Chapter 9

Their names hung in the air for a moment before Kresta took a deep breath and made to step forward towards the large door from whence their names had been called, first glancing at her brother who was stood beside her. Only then did she notice that Zach had that sickly look about him again, as though they were back on the ship in the middle of a storm. Hesitating, she leaned over and whispered, "Are you alright? You're looking a bit ill."

Glancing over at her, he tried to put on a brave smile but still seemed uneasy. "Just nervous, I guess."

"Relax. You'll be fine," she replied, looking back at the door. "Just do what I do."

He gave a small scoff followed by a chuckle. "You first."

…Alright. Drawing in another breath while pushing aside whatever reservations she might still have, Kresta strode forward into the room.

On the way here they had passed through some impressive rooms in the castle, including what she assumed was the great hall and one of the ball rooms, but they didn't compare to this one. With a vaulted ceiling and a large stain glass window decorating the back wall, it was one of the larger rooms she'd seen. The walls were aided by rows of wooden columns and also sported a pair of alcoves. Standing along said walls and the alcoves were a number of people, all of whom were watching her and giving a polite applause. She assumed they were the nobility of the castle but they weren't the people she was here to see. They were probably the ones seated on the raised dais at the far end of the room.

There were two of them, the one woman sitting on a tall, majestic throne with the other to her right on a simpler chair, and though Kresta had never seen either of them she instantly recognized both. The younger one in the flowing green dress had to be Anna. Who else could have such red hair and so friendly a smile? Is that really her? she thought as she approached. The last time she'd seen her she was this little girl who was always so energetic, constantly running from place to place like an excited hare. It was so odd seeing her as a grown woman after all this time.

As strange as that was, though, it was even stranger seeing the woman that had her older sister had become. As a girl Elsa had been a lot like her sister, if a bit more patient. Still, she had been as excitable as any little girl and now… now she truly looked like a queen. Poised, regal and elegant, she looked every part of what a queen should. The way she was sitting upon that throne, it was like she was born to rule. On top of that, she was more than lovely. She had to be one of the most stunning women Kresta had ever seen, with her pristine hair and complexion complimented by a shimmering blue dress. A lesser woman might have been jealous of Elsa's looks but it only made her want to laugh. Good luck, Zach. Looks like you've got your work cut out for you.

She was so busy marveling at the two sisters that she nearly missed the man standing beside the dais. Not that he was anything out of the ordinary. Sure, he was handsome, with his chestnut hair coupled a strong face, but for the most part he looked like other men. What caught her attention were his eyes, or rather the way he was looking at her. Most men, when they looked at her, seemed to be only thinking one thing. What she was like between the sheets. And they weren't too subtle about that. With this one, though, it was almost like he was sizing her up as a person, not an object to pursue. Kresta was used to men lusting after her, not looking at her like that.

But she didn't have time to puzzle over what his true intentions might be. By then she'd crossed the room and was standing before the throne. Returning her attention to the sisters, she saw that they were both at least giving her amiable smiles. Actually, Anna looked openly enthused by the sight of her, indicating that she clearly knew who Kresta was and was excited to see her. On the other hand, Elsa's calm demeanor gave away nothing. Not if she remembered her, not if she was happy to see her, not even if she was welcome in Arendelle. Best to be polite and play it safe, she thought, dipping into a shallow curtsy. Lowering her eyes, she solemnly said, "Your majesty. It's good to see you again, Queen Elsa."

Raising her gaze again, she saw that Elsa was still giving her an enigmatic look. Just when Kresta began to feel nervous, though, her smile became more genuine as she rose to her feet. "Kresta. It's been too long."

Kresta's own smile grew as she suppressed the urge to give a sigh of relief. At least she seems to remember me. "I was afraid you might have forgotten about me."

That got a light laugh as Elsa shook her head. "How could I forget? After all the trouble we used to get into."

Satisfied that Elsa recognized her, she turned to address the younger sibling. "And Ann-"

However, her words were abruptly cut off when a red-haired blur crashed into her, catching her in a tight hug. "Hi Kresta!" Anna cried, hugging her so tightly she could barely breathe. "Nobody told me you two were coming!"

A quiet chuckle broke through her surprised stupor and she glanced up to see Elsa descending from the dais with an amused grin on her face. "Please forgive my sister," she said, still laughing. "She can still be a bit… enthusiastic at times."

Kresta returned the look with a smile of her own. "I wouldn't have her any other way." Then she tried to excise herself from Anna's grip, which proved to be much more difficult than she would have thought. Anna didn't so much budge despite her best efforts until she grunted, "Okay, sweety? I'm happy to see you too but right now I can't breathe."

"Oh!" she exclaimed sheepishly, taking a sharp step back while giving an embarrassed smirk. "Right. Sorry."

"That's alright. I'm happy to see you too," Kresta replied before looking her up and down. "Who would have thought that spunky little redhead I once knew could grow up into such a lovely young woman?"

"You're not so bad on the eyes either," she retorted with a smirk.

That only caused Kresta's smile to grow. At least her sense of humor hasn't changed that much. "And you, Elsa." She looked over at the blonde, who was watching them amusedly. "Have the years been kind to you."

"I was about to say the same thing about you," she replied as she stepped forward, also giving Kresta a hug. Although it was a much gentler embrace than the one her sister had given her it was still very familiar, like old friends finally reuniting.

"Oh please," Kresta said when they separated. "I'll admit, my looks are nothing to scoff at. But you? Wow."

"You're too kind."

She was going to say that she was actually understating when a muffled cough caught her attention. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her brother standing behind her, patiently waiting for one of them to acknowledge him. "Oh right," she muttered, steeping back so they were level. "Elsa, Anna, you remember my twin brother, Prince Zachariah."

"Just call me Zach," he said, giving the pair a smile of his own, though his attention seemed to be focused on Elsa.

He seemed like he was about to try and say something suave to her when Anna asked, "Is that really Zach? The snot-nosed kid who was always traipsing along behind his sister?"

Whatever courage he'd managed to scrape together seemed completely derailed by that statement and he seemed completely befuddled. "Er… yeah, uh, that was me."

Laughing at his obvious discomfort, Anna waved him off. "I'm just teasing, Zach. It's good to see you again."

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to reassure him at all as he still looked perturbed while saying, "It's good to see you too, Anna. And you, Elsa. Might I also say, you're looking very, uh… fertile?"

Whatever laughter Anna had left quickly faded after that as they all stared at him. Kresta even thought she saw the man standing by the dais wince at the comment. They all seemed to be thinking the same thing she was. Wow. Smooth, Zach. Just… smooth.

"Um… thank you?" Elsa replied after a lingering pause, trying to regain her composure.

Instantly Zach was in retreat, clearly wishing he'd said something else. "Sorry, I just meant that you… that you're looking very lovely. Just didn't… want to give a compliment that you've heard… a million times before," he finished lamely. When he didn't get any reaction other than a pained smile he gave Kresta a pleading look.

"…Right. So. Anna," she said, trying to focus the conversation away from him again.

Anna was still giving Zach a puzzled expression but glanced at her when she spoke. "What?"

"You're getting married tomorrow!"

The excited outburst seemed to erase any memory of Zach's blunder as her enthusiasm returned in force. "I know! I'm so excited!"

"As you should be." She paused to glance around. "And where's the blushing husband-to-be?"

Anna's smile faltered for a second. "He's not feeling so well at the moment. You see, he and his best man went out for a few days and when he got back he was feeling a bit ill."

"Ah, I know what that means" she replied with a knowing look. Sounds like someone been burning the candle at both ends. When that didn't seem to reassure Anna, though, she decided to focus on a happier note. How did you and… what's your fiancé's name again?" she asked, slipping her arm around Anna's and walking towards the door.

"Kristoff," Anna replied, falling in stride.

"Right. How did you and this Kristoff meet?"

"That's kind of a long story," she said nonchalantly, but that didn't bother Kresta.

What did bother her was the fact the Elsa hadn't budged and was instead watching them go. "We've got time," she told Anna before addressing as well. "Tell you what, ladies. Let's go for a walk. Get away from all these boys." Anna seemed all for it but she halted when she saw that Elsa wasn't following.

When they both looked at her she gave an apologetic smile and said, "I'd love to join you on that but unfortunately there are some things I have to see to."

"You're kidding, right?" Kresta replied, giving her a dubious look. "This is the first time we've seen each other in nearly a decade and you want to go running off right away? It's not like you have anyone else to greet."

"Yeah" agreed Anna with an imploring look. "Come on, Elsa. It'll be fun."

However, she still looked reluctant. "I'm sure it will. But I've got some meetings I need to attend and-"

"And you're the queen" Kresta quipped, cutting her off before she could offer any other flimsy excuses. "I think they'll wait until you show up."

"Yes, but I'd rather not keep them waiting."

Shaking her head, her expression adopted a disbelieving quality. "Oh, loosen up, Elsa. What's the fun in being royalty if you're constantly running around seeing to other people's needs rather than seeing to your own?"

At first she looked like she was going to refuse again but then the strange man standing behind her stepped beside her and whispered something that only she could hear, nodding towards them as he did so. Kresta wasn't sure what he said but whatever it was it quickly caused Elsa's reluctance to melt away. She muttered something back to him but he waved that aside, giving her a small smile. They continued to talk for a moment before she finally gave a submissive sigh and said aloud, "Fine, I'll come along. But only for a little while."

"Yay!" Anna cheered, reaching out and looping her arm around Elsa's so they were all linked together. She also gave the man a wide smile, who returned it with a nod before heading towards the door. Kresta watched him go for a moment or two until he was out of sight and turned her attention back to the sister. Thanks… whoever you were.

They were also about to turn for the door when Zach spoke up again, apparently having recovered from his embarrassing blunder. "Actually I was hoping to catch up with Elsa."

Rolling her eyes, Kresta shook her head. Slow down, lover boy. Don't want to scare her off. "You two can catch up later. Right now it's girl time. Why don't you stay here and get to know some people." With that she once more started walking, dragging Elsa and Anna along with her. As they went she smirked and added over her shoulder, "Just play nice, will you?"

Though he looked disappointed by her response he didn't argue, instead adopting a compliant look. "Fine. I guess I'll see you three later."

"Bye, Zach," Anna called back, giving him one last smile. "It's good to see you again after all these years."

"And it's good to see you too, Anna." His attention switched to the other sister. "But especially you, Elsa."

Again Elsa shot him a befuddled look as she said, "…Okay. We'll talk later, shall we?"

"I look forward to it," he replied with a smile before turning to look around the room.

Before he could think of any other awkward things to say Kresta quickly steered the pair from the room, loudly saying, "Let's move it, ladies. I want to see this castle of yours." As soon as they were out the door, though, she dropped her voice and added, "Sorry about that. My brother's been stuck on a boat for the last week and his brain's a bit loopy as a result."

"That's okay," Anna replied. While Elsa still looked vaguely embarrassed she appeared to think it was all highly amusing. And normally she would agree with her, if it wasn't her brother was being the embarrassment. "I'm used to guys ignoring me while talking to Elsa."

"Nonsense. You're beautiful, Anna," she said, giving her arm a squeeze. "Like a scarlet blossom up in the tundra. Now, tell me all about how you and… Kristoff met."

"Okay. It happened last summer, right after Elsa's coronation party…"

And then Anna proceeded to tell her all about the events of the previous summer. About how Elsa had inadvertently placed Arendelle in a state of eternal winter before being forced to flee into the mountains, forcing her to pursue. There she'd met Kristoff, who'd also been looking for a way to end the sudden winter and suspected the answers could be found at a place called the North Mountain. There they'd found Elsa, along with someone else but she glossed over that part, and managed to convince her to return to Arendelle. Apparently she and Kristoff had bonded along the way, setting the foundation for a blooming romance.

As she talked they slowly made their way through the castle, walking down the hallways with Elsa trailing along off to one side. She would occasionally speak up to offer a correction or fill in some details when Anna's memory failed her but otherwise remained silent. If talking about how she'd nearly brought an end to the kingdom bothered her she gave no indication of it, instead appearing to be content just letting Anna talk.

Eventually they found themselves sitting on a small balcony at the back of the castle, overlooking the fjord. The circling mists had started to drift out to sea, opening up to a pristine sky and the midmorning sun. Elsa had even ordered a nearby maid to bring them a fresh pot of tea, which she was very grateful for. The air up here was a bit chillier than she was accustomed to so sipping on a steaming cup of tea while lounging in the sun did wonders to counter the cold.

All the while, though, Anna continued to prattle on about how wonderful Kristoff was ever since they'd first sat down at the table. She'd already been going for a quarter of an hour and showed no signs of slowing down so when she paused to take another sip of tea Kresta leapt at the opportunity to try and divert her. "He sounds like a catch," she said with only a hint of sarcasm.

Nodding, Anna looked out over the fjord with a dreamy look. She was too caught up in her own world to notice when Kresta and Elsa exchanged a weary glance. "Yeah, he is. I can't imagine meeting anyone even half as wonderful as him."

I'm sure you can't, Kresta thought wryly. As happy as she was for Anna she could only hear her go on about her love for so long, so she decided to switch sisters. "And you, Elsa?" she asked, looking at the older sister. "How's your love life?"

At first she looked relieved to have the conversation turn away from Kristoff but that relief quickly gave way to panic as she realized what she'd been asked. "Oh… you know," she said noncommittally, glancing over at Anna, who was watching her as well. "Virtually nonexistent. After all, I am the queen so I don't have time for such things."

"Good one," Kresta replied with a smirk, not buying her answer for a second. She probably wouldn't have believed her under normal circumstances, not to mention how dodgy she'd become. "I bet you have men piling up outside your door just for the chance to speak to you. I mean, look at you. You make sunsets look drab. And on top of that you're a queen? You should have a line of suitors that stretches from here to Corona."

Clear fumbling for words, Elsa took a swig from her cup and by the time she set it down her regal composure had returned. "Yes, well, I'm just… not looking for love right now."

"You don't find love, Elsa. It finds you," she replied with a knowing look. After all, look what happened to our sisters.

"What about you, Kresta?" Anna interjected, coming to her sister's aid. "Are you married yet?"

"Ha! Me? No. I wish I could find a man like your Kristoff." As she spoke she continued to watch Elsa out of the corner of her eye and as a result saw her breathe a sigh a relief. Okay, note to self. Romance is a touchy subject for her, she thought as she turned her focus back to Anna. "But, as I'm sure you both know, most men are, what's the word?"

"Crude?" she offered after some thought.

"I was going to say most of them are slugs but sure, crude works too."

At first the joke fell flat, but then Anna let out a chuckle, followed by open laugh which only dragged Kresta down with her. Elsa even joined in after a moment as they all shook their heads. After they were done laughing at that it was Elsa who spoke up. "And what's this I heard about Gabriella getting married?"

"Mm hm," Kresta replied with a nod, looking out over the sparking water of the bay. "To this dashing prince from the south. They've been wed for, what, four years now? And they already have two kids with a third on the way. It's terribly frustrating."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked after a pause.

Turning back to her, she gave her a sad smile. "Oh, you know. Your sister is off living the dream and starting a family while you're still wadding through the muck that is the rest of mankind. It's a tad bit irritating that she got things so easily while I have to work for my love life." Glancing at Elsa, she said, "Elsa, you must know what I'm talking about."

At first she didn't respond, her eyes growing distant as she stared down at the table. Then she slowly said, "Well… yeah. I really do. It's not always easy."

"There's an understatement," Kresta muttered under her breath as she took another sip.

Silence prevailed for a few seconds as they each mulled over the conundrums that came with having a relationship. Though Anna was about to seal her own bond that didn't mean it was smooth sailing from there on out. Marriage was hard work that required a great deal of love and commitment. Still, Kresta still felt a twinge of jealousy towards her. If only she could find someone like that. Someone that made her happy. Not Elsa, on the otherhand… clearly there was something going on there, she just didn't want to talk about it. But perhaps she would, given time.

Elsa was the first to recover from her thoughts, giving her head a small shake before looking at Kresta, who glanced back at her in response. "And your older brother, Victor. How's he doing? He must his hands full, what with being the king of Maneva and all."

"Oh, he does. I'm happy to say that he's doing well," Kresta replied with a half-smile. "Doesn't have time for much else, though."

Nodding, she looked like she understood that better than most as she asked, "How's he handling it?"

"Weighs heavily, apparently." Now it was her turn to grow distant as old memories began to surface. "It never has sat too well with him, ever since he inherited it from our father."

"Yes. I was sorry to hear about his passing, especially since it was so soon after your mother… also passed."

Though she gave a nod, Kresta barely heard Elsa. She was too busy thinking back on that fateful day. The last day she'd ever seen her father. Even though it felt like an age ago, she could still remember it vividly. The rain pounding on the roof, the fire roaring in the hearth. Her siblings mingling in the royal suite with her. Victor and Zach were engrossed in a game of chess by the window while Gabriella sat in a corner, reading one of her books. She always did enjoy reading those old fables about terrible monsters and dashing knights, only this one had been a more somber tome. After all, none of them had felt very cheerful since their mother's disappearance.

Then the door had swung open and her father walked in. He was always such a strong and proud man, his bearded face always decorated by a warm smile. A king to be proud to follow. And an even better father. Not on that day, though. If anything he looked… broken as he sat down beside his sons and called his daughters to him. His eyes were heavy and his head bowed as he slowly said that no matter what he and her mother would always love them. But then Gabriella had asked what was wrong and he simply said it. That the queen, his wife, their mother was dead.

With that, he stood and made for to leave just as quickly as he'd come. When Hector asked where he was going all he said was that he was going to punish those responsible. For months his words hadn't made since to her until she'd learned more about her mother's murder but that was the last time she ever saw him. Then, a few weeks later they got a letter from the front declaring that the king had fallen in battle and that Victor was to be crowned king of Maneva…

"Kresta?"

The sound of her name tore into her thoughts and she stepped back into reality to see that both Elsa and Anna were watching her with worried looks. When she looked at them Elsa asked, "Are you alright?"

Nodding, she gave them a reassuring smile. "Yeah. Just… thinking about the past."

Elsa's expression became one of understanding as she also nodded. "About your parents."

"Mm. Thank you for your condolences." When Elsa retuned the smile she looked away again. "It certainly wasn't easy, though. If I had been born an only child I don't think I would have made it. Luckily, I have three loving siblings who managed to help pull me through. Actually, we pulled each other through and came out closer for it. While we're on the subject, I also want to say how sorry I was when we got word of your parents. Especially since it was kind of our fault."

"No it wasn't."

"In a way it was," she countered with a frown. "After all, they were coming to Maneva to attend my father's funeral when their ship…" She trailed off, though, when she glanced at Anna again and saw the tears welling in her eyes. Regret instantly bloomed within her and she frowned. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's fine," Anna replied while whipping her eyes. "It's just…" And then she stopped, sucking in a breath and closing her eyes. Kresta was at a lost, trying to think of something reassuring to say, but before she could Elsa simply reached out and took her little sister's hand in hers, giving it a firm squeeze. Anna stirred at the touch, opening her eyes a crack and glancing over at her, who in turn gave a small smile. That got a smile from Anna as well, who, after taking another deep breath, looked back at Kresta. "It's just hard is all. One day they were there and the next… it was just me and Elsa. But we made it through. And now we've never been closer."

As she finished she turned back to Elsa, who was still smiling at her fondly, showing a deep bond that only siblings could understand. And Kresta did understand it. It was the same one she shared with her own brothers and sister. "Where would we be without siblings?" she said eventually, still watching the two.

"Agreed," said Elsa, sharing her smile with her as well.

When another silence loomed Kresta cleared her throat and said, "Tell you what. Why don't we talk about something a little more cheerful?"

"Like what?" Anna asked, turning her attention back to her.

"I usually find that a little bit of gossip helps to alleviate the mood."

When Anna didn't give anything more than a shrug Elsa replied, "Alright. Do you have anything particular in mind?"

"Yes, actually." Kresta actually felt a twinge of excitement as she knew what to ask. Finally, this is it. I get to find out if it's true or not.

"Then by all means," she said, releasing Anna's hand and gesturing for her to continue.

To that, Kresta opened her mouth to respond but realized she wasn't sure what to say. As eager as she was to talk about it she wasn't sure where to start. Let's start with Elsa. It's easier that way. "Well, as you can imagine word of your… gift made it to Maneva. Tales of you spinning ice out of thin air with nothing but a wave of your hand."

That seemed to get a little bit of cheer back in Anna as she glanced at Elsa and said, "Oh, she can. It's incredible. Show her, Elsa."

Amused by her sister's returning enthusiasm, she nodded. "Alright. Watch this." With that she held her hand out over the table, her palm facing up. As eager as Kresta was, though, nothing could really prepare her for what she saw as a spurt of ice suddenly spurt up from Elsa's hand in a frosty wave. There it sat, hanging in the air with no apparent support until she began to rotate her hand. The shimmering cloud responded to the movement, slowly swirling round and round until her fingers came together and the cloud suddenly condensed into a large snowflake that hung over the table. It stayed there for a moment or two before Elsa relaxed and it disintegrated back into a sparkling haze that was quickly dispersed by the slightest breeze.

Watching the snowy remains drift away, Kresta quickly realized that she'd been holding her breath through the entire display. Letting it out in a huff, she shook her head. "Wow. That's… amazing."

"Thank you," Elsa replied, looking rather pleased with herself.

"If you think that's impressive then you should see her ice palace," Anna added, giving her sister a proud look. "It's the most miraculous thing I've ever seen."

"Can I? See it, that is."

Shaking her head, Elsa said apologetically, "If you're willing to hike several days into the mountains, sure. It's many miles from here."

"Ah. Some other time then." Not that she was disappointed. No, she'd come here to see something entirely different. "But, as incredible as your talents are that's not all we heard."

"Oh?" That got both sisters' attention as they gave her inquiring looks.

At first she tried to hold their gaze but quickly found she couldn't, instead glancing down at the table. As much as she wanted to believe what she'd heard, she still felt like a little girl believing in tall tales. "Yes. There was also tell of a man who, like you, has supernatural gifts. However, he didn't wield ice. Rather he had the ability to create and manipulate flame."

"Yup. That's Aar- Ow!" The abrupt yelp caused her to look up from her tea to see Anna rubbing her arm while glaring at her sister, who was sitting there looking like nothing was amiss. When they stared at Elsa her eyes flicked over to Anna and she nodded at Kresta. That seemed to get through to the younger sister as she cleared her throat and looked back at Kresta. "I mean, that's Lord Aaron."

They both suddenly seemed a little too pleasant, as though something was off but neither would admit it. She continued to eye the pair suspiciously and when neither spoke she continued. "So… you're telling me he's real? That he can do everything they say?"

"And more."

Sitting back, Kresta paused to mull that over, absentmindedly taking another sip of tea. So he does exist. If anything she was relieved. After spending a week on a ship with a skeptic like Zach she had to admit that her belief was slipping. But Elsa's powers had proven to be more than just hearsay and they were saying he was real then he had to be. As she thought she quietly said, "I should like to meet this Lord Aaron. See his gift for myself."

…"You already kind of did meet him."

It took a moment for Anna's words to register but when they did they quickly pulled her back to reality. Blinking several times, she shot the redhead a puzzled look. "I did? When?"

Shrugging, Anna replied, "He was in the throne room. The man standing at the foot of dais."

Throne room? Uh…oh. There had been a man, hadn't there? The one who had been looking at her funny. That is, he was a man who'd been looking at her normally. "Oh, him. So he's the, uh, what do you call it… pyromancer?"

"Uh huh. And I'm sure he'd be more than happy to give you a little performance," she said with a nod and a glance over at Elsa, who remained silent.

Kresta had expected to be excited by the prospect. Only, she wasn't. If anything, she was disappointed. Him? But he's so… ordinary. Still, he was real, so could she really complain? "Doesn't hurt that he was pretty handsome."

Anna was about to answer when she seemed to think better of it, a mischievous gleam entering her eye. Elsa, on the other hand, had become unusally stiff as though something was wrong. She was still smiling but it was starting to look a little forced. She was going to ask what was bothering her when Anna chimed up again. "Not to mention polite and charming. You should see how the maids of the castle fawn over him. Whichever lady manages to bag him will be a lucky woman. In fact, just the other day I was telling Elsa that I was going to try and set him up with- Hey!"

Jumping slightly at the sudden exclamation, Kresta set down her cup while placing her other hand over her startled heart. Jesus, Anna. Don't do that. "What is it?"

However, Anna wasn't looking at her. Instead she was giving Elsa another accusatory scowl. "You froze my tea!" she hissed, placing her own cup on the table. Leaning forward, Kresta saw that, sure enough, the cup's contents, which had been steaming tea not a minute ago, had frozen solid.

"Did I?" Elsa replied in a sweetly innocent voice, also looking at the cup. She then looked at the fuming Anna and gave her an apologetic shrug. "So sorry, sis. Completely by accident."

Her eyes narrowed skeptically as though she didn't buy that for a second but she didn't question it. "Right," she said tartly, still frowning at her sister. "And when I hit you with a snowball later that'll be an accident too." Turning back to Kresta, her impish smile returned as she added, "But let's keep going. You were right, Kresta, gossip is fun."

"Told you." She then noticed that Elsa was giving her an odd look. "What?" What is it with people looking at me funny today?

"Nothing," Elsa replied with a shrug. "It's just that I can't help feeling like you might not be such a good influence on my sister."

Confused, Kresta gave her quizzical look. "Why not?"

Rather than answering right away, Elsa calmly picked up the teapot sitting in the center of the table and poured herself another cup. Kresta had to wait until she'd set it aside and taken another sip before she spoke again. "Well, you've only been here for a few hours and you've already convinced us to neglect work and have gotten Anna hooked on gossip," she said, grinning at her over the rim of the cup.

Kresta's eyes narrowed as she stared back"True. But am I the bad influence? Or were you two the influence on me all those years ago and I'm just returning the favor?"

After considering the answer for a moment Elsa's smile broadened and she held her cup up towards her. "Touché." Once Kresta had returned the gesture they both took a swig.

They were still smiling at each other when they were interrupted by a sharp hahem! Looking over at Anna, Kresta saw that she was still glaring at both of them. "Hey, why don't you thaw out my tea so I can drink too?" she asked, waving her frigid cup in front of them.

Kresta suppressed a snicker as Elsa's bengin innocence returned and she gave her sister a wide-eyed stare. "I'm telling you, Anna, I don't know how your tea got like that."

"Really? Then let me enlighten you." With that she pushed her chair away from the table and rose to her feet before turning and walking towards the nearby railing, which was still covered in a blanket of snow from the receding winter. Kresta was about to ask her what she was doing when she said, "It happened kind of like THIS!" As she spoke she scooped some of the slush off the railing and hurled it at Elsa. The congealed blob caught her in the shoulder, sending a splatter of ice and water everywhere.

Giving a startled yelp, Kresta held up her hands to shield herself but the splash hardly reached her. Elsa, on the other hand, was covered in dripping slush. At first, though, she didn't react, instead just staring ahead with a blank expression. Then she slowly set aside her teacup before wiping some of the residual moisture away from her face and giving her other hand a flick. As Kresta watched the remaining water covering her suddenly froze into ice before morphing into snow and sloughing off onto the floor, leaving her none the worse for wear.

Only then did she turn to look at her sister, who was wearing a confident grin, though that faltered under her level stare. Elsa regarded her silently for a moment before speaking in a cool voice. "So it's like that, is it?"

Anna looked like she was sizing up her options before pulling upright and giving her most defiant stare. "Yeah, it's like that."

At first Elsa's eyes remained hard, as though she was actually outraged. But then she smiled. "Alright. But you asked for it."

With that she held her hands out to either side and snowballs began to materialize in the air around her. Anna only had enough time to give a surprised look before she was pelted with a barrage of snow. At first she gave a loud squeal, vainly trying to fend off the attack with her arms, but that quickly gave way to laughter as she begged for mercy. "No! Elsa! Stop! I'm sorry!" she yelled between giggles to no avail.

Before long she was covered in snow and Kresta found herself also laughing as she watched the young princess slowly get buried. However, as soon as she started to laugh she heard Elsa ask, "What are you laughing at?"

She turned just in time to see Elsa point her other arm at her and send half the bombardment towards her. A few even caught her in the face before she ducked under the table, leaving her sputtering as she was beset with laughter. As she cowered in an effort to escape Elsa's attack, though, a lone thought occurred to her. No matter what happened over the course of this trip, there was no denying that she really was happy to see these two again.