DISCLAIMER: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Elsa gripped the armrests of her chair as she felt the mahogany starting to frost over. For a moment, she found herself wishing for the safety of the gloves.

"Your Majesty?"

Conceal, don't...no, there would be none of that anymore. "My apologies, Minister Engen. Continue with your report."

The Minister of Trade tried to smile and cleared his throat. "As I was saying, my queen, the best course of action will be to ration wool until closer ties with England are established…"

His voice faded away again as Elsa's eyes trailed up and down the table. It wasn't the proceedings that troubled her - she'd been training herself to handle those for years. The eighteen pairs of judging eyes, on the other hand, were another matter.

"...in a month's time. Is this suitable, Your Majesty?"

She blinked. "Yes, Minister Engen. See that it is done at once." She stood up, pulling the cold back into her hands. "Will that be all for today, gentlemen?"

The temperature dropped a few degrees as she saw the Minister of Foreign Affairs pull a letter from his coat pocket. "One more matter. A response from the king of Spain to our invitation."

Not this again. "What does he say?"

"He cannot attend the Yule festivities, Your Majesty. His younger son shall come in his place. I do believe he is about your age, madam."

"Good for him. We shall reconvene at eleven next Thursday." She could feel their stares on her back as she walked to the door.

The legs of a chair scraped across the floor as the Prime Minister rose. "My queen," he said, "at least consider him."

Elsa paused, then turned to face the old man. "We agreed that we wouldn't speak of this until I'd reigned a year."

"Your people nearly lost the only bloodline they've ever known this summer. They must be reassured. An heir is needed." He paused, biting his lip.

"And?"

"There is no precedent for a Queen of Arendelle ruling alone. One such as yourself ought to be restr - " He would have stopped himself at that moment, but his queen's glare did it for him.

"No precedent," she said, lifting her chin. "Then I shall set one."

The old man did not move, but his gaze flickered down to her folded hands as he tensed.

"That will be all for today?" she said to the rest of the cabinet, who wore similar expressions. "Good." Opening the doors, she swept away and took the chill with her.

Why's it so dark in here? Elsa thought as she trudged back towards her room. The hall windows were open, and the sunlight was streaming through, yet it seemed muted by more than just the clouds. Sighing, she rubbed her temples. Must be the headache. She made a mental note to send for some tea and tell the servants not to disturb her -

"Elsa!"

She screamed as a blurry, red-haired mass slammed into her, grabbed her shoulders and twirled her around. "Anna, what are you doing?"

"Oh! Sorry sorry sorry!" Anna stammered, pulling away and dusting her sister off. "I just couldn't wait! The meeting's over, right? You got time for this?" She was holding something behind her back.

"Time for what?"

"Okay, you remember how I said we just had to move your stuff. You were taking so long in there and I was getting kind of bored and I just couldn't get the boxes right and then Kristoff…" As she rambled, she brought the doll out and clutched it to her chest.

Elsa's mind cracked as it saw the streak of white. When she looked into the button eyes, it shattered. "W-Where did you get that?" she demanded, growing pale.

"That's what I'm telling you, Elsa. I thought I'd lost this old thing years ago! Isn't it cute? I think we should...hey!"

Elsa had wrenched the doll from her grasp. "We're putting it back where you found it. Now."

"Elsa, it's just a doll."

"No, it's not!" She stopped, aware of the passing servants' glances. "I...I can't explain it just yet."

"Is this another ice powers problem? You don't have to keep this stuff secret anymore, you know."

Elsa's face softened. "I'm sorry…"

Good, the button eyes said. Now leave me to my work.

Her own eyes blazing with hatred, Elsa squeezed the doll by the neck. "We still have to get rid of this."

"Not until you tell me why!"

"This comes first," she answered, starting to walk away.

Anna was right behind her, grabbing the doll's arm. "Elsa, don't do this - "

"Go away, Anna!"

The younger woman stopped. She blinked several times, shook her head, searched her sister's face. When the words sank in, her eyes widened and her shoulders went limp. She shrank back, wrapping her arms around herself. "Um...okay."

Elsa reached out to her with a shaking hand. "I didn't mean it, I really didn't - "

"No, no, I get it. You...space...need. We'll just do the moving thing another time."

"Anna…"

She looked down. "Bye." Elsa stayed rooted as she watched her go, and the prisoner on the throne laughed at them both. Oh, this is going to be easy.

"And I wasn't even that mad, Olaf! I was…" Anna leaned back against the library sofa. "I was worried. Scratch the was, I still am."

The snowman looked up from the rug pattern he was tracing with a wooden finger. "About what?"

"That...that she's just gonna shut the door again." For the last six months, such a thing had existed only in her nightmares.

Olaf gasped. "No more sleepovers?"

"Yeah, something like that." She looked at the door. "What should I do?"

Olaf sat down beside her. "Maybe she's just having a bad day. You just gotta give her a warm hug!" When Anna didn't answer, he put his hand on hers. "Do you think she meant what she said?"

"No."

"See? You're gonna be fine! Now let's go find her!"

"I need a few more minutes, Olaf."

"Okay, I'll go find her!" Before Anna could protest, Olaf was trotting out the door with a giggle. "Hey, Elsa? Mom? Anna has a surprise for you…!"

Anna found herself chuckling. Once he was gone, she moved to lay her head against the dormant fireplace, her braids splayed out on the stones. Maybe Elsa had just lost her temper. Or maybe she was wrong yet again.

That's right. Just a little closer.

Anna sat up as her gaze drifted to the mantle. No way...I would've noticed that before. Is it? Getting up, she ran her hands along the designs on the wood. Sure enough, one of the flowers was raised from the rest of the pattern. That was not here yesterday! Pulling on it didn't do anything. What if she pushed…?

An abrupt rumbling came from the back of the fireplace. Anna knelt down just in time to see the back wall slide away. Beyond it, she thought she saw something glinting in the light. For a moment she could only gape, then she grinned. Why haven't I seen this before? Hoisting up her skirts, she crawled through the opening. As she crossed the threshold, the door slid back and left her in darkness.

"Hey! Let me out!" She banged on the bricks, but nothing happened. "Come on…" As her hands fumbled across the floor, her fingers brushed against something. Wood...short...bulb...match! Finding the wall, she dragged it along the stones and flinched as it flared to life.

The secret room was no more than a little closet, and the only door seemed to be the one which had just turned on her. As Anna stood, the firelight fell on something propped against the wall. Something tall, covered by a white cloth. Stepping forward, she reached out and pulled off the dusty covering.

It was a mirror, as tall as she was, resting within a curving bronze frame. The metal bands snaked up and around to form a pair of claw-like hands at the top, grasping at something above them. Anna didn't notice: she was staring into the glass, transfixed. There didn't seem to be any damage to it - nothing that could have ruined the reflection. Then why did the girl staring back at her seem so wrong?

That was when it blinked when she didn't, when its eyes became buttons. "Did you miss me?"

The shadowy hands came floating out, grasping at her braids. Anna screamed and whirled around, banging on the door, only to gasp as the claws wrapped around her. They clamped onto her throat, bound her arms and legs, pulled her down and dragged her back towards the mirror. "Elsa! ELSA!"

The glass rippled as they pulled her through it, cutting her screams short. Then it settled and smoothed, and she might as well have never been there at all.