The bright, warm morning sun rose over Arendelle. With the smell of summer filling the air, and an atmosphere to match, the kingdom was in its most pleasant state. Thriving wildlife, and beautiful views near and far; from the waterfalls of the fjords, to the castle itself, Arendelle was a sight to behold. With its success in the trading industry, it was a favorite destination and partner for neighboring kingdoms. On this day, in fact, dignitaries of the Northern Isles were scheduled to pay a visit to the kingdom in diplomatic aspirations. As the visiting royalty arrived on their ships, at the docks, excited citizens paid their respect with warm greetings as they made their way to the quaint castle.
Within the castle, servants Kai and Gerda made final preparations in the formal dining hall, where the meeting is to be held. Though Anna was surprisingly prepared for the event, with her gown first worn the day of Elsa's coronation, hair neatly tied in a bun, and beaming smile, Elsa was nowhere to be found.
Worried and anxious, Anna paced about in the dining hall, midst a few dozen servants, as final preparations were made. A concerned Kai soon approached the princess.
"Princess Anna, if I may ask, where is your sister?"
Biting her lower lip as she hugged herself, Anna gave a nervous chuckle. "Ha, funny thing about that; Well, uh, you see, the thing is, um... I don't know."
Kai groaned, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "Your majesty, please, the Northern Islanders will be here any moment! Please seek out your sister whilst I prepare the finishing touches!"
"Yes, right, you're right! I'll do that..." Stammered Anna as she made her way out of the dining hall and up the grand staircase; bumping into a knight's armored statue as she did.
"Where could she be?" The princess thought aloud, to herself, as she neared Elsa's bedroom. "It's not like her to sleep in, or be late, and especially on such an important-"
Anna's words were cut short once she finally arrived within her sister's personal quarters, only to find she was nowhere to be found. "Elsa?"
Frantically searching throughout the room, the queen was nowhere in sight. Her bed was empty, and a sloppy mess, her clothes scattered throughout the floor, and the balcony doorway was wide open. "Elsa?!" Anna called out again. As she quickly surveyed the room, she barely noticed the bathroom's door slightly cracked, and slowly walked forward.
Tip-toeing into the bathing room, Anna noticed the shower curtains fully covering the tub, and the shower's faucet running smoothly. Steam filled the room, as it was quickly released through the full-opening of the door. Though a silhouette of a bathing Elsa was nowhere in sight, Anna put her optimism forth and slowly opened the curtains. Though she half-expected a nude Elsa standing at eye level, she was instead greeted with a bare Elsa below, asleep in the tub.
Sighing with relief, Anna could only smile at her adorable sister, but was immediately snapped out of it once she realized the time. "Oh my gosh, Elsa!" she shrieked.
The Snow Queen was immediately jolted awake, the water of the shower freezing as a result of her fright. Hazy and barely able to speak, Elsa gave her sister a half-lidded stare. "W-Wha... What happened..?" she murmured.
"I don't know, I just found you like this, I mean, I guess you had too much chocolate last night, am I right?" The princess blinked. "Wait, what am I doing, Elsa, we have to go!"
"Go...? Go where?"
Anna grabbed her sister by the arm and quickly pulled her out of the tub, and subsequently rushed into the bedroom. "I'll explain on the way!"
At the dining hall, Gerda, Kai, and a few other stewards welcomed the visiting royalty as they took their seats at the stretched table. Though Queen Elsa and Princess Anna were still absent, the dignitaries didn't seem to mind. At least, not on the surface...
"Where do you suppose the queen may be?" One advisor hushed to another. "I haven't the foggiest. But this is the same queen whom caused an eternal winter, need I remind you." the second advisor scowled. "It's best we remain on her good side and pretend we didn't notice her unacceptable tardiness."
"What ever do you mean?" the first advisor inquired.
"Let me explain." The second advisor quietly added, willing to inform. "Arendelle is a prospering kingdom, and any possible trade partner is a sheer fool if they willingly miss the opportunity to exploit their resources; But engaging in business with Arendelle comes with a price. One mustn't upset their queen. You see..." the second advisor inched in closer, making doubly sure his voice was kept at a low tone. "...she is not like you and I. She's a witch. With enough power to freeze this entire kingdom and all who inhabit it."
The first advisor whispered a gasped. "You don't say? I always assumed she was of pure heart"
"Nonsense." the second advisor replied. "She may look like a queen, but those who are aware of Arendelle's unique history knows she's a monster. But remember, this is for the good of our kingdom's profit, so we must strive for cooperation."
Just then, Kai stood proudly at the edge of the table, stern and dignified as he gave a smile. "Presenting Arendelle's esteemed monarchs, Queen Elsa, and Princess Anna!"
With their cue, Elsa and Anna strolled into the dining hall; Elsa's face remaining stoic as Anna gave a cheerful smile, and a timid wave to her guests. As Kai stood by their side, the two sisters took their seats at the edge of the table. With the clearance of her throat, Elsa spoke softly.
"Visitors of the Northern Isles, I welcome you to the kingdom of Arendelle. I do hope you can forgive my brief delay, but without further adieu, shall the meeting commence?"
The dignitaries nodded in approval before the second advisor stood from his seat, adjacent Elsa and Anna. "Indeed, your majesty. I thank you for providing the opportunity to mend the wounds of our recent trading endeavors. Now, I do believe the share of profiting is in dire need of rectification. Fortunately, I've gone over several variables that will result in our favor."
Receiving a scroll from a fellow dignitary, the second advisor spoke confidently. As he explained his business proposal, a weary Elsa struggled to pay attention. However, through her peripheral vision, the queen was able to spy a figure standing outside through the wall of window. Though the figure was hard to make out, with her attention falsely lying on the speaking advisor, Elsa managed to focus her vision enough to finally make out a face. What she saw was a hooded young girl...
Spirit? W-What...?
"...And thus allowing the profits to be exchanged equally." the second advisor concluded, catching Elsa's attention, who blinked as she turned to her proposer.
"J-Just a moment." she stammered. "That proposal failed to mention your kingdom's lack of input. Our people are giving the lion's share of the work, which would explain why the profit margin falls within our favor. This has been delivered to your ears before, has it not?"
"Your majesty, with all due respect, I don't understand why your kingdom is the only land unwilling to agree with our terms."
"Simple." Elsa began, her expression stoic. "Your terms are unreasonable. You put less effort, yet expect an equal amount of profit in return. I'm sorry, but that isn't something I am willing to abide."
The second advisor scoff. "I don't believe I have any intentions on changing my mind."
The Queen stood. "Then you can consider our partnership abolished."
"But, your majesty!"
Elsa spoke again. "I've given a proposal of my own, and it would end in equal favor. You have the opportunity to accept-"
"-And I reject!"
"Then there is nothing else left to say. Meeting adjourned." Elsa declared.
With a bitter look, the second advisor gave a silent huff and gathered his belongings. His accompanying dignitaries did the same, before pausing in their tracks as the second advisor spoke again, sharply. "The ending of this partnership is for the best, I don't doubt. I have no desire to work with a monster."
Elsa cringed internally at the second advisor's remark, but chose to ignore confrontation. Anna, who was preparing to depart the meeting, immediately turned back, glaring at the second advisor. "What?" she interrogated.
Elsa worriedly whispered to her sister. "Anna, let it go."
"No, what did you say?!" the sister demanded. "The only monster here is you!"
The second advisor scowled. "Why defend a demon?"
"I'm not defending a demon, I'm defending my sister!" the furious princess retorted.
"And what, pray tell, is the difference? You can't be sure of her true intentions! She is nothing like us!"
Anna's frustration was reaching new heights. Marching towards the advisor, despite Elsa's attempts to stop her, the princess roared. "Why are you threatened by anyone different than you?!"
"Anna, enough." Elsa urged.
"You're criticizing me? You're the one defending a witch who nearly caused the death of every citizen in this land-" ["Enough!" Elsa cried; snow flurries suddenly sprinkling from the ceiling] "-left them to die, and had the audacity to treat herself in high regards by re-crowing herself queen-" ["How dare you..." Anna croaked as tears streamed. The mere sight of her sister's heartbreak was Elsa's breaking point] "-You're pathetic!"
"I said, enough!" roared the Snow Queen; blasts of ice shards shooting from her palms and nearly striking the advisor. With the shard having struck the wall beside him, instead, the advisor was physically in one piece, but emotionally terrified. Grabbing hold of his chest as his heart raced, the advisor and the other dignitaries fled the room in fear.
Broken by the scene that transpired before her, the cruelty of those different from her, the true feelings brewing within her closest accomplices, the ignorance, the intolerance towards acceptance... Elsa felt her eyes fill to the brim with tears, and could hardly stand in the room for another moment, forcing her to retreat to her private quarters.