the guards still following behind them. While she doubted that they overheard anything scandalous and, even if they did, would report it, she didn't want to take that chance if it would breathe further life into that disgusting lie. This isn't fear, right? she asked herself. Just being cautious…

Anna seemed to have understood because she stopped talking and both girls remained silent until they had reached the council room. The pair of guards posted at the door also bowed to them before opening the doors for them. Once they walked inside, her Council immediately rose from their seats and bowed again, muttering "Your Majesty, Your Highness". They only sat down after Elsa and Anna settled into their respective chairs with Elsa vaguely wondering how comfortable her sister's chair was. She peered down the agenda and said, "This meeting will now begin. First the Home Secretary regarding the new developments over the malicious rumours."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said, rising from his chair. "It appears after four days since its initial release, we have reason to believe that its interest among the people has begun to decline. The subject still remains popular in four pubs and taverns out of twenty-two here in the city but has not appeared to be a topic of discussion in any of the cafés."

"And the Ordo Malleus?" inquired Elsa.

"They are continuing to expand but the rate by which it has grown has significantly decreased. We estimate there are no more than sixty members in their cult. They have however continued printing and distributing their pamphlets. Also there is an increase in tension between the Ordo Malleus and the Facets of Snow with isolated confrontations. Mostly loud arguments but I am concerned that this situation will escalate."

Of course it will, Elsa thought as she sighed. The Facets of Snow had always been at best a vague curiosity for her but now their belief in her divinity meant that a religious feud could very well erupt in her city. "Increase the patrols in the areas heavily frequented by both cults," she commanded. "Should their conflicts result in disruption or violence, I would like you to arrest the participants for public disturbance and nothing more."

"As you wish, Your Majesty. This concludes my report," said Secretary Hovland.

"Excellent, next is the Royal Treasurer, please."

"Your Majesty," began Master Engelstad. "The trade ships from the Kingdom of Holstein docked in last night and in about two hours, their cargo will have been stored. Tomorrow we can expect ships from the Dutch East India Company to arrive with silk and spices. In exchange, they will leave port with one of our ice ships, Talisi."

"Very good. Tell me, have our ships in the Baltic Sea experienced any trouble from the Russian Imperial Navy as Director Fossen feared?"

"No, Your Majesty, I've received reports from the captains assuring me all is well. In terms of agriculture, farmers are preparing for the harvesting of crops and consequently applying to rent storage space in the Royal Warehouses in anticipation of the bountiful yield."

"Royal Warehouses?" repeated Anna.

"They're large iceboxes that the public can use," explained Elsa. "I believe we now have one in every district of Arendelle?"

"One in every city district and village, Your Majesty," replied Master Engelstad.

"I enchanted them so the ice will never melt and if people want to use them, they just have to pay to rent however much space they need. Kind of like safe deposit boxes in banks. It's convenient for those who don't have their own iceboxes."

"Oh, okay," Anna said, nodding her head. Elsa gestured for the Royal Treasurer to continue.

"Managers of the warehouses in the distant villages will be sending us our dues shortly after they have finished collection."

"Good," Elsa said. "Make sure these managers are well-aware that charging their customers even a skilling more than the current price will result in their immediate dismissal."

"Certainly, Your Majesty. That is all."

The Lord Commander spent just a minute or two reporting troop movements from both the Russian and Prussian militaries and Julia only gave a brief summary of her efforts in monitoring both Bishop Mathesien and Hans, which meant Elsa and her were due for a very long discussion later that day. Finally the Royal Director of Foreign Affairs was the last to present, who for some reason kept flickering his eyes every so often at Anna. Elsa did not know what to make of that. Maybe he didn't exactly approve of her being present at the council meetings. Though from the interested look on her sister's face, the Director would do well to get used to her presence.

"Your Majesty," Director Fossen said. "While the false rumours of your sexual activities with Her Highness have spread from the kingdom of Arendelle, it would appear that they have no significant effect on our diplomatic standing. The emissaries from the kingdoms and empires I have contacted stated they do not believe in the rumours at all nor would they allow them to spoil our relationships with them, the princess of Corona being particularly emphatic in expressing her support."

"Well, that's nice of her," Anna said. "And good that no one thinks badly of us over that stupid rumour."

"Quite," he said blandly. "Additionally, the Crown Prince Frederik of the Southern Isles expresses his regrets that his trip will be delayed for a week due to damages suffered by his ship, Gloria."

"Wait…" Anna said abruptly. "Southern Isles, what do they want now?" Although her voice was harsh, Elsa knew her sister well enough to detect a slight hint of anxiety underneath the mask.

"The Crown Prince was apparently supposed to arrive next week to offer his apologies for his brother's behaviour and try to repair relations between us," Elsa said. "But it looks like he won't. In any case, he won't be staying inside the palace nor would he be staying in the kingdom a day longer than necessary. Anything else?"

They all waited as the Director rifled through his sheets of paper to withdraw a specific letter. He said, "Due to the increased tensions in Poland, many families have taken to evacuating their children to safer lands. A ship carrying a group of said evacuated children, Soliuan, has sent appeals to any of the nearby kingdoms to receive them. So far none has accepted."

"What?!" gasped Anna, her hands gripping the table. "That's awful! How come the other kingdoms haven't allowed them in?"

"It seems, Your Highness, that they do not wish to offend the Russian Empire by allowing refugees into their lands. It might also encourage Poland to seek more aid from them which would in turn be seen as hostile to Russia."

"But we can do something, right, Elsa?" Her eyes shifted from the Royal Director to her sister.

But before Elsa could say anything, Director Fossen spoke up, "Your Highness, we have nowhere to shelter them or otherwise care for them. These matters often take time to prepare for. I understand your heart goes out for these children but…"

"But I can help!" Anna insisted. "I can find families or people who can take care of them for a bit while we work the rest out. I'm sure we can do that! I don't care how much work this will take. I'll do it!"

Elsa looked from the Royal Director to Anna and back again several times. Although she had no doubt that Anna was deeply concerned with the plight of the Polish children and would do anything she could do to help, she had a feeling her sister's passion for this new cause had a different explanation. And it wasn't like the Director did not have a fair argument. There was no word how many children were on board that vessel, no way to contact their families when the crisis had passed, and no idea what they were to do with a ship full of children should war break out. But there were also dozens if not more children on a ship with no clear course drifting somewhere in the Baltic Sea with a dwindling supply of food and fresh water, deprived of their own parents through no fault of their own.

"Anna," she said firmly. "Are you certain you will be able to handle the task of finding refuge for these children and making the necessary arrangements for them?"

"Yes, I am," her sister replied with steely determination.

"Then it's settled. Director Fossen, send a message to Soliuan and tell them the children will have a home here in Arendelle. I want them to tell us exactly how many children they have on-board and when they plan to arrive at our docks. Secretary Hovland, see to it that Her Highness receive whatever support she may require from your men and Master Engelstad, she is allowed to use the money gained by my personal contributions to Arendelle's economy for her efforts. Is that all understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," they chorused.

"Thanks, Elsa!" Anna said. "I promise, this is going to turn out wonderfully!"

Elsa smiled proudly at her sister as she squeezed her hand under the table.

Anna waited by the library window impatiently as the last bird she sent last night flew back to her hands. She plucked the message tied to his claws and as the bird returned back to the aviary for much-needed food and rest, she unrolled the letter.

To Her Highness, Princess Anna of Arendelle,

I am pleased to inform you that our business will be able to take up to three young boys, no younger than nine and no older than twelve, as apprentices. In exchange for room, board, and training for the duration of the child's apprenticeship, we simply ask four ducats for each child be paid to us directly. Please have the amount prepared upon their arrival.

Sincerely,

Master Antonsen of Antonsen Jewellers and Crafters

Running back to her unofficial desk littered with scraps of papers and books, Anna carefully wrote the complete amount on the letter of credit and double-checked she got the name of the master right. It would suck if she made a mistake and had to write another one or they simply refused to take the children because of it. She would give him the letter of credit with the three boys, if she had them, that is.

It was fair to say that when she first decided to do this, she had absolutely no idea what to expect. But she signed up for it regardless. She saw how everyone was looking at her yesterday, especially the Royal Director. Like they didn't believe she could sit at their fancy table and take part in their discussions and help her sister rule, completely forgetting that the reason why she came to the meeting was so she could learn. She didn't care that Elsa was queen but what she cared about was that she didn't think she was useless. And while of course she knew her sister would never say that but her Council would and probably in front of her.

The first thing she did after the council meeting was over and she had lunch with her sister was ride to the two orphanages in Arendelle. Together they had enough room for about thirty children and with Anna's, or rather Elsa's, contributions, they would be able to feed, clothe, and teach them until they were able to return home. But then, just before dinner, she got a message from the Royal Director. There were fifty-three children, thirty boys and twenty-three girls, and they were arriving in two days' time. She was forced to take her dinner in the library as she frantically looked up various noblemen and wealthy families in Arendelle and sent a flock of messenger birds to them, asking if they were willing to watch over the children for a brief period of time. Of the thirty or so people she contacted, less than half of them were willing to take in the remaining children. Some like Master Antonsen asked that the children be turned into apprentices while others simply demanded a monetary compensation. She agreed, forgetting that once the crisis was over, the children would want to go back home than live in a country they knew very little of.

But at least all fifty-three children had a place to stay, she thought in between pangs of sympathy for them. She couldn't imagine what it was like for them to be so far away from home and from their parents. And whether or not they would have a home or parents to return to. From what her sister told her, this entire situation could quickly dissolve into a war. As lonely as her childhood was, she did at least have her parents and Elsa for brief and incredibly formal moments. She shook her head to get rid of those memories. They all belonged in the past and there was no point in brooding in them. What was important now was that she did all she could so these children could have a happy childhood during this awful situation.

As soon as the ink dried on the letter, she placed it with the rest of the assorted letters and forms that she will need for tomorrow and then shoved the entire mess into a red satchel. She'd forgotten when the last time she ate, both of her hands were sore from all the writing she had done, and she was sure she smelled like ink and old paper. But she didn't care. Her only concern was that by tomorrow night, no one would remember her sister as the evil sorceress who beds her own sister, but as the benevolent kind queen that Anna knew she was.

Anna woke up at seven o'clock, by far the earliest she had ever woken up. Although, it was not like she actually slept to begin with. She only managed to get brief snatches of sleep, the rest of the night spent fretting over her big day. She didn't know why though. The worst that could happen was all the private families that she had contacted suddenly decided to refuse to accept the children. Or the ship hit a reef or a rock near their shores and caused all the children to drown. But that didn't seem reasonable and it certainly wasn't doing her any good worrying over it. But worry she did.

This was also the first morning to Anna's memory that she woke up before Elsa did. And since she wasn't obviously going to get any more sleep, she decided to spend time admiring her sister, watching her chest softly move in and out with each breath. Although her face was smooth and beautiful as a snowy slope, there were time when it seemed like the stresses of her job had added wrinkles far too soon someone her age to have. But when she slept, those lines disappeared and the young woman would emerge, content and peaceful in her slumber. Most of the time, at least. Sometimes Elsa would have nightmares and spend the remainder of the night curled in Anna's arms. And there was that one time when she only slept after she had placed her head over Anna's heart. But she didn't mind as long as Elsa got the rest that she needed.

It was not long before Elsa woke up, gently yawning as she rubbed her eyes and opened them to see her beloved sister.

"Morning, snowbug," she greeted with a content smile.

"Morning, snowflake," Anna said, beaming.

"Think this must be the first time you woke up before me."

Anna shrugged the one shoulder that wasn't on the bed. "Couldn't sleep…"

"Worried about today?"

She nodded.

"It's okay," her sister said. "I'm sure it will turn out all right." She gave a soft groan as she swung her legs over the bed and stretched out her arms. As she got up, Anna rolled to her sister's side of the bed and stretched out her hand. With an indulgent smile and a petulant sigh, Elsa grabbed it and pulled her up.

"Though I'm sure being anxious doesn't mean you can't get out of bed," she scolded as she began her usual morning preparations.

Anna simply stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Their respective morning rituals went without much trouble although Elsa had to apply her makeup and do her hair for her since her hands kept shaking from her nerves. And then as they ate breakfast in the dining hall, they were joined by Olaf who, once told about the day's event, asked excitedly if he could come with them. Anna didn't see why he couldn't and actually thought it was a good idea. God knows those kids could use a warm hug from an adorable little snowman.

After their breakfast, the Home Secretary informed them of the plans for the event. Patrol ships have sighted Soliuan earlier and reported she was due to dock at eleven o'clock this morning. Which meant all of their preparations had to be made for the Royal Reception before then. Wagons had been arranged to transport the children to their destinations as well as a small lunch near the docks. The Lord Commander joined them in their discussions as they talked about security. He was very persistent in having some of his soldiers present, saying that the Ordo Malleus could see this as a chance to attack them. But after some amount of debating, they reached a compromise. In exchange for not assigning his soldiers at the docks, he increased the guard around Elsa and Anna and the Home Secretary vowed to bring his men from the City Watch.

By the time all of that was done, it was ten o'clock. As they walked towards the stables, Anna checked and double-checked every letter, form, and document she had prepared in her satchel which remained over her shoulder since leaving her room. Their horses had already been prepared and waiting for them when they arrived and within minutes, the Royal Procession calmly walked out of the gates. Two guards took the lead, one of them holding a violet and teal banner with the golden Arendelle flower. Behind them was Elsa wearing a dress similar to her coronation dress except the teal colour had been replaced with a dark blue. Anna rode by her sister's side, dressed in greens as usual, with Olaf sitting restlessly near her lap. Positioned on either flank of the sisters was another guard and a further six more trailed behind them.

After they crossed the bridge between the castle and the rest of the city, Anna saw crowds of people began to form at the sides of the road and bow before them. She waved to those they passed and felt her heart warm when some waved back. Every once in a while, she would glance at her sister and while she didn't wave, she gave her subjects a soft smile. Cries of "Long live the queen!" and "God bless the Queen and her Princess!" came at various intervals. So far, mused Anna. It seems to be going all right.

It took a little bit longer for them to reach the specific pier since Soliuan had docked further into the fjord. As they got closer, Anna could see that Soliuan wasn't a particularly special looking ship. In fact, it looked fairly boring, which she supposed was the point. She noticed a few men still on the masts among the rolled up sails. There were three wagons waiting at the pier, each drawn by a pair of horses and each capable of holding about twenty kids in them. There were also tables and benches set up for the lunch which was to be prepared and served right at the harbour. They dismounted, with Anna taking a little more time than usual to get off as she tried desperately not to slip and fall. Knowing that Olaf was too short to see anything, she led her horse with her with Olaf standing on its saddle.

As they approached Soliuan, a small parade of children began to emerge from below deck. To Anna, most of them looked healthy enough but some of them had obviously gotten seasick during the journey. Behind them came what Anna thought was the children's guardians. They had long dark grey coats that went well past their knees. Anna would have found this rather odd given it was still August but she guessed it was rather cold out on the sea. One of them, a tall man with a dark beard and a strange hat, walked past the children who were now forming a line on the pier.

"Your Gracious Majesty," he said, going immediately on his knees before her sister. "Thank you for opening your docks to us when no one else would. The families of these children, the children themselves, and I are eternally grateful for your hospitality. My name is Stephen Rubik."

"Greetings, Mr Rubik," Elsa said. "Please rise. It was no trouble at all. When we heard of your plight, we could not help but feel moved to assist you."

As the two continued to talk, Anna knew that she should be happy. Proud even. Her work in the past two days looked it would pay off. But instead she was incredibly anxious. At first she thought it had to do with this event not being quite yet over. After all, they still needed to get the children to their homes. She half-considered asking Elsa to cancel the lunch and instead just herd all of them into the wagons. But then she noticed a few things off. Firstly there weren't nearly as many children as she was told. She had thought that more would be coming soon but minutes passed and no one joined the two dozen or so children standing in front of their guardians. And why were they just standing? Anna was a kid once and she knew it was near impossible for her to stand perfectly still in normal circumstances.

Anna looked up and her eyes opened in terror. She then heard the sound of something whipping through the air and felt something hit her head, forcing her to the ground and filling her vision with darkness.

Author's Notes: Oops :D