The next evening, after Queen Elsa had insisted that Kaya dine with her, Anna and the Ice Master and Deliverer, Kristoff, the Snow Queen cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention.
"Well," she said conversationally. "There was a slight...incident yesterday."
"What kind of incident?" Anna queried.
Kaya continued eating slowly and calmly, not especially paying attention to what the queen was saying.
"Anna, don't freak out," Elsa looked fondly at her sister, predicting her reaction. "A man was found hiding in my room last night." Anna gasped and Kristoff choked on his water. "We think he was sent to kill me."
What could have possibly given you that impression? Kaya thought dryly.
Not as empty-headed as she looks, eh? Kaya internally rolled her eyes.
Elsa addressed Kaya. "You don't look surprised, Kaya."
Kaya's expression remained neutral. "It wouldn't be surprising that a queen would have assassins coming after her." She lightly smirked. "Aren't your staff trained to handle this sort of thing?"
"No, they aren't." She looked down to her hands, which were folded in her lap. "These things don't happen very often in Arendelle." A strange sadness that Kaya didn't understand seemed to settle over the queen as she stared off into space.
Elsa shook her head, as if that would rid her of thoughts of the assassin. "In any case, Kaya, I'd like to speak to you after you've finished, is that alright?"
The other woman gave her a deadpan look. "You are the monarch, Queen Elsa; you don't have to ask permission."
The queen smiled. "Nevertheless."
Kaya supposed that was the end of the discussion, then.
When Anna and Kristoff had finished, they left the room, saying they had errands to run. Elsa stood and Kaya leisurely followed her lead as Elsa headed for the door.
"We can talk in my study."
Elsa led the way, Kaya taking notice of how the dress of the queen clung to her skin, giving it an almost ethereal glow. She quietly marveled at the ice-blue dress' design, how it flowed around the queen's waist and hips as she walked with light, graceful steps down the hall. She couldn't deny how attractive the Snow Queen was, in more ways than one; it was a wonder she wasn't constantly battling off suitors with those icy powers of hers.
They finally reached the queen's office and Elsa opened the door and stepped inside, motioning for Kaya to follow.
Kaya remained where she was even after the queen closed the door behind her.
When the foreigner raised a questioning eyebrow in her direction, Elsa decided to skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point.
"I saw you practicing martial arts movements last night." Kaya nodded. "You look experienced at it."
"I suppose." Kaya could honestly say she had no idea where Queen Elsa was going with this.
The Queen smoothed the front of her dress in a nervous gesture. "I would like to request your services."
Kaya raised a brow. "My...services?"
"I want you to train the castle guards."
Whatever Kaya had been anticipating, it certainly hadn't been that.
While it briefly crossed her mind to consider the offer,
"I refuse."
Queen Elsa looked perplexed at the immediate answer. "Any particular reason why?"
"I'm not accustomed to being told what to do." Kaya left out the part about wanting to get as far away from Palladon as she could, and as quickly as possible.
Elsa laughed. "No, I don't suppose you are, but that's why you would be the one in charge. I will give you full authority to over palace security to train the castle guards however you see fit."
"This wouldn't have anything to do with your recent troubles with assassins, would it?"
Elsa smiled noncommittally. "Why, yes it does." She gave Kaya a look. "Not that you would know anything about that particular predicament, though, right?"
The fire user decided against dignifying the rhetorical question with a response. It was obvious that Queen Elsa had her suspicions about what Kaya's involvement might have been in the would-be assassination attempt, but Kaya didn't care to know the specifics of the queen's thoughts at the moment.
"Please," Elsa wasn't worried for herself so much as for the kingdom as a whole. "If they don't know how to defend the palace properly, how can I depend on them to protect my subjects when I can't?"
Kaya had to admire the determination to protect her citizens so selflessly; her father certainly hadn't displayed that impulse very often.
She started to turn down the request again. "Queen Elsa..."
"You can have anything you want," Elsa pleaded. "As long as it's in my power to give you."
Kaya doubted the queen fully understood exactly how that statement would sound to someone with less restraint than she.
Hm.
"'Anything' is quite a dangerous promise, my dear." Kaya sneered at Elsa, taunting her. "What would you do if I coveted something you couldn't give to me?"
The queen's expression turned determined. "I would never go back on my word; I would do anything in my power to give you what you wanted."
Smirking, Kaya stalked like a feline predator towards the Snow Queen and stopped only inches from her, looking deeply into her eyes. Queen Elsa looked vaguely surprised at Kaya's sudden lack of regard for personal space. Kaya almost tenderly cupped Elsa's chin in one hand, gently caressing the queen's lips with her thumb.
Elsa stood mesmerized as the other woman drifted closer. She couldn't have pulled away even if she'd wanted to. The heat from the other woman's body was palpable in the air, and Elsa suddenly didn't want to resist the pull of the allure that she'd felt for this woman from the moment she'd first laid eyes on her. Her eyes fluttered shut.
Kaya looked at the sensual expression on the queen's face. So that's how it is. She thought she might have imagined the queen's eyes lingering on her form for a moment longer than was strictly proper on more than one occasion.
She sighed. Beautiful as the queen was, a kiss would only complicate things, now that Kaya knew how strong Elsa's resolve was. She wouldn't have had less respect for the queen if she had been willing to enter a physical relationship with her under the condition that Kaya would train her guard. Kaya had simply wanted to test the queen's resolve; how far she was willing to go, how much she wanted Kaya to agree to her request.
Kaya chuckled softly, startling Elsa into opening her eyes again to meet the other woman's.
"I suppose that's that, then." Kaya smirked cockily.
Elsa looked puzzled.
Amused, Kaya grinned faintly as she pulled away from Elsa, putting space between the two women again.
"Don't worry, my queen, your chastity is safe for your future husband." She chuckled again as she went to stand once more at the window.
It finally dawned on Elsa that the foreigner was teasing her. She wasn't sure how she should feel about this, but she nonetheless regained her composure and cleared her throat.
"So..."
Elsa didn't see her roll her eyes, and Kaya said, "Yes, alright, fine, I'll do it." She glanced back at the queen. "I'll start first thing tomorrow."
Elsa beamed at the thought of her soldiers finally getting professional training. She clapped her hands together lightly and approached Kaya, lightly brushing her arm to get her attention.
Kaya turned her gaze away from the view of the fjord briefly to look into Elsa's smiling face.
"Thank you." was all Elsa said.
Kaya refrained from scanning the queen's form thoroughly. She settled for simply smirking once again, arching a sleek eyebrow in the process. "Don't thank me just yet."
Elsa smiled and retreated out of the room after bidding her goodnight. As the door closed, Kaya laughed softly to herself.
Maybe staying in Arendelle would be interesting after all.
