Elsa could feel the osprey bird's claws as it sat on her arm carefully. Like many things in her domain, they were sharp and cold, but its wings were soft and powdery as she ran her fingers over them.
"Thank you for the fish," She murmured politely, "I don't know what I would do without you."
The bird said nothing but pushed its beak into her hair gently. She smiled and strode to the garden. At her command, the bird hopped from her arm and onto a neighbouring branch. It ruffled itself and Elsa swanned back into the palace, ready for something to eat.
While making her way to the dining room, she noticed Polaris stood obscurely in the centre of the back entryway – he stared at the wall with pursed lips, his eyes darting over every smooth inch of the ice.
"Prince Polaris?" Elsa approached him with a questioning smile, "What are you doing?"
"This wall," He pointed at it aggressively. "It's not right."
Elsa was taken aback by his statement and manner. "I'm sorry?"
"I'm not questioning your architecture – not at all – I simply fear this wall is incomplete."
Elsa wasn't sure what to say, "Incomplete?" She repeated. "I don't understand."
"You're an artist, a creator, Elsa!" Polaris turned and grasped her hands in excitement. "A sculptor! An architect!" Elsa began to feel uncomfortable. "Now tell me, surely you see something that is not already there!"
He turned her towards the wall carefully and she stared at it in confusion. "Polaris – I..."
She paused and felt her head cock to the side ever so slowly. "Wait...I see...something..."
"Yes?"
"Creatures... of beauty. And crowns, and families. Forests and seas...endless starry skies!" Elsa felt parallel excitement brewing inside her. "I wish you could see it Polaris!"
"Create it, Elsa! Paint with your thoughts," Polaris took her hand, and guided her fore finger to connect with the ice. She breathed in to begin, but stopped. Stepping away from the wall, Polaris watched her, perplexed.
Instead she joined her hands together and very slowly, moved them outwards gracefully. A long, stylus of ice materialised from her fingers with a glittering reveal, and she handed it to Polaris.
"You have to help me," She said mischievously. He took the stylus and inspected it in fascination.
Elsa turned back to the wall and began to paint with the magic that shot from her finger. She carved the scene she pictured from her vision, with her own domain illustrated in the corner of the canvas. Polaris began to use the stylus as an ice pick, and he claimed a section of the wall where he was to create his own ideas. While perfecting a crescent moon she had drawn in the top corner of her picture, she noticed Polaris had began to work in the centre.
"What are you painting?" She asked, coming to see.
"No – I'm not finished yet, your majesty," He hid the painting with his body. "One moment."
She giggled and began to carve a beautiful orca into the ice, turning over in the water with glitter bursting around it. While she completed her masterpiece of the ice palace in the corner of the painting, she decided the pathway up to it was too plain. Polaris would not approve. She crafted large snowflakes that were planted sideways into the snow, acting as a fence, or perhaps land marks that would guide a traveller to the palace. She imagined how the light would shine through each snowflake – an entire spectrum of colours casting down the mountain.
After Elsa was satisfied with her own work – and after creating a couple more ice picks for Polaris – he was ready to unveil his own piece of the wall.
"Inspired by Queen Elsa," Polaris began, and Elsa laughed, covering her mouth with her hand politely. "I present to you..."
He side stepped and made a grand gesture to his work, "Our Masterpiece."
Elsa would have immediately questioned the title of his work if she hadn't seen the painting he was presenting:
His work took up the entire centre of the wall, and was completely surrounded by Elsa's work. By far, it was the most detailed. It featured Elsa and Polaris, their hands joined and facing each other. Their expressions were loving and delighted, and they were surrounded by Elsa's other creations. The Pegasus stood behind them, from Elsa side, and it was nuzzling her braid delicately. The doves were littered around them – one even perched on Polaris' white flame of hair – and the osprey bird stood strong on the Pegasus' back. A banner laced across the bottom with a traditional rosemaling pattern to it.
It read: "Our Family."
Surrounded by the beautiful arts that Elsa created, she felt nothing other than to collapse into Polaris' arms. "It's wonderful."
He hugged her back, "It's your masterpiece."
"But you made it!"
"You think I'm capable of being original?" Polaris chuckled and patted her hair.
"You might surprise yourself," Elsa drew away from him as he reached for his ice pick.
"I might surprise you," He shot back at her, gathering together his ice picks from the floor. "I'll go put these away..."
Three heavy knocks echoed through the palace and Elsa and Polaris froze.
"Is that the door?" Polaris shook away his faze and began to stride towards the dining room. "You should see who it is."
Elsa couldn't deny the fear that rocketed through her body like icy fireworks. Turning to stare at Polaris' painting made her hope this visitor wasn't going to disrupt this perfect existence.
"Polaris...?" She whispered, but he had already wandered out of earshot.
She clenched her hands together and swanned through the palace, becoming increasingly afraid as she drew closer to the entry hall. There was no time to waste; this person was not going to leave until confronted. She did it for Polaris...and her family.
"Elsa...it's me... Anna?!" The sound of her voice echoing through the palace made Elsa's footsteps race.
"Anna."
