Chapter 21

The first thing Aaron noticed when he stepped from his chamber into the northern hall of the castle was just how empty it was. Normally at this time there would be at least a dozen people in the corridor, ranging from maids tending to their morning duties to various nobility going about their business as well as a guard or two keeping watch. He of course knew where the guards were, having reassigned part of the castle's contingent to the city to help manage the large influx of visitors coming to attend the festival, but as to where everyone else was he had no idea. Must be off getting ready for the opening ceremony or something.

As it stood he had the entire corridor to himself which suited him just fine as he could use the time to collect his thoughts. Although Aaron had heard stories about the Blooming Festival celebrations in the capital over the years when he'd visited various inns and taverns he'd obviously never attended it and only had vague memories of the lesser festivities he had seen in his younger years. When he was little his mother would always take him to see the sights, spending much of the day together at the festival, but after her passing he hadn't been to any. As a result he actually found himself kind of excited when he awoke that morning for what was to come. After all, from what he'd heard there would be an abundance of festive dancing, dramatic performances and boundless parties that would carry on late into the night.

He was mulling these thoughts over and was about to make for the spiral stair that dropped to the ground floor when Aaron hesitated, his ears catching wind of a pair of voices emanating from another staircase at the other end of the hall that led to the higher levels of the keep. Normally he wouldn't have thought anything of it except he recognized the voices, a grin crossing his face as he turned towards them. Sure enough, just as he did so none other than Elsa and Anna stepped from the stairs into the hall, enjoying a light conversation together.

Both were looking particularly lovely on that fine morning, with Elsa wearing one of her customary cerulean frost dresses while Anna had opted for a softer green number. What really caught his attention, though, was the delicate crowns they were wearing woven from flower blossoms. While he did like Anna's blue circlet the one that really held his attention was Elsa's violet coronet as it mingled ever so nicely with her pale blonde hair, playing up her golden highlights and illuminating the platinum strands. It was such a nice addition that he found his grin had turned into a warm smile as he waited for one of them to notice him standing there.

It only took a moment for Anna to spot him, cutting off mid sentence and giving her sister a nudge. For whatever ever reason, though, Elsa froze in her tracks when she saw him, her eyes widening and even from there he could see the scarlet blush rushing into her face. At first he thought her odd reaction had something to do with his appearance but when he looked down he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Attire, sword, cloak, all check. Everything looks to be in order. And yet when he looked up she still had that sheepish expression on her face.

Anna had also stopped and they were now standing with their heads huddled together, both regarding him as they whispered back and forth. Before long they were sharing a quiet giggle, no doubt at his expense, but that was short lived when Anna muttered something that apparently quite upset Elsa. Shooting her an agitated look, she promptly replied with something to the effect of 'Don't you dare', which, of course, only caused Anna to snicker again as they started walking towards him, with Anna trying to hide her roguish grin behind her hand.

By this point he growing mighty suspicious, watching their approach with narrowed eyes. Clearly something was up, he just hadn't sussed it out yet. But that would have to wait as they came to halt in front of him and he gave a small bow. To Anna he said, "Good morning, your highness. You're looking quite lovely today. As are you, my queen." That last part was directed at Elsa as he flashed her a smile.

His perplexity only grew when she acknowledged the comment with a nod yet seemed unwilling to hold his gaze, dropping her eyes while smiling to herself. When he shot Anna a questioning look in hopes of getting answers, though, she merely grinned at his confusion and acted like nothing was amiss. "Thank you, Lord Aaron. You don't look too bad yourself. In fact, I'd even go so far as handsome. Wouldn't you agree, Elsa?"

Rather than looking at either of them Elsa was now staring out a nearby window, her eyes still as she offered a small, "Yes."

Okay, something's definitely up. Elsa never acts meek. Does it… does it have anything to do with yesterday? "Have you two been... up to anything this morning?"

"Not yet," Anna replied, still ignoring her sister's odd behavior. "After all the festival hasn't started yet." She then paused, her eyes growing thoughtful. "Then again, there was that one thing..."

"Yes?" As he asked Aaron could have sworn he saw Elsa flash Anna a nervous look.

After taking a moment to apparently think, Anna suddenly gave a shrug and a smile. "You know, I think I've forgotten. Elsa, do you remember?"

Nearly giving a start to having the attention back on her, she flashed Anna a dirty look so quickly that Aaron almost doubted he'd seen it before looking at him, though she still seemed to be having a hard time meeting his eye. "It was just a minor thing to help me get ready for my speech in the opening ceremony. Nothing too important."

"Speaking of which, we should probably get down there," Anna cut in, glancing outside at the rising sun. "Time seems to be getting away from us." She was about to start walking when she paused, her face bursting a smile. "Oh wait, there was one more thing."

Elsa, meanwhile, looked like she was in the middle of breathing a sigh of relief before freezing and giving Anna a fearful look. Normally Aaron didn't like seeing her distressed but if it helped get to the bottom of her mood he was all for it, deciding to egg Anna on. "What is it?"

Her smile only grew when she turned and the look on Elsa's face as she asked, "Elsa, didn't you say that you wanted to tell Aaron about that dream you had? You know, the one he starred in?"

Someone could have heard a pin drop at the far end of the hall, they became so quiet. Elsa was giving Anna a look of pure shock and betrayal, her pursed lips sealed shut, while Aaron was busy trying to wrap his mind around what she'd just said. Wait. Elsa had a dream… about me? About us?... I have got to hear about this. Doing his best not to come across as too eager, he slowly turned to Anna and asked, "Dream?"

"Yup," Anna replied with a nod, ignoring the daggers Elsa was staring at her. "She told me that she had a dream about you last night and that it was extremely… enticing." With that she glanced over his shoulder and added, "Oh, I think I see Kristoff over there. Gotta go, bye," before sauntering down the hall, leaving just him and Elsa.

Aaron didn't even have to turn around to know that there was no one else in the corridor, much less Kristoff, instead restraining an excited grin as he glanced at Elsa. She was too busy glaring after Anna to notice, looking nearly irate, yet it wasn't long before she remembered he was there. There was a possibility that Anna had just made all that up embarrass her sister except she all but confirmed it when she looked at him and away again, her blush returning in full force. Ah, so that's it, he thought with a smirk, watching her closely. Been having fun dreams about us, have we?

Rather than speaking right away he patiently waited until she cast him a timid look before flashing a broad grin, saying, "Well, wasn't that interesting."

Dipping her head, Elsa shrugged as she glanced away again. "Yeah. I have no idea where she gets these ideas from or what she's talking about."

"So you're saying that you haven't been dreaming about me?"

"I mean... that is… I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that they're necessarily about you."

"Fine. About us?" When she didn't respond he added, "I'll take that as a yes. Perhaps you should tell me about this dream."

Elsa shook her head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

It took a while for her to respond as she stared at her clasped hands, nervously biting her lower lip as she debated on her answer. All the while Aaron watched her intently, amused by how coy she was acting, as he patiently waited. Eventually, though, she seemed to pluck up her courage and began to speak in a slow, quiet voice. "Because... if I started to... describe these dreams to you in any sort of detail…" Pausing, her eyes rose to give him an intense stare as she finished in a whisper. "I can't guarantee that I wouldn't throw myself at you."

Instantly Aaron's brows shot up, his eyes widening in surprise as he gave her a shocked look. He almost never heard Elsa be so direct, since she normally prefered to be more subtle or playful, yet she'd said it and continued to watch him unabashedly. ...Wow. Must have been some dream, he thought as tried to adopt a slightly less bewildered expression. Which means there's only one thing to do. "Sooo why don't we skip the beginning of the Blooming Festival and head back to your chambers so you can tell me about these dreams in extreme detail?"

He was actually halfways serious when he said that, mimicking a hopeful look as he spoke, but Elsa still gave him a small smile, some amusement showing through her coyness. "Aaron..."

Emboldened by her smile, he quickly showed a cocky grin as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder, adding, "Or, better yet, my room's literally right here. We could just slip inside for a few minutes. Or a few hours if you like."

This time she laughed openly, giving his shoulder a light slap. "Shut up. Of course we can't do that. I'm the queen, I have to be there. It's expected of me," she replied, though it did look for a moment like she might have been considering it.

"A few minutes then. So tell me, was this a racy dream?"

Shaking her head with a smirk, Elsa ignored him as she took his hand and began to tow him down the hall. "Come on, Romeo."

"But why are we going the long way? Isn't it faster to get to your chambers if we go the other way?"

Allowing her to guide him along, he didn't let up until they reached the stairs before falling quiet. From there he could just make out voices coming from below, meaning that while there still wasn't anyone on this floor they weren't necessarily alone anymore. Elsa seemed to be thinking the same thing as she stopped to give him a mollified look, saying, "Okay, past this point you have to behave. Right?"

Rolling his eyes, Aaron shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, I'll behave. But first." Elsa had begun to turn away but paused at his non sequitur, glancing at him as though she expected him to continue. What she didn't expect was for him to pull her closer, his other arm sliding around her waist and trapping her against him as he gave her a lascivious stare. "At least give me one," he muttered before leaning in.

Ordinarily he would have thought that she would try to rebuff him and squirm out of his grasp for fear of being caught, only Elsa wasn't doing anything he expected at the moment. Rather than trying to escape she gave in to his embrace, her lips meeting his eagerly. For most of their kisses he, being the man, was the one to bring most of the passion while she languished in his arms and just enjoyed it yet this time she met him with as good as she got, conveying an unsated hunger that was festering within her. Like while she was grateful for the chance to kiss him she also wanted more.

But just when he was beginning to savor the blissful rush of stroking her frigid lips with his own she abruptly pulled away with a smirk that only grew when he tried to pursue. Placing a finger over his lips, she coyly said, "There. Satisfied?"

Though he was slightly perturbed at being cut off he didn't show, instead relinquishing her and taking a step back. "Never," he whispered with a wink before pulling himself up into a more gentlemanly posture. Offering her his arm, he then spoke in his most proper voice. "Shall we, my queen?" Smiling at the offer, she accepted his offer with a gracious nod, sliding her hand into the crook of his elbow and allowing him to escort her down the stairs. Of course, Elsa's calm poise didn't last long when he softly added, "So… dream talk later, right?"