Enjoy! Don't forget to leave a review!

An Unforeseen Flame

No one knew about Elsa's personal crisis after the ball. She had erased any evidence the next morning, which included a clean sweep of the room and a facial touch up. When she appeared in public with her adoring husband, the King, accompanied by their guardsmen, not a soul saw the concealed rawness of red beneath her blue eyes. In fact, she had been in good spirits since they had left the castle. Elsa interacted with every villager that approached her, a vibrant and lifelike figure of authority among the people who had raised her up. She smiled and laughed, genuinely having a good time roaming the village with the King. The people responded positively as they went out of their way to comment on how lovely a couple they made.

So in love.

(Despite the political arrangement that brought them together.)

He's not so bad. Elsa thought as he continued talking about his voyages with a few other men. She noticed how he lit up during his ecstatic retellings of far off voyages at sea. It was so different, he was so different.

When they had met thirteen years ago, Riordan had been immature and arrogant. His initial introduction included mussed up hair and three day old clothing. He was basically a smelly vagabond in posh clothing, or at least, that was what Elsa and Anna had agreed on. Later that year they married. It was short, somewhat private, but celebrated everywhere. Some protested that it was too quick, that there was very little time for the couple to learn about one another properly, but Elsa did not argue. She had responsibilities as a Queen to her people and so long as there was an heir within nine months of their marriage, she could care less about anything else that Riordan did. Running a Kingdom with a child due and the father absent was easier than she had imagined, which was surprising. No one insisted that the King should be present for the birth because Elsa did not demand it. He wrote to her and that was enough. She conceded long before their vows that he needed the separation from a marital Kingship and did not force the matter. Elsa could rule just fine without a man beside her. So, when he returned every now and again, she always approved his requests to return to sea to voyage with his men. He needed it, and she needed him to be gone. Out of the picture.

It only mattered to her when she began to notice his neglect towards their son. She fully expected Riordan to make his stay much more permanent in years prior to Finn's thirteenth birthday, as most father's would leap at the opportunity to grow with their heir and teach him all about the necessities of ruling a kingdom. Instead, that hardship fell to Elsa, Kai, Kristoff, Anna, and Rolland. Everyone who should have played a minor role in Finn's growth as a Prince became the only major people in his life. The King had a lot to make up for, but Elsa mentally confessed to herself that he was trying.

Since his birthday, even days before, the King had actively taken control of Finn's morning routines. They rose together, ate breakfast, practiced swordplay, and studied what Kai left in lessons. What made it more enjoyable was the fact that Riordan was allowing Finn to take the lead and show him the ropes. In the days that followed Finn's birthday celebrations, there was less and less chatter from her son about how much he loathed his father's being home. In fact, he had taken to his father in a manner that was not only brisk, but expected entirely. The sea-faring had been an obstacle, a mere delay, in the healthy relationship of a father and son. Although, Riordan would never replace what Elsa had with Finn. He reminded her every chance that he saw his mother. Even if it was across a crowded room he found a way and that usually entailed a gesture: he placed his right hand over the spot on his chest where his locket rested. She picked up on it easily enough and it became their way of communicating without really saying anything at all.

"He's a smart boy." Said the King one evening as he joined Elsa in her study.

"He always has been." Elsa mumbled as she rifled through paperwork.

"I think he gets that from you."

Elsa looked up at him, gazing at the man leaning against the fireplace, a great silhouette of a King that needed time to become a man-and to a greater extent-a father. Rolland's words reverberated in her mind each time that he was in her presence: you can love him because the two of you make sense. It was partially true, but only because she had allowed him a few inches within her personal bubble. They were still strangers with a lot of learning to do, but she suspected that he did love her a great deal without voicing it. Then again, she also suspected that he knew about her indifference towards him. He never brought up the subject of children or the duties of a wife in the marital bed, because it would only cause her an upset. She respected that about him and had even come to care about him, but not in the way she cared for Rolland. Despite all that he had said, she could not fully remove her heart from the situation. Neither could he. They shared glances, very meaningful, very sad, and at times, somewhat very happy. When the realization of her unfortunate position hit her, she retreated to her father's study and unleashed a world of snow and ice upon the already beaten up den.

There was no greater suffering to Elsa than the boxed in seclusion of one's own feelings.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" The King looked to her expectantly, as if he had asked her a very important question in the middle of her intense thinking.

"I said that he's asking to train with you. To use his powers in a battle, as a second line of defense." Riordan approached her desk and took a seat in the chair across from her.

"Is that even fair?"

"I don't know. We could always ask the man who wrote the rules on war, but I think that's far too inconvenient." The King laughed. If anyone had written the rules on what was appropriate during war they would be long dead by now.

"Oh, right. We'll see." She said, returning to her mass of paperwork. More and more nobles wrote to the Kingdom with the impending declaration of an alliance through marriage. Some asked after Edith, some after Thomas, but most sought out Finn. These people were determined and much too persistent. Violent, even.

"What's gotten you all riled up?"

"What makes you think I'm all riled up?"

"You've frozen at least three papers solid." The King moved forward and pick up a stack of frozen solid letters. Elsa gasped, reaching for them hurriedly and failing to confiscate the evidence of her lack of control from the King.

"I'm so sorry. I lost my focus, it won't happen again." She stammered.

"Sorry for what? It's a little ice," he laughed. "I'm not afraid of you, Elsa."

If he had said it any other way, in a daunting or cocky fashion, she might have given him reason to fear her. However, the way his eyes dimmed and his voice melted smooth over the softness of his words, she found a bit of comfort there…and butterflies.

"I think I need to turn in for the night." She sighed and slumped into her chair. Her eyes followed him as he stood up, offering his arm to escort her to their room. They may not have "touched" but they shared the same bed. After all, they were married. Sleeping in separate rooms would draw a lot of unwanted attention.

"If you had not already suggested it, I would have said it myself."

Together they made their way to the bedroom in a comfortable silence that filled the space between them. Once settled in their sleep wear, they turned in for the night: Elsa resigned to one side and Riordan on the other. It was not long until the sands of sleep took her under into a nearly impossible dream, or what would become a nightmare.

In her dream, Elsa stood at the edge of a cliff that spilled off into a dark and endless precipice. The light cast down around her was blood orange and dark, crimson red; like fire. Smoke billowed around the area, which revealed dark shadows of strange men in alien uniforms pushing helpless people off either side of Elsa's daunting cliff. She watched feebly as familiar faces tumbled silently over the side, and she, suddenly shackled by the resurgence of horrible memories, unable to save them from plummeting.

She might have woken from screaming or sweating, but instead there was Rolland shaking her awake with the background of a raging fire surging behind him.

"We've been attacked!" He yelled, his voice already louder than the sound of licking flames against curtains and dry walls. Rolland was already covered in a fine film of grunge and grime. He even appeared to be injured by the way his left leg was wrapped up and bleeding.

"Just pick her up!" Riordan commanded. He was already moving on the other side of the room collecting himself in a pair of trousers and an old shirt with boots. Without question, Rolland gently scooped Elsa up into his arms and followed the King out into the burning hallway. Bleary eyed and nauseated, Elsa swatted at Rolland to let her stand.

"Put me down." She said weakly. This fire would be easy work.

Unfortunately, the second that she attempted to make it snow or ice over, she collapsed to her knees. Head heavy from smoke and her skin feeling drier than dead grass, Elsa panicked. She could not make her magic here.

"Carry her, she can't stand!" Riordan shouted, jumping out of the way of a falling picture.

This time, when Rolland lifted her, she did not protest. The entirety of her body screamed out with pain and nausea. Perhaps this is what it felt like to be dehydrated. And perhaps this is exactly what it felt like to watch your nightmares become reality. She was as useless now as anyone else in her position.

"FINN!" She screamed, almost falling out of Rolland's grip. "Where is he?! If I can't make my magic, he can't either! We have to find him!"

To their horror, they all scrambled down the hall where the worst of the fire was and broke into Finn's room. Breaking in wasn't necessary as it was already crippled from the strength of the fire. Elsa, horrified, felt her heart drop.

"He's not here."

"FINN! FINN, WHERE ARE YOU!?" She called out, thrashing and kicking like a wild woman. Riordan glanced at the pair of them and kicked in at the door, walking straight into the flames. He avoided anything that might catch him on fire as he searched the room. Elsa gripped Rolland for dear life as he looked, struggling to stay awake in the haziness of her affliction.

"He must have snuck out. Maybe he's in the other wing!" Riordan roared above the fire, gesturing for them to move on.

"I have to find him!" She screamed. If not for her inability to create the magic welled up inside, she could have made tears but instead there was only dry, choked sobbing. Where was Finn? Was he alive? Where had he gone off to in the middle of the night? She should have checked on him before going to bed. How lazy of her! She always checked on him.

"No! You have to get out of here. I'll go and find him. Take the servants entrance out." The King pointed to a door in the far off corner that had not been barricaded by the wreckage of the fire.

"He's my son-!" Once again, she scrambled again out of Rolland's hold and forced herself to stand.

"He's my son, too. You can't go after him, not in your condition!" The King shouted, taking her pale face in his hands and pressing his forehead to hers. She felt her heartbeat quicken even though it was loaded down with the impending anxiety of her son's unknown whereabouts.

"Find Anna. Make sure they're safe, too."

"Riordan, I can go and find him. You two need to escape." Rolland interjected. Elsa, if her heart had not already felt heavy enough, was now swimming in a cesspool of guilt, fear, and sickness.

"You're injured," Riordan pointed at Rolland's leg. "You won't beat the fire in time. Take her to safety and then find your men. We need to stop this before it spreads." Before Rolland could argue again, Riordan took off in the opposite direction towards the East Wing of the castle. Left to squander in their failure, both Elsa and Rolland made it through the door of the servants entrance. It led to the kitchen, which was halfway burned through, and then out into the empty training grounds. Rolland did not wait for Elsa to run and instead carried her the rest of way.

Out in the village a gaggle of onlookers watched the castle go up in smoke and flame. Embers danced into the sky with the stars in a terrifying, yet fascinating, display of an enemies attack on Arendelle.

"The Queen made it out!" People shouted.

"Queen Elsa!" Gerda cried as she removed her own cape and placed it around Elsa's expose shoulders. Kai joined her side in a matter of seconds, obviously upset.

"Most of the servants made it out." He said lowly, indicating a group of men and women consoling one another. Beside them, some people kneeled, far too grieved, and sobbing into articles of burning clothing that must have belonged to someone inside.

"I need to find my men, will you be alright?" Rolland knelt before her, sincerity and sadness welling in his eyes. Elsa wished she could have touched his face, anything to share some form of consolation, but could only nod. She was too numb, too scared, to feel anything properly.

"Finn is still in there." She croaked and sunk into Gerda's arms. She was weak, not even physically, but mentally as well.

"Elsa! Where is my sister? ELSA?!" Anna? Anna made it out?! Elsa jumped up, newly rejuvenated by the sound of her sister's voice.

"I'm over here!" She called out, watching as her sister spotted her from across the way. They must have taken a back exit. With her she had Thomas, Kristoff, and Edith, followed by a a few guards and a good amount of servants. Some appeared injured, others were carrying them but otherwise okay.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Anna breathed as she embraced Elsa.

"Did you see Finn?"

Anna stood stock still. That was not a good sign.

"Did. You. See. Finn?" Elsa pulled away, speaking slowly and holding her sisters gaze.

"No." She whispered meekly.

No. NO. NO. NO!

Something twitched inside of Elsa, something dangerous. It was like being ripped away from her body and experiencing the transformation from above. In the seconds that it took Anna to back away, Elsa had all but frozen the villagers. The ground was covered in crystal; death-like icicles shot up from the earth and raced towards the castle building with the intent to freeze anything in its path. Elsa, eyes gone white, enveloped herself in a storm that would have put the Great Freeze to shame. Her people, terrified of the fire and now their Queen, backed away screaming. She could not hear them above the bellow within the eye of the storm. Her focus, all of her concentration, rested on the burning building that had taken her son and her husband. Someone would pay. Whoever had done this, whoever had been ordered to set fire to the Queen's livelihood, would suffer the consequences of a furious and inconsolable Queen the likes of which no man would ever wish to see.

My son…my husband…gone. GONE!

"Someone stop her!"

"She's going to kill herself!"

"What is she doing?!"

"Wait! Elsa, stop! Stop, it's raining!"

Was that Anna? What did she say? It was raining? Elsa stopped, suddenly coming to and seeing what damage she had done. All forms of pikes made of crystalline ice poked through the ground and through the castle walls. It had not reached the fire just yet, but sure enough, it was certainly raining. Elsa was so transfixed on the sight of tiny droplets that she barely heard the exasperated voice of a young boy calling for her. But the louder it became, the harder it was to ignore. He had made it out. Finn had made it out.

"Mom! Mom, I'm okay!" Elsa saw him, about thirty feet away, and could not help but run to him. The second he was in her arms, she felt herself breathing again, and…Oh how it burned! Her lungs filled up with the smoke in the air but she could care less. Finn was safe, soaked from head to toe, but safe nonetheless. She stroked his hair, squeezing him tight, and kissing his face until he told her to stop multiple times.

"Where is your father?" She said hopefully, looking up and searching the faces of the people surrounding her. Guards took up arms with buckets of water, splashing it over the castle walls, and villagers scurried to help them, but not one face looked anything like Riordan's.

"I didn't see him." Finn said dolefully.

"Your Majesty," a guard approached her. "The roof caved in on one side of the East Wing. I was unable to reach him before it happened…"

Elsa covered her mouth with both hands. Finn latched onto her tightly, gripping her shaking middle and ducked away to hide his face from the world. The King didn't make it. He was almost within reach, but the roof collapsed. There was no mistaking the word of a witness, not when he had seen the entire thing take place right before his very eyes. People had to know, it was in their faces as Elsa skimmed their expressions. They looked to her now in the wake of this tragedy, they always have looked to her, so there would be no tears. She needed to be strong, strong the way she could not have been within the castle to save her husband. Patting Finn ever so lightly, Elsa knelt before him.

"Frederick," she said evenly. "Finn, I need your help. We have to put out this fire."

Her son, red-eyed and hazy with sleep, nodded his head and followed her to the gates. It took more than enough time to dull the fire and even longer to bring it to a cinder. By then the castle had been halfway devoured and incapable of habilitating the royal family. An innkeeper offered them the residence as an entirety, giving the family full run of the place for no cost at all. Elsa only agreed if she could pay him for every night that they stayed. He disagreed, but they came to a bargain. After damage control, which entailed the inspection of every corner of the castle, Elsa retired to the inn where Finn had fallen asleep with Gerda in a chair beside him. It was nearing dawn when exhaustion finally hit the Queen, but her worries were not over yet.

"Queen Elsa, Captain Rolland wishes to speak with you." The inn keeper waited outside her door with his little wife and showed her to a meeting room where she was let in.

Among a few other guards, Rolland stood at the forefront in his armor; both physically and emotionally. His face gave little away to what he must have been feeling inside. She wondered to herself whether or not the loss of his best friend had nearly broken him the way she almost had if Finn had not made it out alive. If that was the case, he must have been in pain.

"My Queen. We came across a spy." Stepping to the side, Rolland revealed the figure of a shriveled up, young man with eyes bulging from his soot covered face. "I believe that he might have been part of a group behind the attack. He's not from around here. He was dressed as a servant when my men found him, but none of the remaining servants recognize him."

Elsa observed the strange man. He was skinny, dark-haired, much too gaunt and frail to be in her service. A pallid face like his would have been easily remembered.

"Who sent you?"

The man did not speak.

"I will not ask again." She seethed, slamming both hands onto the table and sending an icy drift his way. The man shivered in fear.

"Witch!" He cried. "WITCH!"

"Take him out of here. Chain him up and keep him with you. If he starts to talk, I want to hear about it." Elsa ordered, backing away from the table as the man continued to speak gibberish about witchcraft and demons. The guards dragged the hysterical man out of the room, leaving Rolland behind with the Queen.

"Is Finn-?"

"He's fine. Sleeping. Gerda is with him." She said sharply, averting his eyes purposely as he tried to speak.

"Are you-how are you?"

"Tired, but I'll be okay. How is your leg?"

Rolland sucked in a deep breath, his voice hitching, "I should have gone. I should have made him leave with you."

"Stop it. Don't start that." Elsa met his eyes, hiding what it was that she really wanted to say but could not yet convey out loud. She was glad Rolland was alive. However terrible Riordan's death had been, she felt that it would have been wrong if Rolland had died instead. "There's nothing we can do except seek justice for what has been done."

"Elsa-"

"Your Majesty." She said coldly. Rolland stiffened, narrowing his eyes at her like an angry wolf.

"I lost him, too, Elsa. Not just you."

I know that, Rolland. She wanted to say, but instead it came out more like: "You're dismissed, Captain."

Yes, Rolland was safe. More importantly, Finn was safe. Everyone she cared for was safe and within reach. The King had made a dire choice in a desperate situation and Elsa could not make herself feel responsible for his death. There had been an assassination attempt that had claimed nearly a dozen lives, maybe more. The body count increased with each hour that passed by. For now, with the enemy wrapped up in chains and heavily guarded, Arendelle could sleep peacefully. Elsa would investigate and once she knew who had tried to kill her entire family, they would pay. War was at hand and in order to groom her people for it, she needed time. There would be plenty to do in the next few weeks and even months, but for now she only needed to be one place: next to Finn. She had come too close to losing her son and any time lost with him at this point would be a crime to her as a mother. So, she returned to her room, newly exhausted, and collapsed on the side he had not taken up.

Then she slept.

She slept for a long time. Darkness, emptiness, and the vastness of loss expounded upon her mind and she did not dream.

She could only sleep.

I planned on killing him off, I'm sorry. For those of you who thought something like adultery was going to happen, I'm sorry. I am such a bad person for telling you all that this chapter was going to be hot...but it's not like I lied. It was HOT. Just not like you might have thought. Anyways, I think I need to plan out what I want to happen next. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! I had fun writing it.

Thanks for all of your continued support!