A/N: Ice and Dragons will now be in first person because I am t3h suck at third person perspectives. Also, ahead of time, please remember that Mathias doesn't have knowledge of Elsa's powers; all he knows is that the royals had been to see the trolls the night he approached them. Just thought I might clarify that.

Ice and Dragons

Chapter 2: Icy Greetings

I wandered the halls of the castle aimlessly, just passing time until the coronation ceremony. I was deliberately avoiding people; what do you have in terms of social skills when you raise yourself for thirteen years? It was better for me to simply keep to myself until then. I walked and walked, never really paying attention to where I was going- I travelled up and down halls, strode up grand staircases and saw amazing paintings and works of art. I didn't manage to spot my foremost interest, however. Elsa was secluded somewhere away from the other guests, a most odd situation as most royals mingle before and after the crowning ceremony. In all honesty, all the action did was raise my opinion of her even higher; she apparently wasn't one to lord her status over others. I was pulled from my thoughts by a cold, almost artic breeze that swept across the hall. I was immediately alert, looking around for the source; when one's species is hunted, you can't discount any possibility of attack. I saw that ice was forming under a door down the hall, and being the curious man I am, I had to investigate. Walking down the hall, I keep my head on a swivel, looking around for a possible source or other effect. As I neared the door, I could hear a soft, feminine voice coming from under the door in something like a chant. Interest piqued, I slipped over to the entryway and listened; the words that were inaudible to a human were quite apparent to me, and were quite a surprise.

"Conceal don't feel! Don't let them know!"

I froze there, shocked. Someone in the palace had powers, and problems controlling them if the aura I felt was any indication. They were also hiding them, and in all honesty?

I really couldn't blame them. Humans have an odd dual nature;

They can be supportive and kind to those different, showing great compassion and understanding…

Or they can be vengeful, fearful, and very- VERY- violent.

I ask you to guess which one I think is most prevalent, and the first guess doesn't count.

Anyway, I hear the footsteps in the room nearing the door, and so I walk down the hall as though I was passing through, knowing that the person would be able to spot me even if I rushed. I pause at the sound of the door opening, turning to face the person I had overheard as though they had startled me.

And her appearance certainly did startle me; in what could only be royal attire, platinum blonde hair in a severe bun at the back of her head, and fear clearly written across her face stood the soon-to-be queen Elsa.

I admit, even with my great self-control, my mind shut down for a moment. After realizing I had been staring for a moment, I walk forward, bowing just outside of arms reach, and act as though I had no idea to who she was.

"Hello there milady. I hope my sudden about-face didn't disturb you; I was wandering the halls of this magnificent castle to pass the time, and the sound of your door opening startled me."

Her worry eased quite a bit, her stance easing and her hands unclenching a bit. The artic chill that had come to the air subsided; I acted as if I didn't notice.

"Oh, not at all; I am simply… not accustomed to seeing others wandering the halls. I do wonder, though, why you are not with the other guests."

Well, she's sharper than most; she gave me a reason to be nervous by mentioning the guest specific areas, put me on the defensive by asking just why I wasn't there, and pulled my sympathy by mentioning the closed castle policy. Well done- manipulation suited for a Queen indeed.

But simple wordplay doesn't baffle one such as I.

"Well, despite how I may look, I was not raised in a social situation. I am, how do I put this, very uneasy in crowds? Yes. I have always preferred to explore, hence the wandering. The areas the guardsmen have closed off are well marked, and I am not such a person to do spying or sneaking about. May I ask your name, milady? I would like to make your acquaintance if possible; we loners must stick together, no? My name is Mathias Zephyerium." I give another short bow in place of holding my hand out to shake as is the normal custom. Her surprise towards my statement and behavior is well hidden, but the relief of not having to shake hands with me is visible on her features, followed shortly by a mischievous smile.

"Well, Mathias Zephyerium, my name is Princess Elsa of Arendelle, and it is my pleasure to meet you."

Her delivery is calculated to startle- lord, she is a sneaky one. I approve. Affecting a startled look for a moment, I 'regain' control of my features and bow, this one a sweeping motion meant to convey respect and subservience.

"Well, your Majesty, I didn't expect to run across the one who owns this marvelous palace! I hope I didn't offend with my wanderings; I was simply looking for a way to pass the time until the ceremony. I admit, stalking the halls wasn't my best idea, but I could hardly plop down in a library, could I? For one, I don't know where one would be, and two, I would likely miss the proceedings if I lost myself in a book."

Her response makes me blink in confusion, shock, and I have to bury the anger I feel deep inside at what she says her father did.

"You enjoy books too? I thought I was weird! Ever since my father closed the castle and isolated me from everyone, I only had books to turn to. I must have read every single book in the entire library, and that's not an exaggeration!"

She sees my dumbstruck look and shies away a bit, blushing. "O-oh, sorry, I didn't mean to open up on you like-"

I interrupt her with a smile as I speak. "Oh, it is quite alright! I feel the same way, and grew up in an environment similar; I am an only child, and my parents are gone. I essentially raised myself and my only option for entertainment when I wasn't working or studying was to read."

I make a show of checking my pocket watch, even though I know the coronation is still hours away. "In fact, I would love to visit the library at some point. I hate to trouble you for the information, so I will ask a guard if-"

She almost stumbles over her words as she interrupts me this time.

"Oh, it is no trouble at all. In fact, I was going to head over there to release some tension before the ceremony. Would you care to join me?"

My eyebrows shot up so fast that they almost made it into my hairline. This woman was both cunning, smart and more than a little naive if she could simply invite a total stranger into closed quarters with her. Still, offering me books? I may not have a hoard of gold, but my hoard of knowledge? She just hit me with the one thing I am constitutionally incapable of refusing.

"W-wow, your Highness. I would love to!"

She gives me a small smile and gestures off down the hall. "Shall we?"

I nod. "Let's."

¸¸.•*¨*•-Ice and Dragons-•*¨*•¸¸

We walked and chatted about unimportant things, passing the time in conversation. It was an unusually long walk, down two main hallways and three flights of stairs. Finally, we arrived at a pair of thick set oak doors. I went to open the door for Elsa, taking hold of the handle and pulling.

I almost lost my balance when the door didn't open; it was locked. I tour to a giggling Elsa in askance.

"Well, it is my sanctuary! Of course I'll have it locked!" Out of nowhere she pulls out a translucent key and unlocks the door. Most would have thought it a glass or ceramic key, unusual but only an oddity, but I recognized it as ice- the Queen had at least some control. Hmmm… My train of thought is broken as she walks past me into the open library, waving me in.

I enter and promptly freeze in place at the stacks and stacks of books; this was indeed a library fit for a King. Elsa catches sight of me and laughs aloud.

"You may want to close your mouth, you're liable to catch flies."

Snapping my mouth shut, I give her a playful glare and walk into the stacks. Elsa follows me and begins to ask some questions that I absently answer, focused more on the massive array of books here.

"Mathias, you said that you read quite a bit, yes? Well, with the printing press being fairly new, you must read in many different languages. How many do you read or speak?"

I see a book about metallurgy that I haven't read and pick it up to look over as I reply. "I read as many as I speak, and I speak English, French, Spanish, Latin, Norse, Gaelic, Aramaic, Kilzaad, Chinese, Japanese, Basque, and I read many types of runes that have no verbal language."

I miss the spark in her eyes as I answer absently. She moves into a different line of questioning as I move deeper into the stacks, grabbing a book on geology that catches my eye.

"Runes? Do you read any of the ones associated with magic?"

I answer absently, again, as I am flipping through a tome on advanced alchemical theory that reads like a comedy to me with my knowledge.

"Yes, most of them although I don't read the Egyptian ones; they can curse you if they are active, so only idiots go after them. I have extensive knowledge of the Norse system, the Japanese system- odd language, works only on specially treated paper, very versatile though- and Ancient Roman. Roman stuff is brute force and ugly, but it gets the job done, and quickly. Mayan is another I know, and is a good one if you don't mind long chants to activate any rune cluster, and the Druidic runes are just a pain to use, but they are by far the most powerful cleansing and binding runes I have ever cast."

As soon as I finish my sentence, I realize my blunder- I just admitted that I have some magical power to the soon to be Queen.

I groan and put the book aside and turn to look at Elsa- she's sporting an unreadable look, and seems to be struggling with some sort of inner turmoil.

"Your Highness, I hope that you will forgive me for not-"

Before the entire sentence leaves my mouth, a freezing cold gust surrounds me and I find myself encased in ice to the shoulder, a scared but determined Elsa looking me in the eye.

"You cast magic? Well, you see mine. I don't trust you- you simply show up at my coronation ball, meet me in a hallway and just happen to have a similar history? I smell something fishy. You are going to stay right there until after the ball, and then I'm going to come back and we are going to have a long discussion about where my power came from, and who cursed me with it."

She walks off, and I see through her façade of bravery and anger; this is probably the most vulnerable she has ever felt. I want to help, not even for my Oath, but to help someone so obviously out of her depth, but right now? Well, I'm stuck.

Literally.

I have no leverage to escape, and the ice is different than normal; it isn't even truly cold, and seems to hold tight to me even through my clothes. The only way I can see to free myself would be to transform into my true shape, but that would only end up collapsing the roof on me.

Damnit.