Summary: It was easy to let go when she believed she would never have to face the world again. It wasn't so easy when she felt the pressures of the kingdom to protect, the sister to care for, and the feelings she felt surfacing despite her attempts to squash them down like fresh snow under heavy boots. This is a story about the other side that Elsa was forced to hide. [ElsaxOFC] [KristoffxAnna]

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reads/favorites/watches/reviews. It's very much appreciated. Here's a little more development.


Chapter Three: Not So Different


Elsa tried to fight off her yawning, but it was no use. The book spread out in front of her was filled with more legal talk than she could be bothered with at the moment. When Gerda knocked three times on her door and announced that dinner was prepared, the bored queen was very thankful.

o o o

The dining hall was filled with warmth and light already. When she arrived, Anna was introducing her blonde boyfriend to the guests. He was still wearing his warm coat, which told her he'd just returned from work. As he sat next to Anna, Elsa smiled politely and took her seat at the head table.

"Leo, Natalia, this is Kristoff. He's my boyfriend and the official Ice Harvester and Deliverer for Arendelle."

Leo looked confused.

"Why do you need an ice harvester if you have a queen that can make ice herself?"

"I'm usually busy with my own work," Elsa explained. "And besides, Kristoff will tell you-,"

"Ice is my life," the man finished with a humble shrug.

Leo seemed alright with this answer, and started to eat his soup.

"So, tonight I was thinking we could go out and skate. Then tomorrow you need to have a tour of the place, obviously, and that can lead into some swimming time because we'll probably be all hot and gross. Next, we'll go horseback riding through the country and we can have a picnic and oh! maybe even go sledding. That would be a lot of fun." Anna was rambling now, her fingers keeping track of the things she was listing. Leo and Natalia listened, interested, as she rattled off activities for the five of them to do over the course of the week. Elsa was about to interrupt and tell Anna to slow down when Natalia glanced over and their eyes met. Natalia was smiling and seemed to say that it was alright, so Elsa kept quiet. She eventually looked away, afraid of being too awkward. Interacting with people still wasn't her strong suit.

"And finally it will be the day of the ball! So what we'll do on that day is pretty obvious."

Kristoff glanced at the pair of guests. He would have liked to quip that Anna had a fondness of not breathing in between sentences unless she absolutely had to, but he did not know what to think about the new royals yet. When he and Anna were around villagers, he could be himself. But being with royalty made him wonder if he was able to joke in the same way. He tried to hide his discomfort.

"I'm very excited for the ball," Natalia said. "It will be the first one we've been to in awhile. I think the last one we held was just a small gala for my birthday."

"How small is 'small'?" Anna asked. "Because I have met a princess who thought 'small' was twenty acrobats, a full-sized orchestra, and two ice sculptures."

Natalia giggled.

"Oh, nothing like that. It was my friends, some dancers, a little music. It was beautifully decorated, though. And my favorite birthday yet."

"How old are you, exactly?"

"Anna," Elsa scolded. "That isn't polite to ask."

"It isn't? But I just want to know."

"It's fine," Natalia chimed in. "I am turning twenty three at the end of the season."

"Oh, so you're older than Elsa!"

Elsa groaned slightly. She felt the need to press her hand to her forehead out of embarrassment, but Natalia didn't seem to find any of it intrusive or untactful.

"Well, how old are you, Anna?"

"I just turned nineteen."

"That's exciting. Enjoy it while you can. Soon you'll be old like me."

"You aren't old! I was just curious. Honestly. In fact, I would have guessed that you were younger."

"Thank you." Natalia gave her a smile from across the table. "You're very kind, Anna."

The meal continued, with casual conversation passing among them. It was mostly Anna and Natalia that chatted away about plans and whatnot. Elsa knew she should be a little less stiff, but she was concerned with making a good impression on the guests. She noticed after some time, however, that there was one person in the room stiffer than she was. Kristoff did not look like he was having fun. It must have been a long few days out, and she suspected that Anna might not even have told him about the guests. Poor guy, Elsa thought. He probably expected to come home and relax. Now he was stuck thinking he needed to impress royal foreigners.

"You're awful quiet tonight, Kristoff," she said aloud. Anna looked at him.

"Yeah, you haven't said much. Is something wrong?"

Elsa knew she was placing her hand on his thigh to comfort him. He looked at his girlfriend and tried not to mumble as he spoke.

"No. I'm alright."

Natalia graciously turned the topic away from him, targeting her brother instead.

"You've been pretty quiet yourself. That's unusual."

"I just haven't had much to say, that's all."

"Imagine that," Natalia grinned. "Trust me. He's being nice and official right now, but there are times you cannot get him to shut up."

Anna grinned.

"Kristoff talks too. He just isn't a people person. He's a true mountain man. Elsa set up classes for him to take so he doesn't embarrass himself at parties. I do enough embarrassing and awkward things for the both of us."

"Etiquette lessons are a great thing," Leo said. "That's admirable."

"Yeah. He's great. But that's probably why he's not talking."

"Well, we don't have to be so formal. Why don't we try something to loosen up?"

"How about some friendly competition?" Anna grinned mischievously. Kristoff raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of competition?"

And that's how they ended up in snow forts in the garden after the sun had gone down. The girls hurriedly packed together snowballs on one side, while the boys created their secret weapon on the other. Elsa stood in the middle, declaring herself too powerful to play. Instead, she would gladly act as referee.

"Alright. You may begin in- AH!" she felt snow pelt her right cheek and turned to see her eager sister looking apologetic.

"You're supposed to wait until I count down!" Elsa shouted.

"Sorry!"

When Anna had ducked back down, Elsa tried again. This time, she got out of the firing zone. "In 3, 2, 1, go!"

She watched, amused, as the four of them tossed snow back and forth. Anna had unbelievable strength for someone her size, but Natalia was much more graceful and fluid. Elsa may have occasionally helped some of her long-distance throws over the guy's fort without saying so. Eventually, the girls pulled their coats over their heads and planned to rush the boy's with handfuls of snowballs. But Kristoff and Leo hurled their secret weapon into the air: a snowball bigger than Olaf. It came down on the girls, who squealed and fell to the soft snow on the ground in defeat. Natalia pretended to wave a white flag.

"I give in."

"What!?"

Anna sat up, snow flying everywhere as she scrubbed it away from her face and clothes.

"We can't just give up that easily!"

Natalia shivered, stood, and hurried over to where Elsa sat on the sidelines.

"I like the cold, but I have snow where I do not want snow to be right now!"

Elsa couldn't help but laugh. She offered the girl a cup of hot chocolate.

"I had Gerda bring this out for when you all got too cold."

"Oh that smells wonderful." Natalia embraced the warmth.

"Yeah, yeah." Anna waved her hand dismissively. "Drink your delicious hot chocolate. I will take down them down all by myself!"

Kristoff tackled her suddenly, scooping some snow onto her head with a laugh.

"Ha ha, got you!"

She yelped, trying to shovel snow on top of him with both her hands. She wouldn't give up, and neither would he, until they were both burying each other in the powder.

"Save some hot chocolate for me!" Anna managed to shout as Kristoff was relentless.

Natalia had settled next to Elsa, still cold from the ice that had slipped past the winter jacket she'd put on. Elsa had a thought, and curved her hand into the air. Natalia bolted upright, nearly spilling her drink at the odd sensation that overcame her as the snow melted and the cold feeling suddenly vanished.

"Ah, sorry," Elsa managed to say. "I just saw you were cold so I wanted to get rid of the ice in your, um, coat. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay. I feel a lot warmer now. Thank you." She relaxed again. Leo came over with a grin.

"Would you mind doing the same for me? Your sister has a really great arm."

Elsa nodded and evaporated the snow stuck to Leo.

"Woah. That felt kind of weird."

"So I've been told." Elsa handed him a fresh cup of hot chocolate and called out to the couple in the snow. "If you're finished making out, I have some for the both of you too."

Kristoff broke their kiss and sat up right away, embarrassed. He stammered out an apology to Elsa as he made his way over. Anna, her cheeks red and her entire body covered in snow, just giggled and accepted the chocolate treat.

"That was fun," she concluded. "What's next?"

"We could go inside and talk," Elsa suggested. Anna was about to protest about that 'being boring', but Leo spoke up first.

"I like that idea. We should all really get to know each other."

And despite Anna's initial refusal, she and Leo ended up being the two that talked the most. Kristoff sat lazily beside his girlfriend, and fell asleep not long into the conversation. His work and the snowball fight had tired him out. Anna and Leo were excitedly discussing the details of the winter mishap that had occurred last summer. Although she knew she had grown from the unfortunate situation, reliving it made Elsa very uncomfortable. When Anna had gotten to the part of their meeting in Elsa's ice palace, Elsa had to stand and leave the room. She excused herself, but only Natalia seemed to notice.

She stood in the hall by an open window. The curtains ruffled gently in the cool summer breeze. Her shoulders perked up when she heard a feminine voice behind her.

"I can understand," Natalia said. "Not fully, but somewhat."

"Understand what?" Elsa questioned.

"Feeling out of place, and like I don't belong."

"You?" Elsa was surprised. "You don't look like someone who has ever been isolated."

"What does someone who has been isolated look like? As beautiful as you?"

Elsa didn't know why, but she felt her face getting warm.

"No, that isn't what I meant. You are beautiful too."

Natalia smiled and gazed out at the night sky with the Queen.

"I have been around people all my life. But you know what they say. You can be in the middle of a crowd of a thousand other people and still feel alone."

"They say that?" Elsa felt sort of stupid once she'd let the words leave her mouth. But Natalia didn't say anything to confirm that feeling. She simply nodded.

"Mhm. I knew from a young age that I was different, and so did my parents. Still, I did my best to be normal for everyone's sake. It always left me feeling lonely inside."

Elsa wanted to ask what it was that made Natalia different, but she didn't want to pry. What the girl was saying was definitely familiar.

"That's how I lived for thirteen years. What did you do?"

Natalia lifted a shoulder in a graceful shrug.

"I just came to accept that who I am is not going to change. Some people will acceot you, and some people won't. Accepting yourself is the important thing. Then you find people who love you no matter what and it makes hate feel meaningless."

The words sounded poetic to Elsa. They were things she had longed to hear for her entire life, even if she had not realized it before. She could relate.

"It's admirable that you have the strength to do that."

"Like I said, I don't do it on my own. I have my brother, for example. He sticks with me through everything."

"I don't even want to think about where I would be without Anna."

"That's good," Natalia turned to smile at Elsa this time. "Even if you regret things you did in the past, you have the future to look forward to."

"Okay, now you're sounding like a self-help book I read not too long ago." Elsa cracked a smile.

"I can see that as a compliment. They really are helpful sometimes! Reading in general helps."

"It's true." They were quiet for a moment. "Thank you, Natalia. It's comforting to know that someone understands."

"Sometimes, we all just need a friend."

Another silence began to grow between them. Elsa did not know how to take that comment. Were they friends? Did she have to ask to be friends the way she assumed one asked to become boyfriend and girlfriend? Or was it just something that happened naturally and without comment? Sensing the uncertainty in the air, it was Natalia who spoke up.

"I'd like to be friends with you, if I could."

Elsa nearly let out a relieved breath, but instead she smiled.

"I'd like that too."

It was a start. The Queen relaxed, and that was a good feeling. She sometimes forgot that she could learn a thing or two from Anna's easygoing personality.

"Why don't I walk you to your room?" Elsa suggested. "I'm going up to bed myself."

"Sure. You don't want to say goodnight to Anna?"

"I have a feeling her and Leo will be up for quite awhile."

"That's true."

The girls walked quietly upstairs and to the right hallway. Elsa bid her new friend goodnight and noticed that she had a giddy feeling welling up inside. She pinned the cause on having a girl her age that she seemed to actually relate to. This was new and exciting, and that had to be what was giving her a fluttery sensation in her stomach. By the time she reached her own room, she was smiling to herself. Maybe the week wouldn't be so hard to get through after all.

o o o

Natalia changed quietly into her pajamas, an elegant silk nightgown that showed the delicate shape of her body. She let her hair down completely and lay back on the comfortable bed that had been provided for her. She was glad that she had shared that part of her with Elsa. Even before she and her brother had arrived, she knew she wanted to be friends with the girls. She'd heard a lot about their kindness and generosity, even if false rumors about Elsa's terrifying power haunted her name and kingdom. One look at Elsa told her what she had suspected. She was the furthest thing from a monster. She was gentle, careful, and breathtakingly gorgeous. The fact that they made a connection so fast was pleasing.

She took out her journal and spread it out on the bed, jotting down a few notes. She pushed away the thoughts of her past, thoughts she knew would start bubbling up if she spoke to Elsa more. The Queen would want to know more about her, and more about how she understood that feeling of social isolation. But her situation was much different than being able to create beautiful snowflakes.

"No," she thought, starting to write out her nightly mantra. "You mustn't think that way. Who you are is who you are meant to be, and there is no use bringing yourself down for it. Everyone feels the heat of the sun. The heat of the heart can only be felt by oneself." She found herself yawning again, so she tucked the journal away and got into bed properly. She had a hunch that the next day would be a busy one. With that thought, she drifted off to sleep.

O O O