Six

The world didn't change. Even as Elsa sat in her study, staring blankly at documents she was supposed to be reading and trying to remember if Hans had actually held fire in his palm, the world did not change. The late-August sun still shone through her window, casting a spotlight on dust that would have never been seen otherwise. The sun still shone, even when the memory of the little flame covered every inch of Elsa's mind. How could the sun still shine when she knew that she wasn't the only magician?

It was a selfish thought, of course. To think that everything was centered around herself. At least you're not as selfish as you were when you froze the kingdom for a hint of attention-

"Shut up," Elsa muttered to herself. "Not now."

She supposed talking to herself was slightly mad, but she'd often only had herself for company, so she had to invent a conversational partner. Now that she was free to talk with whom she pleased, she didn't need to argue with herself. But old habits were hard to kill.

Shouldn't you be telling Anna? She promised you'd tell her everything. That's the only reason you still have Hans here, isn't it?

She shook her head, trying to focus on the paper in front of her. She reread the same word seven times and still couldn't find an ounce of meaning in it. With a deep sigh, she pushed the paper away and stared at the dancing dust in the air.

Isn't it?

She couldn't tell Anna. Not yet. Not when Elsa was still trying to sort everything out. It seemed impossible to think that she wasn't the only magician. And Hans, of all people. Why couldn't it have been another princess from some far away land? Someone that Elsa didn't feel her stomach twist with hatred every time she thought of them.

And yet... she didn't feel that twist as often anymore. Not since she began hearing his stories. And that was as terrifying as anything she'd ever faced. Feeling something like pity for the man who nearly killed her and Anna.

Anna.

That's why she couldn't tell her sister yet. Because Anna still hated him. She didn't know his sob stories, and hearing about his magic might spark some kind of excitement. Anna might begin to have pity on Hans, too, knowing her tendency for acceptance. And Elsa needed a voice of reason. She needed someone to say, "Soooooo, when are you gonna write to the Southern Isles?" She needed Anna to hate Hans so that she might eventually recover from her spell of empathy.

Elsa took a deep, deep sigh and leaned forward again, looking for the paper she still hadn't read. She furrowed her brows and forced herself to focus on the words.

Queen Elsa of Arendelle,

I am aware that any messages from my family may come as a shock and highly inappropriate, but...

Elsa quickly lost focus, mind snapping right back to the prisoner with the fire in his veins. Her eyes still skimmed the paper, but any meaning was lost until she locked on one word:

Hans.

She blinked, thinking she was seeing things. But no, there it was! She went to the beginning of the sentence, reading;

The death of Prince Hans has been accepted, but we still feel anxious at this troubling news.

Elsa squinted in confusion. What? Who was this letter from?

She grabbed the envelope it had come in and stared at the seal. It wasn't the mark of the Southern Isles. Rather, it was that of the Northern Settlement, one of the lands in their chain of trade.

Bewildered, she turned back to the letter and began to read from the beginning;

Queen Elsa of Arendelle,

I am aware that any messages from my family may come as a shock and highly inappropriate, but I request your aid at this troubling time. The Westergard family has had no greater scandal than that of my brother's outlandish behavior while in your kingdom, so please know that we have no disputation against you. I write in place of my mother, the queen, as my father and her have gone missing just this past year. As I reside in the Northern Settlement, this news came to me later than I'd hoped for, and was accompanied by later messages from my homeland, Westernland, and Changshe that three of my brothers have disappeared, the reports all coming within just weeks of each other.

I should have shared the news earlier, but I admit that I was afraid of sending a letter due to our kingdoms' recent conflict. But I now feel as though I have no other choice. I believe that my youngest brother may be the cause of these disappearances. The death of Prince Hans has been accepted, but we still feel anxious at this troubling news. When my brother's ship didn't return to Westernland, it was thought that they'd perished at sea. But these occurrences have worried me. I'm led to believe that the ship may have been taken by my brother, and now he's taking an unjust revenge on the family. As far as I can tell, the pattern is in birth order; first the queen and king, then Campbell, then Francis, then John. Which would make me the next, if we don't solve this predicament.

I once again apologize for dragging you into our family matter, but having been one of the last people to see Hans, our family could not thank you enough if you would share potentially helpful information.

You may respond to Prince Jørgen of the Southern Isles or to I.

Signed,

Archduke of the Northern Settlement and Prince of the Southern Isles,

Alecksander Westergard

Elsa didn't know what to think. She wouldn't have to write a letter after all; they sent one first.

The story told by Alecksander clashed with what she knew to be true. The survivors that had swept into her kingdom was proof that the ship suffered a watery grave, and Hans was locked up in prison beneath the castle. He couldn't have kidnapped his own family while he was wandering the land.

Couldn't he, though?

A year was an awfully long time to be by oneself. Elsa remembered the Hans who had a burning gaze filled with hate. She'd seen it when she ordered he be thrown on the boat last year. That was the look of a man who could easily have kidnapped and killed his own family.

Elsa wondered that Ingvalda had never opened this letter. She supposed the stacks of paperwork that she always neglected had piled up too high for even the former custodian. She checked the date on the letter and winced at the month June. It was almost three months since this was penned. Guilt piled in her stomach at not attending her mail and documents for so long.

Which left her in an uncomfortable position. Nearly three months ago, the king and queen of the Southern Isles went missing along with their first three sons. Who knew if more had gone missing since then?

But then she thought...what if I put an end to that already?

What if Hans had been hopping around, kidnapping his family until he was caught? And she'd almost had pity for him!

But something didn't add up. Why would he have been in Arendelle stealing a boat if he had the means to sail to the Southern Isles already? And why was he so anxious to never go back? Were his stories just more fabrications and acting? And how did the fire fit into all this?

Elsa moaned, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. Her mind would burst if there was any more startling news. These past few days had been full of more than enough surprises to last the whole year.

One thing was for certain; she couldn't let anyone else see this. Not Ingvalda, not Anna, not Hans. Not until she could figure out for herself what kind of games were being played. She couldn't afford to have Hans shipped back, not when she had so much to learn. And if he was the kidnapper, then wouldn't sending him back be a crime in itself?

She rose from her desk, sealing the letter back in its envelope and tucking it in her sleeve. She left the room, intending to go straight to her room and stuff this in her pillow. She couldn't risk leaving it on the table for Ingvalda to find.

No, this had to be secret. And Elsa was very good at keeping secrets.

Three o'clock tea was surprisingly cheerful. Elsa thought she'd be uncomfortable with Anna, what with everything she pulled yesterday. Nearly fainting and running away without explanation, not returning to help the survivors, and then waking her sister up in the middle of the night were enough reasons for Anna to cast a wary eye at her sister.

But Anna had the purest heart Elsa had ever known. After briefly asking if she'd sorted everything about yesterday out, Anna had seemed more than willing to let Elsa have her privacy. And the queen was grateful, thinking her sister was nothing less than an angel.

Which made withholding so many secrets from her even worse. Elsa had already told Kai to bring all new mail to her, without the knowledge of Ingvalda. He asked if she was all right, but honored her wish. and Elsa had good reason; Ingvalda wouldn't hesitate to take action. But Anna had never been anything but honest with Elsa, and all Elsa did was shut her out and lie.

You're not shutting her out anymore, she tried to console. You're having three o'clock tea with her like you do every day. She let you sleep in her room last night. She loves you.

"Yeah, and one of the guys laughed at Kristoff because he remembered seeing him last year eating the same carrot as Sven. Said that if sharing carrots with reindeer would get him into the castle, then he'd have to try it. Isn't that crazy?" Anna said, stirring her tea with the dainty spoon.

"Pretty crazy," Elsa replied, smiling. She thanked the gods for the ability to smile, given the past two days. "What did Kristoff say?"

"Oh, you know him," Anna said, rolling her eyes. "He just got that cute little blush across his face."

Elsa's smile grew wider. "Cute little blush?"

"Yeah!" Anna said enthusiastically, like she had dedicated her life to it. "Haven't you seen him blush? It's adorable!"

The queen laughed and nodded.

Anna sighed dreamily, still stirring her tea. "Our children are gonna be so cute."

"Oh?" Elsa said, eyebrow raised and smile turning mischievous. "And have you two been trying?"

Unlike Kristoff, Anna's blush was less delicate and covered most every corner of her face. Even her freckles seemed to turn bright red as she stopped stirring her tea.

Elsa laughed at her reaction. "How am I supposed to interpret that?"

Anna let out a brief chuckle, bringing her hands up and covering her cheeks. "It doesn't mean anything!" she assured. "Besides, Kristoff said that's taking things too fast. He just says to roll with it." The blush was receding, but her face was still redder than her hair. "Ugh, I hate when he says that. I want to live now!"

"Can I not count on wedding bells in the future?" Elsa asked, feeling more natural than ever before.

Anna groaned and threw her head back. "Nooooo! At this rate, I'm going to be like, three hundred years old when he even thinks about proposing!"

"I'm sure it won't be quite that long," Elsa assured, sipping her tea.

Anna was still leaning back, rocking on the two hind legs of her chair. "I mean, it's not like I don't mind waiting for him. He doesn't mind kissing, so big win there. I think-"

The legs of the chair gave out underneath her and Anna yelped as her seat began to collapse under her.

In an instant, Elsa stretched her hand out protectively and cried out, "Anna!"

But Anna never hit the ground, since from Elsa's outstretched hand burst a miniature flurry. In less than a second, the chair and lower half of Anna's body was encased in ice.

Elsa stood up, immediately covering her mouth in shock. Anna's eyes were surprised and wide as she looked down at the position she'd been encased in. And to Elsa's surprise, she began to laugh.

"Look at this!" she giggled. "My moment of failure in a live portrait. Way to go, Elsa, you really captured my good side."

But Elsa wasn't laughing. The smile that came so easy was gone without a trace. "Anna, I'm so, so sor-"

"Ah, don't be sorry, it's fine," Anna said, shrugging as best she could with one hand encased in the ice. She used her free hand to push some hair behind her ear. "You think you could get me out, though?"

Elsa herself seemed frozen. She barely registered what Anna had said, and instead thought of how she could have froze her heart... again.

"I... I..." Elsa muttered.

"Elsa?" Anna asked gently, smiling fading. "Hey, Elsa? You there?"

"Y...yes," Elsa said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, let me help."

She tried to recall happy memories, memories of love. Anna loves me, Anna loves me, Anna had her heart frozen.

Love too easily turned to crippling fear. The ice that had been melting suddenly stopped, only freeing up to Anna's knees. Elsa was having trouble keeping her hands steady now. And everything had been going so well...

"Uh, Elsa?" Anna asked. "You missed a spot."

"I'm trying," Elsa snapped

Anna was taken aback as Elsa grew horrified with herself. Her words softened, immediately regretting what she'd said. "Anna, I'm sorry, I-"

"Elsa," Anna said firmly. "Just get me out."

She felt guilt return to the pit of her stomach. "Yeah... yeah."

With a shaky breath, she banished the bad and sought out only the good. Eventually, Anna had thawed and grabbed onto the table before the chair fell with a clatter.

The two were silent as Anna picked the chair up again and brushed off her damp dress. She looked down at the table, still set for tea, and sighed.

"I think that's enough for today," she said. "Want me to call in someone to clean up?"

Elsa couldn't do much more than nod, so Anna said goodbye to her and went to go fetch the help.

The queen stood for a moment, repeating the scene again and again. No matter how hard she tried, she was always crippled by fear. Fear was always in the way. She saw Anna's face, weary and tired of Elsa's theatrics.

Anna loves you, but she's getting tired.

Something that Hans had said came back to her, something about having the power, but not having the control. The words grabbed at her throat and pulled tight like a cobra.

She found her feet taking her somewhere to find peace of mind, but standing in her room and pulling her gloves on didn't satisfy her. She began walking through the castle, mindlessly walking, when she recognized the cobblestone stairs and wondered why she was automatically taking herself to Hans.

The dynamic between Elsa and Anna is one of my favorite things about Frozen, or at least in theory. Not everything's bound to be peachy for them after nearly a lifetime of not truly knowing the other. They have as much to work through as Elsa and Hans do.

And here arises a conflict, finally, with the letter from Prince Alecksander. Writing romance is fun, but not nearly as much as when there's thrilling adventure involved. And don't worry, the lack of Hans in this chapter will be made up in the next. ;)

Make sure drop a review; they're almost as good as warm hugs.