Anna and Elsa had arrived at the dining room and greeted Kristoff who was waiting patiently for them to arrive.

Ever since he started his courtship with Anna, Kristoff was welcome into the castle whenever he pleased. He did not take advantage of this freedom, however. When he was not with Anna, Kristoff preferred to be up in the mountains instead whenever he had free time from mining ice from the northern lakes.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Anna and Kristoff had to keep their conversations quiet while the Queen and her advisor went over the schedules planned for the winter festival which started in two days. Guests would be arriving from other kingdoms to attend the festival which started with a ball and spanned the entire week with varied celebrations and other competitions planned. The only issue on the guest list that concerned Elsa was the arrival Prince Karl of the Southern Isles, Prince Hans' eldest brother. The Queen begrudgingly approved his request for an invitation after reading his letter practically begging her to try to clear the bad blood between their kingdoms after his little brother's stunt.

After a few hours, seeming more like days, the advisor finally left and Elsa looked up at the empty table, she wondered when her sister left, or more confusingly, how she left without her noticing. She cast the thought away, knowing Anna did not mind. Elsa had been reminded several times by her sister that she understood the demands that running a kingdom required. Being as young as she was doubled the strain of her responsibilities to Arendelle and the Queen relied heavily on her advisors to which she was eternally grateful for their wisdom.

The Queen entered the castle courtyard flanked by two guards, more of a formality than for protection. It seemed like everyone had turned up to see the queen create her ice decorations for the upcoming festival. It was only a simple chore but the people loved to gaze upon the beauty of her ice powers, and, it made Elsa feel accepted by her people.

The Queen raised her arms and started with the two fountains, gently coaxing the dancing streams of water before freezing the flow in place. She moved on to the perimeter of the courtyard and created various statues of people, the craftsmanship rivaled only by master statue carvers. The final part of the decoration was on the roof of the castle and the surrounding guard towers. Ice slowly trickled along the surface leaving an effect that looked as if the roof was made of jewels. Elsa waved her hand and created the finishing touch, a snowflake, unique as any other, on top of the tallest spire of the castle.

The crowd cheered when the final decoration was in place and Anna stepped up next to her sister.

"I am so jealous of you sometimes, do you even get tired of creating all of these beautiful things?"

Elsa smiled at the princess. "Not at all, it is a really nice break from everything."

The crowd's cheers had died down to a steady rumble of conversations as they checked out the queen's most recent constructs. Elsa worked her hands in midair to create a sphere of ice before giving it to her sister. Anna took it and found that Elsa made her a snowglobe with a miniature version of the castle inside.

Anna hugged her sister. "It's beautiful, I love it."

"I'm glad you do," Elsa replied, "and don't worry too much because it will not melt but it can shatter if you drop it."

Everyone went silent when they heard a panicked outburst.

"Fire!"

The queen turned to the nearby guard tower she heard the call come from.

"Fire! Fire in the north woods!"

The Queen's guards were barely fast enough to open the doors for her as Elsa ran to see what was going on. She quickly spotted the fire to the north with the large columns of thick black smoke which was still far enough away that there was no immediate danger but it could rage upon the city quickly. Elsa gestured the guards to step back as she waved her arms and conjured a snowstorm over the fire, quickly extinguishing the flames.

"Fires like this don't usually start on their own especially in winter. My queen, should I gather the men?"

Elsa turned to the guard. "Yes, find out what caused this disaster, rescue any survivors, and make sure to check on that trading post."

With a bow, the guard exited the tower and headed off.