A/N: I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I've been so busy lately I haven't had much time to write aside from those prompts last week. ; - ; But of course I needed to come back to my baby! This chapter marks the point at where the plot actually starts to rear its head. Hurray. Lets see where this goes, hm? Yeah, you guys know you love it.

If there are any mistakes I'll fix them in the morning. Right now I'm too tired. ;c

(06/02/2014): I must have been half asleep when I wrote this last night. I've fixed the inconsistencies and mistakes that I've found, terribly sorry about that! Bawh.

Mending An Icy Break
- Chapters 4 -

Anna stared up at the grand painting of Joan and wrung her hands out, lying strewn over one of the couches in the gallery. She alternated between staring at details in the brushstrokes of Joan's unwavering expression of determination and her own hands, which she fiddled with boredly.

The day had started off well enough, what with her breakfast–erm, lunch with the Queen. Anna wasn't an early riser, by any means, and she hadn't been for a long time. She was quite happy that Elsa made the time to still eat with her, regardless of her tardiness.

Still.

Something about having to wait to see her sister again made the Princess anxious. She had already tucked strands of hair behind her ear several times in the last hour, even though she was completely alone in the room. She'd checked herself in various mirrors on her way to the gallery as well, and straightened her dress numerous times.

It was just Elsa, she reasoned, and yet she still felt it necessary to make sure she looked her absolute best. Perhaps it was because of how imposingly beautiful the blonde was, and the way her sister so easily stole center stage when she entered a room. That must be it. She felt inadequate in comparison.

No.

That's not right either.

The redhead's brow knit together and her eyes moved up to the ceiling, tracing the various beams that supported it. Elsa didn't make her feel inadequate; she knew she held her own merits as well. But Elsa was stunning, there was no doubt about that. Anna blushed and turned over onto her side, staring across the room at the other paintings.

"This is strange," She muttered to herself, her brow still furrowed, glaring at nothing in particular, "why do I feel so…odd?" The redhead's face was flushed, her stomach tight, and her chest warm. Her heart was pounding against the confines of her ribs, and her mind was all over the place–even though ultimately, no matter what she was thinking about, all roads lead back to Elsa.

The rattling of the doorknob made the Princess' eyes flick to the door. They opened slowly and Olaf waddled in, giggling to himself. Anna smiled a bit and sat up, ready to accept the hug she knew was to come.

"Oh, Anna, it's you!" Olaf grinned widely and waddled hurriedly over to the Princess, his twiggy arms already spread. "I found you!" Anna laughed and leaned down, accepting Olaf's tight hug when the snowman embraced her.

"You were looking for me?" She asked. Olaf gave a nod.

"Mhmm," He smiled widely.

"Why's that?" Anna searched.

"Oh! Because Elsa said to keep you company when I saw her in the hall," The redhead's heart skipped a bit. That was strange. "Yeah, she said you were lonely and could use a hug!" Olaf emphasized by hugging Anna again, just as tightly as before.

"I'm not lonely–not really, I mean," Anna's eyes fell on Olaf's, and he stared back at her expectantly, waiting excitedly for her to finish her thought. Immediately the redhead softened and smiled. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me; I want to spend time with you!" He assured with his trademark smile. Anna's own smile broadened and she laughed.

"Well I want to spend time with you too." And also Elsa, her mind insisted, though she quickly dismissed the thought. "What would you like to do? I have a few hours before dinner."

"Could we go out to the garden? I've been learning to plant flowers, and I've even been trying to grow some!" The redhead gave a small nod and stood, brushing her dress off. Olaf could always lighten the mood. Though she would, at some point, need to remind him that it was the middle of winter and there was no way the seeds he was planting could grow.

"Of course we can," Anna placed her hands on her hips, leaned forwards and gave Olaf a wide grin, "now are you going to stand there, or are you going to lead the way?" Olaf bounced, his segmented body coming apart briefly mid jump, before rejoining with a snowy plop.

"Oh, oh, I'm going to lead the way!" He shouted back happily. "I know the way!" He reached out and grabbed Anna's hand with his own, tugging insistently. "C'mon, c'mon!" Anna allowed herself to be guided out of the room, down the hall and out into the garden.

Anna and Olaf made their way out the western wing of the castle, exiting through massive oaken doors onto the cobblestone pathway that lead into the garden. As the duo made their way towards their destination they passed numerous windows, several of which happened to be the windows to convocation hall.

A flash of white and red, which contrasted against the steady wintry whiteness, caught the Queen's eyes as Olaf and Anna ran past the window towards the garden. She turned her head ever so slightly and allowed herself the smallest smile. She would have much rather been outside with Anna, being the one to lead her to the gardens, but being the sovereign leader of Arendelle had its obligations.

"We should try to replace the lost cattle and milk trades immediately," Adriel, the councilman responsible for Eastern trades, spoke loudly, "if we don't then Arendelle will not have enough dairy supplies built up to last through the rest of the winter season." Elsa's eyes flicked to the portly man as she listened, though her mind was half elsewhere.

"We should try to make contact with Szolnek," Jørgen redirected, trying to shift the conversation back towards the topic at hand, "there is no reason to assume that his highness King Ferdinand would stop trade this abruptly with Arendelle."

"Yes, but our last three letters have gone unanswered," The man next to Jørgen, Tobias was his name the Queen believed, who was Jørgen's trainee, stated flatly "in fact, there has been no contact made by any kingdom with Szolnek in the last four months." Jørgen turned a glare towards his protégé.

"Are you suggesting we cut ties with one of our most prosperous trade partners?" He asked. Tobias quickly shook his head and submissively downcast his eyes. He was considerably younger than the rest of the council, at least ten years their junior, and his inexperience and boisterous outbursts would be the end of his career. Or so the Queen mused, her mind easily wandering.

"I think our time is better served replacing the losses as opposed to spending it wondering why Szolnek has gone silent." Adriel spoke up, breaking the awkward silence between Jørgen and Tobias. The seven other councilmen all bobbed their heads in unison and muttered their agreement.

"Are there any kingdoms near Szolnek that are seeking the same products for trade?" Elsa asked suddenly, her eyes falling on Adriel, who nearly crumbled under the intensity of the Queen's gaze.

"There are two, your majesty," He replied quickly, "but they're asking nearly twice as much in exchange rate. I have been trying to inquire about other possible trade partners in the surrounding area, but my resources are running a bit…low." His voice trailed off and he stiffened. Elsa quirked a brow at the man; she was used to her council asking for increased funding, but usually not in such a forward manner. A sinking feeling began to weight in her stomach–this must be an urgent issue if Adriel was willing to risk bringing the subject up in such a manner.

"We shall increase the funding towards your search," Elsa raised her hand and waved it ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing, "but I prefer to have these requests presented in private, Adriel." The man paled and quickly nodded in understanding.

"Apologies, my Queen." She gave a small nod and turned back to the men surrounding the long wooden table.

"Now, you said three of our letters have not been responded to?" She asked, her eyes falling on Tobias. The young man, just about Anna's age, began wringing out his hands nervously; a quirk that reminded the Queen of her younger sister.

"Y-Yes, your majesty."

"In a span of four months?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"And no other kingdom has heard word from Szolnek in that time?" Tobias shook his head. "Has no one sent a messenger directly to the kingdom?" The council murmured amongst themselves before Jørgen finally responded.

"Szolnek is a very isolated kingdom, your highness; it's extremely difficult for a single person to make the journey, especially one that is not knowledgeable about the climate and geography of the area, and during this time of year." Jørgen crossed his arms and sighed heavily. "There have been rumors spreading that a siege is taking place, and that is what has cut the kingdom of Szolnek off from the outside world." Elsa turned to him.

"A siege? For what possible reason?" Jørgen shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Perhaps it was because of King Ferdinand's son," One of the councilmen, at the far left of the table, suggested quietly.

"That was only idle gossip," The man directly across the table from him admonished, "the Queen does not wish to hear such things."

"Perhaps I do," The blonde raised her head, "what of King Ferdinand's son?" The man at the far left looked down at the table before him, somewhat fearful of meeting the Queen's eyes.

"It was mostly hearsay, your majesty, but many were saying that young Prince Janos had been the victim of the bite of a…," The man coughed, clearing his throat, "a lycan."

"Oh yes," Jørgen laughed deeply, obvious sarcasm lacing his voice, "the whole of the family was said to have the curse. But that is hardly new," The surly looking man scoffed and turned his head, "that rumor goes back generations. As far back as King Peter the first. Next you'll be suggesting that fairies and witches have cursed them too." The Queen frowned a bit and sat back in her seat; the topic of curses were, admittedly, a touchy subject for her.

"You know how it goes," Adriel added, "people are always quick to torches and ropes whenever they think a monarch is afflicted with such maledictions."

Like being a monster.

There it was, that nagging little worry in the back of the Queen's skull. Flashes of how her own citizens had reacted during the evening of her coronation ran through her mind; the fear in their eyes, the cowering, and the terror. The screams were the worst, especially of the frightened children.

"Your highness?" Jørgen turned to Elsa, his eyes betraying his burly exterior, a look over concern washing over his features. Elsa shot up and straightened, her eyes wide. "Are you alright? You are–erm, snowing…" Elsa's cheeks flushed a bit and she quickly stopped the flurries that had been falling above her head.

"My apologies," She said quickly, pushing her chair back and standing abruptly, "for the time being, we'll increase funding towards the pursuit of a replacement trade partner," She turned slightly and continued, "another letter is to be sent to Szolnek, and should it go unanswered we will ready our ships for a new trade route. The meeting is adjourned and you are all dismissed."

The Queen practically ran from the convocation hall, walking much faster than her usual stride would take her, and straight out the nearest exit and in the direction she had seen Anna and Olaf go. Her mind was racing; curses, why did it have to come back to curses? Of course there could be others afflicted with such things, she was by no means the only one, but it was doubtful that such a thing could be the cause of Szolnek's sudden silence.

Although there was still a possibility. The little voice in the back of her mind argued. The platinum blonde bit her lower lip and brought her hands together in front of her, lacing them as she'd done so many times before. Her own insecurities began to bubble to the surface the more her mind kept on the topic; even her own councilmen had been fearful of making eye contact with her.

It's not because you're Queen, it's because they're afraid of what you can do. The clouds above the castle culminated and grew dark. The wind picked up slowly and small flakes of snow began to sprinkle down steadily. Hurriedly, Elsa made her way towards where she hoped Anna was. She really needed to see her sister.

On the other end of the massive courtyard Anna and Olaf had taken a pause from admiring the flowers to look skywards. "It's snowing!" Olaf cheered, jumping up and down before stilling. "Oh no! My flowers will get cold!" The snowman quickly scrambled over to some of the potted plants and began gathering them up in his weak twig arms, unable to lift more than two at a time.

"Something must be wrong," Anna turned around, looking all around and then back towards the castle, catching sight of Elsa approaching them. "Elsa!" The redheaded Princess rushed over to her sister and stopped in front of her, her eyes scanning her older sister's face for any indication as to what was wrong. "Are you okay? It's snowing, and it was sunny a minute ago, so I sort of assumed..." Elsa smiled weakly.

"Sorry, yes, I know," She breathed in deeply and then exhaled solemnly, the snow stopped but the thick grey clouds remained overhead. Anna looked up, then back to her sister, and smiled a bit.

"Are you… done your meeting now?" Elsa gave a small nod and hugged her arms around herself. Anna's eyes fell on her sister's crossed arms and she frowned. "Hey now, none of that," She reached out and gently took hold of Elsa's forearms, prying them apart and slipping her body between them and up against the Queen. The platinum blonde tensed a bit when she felt Anna's weight press into her, and her sister's arms snake around under her own. She stifled the urge to pull back and allowed Anna to get close, feeling her younger sibling's hands press firmly into her back to pull her deeper into the embrace. "I'm here, so if you need someone to hug let it be me."

It took Elsa a moment to relax and return the hug. Her own hands slipped around Anna and shakily pressed to her sibling's back. Anna smiled and tucked her head under Elsa's chin, nuzzling her sister's neck through her high collar.

"See? This is much better than hugging yourself, right?" Elsa gave a weak smile and nodded.

"Very much so, yes," She squeezed her grip around Anna gently and sighed contently, resting her cheek against her sister's hair. The clouds slowly parted, the sun leaked through, and the sky returned to normal.

"Oh, it's okay now," Olaf smiled, setting his potted plants back down in the exact place they had been before, and in the same order, "it's sunny again, my little friends." Elsa's eyes fell on the potted plants and she smiled a bit. Anna always seemed to know exactly how to calm her, even if this was all very foreign to her.

"Thank you." The Queen said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Anna replied happily, her broad smile obvious in her voice, "you know I'll always be here for you. No more being alone, and no more hugging yourself. If you need to you have my permission to always hug me." Elsa chuckled.

"I'll hold you to that–" Elsa froze mid-sentence, her cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink, and her body went rigid. She felt Anna's lips ghost along the exposed portion of her throat, just below her jaw and slightly above the edge of her collar; the kiss was so delicate, so sweet and so very gentle. Still, the Queen was very sensitive to touch and she easily felt it.

"Promise?" Anna drew back to look into her sister in the eyes.

"I-I'm sorry?" Elsa turned her eyes down, trying in vain to relax herself.

"Promise you'll hold me to it, that you'll come to me. No more shutting me out." The Queen breathed softly and gave a small nod.

"I promise."

"Good," Anna smiled, her hands coming up to cup Elsa's cheeks, which made the blonde flinch slightly before relaxing again, "easy...," The redhead soothed, stroking Elsa's cheeks with her thumbs, "but your face is really red…" The Princess commented, causing Elsa to snap her head out of Anna's grasp and turn.

"I-I'll see you at dinner, Anna, I need to go now." And without another word the Queen left. The redhead just stood there, confused.

"Do I get a hug now too?" Olaf asked, having toddled up to Anna's side, leaving his potted plants where they were.

"Huh?" The Princess looked down and then laughed. "Oh, yes, of course." She kneeled down and embraced the snowman in his thirtieth hug today. Anna made a mental note to inform the poor snowman that his little friends wouldn't be able to grow in the winter, but for now she didn't want to disappoint him.

It was starting to snow once more, and something about that made the Princess uneasy.