●Maddy●

Maddy didn't like the look on Astrid's face. It spelled W-I-C-K-E-D.

"...I suppose we have no choice," Astrid spoke finally. She raised her cold eyes to meet each and every single one's gaze in the room. "I'm leaving for Arendelle." She finally settled to look into Cristina's equally icy stare, "Ready your fleet, Admiral. If things don't go as planned, I want our full naval power waiting behind the fjord."

Cristina smirked with her shark grin, "I thought you'd never ask, sis."

"Is that wise?" even if Johanna was twelfth in line and not a pureblood, she didn't fear voicing out her opinions in front of the council. And Johanna was a very, very opinionated young lady. "That's practically an act of war. If it backfires, our entire navy will be at risk. I doubt they would know how to handle retaliation from King Elliott."

"Shut up, bastard. It's not going to backfire. My men are perfectly capable of handling anything," Cristina growled, looking quite offended.

Johanna didn't flinch. They were all used to Cristina's aggressive nature, and Johanna to being called a bastard. She raised a dark eyebrow, sarcasm etched to her every feature, "Is that so? How would your men feel about catching a blizzard to the face? Just how sturdy are our ships?"

Cristina tensed up like a cat, readying her claws, but Astrid held up a hand to placate her. The tenth princess stopped herself from saying anything, but her face was murderous. Can you say A-N-G-E-R I-S-S-U-E-S? Astrid addressed Johanna, "It's a risk we are going to have to take. It's more of a... precaution. I can handle King Elliott, I think. He'd be a fool to refuse my offer."

"That offer being...?" Katherine, sitting tall and proud in her council chair, asked. They didn't allow weapons during these meetings after an incident a few years back with Rowena and Olivia, but from her body language Maddy could tell the eighth sister missed having her sword at her hip.

"Nothing you all should concern yourselves with," Astrid said. Immediately there was booing and hissing, a few curses. "Enough! I'm not going to share my strategies with the lot of you."

"But you'll trust them to her?" Daria, usually so quiet, sneered. She pointed a long black fingernail at Maddy.

Astrid shrugged, "Madeleine has proved herself. She has remained by my side. She didn't run off," she glared at Daria, "She has never refused any of my orders," that time the glare was directed at Cristina. "She's loyal," the queen finished by narrowing her eyes at Katherine. "All in all, she has earned my trust."

It made Maddy feel extremely uncomfortable to have her siblings' envious eyes on her. Astrid didn't throw her trust around like it was nothing. Years upon years of enduring Astrid' every whim had earned her this place. The kind of control her eldest sister had over her had literally been earned with blood.

Sonja's face was one of dumb admiration, while her twin had a murderous smile. Daria looked bored again, probably regretting having answered her sister's call to come back and be on the council. Emilia whispered something into Olivia's ear and they scowled with their identical faces. Overall, none of them looked happy about Astrid's decision.

Maddy lowered her eyes, not wanting to look at any of them. She didn't feed on their envy, like Johanna did. She didn't enjoy the spotlight, like Sonja did. She just wanted to be left alone with Josef and live a quiet life, but of course that had never been an option. Not when she was second in line to a queen without heirs.

"If what you're saying is true," Katherine said, this time to Sophia, "Helena has agreed to answer for her crimes and do her time. Why don't we just let her?"

"Helena doesn't have to answer for anything," Emilia answered instead. "She looked after the people after that king went mad. He froze the entire fjord! She then ventured out to find the prince, putting herself at risk."

Her twin Olivia rolled her eyes, "Are you ignoring the part where she betrayed the prince and left him to die?"

Emilia scoffed, "Did that prince seriously think Helena would love him after a few short days? She was under no obligation to be the one to provide the true love's kiss. At least she kissed him."

"Then she tried to kill the king himself," her sister shot back.

"The king himself is a sorcerer! Who would trust him?" Emilia said with an exasperated groan. "He kept his powers a secret for twenty years! He can create ice monsters. I'm surprised the people are warming up to him."

"'Warming up to him'?" Daria snickered, "Now, there's a poor choice of words."

"You know what I mean!"

Emilia and Daria started to yell at each other from across the room, with Olivia backing Daria up. Cristina laughed maniacally as Sophia tried to silence them. Cecile mumbled nonsense. It seemed the room was split between those who thought Helena was innocent, and those who didn't.

"How about we just get rid of her?"

An abrupt silence rolled over the Council of Thirteen, and heads turned to look at the speaker. Rowena. With her raspy voice and careful words. Maddy squirmed in her chair, feeling Astrid grow tense next to her. "What's that, sister?" the queen asked.

Rowena's dark blue eyes, emotionless ones at that, seemed sleepy as she spoke. "Helena is a loose end. She has tried to kill a king. Who says she won't try the same thing here, with our queen?"

Maddy felt her throat tighten. She and Helena were just the same, then. They had both... they had both tried to kill the person on the throne, and they had both failed. Her darkest memory threatened to bubble up again, the memory of that knife being dragged down her face. She shut it out quickly and tried to keep her face neutral as Astrid replied.

"Helena has no reason to kill me," she said, in a clear, clear voice. "She is last in line, or have you forgotten? My death would do her no favors. In Arendelle she actually had a chance with King Elliott gone."

"She claimed Ander's last words had been their marriage vows," Sophia confirmed. Rowena made a hmmm sound, maybe a growl. "No one would have questioned it. She could have been Queen."

Cristina clapped her hands, "But she failed, and now here we are. Discussing all this, while you keep us in the dark about your plans," she pointed with her chin at Maddy, "All of us except for her."

Astrid rubbed her temples in annoyance, "I grow tired. We'll make final arrangements in the morning." She stood up, "Dismissed." She nodded towards a guard to get Cecile back to her tower.

Everyone began to file out, and as Maddy passed by Cristina's chair, she heard the sly remark from the blonde, "What's this shit? Do I need to get a scar on my face to earn Astrid's trust, too?"

"That would look so ugly," Sonja said. Then she realized Maddy was standing right in front of her. "Oh! N-Not on you, Maddy. It gives you character! It would look ugly on Cristi's face, is all I'm saying." She placed a hand on her twins' cheek, "You'd look like a sad pit-bull."

"Are you calling me a dog?!"

With a nasty look she left the twins to their bickering. Astrid has thus far not shared her plans with her. Whatever she was planning to blackmail or bribe Elliott with, she had not been kind enough to tell. Knowing her sweet sister it was most likely blackmail, but what? Get the brother to get through to the king? Threaten an attack?

She didn't see Katherine leaning against the doorframe, waiting for her. As Maddy exited, Katherine followed her, easily keeping pace with her, "You don't know what she's planning, do you?"

"My guess is as good as yours," Maddy replied. She'd never paid much attention to Katherine either. She was eighth in line, much more masculine than her other siblings. She was slowly learning that she should have been paying more attention.

"I... I feel so responsible," her sister said. She dragged her hands down her face, "I taught the kid how to fight, you know? Put a sword in her hand. Same sword she probably used to try and kill this Elliott."

"It's not your fault," Maddy said. But she remembered Johanna's words a few days ago, 'her fall is our fault'. It bothered her. Had they, somehow, shaped Helena into the wicked little girl she turned out to be?

"What the hell is Astrid thinking, bringing Cristina's armada to their doorstep?" Katherine said. Maddy shushed her, as if their queen had superhuman hearing. She did have quite a lot of spies, her Little birds, and they were just about the same as super hearing. She didn't know if the words would be considered treason or constructive criticism, she didn't feel like risking it. "This can only end in blood, I'm telling you," the blonde said in a softer tone, but still a very angry one.

"Unless her plan turns out to be brilliant," Maddy said, as they stepped out into the garden. Rows upon rows of carefully planted roses of every color rested lazily in the afternoon sun. Katherine had never been this friendly, let alone talkative. Which meant she probably wanted something.

Katherine offered a sarcastic half-smile, "When's the last time Astrid had a brilliant plan?"

Maddy decided against answering and instead she picked one of the roses instead. She didn't know if it had a name, but it was beautiful. Yellow with orange tips. She remembered watching Astrid manhandle her up of tea, and wonder how something so fragile could endure so much. The same went for the flower. Something so beautiful and defenseless being forced into this harsh world. But then she pricked her finger, and... ah, well, even roses had their thorns.

She quickly put her finger inside her mouth and wrinkled her nose at the coppery taste of blood. At Maddy's silence, Katherine seemed to gather her courage for her request, "Anyway, uh... I wanted to ask something of you. If it's not... not too much trouble."

Maddy tilted her head, "Yes?"

"Well Astrid made it pretty clear she's taking only you with her to Arendelle, so..."

She tried not to roll her eyes at that. Just before the meeting with the council, Astrid took her aside and informed her of this. That she would be accompanying Her Majesty so far north. And Maddy, being her faithful subject, had no option but to agree. It was awful because her husband was not allowed to come, Maddy's sanity lifeline would be staying here and she didn't appreciate that.

"... so I was wondering if you could, like... bring Helena some comfort?"

Maddy raised her eyebrow at the strange request, "What?"

The younger girl was taller than her by a couple of inches, and she casted her eyes away, an embarrassed blush creeping up her neck. "I just... I feel so bad. Like I said. It was I who put that sword in her hand. She was this big," Katherine gestured with her hand somewhere around her mid-section "and I taught her to fight. To have no mercy, to... to take chances, if she got them. To be ruthless, I..." the blonde sighed, "I don't know. I feel awful."

"You saved her life," Maddy blurted out without thinking. "Sophia said King Elliott created an ice dragon, and Helena fought with it. And she won. Your training saved her."

Katherine still seemed uneasy, rubbing the back of her neck, "Still. Could you do that for me?"

Maddy had never in her life comforted another human being. She'd kind of patted Olivia's hair when the chubby fool fell down a stone path and sliced open her knee years ago. She had squeezed Sonja's arm when her little sister had lost her baby. Maddy wasn't made to make others feel better. She could barely handle her own self. If anything, she'd make Helena feel worse. "Yes, of course." But she agreed to Katherine's request all the same. L-I-A-R.

A rare little smile appeared on her sister's face. "Thank you."

●Helena●

Helena had found her greatest challenge since being stuck in this hellhole.

Getting rid of that damn snowman.

She'd lost Kronk, just as easily as she'd lost Dr. Sweet a couple of days ago. The poor halfwit was probably still looking for her in the library. But General Winter? That thing was like glue, stuck only to her. It appeared the snowman had made it his sole mission in life to be there to aggravate her. It was like playing hide and seek with a hound.

The princess pressed herself against the wall and held her breath. She had tried to distract him back in the gallery with a Joan of Arc painting, and as the snowman had launched into a probably made-up story about the woman in the painting, she slipped away. And prayed he would not find her.

She wasn't really planning on going anywhere, after her escape fiasco she had no desire to go outside anymore. Sophia's fleeting visit had lifted her spirits just as fast as it had plummeted them back down. And now Elliott's pet was following her around to add to her already sour mood.

A whole minute passed, and nothing. Helena relaxed and let her guarded expression become a smirk. The tiny menace was probably still talking to the picture on the wall. This was going her way, at least. She wondered if she could scoop up some snacks from the royal kitchen if she-

"Who are we hiding from?"

Helena's scream was probably heard across the entire fjord. What the hell-?

"Oi, calm down, you noisy girl! Stop screaming." The snowman blinked up at her with his ice-shard for eyes. Just like that, he was next to her, hiding right beside her. She hadn't heard him at all!

"How are you here?!" her voice was still shrill. She wouldn't be surprised if guards ran down the hall, thinking someone was getting murdered.

General Winter stared at her as if she were stupid. "Elliott built me."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," she rolled her eyes.

"I am not Captain Obvious. I am General and I am Winter."

She narrowed her eyes at his well, duh tone. "Can you teleport? Can Elliott's powers do that?"

"Nonsense. I followed you."

"You couldn't have. I checked."

He shrugged his snowy shoulders, "Perhaps your senses aren't as sharp as you think they are."

Was this five-foot-tall man made of snow with a ridiculous mustache seriously offending her? Or trying to? "Besides, you are no match for someone like me! I singlehandedly defeated the Meltlings! All except for one," if snowman's could get dark looks on their faces, this one did. "The Blizzard Dragon got the best of me, I'm afraid."

She was about to humor him until his crazy words made sense; Blizzard Dragon? She had fought that monster outside of Elliott's ice palace days ago. She had maimed it and defeated it. "I killed the Blizzard Dragon," she told him.

"Don't be foolish, it would have destroyed you. It was massive!" the General brought his arms together and opened them and closed them again and again, imitating the snapping of jaws. "It could've swallowed you up! Ripped yo' head off and leave nothing for the wolves! Chomp chomp chomp!"

"I'm twice your size," she said irritably. "I have actual training in combat. I handled the overgrown ice cube just fine." She tried to rub it in his face that it hadn't been a big deal, but the fight had been pretty scary. The thing did manage to almost kill her.

He snorted in disbelief. "Sure, sure, whatever you say."

"We could go look for the dragon," Helena said, suddenly getting a glint in her eye. "It fell down a ravine, but it could have survived. I don't know. I cut off its wing."

The small abomination perked up, like a hound catching scent of its prey. But he quickly recovered, "No, no. I do not have permission to let you leave the palace."

"But you could come with me, keep an eye on things," she said. The snowman shook its snowy head, stubborn as ever. She almost growled in frustration. The memory of the Blizzard Dragon had stirred her feelings of wanting to escape again. This time perhaps not across the ocean, but through all the mountains of the fjord. She could live out her days like a wildling, traveling with the snowman freak by her side, until they got so close to the South that the heat would finally consume the small monster and melt it once and for all. Surely Elliott's small cloud above the General's head could not reach such distances and keep it frozen.

She decided to try another method. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were scared of it, General. You wouldn't stand a chance, even with the beast wingless and all."

If there had been any blood inside the snowman's head, its face would have turned red with fury. "Do not test me, girl. I know what you're trying to do. It is not going to work."

"It's not?" she asked. The snowman stared up at her, and for the first time Helena saw a spark of intelligence in the icy eyes. It reminded her of Elliott's gaze. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You remind me of a Meltling... one of its leaders," he said. "It looked just like you... except for the devil horns. And the manly sideburns on its cheeks. I will not take credit for that one's demise, though. In the end it was Anders who melted the wretched creature."

"You keep speaking of these Meltlings. I don't even know what they are!"

"Elliott created them. The Blizzard Dragon was one of them. They are created from dark, dark thoughts. They come to life and they are terrible, bloodthirsty creatures."

"Oh... so you're a Meltling too-"

She didn't even get to finish her sentence before she was knocked to the ground by five-feet of pure wrath. The snowman was heavier than it looked. In no time, it had her pinned down and had a wicked sharp ice sword pointed at her throat. She gasped as the cold ice bit into her skin.

"You. DO NOT. Call. Me. Meltling," it said in a scarily calm voice. Helena felt a pang of fear for the first time. She'd thought this was just some goofy grandfather Elliott had created, not... not this. The tone of his voice and the sharp object pressed against her throat, it brought back unpleasant memories from Cristina.

"I'm sorry! Please..." Her face burned with humiliation. Here she was, Helena of the Southern Isles, begging for her life to a lump of talking snow. All because she'd called him a name, a name that seemed to perfectly describe him. Meltling. Had Elliott created a Melting of her? It both disturbed her and made her curious. It made her want to ask the king about that. He did not owe her any answers, but if he had modeled one of those Meltlings after herself, then she had a right to know, didn't she?

"...Alright." And just like that, he sheathed his sword and offered a snowy hand to help her up, "I hate Meltlings, for the record. "

"Yeah. Yeah, I can tell."

"Superb! I am glad we understand each other." He raised his thick eyebrows and smirked, like they were best buddies and he hadn't just threatened her life with his stupid ice toy.

She swallowed back her sarcastic reply and accepted his hand. With whatever pride she had left, she said, "Fine. Can we... ugh. Can you escort me to the kitchen?"

The snowman bowed its head, "That I can do."

●Krista●

Krista didn't want to admit it, she really, really didn't want to.

But her uncle was just so. damn. nice.

He was likeable, and sweet, like a Labrador puppy, with his long blonde hair and easy smile. Axel had been nothing but kind to her. But Krista's biggest character flaw beside her scathing sarcasm was that she kept grudges. She never forgot when people wronged her, and she never forgave.

The man was trying with all his might to win her back again, and the most infuriating part was that it was working. The first to fall to his charm had been Suri, granted with the help of some apples and carrots but still. The reindeer had been quick to betray her. Andy was away in the palace, so Krista had her uncle all to herself.

"... I promise you, Krista, things will be different. I will be different."

She gradually tuned out her uncle's words as they traveled up the Little Slip, a small path east of the North Mountain, where he was accompanying her to harvest some ice. She'd been wanting to go to get her mind off things, get some familiarity going, but Axel had just insisted he come along.

"...we'll give the papers a look together, eh? See who your mom wanted you to marry and all."

That last part made Krista jerk the reins a little, "You're still on that? Uncle, I told you, I'm going to marry whoever I want, okay? I... I love mom, but... no. She's not deciding for me."

"Now, now, I didn't say it was obligatory or anything. Just... just give the guy a chance, Kris." She shuddered at the nickname. It had been a very long time since someone had called her that. "He may be no Prince of Arendelle..." she blushed at that. "... but he could be a good lad. Someone you could actually have a chance with."

Yet again, her uncle said the wrong thing. She tried not to grit her teeth too much when she said, "Oh? Are you implying Andy and I- that we don't-"

"Shit! Sorry, that came out completely wrong! I do apologize." He waited for her reply, but her only response was an annoyed grunt. She kept her eyes on the path and urged Suri forward. "I was just trying to say... Anders is a nice guy. But he is prince! He is expected to marry a lady, not a..." he trailed off.

"I am so glad you did not finish that sentence," Krista brought the sled- the sled Andy had gifted her- to an abrupt stop. She stomped over to the back and pulled out her saw and ice tongs, plus some other tools. Harvesting ice sounded like a wonderful stress-reliever right about now. She glowered at her uncle until it became a glare. "Look, I honestly could not care more about what you think, or what you want. After you abandoned me, I... whatever. Just don't say things you know nothing about."

She knew, she dominated the fact that Andy was supposed to marry a lady. A princess. A Helena. And it killed her. But so far life had not pointed him in that direction. Fate had brought them together. Grumpy ice harvester and lovable prince. She still didn't know how, but they worked. What they had, she couldn't possibly explain to herself, much less to her selfish uncle.

Axel gulped, nervously eyeing the sharp tools in his niece's hands. "Trust me, I would never push you into doing anything that you didn't feel comfortable with. I am just saying- looking through your mom's will couldn't hurt a whole lot, now could it?"

Her angry reply was interrupted by a piercing sound that cut through the air and made her ears pop.

ROOO-OOO-OOAR!

Krista immediately froze. It was a roar, a familiar roar.

"What was that?" Axel gripped the dashboard of the sled, his dark eyes frightened. From the tall trees ahead a flock of birds flew away, screeching and leaving a shower of feathers behind them.

Suri whined, and bucked her back. Krista finally reacted and dumped her tools back on the sled, then rushed over to comfort her reindeer, "Shh!" The snowy ground shook beneath her boots, a small quake.

Her uncle was almost in hysterics. "Krista?"

ROOO-OOO-OOAR!

The creature emerged from the forest then, all sharp ice and vengeful sapphire eyes.

Krista thought she'd never see the Blizzard Dragon again.


++ I'm thinking leaving Elliott single, to stay true to the story and true to Elsa. But we'll see! Nothing is certain :)

+20 questions is coming up next chapter, I know some of you were looking forward to that but .. i wanted to get this up pronto, so enjoy! also maybe suggest a question, maaaybe i'll include it? if i can?

Thank you for reading!:)