Lost in her thoughts, Elsa jumped when she suddenly heard a loud rapping on her door. It didn't sound like Anna's gentle tapping, it was louder and more forceful.
"Elsa, please let me in." A gruff voice permeated the wall of ice and wood; it was Kristoff.
"I think I know what's going on, but you have to open the door. I can't help you if I'm stuck out here."
Elsa felt embarrassed. Did the whole castle know what happened?
His voice echoed through the door again, "It's going to be unfortunate if I have to use my ice pick to breakdown your door. It has such a beautiful design on it, it would be a shame to see such fine craftsmanship go to waste."
She and Kristoff had become good friends over the past few years, and she was glad he was there for her right now. She felt more comfortable talking to him than Anna, he seemed to have a better understanding of her than her sister, but she still was nervous about opening the door. She didn't want to let him in, but she knew he wasn't joking, and that he would break down the door if he had to.
Reluctantly, Elsa slowly rolled off her bed and meandered towards her door. She lifelessly raised her arm, and ice crystals evaporated into the air as she defrosted the door to the best of her ability.
She dragged her feet towards the threshold and hesitantly unbolted the door. "It's unlocked." Elsa's voice was flat and matter of fact. She didn't know what else to say. She slowly wandered back to her bed and sat on the edge feeling defeated, empty, afraid, and alone.
Kristoff tentatively pushed open the door, and a few crystals of ice flaked off the hinges as it opened. He looked over at Elsa on the sitting on the edge of her bed, she looked miserable. Her face was streaked with tears and ice; her hair was disheveled, and she was nervously clutching her hands.
She refused to make eye contact with him; she was too ashamed.
Kristoff stepped inside and gently shut her door. The icy snow crunched under his boots as he walked over and sat on the frostbitten bed next to Elsa. The blankets crunched under his weight. Elsa felt small sitting next him, almost like she might disappear into his shadow.
She didn't know what to say, she was terrified of talking about the events from earlier that morning and she wasn't ready to explain it to anyone just yet. In an awkward attempt to ease the tension, Elsa tried to make small talk, "So, uh, how's the wedding planning going? Anna tells me you two are thinking of green for a theme color. That's nice."
"Elsa, really?" Kristoff sounded slightly frustrated, "Are we not going to talk about this morning?"
She looked down and picked at her frosty hands. She shook her head. She couldn't talk about. She was afraid of what thinking about it would do to her, and she didn't want to hurt Kristoff.
"Elsa?" Kristoff persisted. He was trying to draw her out, trying to get her to talk, but she refused.
Eventually, she meekly responded, "I don't want to relive it, I don't want to lose control again."
"You won't lose control, I promise. Elsa you need to talk about it, look what's happened when you don't talk to anyone. You don't want this to keep happening."
"It's just too painful and too complicated to think about," Elsa's voice quieted, "and you wouldn't understand . . ."
"Elsa, despite what you might believe, I think I might understand." Elsa looked quizzically at him. Kristoff took a deep breath and let the words escape his mouth, "I'm sorry that Lena's getting engaged . . ." He knew that saying that could provoke Elsa, but he hoped that it wouldn't.
Elsa was taken aback, how could he possibly know? She looked up in shock; she didn't know how to respond. She simply stared wide-eyed at Kristoff with an expression that clearly asked 'how on earth do you know my secret?'
". . .ever since the Prince Wilfred fiasco I've wondered; and I've seen the way you look at her. You really care about her, don't you?"
"I-I do . . ." it felt strange speaking the words out loud for the first time. Liberating, yet terrifying at the same time. She still felt heartbroken, but she could feel the room becoming warmer. Suddenly, she felt a teardrop rundown her face fall into her hands, and she choked back more tears as she spoke, "I didn't mean to hurt her. I don't know what happened."
Kristoff put a reassuring arm around Elsa's shoulder, "don't worry about it too much. Heartbreak can make people do things they regret; its not your fault. And Lena's alright, she has a few small cuts on her hands, but she'll be just fine."
Elsa's lips formed a week smile, but then she paused and looked down, away from Kristoff's steady gaze, "but it's not just Lena . . ." she hoped that he would understand what she was implying. She didn't want to speak the words.
"Oh don't worry, Anna's perfectly alright too, she was a bit shaken up, but she'll bounce back in no time."
"No, no. That's not it. I mean, I feel terrible that I snapped at her, but no that's not what I was implying. . ." Elsa paused and looked timidly up him, "Kristoff, it's not just Lena. I like girls. I'm not interested in men."
He chuckled and looked down at her, "I know Elsa. I've had a suspicion for a while now," he couldn't help but smirk. "It's fine, really don't worry about it. Love is love. And Anna will be fine with everything. I promise."
Elsa smiled up at him and he pulled her into a comforting hug. Kristoff's genuine words and kindness put Elsa at ease. She was glad that he knew, she was thankful to have him as a friend, and she was relieved that she had someone to talk to. And as the feelings of relief and comfort washed over her, the ice and snow in her room evaporated, returning her room to its former welcoming atmosphere.
But lost in their happy moment, the two didn't notice that outside the window the winds were shifting and the warm yellow glow of the sun was disappearing behind dark gray clouds. Swirling in the sky, the dark gloomy clouds were accumulating, and lightning storm was forming over the mountains. Things were about to change in Arendelle.
*note* Thanks to everyone who's been reading/ following/ favoriting my story, I really appreciate it! It might take me a bit longer to update now as I haven't planned out the next chapters yet, but I'll do my best to post more soon.